For the past three years, the village board, the Third Track Task Force and members of Citizens Against Rail Expansion, Inc. have been working tirelessly to defend our communities against the most momentous threat in the history of our village, the Third Track mega project.

Indeed, the seeds of opposition to the third track were planted here first, in this village, where it has sprouted and branched out to our sister communities. The 16,000 people who live here have been the heart of the opposition, the soul of indignation and the lungs that have, both near and far, propelled the voice of defiance.

Say what we will, the MTA/LIRR has come to know that this community of just over one square mile, bridging the counties of Nassau and Queens, has become our Rubicon, our "Little Round Top," our "Omaha Beach." Up to now we have stood, against immense odds, and if the MTA/LIRR Third Track invasion is imminent, we mean to dig in and fight even harder.

But although Floral Park has been the flagship in this fight against the MTA/LIRR, we have networked with strong allies such as our neighboring communities and numerous public officials, such as Assemblyman Tom Alfano, with a view of presenting a firm and united position. It has been this unity, this solidarity, this undividedness that has produced our successes.

These achievements include the NYS Capital Review Board's unprecedented decision (thanks to Senator Dean Skelos, who is a member) that before a nickel is spent or a shovel put in the ground there must be full disclosure to the public. The MTA/LIRR has announced the dramatic downscaling of the project within Floral Park so that the project no longer directly impacts the west end of the village or the heart of our business district. In addition, the scourge of eminent domain has been eliminated leaving unmolested any properties in our community that might have been subject to takings.

Moreover, through the efforts once again of Senator Dean Skelos, the organization "Citizens Against Railroad Expansion" has been incorporated and is receiving a $25,000 grant to help us fight the mega project. Clearly then, unity has been the most powerful arrow in our quiver and the one most likely to hit the bulls eye.

In light of all the progress that has been gained through a joint and cooperative effort we were, last Thursday, mystified, to say the least, by the press conference held by our assemblyman, Thomas Alfano, during which he and other public officials denounced the LIRR for refusing to release to the public the planning document recently filed with the Federal Transportation Agency for the Third Track Project. Indeed, we too have been frustrated in our efforts to obtain relevant and detailed information from the LIRR about this project.

Like everyone else, we want to be liberated by the truth not subjugated by untutored surmises. So while we are certainly in agreement with Assemblyman Alfano's sentiments, we are extremely disappointed that while elected representatives of other communities were invited, not one of the five representatives of the village board, duly elected by the people of Floral Park who have been so immersed in this titanic struggle, were extended an invitation to participate.

For us to have the greatest impact, we must continue to proceed in a cooperative spirit with our neighboring villages and governmental officials and not exclude anyone from this process. Holding press conferences without notifying all those who are so deeply committed to this issue serves only to diminish the force of our combined effort.

I have, however, every expectation and confidence that the spirit of cooperation that defined our previous efforts will re-emerge stronger than ever. I will do whatever I can to work as closely as possible with all who will join with us in common cause. Our sister villages have been very supportive and Tom Alfano has been a strong ally in this struggle.

This is an uphill battle. The resources and institutional power of the MTA/LIRR is vast if not nearly limitless. We cannot glide past the elephant in the room much less muscle our way out alone. Pushed, as we have been into rough and untamed waters, we cannot afford to be stranded on a sandbar with no bridge in sight to cross.

Fortunately, we are not shipwrecked on an uncharted desert island. We have friends, neighbors and colleagues we can depend on. Teamwork, after all, is one of the most beautiful things we can experience in life, and when we work together we will not only have built our bridge but also a stronghold, a bastion, a mighty fortress so that all will know, today as well as tomorrow, that in the hour of trial we did not scatter in a thousand directions but out of the crucible of a common crisis came forth a common duty. No generation can do more.