Speaker Heastie Joins Suffolk Lawmaker In Tour Of Coram, Announcing $2.3M For School, $800,00 For Fire Dept.

CORAM, NY — State Speaker Carl Heastie — on his statewide tour — joined Assemb. Rebecca Kassay on Monday, stopping in Coram, to announce $2.265 million in state funding to the elementary school for a community-accessible playground, multi-sport court, and pavilion.

The Coram Fire Department is also set to receive $800,000 for repairs and upgrades to their dispatch building to create Americans with Disabilities Act access and upgraded bathrooms for the department’s community space that regularly hosts the Coram Civic Association, the Young at Heart Senior’s Club, Scout troops, and community events.

While visiting Coram Elementary School, Heastie and Kassay were joined by students and leadership of Longwood’s My Brother’s Keeper and My Sister’s Keeper programs, Longwood Central School District administrators and teachers, and local civic leaders to hear about their experiences and discuss plans for a publicly accessible playground and sport court complex on school grounds.

The state funding will support the project, providing an accessible, vibrant, safe space for local families to enjoy play, exercise, and a stronger sense of community pride, officials said.

Heastie said that a great part of his annual statewide tour is "seeing the parts of local communities that residents know they can rely on day in and day out."

“It was good to be at Coram Elementary School today with Assemblywoman Kassay and students from My Brother’s Keeper and My Sister’s Keeper to see the school’s importance for local families," he said. "It was also a pleasure to visit the Coram Fire Department and to see the impact their volunteer members have on the community.”

Kassay called Longwood "a vital community hub for local families and youth," and said she was proud to introduce Heastie "to some of the best and brightest in the district."

“I was also proud to bring Speaker Heastie to visit the Coram Fire Department and meet with the local volunteers who answer the call around the clock to protect their neighbors’ lives and property," she added.

The funding builds upon state’s recent investments into the students of the district, according to Kassay's office.

In the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years, Kassay helped to secure $144,000 in Programmatic Allocated Funds and Bullet Aid, with the majority of funding supporting Longwood School District’s My Brother’s Keeper/My Sister’s Keeper programs and the Longwood RoboLions.

Longwood's superintendent of schools, Lance Lohman, said, "Coram families have waited a long time for a place like this."

He thanked the leadership of Heastie and Kassay, as well as the strong partnership with Kareem Nugdalla and the Coram Civic Association, saying, "our children will have a place to play, our families will have a place to gather, and our community will have a space it can truly call its own."

We are deeply grateful for their commitment to the children and families of Coram and to the entire Longwood school community," he said. "I know this is just the beginning, and that this investment will enrich our community for generations to come."

James Ambroise, commissioner of the Coram Fire District, which serves over 15,000 households throughout the community, extended his "sincere thanks" to Heastie and Kassay "for taking the time to visit our fire district and for their generous contribution toward our building upgrades."

"Your support is a meaningful investment in making our facilities more accessible and welcoming to all members of our community," he said. "We truly appreciate your commitment to the Coram Fire District and to the residents we proudly serve. Thank you again for your generosity, partnership, and continued support of the Coram Fire District.”

Nugdalla said that for more than 20 years, the civic has "worked tirelessly to advocate for the revitalization of our community and for meaningful investments in the families who call Coram home."

"Today represents an important turning point in that effort," he added.

"The $2.2 million investment toward a new community playground and park will create something our families have needed for years: a safe, welcoming place where children can play, parents can gather, and neighbors can build stronger connections with one another," he said. "The additional $800,000 investment in accessibility and facility improvements at the Coram Fire Department will strengthen another institution that has been at the heart of our community for generations."

The investments represent more than new facilities, Nugdalla said.

"They represent a commitment to the working and middle-class families who live here, raise their children here, and have continued to believe in Coram’s future," he said. "On behalf of the Coram Civic Association and the residents we serve, I want to express our sincere gratitude to Speaker Carl Heastie and Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay for recognizing the needs and potential of our community."

"We are deeply honored by this investment and incredibly optimistic about what it means for the next chapter of Coram," he said. "We look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition and to continuing the work of building a community where families are proud to live, grow, and stay for generations to come.”