Thursday, October 1, 2026
As the celebrations came to a close and residents made their New Year’s resolutions, the Village of Rockville Centre looked to expand on past accomplishments in the coming year.
In a discussion of the village’s immediate future, Deputy Mayor Nancy Howard identified road renovation, parking meter upgrades and “going green” as some of the major focuses in 2013. “We really want to try to be a greener village,” Howard explained. “We are evaluating to make sure we are encouraging, educating and making recycling as simple as possible for residents.”
She explained that the village has also begun a review of its energy efficiency. The firm ECG Engineering is undertaking the review free of charge, Howard said.
Village Administrator Keith Spadaro explained that ECG Engineering would review the production and output of energy in the village, and pass the information on to an energy service company, which would review it and suggest possible changes to save energy and money.
“They’re even talking about the types of light bulbs in all of our buildings, and also the age of streetlights,” Howard said. “We’re very interested in that because we believe we can do better.”
Spadaro said that the village would issue a bond that would be paid for with the savings generated from going green.
Acknowledging that parking has been an issue in Rockville Centre for decades, Howard said that the village hopes to finish upgrading its parking meter consoles. It began the process last March, with 14 new consoles: seven in Municipal Parking Field 1, three in Field 7 and four in Field 8.
The consoles no longer require the color or number of a parking space to correspond to a specific console, and they accept coins and dollar bills as well as debit and credit cards. The consoles communicate with one another and with a computer at the Department of Public Works.
The Maple Avenue renovation is on schedule, Howard said. Repaving will likely be done in the spring, as well as a sidewalk renovation program and plantings. The Maple Avenue project is an important one to Mayor Francis Murray, who has described the street as the village’s “Broadway.”
“The roads need to be addressed,” Howard said, referring to other streets as well. “There was a study done with the last administration, and it lets us know what areas we need to be addressing. It’s a tremendous expense.”
She described the costs of the projects the village has planned as the ultimate challenge it will need to overcome this year. “I think that’s really the crux of it all,” Howard said. “We see the opportunity to make improvements all across the village. But with the mandates that come down, we don’t want to just raise our taxes to afford all of these. That’s going to be our greatest challenge.”
The state property tax cap is an obstacle to the improvements the village would like to make, Howard said. She added that Kathleen Murray had done a tremendous job as a grant writer for Rockville Centre, and that the village would continue to pursue grant money to meet its goals.
“It’s a wonderful way to be able to make improvements without going to residents for [the money],” Howard said. “We certainly see opportunities for change.”
Mercy Medical Center
One of the major goals for Mercy Medical Center in 2013 is to continue to provide the highest-quality care, said Dr. Aaron E. Glatt, the hospital’s chief administrative officer and executive vice president.
“We have enhanced the facility in many ways, and we really want to maintain the huge quality we provide,” Glatt said. “I think that the major challenges are maintaining this in a difficult health care environment, but we’re very optimistic about our ability to grow and remain top-quality.”
Fire Department
The Rockville Centre Fire Department will likely have a new fire chief in April, Chief John Busching said. Barring an “unbelievable surprise,” Busching said, the next chief will be John Thorpe, now the 1st assistant chief, and Thorpe’s position will be taken by current 2nd assistant chief Robert Seaman.
“We’re also scheduled to get a couple of new fire trucks, and there’s the possibility of renovating or replacing four of the village’s five firehouses,” Busching said. “They’re capital projects, separate from the budget.”
He added that the department would likely have more information on the trucks and renovation in February or March.
Police Department
Police Department Commissioner Charles Gennario said that one of his main goals for 2013 is an increase in the number of officers. “I feel it will increase the quality of life in the village,” Gennario said. “We should have 62 officers, but currently on paper there are 51, and we’re down two, so we’re only working with 49 officers.”
The department will continue to target violent crime, he said, but will also renew its focus on quality-of-life issues, like graffiti and larceny. “The budget is always our challenge,” Gennario said. “The village is always on a shoestring budget.”
School District
Superintendent Dr. William Johnson said that the biggest challenge for the district will be the first-year implementation of the Common Core Standards.
“The test at the end of the year will reflect the implementation, and it’s all about the interpretation of what is meant by college and career readiness,” Johnson said. “We’ve tried to build our system around that, and I certainly hope that what we’ve done over the years matches what we’ve done with the Common Core.”
