An Albany County Supreme Court judge rejected a Lawrence school board appeal of a decision by the state to halt the district's transportation program for pre-kindergarten students who attend private schools.
Judge Richard M. Platkin's final decision was reached at a Dec. 7 hearing in Albany and made public on Dec. 10. The decision put an end to the school board's four-month legal effort to overturn State Education Commissioner Richard Mills's order to stop district-funded busing for private-school pre-K students.
Mills issued the order to halt busing on Aug. 31, only a few days before classes were to begin for most schools. The commissioner's decision came after an appeal was filed by 20 district residents who sought to overturn a May referendum that authorized a busing program for these pre-K students.
A Nassau County Supreme Court judge issued a stay, which temporary kept the buses rolling through the end of September. But when the case shifted to Albany, the stay was not extended.
Town to decide on 6-story structures
If a variance is approved by the Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals, it could clear the way for construction of two adjacent six-story structures in the Woodmere business district.
The Woodmere Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center has proposed to open a state-of-the-art facility and a parking garage along Central Avenue, between Franklin Place and Irving Place. Rising six stories, the proposed buildings would be the tallest structures in the Woodmere business district, which consists primarily of one-, two- and three-story commercial buildings. A hearing on the variance request was slated for a town zoning board meeting on Dec. 12, 2007, but was postponed until March 13, 2008.
In an effort to block the development, attorney Ernest Weinrib, a long-time Five Towns realtor, established the newly formed group called Conserve the Five Towns Inc. Weinrib, who runs the organization from a Woodmere office on Broadway, sought a postponement of the hearing, explaining that community members need a better understanding of the project before anything is approved.
Sewage consolidation
Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi's proposal to cut costs by consolidating special districts created a buzz toward the end of 2007.
In September, the villages of Lawrence and Cedarhurst joined the cities of Long Beach and Glen Cove in a verbal agreement with the county to consolidate sewage services.
Lawrence and Cedarhurst officials gladly accepted the consolidation as a way to lighten the economic burden on the villages and their residents. The county sought official authorization from all four municipalities in December, but as of press time, only Cedarhurst and Glen Cove have signed the contract. Local union representatives recently voiced concerns about the conditions of Suozzi's promise to preserve the jobs of current municipal employees affected by the merger.
Libraries appear safe from consolidation -- for now
Board trustees from the Hewlett-Woodmere and Peninsula libraries joined more than 200 colleagues in November to protest a proposal to consolidate libraries county-wide.
The trustees met with Suozzi at the Nassau County Library System in Uniondale to discuss the possibility of forming a centralized library.
When the talk of library consolidation grew more serious, trustees made it clear that they were not as willing to participate in Suozzi's plans. At the meeting, not one audience member -- which consisted of trustees and directors from Nassau's 54 public libraries -- raised a hand in favor of library consolidation.
A loss of local control was the component of consolidation that irked library officials the most. If all of the facilities were to be
consolidated, there would be one central library board appointed by the county executive.
New lease on life for library
An "exhausting," months-long voter-education effort has culminated in a new lease on life for the Peninsula Public Library, which celebrated a two-part victory in November's special vote for District 15 residents. As a result of the vote, the library won the long-awaited ownership of the property on which it sits without being required to compensate the school district.
The vote confirmed the public's support in the library's pursuit to create a more modern facility for district residents. To secure state funding for such a project, the library needed to obtain ownership of the property from the school district.
In April, the Peninsula board introduced revised plans to move from its current location at 280 Central Ave., to nearby Zion Park. A decision on the library's future has not yet been made.
Toback sweats it out
All local incumbents emerged victorious on a rainy Election Day, but Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside) sweated out his victory against Republican challenger Howard Kopel in the county's 7th Legislative District race.
Toback, running for his fifth term as legislator, defeated Lawrence resident Kopel by roughly 700 votes. Toback's victory helped the Democrats maintain their one-seat majority on the county Legislature.
More school closings proposed
Just weeks after the sale of the Number One School property was completed, a proposal was presented in August that could possibly close two more schools in District 15 -- the Number Five and Number Six schools -- by 2010.
In presenting the proposal, Superintendent Dr. John Fitzsimons expressed his commitment to establish a long-term strategic plan for implementing "state-of-the-art" facilities in the remaining schools to optimize the educational environment for students, teachers and staff.
The Board of Education also tapped a consulting firm to study the building capacity and usage within the school district. Although the school board has not indicated plans to close another school, opponents of consolidation continue to voice their opinion at the board’s monthly meetings.
The property of the former Number One School was officially sold in July at a cost of more than $28 million. The buyer, New Central Realty, LLC, plans to build housing units on the site.
Young scientists excel
Throughout 2007, Five Towns’ students continued to excel in renowned science competitions. In May, seven local students were finalists in the Intel International Science and Engineering competition. In October, 11 students from the Five Towns were Siemens Science Competition semi-finalists, including nine from Hewlett High School.
Football team dominates
The Lawrence Golden Tornadoes continued to whirl through the county's high school football competition, dominating the regular season schedule and repeating as Nassau County Conference II champions. Lawrence's only loss of the season came in the Long Island Championship game against East Islip.
Train horn solutions sought
Local government and transportation officials met throughout the year to test newly modified horns for the Long Island Rail Road, and came to a common conclusion: Train horn noise must be regulated throughout Long Island.
The Village of Cedarhurst and the Train Noise Abatement Association (TNAA) have been actively pursuing a solution to the ear-splitting noise produced by train horns, and have called on local, state and federal lawmakers to help their cause.
Condos to replace Sands?
Numerous requests have been made to lift the marine recreational zone in Atlantic Beach, but the most notable was the proposal filed by former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato and family members.
The plan is to develop 100 condominium units on the site of the Sands beach club. If the plan is approved, the 50-year-old Atlantic Beach landmark, owned and operated by Jem Caterers, would be demolished and replaced by single-family condos and hundreds of parking spaces.
Village of Atlantic Beach officials and numerous residents remain opposed to such a project. The proposal has yet to come before the Town of Hempstead board, as town officials have maintained a stance that the marine recreational zone should be preserved.
Opposition to community center sale
Several Five Towns Community Center supporters have voiced their opposition to the county's possible sale of the community hub, which has provided services on the North Lawrence site for more than 100 years.
Talks of a sale have subsided, as center officials continue to work with county officials on a deal that would turn over property ownership to the center.
Home invaders convicted
Two men have been convicted in connection with shooting a 9-year-old boy -- leaving him blind in one eye -- during an Inwood home invasion on Sept. 23, 2006.
During the home invasion at 47 West End Ave., John Henry Romano Jr., a Far Rockaway boy who was sleeping over at his cousin's house, was caught in the exchange of gunfire between the intruders and an occupant of the home, and seriously injured. A third suspect is still being sought.
Trio swept to victory
A trio of school board candidates widely perceived to be private-school advocates swept to victory in a frenzied finish to the contentious campaign in the Lawrence school district. And for the first time in five years, the school budget was approved by the voters in the district.
Fueled by intense emotional reactions to attack ads -- particularly one that used the phrase "Orthodox majority" -- a robust voter turnout propelled pro-budget candidates Dr. David Sussman, Nahum Marcus and Dr. Sol Blisko to victory over their public-school advocate opponents, Pam Greenbaum, Andrew Levey and Maribel Cancelliere, who opposed the budget.
The $92.7-million budget, which represented an increase of only 0.9 percent over the previous budget, was passed by a vote count of 5,527 to 3,191.
The controversial universal pre-K busing proposition also passed, 4,593 to 3,967. The library budget passed easily, 6,301 to 2,435.
In the much tamer election in the Hewlett-Woodmere School District, the budget passed handily, 2,062 to 1,314.
School board incumbents Harold Kislik and Stephanie Gould ran unopposed. Gould drew 2,072 votes, while Kislik received 1,925.
The proposition to accept an Excel grant from the state was
overwhelmingly approved, 2,438 to 840, with the funds to be used for education, health services and programs for special-needs children.
Earlier in the year, District 14 residents passed a referendum to authorize needed improvements for Woodmere Middle School. Construction has been completed on the school's roof, and a new gymnasium is set to be built in 2008. Also, a new synthetic field is to be constructed at the middle school.
