By JOSEPH KELLARD
Ford mailed the letter to all Oceanside and Island Park residents after the Nassau County Legislature passed authorization of a $21 million bond resolution for OTB by a 10-to-9 vote. The government-held corporation proposed to use $4 million for the possible purchase of new property to move its parlor from Lawson Boulevard. Ford, who voted against the resolution, said she received many calls from residents opposing this move to their neighborhoods.
In her talks with Oceansiders and Island Parkers, Ford said they were concerned that the parlor would open near their homes or schools, increase traffic, and downgrade the business district.
"People expressed to me that if we're getting rid of the Oceanside Motel, then why do we need an OTB parlor," Ford said. "They felt that to attract better businesses, that we need something better than an OTB parlor."
Lawrence Aaronson, president of National Regional Off Track Betting Association, said the county's bond resolution offered OTB a unique opportunity to refinance its previous property purchase of the Race Palace in Plainview, which would allow the company to borrow money at 3.8 percent rate of interest as opposed to the 7.5 percent rate it had with a bank.
"The county came up with a very creative way of issuing this bond, where OTB issued it but the county guaranteed it, and we get a rate of 3.8," said Aaronson, adding that the $6 million OTB will save from this refinancing over 15 years would go directly to the county.
Ford added that some residents said "they would rather have a business that would continue to pay taxes on the property it bought." While OTB pays property taxes when renting property, but would be exempt from paying these taxes if it owned property, Aaronson reiterated that the money the company saves would go to the county. "With the money we generate, which has been $70 million over the four years I've been president, the county didn't have to raise property taxes," Aaronson claimed. "...All the profits we make each year go to the county. They are our shareholder, so to speak...We're a public benefit corporation for the benefit of the county."
Commenting specifically on Ford's community-wide letter, Aaronson said, "I think it was an unfortunate misunderstanding on her part to think that we would move into any town that wouldn't want us...And at the same time we were looking to renegotiate our lease with the landlord at our current location."
The OTB president declined to specify the reasons why OTB sought to move, but indicated it had to do with a raise in the cost of the lease. He added that "it makes it difficult to negotiate with the landlord when he knows the legislature is telling us that we may not have options where we want to move in the area."
About where OTB may relocating, Aaronson said the company has no particular properties in Oceanside in mind, but had considered property on Austin Boulevard in Island Park, near Lincoln Orens Middle School.
Calling Austin Boulevard "Queens Boulevard East," Dr. Ed Price, superintendent of Island Park Schools, said, "The first objection would be that it would be right where we have buses and children crossing and so forth. And to have additional traffic at that intersection would just be absolutely absurd. The second objection would be that to have OTB and people hanging out near a school is not appropriate, in my opinion."
Aaronson said OTB has yet to find available property, that OTB is continuing negotiations with the landlord of the Lawson Boulevard property, and that the company is close to renewing its lease. He stressed that even if OTB were to purchase property in Oceanside or Island Park, that the corporation would return to the legislature and explain the process it would go through.
When OTB purchased its property in Plainview, the company met with the town, the school board, some civic associations, Aaronson said. "We don't want to be in an area where no one wants us," he said. "We're not a public works department where we're just going to settle down anywhere."
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