At this week's Board of Trustees' Meeting, scheduled for 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 17, the committee appointed by Mayor Hal Hecken, consisting of Trustees Kettner, Torino, and Bee, as well as Village Administrator Bob Schoelle, will be asked to present the motion they were asked to draft regarding the Village's next course of action in exploring the possibility of reversing their current policy of not buying houses on Tenth and Eleventh Streets. At the last meeting on June 3, Trustee Bee's motion to send the matter to professional planning company, BF&J, was voted down by all but Bee himself and Mayor Hecken. Trustee Torino had begun to reword the motion in an attempt to achieve a new motion before the close of the meeting, but Trustee Asselta advised that the Board slow down and take the time to "properly draft" a new motion. It was then decided to create the committee.

In March of 1996 Jackie Pierangelo wrote in a cover story for Garden City Life, "The controversial issue of converting houses into parking spaces, as outlined in the 1959 Park/Park Buffer Plan, moved to the front burner again, and is starting to boil. Letters are pouring into Village Hall; ads and many letters to the editor are in the newspapers; and tempers are rising at Village Board meetings." Three years later this is again shaping into the news of the day.

The letter writing campaigns haven't quite kicked off yet, but the dialogue at the last two Board of Trustees' Meetings is becoming increasingly emotional on both sides. Opponent of homes for parking, Dr. Russell Miller said, voice notably heavy with emotion, "We've been stressed enough. We're here every year." Russell Matthews of the Albanese Corporation, which is currently suing the Village in an attempt to compel it to buy houses for parking, stated, "I'm just weary of this nonsense we have to hear year after year."

In fact, comments made by Matthews and Miller during the June 3 meeting echo almost exactly the same comments reported by Pierangelo in 1996. She quotes Matthews as having said that the debate about houses for parking had been played out over the 30 meetings held by the Business Revitalization Coalition and he urged the Board to maintain the 1959 plan. Dr. Miller had commented in 1996 that the issue had "further polarized" the community and said, "Last summer, we presented a petition to the Board with 2,000 signatures of residents who are opposed to knocking down houses for parking spaces... I think the message is loud and clear. Don't resurrect a plan that died in 1979, and end it forever."

The battle between the supporters, including the Albanese Corporation, the majority members of the Business Planning Coalition, and the Chamber of Commerce, and the opponents, including the CPOA's subcommittee formed in 1996 to study the issue, the Minority Report authors of the Business Planning Coalition, and a couple thousand signatories on petitions. Trustees Judith Asselta, Harold Hecken, Laurence Kettner, Robert Lewis, and Frank Tauches all voted against houses for parking, with only Trustee Peter Bee and then Mayor Richard Benack voting in favor, and Trustee Eileen Collins recusing herself. Three years later only four of those Board members are still on the Board and the Board has decided to revisit the issue.

At the June 3 meeting the current president of the Subcommittee on Parking of the CPOA spoke, restating the comments presented by the committee in late June of 1996. At that time Jackie Pierangelo reported that "The committee devised a 21 question survey of the residents in the area most involved with the parking issue. Fifty-seven residents responded in writing, which represents almost all of the residents who were asked to answer the survey questions. The committee also studied the '59 Parking Plan, the '69 Village Fact Sheet and the l989 Master Plan Update." CPOA President Dr. Barbara Miller, who still holds the post, reported then that 100 percent of the residents surveyed agreed that they are not in support of taking homes in order to create parking spaces.

Pierangelo wrote, "Kathy Donnelly O'Brien, a member of the subcommittee, reported that the residents fully support the belief that it is not unreasonable to ask employees to cross a street to get to their jobs. She noted that her 11-year-old child is required to walk 1/2 mile to the middle school, and that the merchants on the south side of Seventh Street are asked to park across the street in lot 7N to ease parking congestion in their lot." Mrs. Miller advised that the consensus among the residents is that underground, safe parking with an attendant or key card security system is an excellent alternative to taking houses for parking. The subcommittee strongly recommended investigating the possibility of underground parking. They feel this is a "viable, cost-effective solution."

Pierangelo also noted that "Miller advised that 'trustee Asselta supplied the committee with data that supports the notion of underground parking.' Essentially, according to Trustee Asselta, the cost of 101 spaces of surface parking, which includes the acquisition and demolition of the homes, and construction of the parking spaces, is $1.9 million. For the same amount of money, twice as many underground spaces could be added."

Maureen Clancy wrote for the Chamber of Commerce's Business Bulletin in October of 1996, "One area that has been the subject of much controversy recently is Parking Field 10. Attention has been focused on this area because owners of the property at 116 Eleventh Street have offered to sell it to the Village. Because of some lack of understanding of the Village Park Buffer Strip Plan, and confusion with what was suggested in the Danth report, residents in this part of the Central area were fearful and angry at the proposed acquisition and mounted a strong opposition. This particular field has a serious lack of parking which is making it less desirable to prospective office tenants. At this time, the buildings are not filled to capacity [they are now in 1999] and there is a concern as to where people will park once they are filled."

She continued, "People have suggested that the employees in these buildings walk across Eleventh Street or Franklin Avenue to park. Since Sears has opened, there is a noticeable increase in parking in Field 9E, just off Eleventh Street, and this may further complicate the problem."

Clancy concluded, "Although the Village Board recently voted not to acquire 116 Eleventh Street, and also 114 Tenth Street, the majority of the Chamber Board and many others in the community do not want to see this plan abandoned." Well, certainly this plan is still on the table three years later and remains a sore subject throughout the Village.

Several residents pointed out at the last meeting that they found it incredible that the Village would consider taking the houses even as their attorney, Peter Mastaglio of Cullen & Dykman, is fighting the Albanese's appeal in the courts in their attempts to force the Village to buy the houses. Many found it "ridiculous" that the Village would spend considerable tax money on fighting their position in court only to turn around three years later and reverse it while the court consistently upholds it. It should be noted that not all of the trustees themselves seemed to agree with the direction the Board seemed to be exploring. Trustee Asselta reaffirmed her consistent position against the purchase of homes for parking and argued that she did not agree that this needed reviewing, but should the Board decide to do so, she wanted to see the issue go to the Planning Commission.

All residents may attend public meetings of the Board. Agenda items are open to public discussion at the beginning of the meeting and then at the end of the meeting the floor is open to comment on subjects, not limited to the agenda. Certainly as news of the resurrection of this issue makes its way through the Village, people will begin to return to Village Hall to make their opinions known. Parking is available at Village Hall and behind the CVS, as well as across Stewart Avenue behind Grand Union. Those who are physically challenged should contact Mr. Olivo at Village Hall before arriving, so arrangements can be made, as the meetings are held in the second floor Board Room.