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Friday, June 9, 2017
Vol. 77, No. 23
Residents offer ideas at Hicksville rezoning meeting
A CELEBRATION OF THE PEOPLE
said a direct reading instrument would be used to record data and a water quality report would be derived from the data. The report will be sent to the Department of Health for further analysis. He said the unified water study was part of the National Estuary Program, and is a standardized sampling program to check for excess nitrogen in our
Over 250 people packed into the gymnasium at Hicksville High School on Thursday, May 25, to offer suggestions on how to revitalize the downtown area. The community meeting was hosted by the Town of Oyster Bay and focused on the proposed idea of renovating the surrounding area near the Hicksville train station. “We are interested in listening to specific ideas from the community on this topic as well as some of the reservations they may have on the proposed idea of rezoning the downtown area,” said Oyster Bay Town Supervisor, Joseph Saladino, who attended meeting with other Town officials and members of the MTA (Mass Transit Authority.) Saladino said that the State has offered to build a parking garage for Town of Oyster Bay residents and adding a few additional levels for other people to park there. “The proposed structure would be located on the north side of the tracks near the train station away from the current parking garage,” said Saladino. One idea from a resident on the rezoning project was the installation of a high line walkway over 106/107 that people could walk across to get to the train station without dealing with the traffic congestion. The walkway would serve as sort of a greenbelt with plants and flowers along the route. Other ideas were different kinds of services that people could take advantage of on their daily commute to and from the train station. Some of the ideas included an ice cream cart vendor selling ice cream to people to musicians playing acoustic guitar. Town Supervisor, Saladino said that all of these different kinds of services would be privately paid for and would not be at the taxpayers expense. Another resident said that if the rezoning were to occur that the Town put a limit on the number of housing units and condos built in the area. “That’s really the last thing we need is to have more housing built in that area,” said the resident. “Also I don’t want to see any dormitories for colleges being built.” Town councilman, Rebecca Alesia, who was at the meeting, said no decisions have been made on the rezoning project and that the Town is still gathering input from residents.
See page 10
See page 10
Second-grade students at Central Boulevard Elementary School in the Bethpage Union Free School District recently hosted the annual State Fair performance and project showcase. For the project, students researched a state at home and created a presentation board with interesting facts. Boards are then displayed in the gym for families to come and view. At the conclusion of the viewing, families gathered in the auditorium where students sang patriotic songs from “America We”- A Celebration of the People, By the People, for the People - that the children learned in music with Mrs. Stehlik.
Environmental group to perform unified water study
The Long Island Sound will receive a complete health inspection thanks to the efforts of the local Environmental group, ‘Save the Sound.’ The group plans to collect a massive data trove, testing water samples twice a month from 116 locations in the Sound to determine the impact of pollution. “The unified water study has been designed to allow us to quickly and cost effectively get out on all the bays and harbors
on Long Island Sound and measure the impact of nitrogen pollution on these systems,” said Tracy Brown, Director of Save the Sound. Friends of the Bay, an environmental organization located in Oyster Bay, has partnered with Save the Sound to conduct monitoring tests in Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor estuaries. Paul Deorsay, Executive Director at Friends of the Bay,
Inspiration, recognition for Regal Eagles PAGE 4 “Plane News” topic at Historical Society PAGE 12