By MIKE RUSSO
Scannell joined officials from the county's Real Estate and Public Works departments at a June 29 meeting hosted by the Nassau County Police Benevolent Association to discuss planning for the layout of the new precinct as well as the status of negotiations on the lease. Scannell, who has been publicly criticized for announcing the terms of the lease before the county signs it, explained that county officials have all but finalized its terms — likely a 30-year deal with the option to renew for another 30 years on two acres of property in the shopping center — but that real estate officials will probably not sign any paperwork until the county's due diligence reports are completed.
"We're 99 percent there on the financial deal," Scannell said, adding that while he would like things to move along more quickly, he understands the diligence work associated with the project. "Of course, I would want it done yesterday. But the project is very important, so we have to have a little bit of patience. We're hoping by September that reports can be in. We want to make sure [the building's] safe."
Dermot Kelly, director of the county’s Real Estate Planning and Development Office, confirmed that his department is waiting for reports to be completed before it presents the lease to the county Legislature. He said that investigating a property to determine the title and doing environmental studies are a mandatory part of the process, and that he hopes to have all the information by the time the Legislature resumes its biweekly schedule in September.
"That's correct as far as the actual numbers," Kelly said, verifying that real estate officials were awaiting results of the reports. "Any time you do a long-term deal, you always want to make sure you check the property to make sure there are no liens on it. It's a normal part of a real estate deal. We want to make sure our department of health and the [state Department of Environmental Conservation] are OK with it."
At the June 29 meeting, PBA union officials expressed some concerns about the precinct's design, which was presented by the Department of Public Works. The 16,000-square-foot floor plan does not provide enough space for the prisoner processing area, union officials said. They also requested that 20 additional parking spaces be reserved for police vehicles, which would bring the total to 91 spaces. County officials added that a Town of Hempstead parking lot across the street could be used by residents looking to shop in the Rosen Shopping Center if no spaces were available there.
Scannell reported that Ray Ribeiro, commissioner of the Public Works Department, said at the meeting that the plan is flexible. "It's not set in stone, which is good," Scannell said. "It absolutely can be tweaked."
Comments about this story? MRusso@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
