I would like to commend the Village of Massapequa Park for its proposed six-month moratorium to develop a Master Plan for the Village of Massapequa, especially the downtown area. I have been a staunch advocate of long-range planning and have been promoting a Master Plan for the Town of Oyster Bay, which has received bipartisan support. The town has already hired a consultant to start the process which we expect to complete in 2002.

As I have stated publicly, I believe the concept of a moratorium is a good idea, whether it be for developing a comprehensive plan for protecting our special groundwater protection areas or devising a sensible way to address zoning issues. At my urging, the town is also considering a six-month moratorium on lot area variances granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals, if the result of these variances creates new building lots that do not meet normal zoning standards.

The residents of our towns and villages can only benefit from these necessary "time-outs" to ensure the course we are charting leads us in the right direction.

Bonnie A. Eisler

Councilwoman