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Long Island State Park Commission Meeting Minutes

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Overview of the Records

Arrangement

Alphabetically by organization, then chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

This series documents the board proceedings of the Long Island State Park Commission and several closely related bodies: Bethpage Corporation, Bethpage Park Authority, Jones Beach State Parkway Authority, Long Island State Park and Recreation Commission, and New York State Council of Parks. Also included are the published minutes of the New York State Board of Commissioners of the Land Office. Meeting minutes generally document descriptions of the issues, discussions, and actions taken by members concerning the creation, maintenance, and management of State parks and parkways.

Meeting minutes for the Bethpage Corporation cover the years 1932-1934, documenting the effort prior to the establishment of the Bethpage Park Authority to operate Bethpage State Park by way of a non-profit organization established specifically for that purpose. Meeting minutes for the Bethpage Park Authority cover the years 1933-1976. The records also contain an index for the minutes for the years 1959-1976 plus copies of the Bethpage Park Authority's by-laws, information regarding the purchase of the property for Bethpage State Park, issuance of $1,000,000 in bonds to cover the cost of the mortgage and description of the Authority's final termination processes.

Meeting minutes for the Long Island State Park Commission cover most years from 1924-1976, documenting most proceedings during the five decades of the commission's existence – from its foundation in 1924 to its final merging into the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation during the 1970s. These records also contain ordinances and amendments to ordinances, plus transcripts of important correspondence to matters discussed during meetings. Copies of some annual reports can be found, including the commission's first annual report. There is an index of all meetings between 1924 and 1976 also included. Minutes for the Long Island State Park and Recreation Commission for meetings between the years 1973-1980 are also included in this series.

Meeting minutes for the Jones Beach State Parkway Authority cover the organization's existence from 1933-1977 and include an index for the years 1959-1976. Within these records are the authority's by-laws and 1933 organizational meeting minutes, as well as information regarding bond resolutions, bank loans, promissory notes, and arrangements for the final termination of the authority in 1978.

Meeting minutes for the New York State Board of Commissioners of the Land Office for the years 1922 and 1928-1951 are also included. There is a gap in the documentation for the years 1923-1927. Meeting minutes for the New York State Council of Parks are copies of the originals and date from 1938-1965. There is a gap in in the documentation for the years 1956-1957 and 1961-1964. Minutes for 1943, 1945, and 1949 are incomplete and information for some individual meetings during those years is also missing.

Related Material

13915 1925-1933.

19611 Recreation and Historic Preservation Meeting Minutes of the State Council of Parks, 1975-2002.

B1870 1784-1796, 1807-1892.

A3320 Plans and Sketches for Improvement and Development of Parks and Parkways on Long Island, 1928-1954.

19606 Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner's Subject and Correspondence Files, 1975-2005.

Location of Originals

Original copies of these records are held at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation's Long Island Parks Regional Archives facility in Oyster Bay, New York.

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