I was disappointed that Newsday's Wednesday article by Susana Enriquez quoted only the mayor's viewpoint on the transfer of the plant to the county. I think there is really more here than meets the eye. If nothing else, assuming the financials as presented are correct, that the City of Glen Cove's plant runs at a deficit which this year will be over $4 million, that the county will assume our debt of $6.5 million, that the county will have to expend over $7 million in maintenance, one would have to ask how with all things being equal can the county operate the plant less costly than we? Are the other county residents willing to pick up the tab for Glen Cove especially when the county will forgive the sewer tax to all Glen Cove residents for 15 years? Someone has to pay the freight! Would the City of Glen Cove be better served with a cash payout to relieve our city's debt problem instead of the tax relief? I and certainly many of the residents of our city feel that all the facts have not been released to the public. There are too many unanswered questions - questions that obviously affect the city but also affect the county residents. Why did the Mayor of Glen Cove deny knowledge of any proposed agreement with the county on the same day that he was present at the press conference when the county executive announced the plan? What was the urgency that required the plan had to be approved by the city by the end of the year and because of this the mayor had to call two special meetings - the last three days before the Christmas holidays - in order to accomplish this? Was it to make sure that the plan, as Tom Suozzi announced in his Sept. 25 press conference, was that the county would take over the Glen Cove plant as of January 2008? The county has said that the environmental benefits for the takeover of the four plants were very important. Yet the Glen Cove plant exceeds the federal EPA limits in BOD and nitrogen standards for 2014. The county will close the other three plants, but the pumping stations to allow the transfer of the sewage to the county treatment plants have not yet been designed nor will be in operation until 2011 per the county executive! How does this improve the environment for the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011?

I am not proposing that consolidation does not make sense. What I am saying is there is more to this story than meets the eye and I believe some investigation as to the real motivation of the county executive and his relationship on a governmental basis with his cousin the Mayor of Glen Cove is called for. Let's get all the facts and figures out and if at the end of the day it makes sense for all concerned for Glen Cove to give up the plant and the economics support this, then I believe the Glen Cove citizens will rally behind the mayor. However, at this juncture there are people who would like to start recall proceedings with the governor. Let's try to clean up this mess.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Robert V. Benazzi P.E.