A group of North Hills taxpayers, voters and concerned residents announced the formation of the Community Coalition on the Future of Deepdale Golf Club, an oversight organization that will consider plans by the North Hills Village Board to condemn and acquire, at public expense, the Deepdale Golf Club. The group includes members and non-members of the golf course as well as golfers and non-golfers, all of whom are village voters and taxpayers united by a common concern that the village is about to burden every village homeowner with a costly plan that will have far reaching impacts on every taxpayer, the group states.

John Wilson, acting chairman of the group, a resident of the community, and a member of the Deepdale Golf Club, said, "There is a deep-seated fear that condemnation of a golf course without public input, comment, oversight or discussion will wed us to a course of action that may well be illegal and that will certainly contain enormous hidden costs, lead to substantial property tax increases, additional congestion, harm property values and damage our quality of life."

The attorney for the group, Mark S. Mulholland, cautioned, "The acquisition of a private golf course by a municipality for the stated purpose of offering it as a golf club for hamlet residents certainly appears to be a stunning perversion of the purpose of the eminent domain laws. The fact that it is being considered in executive session by a village board seeking to shut out public discussion underscores the serious questions surrounding this proposal. A dose of daylight in the form of the coalition is just what the doctor ordered."

Mulholland observed, "There are a number of issues that need to be addressed by our elected officials but one issue of particular concern is whether the village board will follow past practice and conceal land use plans. They could easily condemn the property for "recreational" use only to announce later that significant portions are really going to be sold off for development. After all, we have seen the board repeal covenants protecting an 18 acre piece of North Shore property from development despite protests from North Shore Land Alliance, the Nassau County Planning Commission and a report from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation describing it as 'a wetland of unusual local importance.'"

Mr. Wilson added, "This board has operated behind closed doors and has been indifferent to the public's right to know what the scope of this controversial plan really is. The Community Coalition on the Future of Deepdale Golf Club intends to force accountability where none now exists."

North Hills Mayor Marvin Natiss commented that he had not yet seen the email but believed it was an attempt on the part of members of Deepdale Golf Club to thwart the village's attempt to acquire Deepdale under eminent domain proceedings.