By:Jason Scheer
Before a crowd of fewer than 100 commuters, Malverne Village trustee Patti McDonald urged the MTA panel to consider the impact that closing the West Hempstead branch would have on the community. "I feel very strongly that if you stop the Long Island Rail Road service to the West Hempstead line, it will have a devastating effect, not only to the residents who use the line, but to the business owners as well," she said.
The MTA faces a substantial deficit in 2005. Originally estimated to be $436 for fiscal 2005, the deficit is now pegged at $236 million, thanks to increased revenue from real estate tax subsidies. However, the agency's budget, by law, must be balanced. The MTA initially proposed fare hikes of 20 percent, but is now proposing increases in the 5 to 8 percent range.
The fare increases are necessary to offset the rising costs of employee pension funds as well as health and welfare costs and debt service, according to MTA/LIRR spokesman Brian Dolan. But, like the increases, service cuts will not be as extensive as originally envisioned, Dolan said. "They were looking at eliminating some midday cleaning, closing some ticket windows in the morning," he said. But in light of its increased revenue from real estate taxes, the MTA board will adopt less extreme measures.
The elimination of branches, like the West Hempstead line, would not happen before 2006. It is too early to know for certain what stations or lines would be closed, Dolan said, adding that if the MTA had its way, none of these measures would be necessary. "We're not in the business of shutting things down," he said.
Lynbrook Mayor Gene Scarpato said that even though Lynbrook is on the Long Beach line, many who live in the western part of the village use the Westwood station, which is on the West Hempstead line. "People walk to that station from five or six blocks away," Scarpato said. "It's a very important line. [If it closed], then all of those people would then have to go to Valley Stream by car, or the main line in Lynbrook by car, and all the Malverne people would also have to go to Valley Stream or Lynbrook by car."
If the West Hempstead branch closes, Scarpato said, the Lynbrook station would not have enough parking to serve additional commuters. "As it is, we don't have enough parking right now to accommodate the people who use the line now," he said. "It would be devastating. I don't know where they would go."
Many of those in attendance -- a fraction of the thousands of riders who would be negatively affected by a West Hempstead station closing - questioned the MTA's decision to schedule the hearing for 4 p.m. on a weekday. "The ability to be here is an impossibility. They can't be here at 4 o'clock in the afternoon on a Tuesday," Mineola Mayor Jack Martins said. Several government officials and commuters echoed his complaints.
As for the proposed fare hikes, commuters complained that they can't afford higher ticket prices, and would have no choice but to drive to work. "If you keep raising fares and cutting service, fewer and fewer riders will be asked to keep paying more for less, a recipe for disaster," said Gerry Bringmann, a representative of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee.
East Williston Mayor Nancy Zolezzi, speaking for the Nassau County Village Officials Association, which represents communities such as Rockville Centre, Malverne and Lynbrook, said shutting down commuter lines would significantly increase traffic on area roads. "To consider such a dramatic measure, without input from community leaders in the areas that would be most affected, is disappointing, to say the least," she said. "The increase in traffic, overburdened parking areas, and the devastating impact to property values is an insult to our constituents that have been your most loyal customers."
McDonald's husband, Steven, a New York City police officer who was shot in the line of duty in 1986 and left paralyzed, said if agencies like the NYPD are able to "do more with less," the MTA can as well. "I can't understand why the MTA can't find the means to do more with less, to do what's necessary to keep lines like the West Hempstead line open," he said.
The MTA will consider the issues raised at the hearings and use the input to determine the budget and the fare increases at a December board meeting.
Comments about this story? JScheer@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.
