On Tuesday, Nov. 18 the Glen Cove City Planning Board held a public hearing on the proposed development by RexCorp/Glen Isle of the Glen Cove waterfront. It was a standing-room-only crowd and quite frankly, I anticipated a cantankerous session that would last well past midnight. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised. A large number of people got up to speak - not actually opposed to the project but just concerned that certain safeguards be implemented: that wildlife preserves be protected, that the waters be kept clean and the traffic situation addressed. All reasonable requests of the development team - all of which, if they have not already been addressed, I am sure will be looked into.

What really concerned me was how many of the speakers came from Sea Cliff. True, Sea Cliff is a neighbor - it is the community in which I live - but this is not a Sea Cliff development; it is a Glen Cove development. As a Sea Cliffer I, too, am concerned about the traffic on Shore Road and Prospect Avenue but I also would think that the county and state would help solve these problems - not just in the communities they Affect, but at the source, from the LIE north to Glen Cove. Traffic is not just a local issue and no reason to keep Glen Cove from moving forward with the development projects proposed - projects that will dramatically improve the financial straits in which the city finds itself. Yes, the traffic issues must be addressed and solutions need to be presented: but I reiterate, we need our county and state to get involved. We need to use our influences to get our representatives to deal with the traffic dilemma caused by poor planning in the past. Preservation of wildlife is in all our interest and I trust that will be accomplished.

I have listened to the developers; I have looked at the site (in fact I see it on a daily basis when I go to work - and that is one ugly eyesore). The idea of the development is not to hurt Glen Cove or the Garvies Point Preserve - the idea is to enhance the Glen Cove environment and get rid of the eyesore. There are so many positives from this proposal. Jobs will be created; the City of Glen Cove will have an increased tax base; property taxes will be assessed; fees paid to the city - Glen Cove residents will have a beautiful new arena in which to "play," with a cultural center within walking distance of downtown. This will only help bring new business and life to our dormant downtown area.

So citizens and business owners of Glen Cove, let's applaud our city government for moving forward with such a unique project. Let's see this partnership between a municipality and a private enterprise turn Glen Cove into a community of which we can really be proud, the destination spot it should be - a place where our property values will increase because Glen Cove is a desirable community in which to live; to bring up and educate our children. Let Glen Covers speak for Glen Cove - not outsiders. Glen Covers, both residents and the business owners, like myself, who understand that progress is essential for the growth and wel-lbeing of our city.

Jadwiga Brown