By Dana Klosner-Wehner
“There’s been a lot of talk about development in this community,” said Chamber President Chris Rosado. “There’s been talk of redevelopment at Belmont Park for the better part of a generation. It now looks like it will come to fruition.
“From a Chamber perspective, I want to talk about the creation and implementation of a business improvement district along Hempstead Turnpike,” Rosado said. “What we as a Chamber are trying to do is to beautify the area and get rid of vacancies.”
Rosado talked about the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s plan to close the Long Island Rail Road spur that terminates at Belmont Park. With the redevelopment on tap at the racetrack, he said he doesn’t want to see the spur closed, and he has started a petition to that effect.
Legislator John Ciotti talked about the funding cuts to Gateway Youth Outreach, an after-school program that serves 800 children in first through sixth grades in Elmont. “I don’t usually use words like ‘outrageous’ and ‘crisis,’” Ciotti said. “But we’re talking about a program funded half by the county and half by the state.” He pointed out that Gateway will lose half of its county funding.
“The Gateway Youth Outreach program has a cost of 60 cents a day, $125 a year, $10 a month,” Ciotti said. “Balance that with 800 families where half are single parents. [Even in two-parent families,] in this economy, everybody has to go out and work. Private day care costs are outrageous.”
With the cuts, schools would be sending second- and third-graders home to empty homes, Ciotti said. Protective services would be called.
“What happens to a parent that makes $8 an hour at a job and has to pay $8 an hour or more for day care?” he said. “They quit. Welfare would cost $1,300 to $3,000 a month to Nassau County.”
Ciotti said he would fight for the Gateway program.
Legislator Vince Muscarella echoed Rosado’s thoughts about the MTA cutting the station at Belmont Park. “The MTA is losing money, so they want to increase fares and cut stations,” Muscarella said. As a businessman, he added, the last thing he would do when his business was losing money would be to cut hours and increase fees.
“I’m probably going to do just the opposite,” Muscarella said. “The last thing we should be doing is raising taxes and raising fees.”
Times are not great in Elmont, he said, but there is a sense of optimism. People enjoy one another and pull together to make things right, he said.
Pat Boyle, Gateway’s executive director, was on hand to talk about the cuts to the program. “You cut us 50 percent — why don’t you just cut us 100 percent?” Boyle said.
The 50 percent cut is actually more than half, Boyle pointed out. “We still have to pay a mortgage, insurance and benefits to the employees,” he said. “So you’re really cutting us by more.”
GYO hires people from the community, Boyle said, both young people and adults. It would have to let local people go.
He pointed out that in addition to the after-school program GYO offers free counseling to 250 to 400 people, referred by schools, probation boards and child protective services. “I really think they are being penny-wise and pound foolish,” he said.
Councilman Ed Ambrosino joked that any night of the week, you can find a meeting going on in Elmont. “But the reason for all these meetings,” Ambrosino said, turning serious, “is an unbelievable spirit. Elmont has a tremendous future.”
He pointed out that there are plenty of things scheduled for this year, including the first Belmont Stakes Parade. And $2.5 million is earmarked for the Argo Theater redevelopment project. Ideally it will become a state-of-the-art grocery store, Ambrosino said. He also talked about the redevelopment at Belmont Park.
“We are up to the challenge,” he said. “You’ve got to keep coming to the meetings. We are in the home stretch. We’re not going to lose this race.”
Sgt. Ed Grim of the 5th Precinct said crime is trending down in Elmont, and that it is very important that if residents see suspicious activities in their neighborhoods, they should call 911. If you see someone on the corner whom you’ve never seen before, Grim asked, “how do you know he isn’t committing a robbery? The last 10 burglary arrests, the perpetrator was caught by someone calling 911,” he said.
School administrators talked about the things going on in Elmont schools. “We are proud of our wonderful students and our outstanding parents,” said Warren Meierdiercks, superintendent of the Sewanhaka High School District. Meierdiercks said the school district would not be where it is without wonderful administrators and teachers.
But, he pointed out, that this is also a difficult time. The Sewanhaka district is facing the largest cut in state aid in Nassau County, $4 million. Meierdiercks promised, however, that even with those cuts, the students would not be slighted.
John Capozzi, principal of Elmont Memorial High School, said that last year the school had a 98 percent graduation rate, and 97 percent of those students went on to college. It also had an Intel Science competition semifinalist, Winston Waters II, who is working on curing a specific type of cancer.
The school was identified as a benchmark institution by the Magellan Foundation, one of only five in the state.
Frank Ragona, president of the Elmont Union Free School District Board of Education, said he is grateful to Assemblyman Tom Alfano for taking sixth-graders to Albany, where they get to see the Assembly and tour the New York State Museum.
Ragona pointed out that the district has a Saturday Academy program, focusing on foreign languages, cooking, drama, sports, robotics and a jazz band. He talked about the efforts of the Elmont Dads club, whose members hold cleanup days and fundraisers.
Carolee Ciullo, librarian in charge of the Elmont Memorial Library, said the facility is enjoying great programs, and that it has gotten $4,000 in grant money that has gone to family programs. The library bought furniture and created an interactive computer station that is used for early-childhood learning. The interactive computer is geared toward preschoolers and toddlers, and has been utilized by more than 200 families.
The library also received a $5,000 grant from Sen. Craig Johnson for museum program passes. Patrons who have library cards receive free passes to seven of the most popular museums in the New York area, Ciullo said. A gaming room for young adults is also in the planning stages.
Named by Newsday as one of the top four libraries on Long Island, Ciullo said, the facility received national recognition when American Library magazine deemed it one of the 27 best-designed libraries in the country.
Mike Iglio, president of the Elmont/
Franklin Square Rotary Club, said that the organization is combating polio throughout the world. The local chapter has focused on easing hunger in Haiti, and helps local children with medical needs, such as transportation. The group also holds a food drive every Thanksgiving, and the food is donated to the outreach programs at St. Vincent’s, St. Boniface and St. Catherine’s churches. Rotary, which is always looking for new members, meets every Wednesday at noon at Filomena’s restaurant in Franklin Square.
Elmont is also home to the Elmont Health Center, on Hempstead Turnpike, which provides free and low-cost services to children and adults. The center has OB/GYN facilities, a dentist and X-ray facilities all in one building, and cares for those with as well as without insurance.
The center is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesdays from noon to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Those who are sick can walk in, or make an appointment by calling (516) 571-8200.
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