If you want to hear what the Western Waterfront Committee has in mind for the Jakobson - Capone - Beekman property, you can attend the March 19 special meeting at 11 a.m. in the Town Hall hearing room.

"Residents, business owners and environmentalists have overwhelmingly chosen one (plan) that will restore and enhance the shoreline of Oyster Bay," said Town Supervisor John Venditto. The plan being unanimously recommended by the steering committee, of which Mr. Venditto is a member, is known as "Revised Plan D."

Among the plans' components are: a new marine education and community center on town land, near the water; 24 parking spaces for cars near the new "center" on land owned by both the town and the state; a historic boat restoration facility in one of the three Jakobson buildings that will be restored; offices for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation where they will give classes in hunting (gun, bow and arrow) and fishing - and their enforcement staff will be located there; the US Fish and Wildlife Service will also have an office there; a site for the Sagamore Rowing Association that they will share with the Oyster Bay Sailing School, (which has been enlarged by removing the proposed rest rooms and moving them to a new free-standing site to the east, along West End Avenue, by a parking lot); a boat ramp for small boats of New York State residents on the state portion of land, which includes parking spaces for 18 cars and two turnarounds. The baymen will be able to use a portion of the west side of the Jakobson Pier, as they requested; they will also have use of a ramp to off-load their catch near the small boat launch; the tall ship dock has been moved to the east side of the pier to accommodate the commercial baymen.

The beach will retain its passive nature that includes a scenic overlook. Beekman Beach is for the use of local township residents only. There will be new restrooms located on the western end of the property. There will be a wetland area developed where the Mill Pond flows into Oyster Bay Harbor.

Some of the Capone property will be used in part to provide more TOB launch parking. This was to fulfill a request for a safer traffic plan in the town residents lot. The Capone area has a small stream that flows to the harbor. It will be enhanced with plantings to create a natural wetland filtering system.

A new building will be constructed on the waterfront at the Capone site for the Bay Constables and the Atlantic Steamer Water Rescue Team: both need easy access to the water.

A waterfront walkway starts at the former Capone property, owned by the town, and continues to the waterfront through Jakobson's and back to the parking lot. At that point, the walkway continues onto Beekman Beach which is for town residents only. There will be a nature overlook at the western end of the beach.

New York State Senator Carl Marcellino, who chairs the WWSC said, the committee was formed in September 1997 and charged with developing a conceptual plan, based on the broadest possible public input, within six months. "During that time frame, we held four steering committee meetings, two well attended public meetings and received more than 1,000 comments and suggestions.

"We met our deadline, and, thanks to the dedicated commitment of the steering committee members and our constituents, we have a plan that reflects the wishes of the community."

He called the community involvement "unprecedented" and said the process will become the standard for future planning in our community." Marcellino said he will continue to work with the town on the next step in the process.

The next step is a State Environmental Quality Review of the project.

Supervisor Venditto said the plan truly reflects the desires of the community and, "I hope they are as proud of the finished product as I am."

"It has taken 10 years to develop a productive working partnership between local government and the public in Oyster Bay, and now it has resulted in a plan for the western waterfront that stands to serve as a model for community-based planning," said Michael Deering, executive director of Friends of the Bay.

"Over the last 10 years we have turned the greatest challenge to the Oyster Bay waterfront (the over development of Jakobson Shipyard) into one of the Island's greatest opportunities - 'Revised Plan D.' It has been unanimously endorsed and presented to the town board by the Western Waterfront Steering Committee," added Jack Williams, president of the Oyster Bay-based environmental organization (that he represented on that committee.)

The hearing room of Town Hall East is located at 54 Audrey Ave., Oyster Bay. If the public would prefer a night hearing, the board has often rescheduled an event or can, as it does with the budget hearing, have a morning and an evening meeting. You can call the town councilmen at 624-6300 to express any concern.

At one time, to have an evening meeting, residents had to have a petition signed by 100 local people but the board has dropped that provision of the law.

If you would like to express your concerns, you can also write a letter to the Oyster Bay Town Board, which will become part of the record on the issue.

The public will have another chance to speak on the plans. There will be a public hearing as part of the SEQR process.