by Matt Hampton
"We're having a community day as a way of thanking the community for their support," said Franklin Square United Neighborhood Association President Ron Lipsky. "Everyone's giving something for savings for the community."
Residents are encouraged to "follow the stars," on Monday, April 13, as stores and services in the community with a star in the window are offering discounts to shoppers, and donating a portion of the proceeds to the neighborhood association to help pay back the attorneys and experts used to prevent the cell phone tower from being built.
As well, Mineola's Spa 190 at East Jericho Tpke, which is normally closed on Mondays will open its doors exclusively to residents of Franklin Square and West Hempstead with discounted prices on everything from massages to haircuts.
"I just think it'll be a nice day for the community to just spend some time with their friends at the spas, get some savings, it'll be a nice happy day, that's what I'm trying to do," Lipsky said.
The fight, which gained attention across Nassau County, was a two-and-a-half year struggle which only recently found its conclusion. While the community was victorious, the fees left over still have to be paid back somehow. That's where the community day comes in.
Lipsky laid out $10,000 of his own money, as well as a donation of $5,000 from another community member, to pay the legal fees and experts used in the lengthy court battle to prevent T-Mobile from building a cell phone tower in the community.
"We accomplished quite a bit, not many communities can defeat a multi-billion dollar company, and I hope they continue to support the result," Lipsky said.
