Fourteen environmental, business, planning, transit and community advocate groups, dubbed the Coalition for the LIRR Third Track, announced its formation at the Mineola train station May 26. The group, over the next year, hopes to push along the Long Island Rail Road's (LIRR) approximate $300 million Main Line Corridor Improvement Project, which seeks to construct another track on the Main Line from Bellerose to Hicksville, improve roadway crossings and make other improvements to the corridor.

Residents in some Long Island communities like Bellerose however are concerned about the project, particularly in light of another quality of life issue that's been plaguing the areas in and around the village for some time - frequent airplane and helicopter over flights.

Back in 2001, a Bellerose resident who lives one block away from the tracks noted that passing trains also contribute to the noise pollution problem. "When I'm watching TV and start hearing the train approach, I pray to the thunder and rain that it is not one of those diesel noisemaker machines..."

Although he admits he "loves" the LIRR and is a good client, he said he's also a Long Island resident. The additional capacity the project could provide would, among many things, enable more freight train use of the LIRR network, a bone of contention for many communities, especially nearby Garden City.

Jon Orcutt, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, which organized the coalition, said further growth on Long Island would only demand more efficient transportation. "We know that on Long Island, and anywhere in downstate New York, it's tough to get things built. People sometimes don't like change but we wanted to come out today to show that there is strong support for this project," he said.

"As we speak the MTA [Metropolitan Transportation Authority] is working on its 2005-2009 capital program," Orcutt added. "The coalition's purpose is to make sure adequate funding to get this project in the ground is included in this capital program."

A draft of the MTA's capital program is expected this July. Jeff Zupan, a transportation consultant, noted the MTA's capital needs at large are enormous. "There's going to be a battle for the priorities. It's unfortunate that that battle is taking place because the needs are much greater." Zupan suggested finding new resources of revenues to support the range of projects needed in the metropolitan region, adding, "The more revenues we find for the transportation lifeblood, mainly the transit system, the better and the more likely it is that the third track project can proceed."

Floral Park Mayor Ann Corbett noted she recently formed a Third Track Committee - a task force of sorts - to examine the project. The committee is tentatively supposed to meet in June or early July. At this point members are gathering material to further probe the situation.

"We're a small village, we're like a lot of the other villages along the track," Mayor Corbett said. "At this point we're really very concerned about what they plan to do because it could be very disruptive."

Residents who have either a business or residence or an interest along the track, particularly, were selected to sit on the committee and work closely with the village's civic associations.

"There's residences and people that would be affected. In the '60s when they raised the tracks in Floral Park we had a beautiful little station and now we have this station that isn't very attractive," she said.

Although she doesn't believe plans have been drawn, she did understand that money's been allocated to develop the plans; community meetings in which village officials and residents could provide input, would then follow. Further, she asked Village Administrator Virginia Appel to write Senator Dean Skelos, who is very involved with the MTA, in hopes that he'd provide further information, which then could be discussed at the upcoming committee meeting.

"Any of the LIRR officials I've spoken to tell me that they can't give me any detailed information about how this track would affect Floral Park. However, at this point, we would probably be opposed to it not knowing how it would impact us," she admitted. Bellerose Mayor Thomas Van Buskirk was out of town at press time and could not provide comment.

The Long Island Association believes the LIRR Main Line Corridor Improvement Project is the most important transportation project solely on Long Island. Mitchell Pally, vice president of government affairs for the association, noted, "For all these years, we have always complained about mass transit and rail options not being available. This project can provide those opportunities for our commuters, residents and will finally allow the LIRR to be the LIRR and do what it was intended to do."

Eric Alexander, director of Vision Long Island, said the smart growth planning organization spent the last seven years listening to Long Islanders in approximately 600 meetings. "In all of those meetings, one of the biggest issues was traffic congestion," he said. "Long Islanders would constantly say that the LIRR doesn't have enough service..." Alexander believes the third track is a key issue and a key solution to Long Island's transportation issues. "When we talk about Long Island's build out over the next 10 to 15 years, this is a critical solution to improve our quality of life," he added.

Beverly Dolinsky of the Long Island Rail Road Commuter Council believes the project, in addition to providing more service for commuters, could also provide an opportunity to move around breakdowns and aid potential commuters who travel in reverse peak periods. "Right now there is very little or no service in the reverse peak periods," Dolinsky noted.

Lisa Tyson, director of the Long Island Progressive Coalition, believes May 26 was really a historic day for Long Island. "The formation of a Third Track Coalition is very important. We need to push through the federal government to ensure [this project] gets adequate funding," she said. "Right now the Long Island Rail Road really focuses on bringing people to Manhattan during peak hours rather than being the Long Island Rail Road, which brings people around Long Island. We need to change that..."

Members of the Coalition include the Citizens Committee for Civic Action, Environmental Defense, the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island, Long Island ACORN, the Long Island Association, the Long Island Mid-Suffolk Alliance, the Long Island Progressive Coalition, the Long Island Rail Road Commuter Council, the Long Island Regional Planning Board, the New York League of Conservation Voters, the Regional Plan Association, Sustainable Long Island and Vision Long Island.

Orcutt closed by stating the MTA has to take care of numerous competing priorities. "Because this project is an important complement to East Side Access, we believe it should be proceeding along with that."

Coalition members publicly urged the legislature Wednesday to gather the money to fund the project and the governor to approve it. "As that happens the municipalities around here are going to have to have some say so in how this gets done," Orcutt added.