Long Beach
CoMMuNitY uPDatE infections as of Nov. 30
1,201
infections as of Nov. 23 1,092
HERALD Also serving Point Lookout & East Atlantic Beach
City starts new holiday contests
Breakfast of Champions
Free rapid testing at MssN
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$1.00
DECEMBER 3 - 9, 2020
Vol. 31 No. 49
City calls off meeting Council members were supposed to have mulled looming lawsuits email and phone service. As a result, residents should expect delayed responses to inquiries. A City Council meeting was We anticipate this issue will be abruptly canceled resolved in the next Tuesday night, due 24-48 hours.” to what city officials But whenever the described only as next meeting takes “unforeseen circumplace — none had stances,” delaying at been scheduled as of least temporarily press time — the several key decicouncil will be dealsions — primarily ing with the settlewhether Long Beach ment of two lawwill agree to pay suits, which may RoY lEstER almost $1 million to force Long Beach to settle two lawsuits, Former president, borrow more money. one with a developer Long Beach Board The most signifiwho may receive of Education cant suit involved $750,000. Wenger ConstrucAt press time on tion Co., of PlainWednesday, city officials had pro- view, which was hired by Long vided no further explanation for Beach in 2008 to refurbish the the cancellation of the meeting. West End firehouse, at the corIn a midday update, the city web- ner of West Park and Indiana site stated that “ongoing network issues are disrupting City Continued on page 3
By JaMEs BERNstEiN jbernstein@liherald.com
s
he has no choice. The city has no money.
Courtesy Long Beach Public Schools
who are those masked — and mustached — kids? West Elementary School raised $850 in donations for the Memorial Sloan Kettering Mustaches for Kids Long Island Chapter, which provides funds to support MSK Pediatrics Department programs.
Residents say they worry about neighborhood overdevelopment By DaRwiN YaNEs dyanes@liherald.com
A developer’s plan to alter a two-family home and create a subdivision on a lot on East Beech Street has united a group of residents in opposition to the proposal, who are citing overdevelopment in Long Beach’s Eastholme neighborhood. At a virtual Zoning Board of Appeals meeting last month, attorney Scott Cohen, who repre-
sents developer Charles Rafimayeri, addressed the developer’s application for a variance to subdivide the lot at 355 E. Beech St. Rafimayeri plans to convert an existing two-family home into a one-family home and build another two-family house on the property. The new two-family home, Cohen said, would not need a variance. “This is strictly an investment.” Cohen said. “Mr. Rafimayeri is the principal. He owns
a number of properties in Long Beach. I’m sure the board is familiar with his work and reputation.” During the meeting, however, residents of the neighborhood expressed their concerns about density, parking and flooding, among other issues. Darryn Solotoff, principal owner of the law firm Elovich & Adell, kicked off nearly an hour of testimony Continued on page 3
Our COvid-19 traCker With the Covid-19 test positivity rate rising across the country, the Herald is adding a weekly coronavirus tracker to the upper-left corner of our front page to help you gauge what’s happening in your area from week to week. the number is an aggregate of the communities that this newspaper covers. data is obtained from the nassau County Covid-19 dashboard, which provides the total number of cases reported in an area since the start of the pandemic, and is updated regularly.