Mayor's Task Force on Historic Preservation
The Mayor's Task Force on Historic Preservation is an advisory group appointed by the Mayor comprised of local residents to gather information and advise the Mayor on issues dealing with historic preservation.
The current members are:
Jennifer Santos, Chair
Bonnie Arrante
George Bella
Laura Burns
Marilyn Devlin
Ellen Grossman
Emily Johnson
Alyson Krucher
Chris Manteria
Victoria Morelli
Gregory P. Shaughnessy
Suzanne Sullivan
In October of 2017, Mayor Murray formed the Mayor’s Task Force on Historic Preservation to research avenues available to the village to preserve its historic resources.
Together, as a dynamic and cross-functional team, volunteering our time and effort, we work to learn the history of Rockville Centre and work to learn how to preserve it. We are a resource for the community, through the support of Mayor Murray, to continue to leverage our village’s resources in grant-writing and attention.
What are our goals? First, it’s to educate- ourselves and our neighbors. We cannot begin to tackle the specificity of what historical preservation means for Rockville Centre without knowing what we should be protected.
Second, we seek to use what we learn about the historic elements of Rockville Centre to then learn how best to preserve it. There are many avenues that a community can take to preserve its history – and not all are the right fit for a community such as ours. Our intention, as a representation of the community, to work with the Mayor and Board of Trustees to navigate this process and share the facts.
Why preservation? Studies have shown that preservation improves livability, attracts investment, enhances local economies, creates jobs for skilled contractors and most importantly increases home values. Preservation allows rather for measured growth that makes sense both aesthetically and economically to the community. We want to continue to celebrate this great place we all call home and to protect and increase your valuable investment in your home.
What are we up to? In 2018, with the support of Mayor Murray and the Board of Trustees of Rockville Centre, we reached out to various state and local authorities on preservation, including Preservation Long Island, the Town of Hempstead Landmarks Commission and other community Landmark Commissions. It was clear that the first step to preserving a community was to conduct a series of surveys to identify historic resources. The Village was awarded a grant in July 2018 through the NYS Preservation League that allowed us to hire Nancy Solomon from Long Island Traditions as our consultant to conduct a Historic and Cultural Resource Survey of the VIllage north of Lakeview Avenue. The Village will be applying for another grant to complete the survey of the Village south of Lakeview Avenue.
The Mayor’s Task Force plans to further educate the community on RVC’s history and on preservation and its benefits. We hope you will continue to come to our web page, linked resources, and events to learn about preservation with us.