Village of Lawrence to hold sewage treatment plan meeting on March 26

The Village of Lawrence board of trustees meeting agenda on Feb. 13 was chock full of items, 17 in all, but more than likely none more important that the scheduling of a Wednesday, March 26 meeting at the Lawrence Yacht & Country Club at 8 p.m. on deciding how to use the vacant sewage treatment plant.

For nearly four years, the village board has considered what to do with the 3.83-acres Lawrence owns of the 4.35-acre site on Rock Hall Road. Nassau County ceded the land to the village in July of 2017 after the plant was decommissioned. An unmanned effluent pump station remains on the county portion.

In the past two-plus years, ideas have ranged from selling the land to a develop for the construction of at least seven single-family homes being built, which has been supported by Mayor Alex Edelman. Condominiums, a hotel and a nursing home have also been considered.

The board has not come to a consensus on any one idea and in the past few years has spent roughly $50,000 on studies, including one that looked into the feasibility of building a multipurpose community center on the property.

Residents in the area have advocated for a park and submitted a petition that had more than 40 signatures to the village in December of 2017. In February of 2016, a Herald story reported that a few residents said they did not want a high-density apartment building like the Regency on Central Avenue in Lawrence, but single-family homes would be OK as long as land is set aside for a park children could use.

Other village actions

The trustees approved the installation of eight electric car charging stations near the marina at the country club. A pair of inter-municipal agreements passed one with Nassau County for a new pumper truck for the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department in the amount of $200,000. The other is a $77,000 security camera grant. How many cameras is unclear. More than likely they will be placed at village parking lots.

Roadwork was also approved to repave Washington Avenue (in conjunction with Cedarhurst) and to repair the area by Central and Lawrence avenues.

Reflects a change of the sewage treatment plant meeting date.