The Town of North Hempstead board scheduled a public hearing at Town Hall on Nov. 13 on the proposed special park district the town is seeking to create for residents of the Roslyn Country Club development.
The resolution setting the hearing date passed at Tuesday night’s town board meeting included an order setting the boundaries of the proposed park district are available in the town clerk’s office for the space which is being called “Levitt Park at Roslyn Heights.”
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman and town Councilman Thomas Dwyer recently held a public meeting with residents of the Roslyn Heights development to discuss two plans for renovating the pool and tennis courts that would be the focal point of the park’s recreation facilities. A $7.5 million plan would restore the facilities that have remained unused since they were shuttered several years ago.
An alternative “all seasons” plan, estimated to cost $15 million, would enclose the tennis courts for year-round use, with a heated pool that would also be in the basic plan.
More than 300 residents overwhelmingly expressed support for at least one of the pland to revive the recreation facilities. The plan calls for additional taxes for each property owner with easement rights to the facilities that are expected to pay the cost of the upgrade selected.
The town board has already approved a $2 million deal to purchase 7.3 acres of the property from owner Manoucher Malekan, who would retain ownership of the catering facility on the grounds.
The purchase of the property is dependent on the resolution of suits filed by residents against Malekan. Residents sued over their easement rights when he closed the facility.
The special district concept was developed by Kaiman and Dwyer after civic association leaders filed petitions for a referendum on the board’s approval of issuing a $7.5 million bond to cover restoration of facilities for what was being conceived as a town park. The special district plan includes plans to permit 400 or 500 town residents outside the park district to join by paying membership fees that will defray operation costs.
Next month’s public hearing is intended to elicit specific feedback from the Roslyn Heights development’s residents on what form they want the recreation facilities to take.
Town spokesman Sid Nathan said the hearing would use the basic park improvement plan as a starting point for the discussion.
“This is moving along the special park district in Roslyn Heights,” Dwyer said of the resolution.
Lloyd Gelb, a resident of Roslyn Country Club, who has consistently opposed the town’s development plans, said the plans were not yet available in the town clerk’s office.
He also raised an objection to the use of the Levitt name in the proposed park title, noting that the developers, Levitt & Sons, never put their name on any residential development after they built Levittown.
“They felt that their name had a certain connotation to it that didn’t belong to this community,” Gelb said, chiding the board members for lacking a “sense of history.”
Kaiman said he thought Gelb was reacting to the implication of a lower economic class associated with the Levitt name.
“We’re not married to the name. We’re open to suggestion,” Kaiman said, adding “I have a feeling we’re going to end up with ‘Roslyn Country Club’.”
In other developments:
• The town board set a date for review of the town’s preliminary 2013 budget, all special district budgets and the assessment rolls of the Belgrave Water Pollution Control District, the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District and the Port Washington Water Pollution Control District. A special meeting will be held at Town Hall on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.
• The board authorized an agreement with First Equity Abstract Corp. to perform a title search on Allen Cemetery at Pearce Place in Great Neck Plaza. Kaiman said town historian Howard Kroplick has met with Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender and town attorney John Riordan to see if ownership of the family cemetery can be determined. If no clear title to the property exists, ownership would revert to the town, Kaiman said.
Kaiman said members of the Allen family lived in the area since the Colonial era, when one of its members was involved in the Town of North Hempstead’s own declaration of its independence in 1775. Kroplick said six members of the family are buried in the cemetery, which the town is interested in restoring.
• The town board authorized emergency construction repairs of $510,000 to a storm drainage pipe at Michael J. Tully Park and issuance of bonds to cover the cost of the repairs. Kaiman said the repairs are needed to resolve problems related to a sinkhole at Tully Park.
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.
