Bellerose Village residents formed a unified front June 6 during a village hall meeting to voice grave concern for the Long Island Rail Road's (LIRR) Main Line Corridor Improvements Project, which, among other proposals, intends to install a third track to the Main Line, which runs parallel to Superior Road.

Bellerose Village Mayor Donna Sherrer urged residents to distribute "Stop the Third Track" fliers to friends and neighbors, sign petitions and take part in a letter-writing campaign to elected officials opposing the project. She also encouraged them to attend the LIRR's scoping meetings Tuesday, June 14, at Jericho Terrace, located at 249 Jericho Turnpike in Mineola; Thursday, June 16, at Floral Terrace, located at 250 Jericho Turnpike in Floral Park; and Tuesday, June 21, at Antun's, located at 244 Old Country Road in Hicksville. Meetings will be held between 4-6 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. on each of the aforementioned dates.

Presentation boards depicting the project concept will be available for review at all three locations. LIRR officials will offer formal presentations regarding the project at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on each date. The public will then have an opportunity to make comments on the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). All information collected at the three meetings will be incorporated into the EIS, which the LIRR is preparing with assistance from its environmental consultant, DMJM Harris. LIRR representatives will be available for informal questions and comment throughout the duration of each meeting.

Rose Shea, co-chair of the newly formed LIRR Third Track Task Force Coalition in Bellerose Village, along with Mayor Sherrer, met with Floral Park Mayor Phil Guarnieri and the C.A.R.E. Committee (Citizens Against Rail Expansion) two weeks prior to the June 6 meeting. "It was decided it's in everyone's best interest to hold a unified front," Mayor Sherrer. "Therefore, we are all working together with all our neighboring communities affected by the third track."

Dennis McEnery of Floral Park, a member of the C.A.R.E. Committee, guest spoke at the June 6 meeting. "Bellerose and Floral Park share a lot of commonality, including our school district as well as a lot of concerns. Many commuters in Floral Park use the Bellerose Village train station and vice versa," he said. "One thing we emphasize is that you can't wait until the first bulldozer comes to raise your voice. It's too late. This is the time. You can't ignore this ... Public comment is key."

The improvements project also seeks to eliminate various grade crossings, which local communities are in favor of, as well as upgrade bridges and stations in the area. The intended installation of a third track will affect a number of communities along the 11.5-mile corridor between Queens Village and Hicksville. Grade crossing locations now being evaluated for elimination include New Hyde Park Road in New Hyde Park, Covert Avenue in New Hyde Park, 12th Street in New Hyde Park, School Street in Westbury and Urban Avenue in New Cassel.

Although railroad officials have publicly stated the project is "vitally important" to its customers and provides "both safety and convenience benefits" to the communities along the 11.5-mile corridor, many remain cautious. LIRR President James Dermody believes an additional track will address the railroad's long term plans to increase peak train service and provide more frequent reverse peak and local service through the area. With better commuting options, officials state communities will become more attractive to young, working, home buyers and may help keep Long Island's youth on Long Island.

A Commonwealth Road resident, who admitted he doesn't care how many tracks are there just as long as they're quiet, noted, "Let them show us they can bring trains through here quietly ... Why do we have to suffer? Let them put the money into the tracks that are there ... We have to stop talking, literally, when a train goes by and I don't think that's necessary. This is 2005..."

Others however, particularly those living along Superior Road, don't want anything else in their backyards. "I'm becoming very critical of the language people use. 'No significant impact' does not mean no impact, it means it's not significant to them. 'No current plans' does not mean there are no plans, they're simply not on the table currently," one resident said.

"When you're dealing with the Prince of Darkness, which I consider all spin doctors and public relations firms, you have to understand that the name of the game is a lie. Tell the lie, tell it convincingly and tell it over and over again. Hide the details of the document and put the pictures on the front cover. Call it beautification when in fact it's condemnation ... What is involved in putting in a track? What kind of equipment is involved in putting in a track? What kind of equipment is involved in bringing the equipment to put in the track?"

Richard C. Hellenbrecht, chair of Community Board 13, said he's especially annoyed that the MTA-LIRR did not conduct a public scoping session in Queens, despite the fact that the current alternative indicated in [the LIRR's] brochure includes construction right up to the Queens Village station.

"Even without the prospect of construction, the LIRR should have included a Queens scoping location because residents and businesses along the right of way will be subjected to significant increases in train traffic with its noise, vibration, dust and pollution," he said.

In his May 25 letter to LIRR President Dermody, Hellenbrecht called upon him to hold an immediate public hearing within Queens and convenient to railroad riders as well as interested residents. Speaking as a Bellerose resident and a daily rider of the LIRR to Manhattan, Hellenbrecht, who offered his services to help the committee, added, "I was outraged to learn that in 1960 there were roughly 100 trains serving Bellerose and Floral Park every day, and the current count is only 61. Why do we need expansion if the capacity is obviously there?" he asked.

"The reality is the expansion is strictly for passengers and freight from points east ... Why should I believe this new capacity will result in 'improved service' to Bellerose, Floral Park, Queens Village or Hollis if the LIRR has been taking roughly one train away from us each year - as they just did in the March/April schedule?" he further questioned.

James Darden, president of the Bellerose Terrace Civic Association, also attended the meeting, stating, "We on the other side of Superior Road are behind you 100 percent. We just have to rally and get it together."

For a community 16 times smaller than Floral Park, residents came out in full force June 6. Many were more than willing to sign petitions and speak at the upcoming scoping meetings.

To receive more information on the scope of the EIS or the project as a whole or to add your name to the mailing list for notification of meetings and other documents, contact Peter Palamaro, LIRR Public Affairs Department, Jamaica Station 1131, Jamaica, NY 11435 or by phone at (718) 558-7934.