Although much of the Island Trees monthly board of education meeting on Wednesday, May 31, was business as usual, going over various business items and honoring faculty members and students, some residents took the opportunity to express their opposition to a proposal to construct a faculty parking lot in what is now a vacant lot by Sparke Elementary School.

Before starting official business, Susan Lyons was honored by the High School's Parent Networking Group for her expertise in helping parents and students discuss and solve their problems and concerns. The plaque was in honor of the "appreciation for commitment and outstanding dedication to the parent network group" she has provided. Lyons has worked in the elementary and middle school, and now is at the high school helping parents and kids develop better communication skills and problem solving techniques on various subjects.

High School Band Director Nick Tarantola volunteered to put together a summer band camp which would require the use of certain designated school areas. Tarantola stated that by having such a program he could provide an orientation for upcoming ninth grade band students. The program was passed with no opposition.

The board thanked Alice Imbro, district director of music, and the entire music faculty for a wonderful performance at the 10th annual faculty music concert. They proceeded to congratulate six middle school students, who had entered Japan Airline's World Children's Haiku Contest. Out of 3,000 entries and only 33 winning poems, six of the 33 were Island Trees Middle School entries. The board also wished congratulations to the Island Trees High School newspaper staff, who won the "most distinguished reporter" and "best arts and entertainment" award from Adelphi University.

At what seemed to be the close of the meeting, one Levittown resident stood and questioned Segerdahl about the district's plan to construct a vacant lot in the area into a parking lot for faculty members. The lot, located on Condor Road and Robin Place, in front of Sparke School, is currently owned by the Town of Hempstead. For years the lot has remained vacant and not maintained, leaving the chore of cleaning it up and taking care of it to nearby residents.

The resident argued that installing a faculty parking lot in that space would do nothing more than increase traffic by the school and decrease the value of his and his neighbors' nearby homes. He urged the board to find a different location for a parking lot, presenting them with a petition signed by 47 residents whose homes are within sight distance of the area.

Segerdahl answered the resident by first saying the idea of constructing a lot there was very preliminary, that no work could even begin for perhaps years, as the school district requires approval from the state and the Town of Hempstead to gain rights to the property. He went on to explain that the location in question is not and never was an actual park, and that in recent years it has been treated as nothing more than a dumping ground of sorts where people walk their dogs and drop their garbage.

Segerdahl said that he has been writing letters to the Town of Hempstead since 1994 regarding the area and has yet to receive a response. He noted that if it belonged to the school district it could be maintained and at least would be used for something. He showed a proposal of how the area might look, providing 57 additional parking spots by Sparke School, predominantly for teachers since they arrive at the school earlier than students. Ultimately, this would allow more room for parents to drop off their children with less car congestion. He also suggested that having the area would be helpful to those with handicapped children being dropped off in front of the school, since teachers cars would go through a different entrance and would be out of the way.

As far as finding variable location for the lot, Segerdahl said that there is none. He said the premises of all Island Trees schools and every field is being used at some point of the year for various activities. After looking over every possibility, the board felt that this would be the best location, according to the superintendent.

One resident said that there is no need for so many extra spaces because the school doesn't have an abundance of faculty. Segerdahl responded that parking is currently limited to teachers, especially when parents are invited to the school for events, meetings, etc.

The residents' biggest concern is the fact that the currently vacant lot attracts many young kids, especially during night hours. One resident complained of being woken up at all hours of the night to kids drinking, damaging property, screaming, and cursing. He further stated that making the lot part of school property would not deter kids from hanging out there. Some residents said that the lot should be made into a park area, so that community members could go there with their children and make use of it. In essence, they expressed the belief that the school district should not cut into community property. One resident said that Mr. Levitt left that "plot of land" for the people so that they could have something for them, and if it were plowed over it would no longer belong to them. He commented that it is the last piece of property in Levittown that still belongs to the community and it should not be taken away from them.

Segerdahl responded by saying that putting a park in place of the lot would only attract kids more. He also stated that if there are young teenagers hanging around the area during the course of the night, that there is only so much the school can do about it. He said that parents should wonder where their child is at 2 or t3 in the morning and the responsibility of keeping kids off the street should really be that of the parents. He added that he's willing to take any suggestions from residents as to how to keep the kids away from the area.

One resident, stating that she was not necessarily for or against the idea of a parking lot, said that the area needs to be maintained by somebody, whether it be the community or the school. She said that she has personally seen broken glass, beer bottles, condoms, and crack vials on the ground of the area and feels that it is a health hazard for children. She further explained that she would prefer if it were anything other than the "visual horror" it is now.

Segerdahl reinforced the fact that all this is just a proposal, and that if the area were to be made into a faculty parking lot that it could take years for any construction to even begin.

"I'm just trying to represent 1,100 kids and their parents," he said, "along with the needs and safety of the kids and community."

Residents at the meeting expressed anger at the fact that nobody came out into the community to ask them what they thought of the idea, further explaining that a 240 foot fence around a parking lot would not look pretty and would further diminish the value of their homes. According to the residents, they have worked hard on building up and maintaining their property, and they don't want or need to be "kicked two steps back."

Board Vice President Kathy Safrey responded to the residents by saying that "this [idea] is so preliminary, and I personally wouldn't want to go out into the community with a proposal or idea that is so undeveloped because if a resident asked me a specific question then I'd like to be able to give them an intelligent response."

Segerdahl said the school would plan to plant shubbery and/or other foliage around the area to give it a nice appearance.

Board President Carl Bonsignore pointed out that the issue could be discussed all night, and that "this isn't something that can be solved overnight, especially since it is still just a proposal."

The residents concluded by saying they don't want anybody to think they are leaving the meeting with a "bad taste in their mouths," just that they wished someone would have come out and talked to them about this possibility.

Discussion on the construction is still pending, and authority from the Town of Hempstead and the state has to be granted to the school district before any work can be done.