Continuing with tradition, here are the Plainview-Old Bethpage Herald's top stories of 2004, as selected by the editor. They are listed here in no particular order. Due to space constraints, not all information can be included in this list.

In June, Charles Wang along with his development company and team of experts, unveiled his new plan dubbed "Old Plainview," which is a 166-acre development that offers senior housing, next-generation housing, office buildings, a four-star hotel and retail stores. Over 1,000 residents attended the heated meeting.

Wang needs to change the zoning on the property to make his plans a reality and the town votes on all zoning issues.

Wang purchased 144 acres of land on the southwest corner of Round Swamp Road south of Old Country Road from Nassau County in 1999. The proposal for the land includes a village green open to the community, a four-star Hyatt Hotel, offices, condos and residences. The proposal retains existing buildings and topography and includes park and recreational space including 40 acres of parkland.

Twenty-two acres of land on the north side Old Country Road are also involved in the plan. The proposal calls for a neighborhood shopping center, which will be similar to a Main Street that houses restaurants, a supermarket and other retail establishments, and Avalon Bay high-end apartments, which Wang called "Next Generations Apartments" for returning college graduates, with priority given to Plainview and Old Bethpage residents.

Currently, this parcel all of which Wang owns is home to the corporate offices of the New York Islanders, the New York Dragons' team and the Plainview Cultural Development Center, which offers Chinese language and cultural programs to children throughout Long Island.

The property also is home to several social service programs offered by Nassau County and other non-profit organizations. According to Wang, he has spoken to people representing Nassau County and it is the county's decision if they wish to keep those programs going. The site also houses soccer fields used by the Plainview-Old Bethpage Soccer Club and the Long Island Junior Soccer League's Soccer Park.

In December, a public scoping session for the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement regarding Plainview Properties was held to allow residents the opportunity to discuss concerns they had regarding this proposal. All comments were added to the official record and will be reviewed by the board..

Wang is requesting a Change of Zone permit from a Light Industry Zone to an Office Building and one-family residence to a Planned Unit Development and for a recession of Declaration of Restrictive Covenants to construct a mixed-use development of 220 rental units and 108,640 square feet of retail space on the north side of Old Country Road and 135 townhouse units, 316 condominium units, 48 senior citizen units, 20,060 square feet of office space, an 18,893 square-foot cultural center, a 27,240 square foot club house and 287,878 square feet of lodging on the south side of Old Country Road.

The potential environmental impacts include effects on zoning, land use, topography, soils, flora and fauna, water quality and quantity, sewage, aesthetics, traffic, air quality, noise, community growth and character.

The Plainview-Old Bethpage School District boasted a very successful year in 2004.

Two seniors from Plainview, Samuel John and Alexander Slade, were honored for their excellence in science as they reached the semifinals of the Intel Science Talent Search (STS). Often considered the "Junior Nobel Prize," the Intel STS is America's oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition. They received $1,000 each in recognition of their scientific achievements. In addition, schools will receive $1,000 per semifinalist to support their science and math programs.

Lindsay Fourman earned the status of class of 2004 valedictorian and Taryn Pritchard was named salutatorian.

Senior Heather Casper and junior Benjamin Pollack were recently named semifinalists in the annual Siemens Westinghouse math, science and technology scholarship competition.

Also, Ginger Lieberman was sworn in as president of the school board, Jonathan Mosenson as vice-president and Wendy Richter and Debbie Bernstein were sworn in as new trustees. They join the other trustees on the board, Cathy Shapp, Cheryl Dender and Evy Rothman.

Nassau Off-Track Betting (OTB) Corporation purchased the Vanderbilt in Plainview in May 2003 from the Morey Group for $6.35 million to turn the once catering and concert hall into an upscale horse racing teletheater, which is set to open on Feb. 16 with a grand opening set for Feb. 26

The 47,000 square-foot building, which is located at 1600 Round Swamp Road in Plainview, just south of the Long Island Expressway and just west of the Suffolk County border, is now the site of Nassau County's only teletheater.

In February, the race palace hosted a Super Bowl party to give invited guests a sneak-peak at the new upscale OTB.

The race palace opened later that month to the public and has been quite successful.

In August, it was announced that the Plainview Water District won the prestigious title of Best Tasting Tap Water in Nassau County 2004, as part of the celebrations for National Water Week. The contest, sponsored by the Long Island Water Conference and hosted by the Source Mall in Westbury, brought water purveyors from across Long Island together for a celebration of the region's exceptionally cool, clear, crisp-tasting water.

In September, the water district rededicated their administration building in the memory of the brave men and women who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. The event paid tribute to the scores of innocent heroes who were lost to the world three years ago. The ceremony took place on Sept. 13, at 10 a.m. in front of the administration building located at 10 Manetto Hill Road, Plainview.

Also in September, the water district held a public meeting to review and inform the community on the remedial actions that are being undertaken to provide treatment for the impacted water supply well located at Plant 2 on Donna Drive. The water district urged community members that the water is safe to drink and that this action is being undertaken proactively to ensure the safety of your drinking water supply.

The construction projected is scheduled to be completed by November 2005 and will be contained primarily to the water plant site. Drainage and related roadwork on Donna Drive and a portion of Gilbert Lane is tentatively scheduled for the spring of 2005. The offsite drainage work will eliminate the plant site soil erosion problems that have been previously encountered on Donna Drive. Proactive infrastructure improvements such as this are important to maintaining the high quality and safety of the water supply for the Plainview - Old Bethpage community to enjoy.

The Plainview-Old Bethpage Chamber of Commerce had a very successful year in 2004 holding many community events and meetings. The chamber serves as a gateway between businesses and residents in the area and also allows businesses many networking opportunities. Chamber president Francesca Carlow was busy making 2004 so successful.

Chamber of Commerce president Francesca Carlow, along with help from Nassau County Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs, made the welcome sign possible for the Plainview and Old Bethpage area. A horse from the Horses of a Different Color program also helped make the welcome sign noticeable. Plainview resident Brian Strumwasser designed and painted the horse that marks the beginning of the Plainview community.

In February, the Live, Work and Play sign in Plainview-Old Bethpage was installed at its new home on the corner of Central Park Road and Old Country Road in Plainview. Another sign is also located near the Race Palace on Round Swamp Road and Old Country Road.

In March, Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto announced the 2004 Women of Distinction.

Carol Meschkow, a resident of Plainview, was named a Distinguished Woman in Community and Civic Affairs.

Dorothy Blumstein, a resident of Woodbury, was named a Distinguished Woman in Government.

Local residents came out in great numbers in June to support Plainview's first Relay for Life event. The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life is an overnight event. It is a celebration of hope as the community comes together for this fun-filled yet poignant evening. The event honors cancer survivors with a free Survivor Reception for all cancer survivors and their caregivers.

Although most incumbents were re-elected to office this November, the area saw some changes. David Sidikman, who had represented the 13th Assembly District for the last 12 years, was beaten by Democrat Charles Lavine in a primary in September. Lavine was later elected to office in November.

Although the Presidential race was not decided before midnight of election day, President George W. Bush defeated Senator John Kerry in the election.

Democratic Senator Charles Schumer was overwhelmingly supported in his bid for re-election to his Senate seat receiving 72 percent of the voters' support. In Congress, Democratic incumbent Steve Israel was returned to office in the second district and Republican incumbent Peter King was re-elected in the third congressional district.

In the Senate races, Republican incumbent Carl Marcellino was re-elected in the fifth district and in the Sixth Senatorial District, Republican incumbent Kemp Hannon was re-elected to office.

In Assembly races, Democratic Charles Lavine was elected in the 13th district and Republican incumbent Donna Ferrarra was re-elected in the 15th district.

In October, environmental and civic leaders kicked off a month-long campaign to win approval of two environmental bond acts in Nassau County and Oyster Bay. The first was a $50 million Environmental Bond Act for all Nassau County voters to vote on, which was passed with 171,545 residents voting yes and 52,449 voting no.

The law's key component will allow the county to purchase development rights to farmland and horse farms. Only five farms remain in Nassau County. Development rights would ensure that these farms remain for generations to come without the county exercising any maintenance costs.

A portion of the $50 million bond will be used for acquisition and improvement of the Nassau County park system. Purchases of available land may be made to increase the size of parkland for both active and passive purposes. County facilities with playgrounds, athletic fields, outdoor concert sites and equestrian capabilities may all benefit from the proposed referendum. Improvements to Nassau's recreational historical and museum facilities may also be made with portions of the bonds; however, routine maintenance to parks will not be covered under the agreement. In addition to preserving county parkland, a portion of the funds generated will be used on clean water projects designed to protect Nassau County's groundwater. If the referendum passes, the county will consider projects that construct or improve sediment collection basins, storm drain catch basins and end-of-pipe treatment. Monies raised through the referendum may also be used to rehabilitate brownfields in Nassau. These sites currently are unusable due to past contamination. Continued cleanup of sites will allow Nassau County to regain control of these lands and put them to proper use within the communities. The bond is expected to cost the average Nassau household $7 per year.

Oyster Bay voters had the opportunity to vote on the $30 million SEA Fund II, which was also passed with 45,534 voting in favor and 18,934 against the bond. Half of the $30 million will be used for open space and parkland acquisition and the other half for park improvements throughout the town. The SEA Fund II bond will cost the average household in the Town of Oyster Bay less than $1.35 per month.

The Cerro Wire battle is still unresolved although the courts are now deciding the fate of the 39-acre lot in Syosset.

In March, the Taubman Company applied for and was granted a demolition permit by the Town of Oyster Bay and then demolished all structures on the property.

In September, an icon in Syosset was demolished when the water tower was knocked down to complete the demolition. The 150-foot tower came down to the cheers of the union workers present on the Syosset property.

In November, approximately 500 residents gathered on Robbins Lane to push for a building moratorium and a Robbins Lane Corridor. A building moratorium for Robbins Lane would, according to those pushing for the issue, put a hold on all building on Robbins Lane, including the former Cerro Wire property and the possibility of a Lowe's Home Center, and possibly re-zone the entire Robbins Lane corridor.

The Taubman company stands by its position that regardless of the recent efforts of local residents, the mall will be built and this is only delaying the process.

The battle over the mall is still in the hands of the Appellate Division and no decision was reached in 2004.

In April, a hearing was held regarding local laws to create a special Recreation (REC) District within the Town's Special Groundwater Protection Area (SGPA) and to rezone certain properties within the SGPA to REC and lower density residential zoning classifications.

According to Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto, the purpose of the REC District is to help assure the preservation and continuation of existing recreational/open space uses so as to protect the quality and quantity of groundwater recharge into the sole-source aquifers which provide drinking water for town residents. The REC District will also prevent or reduce flooding through the preservation of wetlands and drainageways and by the minimization of impervious surface coverage. Additionally, the REC District will protect visually and environmentally important natural features of the land such as trees, wetlands, streams and habitat for rare or endangered species of plants and animals.

Under the REC District, permitted principal uses would include public parks and municipal uses by the town, as well as by the county, state or federal government or a special district with town board approval. Permitted uses with a special use permit would include country clubs and private membership clubs.

A ceremony was held in May to honor Jeffrey Allen Mosenson and dedicate the Syosset-Woodbury Town Park pool in his honor. Jeffrey was traveling to class at the New York Institute of Technology from his Woodbury home on Jan. 28, 2003 when he was involved in a fatal car accident. Jeffrey was only 20 years old.

The Jericho Fire Department, of which Jeffrey was a member, presented the colors at the ceremony and Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto welcomed those in attendance on a day when the sun was shining down on the park, the baseball games that were taking place nearby and also the dedication ceremony. Venditto reminded everyone that they were there to celebrate someone's life, rather than focus on death.

Venditto urged everyone to go to the website that has been set up in Jeffrey's honor at www.jeffreymosenson.com. "You will be overwhelmed by this website and you will leave with a tear and a smile," said Venditto.

On Feb. 5, a deal to preserve 50 acres on Jericho's Underhill Property was completed with the town, state and county all coming through with the funds they promised. The agreement, which has been a conceptual understanding since October 2002, finally came to fruition.

This deal ends decades of battling between local residents, environmental groups and land-owner Roger Tilles, owner of the Tilles Investment Company. Tilles has tried to develop the Underhill Property since 1972, according to Louis Soloway, partner in the Real Estate Practice Group at Certilman Balin, which represented the Tilles Investments Company. "This deal is a wonderful example of state and local government working in unison with business to satisfy commercial development, as well as the wishes of the environmentalists," he said.

The Underhill Property, which sits atop the first federally designated sole aquifer and is one of two state-designated groundwater protection areas in Nassau County, will be subdivided with New York State purchasing 25.12 acres, Nassau County purchasing 16.67 acres and the Town of Oyster Bay purchasing 8.33 acres, all which will be preserved as park area. The developer, The Holiday Organization, led by Gerald Monter, will build 102 single-family units to be known as the Hamlet Estates at Jericho on the remaining 31-acres and agreed to sell 40 percent of the homes to people 55 and older to lessen the initial impact on the Jericho School District.