In a letter last week, P. Mellon draws an incorrect conclusion about Glen Hill's reference to Hempstead Harbor as "Glen Cove Harbor." Hill was clearly referring to Glen Cove Creek. Mellon's letter is a disappointment to those of us in the communities of Towns of Oyster Bay, North Hempstead, Sea Cliff, Roslyn, Roslyn Harbor, Sands Point and Flower Hill, Glen Cove and Nassau County, who have worked so hard to improve environmental quality in Glen Cove Creek and Hempstead Harbor. Mellon is sadly uninformed about the history of Hempstead Harbor and Glen Cove's efforts to improve both the environment and quality of life on Hempstead Harbor.

It wasn't long ago that you couldn't swim at Sea Cliff Beach or any beach in the Harbor because the Roslyn Sewage Treatment Plant was spilling raw sewage into the Harbor. Glen Cove's garbage incinerator ( which burned garbage from Glen Cove and other communities including Sea Cliff) was slated to reopen.

An incinerator was planned for Port Washington and there were problems with their landfill. The Mattiace brothers were dumping toxic chemicals on their Glen Cove property as well as other spots around the Harbor. Li Tungsten closed resulting in many local jobs lost and pollution left behind. Li Tungsten and Mattiace in Glen Cove and Shore Realty in Glenwood Landing became federal superfund sites. Captain's Cove Condominium project was abandoned when contamination was discovered and became a NYS Superfund site. Pollution problems seemed insurmountable and Hempstead Harbor lost much of its appeal as a waterfront community. There has been a lot of improvements in recent years in all our communities. Some of the dramatic changes in Glen Cove alone are:

· Glen Cove's incinerator was permanently closed in 1997 at no taxpayer expense.

· The 20 acre Captain's Cove waterfront property will be cleaned this year.

· 26 acre Li Tungsten property remediation is well underway.

· Glen Cove's Wastewater Treatment plant is being upgraded to reduce nitrogen loading into the Harbor by 58.5 percent -- a dramatic water quality improvement for the Harbor and Sound.

· Glen Cove's Mill Pond is restored as a stormwater treatment pond with walking paths and plantings.

· Pedestrian and bicycle paths are being constructed affording public access along the water's edge.

· Glen Cove and Brewer's Marinas have been upzoned to allow for full service marinas with boat repairs, marine retail and restaurants - instead of storage of heavy equipment .

· Blights removed include the Incinerator and Li Tungsten smokestacks, the abandoned condominium shells, and open-air garbage transfer operations.

We could not have made all these strides in Glen Cove without the leadership of Mayor Suozzi and the city council, the support of local, state and federal agencies and elected officials, the employees and residents of Glen Cove, our local civic and environmental groups and our neighbors. Cleaning up the environment is not about politics but about good government. Politically, it is much easier to do nothing and wait for the DEC, the EPA or someone else to do something.-- with properties staying polluted for years.

The commuter ferry has contributed to the cleanup efforts on Glen Cove Creek and offers an attractive alternative for local residents who commute into lower Manhattan. The time and aggravation of commuting from Glen Cove,

Sea Cliff, Glen Head, and Locust Valley into Manhattan have resulted in many local residents moving away and a terrible commute for those who chose to stay here. Local real estate agents tell me that property values have been going up due to the ferry as well as the cleanup of polluted sites.

We have been working with the ferry operator and local citizen representatives to address concerns regarding the ferry service. Improvements have been made in response to these concerns.

On these beautiful summer nights, as I sit at the Steamboat Landing Restaurant having dinner, I see the ferry coming in and it makes me think of how far we have come in restoring Glen Cove Creek and Hempstead Harbor to a premier waterfront community. Who wouldn't want to move to an area where there is such a nice commute to Manhattan, where recreational boating is at an all time high, where the opportunities to enjoy the waterfront improve annually? I believe that the quality of life in the communities surrounding Hempstead Harbor has improved and I don't miss the smokestacks either.

Rosemary A. Olsen

Executive Director

Glen Cove CDA