F. Hill to conduct survey of Elderfields

Evaluation to be done prior to designating as landmark

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The Village of Flower Hill voted Tuesday to adjourn landmarking the Elderfelds Preserve after months of public hearings and pushback from the county on the matters, pending submission of a complete survey of the property.

The Elderfelds Preserve, located in Flower Hill, is a four-acre parkland with a main house that includes the original 17th-century home on the property, one of the oldest structures on Long Island, according to the county parks department.

The property is located within Flower Hill but owned by Nassau County.

The county acquired the property in 1996 from Henry de V. Williams. The Art Guild of Port Washington currently occupies a space in the building for art studios, classes and shows.

Flower Hill Mayor Randall Rosenbaum previously told Blank Slate the

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“It is important to consider protecting our heritage before it is too late to do so,” Rosenbaum said in an email to Blank Slate.

Rosenbaum said that landmark designation status prevents the structure from being altered, repaired, moved or demolished. If a building permit is fled for the property, the village would then assess the proposal to ensure no harm would be done to the property.

“The intent of landmark preservation is the preservation, protection, enhancement, perpetuation and use of places, districts, sites, buildings and structures having a special character or special historical, cultural or aesthetic interest or value within the community as an appreciation of heritage and furtherance of education,” Rosenbaum said.

At an April 3 Board of Trustees meeting, Nassau County Deputy Attorney Anna Gerzon told the board that while the county is not against the village protecting the preserve, the village landmarking a preserve managed by the county sets a bad precedent. This would be the frst county property landmarked by a village.

Rosenbaum countered by saying that he sees it as a good initiative that Flower Hill would be the frst to landmark a county property. He said during the meeting that he sees it as a positive whereas the county views it as additional work.

The landmark designation does not change the management of the preserve and the county will continue to own it.

The county worked with the village to adopt a proposal that is benefcial to the preserve.

Rosenbaum said during a May 1 meeting that the county’s proposal for the property is much stronger than the village’s landmark designation, which Continued on Page 43

“Approximately nine non-Great Neck teenagers attempted to enter South High School,” the email read. “Most of the trespassers fed the scene and were later caught and detained by Lake Success police offcers.”

Gitz, in a Dec. 19 email to the community, said a South High student gave the trespassers access into the school. Gitz met with the student, a junior, on Dec. 19 and asked him to write down his encounters with the trespassers.

The student’s written account of the incident, obtained by Newsday, said the teenagers “said that I shouldn’t tell anybody anything or they would come after me next.” The student, according to a transcript from a Jan. 3 disciplinary hearing, said the trespassers wanted to be directed to the locker room.

While no injuries were reported, Gitz said the trespassers came to “visit” the girlfriend of one of the teenagers and to confront another student, according to the transcript from the disciplinary hearing.

Elmer Rodriguez, the student’s father, said during the hearing that the incident and aftermath had taken a toll on his son.

“He was terrorized,” Rodriguez said. “He still is terrorized. He cannot sleep. This kid needs help.”

Immediate eforts to reach Rodriguez for further comment were unavailing.

During the hearing, the student said he escorted three of the teen- agers into the locker room. He said during the hearing he did not notify a teacher because of the violent threats made by the trespassers and did not think teachers would take them seriously.

Queens teenagers trespassed into Great Neck South High School in December, according to district officials and documents obtained by Blank Slate Media.

“I just felt like I didn’t want to put my own safety on the line because they were sitting right next to me,” the student said. “And when they said they have weapons and they were going to use it on me if I told anybody, I didn’t want to say anything. I kept my mouth shut.”

The student said he skipped his Spanish class after the lunch period ended in fear of what the trespassers would do. He also reiterated during the hearing that he did not know the teenagers “were from Flushing to begin with,” according to the transcript.

“I never knew these kids from Flushing. I never knew their names,” he said.

Rodriguez told Richard Thompson, the hearing ofcer, “How is it possible that a child who does nothing but comes to school and run[s]

Continued on Page 43

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