Two topics that in the past have received wide attention within the village, St. Francis Hospital and the Marino property on Northern Boulevard, were once again brought to the fore at this month's meeting of the Village of Flower Hill.

Although they have just completed a major construction project, Mayor James Damascus announced that he and other village officials attended a meeting at St. Francis Hospital where they were shown plans for further renovation to the hospital grounds. Calling the presentation by the hospital one "in the very, very early stages," Damascus gave a brief synopsis of what the hospital was contemplating. The preliminary plans focus on the center of the hospital property, and that some of the existing buildings currently there are being considered for demolition and reconstruction. The mayor noted that 300 additional parking spaces were also part of the project. Trustee William Clemency said that the hospital planners, "were rethinking the orientation of the building," and that "there was a lot of logic in what they are trying to do." Damascus ended the topic with a note of caution, "We must stress that everything they presented is surrounded by them (their own buildings). They will be the first to experience problems (stemming from this possible construction). The residents should not feel the kind of impact they have in the past." There were no measures to be taken by the board since the hospital meeting was informational only.

In his report to the trustees on the progress on the Roslyn viaduct renovation project, Dr. Milton Parker, BZA board member and village liaison to the Roslyn Viaduct Committee, commented that the state would be involved in some property acquisition. This would affect many of the properties on both sides of Northern Boulevard, and most notably, the Marino property, a wooded area on the north side of Northern Boulevard, that runs approximately from Fernwood Lane up to the Roslyn viaduct. Several years ago the parcel was the subject of a heated zoning debate; the owner sought rezoning to commercial so he could build an office building, but was ultimately denied the zoning change after many months of hearings. The land has remained undeveloped, but Dr. Parker reported that initial applications have recently been submitted for the building of three homes on the site. No action has been taken by the village regarding the applications.

A public hearing was set by the board for the August meeting to hear an application for a special use permit for the commercial property at 1033 Northern Boulevard (formerly known as Mr. Glass); the petition is to allow a car dealership to open on the property.

The board approved a request for a 5K race in support of the Manhasset Breast Cancer Coalition. The date is Sunday, Oct. 21 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Trustee Clemency asked that the route details be put in a village newsletter to advise residents of traffic patterns for that day.

Although they have been up for slightly less than a year, the board was advised that the new street brackets are rusting. The company that sold the original brackets to the village has agreed to a return; an alternate bracket design was approved by the board.

The next meeting of the Village of Flower Hill will take place on Monday, Aug. 6., at the village hall, One Bonnie Heights Road.