The Nov. 8 Belmont hearing in Floral Park afforded residents the chance to speak their minds about who and how Belmont Park should be managed in the future, since the current franchise with the New York Racing Association (NYRA) expires at year's end.

The public forum held at village hall addressed numerous issues, in particular the implementation of a franchise agreement for Belmont Park as it relates to Floral Park, a community of 16,000 residents who have a shared history with the racetrack for more than a century.

Dennis McEnery, a member of the newly formed Belmont Park Preservation and Improvement Task Force, an ad hoc task force that has been gathering information and considering the many issues surrounding Belmont Park, dubbed the hearing "groundbreaking," saying it was the first one at which any citizen could speak and provide their point of view on the future of Belmont Park. "All of the speakers at the other public hearings before the State Senate panel have been by invitation only," he added.

NYRA is one of several entities that submitted proposals for the franchise to operate thoroughbred racing in the state for the next 30 years. The three other bidders include Excelsior, which withdrew, Empire Racing and Capital Play. A number of bidders to oversee the placement of Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) and others who wish to operate casinos (or more properly known as racinos) at these locations have also come forward.

"Although the franchise with NYRA expires at the end of this year, the decision on who will manage Belmont Park and its related activities is still uncertain and undecided. But, as we have stated previously, the important question is not the who, but the how," Floral Park Mayor Phil Guarnieri said.

NYRA President Charles Hayward, a long-time racing fan since 1980 who lives five minutes from the Saratoga racetrack, told residents, "I know how important the racetrack and dynamics of the racetrack are to the community."

Hayward said he loves racing, loves Belmont Park and loves NYRA, although, he admitted, the state's racing system is broken. "There should be a lot more money coming back to the communities from racing in the current years," he said.

Historically, though, Hayward believes NYRA has enjoyed a "good relationship" with Floral Park. "The mayor and Trustee Rhatigan have shared with us a Statement of Principles from the task force, we support those ... Having attended the Senate hearing in Elmont, I can tell you it was a humbling experience. I stayed through most of it. They banged on us pretty well and we probably deserved it. But we learned from that, and subsequent to that we have had some meetings with Assemblyman [Tom] Alfano, who was highly critical at the time of the meetings. We had very good discussions and have a little bit of a plan to go forward. The same thing [happened] with Senator Johnson."

Hayward said he wants to see several things that have been done in Saratoga to be used as an example of what can be done at Belmont Park. "I think that we would like to engage Floral Park more. We would like to get Floral Park familiar with our facility to be able to utilize it for your events," he said, noting that NYRA had entered into a memorandum of understanding with the state Sept. 4 of this year.

Scott Cushing, Assemblyman Alfano's chief of staff, added, "This decision is going to be a very important one. It's a generational decision. The decision that will be made regarding the franchising agreement is going to have a lasting impact not for Floral Park, Stewart Manor nor Bellerose Terrace, Bellerose Village, Elmont and North Valley Stream, it's going to have a lasting impact for generations of people and young grandchildren.

Cushing continued, "For far too long the surrounding communities, quite frankly, have not been given a very important word, respect - the respect of appearance, economic development, strong community relations and physical impact, whether it be to our infrastructure, to business, to people. And that is what we are very concerned about. The state delegation is going to listen very carefully not only to what the people of Elmont and Floral Park have to say but what we can do to make things better."

Assemblyman Alfano, who could not attend the hearing because of a prior commitment but has publicly stated Belmont Park has not been a good neighbor, called for a percentage agreement from revenues at the track to be channeled to schools and local governments.

During a press conference he held with Senator Dean Skelos back in October to announce their support of video lottery terminals (VLTs) at Belmont, Alfano said VLTs would bring increased revenue to the track and could be "just the spark" that Belmont needs to rejuvenate itself.

Under the senators' plan, their schools will receive special funding to help reduce the tax burden that Floral Park, Elmont and Sewanhaka school taxpayers pay. The plan also calls for a community reinvestment mechanism.

Alfano and Skelos expressed support for VLTs at Belmont with a condition - the state provides $20 million in payments that would be apportioned between the affected districts, including the Elmont Union Free School District, Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District and Sewanhaka Central High School District, the Nassau County Police Department's Fifth Precinct and a newly created "Belmont Park Community Reinvestment Trust," which would be administered by a board made up of civic, business and school district leaders in Elmont and other involved communities. The payments would support public education, promote safety and security and facilitate economic development, community renewal and more.

"Belmont is too important to all these communities for us not to have a very focused discussion on what we need to have," Cushing added. "We need vibrant racing at Belmont racetrack. We need a facility that people are proud to say that they come from."

Floral Park-Bellerose School, one of the largest in Nassau County with an enrollment of approximately 930 students, runs immediately adjacent to the railroad tracks on the north, where the school is separated from the tracks by 675 feet. The back of the school faces Belmont's north parking lot. There is 1,130 feet of continuous open cyclone fencing, 12 feet high, separating the school from the Belmont property.

Dr. Lynn Pombonyo, the school district's superintendent, is first and foremost concerned with student safety. "We are in session 11 months of the year with an active - very active - summer school program until 6 p.m.," she said.

Dr. Pombonyo further noted that two gates that are locked by padlock could be open for access between the school field and the Belmont parking lot. In the event of a local school or area emergency, where an evacuation out the north side of the school or the front of the school is not possible, specifically if there were a problem on the railroad tracks, Belmont racetrack officials have approved an evacuation with the school's own buses through the rear gates of the school field on Belmont properties, she said.

"The board of education and the superintendent of schools of the Floral Park-Bellerose School District state that it is very important that the quality of life, security and safety of the children and families of the school community remain of the highest priority for the redevelopment of the Belmont property," Dr. Pombonyo said. "As the many stakeholders envision the redevelopment of the Belmont property we must all remember that from our children's eyes it is what is literally within their reach and what they are looking at every day on the other side of their school fence."

Back in the 1920s when Floral Park-Bellerose School was being considered, the Westchester Racing Association, a predecessor to NYRA, gifted two and one half acres to facilitate the construction of the school. In 1949, about 10 more acres were deeded again, from the Westchester Racing Association, bringing it to 14 acres of property that were originally owned by the association.

Floral Park-Bellerose Board of Education member Robert Burke noted for the record that school officials are looking to possibly mandate full-day kindergarten but do not have the space for growth. Burke requested, on behalf of the board, that it enter into an agreement with the property owners to obtain 30 acres of property to make room for such growth.

Trustee Jim Rhatigan, Belmont Park Preservation and Improvement Task Force chair, said the communities that provide the most deserve the most in return. "I think that was the sentiment that was echoed loud and clear at the recent hearing in Elmont. We are very concerned and aware of our need to preserve and protect racing and our communities alike."

Rhatigan continued, adding, "The racing industry has a long and storied history in New York State and we would hate to see that lost over franchise issues that could cause a wonderful industry to have to then take time to re-grow itself possibly after a period of stagnation. We do expect that the new franchisee, or the existing franchisee on extension, will plan and provide new state-of-the-art infrastructure so that it will be able to not only maintain the environment for the racing community for their visitors but also to work in concert with their neighbors to ensure that the infrastructure is sufficient and viable to meet the needs of both and all."

The task force has publicly suggested the state immediately implement the installation of the VLTs at Aqueduct Racetrack as a pilot site for the potential use of VLTs at Belmont. That way, the communities surrounding Belmont Park, and the elected representatives responsible for deciding to have VLTs at Belmont, will have a track record upon which to make an appropriate determination, he explained.

West End Civic Association President Perry Criscitelli said his end of town, which borders Belmont on two sides and has nearly a dozen of its streets terminating at the northern border, prides itself on its unique location, making it one of the quietest areas in the village.

"We like our sleepy existence and enjoy this tranquility. We are cognizant that at times there needs to be a change but with this our tranquility must be adjusted to make way for the future ... It is our hope that whatever NYRA or the future track operators do to achieve their goals that they maintain the northern border with our West End of the village in its present capacity with minimal development, minimal traffic and disruption. It is our hope that the northern border of Belmont Park remain undisturbed..."

Mary-Beth Ruscica, a 12-year Floral Park resident, isn't disputing the overall want for Belmont to be returned to a vibrant racing facility. "We all came into the community knowing that Belmont was our neighbor and that we would be interacting with it. As far as I'm concerned, I think many other people would agree with me, our major concern is the VLTs," Ruscica said.

"Belmont itself is open and active a few months out of the year. VLTs are 24-7, 365 [days]. That's a major impact on the quality of our life. That's a major impact on our infrastructure, our safety, our security and our traffic."

By way of background, Mayor Guarnieri told residents that New York State authorized the placement of more than 4,000 VLTs at Aqueduct. While this was agreed upon six years ago, VLTs are still not operating at Aqueduct.

"The view of the task force in no way compromises my own personal sentiments of harboring strong reservations about the culture of gambling in general and the enlargement of gambling at Belmont Park in particular," Mayor Guarnieri said. "But the future of Belmont Park is not an issue for the leadership alone. For the questions of how to preserve the values of a community; how to secure its safety; to promote its interests; how to safeguard the elixir of its dreams and aspirations and how to plant the seeds of a lasting faith in the future, is not to be determined by any set of elected officials or the recommendations of any task force but is for the whole people to decide."

He continued, adding, "I only state the one great truth in human affairs, which is, what is folly in one community cannot be wisdom in another, and what is a blessing for one neighborhood cannot be a scourge somewhere else. In the tangled skein of human wants and needs, a common thread binds all.

"The one common denominator for all those who live near Belmont, regardless of boundaries, is that there reside our homes, our future and ultimately our responsibility. We recognize that there are many factors in this equation and we need to let the process play out."