The Village of North Hills Board of Trustees voted unanimously last Wednesday night to amend a local law extending a ban on bicycles, mopeds and skateboards in Lewell Kane Park to a right of way along the Northern State Parkway.
Complaints from residents of the Imperial Gardens and Acorn Ponds developments who use the half-mile right of way to walk or jog originally prompted Village of North Hills Mayor Marvin Natiss to push for the ban.
A similar ban on recreational vehicles with wheels was already in place for Lowell Kane Park, the village’s largest park.
Natiss said the village will post signs about the ban on the right of way, which runs along the southern border of the Northern State Park in North Hills past Imperial Gardens and Acorn Ponds.
“The signs will go up very shortly. So it’s primarily just for the walkers and the runners,” Natiss said.
Natiss had originally sought approval for the ban at the August trustees meeting, but tabled the proposal when village attorney Thomas Levin said more time was needed to draft language to amend the existing village code on Lowell Kane Park.
“This is something you don’t want to do on the fly,” Levin said.
More than 20 village residents, many of the from Imperial Gardens and Acorn Ponds, attended Wednesday night’s meeting, but Natiss said they came to express their support for the free village shuttle bus service for Long Island Rail Road commuters.
Natiss said he assured the residents the service will continue, despite a lower rate of use than projected. The shuttle buses take riders from North Hills Village Hall to Manhasset train station each morning and picks up commuters for the return trip in the late afternoon and evening hours.
Natiss said the shuttle schedule will be revised slightly to accommodate commuters who arrive in Manhasset on a daily express train from Pennsylvania Station at 5:14 p.m. The first shuttle bus taking passengers to North Hills Village Hall had previously arrived at the Manhasset station at 5:30 p.m.
“We’re going to tweak it a little bit. We’re going to meet the early express train,” Natiss said. “We will make it more user friendly.”
Natiss said he will also “stay on top” of shuttle contractor Long Island Limousine in response to commuter complaints that some shuttles have lacked air conditioning.
To drive more usage, Natiss said the village plans to send out flyers soon to all village residents promoting the service.
Natiss said the service costs the village approximately $24,000 a month.
The contract with Long Island Limousine expires in December and Natiss said the village board will issue a request for proposals to seek new bids on the service shortly.
In January, Nattis announced a change in the service when he made arrangements with Long Island Limousine to replace two 20-seat passenger buses shuttling village residents with two 14-passenger buses.
“It’s worth it. The residents park there and it saves them all that aggravation,” Natiss said.
In other developments:
• A public hearing on RXR Realty’s amended plans for a 244-unit condominium complex in North Hills is scheduled for an Oct. 23 village board meeting.
Natiss said the amended plan may reduce the number of condo units. He has said another key issue is how many units Ritz Carlton, which will manage the condo, plans to make available for rental.
Reach reporter Richard Tedesco by e-mail at rtedesco@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x204. Also follow us on Twitter @theislandnow1 and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.
