________ Franklin square/elmont _______
HERALD Historical society receives funds
Nonprofit hosts gift boutique
Civic clean up on Earth Day
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Vol. 26 No. 19
MAY 2 - 8, 2024
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State allocates additional $56M for TAP grants By NIColE WAGNER nwagner@liherald.com
Nicole Wagner/Herald
Elmont Memorial High School senior Quincy Velez says the Tuition Assistance Program helps him, as someone growing up in a single-parent home, pay for college. He is with Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, Elmont community leaders and students celebrating the expansion of TAP outside of his school.
College tuition is something that can loom over a student’s head long after she graduates. But she and others are getting a little help from Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators, who earmarked an additional $56 million into the state’s Tuition Assistance Program. More students applying for financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form will have the opportunity to receive assistance through TAP. The program has been active since 1974, providing nearly $30 billion in financial aid to 6 million students in New York. TAP is one of the largest need-based financial grants in the country. The program provided 234,000 students $662 million in TAP grants as recently as the 2022-23 academic year. The minimum annual TAP award was increased from $500 to $1,000, capping out at just below $5,700. Income ConTinuEd on PAgE 5
Dogwood Terrace relocation, renovation plans stalled By NIColE WAGNER nwagner@liherald.com
Residents of Dogwood Terrace, an affordable senior housing complex in Franklin Square, have been living in limbo for the past year, since t h e To w n o f H e m p s t e a d approved a reconstruction of the property. The project was not awarded tax credits from the state’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal in March because the application did not demonstrate that the displacement, relocation and acquisition plan would be in accordance with the federal Uniform
Relocation Act. Specifically, the application did not include a General Information Notice, as required by the act. It could potentially be reconsidered again later this summer, as part of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program’s request-for-proposal solicitation process. The relocation process is also subject to approval by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It is still under review. In a letter to residents sent on April 17, the town Housing Authority said that the state had “expressed strong support for the project.”
The proposed redevelopment would involve the demolition of seven residential buildings, the renovation of the community building on the 3-acre property and the construction of a new three- and four-story L-shaped residential building with an undisclosed number of one-bedroom apartments. There would be two elevators, three stairwells and four laundry rooms, one on each floor. The building would be fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Its construction is anticipated to take two years. According to town Housing Authority officials, the rent for
current residents would not change during the relocation, and all moving costs and related expenses would be covered by project developer Georgica Green Ventures. Current residents would be given priority to move into the new building before any new residents. The property, at 1178 Martha Place, behind a Stop & Shop, is
one that residents aren’t looking forward to being displaced from during renovations. Several have raised concerns about the relocation process, and have asked the town to provide more information about the properties for temporary living they will able to choose from. John Heaphy, a member of ConTinuEd on PAgE 13