Harrison REVIEW THE
March 10, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 10 | www.harrisonreview.com
Town looks to consultant for gun law recommendations By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer
Harrison approves $161K overhaul of Ma Riis playground By FRANCO FINO Staff Writer The Harrison Town Council has approved a total renovation of the playground in Ma Riis Park, which is also slighted for several other improvements after the summer, according to the mayor. On March 2, the town approved the purchase and installation of playground equipment totaling $161,640 from Game Time, a commercial playground equipment manufacturer, in an effort to continue “a complete renaissance” of park improvements that began last year with updated decorative fencing, according to Mayor Ron Belmont, a Republican. “We think we have a good feel for what people want and
we’re finally moving forward with this,” he said. “We’ve wanted to do this for a while and the park is going to be really nice once it’s complete.” The funding for the purchase came from the town Subdivision Recreation Fee account, which now has a remaining balance of $543,422, according to Town Comptroller Maureen MacKenzie. The project, which doesn’t have a start date, as of press time, is expected to be followed by a number of other improvements to the park. According to Belmont, the Town Council is planning to replace the park’s gazebo, renovate all the walkways in and around the park, and reconstruct the playground’s access way to
the Richard E. Halperin Memorial Library Building, which is located at 2 Bruce Ave., in the fall. The mayor said that wave of improvements are planned to occur later in the year to avoid disrupting parkgoers during peak season, and will most likely kick off in December. “Unfortunately, some improvements take time, but people will be really happy when we’re done,” Belmont added. According to Town Engineer Michael Amodeo, Harrison received $145,000 in grant funding from the New York State Department of Transportation for the fall improvements. In addition to the park projects, the Town Council is also considering upgrading other municipal-
owned property in Harrison. According to Councilman Stephen Malfitano, a Republican, the town is planning to undertake a project to completely renovate and extend the Sollazzo Center, which is located at 270 Harrison Ave. The recreation center has a game room, a fitness room, and a basketball gym. “We’re very interested in pursuing reconstruction for the building,” Malfitano said. “It’s really well beyond its useful life.” He added that there is currently no timeline for when the Town Council will introduce a proposal to carry out the Sollazzo Center renovations or how much the project would cost. CONTACT: franco@hometwn.com
Harrison officials are working with legal consultants in considering a series of ordinances aimed at regulating the locations and operations of gun stores in the town. During a meeting on March 2, the Town Council heard from Allison Anderman, a staff attorney for the nonprofit Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a California-based organization which tracks, analyzes and suggests gun legislation across the country. Anderman presented a potential ordinance which, according to the law center, is likely to withstand legal challenges under the Second Amendment. Harrison has been beleaguered by the discussion of potential gun store regulations since November 2016, when residents had learned that L&L Sports, a gun store, would be opening on Halstead Avenue, less than 1,000 feet from Parsons Memorial Elementary School. When the Town Council told the community there was virtually nothing they could do about the issue, some residents contacted the law center. Anderman said she began meeting with concerned residents since then, but hadn’t met with the Town Council prior to the March meeting. Addressing several of the issues raised by residents, the law center has proposed a nine-part ordinance which would regulate the locations in which a gun store owner could open a business, and even further regulate the safety, security and inspection procedures with which the store
owner would be required to comply. Those proposed regulations would prohibit firearm dealers from operating a business out of a residential address and would prohibit dealers from operating within certain distances of socalled “sensitive areas,” including schools, day cares, parks and residential zones. Additional provisions of the ordinance would require all employees of a gun store to undergo background checks; would authorize the Police Department to frequently inspect a gun shop; and would prevent those who are legally ineligible to purchase or possess a firearm from entering such a storefront. While the town is not required to adopt all nine provisions, Anderman said that they are each legally defensible, adding that none of the proposed provisions in the ordinance had been invalidated by a court. “I don’t think there’s any reason why they wouldn’t adopt all nine [provisions],” she said. “Many jurisdictions in California have many if not all of those provisions,” Anderman told the Review. “A lot of them have some, but not all. In New York [state], this hasn’t been as much of a focus and so there are only a handful of [municipalities] that regulate gun dealers on a local level.” She added that none of the municipalities in New York state which have worked with the law center have all nine provisions in their ordinances. The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence was also involved GUN continued on page 8
INSIDE Rosenblum may run for county seat Story on page 10.