By Angela Marshall
During the July 8 meeting, the board also announced the possible settlement of a multi-million dollar lawsuit and the coming of McDonald's to Rockville Centre.
When residents continued to request more information about the school legislation delay, Mayor Eugene Murray said, Nothing will happen without the public being notified.
The bills would create a definition of the word school, regulate the placement of public and private schools and require that private schools receive site plan review and a special use permit from the Rockville Centre Planning Board. Many residents feel the board's school definition is too broad.
Trustee Mary Bossart said it would probably be several weeks before a new hearing could be scheduled. She said the new attorney, Gary Fishberg, of the law firm Cullen and Dykman, needs time to make the changes.
Fishberg was appointed to represent the village in this matter last month after Village Attorney Martha Krisel recused herself.
The bills must then be referred to the Nassau County Planning Commission. If the NCPC does not request any changes, the board can reschedule a public hearing.
Protest vote
The hearing was supposed to be part of Rockville Centre's annual reorganizational meeting, during which the board appoints members of the community to serve on a number of village boards. Kevin Akner, president of the Home Rule Party, was appointed to the Zoning Board, but the decision was not unanimous as Bossart protested the appointment with a dissenting vote.
The board also reestablished its relationship with many businesses and organizations, including the Rockville Centre Herald, which was named the village's official newspaper.
Multi-million dollar
garbage suit to end
The board announced that the end of a more than six-year legal battle with the Town of Hempstead over garbage fees is in sight. Although the village will have to pay almost $1.5 million in retroactive fees, Mayor Murray is calling the outcome a victory for the village.
Murray, who began protesting some of the town's rubbish removal fees in 1989, called on fellow mayors to stop paying certain fees in 1996. The villages put the money in escrow and Rockville Centre's stash has grown to almost $3.5 million. If the current settlement is agreed to, RVC will have $2 million to use on other projects.
Town and village attorneys say the heart of the dispute has always been a difference of opinion in the interpretation of the garbage and recycling removal contract. The terms of the settlement would include an agreement on how the contract should be interpreted prospectively.
While both sides are optimistic about the proposed settlement, this is not the first time they have said an agreement was close. The town board and the boards from each of the involved villages
