________ Franklin square/elmont _______
CommUNITy UPDATE Infections as of June 7
9,174
Infections as of June 1 9,153
$1.00
HERALD
Vehicle Training Day in F.S.
Carey lacrosse preps for playoffs
Comedy show at Gotham Avenue
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Vol. 23 No. 24
JUNE 10 - 16, 2021
Residents focus on Belmont Transparency concerns raised about UBS Arena construction arena could create. “Eventually, this project will be beneficial for Nassau County,” he said. Floral Park residents are raisNow Kelleher and other Floing concerns about just how ral Park residents have voiced transparent and communicative concerns about the transparency Empire State Development, the of ESD’s construction plans and New York state economic devel- its communication with resiopment entity dents about ongobuilding UBS ing work. KelleArena at Belmont her, who attended Park, has been early meetings with them about about the redethe construction. velopment plan Part of the $1.3 and the construcbillion Belmont tion of the arena, Park Redevelopsaid he never ment Project, congained a “firm struction on the grasp” of ESD’s arena be g an in mIChAEllE plans despite 2019. The project is SolAGES reaching out to predicted to create the agency nu$25 billion in eco- State assemblywoman merous times. nomic activity, as Communicawell as 10,000 contion with residents about ongostruction jobs and 3,000 perma- ing work in the arena’s north nent jobs, 30 percent of which parking lot, specifically, has been would be earmarked for local unclear, he said. residents, according to ESD. UBS Kelleher, whose home is just Arena, soon to be home to the 400 feet from that lot, said he saw New York Islanders, is set to bulldozers working there last open this fall for the start of the week. Originally, ESD designated 2021-2022 NHL season. the north lot for “overflow,” he Bill Kelleher, of Floral Park, said. The lot, estimated to have has supported the project since between 2,400 and 2,800 parking its inception, but he has long spaces, was not slated for conworried about traffic, noise and environmental problems the Continued on page 3
By RoBERT TRAVERSo rtraverso@liherald.com
I
Courtesy NYRA/Chelsea Duran
Essential Quality wins the long one Essential Quality, ridden by jockey Luis Saez, captured the 153rd Belmont Stakes last Saturday, outlasting Hot Rod Charlie down the stretch. Story, more photos, Page 8.
Local summer camps return with new safety guidelines By RoBERT TRAVERSo rtraverso@liherald.com
Last year, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, only 60 percent of summer day camps were held in person, according to the American Camp Association. This year, following the May 28 release of updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for summer camps, local day camps are
poised for a return to in-person activities. “Last year was challenging — it was slow,” said Kee Ma, president of the Floral Park location of Code Ninjas, a coding center that teaches children how to code by creating their own video games. Ma, who has run Code Ninjas since 2019, noted that it held its summer camp virtually last year due to the pandemic. This year, it will be in person.
Last year’s economic slowdown hurt the coding center, Ma said, but he added that this year, things are looking “healthier” all around, and parents and campers are excited about a return to in-person camp activities. The Code Ninjas summer camp, which debuted in June 2018, is slated to run from June Continued on page 7
t’s all about communication. We’re in a symbiotic relationship.