Taking care of Lawrence village’s business

In less than an hour much was accomplished at the Village of Lawrence board of trustees meeting on Dec. 21.

A group of residents who live near the now closed Lawrence sewage treatment plant made their pitch that housing would be preferable than developing the 4.35-acre site into a park or a community center, ideas that were floated nearly two years ago. The county will retain about a half acre.

Mayor Alex Edelman said the board is considering dividing the property into several lots for the construction of single-family homes. The residents said that is more in line with what they had in mind. According to village officials, the plant could be demolished by April, depending on Nassau County.

With the #MeToo movement still gaining momentum, village officials established a sexual harassment policy that aims to keep the work environment free from any form of harassment and discrimination. In addition to maintaining appropriate behavior (see sidebar), the policy includes a complaint procedure, which notes that reporting an incident promptly is important and an investigation will be conducted by the village administrator, who serves as the equal opportunity compliance officer.

For applicants who have issues with decisions by the Board of Building Design, appeals will now go straight to legal action instead of the village board.

Lawrence has engaged Cory Menking as a consultant to oversee the golf course. Menking said he was getting acclimating and raring to go as the new season is only a few months away.

The village instituted rates for pickleball play. The game combines elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis. It can be played with two, three, or four players that use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a perforated plastic ball, similar to a wiffle ball, over a net.

For Lawrence residents a pickleball membership is $200 and for nonresidents its $350. Pickleball memberships are included in the club’s tennis memberships. There are varying daily fees. The pickleball courts are available seven days a week after 1 p.m. to sunset. On weekends and holidays before 1 p.m. Courts will not be available during the times the tennis courts are busy. Pickleball courts will be used for parking on the weekend.

Patricia Coco, the clerk to Village Justice Donald Buchalter, resigned, effective Jan. 12. Karen Sarnelli will be the new clerk.