Not so long ago, it looked as if the future development of the Nassau Hub -- development that included but was not limited to the installation of a massive "people mover" system -- was a slam dunk.

This despite the protestations of the residents in the surrounding communities, who feared that further development would destroy their already eroding quality of life.

Sources now tell this newspaper, however, that the defeat of Senator Alfonse D'Amato at the polls two weeks ago, greatly increases the chances that the plan will be significantly amended to meet the new political realities of Nassau County and New York State as a whole.

Last April, lawmakers in Washington voted to approve a measure that was essentially a green light for the county and the Town of Hempstead to apply for federal funding for the Hub project.

In a joint news release at the time, Representatives Carolyn McCarthy and Peter King announced that they had secured significant funds for transportation programs on Long Island under the BESTEA legislation approved Wednesday afternoon.

BESTEA is an acronym for the Building Efficient Surface Transportation and Equity Act, which provides funding for national highway and transit activities across the country.

Included in the bills were $14 million for two inter-modal passenger facilities in Hicksville and Mineola and $2.5 million earmarked for Nassau County's continuing effort to secure additional natural gas-powered buses.

Also secured by the two representatives as an amendment to that resolution was authorization for Nassau County to compete for a portion of a pool of funds to pay for its proposed Hub project.

According to Dan Michaelis, a spokesman for Congressman King, the legislation provides for $217 billion for transportation projects nationwide. While the bulk of that money is dedicated to specific projects, roughly $10.85 billion has been set aside for projects that are still early in their planning stages. That includes the Hub.

"These funds are dispersed for projects that will help ease transportation problems in specific areas," Michaelis said.

Upon hearing of the congressional action, attorney Mort Certilman, who has been championing both the hub study and the privatization of the Nassau Coliseum, was thrilled.

"I think this is just great news," he said. "It doesn't give us the money to see this through to reality, but it is the first important step in a long process."

But that's exactly the rub that has come into play now. While Congressman King -- a major player in the House of Representatives -- will likely be able to secure a portion of the funding that proponents of the Hub development has hoped would come here, the harsh reality is that the bulk of the money that Nassau could have received was expected to come through the efforts of Al D'Amato in the Senate.

Now that he's gone, the amount of money that Nassau can count on is significantly diminished.

"It's more than losing an advocate for the plan," County Legislator Richard Nicolello said the other day. "What Al D'Amato brought to the process of divvying up funding from Washington was power, prestige, and, perhaps, more importantly, seniority.

"Now, many more representatives will likely be vying for a piece of that pie."

"I can't say that I'm entirely disappointed," Nicolello, an opponent of several Hub-related proposals, continued. "While in one sense it's bad -- I want to see something done to mitigate traffic congestion in central Nassau, on the other hand, the plan that was out there left a lot to be desired."

While the legislator was expressing relief that funding for the plan, as proposed, may not be as forthcoming as its proponents once believed, County Executive Thomas S. Gulotta vowed to press forward.

"Clearly the loss of Al D'Amato's experience and seniority will impact upon many worthwhile Long Island projects which require federal funds," Gulotta said on Tuesday. "However, I believe there is an understanding among our Long Island federal delegation that the proper development of the Hub area, with a people-mover transportation system, is the lynchpin of Nassau County's future economic vitality and identity.

"I look forward to working with our representatives in a bi-partisan fashion to ensure that this project receives the support it so richly deserves," he continued.