Oyster Bay historic group losing director

The executive director of the Oyster Bay Main Street Association will step down after four years of leading the historic preservation group.

Isaac Kremer said he has accepted a preservation program manager position with the Heritage Society of Austin, Texas.

During his tenure with the private nonprofit association, Kremer, 31, oversaw the restoration of the historic Octagon Hotel -- from which Theodore Roosevelt conducted his campaign for governor -- and several other revitalization projects. His last day with the group will be Feb. 24.

"I am proud to have been part of this process of bringing the community together around this vision for historic preservation. I believe that that is Oyster Bay's destiny," he said yesterday, adding that he is "bullish about Oyster Bay's future."

Kremer, who lives in Oyster Bay hamlet, helped raise nearly $1 million for historic preservation and heritage tourism in Oyster Bay.

There are $10 million in preservation projects "on the drawing board and in the works," he said. The restoration of the Hillside mansion and the Snouder's Drug Store building are among them.

The association will likely conduct a national search for a new director, Kremer said.

Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto in a statement lauded Kremer's "passionate and effective voice for preservation and revitalization of Oyster Bay hamlet's downtown."

Kremer, a descendant of Capt. John Underhill, who helped to settle Oyster Bay in the 17th century, said he plans to return frequently to the area to care for the Underhill Burying Ground in Lattingtown.