Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for coming out today for this special meeting. At this time, we'll get started with Councilwoman Maury doing the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States and to the Republic, which it stands one nation under five individual with Liberty and Justice Straw. Okay, thank you. Before we get started, Dr. Dave Bernardo sends his regrets. He had a scheduling conflict, but he he did uh let us all know that he he fully supports this, so uh looks forward to uh working together with the community to make this happen. So uh Mr. Town Clerk, would you please read the notice? I'm gonna be doing a little bit of talking right now, but uh we got the floor to do. You can't all right, good evening, everybody. Uh special notice meeting and a meeting notice delivered on May 15, 2026, and addressed to Councilman Bernardo, Councilwoman Lupinacci, Councilwoman Maury, and Councilwoman Hebert. The following was stated pursuant to Section 62 of the town law, a special meeting of the town board of the town of Huntington would be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 5 30 p.m. at Huntington Town Hall, 100 Main Street, Huntington, New York, to consider Town Board Resolution 2026-310, adopting a home rule message urging the New York State Legislature to authorize the town of Huntington to alienate and discontinue the use of certain parklands in order to construct the Huntington African American Museum. This is signed, Edmund James Smith Smith. He's new at this. Supervisor. The floor is yours, Mr. Supervisor. I do have uh two pieces of testimony here that I would like to read into the record. Okay. I recognize the town clerk to read things into the record. All right. From Ruth Ann Cooley. Uh good evening, uh, Supervisor Smith, members of the town board, and members of the community. As a member of the Huntington African American Museum Advisory Board and President of the NAACP Huntington branch, I strongly support the proposed Fair Meadow Park location for the museum. The site provides a convenient and welcoming space for our community to experience and appreciate the rich history, culture, and educational opportunities the museum will offer. Submitted by Irene Moore to the Supervisor, to Supervisor Ed Smith and the Town Board. My name is Irene Moore, Vice Chair of the Huntington African American Museum and Chair of the Town of Huntington African American Historic Designation Council. I urge the town board to approve this resolution, which will provide an opportunity for the African American Museum Board, Advisory Board, and the community with your assistance to build a world-class museum in the town of Huntington. The museum will showcase the rich history and contributions of African Americans to the Huntington community and beyond. As I stated in previous town board meetings, African American history is American history. The museum will bring to life Jupiter Hammond, Peter Crippen, Booker T. Washington, Samuel and Rebecca Balton, Bolton, John and Alice Coltrane, Dolores Thompson, and Paul Johnson, to mention a few of the bedrock and oftentimes forgotten African Americans in the town of Huntington. Your yes vote will make this dream become a reality. I thank you in advance for your support. Okay, thank you. And just as a procedural note, the reason why this was a special meeting is uh to alienate uh Parkland. There has to be two successive votes in Albany through the State Legislature, and the state legislative session is ending, I believe, June 4th, which is before our next town board meeting. So that uh and we have uh Senator Matera and Steve Count uh Assemblyman Steve Stern, who are working on this diligently in Albany to make this happen so that it can be uh voted on in Albany in this legislative session and then the next legislative session, which uh would uh essentially save a full calendar year, I think, uh, to get this done. So anyway, uh without further ado, uh I would call on Councilwoman Maury for a resolution. Supervisor, I offer resolution three uh 2026-310 to adopt a home rule message urging the New York State Legislature to authorize the town of Huntington to alienate and discontinue the use of certain parklands in order to construct the Huntington African American Museum. Second we have a second by the supervisor all in favor any any opposed uh resolution is adopted uh with four yeses and Councilman Bernardo is absent resolution is adopted okay there being no further business before the board I'll entertain a motion to close moved so motion all in favor any opposed motion carries okay we're we are adjourned and uh the Board of Assessment Review has the room back has the room back exactly