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Village prepares for 55th San Gennaro Feast
Byrne, who has been a volunteer at the feast for more than a decade, noted that the Island Park is gearing up for work goes far beyond the tradione of its most cherished and tional event. “People tend to think of beloved traditions, as Sacred Heart Church is set to host the helping at the feast the four 55th annual San Gennaro Feast, days that it goes on, but it’s really weeks beforehand and a from Sept. 4-7. First celebrated in the 1970s, couple days after-hand that the four-day event has become really all the heavy stuff goes both a major spiritual celebra- on,” he said. The celebration tion and one of the begins on Sept. 4 parish’s most with Mass at 6 p.m., important fundraisfollowed by the traers. For many in the ditional procession c o m m u n i t y, t h e of the statue of San feast represents a Gennaro through labor of love. the streets of Island “It started in the Park. 1970s as a way to “It’s multifacetbring the parish ed, but especially together to raise funds for the par- MIcHAEL McGINTy for the gentleman who carry the statish, and it kind of Island Park mayor ue through the stuck ever since,” street, it’s a sentiJJ Byrne, longtime volunteer and parishioner, said. ment to God,” Byr ne said. “It’s over 400 volunteers that “‘God, I’m carrying this statue prepare all the food — set up, on my shoulder. You’re giving everything that you see is done me the strength to carry this by volunteers. We don’t hire image of your saint, who is anyone. We don’t have a compa- pleasing to you, around our ny coming in. It’s completely community.’” St. Gennaro, the patron saint done by volunteers, and alongside us is our pastor, Monsignor of Naples, Italy, was a martyred John Tutone, who does every- 3rd-century bishop whose spirithing that you see. He does it tual meaning remains at the along with his parishioners.”
By KEPHERD DANIEL
kdaniel@liherald.com
Herald file photo
County officials, Tunnel to Towers representatives and Island Park veterans and community members celebrated the approval of variances for the Veterans Village project that is planned to replace the Long Beach Motor Inn in 2026.
Town approves variances for foundation’s veterans housing By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
A proposal to replace Island Park’s longvacant, problem-plagued Long Beach Motor Inn, on Austin Boulevard, with a housing complex for veterans won approval for requested zoning variances from the Town of Hempstead Board of Appeals on Aug. 20 at a packed hearing that featured broad bipartisan and community support. The Steven Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation was seeking variances in height and occupancy regulations to build a 57-unit single-room-occupancy Veterans Village on the motel site. Foundation representatives told the board that the project would feature private bathrooms and kitchens in each unit, 24/7 on-site staff and clinicians, and services ranging from job training and entitlement advocacy to behavioral health care — all funded and operated by Tunnel to Towers. “We are creating long-term supportive
housing complexes …,” Gavin Naples, the foundation’s senior vice president, told the board. “Every veteran has their own bathroom. Every veteran has their own kitchen. There’s no communal living. This is not a shelter.” The bulk of the requested zoning relief was related to floodplain regulations and building-code requirements. To meet the mandated finished-floor elevation, the design elevates the first occupiable floor above the level of the motel, which would raise the roofline slightly above the 30-foot zoning cap. “In order to get the building up to current code and standard compliance,” architect Marco Giardina said of the floodplain requirements, “we need to maintain a higher elevation.” The architects would create room for parking underneath the two residential floors so vehicles wouldn’t dominate the street view, and the structure would appear ConTInued on Page 16
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t’s an opportunity for the village and the church to be as one.
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