After about five years of abandonment, the former Raven's Nest adult entertainment club could be demolished.

Off Track Betting closed its purchase of the property on Hempstead Turnpike near the Bethpage State Parkway in February. OTB, a legal horse racing center with profits benefiting Nassau County, currently has a location adjacent to the former entertainment club. The former Raven's Nest is currently being used for additional OTB parking. But OTB has bigger plans for the site, said William Funk, its director of corporate affairs for the Nassau region.

"We haven't officially decided what will happen yet," Funk said during the Concerned Citizens Association of Farmingdale (CCAF) meeting that took place on April 29, just before the Kentucky Derby Triple Crown race was run. "But we are considering building a new OTB next to the former Raven's Nest. We would demolish the Raven's Nest as well as the current OTB. The current OTB location would be used for parking."

Funk said if that route is taken, it's possible that construction on a new location would be completed by late summer. The project would go to the "highest responsible bidder," and it may need to meet Planning Commission approval, he said. Funk added that taxpayers would not be required to chip in any money for the construction. "Every time people win at OTB, they pay a 6 percent surcharge," he said. "Five percent goes to the county and 1 percent goes to a Capital Improvement Fund for projects like this." According to Funk, $250 million was gambled in Nassau County in 2002 alone.

Michael Grello, CCAF president, said he hoped a new OTB would be built next to the Raven's Nest for two reasons. First, he said a new site would be good for the aesthetics of the local area. And the former Raven's Nest property is in front of a sump, helping to limit possible noise concerns for local residents.

Grello added that the former Raven's Nest must be cleaned up. Debris has been dumped upon the location, rodents have frequented the area and the parking lot is full of potholes, he said. He also told the audience in attendance he hoped the property would have better landscaping. However, Grello admitted traps had been placed to catch animals and the site has been cleaned since OTB bought the property. "Now we have to keep on them to continue their improvements," he said.

Funk said the site would be maintained. He added, "we want to make the OTB experience enjoyable for the patrons and beneficial for the Farmingdale community."

Also at the meeting, environmental advocate Rich Schary of the Friends of Massapequa Preserve spoke in hopes of drumming up support to convince the county to designate a two-mile stretch as part of the Massapequa Reserve. The land, formerly part of Massapequa State Park, begins just north of the Southern State Parkway and extends to Fallwood Parkway and Robert Street in Farmingdale. The plot is also known as the Viceroy Section. It has been neglected, and is filled with garbage, Schary said. In addition, the CCAF drafted a letter to Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi in support of Schary's plan. "The members of the board of CCAF feel it is imperative to preserve this property as open space and wetlands," read the letter. "An ecological study would find flora and fauna to be consistent with that found in the Massapequa Preserve."

"This is not a pipe dream for this to happen," said Grello. "This can become a reality."

"This will happen," continued Schary. "It's just a matter of (how long it will take to happen)."