Mayor Holzkamp's plan to build a four lane causeway on the south side of the Glen Cove Firehouse is meeting steep opposition from many community residents especially the Glen Cove Fire Department and our city's Emergency Medical Services Corp.

Both the Fire Department and the EMS are rightfully concerned with this controversial project. It is a project that if it's eventually approved by the City Council, it will eliminate parking spaces in close proximity to the Fire Department and the EMS for our city's volunteers. Those parking spaces will be moved to the other side of the creek which will increase the response time for our volunteers in the event of possibly saving one's life from a fire or a massive heart attack.

Mayor Holzkamp is making the argument that the causeway project must be done because potential developers will not put forward proposals until a causeway is built.

However, it's an argument that doesn't hold water. I suspect that if there are any developers speaking to the mayor, their major concern would be for the city's toxic state and federal superfund sites to be fully cleaned up first before they would even begin any negotiations in developing our city's waterfront.

Secondly, there has been no firm timetable by the EPA when the radioactive slag found in the Glen Cove Creek last year will be removed.

Before these major issues are resolved, it would only make logical sense to hold off any further debate on this project. Once these issues have been resolved, it would also make sense to widen and repave Charles Street and Herb Hill Road which would help alleviate traffic congestion and preserve the safety of our volunteers and residents.

Critics including myself of this causeway project do not in any way oppose the development of our waterfront. The development of our waterfront would be a boon to making Glen Cove a thriving waterfront business entity on Long Island's north shore.

However, the future development of the waterfront must not be compromised and be completed in a prudent and responsible way. It would not be fair for our city to have a road extension labeled as "the Causeway to nowhere!"