Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
Borough President Molinaro announces formation of Staten Island Community Preservation Conservancy, Inc
New group will focus on the preservation of properties on Staten Island
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Borough President James P. Molinaro today announced the formation of the Staten Island Community Preservation Conservancy, Inc., a non-profit that will aid in the preservation of culturally and environmentally sensitive properties on Staten Island. The Conservancy will be classified as a 501C3 charitable corporation and will raise funds from local individuals and corporations, and combine those funds with grants from foundations and other charitable organizations.
“I am thrilled that this idea has finally come to fruition,” Molinaro said. “We have been working to develop an entity such as this for a long time.”
The initial funding for the Conservancy came from the sale of a 20+-acre parcel of land in Tottenville, known as the Butler Manor property. Waterside Associates, LLC, the owners of the property, recently sold the site to the Trust for Public Lands. As part of the arrangement, the owners agreed to help create the Conservancy with an initial funding of $200,000.
Borough President Molinaro will serve as a director of the Conservancy, with an initial board consisting of Ruth Lasser, Jay Chazanoff, Vincent Pitta, and Dr. Kenneth Saccaro. It is expected that the Board will seek out additional members from Staten Island’s elected officials, borough residents, and partners in the corporate sector.
“We have a wonderful opportunity to preserve what open space we have left here on Staten Island so that future generations are able to enjoy the same areas we enjoy today,” Molinaro said. “We have recently faced problems at Goodhue Center, Spanish Camp, and Mt. Loretto. With the development of the Conservancy, there is no reason that, in the future, we could not save parcels similar to these.”
December 14, 2006