By Hector Flores
Castro, who currently operates the facility from her home on Lion Lane in Westbury, appeared before the board last week to ask for a variance for the parking lot in front of 840 Carman Ave., the site of her proposed new day care center. The variance would allow for the drop-off and pick-up of children who will attend her facility. However, area residents say that the arrangement would only add to traffic congestion and endanger area commuters.
Castro¹s variance request is the result of a modified architectural plan creating a circular drop-off site for children in front of the two-story building. The plan also calls for the center¹s parking area to be fenced off so that other cars do not block or park on the circular driveway. This alteration in the parking lot would allow cars and buses to safely exit the lot without pulling in and out of the area.
Castro said she is looking to expand her facility to meet the increase in demand. Since she runs the day care center from her home, she can only accommodate 14 children at a time. She has 30 children registered at the center, and there is a waiting list of parents who hope to register their children. The expansion would allow Castro to accommodate them.
³The new facility would have room for 100 children, but only 80 children will be there,² she said. ³I currently run Little Sponges out of my home. As a day care provider, I must abide by state and county regulations, child services [laws], quarterly inspections and [teachers¹] child development training.²
Castro added that her teachers are trained in first aid, and that her facility must be licensed, insured and regulated in order to be in good standing with Nassau County and New York state.
But local activist Helen Meittinis, president of the Community Association of Stewart Avenue, insists that Carman Avenue is the wrong place for a day care center. ³The proposed site is an extremely poor choice for this type of business,² she said. ³It is located on one of the county¹s most dangerous roads.²
Meittinis explained that Carman Avenue is a very congested four-lane north-south road that cuts through Old Country Road and Hempstead Turnpike, two very busy routes for commuters. ³In addition, you have the family court, juvenile detention center, the county jail, Nassau County Medical Center and a high school all on the same road,² she said. ³We are not here to debate the concept of day care, but the traffic and safety issue.²
Castro countered that Carman Avenue is a safe road, and her hours of operation will help avoid traffic congestion. ³There has already been so much done because there are so many schools there,² she said. ³There is a crossing guard, and signals for traffic slow-downs. Traffic is inevitable, but my hours of operation will not add to traffic.²
She explained that the center¹s morning drop-off hour is between 6 and 7 a.m., which makes it possible for parents to drop off their children before Carman Avenue becomes congested. In addition, more than 90 percent of the children will be brought in by two buses, further decreasing the number of vehicles entering the center¹s parking lot.
³I have been working on developing this site for over a year,² Castro explained. ³This is my third board meeting, and I feel that when people are aware that children are around, they will be more cautious.²
Castro added that she has lived in the area for 12 years and has yet to see an accident on the location of her proposed center, at the corner of Stewart and Carman avenues. ³To deny families quality day care on a maybe² ‹ the possibility that an accident might occur ‹ ³is just wrong,² she said.
Roger Boucher, an East Meadow resident whose children attend Little Sponges, agreed with Castro, saying that he trusts that she will provide a safe environment for his children. ³Not only is she affordable, but very safety-oriented,² Boucher said. ³I have learned a lot about child safety just by sending my children there. I don¹t think you should live in fear. Accidents happen everywhere, but the location is safe enough for a day care center.
³I understand the concerns but this is something that can be rectified, not denied,² Boucher continued. ³Community councils should help fix the traffic problem with more traffic devices, not prevent a business from moving in. No one loves the safety of their children more than I do, but this is something we all need, and if done properly, it can be done safely.²
Comments about this story?
HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
