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North Hempstead Receives $80,000 Grant To Expand Geographic Information System To Port Washington Peninsula

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                         CONTACT: David Chauvin
January 22, 2007                                                                          (516) 869-7794

NORTH HEMPSTEAD RECEIVES $80,000 GRANT TO EXPAND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM TO PORT WASHINGTON PENINSULA

Port Washington, NY (January 22) – North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman and Town Councilman Fred Pollack today announced the approval of an $80,000 grant from the New York State Department of State’s Quality Communities Grant Program to create a shared Geographic Information System throughout the Port Washington Peninsula.

“On behalf of our Town, and the 6 incorporated villages located on the Port Washington Peninsula, we’re pleased to announce that the Town has received approval of this project,” said Supervisor Kaiman. “With the funds from this grant, we will establish a shared GIS System with the 6 incorporated villages on the peninsula. This infusion of funds will allow us to expand the technology infrastructure and expertise already in place at the Town level to provide increased GIS capacity at the local, village level.”

A Geographic Information System is a computer system capable of integrating, storing, editing, analyzing, sharing and displaying geographically-referenced information. It is a tool that allows private and public organizations to view data spatially. Local municipalities can utilize GIS in several ways, including linking data to geographic locations; managing services more efficiently; managing information such as land records; and analyzing information such as zoning maps, FEMA flood plain maps, and boundaries for property notifications.

Presently, one of the most significant problems in successfully implementing projects identified in the Port Washington Shared Vision Plan is the lack of sufficient GIS capacity at the village level. Many small villages in Port Washington cannot implement GIS on their own because they lack the highly sophisticated GIS software and needed hardware, as well as the lack of personnel who have been sufficiently trained. The proposed Port Washington Community GIS will overcome these barriers by pooling or sharing resources cooperatively. Additionally, the Port Washington Community GIS will provide the resources need to implement the Port Washington Shared Vision Plan.

In awarding this grant, the Quality Communities Grant Program determined that the Town’s proposal met its principles of sustainability, economic development, community livability and intermunicipal partnerships.

“The Town has been striving to expand its cooperation with North Hempstead’s more than 100 municipal corporations,” Councilman Pollack added, “and this intermunicipal agreement with 6 villages on the Port Washington peninsula may represent our most important breakthrough to date. This is a win-win for the Town, for the villages, and for the residents we mutually represent. We look forward to working with the NYS Department of State and Quality Communities Program on this project.”

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