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Friday, May 18, 2018
Vol. 78, No. 20
Three water wells to be shut down
WELCOMING SPECIAL OLYMPIANS
BY GARY SIMEONE
As one of the Bethpage School District’s monthly Thoughtful Thursday community service projects, Central Boulevard Elementary School fifth-graders honed their design skills to make inspirational posters. The artwork will be on display during the Special Olympics, to be held at Bethpage High School on May 19th. Above, 5th graders in Allison Robb and Christina McGuire’s class at Central Boulevard Elementary School made inspirational signs
Photos courtesy of the Bethpage School District
New entertainment venue coming to town BY GARY SIMEONE
The famed entertainment venue Dave & Buster’s will be opening its third location on Long Island, in Massapequa, on May 24th. The establishment, which combines arcades, sports bars, and restaurants, will be located at the former Walmart site at the Westfield Sunrise Mall. “Malls around the nation are reinventing themselves and this new tenant will help generate money for our economy,” said Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino. “This establishment will also help fill a storefront that has been vacant
for nearly three years.” One of the main reasons for the long-term vacancy is because of the closing of brick and mortar type stores in large retail locations like the Sunrise Mall. According to an online study from Suntrust Robinson Humphrey, an investment banking analyst, major retailers like Walmart closed over 5,000 stores across the country in 2017, because of competition from Amazon and other online retailers. Dave & Buster’s will occupy 36,680 square feet of the former retailer’s space. The establishment will be located on the second floor, on top of the Dick’s Sporting Goods
outlet, which leased the first floor space in April 2017. Daniel Eurell, general manager of the new location, said that the Mall is the perfect location for the entertainment venue. “We decided to open in this area because it’s a great location, we love it,” said Eurell. He said that the new location will have more of a contemporary feel to it compared to Westbury and Islandia locations. “There will be more televisions and seating areas in this one,” said Eurell. “There won’t be a spot inside where you won’t be able to get a good look at the TV screen.”
The Bethpage Water District has plans to shut down a total of five wells at three different well sites over the next five years. The phasing out of these wells is due to contamination concerns stemming from the Northrop Grumman Navy plume. The Water District will spend a total of $17 million to shut down the sites and drill new water supply wells outside of the boundaries of the industrial contamination. At a community meeting in Bethpage earlier this month, Water District Superintendent Michael Boufis said that the district is looking for additional sources of water to drill from to ease safety concerns of residents. “We’re developing sources outside of the plume,” said Boufis. “We’re looking for long-term sustainability.” He said that the plan is to phase out five wells at three of the sites depending on the necessary permits and approvals needed for the new facilities. The 600-acre site sits on the grounds of the former Navy and Northrop Grumman operating facilities. The testing and manufacturing of airplanes and space See page 21
Officials’ names to be removed from signs BY GARY SIMEONE In a move that caught a lot of local legislators off guard, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran has decided to remove nearly 1,000 signs bearing the names of county officials. The Democratic leader has proposed re-erecting the signs that line county entrances and parks with ones that are highlighted with nobody’s names. Republican Legislator John Ferretti Jr of Levittown was one of many local politicians who was caught off guard by the news. See page 21
Bethpage HS names top students PAGE 10 Hicksville Asst. Super granted tenure PAGE 4