Lawrence debates of sewage treatment plant land

The Village of Lawrence board of trustees voted 3-2 at its Feb. 14 public meeting to spend at least $25,000 on a study to be conducted by Chicago-based Market & Feasibility Advisors, to determine the viability and economics of a multipurpose community center on Rock Hall Road land where a sewage treatment plant was housed.

Deputy Mayor Michael Fragin and Trustees Daniel Goldstein and Uri Kaufman voted yes, while Mayor Alex Edelman and Trustee Syma Diamond opposed the measure. Before the vote was taken, all five trustees vigorously debated the expense of the study, while agreeing that there is not much open space remaining in the village.

Discussions about what to do with the 3.83 acres of the 4.35-acre site that the village owns began when the land was ceded to the village by Nassau County last July. The county retained the remainder of the land, where an unmanned effluent pump station remains.

“I don’t know whether the recreational use for the property is the best use, but personally I think public use is something we should definitely explore more,” Fragin said. “The same way we have a public use here” — at the Lawrence Yacht & Country Club, where the meeting took place — “I think we could also expand the amenities and recreational options for our residents and their children and grandchildren.”

The community center would have an indoor swimming pool (an idea that has also been proposed for the country club), and a gym that would accommodate basketball, lacrosse and volleyball.

Diamond said she viewed the community center as a commercial facility, and opposed its construction on land that is in a residential neighborhood. “I have no problem exploring what to do with the property,” she said. “What I do have a problem with is spending $25,000 on something that’s theoretical, when things in the village, for the country club or elsewhere, it’s a big deal to get the money.”

Market & Feasibility Advisors provides data, analysis and strategies for public, private and nonprofit clients, working in collaboration with planners, designers, architects and engineers. Managing Partner Dan Martin said he has been doing this type of work for more than 30 years. Typically, studies like this one encompass a demographic analysis of a market area or community in order to determine the likelihood that residents will use the facility, its potential operating costs and a rough estimate of the cost of construction.

The cost of the study is broken down to $22,500 for the actual work and 10 percent for travel — $2,500 for one trip. Martin said that his team would more than likely visit the village once to see the land and its surroundings. Many consultations, he explained, are now conducted through digital technology such as Skype. Years ago, he said, there were usually three trips.

Edelman said that a survey of residents in the immediate area of Rock Hall Road showed that the community members were split “50-50” between wanting a park or single-family homes on the land. He has been a consistent proponent of selling the land to a developer to build as many as seven homes on it, and said that the village would realize $20,000 in tax revenue annually. A petition was submitted with more than 40 residents’ names in December 2017. It noted their concerns about the property’s possible uses, and an objection to building anything that brings about an increase in traffic or noise.

“I think it’s our fiduciary responsibility to make the right decisions,” Goldstein said, “and to think not just of what we think is the best benefit, but also for the village and for future generations here.”