At the March 31 meeting of the Subcommittee Against Freight Expansion, a subcommittee of the Village Environmental Advisory Board, residents who had been going door to door and getting signatures for petitions and sending letters to public officials, were thanked for their efforts, but asked to hold off on any further action until the Village receives paperwork from the Long Island Rail Road. All of the petitions were collected and SAFE leaders Mike Merrick and Sue Davis said that they would hold them until they could determine the best response to the documents the LIRR has yet to send. Also present at the meeting explaining the reasons for the call to hold were then Mayor Elect ( now mayor) Hal Hecken, Trustee Robert Lewis, and then outgoing (now former) Mayor Frank Tauches.

Trustee Lewis and Mayor Hal Hecken explained that the Village is still waiting for a response to the nine page list of concerns the Village sent the LIRR and as the LIRR may change their original Environmental Assessment, they feel that it would be best to wait until the documents are received before continuing to sign petitions and write to public officials. Hecken explained that State Senator Kemp Hannon and State Assemblywomen Maureen O'Connell have written to the Village and communicated appreciation for the concerns of the residents, but their investigation in the issue of freight indicates that the LIRR and NYAR (the private freight company that leased the tracks for freight use) have not violated the moratorium.

Hannon and O'Connell indicated that they would keep an eye on the matter, but essentially have found nothing new. O'Connell in fact attended the last Board of Trustees meeting and spoke before residents and the Board pledging that she would continue to work as advocate for the Village, but assured all that neither she nor Hannon discovered any problems.

In light of the response from Hannon and O'Connell and Hecken's assessment of the mood of public officials receiving letters and calls about the freight issue without any "new" information and the documents from the LIRR, he advised, "Hold back now -- calls and letters to Albany could create more agitation than anything at this point."

Merrick then asked residents to refrain from panic propaganda tactics, citing a green flier that had apparently been distributed after the last SAFE meeting. The flier, which had not been authorized by SAFE or the Village, and was placed on car windshields, in violation of Village regulations, claimed that property values were declining because of the threat of freight. Merrick emphatically noted that in fact property values in the Village are up 10 to 12 percent according to real estate reports and he warned, "When people talk about property values going down it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy." The trustees agreed and also asked that residents try to halt the spread of such misinformation when they encounter it.

Hecken noted that while petitions and letters are very effective tools, as evidenced in the Roosevelt Field Mall issue, when piles of letters were sent to the Town's Zoning Board of Appeals, effectively convincing the Board to deny the mall's application for a special exception to expand, residents should be mindful of timing. Hecken added that if the residents throw themselves into petitioning and letter writing now, the whole effort could "peak too soon and lose support." Lewis explained that he didn't want the call to hold to be misinterpreted as a lack of support for the effort on the part of the Village, stating, "The Board of Trustees is totally behind the effort to stop freight use. For the whole Village this is a quality of life issue."

EPOA President Eileen Murphy commented that she perceives residents are "exhausted" after the mall fight and need time to "recoup" before engaging in another battle. She noted that since Hecken had explained that Hannon and O'Connell have already assured the Village that they will have extended time to respond to the documentation still not received by the Village, and will work to extend the moratorium's ending date in light of this, there is some time to recover from the mall and there will be time to plan action once the LIRR finally sends the necessary materials. She agreed with the representatives that now might be the time to hold off as the Village doesn't know what the LIRR will say in its report. She added that the success of the mall battle has also taught the Village that it can succeed when everyone bands together and residents can feel confident that the trustees and POAs will work to protect their residents.

Tauches stated that he has spoken with consultants to help get experts on this kind of issue on board with the Village. By having professionals who have worked in the legal and environmental aspects of railroad and freight disputes, the chances of protecting the Village's interests are greater, according to Tauches. Hecken noted that Tauches will continue to serve the Village after his term as mayor expires by acting as a liaison to SAFE. Trustee Bruce Torino will be aiding by providing legal advice, Mike Merrick will continue to lead SAFE, and Trustee Robert Lewis will serve on the Environmental Advisory Board, thus maintaining a continued organized effort to stay aware and able to respond to the LIRR.

As the former president of the Nassau County Village Officials Association, Tauches noted that there is tremendous support from surrounding communities as well. As freight traffic will travel on tracks through other communities, the mayors of Stewart Manor, Floral Park, New Hyde Park, Bellmore, etc. are all not only aware of the situation and willing to help in the future, but were there when the moratorium was first signed.

Lewis also expressed his belief that by channeling community energy, expertise, and ideas through SAFE, the Village will be able to maintain an organized and informed effort. He said he sees SAFE as a "funnel." He added, "We're not looking to mitigate this -- we're looking to stop it." Merrick noted that SAFE intends to involve the POAs and develop "a greater Village organization, as it would be very difficult for SAFE alone to evaluate the documents without the help of professionals and thankfully the Village has responded by securing these professionals to aid us."

Hecken noted also that financial support has come from a grant secured by State Senator Kemp Hannon and Town of Hempstead Supervisor Guardino has stated that the Town will provide financial support in this effort as well.

Some residents questioned the presence of freight trains in the Village, which they feel are not only unsightly, but disturb their sleep in the middle of the night with the amount of noise pollution they create. Merrick explained that the Main Line currently has diesel commuter trains moving on it, as well as diesel LIRR maintenance trains. NYAR is also able to transport some freight on the Main Line, but the cars cannot contain municipal solid waste or ash. The Hempstead Branch is off limits to revenue generating freight trains, but the LIRR is able to run maintenance freight trains along the tracks. Tauches added that the Village should not be used as a storage yard for unsightly freight trains and that when these are left on the Hempstead Branch, the Village is "certainly entitled to an explanation."

Merrick also explained that the freight trains reportedly spotted on Feb. 25 were LIRR trains that were part of a project to redo the signal system. The little sheds along the tracks are being replaced with larger structures as well. He noted, "You can complain a lot, but I don't think we have much legal right to ask them not to maintain their lines."

The documents from the LIRR are expected to arrive within the next month, but the Village has been waiting for months now. In the meantime, residents can become involved in SAFE and their POAs, which are monitoring the situation and will be preparing for a future hearing on the subject and any and all necessary efforts to stop freight from passing through the Village. By creating a base of support within the POAs and SAFE, when the time does come to take action, there will be an organized group of residents upon whom the Village will be able to call.