Time to take off the kid gloves and speak plainly. Mayor Falk while acting as deputy mayor, stated that there was no subterfuge for the future plans of Great Neck Village. I say there is.

It has been said before, that there is a master plan for GN Village. Why can't we, the longtime residents, see this plan, not just the trustees and developers. Mayor Falk talks of developing affordable housing stock for empty nesters, like himself, a village with a few small houses. We have dozens of small houses, if only he would stop issuing permits to destroy what few we have. As to the affordability of them, do you really believe a developer is going to build affordable housing? Think again, he is out to make a profit ... big time. Falk has stated that he would like to see houses on Arrandale Avenue pulled down to make way for townhouses. I see you have started with the corner for a multi-unit building.

A beautiful Victorian house on Arrandale is to be bulldozed, for what? A parking lot. What did the builder promise for this deal? On that corner concrete buffers had to be erected because of frequent accidents, now we will make the traffic situation even worse. This is not just an Arrandale issue, it is the whole of Great Neck Village.

Why do we have building codes or zoning laws when all it seems to take is for a developer claiming economic hardship and with the stroke of a pen the law is changed? Instead of so much effort to benefit the backroom plan, how about us? I say more consideration should be paid for the long-time residents. At the same time, Great Neck Plaza, Roslyn, Bellport, Sea Cliff, Glen Cove and so many more are encouraging residents to preserve history. Our village seems bent to destroy what little history we have left. I find it ironic that our mayor has an architectural background, perhaps he just doesn't like old buildings.

As to the proposal for East Shore Road ... the desirable, feasible and unique plans, again, only the well-to-do are targeted with price ranges of $670,000 to $1.3 million and apartments starting at $2,500 per month. Where is he coming from?

Again, once the public left the last meeting, discussions were continued as to residences being made smaller, so as not to attract young families. Young people are our backbone, many grew up in Great Neck, but are forced to move out because of the lack of affordable housing. Just remember, our great firehouses are manned by many of the young. Push them out and let's see how we will manage a paid fire department, like millions each year.

Let's set aside a few of the apartments for the firefighters and other emergency personnel, at a reduced rate so that they can continue to safe guard what our village government seems bent on destroying.

Jean Pierce

(Editor's note: This letter was sent to Senator Balboni and is reprinted here at the author's request. In the "Scholarships for Volunteering" legislation, an applicant must have been with a fire department for less than six months to be eligible.)

May I be so bold as to ask which one of your committee personnel had his head in a bag when the "Scholarships for Volunteering" motion was framed.

My grandson is 19 years old and has been a volunteer fireman for one year. He has completed all the requisites for being a fireman. May I respectfully add that you cannot be an active fireman in six months. He has a 3.7 GPA at Nassau Community College as a business major. He is not eligible for this program. Why is that?

His grandfather has been (and still is) an active fireman in Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department, Company 4, for 40 years. His father was a fireman for about five years before he left the state to pursue his career.

May I also assume, Mr. Balboni, that you did not read the final draft before signing. Otherwise, surely you would not have ... signed it.

Mary Anne Crowley

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the letter of Mary Ann Crowley. First, please allow me to thank her grandson and the other members of the Crowley family, who like thousands of other New Yorkers, joined the ranks of the volunteer fire service without any expectation of compensation. That spirit of volunteerism has been the backbone of Great Neck's fire protection for generations.

Unfortunately, over the last decade, volunteer fire departments and ambulance providers have generally not had the same level of interest they once did. There are a number of incentives available either through the local governments paying for fire protection or through local benevolent associations. These incentives vary by company and include a Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) or life insurance policies. The cost of these incentives is a fraction of the cost of a paid department. Fire companies are able to use these incentives when recruiting new members, if they choose.

A more recent effort to attract brand new firefighters and ambulance personnel is the creation of a college scholarship program. This new state program offers tuition reimbursement up to SUNY's annual tuition of $3,400. Each fire or ambulance company is empowered to establish a local process for selecting one candidate, whose application is sent to the Higher Education Services Corporation. As the intent of the new program is to bring in brand new members statewide, one of the eligibility requirements is that the member be with the fire or ambulance service less than six months at the time of the initial award. Given the time it takes to apply for state and federal financial aid (also one of the program's eligibility requirements), the result is that the state dollars used to pay the tuition reimbursement will all be targeted to new recruits.

Local fire companies will have exclusive control over the selection process. Whether they choose to use a lottery, require a higher level of attendance at emergency calls, target the scholarships to a particular company within the department, etc. will be a local decision, based on the circumstances they face. Also, there is nothing which requires a single person to receive the scholarship every year that they are in school.

Lastly, in order that there be a proper evaluation of this program, the Higher Education Services Corporation is required to report to the legislature on the operation and effectiveness of the scholarships one year prior to the law's expiration. As the law expires on June 30, 2006, there will be a report issued by June 30, 2005. This will allow the legislature to make any needed amendments to the program based on three years worth of data, before renewing it.

I hope this information is helpful to your readers. Thank you again for the opportunity to comment.

Michael Balboni, State Senator