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Councilman Cuthbertson


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Councilman Mark Cuthbertson > > Initiatives > Environment & Open Space > Environment & Open Space
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Environment and Open Space

  • The Town of Huntington completed construction of a rain garden bioswale at Centerport Beach, a project aimed at filtering 80 percent of the storm water runoff there that has been polluting Centerport Harbor.
  • Completed purchase of the 12.4 acre Carpenter Farm, a former farm that the Town uses for passive parkland and educational purposes.
  • Holds regular “Importance of Recycling” presentations at local elementary schools.
  • Initiated “All in One” Recycling in the Town of Huntington where all recyclables can be “streamlined” and put out in one can on scheduled recycling day.
  • Sponsored community meetings on the Crab Meadow Watershed Hydrology Study.  Thanks to a Federal grant one of Northport’s most fragile environmental habitats became the focus of an extensive study to help support the development of a management plan in furthering to protect and enhance the Crab Meadow Watershed area and the Long Island Sound.
  • Asked residents to participate in the Earth Hour City Challenge, a green and global environment endeavor to turn off their lights for just one hour during the day.
  • Provided residents with the ability to opt-out of the annual printed Trash Pick Up & Recycling Calendar mailing by going paperless. By offering our residents with a paperless ‘opt-out’ method, the Town can save money in printing and mailing costs, while benefitting the environment at the same time.
  • Sponsored legislation to prohibit smoking on all nine Town of Huntington beaches, which includes: Crab Meadow, Geisslers, Asharoken, Hobart, Centerport, Fleet’s Cove, Crescent, Gold Star Battalion and West Neck Beaches.
  • Took steps toward creating a Huntington Blueway Trail, which will highlight cultural and historic points of interest along the Town’s shoreline.
  • The Board authorized applying for a New York State Environmental Protection Fund grant to undertake the project with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. The project will plan a Blueway through Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island Sound and the Huntington/Northport Bay complex. The grant will be used to create a Blueway Trail Map, Blueway Trail Guide smartphone app and video tour.
  • Participated in Heckscher Park’s 100th Anniversary Tree Planting.
  • Worked with the Huntington Greenway Trails Committee to produce the 2nd Edition Trails Guide for distribution to residents.
  • Helped launch Long Island Green Homes Initiative to help homeowners take advantage of incentives from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The goals are saving energy, protecting the environment by curbing greenhouse gases and boosting the local economy by stimulating job growth.
  • Supported the 1998, 2003 and 2008 Environmental Open Space and Park Improvement Bond Acts, which has enabled the Town to purchase over 240 of parkland including Manor Farm, Northport Knolls, Veterans Park, Mohlenhoff property, the John Coltrane Park and 20 acres at Hobart Beach. The referendum funding has also assisted in the renovations and equipment upgrades to parks throughout Huntington.
  • Supported major improvements include the installation of five state of the art synthetic multi-purpose recreational fields placed throughout the Town. Two fields at Breezy Park in Cold Spring Hills; one field at Manor Park in Huntington Station and two fields in Veterans Park in East Northport.
  • Supported the funding for the major renovation and inclusion of a second slab of ice at the Dix Hills Ice Rink.
  • Initiated the earmark of $1 million in EOSPA bond money for the promotion and development of renewable energy projects in the Town of Huntington. As part of this effort, Councilman Cuthbertson created the Renewable Energy Task Force to assist in the distribution of this money.
  • Sponsored major revisions to Half Hollow Park in Melville including bocce courts, soccer fields, a golfing putting green and a playground.Supported a zone change at Deshon Drive in Melville from Light industry to R-3M Garden Apartment Special District and a transfer of development rights from the Deshon parcel to the property formerly known as Meyer’s Farm at the intersection of Round Swamp Road and Old Country Road – to create “Sweet Hollow Park” at the former Meyer’s Farm location.
  • Worked with Suffolk County and the Peconic Land Trust to preserve Richter’s Orchard, the 16-acre farm and orchard located in East Northport. In purchasing the development rights, the property will remain a working farm and orchard in perpetuity.
  • Together with the Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition, initiated the Pink Flag – I Am Fed Naturally campaign, which encourages homeowners to reduce or eliminate toxic pesticides on their lawns and gardens.
  • Limited use of herbicides/pesticides on town golf courses.
  • Initiated the Huntington Greenway Trails Citizens Advisory Committee to document and map numerous trails within Huntington. The Committee created a first and soon to be released second edition of the Town of Huntington Trails Guide. The guides contain descriptions of 41 walking trails, 3 bike trails and a blue trail.
  • With the overwhelming support of the environmental community, he strengthened the landmark Steep Slope Ordinance that prevented the subdivision and development of hills and steeply sloped land, unique to Long Island’s north shore.
  • Placed a moratorium on the development of private golf courses in the Town of Huntington. The moratorium was in place so the Town could thoroughly study the impact of development on large portions of potentially environmentally sensitive land.
  • Worked to purchase and preserve the Lewis Oliver Dairy in Northport, which contains a one hundred year plus dairy farm heritage.
  • Worked with Suffolk County to preserve and purchase the 20.7-acre Fuchs Pond Preserve in Northport. This property lies within the West Watershed of Crab Meadow. This acquisition enabled the creation of a nature center that is surrounded by 680 acres of protected open space, encompassing nearly every type of habitat which exists in the Town of Huntington.
  • Worked to purchase and preserve the Carpenter Farm property in Greenlawn.
  • Sponsored legislation to create a Residential Energy Efficiency Retrofit program to make it easier for homeowners to have greener and more energy efficient homes. This lowers energy costs and the Town’s carbon footprint.
  • Spearheaded a Building Management System (BMS) for Town of Huntington that will enable Town Hall to meet USGBC LEED Certification.
  • Implemented a new energy retrofit program to replace streetlights town-wide with new more energy efficient models, install solar energy fixtures on Town Hall, a LEED based survey of how Town Hall could be more energy efficient, and creation of a Long Range Energy Efficiency Plan to implement energy efficient and green technologies into Town property, fleets, and electronics over the next ten years.
  • Help to lead the effort to install a Photovoltaic Generating System at Town Hall as part of the Department of Energy’s “Better Buildings Challenge” to achieve a 20% savings in energy spending by 2020.
  • Co-sponsored legislation to create an energy neutral charging station for five electric cars at Huntington Train Station that uses the solar panels on the roof of the parking garage.
  • Championed to have the Town of Huntington designated as a “Tree City USA” from the Arbor Day Foundation, after a 12-month effort between 2011 to 2012, which was also marked by the start of the Town’s landscaping project at Breezy Park in Huntington Station.