With last month's resurfacing of Stewart Avenue from Tanners Pond Road to Cherry Valley Avenue, Garden City resident Bill Bellmer questioned whether the county has approached the village regarding road transfers. Village Administrator Robert Schoelle Jr. said although Garden City has not been notified to make such an exchange, he suspects the village will be speaking to county officials shortly.

According to Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, road transfers are a "step in the right direction" because there are many overlapping municipalities in Nassau with approximately 12 million residents, three towns and two cities.

"We have grown dramatically over the past six decades to support the needs of the population ... we are experiencing problems that have not yet been seen in any community like ours," he said in a recent column.

The problem is perhaps the most obvious when streets need repairing or, during the winter, need plowing. In order to minimize residential confusion when reporting damages or requesting repairs, Suozzi said his administration is working toward a comprehensive plan that would transfer roads that currently belong to Nassau County to the towns, cities or villages where they are located.

In doing so, Suozzi believes the plan will undo a "confusing maze of jurisdictions, give more control to local governments and balance the needs of county government in harmony with the needs and concerns of the local community." It would also save the county money.

According to Mayor Barbara Miller, the board of trustees has not yet discussed the issue but would ultimately vote on such a decision. "Given the amount of county roads in our village, this has a tremendous resource (personnel and financial) impact. It is on my list to discuss as soon as I have a full board of trustees but as such will take its place among many pressing issues."

According to Robert Mangan, the village's director of Public Works, there are 17.2 miles worth of county roads running through the Village of Garden City. All the major roads in Garden City are Nassau County roads, Mangan noted. These include Stewart Avenue, Rockaway Avenue, Cherry Valley Avenue, Eleventh Street, Washington Avenue, Clinton Road, Nassau Boulevard, New Hyde Park Road, Old Country Road, Franklin Avenue, Cathedral Avenue, County Seat Drive, Supreme Court Drive, South Road, West Street and a portion of Fifteenth Street.

Mangan added, "Resurfacing costs about one-half a million dollars per mile of road. No estimates for the amount of manpower to be added to maintain the roads have been done. It would include everything. The village has not been approached possibly because of the amount of county roads involved."

The Village of Great Neck, which Bellmer mentioned, already has this plan in effect. Specifically, Suozzi worked with both Legislator Lisanne Altmann and Great Neck Mayor Steve Falk to transfer the ownership of Middle Neck Road and seven other county roads that are located in the Village of Great Neck, to the village.

Like Suozzi's Real Estate Consolidation Plan, which greatly affects Garden City with its plan to conserve space and create efficiencies while saving much needed county dollars, the county executive believes the road transfers will save money, time and frustration for both the county and the village.

In Great Neck's case, the county is relieved of its duty to maintain the roads and will save about $179,000 per year from the transfer. "The responsibilities now being assumed by the Village of Great Neck include plowing, salting and sanding and future resurfacing," Suozzi noted.

Pleased with the opportunity for the county and Great Neck, Suozzi said the transfer is a terrific opportunity for both sides. He'd like to see this become a reality for other villages throughout the county as well.