Major stop on ride to move LIRR's Port Jeff station?

Daily Point

Progress for Lawrence Aviation Greenway

After state lawmakers in Albany finally finished approving the budget, nearly two months late, they were left with just a few days to move the individual policy-related bills that rise to the top of the pile.

Among those approved by the Assembly Thursday: Assemb. Rebecca Kassay's bill to establish a permanent "conservation easement" over the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway path that runs through the former Lawrence Aviation Industries property. The legislation would preserve the Greenway, preventing it from becoming a highway bypass, which some local officials feared could happen if the state Department of Transportation chose in the future to adjust the path of Route 25A.

If the bill becomes law, it would keep the Greenway as open space, and also establish a way to move forward on plans for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to purchase the land for $10, and use the Lawrence Aviation space for a future rail yard. That, officials say, could pave the way for potential future electrification of the Port Jefferson Branch of the Long Island Rail Road and the effort to move the Port Jefferson LIRR station.

"Not only does the community benefit from permanently preserving the Greenway and taking out the possibility of the bypass, it also unlocks a yearslong stalemate regarding the conversation with the MTA about the Lawrence Aviation property," said Kassay, a Democrat from Port Jefferson.

The bill passed the Assembly unanimously, Kassay told The Point Thursday. It now moves on to the State Senate, where both State Sens. Monica Martinez, a Democrat, and Anthony Palumbo, a Republican, are sponsoring it.

But time is short, as the legislative session ends next week.

"The bipartisan nature of the co-sponsoring in the Senate really goes to show that this is a community issue, not a political issue and that the local importance of it has brought together folks from both sides of the aisle to move it forward," Kassay said.

Martinez told The Point that as soon as the bill passed the Assembly, she flagged it for the Senate.

"I don't really foresee any issues," Martinez said. "I advised them it passed the Assembly, and that it's a priority for the local area right now. It is on my priority list and we're hopeful."

And Palumbo said the bill is a priority for him, too. 

"I believe, and I hope, that it finally sorts out the wrinkles with DOT," Palumbo said.

Adding to the layers of support, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, who had previously expressed concerns about the possibility of a highway at the site, sent a letter of support for the Greenway legislation.

"I support this bill and the County would be willing to take on the responsibility of working with the Friends of the Greenway to maintain the conservation easement," Romaine wrote in a letter last month.

Kassay noted that she met with Gov. Kathy Hochul's team, who, she said, also have said they understood the importance of the project. And various civic groups and other community members have voiced support, too.

"We're hoping all of that continues to resonate with the leadership in the Senate so we can see the passage of this before the last day of session next week," Kassay said.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

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Quick Points

Forget the Knicks — the state budget passed!

• It may have been a tad less exciting than the New York Knicks' Eastern Conference championship, but New York State adopted its budget for fiscal year 2027 late Wednesday night. The budget was 57 days late and the latest in nearly two decades. Good thing Albany lawmakers don't get points off for handing in late work.
• Speaking of the Knicks, watch party celebrations outside Madison Square Garden were nixed by the city because of raucous revelers, many of whom, it turns out, are social media influencers. But when it comes to the upcoming World Cup, Gov. Kathy Hochul and her Republican challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, are both sponsoring watch parties on Long Island. Let the games begin!
• Nothing says summer on Long Island like government-issued advisories against bathing at beaches because of excessive stormwater runoff that can cause higher levels of bacteria from animal feces and aging cesspools. During Memorial Day weekend, Nassau and Suffolk counties warned against swimming at 83 beaches.
• Opponents of a nonexistent artificial intelligence data center application in Brookhaven Town apparently used AI to generate a flyer decrying the purported proposal that local officials deny even exists. Artificial, indeed. Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico told Newsday the flyer was "social media manipulation." Why don't they just follow the lead of companies like SpaceX that want to build orbital data centers in space?
• An invasive northern snakehead fish was apparently caught in a pond near Lake Ronkonkoma by an angler who posted a photo on social media. The state Department of Environmental Conservation was seen at the pond but so far hasn't caught any elusive snakeheads. Maybe the DEC should call HHS Secretary RFK Jr. to wrassle 'em up like he did this week when he grabbed two snakes with his bare hands outside the Florida house of another Trump administration appointee, Dr. Mehmet Oz.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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