County exec betting on Nassau’s future?

After some seven years of studies, community meetings, press conferences and tens of millions of dollars spent on planning and consultants, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum remains an aging concrete behemoth surrounded by 77 acres of cracking asphalt. It is a glaring eyesore in one of the nation’s wealthiest counties.

Charles Wang and Scott Rechler, developers of the Lighthouse project, proposed the construction of a massive, upscale housing development around an upgraded Coliseum, which would have included two 36-story skyscrapers, a convention center and a host of chic shops and recreational venues.

But the Town of Hempstead balked, nixing the 10-year construction project in February. Supervisor Kate Murray and the Town Council called for a scaled-down version of the original Lighthouse blueprint — Plan B. Whether that plan will come to fruition, and what form it will take if it does, is anyone’s guess. We’ll see this summer, when a refined plan is due.

Meantime, enter Plan C.

Last week, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano announced that he is in talks with the Shinnecock Nation about building a casino resort on the grounds of the Coliseum if Plan B were to crumble. Thus far, Mangano has offered only scarce details about the proposal.

Given the county’s dire economic straits, it makes sense to explore all revitalization possibilities in and around the Coliseum — the heart of Nassau’s so-called Hub. That said, a casino raises several questions in our minds.

1. How would a casino, with its attendant gambling, drinking, drunken driving and possible drug problems, fit with the suburban character of central Nassau County?

2. With the host of social problems that often come with a casino, what would the area’s institutions of higher learning — Hofstra, Nassau Community College, Molloy and Adelphi — think about such a project? How would a casino impact Nassau’s reputation as an academic leader? Would parents of students be leery about sending their children to colleges so close to a casino?

3. What would the Islanders, a family-friendly franchise, think about a casino?

4. Would a casino provide stable income for the county over the long term? There is little doubt that casinos can be big money-makers. Too many people have a predilection for throwing their money away. When times get tough and bank accounts run dry, however, folks tend to stop gambling. A housing project would provide steadier income for the county because property taxes must be paid no matter the economic climate.

5. What would become of proposals to construct a casino resort at the Belmont racetrack? Will the county allow Belmont, a well-established gambling venue on the Nassau-Queens border, to continue to degrade?

6. How would a casino affect traffic, water and sewage?

We understand that Mangano is seeking any and all ways to balance the county’s books and to pay for all the services residents demand. But with a casino, the county executive could be betting on Nassau’s future in ways that could forever alter the character of its central Hub. When it comes to casinos, they say the house always wins. The critical question that Mangano must answer is whether the people of Nassau would win with a casino. We have our doubts.