Concerned residents questioned Nassau County's upcoming project proposal for the Massapequa Preserve at a meeting held at the Farmingdale Public Library June 18.

"It is an unbelievable place, a real jewel of the county, and we want to make it better," Legislator Dave Mejias (D-North Massapequa) stated as he opened the discussion.

The Massapequa Preserve has recently been receiving a lot of attention. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a project to clean up part of the site, residents are voicing concern about the underage alcohol consumption within the area and the Town of Oyster Bay is looking to gain ownership of parts of the Preserve, where jurisdiction currently is divided between the town, the state and the county.

The meeting, co-hosted by the Concerned Citizens Association of Farmingdale (CCAF) and Legislator Mejias and attended by members of the 8th Precinct's Problem Oriented Policing (P.O.P) unit and representatives of the New York State Department of Parks and Transportation, included a presentation of the county's project plans, slated to begin this July.

Kenneth Arnold, sanitary engineer of the Nassau County Department of Public Works, explained the project's origins.

"The Massapequa Preserve is one of the eight watershed stream systems in the county that was identified back when the county sewered," he said. "There was an impact of falling water tables associated with this sewering. The EPA recognized there was an impact. The county studied that impact and came up with a series of projects to mitigate what occurs when groundwater tables drop."

According to Arnold, the project evolved into a total water management system after the state announced new clean water regulations. The project will serve to both introduce new, clean water into the preserve and manage the current state of the preserve's water and vegetation.

The main components of the project are the installation of 14 storm water treatment devices, the installation of filters on over 200 street grates, the circulation of cold water in the upper region of the stream for the self-sustenance of trout and the redirection of storm water toward the Red Maple Swamp. The project also will fix erosion issues within the area, add vegetation to barren territories and replace the pathway between Linden Street and Sunrise Highway.

Arnold explained that they are still working with the contractor for a definitive project schedule.

Residents voiced concerns in regard to multiple parts of the project, including maintenance of the new installations, timing of the project and the usage inconveniences.

Arnold assured residents that New York State would be monitoring the maintenance of the project, particularly the cleaning of the grate filter installations, in their annual assessment. He, along with Mejias, explained that the project seemed more appropriate in the summer months so that the high school would not be involved. They also said that although inconveniences were inevitable, the county was going to try to limit the impact of the project for users of the Preserve as much as possible, especially on the bike path.

"We are going to great lengths to minimize the impact of the bike path," Arnold explained. "On weekends, the bike path will not be closed and during the week there will be detours set up. We are also working on a website, so users can find out where we are and what we're doing. We are going to great lengths with the contractors, the parks department and legislation office to make sure to get out what we're doing to the public."

CCAF President Chuck Gosline voiced concern about the critical coordination of the EPA cleanup project and this project, and said he hoped both offices were in touch regularly. Arnold responded that this necessary coordination will occur.

Additionally, residents remained very concerned about the underage drinking that occurs within the preserve.

According to Mejias, particularly during the past few weeks, police have been constantly patrolling the area on bicycles in effort to prevent such incidents. They are also in touch with the high school administration to learn the schedule of school functions, after which alcohol consumption in the preserve may occur.

Underage drinking concerns voiced were not only limited to the preserve, but at private residences as well, and police encouraged attendees to call 911 whenever they suspect such incidents.

Attention was also paid to ATV usage on the Preserve and dogs without leashes. A representative from the NYS Parks Department told residents that correct signs and markings addressing these issues will be placed along the path once construction is complete.

Farmingdale resident Cindy March attended the meeting and said that although the meeting did answer her questions about how long the project would take and when it was going to begin, she remained skeptical of other details.

"My greatest concern is the kids partying in the woods, and this meeting did not help to lessen my concerns on this issue," March said.

Overall, despite the fact that the project involves multiple groups, representatives stated they are all committed to preserving the habitats that thrive within this local area.

"If we have cleaner water, we have a better habitat, we have a better ecosystem," Arnold concluded.