Dear Friends and Supporters,

We hope you have been well and are looking forward to spring. Thank you for your continued support. We are pleased to give you the following update regarding developments in our efforts to preserve the Flowerfield property.

On February 6, the NewYork State Supreme Court issued a decision denying the motions by Gyrodyne and the Town of Smithtown to dismiss the lawsuit as to the Coalition and three individual petitioners. Although the court granted the motions to dismiss as to the remaining petitioners, it ruled that our Coalition and those three neighboring property owners have standing to sue.

Gyrodyne and Smithtown now must file answers to the petition along with other documents, or must appeal the court’s decision. At this point, we are not certain which action they will take, but either way litigation will continue.

In the meantime, the State Department of Environmental Conservation’s appraisal process is underway, and we expect it will be completed by late spring or early summer. Although we have no formal involvement in any negotiations, we are hopeful they will commence in earnest once the appraisal is completed, and that the property will be purchased for preservation. We stand ready to assist in any way we can.

Thank you once again to those of you who have agreed to be petitioners in the lawsuit. We believe that the sheer number of petitioners helped to impress upon the court and opposing parties the extent to which our community supports the merits of our actions and the value of preserving this unique parcel of land. Thank you also to all of you for your funding support and for helping to spread the news regarding our mission.

Success is not a certainty. Anything can happen. Although the Coalition has been able to continue paying for the expenses of this litigation, we ask for your continued financial support to ensure that we can see this through and protect the character of our community. Remember, all donations are tax deductible.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Judith Ogden         Joseph Bollhofer
Board Member      Board Member