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WANTAGH
Appeals board postpones MSSN vote By AHJANé FoRBEs and KAtE NAlEpiNsKi of the Wantagh Herald
Construction on the proposed Mount Sinai South Nassau care center in Wantagh remains on hold after the Town of Hempstead Board of Appeals opted to adjourn a vote on an appeal for the project due to time restraints. MSSN officials plan to invest $35 million in the former Verizon building at 2020 Wantagh Ave. and convert it into a 60,000-square-foot multispecialty health care center. An appeal with multiple vari-
ances, or exceptions to zoning laws, came before the board at the March 2 meeting. The board has not yet made a decision on the proposal. Attorney Frederick Parola, representing local homeowners pro bono, filed a formal request for adjournment on the appeal due to time constraints. Parola indicated that residents did not have adequate time to review the full scope of the request. “This is the first time that this matter has been on your calendar,” Parola, of the Wantagh-based firm Parola & Gross LLP, told the board at the meet-
Courtesy Mount Sinai South Nassau
AN ARCHitECt’s RENDERiNG of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s proposed 60,000-square-foot facility on Wantagh Avenue. ing. “The community in the immediate area … has requested an opportunity to get their ducks in order to … make a determination as to which way they expect to go. There was not enough time when notice was received for them to do that.” Parola, describing the case as “very sophisticated,” added,
“so we respectfully request an adjournment.” Attorney William Bonesso, wh o re p re s e n t e d M S S N, agreed with the request for a month-long adjournment, and the board rescheduled the item for April 6 at 3 p.m. Community members can attend the meeting or stream it online. During the March 2 meet-
ing, Board of Appeals Chairman David Weiss reminded residents that they could submit letters of support or opposition to the board before the April meeting. “We accept mail, email and faxes,” Weiss said. “Anybody who wants to submit any documents or arguments, in support or opposiContinued on page 13
County confirms water commissioner appointments By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
The Nassau County Legislature confirmed two appointments to the South Nassau Water Authority board during its legislative session on Feb. 28. The SNWA was created by a bill signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul last November, allowing for the public takeover of Liberty Water, formerly known as New York American Water. The SNWA will have five commissioners, three of whom were chosen by the Town of Hempstead in January. The county’s appointees are Robert Gizzi, of Wantagh, and Mark Plumer, of
Hewlett Harbor. They will join town appointees Joseph Baker, John Reinhardt and Lisa Ryder on the SNWA board. At the legislative session, Gizzi and Plumer offered details of their backgrounds, and Legislators weighed in on what needed to be done moving forward. Legislator Kevan Abrahams, a Democrat who represents District 1, asked Gizzi and Plumer how they would deal with the pressing issue of lowering residents’ water rates. Abrahams is the Legislature’s minority caucus leader, and his district encompasses Roosevelt, whose residents are Liberty customers. “This has been a very height-
ened issue,” Abrahams said. “I’m sure you’re aware that there have been several residents that have come to the Legislature at several times in the last couple of weeks, asking for the Legislature to act on these appointments. Obviously you are joining a much larger board, but I just want to hear your ideas circling around rates as well as services.” Abrahams noted that a new pump station was recently installed in Roosevelt, costing millions of dollars. Many residents, he said, are concerned about how they will be able to pay their bills if they include a portion of the cost of the station. Plumer explained that while
the commissioners are relatively new in their roles, it is their priority to reduce water rates. “The New York State Legislature made this authority, and they haven’t really budgeted us yet,” Plumer said, “so we’ve read over the information, and we’re going to do the best we can to get these outrageous bills down. My mother lives in Valley Stream — she
gets these crazy water bills. She’s on a Social Security fixed income, and the main goal of this whole thing is to try to reduce the bills.” Approximately 113,000 Town of Hempstead residents receive water from Liberty, and pay up to 1,300 percent of what non-Liberty customers pay. Abrahams Continued on page 4