Supervisor of Department of Public Works James McCloat announced, at the last New Hyde Park Village Board meeting, that "Operation Main Street" has been started and is moving right along. He urged residents to stop by and look at the brick work that is being put down.

During the open portion of the meeting, at the beginning of the meeting, residents complained about their neighbors on North 11th Street and Jericho Turnpike.

They said that about 20 bikes are in and around the area and the tenants of the buildings come out on the street and "hang around." One woman said they talk in loud tones, using vulgar language and that they do nothing but lean against the building. She said, "They don't wear shirts and in some cases when approached they use inappropriate hand gestures."

The same woman continued, "This is what we have to look at from our homes? This is not our problem, this is a village problem."

Deputy Mayor Robert Lofaro, who was chairing the meeting for absent village mayor Daniel Petruccio, said, "First of all, we have to consider what is unlawful. Leaning against a building is not unlawful. Not wearing a shirt is not unlawful."

He addressed his remarks directly to the resident and said, "You and others may consider that this is not appropriate, but it's not illegal. What we have to do is to evaluate what conditions exist that are illegal. Having a bicycle is not illegal. We have to break it into what parts we can address."

The woman said, "Unfortunately, this is on my block and I have to look at it everyday and I'm getting tired of it. My quality of life is going 'down the tube' everytime I open up my front door I see gangster-type people hanging out and I'm tired of it. They shout to each other from one side of Jericho Turnpike to another at all hours of the night. Is this what we have to look forward to living near Jericho Turnpike. This is my neighborhood and I feel like it is turning into a 'grade A dump.' It is not my problem, it's a village problem and you guys better do something about it!"

Another resident asked, "How many people are allowed to live in one apartment? There are two bedrooms and about 20 people living in one apartment."

Lofaro said, "What we can do is address an illegal situation. I know we have had problems with rubbish behind the building and just last week we issued summonses, again, to the building owners. We are doing what we can do. If someone comes out of his or her apartment at 11 p.m. it's not illegal. However, if they are making excessive noise, then the police department can do something about that."

Lofaro continued, "On the bicycle side of things I know we put tags on them and they have been removed. Now, if they are back again, we will tag them again and if they don't move them we will confiscate them. I have even put tags on bikes in that area myself."

The same woman said, "Maybe I'm the only one who opens my mouth about this situation. It's not such a nice area to live in anymore. It's not New Hyde Park anymore. It's horrible. A lot of people in the village are fed up with what they see. People are hanging out in the park, hanging around with brown bags that cover liquor or beer bottles they are drinking."

Lofaro interrupted, "Something like that is illegal. Call 911 because we do have an open container law in place. We recently met with the Third Precinct Inspector Lorraine Hannon and she basically told us that the residents are the police department's 'eyes and ears.' They can't be everywhere."

Trustee Donald Barbieri said that when they met with Inspector Hannon they requested that a policeman on foot, bike or scooter go through the village. He said, "We told her it would be very helpful. We were told, by Inspector Hannon, that they don't have the manpower at this time to provide that type of service to address the type of things you are talking about."

A gentleman resident said, "You know we come here year after year complaining about the amount of people that live in the apartments above Sports Loft and around the corner on Jericho, after a while you just feel, what is the sense of complaining because nothing changes? This is a situation that is illegal and you should be able to do something about it."

Lofaro said, "We will and in fact we have. Just two weeks ago a fine of $20,000 was collected from a homeowner who had an illegal two-family home. And, we are working on another. What we need are definite facts. It's very easy to say that the apartments on Jericho Turnpike have too many people living in them. We need specifics. We need to know which apartment, which apartment number and we need to know how you know there is more than one family living in that apartment. We need to have you document your observations. We assure you we will react to any unsafe situation if it is brought to our attention with facts that will legally allow us to examine either an apartment or house."

Trustee Lawrence Montreuil said, "Our village code, that was recently recodified, gives our building department the ability to promote an investigation based on reasons to believe there are multiple dwellings in a single family home. However, I don't know if there is the same sort of law in place for apartments. In order to be valid, the case has to be documented with the village attorney so that he can make a case solid in court."

Montreuil continued, "What I'm saying to you is we need to direct our attention to the apartments. The single-family homes, up until now, have always been an issue. Multiple dwellings, however, are expected in apartments. Apparently, apartment dwellings are being abused so we will have to redirect our efforts to address the abuse of apartments."

The resident added, "It's not only North 11th Street, it is all along Jericho Turnpike. The apartment dwellers criss-cross from side to side and haul mattresses and whatever from side to side."

Montreuil said, "We will consult with our attorney to understand what has to be observed in detecting this kind of abuse in an apartment. In a single family home it's two doorbells, two mailboxes, two telephone lines, etc. In an apartment building I don't know what determines a violation."

Lofaro added, "We have to prove that all of these people actually live in that dwelling and that they are not visiting. Before you do anything, speak privately to one of us on the village board. Our concern is the safety of the residents and if we feel the situation is unsafe we can put pressure on the landlord to do something about it."

Artie Johnson thanked the village for painting white lines between Hillside Boulevard and Cherry Lane. He said they were nice and wide. He then suggested that village taxes, instead of being paid in one lump sum, be paid twice a year. He said it would make it much easier on the taxpayers.

Lofaro said the board would take a look at splitting the taxes into two payments.

Lofaro then called for the business portion of the meeting to resume and called for trustee reports.

Trustee Richard Coppola

Parks and Recreation

Trustee Coppola reported that the hockey rink bids came in a lot higher than expected, so they are seeking ways to price it down and are seeking other ways to build the rink.

Summer Recreation

The Summer Recreation Program started July 5 and will run until Aug. 4. The children are divided into two age groups; children 6 to 8 years old will attend the morning session which is from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and children ages 9 to 12 years old will be in a session from 1:30 to 4 p.m. All activities will be geared to the appropriate age group. The park will be closed for lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and no supervision will be available during that period.

Nassau County Police

Coppola said that the meeting with Third Precinct Inspector Lorraine Hannon was touched on before. However, Coppola said that at the meeting they touched on some 'hot spots' in the village. Inspector Hannon also expressed concern about some areas in the village as well. Unfortunately, they can't dispatch officers either on foot or on scooters since Nassau County does not have the funds for that kind of police presence.

New Hyde Park Fire Department

The fire department warns about transporting propane tanks for gas grills and then about the proper installation of the tanks into the grill. They also expressed concern for extension cords used for air conditioners. Faulty cords cause fires. The fire department reports that there are a lot of garbage can fires especially in the summer when the children are out of school. Coppola said, "So, keep you eyes and ears open. If you see a group of kids hanging around the parks or schools after dark, give a call to 911."

Deputy Mayor Robert Lofaro

Beautification Committee

Lofaro reported that the bushes recently planted on 2nd and 3rd Avenue near Covert Street died. He said, "Since we are working with the reputable Milena's Garden Center, they replaced all of the bushes for us. I would like to thank the folks at Milena's for standing behind the products they provide for us. Plus, we would like to thank Rich Pollisco for all the work he has done regarding this endeavor."

Long Island Rail Road Scoping Sessions

Lofaro said that members of the village board as well as members of the Long Island Rail Road Task Force from New Hyde Park, attended the scoping meetings that LIRR held regarding the rail project and the grade elimination project.

Lofaro said, "We attended the session in Floral Park where there was 'standing room only.' At that meeting I was very proud of Mayor Petruccio who got up and read a statement outlining how New Hyde Park felt about the project."(Statement was covered, in its entirety, in the June 24 edition of The Illustrated News.)

Lofaro continued, "Basically, what was stated is that the village, on a whole, is in favor of the separation of the grade crossings and we would like to have that project only be addressed by the LIRR. Other mayors came before the committee and spoke. We hope it will have some effect on the LIRR. Bottom line is that most people feel that no matter what is said, the LIRR will do whatever it wants."

He continued, "Unfortunately, that is sad. They invite public opinion. The public tells them what they want and they don't listen. It will take many months for them to compile all the information and I guess we will find out then what they are going to do."

Any resident who wishes to express an opinion on this project needs to do so by Aug. 31. Contact the village clerk for details on how to respond to this project.

Newsletter

The New Hyde Park Village Newsletter has been sent out. Any resident who did not receive a newsletter, please contact village hall and give them your address.

Trustee Donald Barbieri

Cultural Commission

Summer Concert Series

Unfortunately, the first concert of the series was rained out with no rain date.

New Hyde Park Library News

The New Hyde Park Library, located in the basement of New Hyde Park Village Hall, will hold summer programs for the children from grades 1-6. Please contact the library for the summer programs for children.

Toddlers

A program for toddlers will be held on July 14 and July 28 at 11 a.m. for children who are 18 through 36 months old. Please pre-register. Further, they have a program for children who are 3 to 5 years old. That program will be held on July 21 and that program will be held at 11 a.m. Pre-registration is required.

Jericho Turnpike Project

Trustee Barbieri said, "I'm thrilled to death that work has begun on the Jericho Turnpike Revitalization Projects. Come on down and see what the pavement will look like. It has taken a long time but it is finally happening and hopefully it will not inconvenience too many folks, but we are trying to maintain easy access to businesses during the project."

Air Traffic

Barbieri said, "We have had a lot of additional traffic in the air in the New Hyde Park area of late, but unfortunately I have not been able to meet with our representative Kurt Langjar. I will, at the July meeting, however have a report on why this is happening."

Trustee Lawrence Montreuil

Building Department

Seventy-five building permits were issued in the month of May and 341 permits were issued during the fiscal year of the village, which ended on May 31.

Nassau Sale Home Reports

Between May and June 14, 10 homes were sold in the New Hyde Park Village ranging in prices from $237,000 to $600,000 for an average of $460,000. This is to give you an idea of the price of home sales in the village.

Montreuil also reported on June 8, the Board of Zoning Appeals held its meeting and granted a second floor extension variance on a home at Whittier Avenue. The next meeting is July 13 at 7:30 p.m.

There are two cases on the agenda. One for 104 Ingraham Lane, where the applicant requests to install a second kitchen and also there is a second variance for 500 North 1st Street seeking to install a wood deck.

It was announced that on July 19 at 7:30 p.m., prior to the regular village board meeting, held at village hall, corner of New Hyde Park Road and Jericho Turnpike, there will be a continuation of a public hearing for Botticelli Builders regarding a building at 306-B Jericho Turnpike, New Hyde Park, for the construction of a second story over an existing one-story building. Lofaro explained that the case has been heard, but the builders have come back with some alterations. Anyone interested is urged to attend.

Lofaro also announced that money has been proposed in the budget to install a lift elevator to the second floor of village hall. Therefore, the board approved the advertisement of bids to install such a lift elevator.

The board closed its official meeting and then opened comments by the public.

Community activist and LIRR watchdog Edward Powers reported on the Main Line Corridor Meeting. He attended the Hicksville portion of the meeting and reported that a lot of good points were brought out. One group even went door-to-door in their community distributing fliers under the name of CARE which stands for Citizens Against Railroad Expansion.

To this end Powers wrote a detailed letter to the editor which was printed in The Illustrated issue of June 24.

After the statement by Powers, the meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will be held on July 19 at 8 p.m. for the regular board meeting and at 7:30 p.m. for the hearing.