I am writing this letter to the citizens of Roslyn Heights as a public notice. It seems that a small group in our community is trying to designate an area called "The Roslyn Heights District." Upon attending a town board meeting on Thursday, Nov. 5, I left that same meeting with some very great concerns. It seems that this "Historic District" will be comprised of a very small area in Roslyn Heights consisting of Elm Street, Willow Street, Garden Street, Jefferson Avenue and Warner Avenue. I listened to testimony designating this historic area's borders to include the area between Mineola Avenue, Warner Avenue and the train depot. If this is so, then why is the so-called "Historic District" so exclusive, and what about the area of Roslyn Heights that falls west of Mineola Avenue.

A second point is that there was very little notification or information made available to the whole community regarding this project, and that many of the citizens who were to be designated "historic" did not know anything about this project until they received a certified letter from the Town of North Hempstead advising them that there was going to be a hearing on whether to send this proposal to the Town of North Hempstead for vote. I don't know what the actual laws on proper notification are, but if this particular group of citizens were so concerned on saving the "character" of the community, they would also be concerned about what their neighbors opinions were, and whether they would also like to be included.

I also listened to a statement that most of these houses "chosen" were properties that had the possibility of being subdivided because of the size of their lots, and there was some concern over the amount of new construction taking place in the community. This seems to be the true issue at hand and the motivation behind the proposal of the "Historic District." If this is the major concern of the community, then I think this is the issue that should be addressed. Maybe a moratorium on building in the community, or restrictions on new building should be proposed. If this group of citizens is so concerned with saving Roslyn Heights, then why is this "Historic District" so exclusive. Their small area will be saved from further building, but what about the majority of the neighborhood of our "Historical Roslyn Heights" that has been left out.

Let it be known that I have lived in Roslyn Heights all my life, as did my parents and my grandparents, and am very familiar with the historical value of our community. I have seen the changes firsthand, as have many others who have lived here for more than the four, five, 10, 15 years as some of our "newly concerned citizens" have stated. I believe that we should've had the courtesy of being consulted, advised and included into this process. There are a lot of people in Roslyn Heights who are the history of this community, who have been discounted. It also saddens me what is happening to our community as far as the changing landscape and new construction. I have always thought how wonderful it would be to somehow strengthen the community of Roslyn Heights and to try to bring the citizens together to make them a more powerful voice. By proposing this small area "Historic District," it seems that we are further dividing ourselves.

I look at the Roslyn Heights of today compared with the way it was when I grew up here, and it also saddens me. I believe that there should be a stop to the construction in our community, too, but I believe that this proposal is not the way to do it. If my parents and grandparents were thinking in this context, most of the homes that these "concerned citizens" are living in now would not be in existence.

Linda Gregorski Woods