While working in concert with other Oyster Bay groups on projects, the Main Street Association has also carved out a niche for itself. At the kickoff of the 2004 fund-raising drive of the Community Foundation of Oyster Bay, a five-year supporter of Main Street, Joan Mahon, executive director of the Main Street Association gave an insight into the success of the group: they see the Town of Oyster Bay Hamlet Plan as a green light for progress.

She said of the hamlet plan, "It's a green light, we can go to the town and say, 'you said this' we'll implement it!" She said the plan is not detailed, it defines items in broad terms, so therefore, it is easier to use. "It allows us to get a green light and go ahead with support of the town's plan. We love the hamlet plan," she said.

The suggestions in the plan are what the community envisioned; it is a blueprint for what is wanted and needed in the town. "We can go to the town and say, 'we want to implement this recommendation.' It allows us to approach them with specific projects they already see as valuable." Ms. Mahon said you can visit the Town of Oyster Bay website and download a copy of the Hamlet Plan using Adobe Acrobat.

Using the community's suggestions that are in the hamlet plan, MSA implemented the kiosks, mentioned in the first section of the plan; the greenspace in the middle of the town has been interpreted as the parklet by Raynham Hall Museum; the plan also suggests walkways and they are visible in the new Townsend Square parking lot configuration. 'They are quality of life issues. Another hamlet suggestion is that the non-profits work together, and that was accomplished as we worked on the Passport to Historic Oyster Bay. A principle of MSA is that small projects make a big difference," she said.

"Our signature is quality, design, and sensitivity to history." She told the stories of the kiosks, and thanked the town for their involvement. She said while checking the information kiosks in town, she discovered the one by town hall was damaged and a piece was missing. She called the town and they said the Plexiglas shield was cracked by a rock and the town repaired it. "They took ownership and repaired it. That shows town employees have pride in it. Someone took his job to heart, saw the problem and fixed it, and we really appreciate it," said Ms. Mahon.

In her talk, she gave several MSA anecdotes. She credited her father, a quality control engineer from Milwaukee for doing a rush job to enable the kiosks to be built when Ellen Roché, architect, was gone on vacation and not available to draw up the plans for the manufacturers. Her dad was visiting here, and did the work, she said, "Dad is part of it too. My parents are farmers from Minnesota."

She also credited Teddy Bookman, (now retired from her job as executive director of Friends of the Arts (FOTA) and replaced by Mary Ann Beaumont) for creating the Passport to Historic Oyster Bay program, that was a great success. A committee representing local cultural sites and the chamber worked together to promote the village as a tourist destination. Ms. Mahon's part included training several Interact members to act as tour guides for the trolley, sponsored by MSA and used during the Passport weekends. During the August Passport Weekend, Sagamore Hill hosted a day for all the members of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt to visit the historic site. Many sailors and their families came down to Oyster Bay and MSA arranged for them to ride the trolley.

"It was serendipitous that the trolley was stopping at Sagamore Hill as one of its destinations all during the day. Many of the USS TR people took the trolley to town and visited ArtWalk (an Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce project) that was taking place on the street of the hamlet. There was another benefit for them since they were taking the trolley back to Sagamore Hill. You plan as much as you can, but you don't know what will happen," said Ms. Mahon.

"Rob Crafa, executive director of the WaterFront Center found the trolley and used it for Bay Day and the Oyster Festival. He gets all the credit for that, as well as the American Express grant he got for Passport 2003," she said. That same weekend, 90 people visited Raynham Hall Museum for a haunted house tour created by museum director Sarah Abruzzi.

Planning is already under way for Passport to Historic Oyster Bay 2004. Ms. Mahon said FOTA has received a National Endowment of the Arts Grant, Challenge America. They will receive $10,000 for promotional advertising in the Sunday Escape Section of The New York Times to attract visitors to Passport 2004.

The Passport project has another friend. Ms. Mahon said Gay Vietske, the new superintendent of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site comes with some welcome expertise. "She worked on the Freedom Trail (in Boston) and worked on connecting the sites - only two on the Freedom Trail locations are National Park Service sites. They have submitted an application for a Ford Motor Company grant. It pays for a uniformed (NPS) interpreter to narrate the entire tour on the trolley which will be consistent and well done," she said.

Solving the parking problems in Oyster Bay has been a longtime effort that is still ongoing. The issue has been worked on by the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce, the Oyster Bay Civic Association and Main Street - all meeting with town officials to solve the problem. The most recent success is the work at the lot behind Townsend Square. Ms. Mahon said, "The Townsend Square parking lot improvements are 66 percent done. It will become a lovely garden spot."

The work, spearheaded by the joint committee composed of representatives of the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce, got off the ground when NYS Senator Carl Marcellino gave MSA a $10,000 grant to create a parking plan for Townsend Square. Chris Robinson of RMS engineering did the plan. She said, "The plan added four new parking spaces; a bluestone plaza in front of the Community Center; took down the chain link fence to the east, which will be replaced by a wood fence; created a brick walkway around the perimeter of the lot; and includes a fountain visible from South Street - to create a welcoming area. There will be trees planted in the middle of the pavers defining the aisles. The Townsend Square lot will have lamps created with a special grant of $50,000 obtained by Nassau County Legislator Brian Muellers."

The West Main Street project next to the parking lot, opposite Verrelli's Market, was an Island Properties project, and an example of working with the private sector property owners. They took down the Mavros house's garage to create an open area that reveals the Raynham Hall garden. "The small area has a name - 'Raynham Way' so that people can be directed to it. The design, which will have chess tables and a mini orchard, called a bosque of trees, in this case Princeton Century Ginkos is progressing nicely," said Ms. Mahon.

As Ms. Mahon continued to review the MSA work, she said they reached out into the community to Obbie's Juice & Java, a student created business, for the MSA annual meeting's catering as well as a PowerPoint presentation designed by student David Roché. They will use them again for their open meeting on Wednesday, March 3, at the Doubleday Babcock Senior Center, 45 East Main St. starting at 7 p.m. with Greenport Mayor David E. Kapell, who will speak about his downtown's revitalization.

In December MSA worked with the Oyster Bay Civic Association, and the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce on Holidays in Oyster Bay. She said their part was having the commercial windows decorated by children. "Jamie Archdeacon of the OBCA grew up in Scarsdale in Westchester where the children decorated the windows for Halloween. She chaired the committee and the winner of the contest was Laurette Kovary of Art House, who had the children in her school do the work on Buckingham's Variety store on Audrey Avenue. The winner was chosen as a result of a celebrity judging contest as local residents Vinnie Testaverde and his wife Mitzi and their children strolled through the downtown hamlet area to pick the winner. He is the famous Jets football player. He and his wife met when she was a cheerleader in Tampa Bay. She currently teaches cheerleading here in Oyster Bay."

Ms. Mahon spoke of the success of the holiday coupon book, which Mark Fox of Canterbury Ales helped her create. She said she took advantage of the book as she shopped for the holidays, "I spent my paycheck in Oyster Bay," she said happily. Ms. Mahon showed the group a pocketbook her daughter bought for her at Muir, one of the shops listed in the booklet. She touted the newest store in Oyster Bay - Muir, located in the former Oyster Bay Boat Shop at the north end of South Street. "She's a second generation DeGuzman merchant. Her mother runs Brigid's, and does children's handmade clothing. Muir (DeGuzman) has a great eye, great suppliers, great clothing and great prices," said Ms. Mahon. She said she did her Christmas shopping in Oyster Bay.

She said the town would soon get the Stevenson Academy of Fine Arts run by Attila Heijja whose view is "There are no insurmountable obstacles." His school will be located at 20 Audrey Avenue, the former office of Governor Theodore Roosevelt; the IP building is currently being renovated. The first floor will be retail and the second floor will house the art school. Ms. Mahon said IP's Abraham Poznanski is putting a parking requirement in his leases that tenants must park at Firemen's Field. She said Mr. Heijja will ask people to do so and additionally he will supply a courtesy van for his art students. He plans on Friday night life sketching classes for $35 and will include a live jazz performance. He is considering Sunday chamber music brunches.

Ms. Mahon had more good news, demonstrating community involvement. She said during next spring MSA would have two interns from Friends Academy working there. Two local young ladies, Hillary Armstrong will work with the computers and Marie MacDougall will work on design.

Ms. Mahon enjoys her job and said she believes in: "Do what you love and love what you'll do and you'll be happy." That she is doing so, radiated from her talk. For more information about MSA, please call 922-6982. You can visit MSA at their website www.oysterbaymainstreet.org