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Politics & Government

Lake Advisory Board Meets in February

Soon-to-be local non-profit gets new name but not much else doing.

The February meeting of the Lake Ronkonkoma Advisory Board (LRAB) at the William H. Rogers Legislative Building came and went this week. 

With Michael Kaufman, the Vice President of the Suffolk County Council of Environmental Quality scheduled to speak but not present, the evening’s agenda was moved through in a matter of minutes. 

Lake Ronkonkoma Civic Organization President George Schramm briefed the board about the Lake Ronkonkoma Watershed Intermunicipal Organization (LRWIO) and the Ronkonkoma Lake Association (RLA), both of which, when up and running, aim to improve the quality of the lake while also coordinating activities of the surrounding municipalities.

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There was no update with regard to the LRWIO since the last advisory board meeting. The board is still waiting to hear from the incorporated Village of Lake Grove as to whether or not the municipality wants to participate. Leg. John Kennedy (R-Nesconset), the chairman of the LRAB, was not in attendance. A representative on his behalf said the Village of Lake Grove has been contacted but has yet to responded.  

As for the RLA, Schramm said he is still waiting to hear from the the Department of State with regard to the organization’s 501(c)(3) not-for-profit status, a position he was in during the January meeting of the LRAB. 

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“They’re extremely strict,” said Schram of the State Department and its review of pending not-for-profits. “I’m hoping in the next week or so it will be complete.”

Schramm did have one piece of news regarding the RLA, the fact that it will now be known as the Ronkonkoma Lake Foundation (RLF). He said the name change is to better convey the organization’s charity status.  

After Schramm’s briefing the meeting focused on the fact that there was only one member of the public in attendance. Ideas where tossed around regarding ways to better inform the public of the LRAB. 

Attending a meeting for the first time since taking office, New York State Assemblyman Al Graf suggested taking advantage of the Sachem Patch web site while Leg. Tom Cilmi (R-Islip) brought up the idea of printing flyers and distributing them to the public. Schramm informed the board that once the  LRWIO and RLF are up and running, publicizing the two will take on more importance. 

The meeting was concluded with Kathy Easterson, the lone public attendee,  asking about updates regarding the proposed Lake Walk. Kevin Kanakos, one of the brains behind the proposed Lake Walk, said representatives from the county had recently visited the lake to better understand the project. As of now, the Lake Walk is still in the infant stage of being a proposed idea. 

The next LRAB meeting is scheduled for March 29 at the William H. Rogers Legislative Building in Hauppauge. Meetings after that are as follows: April 19, May 31, June 28, (JULY AND AUGUST SUMMER VACATION), Sept. 27, Oct. 25, Nov. 29, Dec. 13. Every date is a Tuesday. Every meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. 

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