By Nick Buglione
Hope LaMonica, whose husband is in the U.S. Army and has lived in Mitchel Manor for the past four years, said she had planned a meeting with residents and local elected officials on the matter Thursday, Nov. 15 in the Mitchel Field gymnasium. "I had been told all along that the gym would be available for us to use," LaMonica said.
The Navy later refused to let her use the facility, arguing that LaMonica had organized a protest rally against its plan to sell Mitchel Manor and Mitchel Field. "They were planning to hold a protest rally at the gym, and the Navy does not make its facilities available for these types of activities," said Lt. Commander Joe Carpenter, a Navy spokesman.
In September, the Herald revealed that the Navy hoped to sell the 49-acre Mitchel Manor in East Meadow, south of Hempstead Turnpike and west of Merrick Avenue, and the 48-acre Mitchel Field, in Hempstead, by October 2004. Though the Navy owns and operates the 510 houses at those locations, some 1,200 military members from all branches of service and their dependents make their homes there.
Saying that she only learned of the move after reading the Herald, LaMonica explained that she wanted to organize the meeting for informational purposes, because Navy officials hadn't effectively notified residents of the potential sale.
A town hall meeting was held on the matter Oct. 22, which some 200 residents attended, Carpenter said.
"It was not going to be a protest; it was going to be a meeting to let families know what's going on," said LaMonica, who is opposed to the Navy's plan.
Scrambling to find an alternate location, LaMonica ultimately scrapped the meeting when she learned the Navy was going to hold another one on Thursday, Nov. 6. That meeting was to take place in the Mitchel Field gymnasium at 7 p.m.
The decision to sell the Mitchel Manor and Mitchel Field houses is part of a larger U.S. Navy initiative to privatize much of its housing nationwide. Once the property is sold, existing residents would be allowed to remain in their homes until the end of their tours of duty. The future use of the property, however, will depend on zoning determinations and the desires of the new owner.
The Navy has said that its decision to sell the property stemmed from a recent housing market analysis, which determined that there was sufficient privately owned housing on the open market to satisfy the needs of Long Island military families.
Servicemen and women currently have the option of living in military houses like those in Mitchel Manor and Mitchel Field or searching for their own homes or apartments. Those who choose the latter receive a monthly housing allowance in addition to their regular pay.
Housing allowances vary depending on rank and whether a serviceman is married. The U.S. military adjusts housing allowances to take into account the cost of living in a particular area.
LaMonica and other residents don't believe military housing allowances can adequately support a family living on Long Island. "To find housing on the Island that's adequate is hard to do," she said. "My husband, with his rank, might be able to go out and find someplace, but I'm worried about [people of lower ranks]."
Edward Aulman, director of the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency, has also expressed concerns. He thinks that if servicemen and women can't afford to live here, it might force local military installations to close down. In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Aulman has said, there's an even greater need for a local military presence.
Aulman and LaMonica plan on fighting the Navy's initiative, and have enlisted the help of Sen. Hillary Clinton, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy and other elected officials, who recently wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld voicing their opposition.
The Navy's sale of the propery requires Congressional approval, and the first of two votes is expected in January 2004, Carpenter said.
The plan has also raised eyebrows outside the military community. East Meadow leaders have said they would be very concerned about how Mitchel Manor would be used if it were sold. "We want it to be used for the good and welfare of the community," said Robert Zafonte, president of the East Meadow Civic Association. "We're looking to preserve the quality of life in East Meadow, and the integrity of the community and the tax base."
If Mitchel Manor is sold, it would be put back on East Meadow's property tax rolls. East Meadow residents have long complained that they are overburdened with property taxes, since 25 percent of their neighborhood is considered non-taxable land.
