FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jul 16, 2007
County Executive Steve Levy, Supervisor Bill McGintee and Members of The Ross School Hail Preservation of 71 Acres
County Executive Steve Levy, Supervisor Bill McGintee and Members of The Ross School Hail Preservation of 71 Acres
Suffolk-East Hampton Buy Will Preserve Environmentally Significant Property
East Hampton, NY - Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, East Hampton Supervisor Bill McGintee and members of the Ross Family this week announced the preservation of 71 acres of environmentally significant land owned by The Ross School.
The County Executive signed legislation passed last month authorizing the county's participation in the acquisition. Suffolk and East Hampton are splitting the $7.8 million cost. East Hampton is acquiring an additional 19 acres on its own, to help create one of the largest greenbelts in the Buckskill and Wainscott areas.
The officials were joined by Nicole Ross, daughter of Courtney Sale Ross, who is a Ross School alumni and present member of the Board of Directors, as well as school supporters, present and former students and environmentalists at a press conference on school grounds.
"This is a happy day for the people of the East End, and the environmental legacy of Courtney Ross and The Ross School will be furthered by the public protection of this critical land," said Levy. The property was targeted for acquisition by Levy in 2004, as part of approximately 200 acres in the vicinity.
Both parcels of land involved in the sale were gifted to Ross School by its founder, Courtney Sale Ross. "We are delighted that this transaction will ensure environmental sustainability so critical to the East End community, while contributing to the financial sustainability of Ross School," said Mrs. Ross in a statement. "This will also make permanent the beautiful woodlands surrounding our East Hampton Campus."
"This acreage and the 19 acres East Hampton is acquiring on its own, combined with the 365 acres preserved in a partnership with New York State, Suffolk County and the Town of East Hampton in 1998, will help preserve the quality of our groundwater, wildlife habitat and open space," said McGintee.
"We commend the Town of East Hampton and Suffolk County for preserving this parcel which will now become part of a large forest preserve," said Nancy Kelley, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy on Long Island. "This pristine tract of Pine Barrens sits over the Town's deepest and purest drinking water aquifer. We are thrilled to see it saved and are proud to have played a role in this successful effort."
With campuses in East Hampton and Bridgehampton, Ross School was founded in 1991 by Courtney and Steven J. Ross, who recognized that preparing students to meet the challenges of the 21st century required innovative models. Aided by the research of many educational pioneers and leading thinkers, they set out to expand upon some of the best practices in K-12 education, combining them with the notion that leadership in an increasingly connected and rapidly changing world demands cultivating a global perspective and embracing technology. The resulting model offers a complete and uniquely individual educational experience to students from Pre-Nursery through Grade Twelve.
Since Levy's inauguration in 2004, when he revitalized a nearly dormant and scandal-ridden open space program, Suffolk has preserved nearly 4,000 acres - four- and one-half times the size of New York's Central Park - including 32 farms. The program continues to aggressively pursue the purchase of environmentally significant parcels.
Upon taking office in 2004, Levy implemented a number of measures to revitalize and reinvigorate the county's open space and water protection programs, including use of a Master List of properties to speed up the planning and appraisal processes and to take the politics out of land acquisition; streamlining the contract process; increasing the number of attorneys in the Division of Real Estate for closings; implementing a $75 million Save Open Spaces (SOS) Bond Act; and expanding the number of acquisitions done with other municipalities, environmental agencies or private land trusts.
In 2006, Levy created a $50 million Environmental Legacy Fund in the county's capital budget, which is earmarked for acquisitions in which other municipalities or private interests apply matching funds.
Source: Ross School Press Release.
Visit The Ross School by Courtney Sale Ross at the official website.
Visit The Ross Institute by Courtney Sale Ross at the Ross Institute official website.
View the FAQ page of the Ross Global Academy by clicking through the official site for The Ross Global Academy by Courtney Sale Ross or the FAQ for the Ross Global Academy.
View a press release on PR Newswire about the expansion of the Ross Institute.
Read about how Steinhardt collaborated with the Ross Institute on New Charter Public School.
View another press release in which the Ross Institute Announces Significant Expansion of the Courtney Ross Education Model.
Visit the website for Courtney Sale Ross.