By:Laura Lane Mervosh
"When I called Craig Spitz at Army Corps, he was flabbergasted by all of the protest letters, saying that he had received over 100 so far. Usually, he receives only three or four if an issue is unpublicized like this one."
Ken Nolan
Bellmore resident
drophead: Alpha Sigma Fraternity wants to expand, but residents Bellmore stand in opposition
When turning onto Beach Avenue in Bellmore, the first sign is one of caution -- "Children At Play." At the other end of this short, narrow residential block is another warning -- "No Trespassing. Alpha Sigma Fraternity."
Beach Avenue residents and Alpha Sigma members share one love -- Bellmore's waterways. The two parties have gotten along over the years. However, a proposal by the fraternity to increase the size of its Beach Avenue dock has fractured the generally peaceful relationship that the group has enjoyed with residents.
Twenty-two boats, each about 35-40 feet long, now make use of the dock. The Alpha Sigma Society wants to add 250 feet of dock.
The proposal has gone to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Environmental Conservation for review.
The dock would be in the form of a "T" and would jut another 169 feet into Bellmore Creek, according to plans. Residents say that the additional dock space -- and extra boats that would come with it -- would tie up boat traffic in Bellmore Creek off their homes, as well as parking more than it is now along their street.
Moreover, residents fear that Bellmore Creek would see increased accidents with additional boats attempting to navigate this already tight waterway through heavy tides and winds.
Residents also say the dock would endanger the local environment. Boaters often spill gasoline and other pollutants in the water, they say. The more boaters, the more pollutants.
Alpha Sigma members defend their proposal, saying they only wish to add space for six more boats.
Bob Schwab, the fraternity president, said, "We have about 50 members. We are not a marina and never have been. We allow docking just for the members of the club."
State Senator Charles Fuschillo Jr. (R-Merrick) has taken up the residents' cause.
"I've sent several letters to Ray Cowen, regional director for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, stating my opposition to the Alpha Sigma Society's proposed construction..." Fuschillo said. "This would be detrimental to the surrounding areas, increase traffic and make navigation on the Bellmore waterways impossible."
Streets directly affected by the proposal would be Beach Avenue, Beverly Road, Alder Road and Barbara Road. Residents on these streets say they've tried to live amicably with the fraternity in the past. Many have built driveways along their 10-foot lawns to clear narrow streets for visiting boaters, and blinds have been drawn, rather than calls to police made, when homeowners find bright boat lights through their windows.
"We were neighborly to them," resident Ken Nolan said. "I even gave them some old yard furniture, which they use. None of the local residents call to complain about the noise violation."
Residents also say that ducks, swans, schools of spawning fish, and bunker frequent the canal to escape predators. Residents fear the proposed construction would scare them off.
"We moved here because of the water and the ducks. If we're going to lose that, what's the point of living here?" said resident Joe Giacalone. "It's insane that the town would even entertain this idea."
Sen. Fuschillo is trying to arrange a meeting with residents, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Hempstead Town Councilwoman Angelina Cullin (R-Freeport) and state Assemblywoman Kathleen Murray (R-Levittown). In the meantime, he is in close contact with Cowen of the DEC and his staff. Residents continue to send petitions to the DEC and to Army Corps of Engineers.
"When I called Craig Spitz at Army Corps, he was flabbergasted by all of the protest letters, saying that he had received over 100 so far," Nolan said. "Usually, he receives only three or four if an issue is unpublicized like this one."
Bill Fonda, a DEC spokesman, said the comment period for the dock proposal ended April 20. Normally, a decision about such a proposal is made immediately, but owing to opposition from Bellmore residents, a more rigorous "technical" review is now under way.
"Each project must be judged on its merits," Fonda explained. "That's what the technical review is for."
Jim Haggarty, chief of the permit section at U.S. Army Corps, also said he received an influx of protest letters.
"This proposal has ignited a fire storm in the community," Haggarty said. "I've received 100 letters from residents of Bellmore, as well as a few from Wantagh. When you have that much interest, you have to take time to sort things out."
The Alpha Sigma Society is a private men's club, a fraternity that was founded in 1937 by Bellmore and Freeport residents. The fraternity's purpose back then was to provide a social setting for graduating elementary school students who were required to enter high school in Freeport or Massapequa.
The fraternity's Beach Avenue property was bought during the 1940's. At the time, that section of Bellmore was primarily a summer community, with beach houses for part-time residents. Beach Avenue has changed dramatically since those early days. It's now a residential community lined by neatly manicured, middle-class homes.
Nolan said of the fraternity's dock proposal: "This will make that area purely a commercial site."
