Serving Williston Park, East Williston, Mineola, Albertson and Searingtown
$1
Friday, June 29, 2018
Vol. 67, No. 26
M FATHER’S MY PLACE RETURNS P
E.W. PARENTS PUSH FOR STEM
SCHWARTZ DROPS RACE WITH KAPLAN
PAGE 37 P
PAGE 2
PAGE 6
Construction work begins on 3rd track
SCHOOL OF ROCK
NHP, Floral Park, Mineola projects to be first under $2.6 billion plan BY R E B ECC A K L A R The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is breaking ground on the anticipated, and often contested, Main Line Expansion project with major construction projects coming to New Hyde Park, Floral Park and Mineola later this year. There are 10 projects starting between now and 2019 as part of the $2.6 billion plan to build a third track on the 9.8-mile Main Line that stretches from Floral Park to Hicksville, six of which are within Floral Park, New Hyde Park and Mineola. Among the projects is the removal of the Covert Avenue street crossing, the addition of an elevator at the Floral Park station and the creation of a new parking garage in Mineola. The groundwork for next winter’s work on the Covert Avenue crossing elimination has already begun with utility lines relocated near the New Hyde Park crossing. The Covert Avenue street cross-
ing is the first of seven crossings that will be eliminated along the Main Line, and is expected to be done in the winter of 2019. A two-lane roadway and sidewalk will be placed in an underpass below the tracks. From February to March there will be 24-hour, five-day-a-week drilling and excavation along Covert Avenue,!New Hyde Park Mayor Lawrence Montreuil said in a letter to residents. “We were told for this project to be completed on time, it will be necessary to work around the clock,” Montreuil said. Another early project in the timeline of the third track construction is the building of the Mineola Harrison parking structure, slated for this fall. The LIRR plans to build a 551-space garage, located on an existing parking lot west of Mineola Boulevard, between Harrison Avenue and First Street. Continued on Page 82
PHOTO BY REBECCA KLAR
Peter Campanella, one of Mineola High School’s recent graduates, played, “The Star Spangled Banner” on guitar to start Saturday’s commencement ceremony at LIU Post’s Tilles Center. See story and photos on pages 28 and 69.
Mineola man arrested for abusing poodle: DA B Y R E B E C C A K L A R County district attorney’s office Harrington and is due back in A Mineola man was arraigned last Wednesday on charges that he abused his landlord’s family pet, a 10-pound toy poodle, in March,! the Nassau
said. The alleged animal abuser, Peter Granath, 26, was released on his own recognizance during his arraignment before acting Supreme Court Justice Patricia
court on July 18. Granath was renting a basement bedroom in a home on Wellington Road and lived there a month before the property Continued on Page 83
For the latest news visit us at www.theislandnow.com D on’t forget to follow us on Twitter @Theislandnow and Facebook at facebo ok.com/theislandnow