Merrick Herald 02-11-2021

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Infections as of Feb. 5

5,764

Infections as of Jan. 29 5,491

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HERALD

High Property Taxes?

Fuhgeddaboudit!

DEADLINE APPROACH

Restaurants remain in flux

New biz honors owner’s late son

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$1.00 $1.00

THE LEADER IN PROP ERTY TAX REDUCT ION

18/21 itc FG Demi Condensed

Apply online at mptrg.com/heraldn ote or call 516.479.9171

Hablamos Español

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Maidenbaum Propert y Tax Reduction Gro up, LLC 483 Chestnut Street, Cedarhurst, NY 11516

FEBRUARY 11 - 17, 2021

ING

1117713

CommUNItY UPDAtE

Merrick

Vol. 24 No. 7

State set to study NYAW takeover “For far too long, the 120,000 customers of New York American Water on Long Island have G o v. A n d r e w C u o m o been plagued by exorbitantly announced on Feb. 3 that the high rates for water — this simstate Department of Public Ser- ply cannot continue,” Cuomo vice will look into the feasibility said in a news release. “New of municipalizing New York Yorkers deserve access to clean, American Water, safe and affordable the privately owned water, and we are utility whose sergoing to pursue vice and water bills every avenue to have long been make that happen.” decried by Nassau Rory Lancman, County customers. the Department of The study will Public Service’s assess dif ferent special counsel for ways to reduce cusratepayer protectomer costs — tion, will oversee wh i ch i n s o m e the study, which is cases are nearly set to be completed five times the cost by April 1. It will of municipally include a series of owned water — virtual hearings at including a public RoRY lANCmAN which residents t a k e o v e r. T h e and elected officials Special counsel for announcement can offer public comes after two ratepayer protection, comment. independent feasi- New York state DPS Lancman told bility studies, conthe Herald that the ducted by Walden state’s study would Environmental Engineering, examine whether a municipaldetermined that local ratepayers ization of all or part of NYAW’s in NYAW’s Hempstead territory system would be feasible and and Sea Cliff district would see a more beneficial for ratepayers. reduction in their water bills This comes after advocates called with a public acquisition of the company. Continued on page 4

By AlYssA sEIDmAN aseidman@liherald.com

o

Courtesy Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

JohN F. KENNEDY High School’s cheerleading team practiced its routines after high-risk sports were given the OK to resume statewide.

Winter sports kick off locally in Bellmore-Merrick By ANDREW GARCIA agarcia@liherald.com

Last week marked the start of a vastly different winter sports season for the athletes of the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. Tryouts for basketball, wrestling, kickline and cheerleading began on Feb. 3, and the teams were quick to start practicing. School administrators worked at a rapid pace to plan the season once county health

officials had approved Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s guidelines. Each sport will have a limited season with either fewer or no competitive events. The district is requiring that athletes wear masks during practice and play and undergo weekly Covid-19 testing, which is being offered to student-athletes through a third-party health care provider at the Brookside School (see box, Page 3). Despite the stipulations, a number of coaches said, ath-

letes were eager to get to work on a season that was up in the air only a month ago. “We were not expecting to have any kind of season at all,” John F. Kennedy High School wrestling coach Brian DeGaetano said. “All of a sudden it was, ‘OK, you can play starting next week.’ It was a mad scramble — things that normally would take me a month to do, I had to do in four days.” “They’ve been waiting for Continued on page 3

ur examination . . . is going to factor in the value of the assets that exist and be cognizant of the role ratepayers have played.


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