Port Jefferson Station, NY – Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay held a press conference to highlight ongoing efforts to preserve the Setauket–Port Jefferson Station Greenway, a beloved 3.4-mile community trail connecting neighborhoods, schools, and local destinations throughout the Three Village and Port Jefferson Station area.

Joined by more than seventy residents, local officials, and community stakeholders, the event underscored the importance of preserving the Greenway as open space, a recreational resource, and a vital non-motorized transportation corridor. Speakers emphasized the trail’s role in connecting residents to schools, neighborhoods, shopping areas, houses of worship, and nearby Long Island Rail Road stations, while also preserving open space, supporting local wildlife habitat, and protecting home property values.

During the press conference, Assemblywoman Kassay spoke about the widespread community support behind efforts to protect the corridor and ensure its long-term future. She also highlighted the years of public investment and volunteer stewardship that have helped shape the Greenway into a well-maintained and widely used asset:

“I'm so proud to be standing with fellow community leaders and community members to protect something that we all love and cherish in this community, the Port Jefferson Station Setauket Greenway Trail,” said Assemblywoman Kassay. “Many of you know, but just a tiny bit of history, this corridor was purchased by the New York State Department of Transportation in the late 1950s as a potential future bypass for Route 25A. In the interim, of course, these amazing communities built up around that corridor, and then in his infinite wisdom in the early 2000s, we had then-Assemblyman Steve Englebright, now-Legislator, with the foresight that this community didn't need another road. What it really needed was a multimodal trail, a place for people to go out, use their legs, biking, walking for kiddos, people of all generations and of course, to connect with nature as well. There was over $7 million of government funding that went into creating this trail, and it has become a beloved part of our community. The DOT actually gave itself the highest award, the Evergreen Award, for a non-vehicular green transit project. So even the DOT thinks that this is a wonderful trail. So why are we here? Well, there's no current proposal to create a bypass. But still, when I was working with colleagues at the county and the state to tackle adjacent work to improve the LIRR, we discovered that the Greenway is still on the DOT's books as a potential future bypass. And that was hugely concerning to me, concerning to everyone. We have to make sure that there's no fear in our community that this will ever be a vehicular bypass.”

The press conference also brought together a broad coalition of partners, including Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright, Suffolk County Legislator and Minority Leader Jason Richberg, Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich, Friends of the Greenway, Three Village Community Trust, civic associations, local chambers of commerce, nonprofits such as Suffolk Bicycle Club Association and more. Many speakers shared their support for preserving the corridor, pointing to its environmental benefits, potential as a social hub, and importance to the surrounding communities.

At the core of this effort, Assemblywoman Kassay has introduced legislation (A10341) to help secure the Greenway’s long-term preservation. The bill would authorize the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) to grant a perpetual conservation easement over the corridor, ensuring it remains protected as a non-vehicular, multi-modal trail while maintaining state ownership of the property.

Originally acquired by the state in the late 1950s for a proposed Route 25A bypass, the corridor has since evolved into a heavily used trail, supported by more than $7 million in public investment in the early 2000s. Today, it serves thousands of residents each year and continues to benefit from ongoing maintenance and cleanup efforts led by dedicated volunteers and community organizations.

Assemblywoman Kassay noted that the strong turnout and unified support at the press conference reflect a shared commitment to protecting the Greenway as a permanent fixture of the community.

Other stakeholders shared their thoughts at the press conference.

Reflecting on the long history of the corridor and his successful efforts to establish the Greenway in the early 2000’s, former Assemblyman and current Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright shared “I think you all know how important this Greenway is. It's been almost a half a century in the making, from the earliest conceptualization up to the present. I secured two million dollars from the Assembly. I appealed to the Congressman, Tim Bishop at the time. He provided five million more dollars. We had a total of seven million dollars that was granted to the Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). [The NYSOT] got an award for the quality of this trail.” While gesturing to the trail he added, “There's your seven million dollars… to create the trail and all the safety features and crosswalks. There has been some confusion as to what the destiny of the trail would be. That's why Rebecca's initiative is so critically important, and that's why in my estimation, having been involved with this project for more than 40 years, she's the best friend that the Greenway has ever had.”

Commenting on the time he and his son spent on the Greenway Trail, Suffolk County Legislator and Minority Leader Jason Richberg shared, “We have a legacy of fighting in this district to ensure that our communities are heard. And we understand that your government, whether it's your town government, your county government, and your state, have put in an effort to ensure that you have an equitable trail that connects communities. It doesn't matter whether you have or have not, you have the ability to go walk up and down the trail. My son and I, about a couple months ago, were on the other side of the trail.” Legislator Richberg went on to share that the Democratic Caucus of the Suffolk County Legislature would be sending in a letter of support for Assemblywoman Kassay’s bill A10341 and that efforts would move forward to request a letter from all eighteen Suffolk County Legislators to ensure that the trail remains a walkable path.

As a resident of the area for 25 years, Port Jefferson Deputy Mayor Xena Ugrinsky shared “I have watched this Greenway be built up. I have ridden it on my bicycle. My grandchildren have ridden it on their bicycles and skateboards. Thank you to the volunteers who maintain this space. I am in extreme appreciation of the work that you [Assemblywoman Kassay] do to ensure that we have fresh air and green space and as our voice in Albany, I could not be more proud of you and so much gratitude.”

President of the Three Village Community Trust Peter Legakis said, “The Three Village Community Trust is the steward of the trail. Under us is the Friends of the Greenway Trail and Charlie McAteer handles this all. Great thanks to the volunteers who take care of this trail. Thanks to Northville Industries, they mow the lawns here all the way through to the other side. Since its inception, I have run this trail. I have biked this trail. It's fabulous and the one thing the DOT has to recognize is it takes bike riders off the street and puts them here and it's for their safety and it's for the enjoyment of this community and it connects each aspect of the community and it's a treasure.”

Referred to as the God Father of the Greenway Trail, Chair of the Friends of the Greenway Trail Charles McAteer said, “I'm here because you're all here. This trail would not have existed without all of your efforts... The one thing I put up today was the Greenway cleanup sign. This is actually the most important cleanup that we're having right now. We're cleaning up the issue of 1959. Obviously, we want the Greenway to remain and DOT, by the way, is doing a bypass. The bypass is called 347 and they are improving it into a six-lane highway which will bypass this area if they want. So, we don't need another bypass. We need the recreational area that we all enjoy and you all coming out today shows the enthusiasm for the trail and for everybody who's not here, you know someone who utilizes the trail and enjoys it. Thank you to Ben, for doing a little bit of quick cleanup from the winter. We have Eagle Scouts and Girl Scouts doing projects on this- it truly is a community-minded trail.”

President of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce Paul Perrone said, “I am truly honored to be surrounded by these representatives that we have supporting us in our local community. As your Chamber President, and also a real estate agent, I'm concerned with home values and the business values of our local community. I will say I've sold quite a few homes both ways down the trail. When you improve the quality of life in a community, you improve home values. When you improve the business community, you improve business values and you bring more economic stability to a community and that helps everyone. Thank you for supporting this proactively. You didn't have to wait to be reactive. This is what we need in our government.”

Of the Greenway Trail, Suffolk Bicycle Club Association Advocacy Chair Joe DePalma shared, “These types of things bring our community together. Even people that come from outside the community can get to explore and see what this community is like. I've used this trail for biking, for walking, for hiking, and also actually for commuting...The important thing is it's used by this community. I see people out there constantly…it's important that we keep projects like this for the walkable community, for the rideable community, for people that just want to sit, walk, sit on the side of the trail and just watch other people.”

Commenting on the ability of the Greenway Trail to bridge communities, Vice President of the Three Village Civic Association Jay Schoenfeld noted, “We are extremely supportive of all the efforts going on to preserve the trail and as you see, what a great community resource it is. We have been writing letters and…this is actually one of the things that has catalyzed us to work very closely with the other civic associations in the community both Port Jefferson and Port Jeff Station/Terryville. This is one of several issues that we are working extremely closely together with them on.”

Former Beautification Chair of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association Joan Nickeson read a statement on behalf of Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association President Ira Costell, which read, “The Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway Trail has provided countless hours of peaceful enjoyment for over a decade and a half for residents of our area but just as important is how the Greenway Trail has brought together the respective communities of Setauket, the Three Villages, Port Jeff Village as well as our hamlets of Port Jefferson Station and Terryville. However, the lurking issue of decades-old right-of-way held by the DOT hangs like a sword over our prospect of continued enjoyment and appreciation of this special jewel. I call on the Governor to support the efforts of Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay to fix a problem which should have never existed. Our association thanks Assemblywoman Kassay for her tireless and tenacious efforts to find a valuable viable solution to ensure local citizens can continue to walk our path.”

To close out the event, Assemblywoman Kassay shared comments community members submitted to her office answering the question, “What does the Greenway Trail mean to you?”:

Mary from Port Jefferson Station said, “I'm a senior citizen trying my best to stay healthy without spending on health clubs so there's an affordability and access element here too. Walking is known to be one of the best activities for the body and the brain so my husband and I value the trail and would like to see it protected in perpetuity for us and future generations to enjoy.”

Veronica from Setauket shared, “I am happiest when I'm able to spend time on the trail and I love the sense of community it provides. I often run into my neighbors on the trail and I'm excited to one day get to teach my children how to ride bikes on the trail which is something we see often.”

Mark from Port Jefferson wrote, “There is so little parkland in our area and getting away from the hustle and bustle and noise of modern life is essential to our mental health and not to mention our physical well-being.”

Jane from Stony Brook wrote, “It feels like you're in another in a world away from all the challenges of life when you're on the Greenway Trail.”

To conclude, Assemblywoman Kassay shared, “I look forward to working with my fellow representatives in Suffolk County and New York State to deliver a preservation plan for the Greenway so we may all confidently continue our ongoing collaborative efforts to modernize the LIRR and deliver a one-seat ride on the Port Jefferson line.”

Assemblywoman Kassay’s office is compiling community comments to bolster these preservation efforts and asks that local residents submit their comment at the following link: https://tinyurl.com/preservethegreenway . Residents are also welcomed to send comments via email to kassayr@nyassembly.gov, by phone at 631-751-3094, or by mail to 149 Main St, Setauket NY 11733.