Friday, June 23, 2017
Vol. 93, No.40
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Preserving St. Paul’s PAGE 3 n Streetscape plan PAGE 14
LIRR Third Track sparks dissent at POA meetings
STRAWBERRY SEASON
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Garden City students enjoyed working in the PTA sponsored Harvest Garden at Locust School. Above, children try out the first strawberry of the season.
Hannon proposes law to restrict cell antennas BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Making many vocal residents in the east section of Garden City happy, NY State Senator Kemp Hannon introduced legislation (Senate bill 6687) to prohibit the attachment of “wireless broadcast or relay equipment or any other like attachments, to utility poles, except under certain circumstances.” The proposed bill would require an existing easement to be “explicitly amended in writing and then filed to include wireless equipment, or a new easement be written and filed to allow the attachment of wireless broadcast
or relay equipment (or any other similar equipment), to protect property rights of New Yorkers.” However, with the end of the Legislative session in Albany this week, it is unlikely that the bill will be voted on by the State Senate. In a press release the senator’s office issued June 15, Hannon references the recent May 12 news media reports (TV, print and online) from Woodbury in the Town of Oyster Bay. Distributive antenna “repeaters” went up on polls and Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino joined
residents to oppose the boxes on residential streets. “Many New York residents are complaining about attachments being installed on existing utility poles. They argue that not only are their rights as property owners being violated, but the attachment of wireless broadcast or relay equipment could result in potential health problems due to radiation emission, as well as diminished property values,” Hannon stated last week. Garden City’s Village Board of See page 50
The tide may be turning across the various sections of Garden City who had originally opposed the proposed $1.9 billion Long Island Rail Road Third Track project. At three Garden City property owners’ associations meetings on June 13th and 14th, several officials seemed to be resigned to the project, which will cover a 9.8mile stretch from Floral Park to Hicksville. At the Central POA’s meeting on Tuesday, June 13, Village Deputy Mayor Theresa Trouvé provided an update on the Third Track issue and said it is challenging to face this at the Board of Trustees level. Years ago there was a vague idea of the Third Track floated, but she says this is different – from the first notion of it at the start of 2016, “I could sense an impetus and strength, determination we had not seen previously.” “There’s our responsibility of 22,000 people and trying to protect their best interests. We maintain communication with them (MTA/ LIRR) in an affable manner. There are questions about a lot of things and at least we want to get some things out of this to protect the residents and taxpayers of the village,” she said. Trouvé explained the perils of fighting the project to the end only for it to be successful and Garden City to be viewed negatively. She said if that level of protest happens, “what do they (MTA/LIRR) owe us after that?”
Compensation?
Former Deputy Mayor Richard Silver, who exited service on the Village Board in April and now serving as a CPOA director, commented on the latest news while recalling 2016 meetings with MTA/LIRR. He said the funds were in place from LIRR for municipal projects “related to railroad issues, including routing around train stations.” “Each municipality was encouraged to ask for things that would make the Third Track project See page 50
The Garden City News’ annual Sports Wrapup section INSIDE Opening day draws crowd to the Garden City Pool PAGE 12