By Danny Teigman
- just over the village border - already a crowded intersection.
Although the car wash site is outside Lynbrook's jurisdiction, Curran said that he plans on speaking on behalf of the board and area residents at an upcoming Rockville Centre Board of Zoning Appeals meeting. He also expressed concern that Trustee Richard Clifford, who is the village's northeast quadrant liaison, knew about the proposed project weeks before the rest of the board members and failed to inform them sooner.
"By not bringing it to this board, you deprive residents of the full power of this board," Curran said during the board's executive session. "If you don't, it appears to be political."
Clifford, who attended Rockville Centre's BZA meeting in April and helped postpone the final vote, said that he was acting in defense of his constituents and that the feeling from the neighborhood "was quite negative." "Before saying that you don't want something, you have to know that the people don't want it," Clifford said. "I'm elected by the people and they expect me to do their bidding. The last time I looked, I was answerable to [them] and that's who I work for."
According to a May 5 letter sent by Clifford to neighbors in the vicinity of the site, the car wash will be a 60-foot tunnel, full service operation, and will be owned and operated by Ocean Rental Limited - the current owners of Abbey Tool Rental on the same property. If approved, motorists would access the car wash by way of Ocean Avenue, heading westbound on Merrick Road. Egress would be permitted northbound on Ocean Avenue, only.
"We're very concerned with the impact of traffic," said Larry Swing, a Madison Street resident who later opposed the project at the board's regular meeting. ..."If the village could lean on Rockville Centre a little more it would help."
But Curran stressed that for the board to be effective, it must act as one entity. While trying to avoid singling Clifford out, he added that failure to come to the board first in the future would result in trustees' removal from their particular quadrant. "We move together as a board," he said.
Trustees also considered adopting official rules to run board meetings, but the initial proposal was met with board skepticism and concern that its guidelines would unfairly limit both board members' and residents' rights to speak and interact.
"I think in the last two years the board has strayed from its agenda in meetings," Curran said. ..."This board has to move some items [on the agenda] along."
One of the draft document's provisions suggested the possibility of time limits when trustees and residents are speaking and said that the board would entertain no negative comments. Another rule stated that items could be placed on the evening agenda if agreed upon by three trustees. Trustee Dave Penso said that if approved, such a rule could be used to unfairly limit a minority party's power. He added that thanks to the change in administration, meeting efficiency has already improved and the board should continue running meetings as they have been.
"You've done a fine job keeping the meetings going," he said to Curran. ..."We need to pick this [proposal] apart with a surgical knife."
Trustee Bill Hendrick, who in large part agreed with Penso, called the restrictions "chilling" but said setting guidelines might be beneficial. "It does chill me," he said, "but I think we should look at it. I still don't think it should be thrown out in the garbage."
To alleviate any outstanding concerns, Curran instructed the trustees come back with a list of items they would like to see changed. The proposal will again be discussed at the next board meeting on June 4.
Comments about this story? DTeigman@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 246.
