By Andrew Coen
The school board briefly discussed the possibility of a suit against the village at its Sept. 20 meeting. The Number One School property, at 280 Central Ave. in Lawrence, will be reduced in value as a result of the moratorium, board members said, since it will deter developers from purchasing the property, estimated to be worth at least $15 million, according to district officials. The school board voted to close the elementary school in June 2004 as part of a consolidation plan to save the district money.
"It appears at this point to be a targeted moratorium," said Lawrence school board member and village resident Stanley Kopilow during the meeting.
Kopilow voiced opposition at a Sept. 8 public hearing, when Lawrence village trustees approved a resolution to make the moratorium a new local law in response to concerns that the village's water pollution control plant is exceeding its capacity as the area's population continues to grow. The new law will be in effect for six months, but it can be rescinded at any time, according to village officials. Neighboring Cedarhurst has also put a temporary stop to large construction projects that require huge amounts of water.
Lawrence school board President Frank Parise said the day after the meeting that legal counsel had informed the board that it has 120 days to decide if it is going to bring the lawsuit, but that no decision had been made. "We're hoping that it goes six months and doesn't continue much longer, so we can get the best price possible for the property and the community," said Parise.
The idea of the moratorium was first raised by village Trustee Joel Mael earlier this year, when he learned that apartments or condominiums could be built at the site of the Number One School that would increase the amount of water usage in the village and risk exceeding the water pollution control plant's maximum capacity of 1.5 million gallons a day. Mael has estimated that if 100 apartments were to be built at the Number One School property, they would require between 35,000 and 45,000 gallons of water a day.
The plant handles all sewage in the village, while storm water is held in various drains. Village officials said there have been 23 days this year when the plant had a flow of more than the 1.5-million-gallon maximum, with 16 occurring in April alone.
"All elected officials are there to serve the best interests of the community, and the majority of the Board of Trustees felt that the moratorium was the best course of action," said Lawrence Mayor Dr. Jack Levenbrown. "We are trying very hard to get everything resolved as soon as possible."
Levenbrown said that a public hearing is scheduled for the next village meeting, on Oct. 6 at Lawrence Country Club, to discuss the feasibility of a new plumbing statute to go along with the moratorium. If the law were implemented, any builder who had a project for which the flow of water would be increased would not be approved by the building department without a letter detailing the sewer availability, Levenbrown said.
After receiving further studies from the village's engineering firm, Cameron Engineering, regarding sewer capacity, Levenbrown said that the board plans to discuss whether a new plumbing law would be sufficient to replace the current moratorium. "We're in the information-getting stage," said Levenbrown.
Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
