What's on the Rockville Centre mayor's agenda?

Four weeks into his tenure as mayor, Francis Murray is a busy man — and has many plans for Rockville Centre. In a wide-ranging interview with the Herald on July 28, Murray outlined a number of initiatives that his administration is developing. He said he has been working from 8 to 5 in Village Hall every day, attending “many, many meetings” and chatting with constituents at a range of events he makes it his business to attend. Murray said that he and his fellow trustees are settling in and learning more about the issues facing the village.

The school district

Murray has met with School Superintendent Dr. William Johnson and school board President Liz Dion to work on a new intermunicipal agreement between the school district and Village Hall. “I don’t see any issue with solving problems that came up in the past regarding Fireman’s Field,” he said of the parking field adjacent to South Side High School, which was the subject of an intense dispute among the Fire Department, the schools and the village two years ago. Murray said he expects the parties involved to renegotiate the agreement, which recently expired, this month.

He also said that the village is considering once again collecting the school district’s garbage, a service it once provided that the schools now pay for privately. This, too, developed into a contentious issue with the village. “We are all one community,” Murray said.

Parking

The village has stopped enforcing metered parking in the downtown business area after 6 p.m., and Murray was asked about daytime parking. “You come as a shopper,” he said, “nails, hair, lunch — you can get [these] done in an hour. The meters were cut to 50 minutes — we’ll put them back to 60 minutes. You have to start somewhere.”

But evening activities take longer, he said. “The village has great restaurants, a quality movie theater. I see this as a quality-of-life issue … people can’t relax if they have to go out and feed the meters.”

“We want to generate business and want sustainability for the next 20 years,” Murray said, adding that he intends to work on a long-range plan for the business district.

He also said he is focusing on the fee the village charges commuters who park in the municipal field between Front Street and St. Agnes Cathedral. “We’re looking at removing the $4 fee,” he said, “but it has to go before the board.”

Village code violations

In recent weeks, village police have teamed up with Metropolitan Transportation Authority officers to conduct expanded enforcement near the Long Island Rail Road station. Remarking on the “vibrant bars” in Rockville Centre, Murray said there has been a noticeable increase in the use of trains by people headed to the bars. Since Police Commissioner Charles Gennario asked the MTA for help with enforcement, Murray said, many appearance tickets have been issued.

“We don’t need people urinating all over downtown,” he said. “If they do, they’re going to pay.” The village will be very strict in dealing with quality-of-life violations, he said, and he will ask the two village justices to consider imposing community service — washing sidewalks — in addition to fining violators.

The Fire Department

Murray said that in the coming weeks he will talk to the Fire Department Planning Board about relocating department headquarters. Instead of refurbishing the facility at 58 N. Centre Ave., he will suggest selling it and using the money to offset the cost of demolishing and rebuilding the Maple Avenue station as the department’s headquarters — at a “substantial” savings to taxpayers. The village would look for money from the federal Department of Homeland Security, Murray said, because the proposed building would include an emergency management office located in an ideal spot — directly across the street from the village power plant and down the block from police headquarters.

The plan would eliminate one firehouse, but the Reliance Company, on North Forest Avenue, the Woodland Engine Company, the Defenders, on South Centre Avenue, and the company at 103 Maple Ave. would remain.

How will the village afford these plans?

Murray said that the village will aggressively go after grants and is hiring two grant writers, one of whom will be paid only if a grant is successfully funded. Among the grants they will seek are $500,000 and $800,000 in federal funds through U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy for roadwork on Maple Avenue, funds from Sen. Chuck Schumer for three additional police officers and Clean Water Act money for refurbishing the water tower near Molloy College and securing the water tower and well heads against terrorism. If the grants are successful, the funds will be added to the capital budget.

Murray also said that his administration would seek corporate sponsorships for the village entrances — on the eastern and western approaches on Sunrise Highway and at the Peninsula Boulevard entrance from the Southern State Parkway. These would generate a combined $54,000 in new revenue, he said.

He spoke of a parking “amnesty” program to restore tickets to their original amount and collect the fines. He also mentioned new meters that would generate more money for the village with technology that allows for faster vehicle identification.

Murray said that the village is replacing a paid insurance consultant with an insurance committee that will volunteer its services. He also said that the village is in talks with South Nassau Communities Hospital to rent a portion of Municipal Parking Field 12 to it for $50,000 a year. And the village is looking into going paperless on electric, water and parking ticket bill paying, which, Murray said, would result in “huge” savings in staff time and supplies.

Aaron Axelson contributed to this story. Comments about it? RVCeditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.