(transcribed)

 (Ed: this was written during the Gaffney Administration)

December 8, 2002

New York State Assemblyman Steve Levy
1217-2 Montauk Highway
Oakdale, NY  11769

Dear Mr. Levy,

It is most unfortunate that the County meeting regarding the dredging of the Grand Canal is scheduled to be held at 9:30am when most of the people who reside on the canal will be at work and unable to attend.  We would like you to voice our concerns at this meeting.

The issue of dredging has been a well-discussed topic for many years in our neighborhood.  We have enclosed a copy of a letter and a petition that was sent to Patrick Halpin, the former County Executive back in September of 1991, detailing some of the problems faced by those of us who live on the canal.  Through the years, the residents have had to form their own clean-up patrols to remove stumps, fallen limbs, and debris from the Grand Canal.  With every passing year, the canal has become less and less navigable.  We need dredging before it becomes totally unnavigable.

The Grand Canal is a picturesque and very special place, not only for residents, but for the many visitors who cruise through the canal during the spring, summer and fall months.  As residents, we pay the taxes and we should not have to maintain an area that the general public is free to enjoy with their canoes, kayaks, inflatable craft and motorboats.  It is about time that one of the many government branches we pay taxes to, takes responsibility for the dredging, the clean-up, and maintenance of the Grand Canal.  The marine life will benefit from the dredging as it will eliminate the stagnancy that occurs and it will decrease the mosquito population by draining the tidal pools.

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Very truly yours,

Mr. and Mrs. G. Nordmeier
Oakdale, NY