Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF, REF - Sag Harbor) today announced that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has awarded the Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Community Association, Inc. (FRNCA) $50,000 for the Riverside Maritime Trail. It is part of an overall $2.6 million in Community Impact Grants presented to 28 organizations throughout the state. The funding will support projects that address environmental and public health concerns in low-income and minority communities that have historically been burdened by environmental problems.

 FRNCA applied for the grant to continue work on Phase II of development & programming for the Riverside Maritime Trail, located inside a park. The park will be designed to provide a link between the new downtown Riverside and the Peconic River and also function as an anchor for new mixed use development and increased economic activity resulting in brownfield cleanup, blight mitigation and crime reduction.

The DEC's Environmental Justice Community Impact Grant program supports community-based organizations working to address environmental and public health risks in their communities. Since the program began in 2006, 145 organizations have received almost $5 million in Environmental Protection Fund dollars for projects improving environmental issues in their communities, including research and outreach projects to expand residents' knowledge and awareness.

The DEC also announced a new opportunity that will further Governor Cuomo’s commitment to address environmental and public health concerns in Environmental Justice communities. In order to continue supporting the work of community-based organizations, and recognizing that some organizations lack capacity, staff, and resources to achieve these goals, the DEC is requesting proposals from established not-for-profits with a history of addressing environmental justice to administer streamlined capacity building grants.

These grants will help environmental justice focused community-based organizations in New York State develop their administrative, technical, and programmatic capacity and expand their services protecting public health and the environment. Interested not-for-profit organizations should apply on the Grants Gateway  by February 1, 2019.