Making Waves in Oyster Bay

Please Join Us for an Opportunity to

MEET MAIN STREET!

You may be familiar with OBMSA and all our initiatives or you may only know us by name, but now is your opportunity to learn more about Main Street and meet the Board and staff behind the organization making waves in Oyster Bay!

JANUARY 28, 2016

7:00 in the evening

_________________

OAKCLIFF SAILING CENTER

4 South Street, The Great Room

Oyster Bay, New York 11771

__________________

Join us as we reflect on the past year and discuss our objectives for the year to come in the Great Room of the new dormitory constructed for the staff and students of Oakcliff's rigorous training programs.  While there, learn more about Oakcliff and all the great work the organization is doing in the world of sailing and for the reputation of Oyster Bay!

Hope to see you there!

Join us for OBMSA's Annual Meeting!

Please Join Us!

Oyster Bay Main Street Association's

Annual Meeting 

January 29th at 6:00 pm

Thursday, January 29, 2015 join the Oyster Bay Main Street Association for their Annual Meeting to be held at the Christ Church Parish Hall - 61 East Main Street, Oyster Bay, New York 11771.

Enjoy refreshments as we review the accomplishments of the organization over the past year  and what we are looking to accomplish in the year to come.  

The meeting, which is OPEN and FREE to the public, is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Main Street Association and how you can get involved in the improvement of downtown Oyster Bay or, as the case may be, what we as an organization can do for you as a resident, building owner or business owner in the downtown.

SPECIAL GUEST - JOHN COLLINS

A special presentation will also be given by historic architect John Collins - member of the Town of Oyster Bay Landmarks Commission and President of Raynham Hall.  Mr. Collins will lead a brief discussion on how the maintenance and proper renovation of historic properties helps to sustain and attract appropriate businesses in a downtown, highlighting specific projects he has had an opportunity to work on in and around Oyster Bay.  

For all individuals concerned about local property values, the economic vitality of our downtown, and Oyster Bay's future - this is an event not to be missed!

OBMSA Annual Meeting 2014

You're Invited!

Please Join Us...

OBMSA Annual Meeting Podcast, January 26, 2012

For those who were not among the 100 or so people who attended the Annual Meeting of the Oyster Bay Main Street Association, on January 26, 2012, at the Life Enrichment Center at Oyster Bay, or for those who want to relive all of the wonderful moments of that meeting, a podcast of that meeting is available below.

We encourage you to read our Annual Report for 2011. In it you will find updates on our work in the past year, financial report, and four goals we have for upcoming years.

These goal include improving Fireman's Field, upgrading Townsend Park where the bandstand is located, continue our ongoing program of facade and sign improvements, and install interpretive and way-finding signage throughout the downtown.


For past OBMSA meetings, please visit:

• OBMSA 2010 Annual Meeting, September 2010
• OBMSA 2009 Annual Meeting, September 2009
• OBMSA 2008 Annual Meeting, October 2008

Oyster Bay Main Street Annual Meeting on January 26, 7pm!

           

Oyster Bay, New York – Over a decade has passed since the Oyster Bay Main Street Association officially received its charter on September 28, 2001. Since that time downtown Oyster Bay has been transformed for the better. In the past decade over $30 million of public and private investment has been made in the downtown. This has helped to support 57 business start-ups, over 80% which are still open today. Over 60 façade and signs have been improved, with many of these receiving OBMSA support.

                To celebrate these changes to downtown Oyster Bay, Main Street is planning an Annual Meeting for January 26, 2012, from 7pm-9pm at The Life Enrichment Center at Oyster Bay (formerly Doubleday Babcock Senior Center), 45 East Main Street. Many people involved in the founding and the growth and development of Main Street will be present. A special panel discussion on the “Future of Oyster Bay” will be held, echoing a report of the same title published in 1999 that helped to get the Main Street idea in Oyster Bay started.

John Bonifacio, President,
Oyster Bay Main Street

                Guests planning to attend the Annual Meeting are encouraged to RSVP.

                Oyster Bay Main Street President John Bonifacio speaking of the meeting said: “I can imagine no better time than our 10 year anniversary to look back at our past accomplishments, while also sharing a positive and proactive vision for our future.”

                A blog has been created, to provide an overview of positive changes that have been made to Oyster Bay over the past decade. This may be accessed at: http://futureofoysterbay.blogspot.com/.

Four New Initiatives Will be Announced

                At the Annual Meeting four new initiatives will be announced. These will be included in an Annual Report. The report distributed to members who register or renew their membership at the meeting or in advance. One of these initiatives includes a façade and sign improvement fund.

                Oyster Bay Main Street Vice-President, Design Chair, and practicing Architect Henry Clark said: “It has long been an aspiration to have a fund for building improvements that Main Street controls. We are now fortunate to have this thanks to the generosity of our many donors.”

                The new fund will assist with façade and sign improvement funds downtown. Projects receiving funding will be asked to follow the Oyster Bay Design Guidelines available on the Main Street website. This fund will provide up to 75% of the total project costs not to exceed $1,000 for sign improvements downtown. Even greater support is available for façade improvements in eligible buildings.

                The first business to already benefit from this program was Funni Business, a toy store which recently opened at 27 Audrey Avenue. Those seeking funding should request and submit an Application available in the Main Street office in the Oceanic House at 21 West Main Street.

Before and after photo of the Oceanic House, 21 West Main St.

New Office in the Oceanic House

                On October 1, the Oyster Bay Main Street program officially opened a new office in the Oceanic House. President John Bonifacio speaking of this location said, “The Oceanic House and the loving restoration by its owners exemplifies the sort of improvements that Main Street seeks to encourage in downtown Oyster Bay. This building not only affords us an excellent office space but also powerfully expresses our mission to enhancing an attractive and thriving downtown, while maintaining its historic integrity.”

New Members Sought

                In preparation for the Annual Meeting on January 26, an Annual Appeal was sent out to members. Given the 10 year anniversary of the organization, a special request was made for returning members and new members to consider making a three-year pledge to the Association. As an incentive for members who contribute $500 or greater, they will receive a beautiful aerial photograph of Oyster Bay framed and signed by photographer Stephen Mastrorocco. Main Street Treasurer Claude Bahnik said, “This is just a small way for us to recognize and thank people for their generosity.”

                For those wishing more information about the Oyster Bay Main Street Association, membership, sponsorship opportunities, or the upcoming Annual Meeting on January 26, please call (516) 922-6982 or visit www.oysterbaymainstreet.org.


For past OBMSA meetings, please visit:

• OBMSA 2010 Annual Meeting, September 2010
• OBMSA 2009 Annual Meeting, September 2009
• OBMSA 2008 Annual Meeting, October 2008

Podcast of Oyster Bay Main Street Association Annual Meeting, 9/16/2010

The Annual Meeting for the Oyster Bay Main Street Association was held Thursday, September 16, 2010. Those in attendance enjoyed hearing updates on the work of the Main Street program, and guest speakers from the Town of Oyster Bay and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Phyllis Harrington. The Keynote Speaker was Nancy Melius-Murton from the Gold Coast Mansions Historic Long Island Alliance and Director of Marketing at Oheka Castle. The meeting was held in the historic Octagon Hotel, at 67 West Main Street in downtown Oyster Bay. For more information, please visit http://www.oysterbaymainstreet.org/.

For past OBMSA meetings, please visit:

• OBMSA 2010 Member Meeting, April 2010
• OBMSA 2009 Annual Meeting, September 2009
• OBMSA 2008 Annual Meeting, October 2008

OBMSA Annual Meeting to be Held at Octagon Hotel, September 16, 7-9pm

Octagon Hotel as it appears today

The Oyster Bay Main Street Association will hold their Annual Meeting on September 16, 2010. The meeting will be held at the historic Octagon Hotel at 67 West Main Street from 7-9pm.

The Keynote Speaker for the meeting will be Nancy Melius-Murton, Director of Marketing at Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York. This historic home of Otto E. Kahn was built between 1917 and 1919. Following a period of neglect, the home was purchased in 1984 by Gary Melius, and since then the estate and gardens have been lovingly restored. Nancy returned to Long Island a few years ago to spend more time with her family and to develop the family business. Subsequently she founded the Gold Coast Mansions Historic Long Island Alliance, which is working to market mansions and historic sites on Long Island.

Over the past decade OBMSA has been responsible for bringing about needed changes in downtown Oyster Bay. Over 40 building renovation projects, parking and public space improvements, and the opening of several new businesses have resulted.

In the past year alone significant results have come from investing the $200,000 New York Main Street grant. Highlights include expansion of Jack Halyard’s American Bar & Grill (formerly Fiddleheads), restoration of the 19th century Brower House on East Main Street across from the Doubleday-Babcock Senior Center, and new signs and awnings for the building housing Coin Galleries of Oyster Bay. Another project, renovation of the Townsend Inn Annex at 9 Audrey Ave has also yielded the first new business recruited – a furniture consignment business called Mill Pond Consignment.

This summer Main Street offered the second season of the popular Oyster Bay Sundown concert series on the First Thursday of each month. And on July 30 the popular and successful Oyster Bay Farmers’ Market was started. The markett will run every Friday through October 8 from noon-6pm by the U.S. Post Office. Thanks to these and other events, more people are discovering every day what Main Street members already know – that we live in a charming and desirable place.

Main Street's collaborative efforts working with other organizations were shown through special events held at Atelier Fine Arts / Studio, The Teaching Studios of Art, and Oakcliff Sailing Center. OBMSA and the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District recently formed a partnership to promote service learning opportunities.

For more information, or to become a member of the Oyster Bay Main Street Association, please visit www.oysterbaymainstreet.org or call (516) 922-6982.

Podcast of Oyster Bay Main Street Association 2010 Member Meeting

A Member Meeting for Oyster Bay Main Street was held the evening of April 15, 2010, at the Oakcliff Sailing Center. Presentations were made by President Ellen Roché and Executive Director. Guest speakers not included on this video include David Waldo from The WaterFront Center and Dawn Riley from the Oakcliff Sailing Center. For more information, please visit http://www.oysterbaymainstreet.org/.

OBMSA Mission
Oyster Bay Main Street Association (OBMSA) is dedicated to enhancing and promoting an attractive and thriving downtown, while maintaining its historic integrity. We are a 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit using the national Main Street™ Approach to downtown revitalization.

OBMSA Vision
The inviting gateways to Oyster Bay, including the waterfront, Route 106, and the LIRR, lead to an aesthetically pleasing historic downtown. Visitors and residents alike are impressed by the artistic and cultural attractions, including appealing diverse restaurants and shops. Walking through the downtown, one can view public art and a pleasing streetscape, which provides outdoor seasonal dining. Museums and an accessible waterfront provide an engaging family-friendly experience.

Podcast of Oyster Bay Main Street Association 2009 Annual Meeting

Our Annual Meeting on Tuesday, September 15, was a great success. Public officials in attendance gave addresses including NYS Senator Carl Marcellino, Nassau County Legislator Judy Jaccobs, Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto, and Town of Oyster Bay Clerk Steve Labriola. A presentation on the past 10 years of work of the program was made, and founding members of Main Street were honored and recognized.

A podcast of the first half of the meeting may be viewed here.


The podcast may also be viewed directly by going to http://blip.tv/file/2616918

The second part of the meeting with an address by Sagamore Hill National Historic Site Superintendent Tom Ross will be posted shortly.

Oyster Bay Project Featured in National Main Streets Conference

Excerpt from the 2009 Main Street Live Blog (http://www.mainstreetlive09.blogspot.com/) of the National Main Streets Conference follows...


To whet your appetite for great uses of social media for your program, I have a great example to share with you.

When the Oyster Bay Main Street Association in N.Y. realized that another big community meeting was scheduled for the same night as its annual meeting, the group decided to create a video of its meeting so it could expand the audience virtually. Using a hand-held voice recorder, they created an audio MP3 file of the presentations and then used Windows Movie Maker to coordinate the audio with the PowerPoint slides. In just a half hour, a video came together and was posted on YouTube and their blog. Almost 100 people checked out the video, which is more than the number of attendees at the actual meeting. All they used was the software that came with their computer and a hand-held voice recorder. They created the video and posted it and 100 people who couldn’t attend the meeting got to catch up on what they missed out on. How cool is that?!

Want to know exactly how they did it? Oyster Bay Main Street Association’s Executive Director Isaac Kremer created a quick tutorial video just for you.

Podcast of Oyster Bay Main Street Association 2008 Annual Meeting

Our video blog of the Oyster Bay Main Street Association Annual Meeting follows. The meeting was held November 13, 2008 at Christ Church. For those who were unable to attend - the first portion of the presentation is available below in four parts. This include the report by President Bill Sheeline, Executive Director Isaac Kremer, and each of MSA's four committees - Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring. Those with inquiries or questions may contact MSA directly at oysterbaymsa @gmail.com or by visiting www.oysterbaymainstreet.org.

Project for Public Spaces to be Keynote Speaker at MSA Annual Meeting

The Oyster Bay Main Street Association is pleased to announce that Renee Espiau of the Project for Public Spaces will be the Keynote Speaker for their Annual Meeting on November 13, 2007 at 7pm. The meeting will be held in the Christ Church Parish Hall at 61 East Main Street and is free and open to the public.

The Project for Public Spaces (www.pps.org) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public places that build communities. Their community-led placemaking process has resulted in improvement of places as diverse as Bryant Park, downtown Detroit, and creation of marketplaces throughout the US.

Renee Espiau is a Senior Associate with the Project for Public Spaces. Renee is an Urban Planner with a diverse background in transportation policy and planning, having worked for a state Department of Transportation, a transportation think tank, and the non-profit sector. She is an advocate for incorporating Smart Growth, context-sensitive, and multimodal strategies into transportation and community development projects.

Speaking of her work Renee says, “I strongly believe in building relationships with project stakeholders in order to create innovative solutions that benefit a wide constituency.” She added, “I look forward to making my first visit to Oyster Bay”.

Stephen Tilly Architects will also be present to provide their findings on preservation options associated with the historic ca. 1851 Octagon Hotel. This landmark building is located at the corner of Spring and West Main Street and is now being considered for redevelopment. The Gerry Charitable Foundation and the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities both provided technical assistance and financial support to help commission this report.

The Christ Church Parish Hall was selected as the venue to celebrate the recent successful completion of a renovation and preservation project that improved this historic building and the surrounding grounds.

As with most regular meetings of the Main Street Association, the meeting will begin with reports from the President, Executive Director, and each of MSA’s four committees.

The Main Street Association is led by President William Sheeline and Vice President Ellen Roche. Committee chairs include John Bonifacio, Organization Committee; Diane Meltzer, Promotion Committee; Ellen Roche, Design Committee; and Jack Bernstein, Economic Restructuring Committee.

The Main Street Association is based on the four-point approach for commercial district revitalization established by the Main Street Center of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This approach has proven to be the most successful economic development initiative in small to medium sized communities throughout the US.

The Main Street Association was incorporated and received its 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in 2001. Anyone wishing to become a member may do so online by visiting www.oysterbaymainstreet.org or calling (516) 922-6982.