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Oyster Bay, New York - Community leaders are pleased to announce that the Oyster Bay Hamlet is the recipient of a $70,000 grant through the Preserve America program. Oyster Bay is the 18th designated community in New York State to receive funding through the Preserve America grant program. Oyster Bay is also the only New York community and one of 22 communities nationally to receive funding in the second round of FY 2010. The "Finding Your Way in Oyster Bay Service Learning Project" will provide the resources that are needed to promote Oyster Bay Hamlet as a viable destination of historic interest.
The Oyster Bay Main Street Association has taken a leading role in attracting these grant funds to Oyster Bay and will also take the lead in administering the project. Main Street President John Bonifacio, said: "We believe this grant will reinforce positive improvements that have already been made including preservation of several landmark buildings, and help to attract the right kind of visitors to our historic downtown. This in turn will lay the groundwork for future prosperity and success for residents and businesses in our community."
One element of the project will involve an active partnership with students in local schools. Details of this partnership are still being worked out. One goal expressed by the Department of the Interior and the Preserve America program nationally is to engage youth in service learning opportunities. The idea behind this is to instill in young people a life-long appreciation for places of natural beauty and historical significance.
For this project youth will be asked to provide their own interpretation in the form of a few sentences about a historic building or site in Oyster Bay from a list provided. The results will then be incorporated into interpretive signs placed throughout Oyster Bay and in a website that is created.
Another goal of this project is to serve as a model nationally for how small and medium-sized communities can go about celebrating and promoting their heritage.
Those with any questions are welcome to contact the Oyster Bay Main Street Association at (516) 922-6982 or www.oysterbaymainstreet.org.
