Now that Gov. Cuomo has signed S7999, the Kings Point Park “alienation” law, our local environment is in danger.
Kings Point is about to about to despoil that park with a giant and unnecessary municipal garage, which could easily have been built on the site of the old village hall on Sunset Road.
Moreover, thanks to its sneaky legal maneuver to score an end run around the Court of Appeals, it’s now set a dangerous precedent.
What happens next year when that village decides to build a swimming pool in the park?
Another new law, steal away another 10 acres? Tennis courts in five years? Another 10 acres.
Then how about a municipal golf course? Time to cut down all the trees for 150 acres.
Shame on local Great Neck officials, starting with the entire Kings Point Village Board, as well as for its associates: state Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel, who never once responded to resident concerns, and especially state Sen. Jack Martins, who betrayed a year-old promise to prevent any park alienation bill from passing in the Senate!
Shame on the three Great Neck park commissioners who did nothing for years when the Kings Point Park garage plan first surfaced, leaving it to four courageous residents to sue Kings Point in New York Supreme Court and win all the way to the Court of Appeals.
Did the commissioners join the case, mobilize citizens to bombard Kings Point village officials or Schimel and Martins with messages to preserve the park?
Did they consider firing their general counsel, who is law partner of the Kings Point village attorney?
Clearly, they are more interested in bronze plaques containing their names on unneeded new buildings, like the $1.3 million “Park District Plaza” at 5 Beach Road, than in old-growth trees in Kings Point Park.
No thanks to the Great Neck News, either.
Here was a great story of community concern, development in a park protected by a 50-year-old state law, citizens suing the village and winning, and then double-talking politicians sneaking a law through the Legislature in the last minute of the 2016 session, an example of Albany at its most corrupt.
You could have run news stories and editorials for weeks that would have shined light on this sneaky tactic and forthcoming disaster and might even have won some recognition.
Too difficult, I guess.
At least let’s give credit to the four Great Neck citizens who mounted the battle by themselves and won — only to lose when they were cheated by the political Establishment.
They are Elizabeth Allen, Alan Berkower, Dan Capruso and the late Julian Kane.
Kudos to them. Shame on the rest of us.
David Zielenziger
Great Neck
