The Village of Roslyn is set to install an elevator in its village hall, thus ending one of the minor controversies that has been lingering in the village over the past year and a half.

The village has hired the firm of Molise Construction Corp. to build a regular elevator, one described as having limited use in a limited area. The firm has already started doing some cement work for their project, but it is too early to say when the elevator will be installed and fully operational.

Earlier in the year, the board of trustees hired the firm of Tast & Clemency Architects of Glen Cove to do the architectural and engineering work on the new elevator. At that time, Mayor John Durkin said the price of that contract would not exceed $200,000.

The hiring of both the architectural firm and the construction company represents an agreement that an elevator, one that is in compliance with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) law, will eventually be in operation. That piece of legislation mandates that such elevators must be able to transport disabled people throughout buildings such as the Roslyn Village Hall.

In the final months of her administration, then-Mayor Janet Galante had wanted funds for such an elevator to be approved by her fellow BOT members. However, citing budget restraints, such funds, which would have included a $220,000 contract for elevator engineering services, were rejected by BOT members. In turning down the mayor's request, the BOT still claimed they supported building an elevator.

The debates over the elevator were enlivened by the appearance of several Long Island-area activists for disabled people at village hall meetings. Robert Schoenfeld, a member of Disabled in Action of Metropolitan New York, said that it had become "physically impossible" for disabled people to get up the hill and into the village hall building. As importantly, the lack of an elevator, he claimed, was in violation of ADA laws and some New York state laws as well. Mr. Schoenfeld tried to be conciliatory, saying that such an elevator would have multiple purposes. In addition to serving disabled people, it would also "help people with chores" and those parents who come to the village with small children in tow. Mr. Schoenfeld and other activists also promised to come to future BOT meetings to press their case. However, later actions have made such journeys unnecessary.