Gibson blight, roads top Village Hall meeting agenda

Besides flood maps, local officials talked to residents about several other issues of concern in Valley Stream at the town-hall style meeting on May 19. At the top of the list were the vacant storefronts on Gibson Boulevard, the site of a stalled housing project.

Village Clerk Bob Barra said that he and Mayor Ed Fare are trying to get the project going again, and are seeking funding from the Nassau County office of Community Development. The property’s owner, Dr. Leonard Bleicher, won approval last year for a 39-unit apartment complex on the property.

The land is directly behind the Gibson train station. Barra said that village officials would like to see the proposed project go forward, and are seeking funds to “kick-start” construction. He added that village officials are just as unhappy about the vacant, boarded-up buildings as residents.

Alan Schaecter, who years ago led a lawsuit against the project, said he is still unhappy about the prospect of a housing complex and would prefer to see the property stay commercial. “It’s always been stores since I’ve lived there,” said Schaecter, who moved to Gibson Boulevard in 1955.

Assemblyman Brian Curran, who hosted his first town hall-style meeting since he took office in January, addressed some issues at the state level. He said the Assembly is still considering the 2 percent property tax cap, which has passed the Senate and has the support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The cap would limit how much school districts and municipalities can raise taxes each year.

Curran said that a tax cap must come with mandate relief. “Something has to be done,” he said about rising property taxes, “but at the same point, we don’t want to ruin education or the municipalities.”

He said he expects the Assembly to act on a tax cap by the end of June.

Curran spoke about cuts to education, and noted that the state Legislature restored $230 million that was initially cut under Cuomo’s budget proposal. About $1.3 million of that came to schools in Curran’s 14th Assembly District.

Some residents said they are concerned with drivers running red lights on Sunrise Highway, especially at Rockaway Avenue and Franklin Avenue. Councilman Jim Darcy agreed, saying that he goes to McDonalds every morning and watches numerous cars run the light at Sunrise and Rockaway.

Fare said there is nothing the village can do in terms of enforcement because it does not have a police department, but he will contact officials at the Nassau County 5th Precinct to notify them of the problem.

The mayor also addressed the condition of village streets. He said there is a list every year of roads to repave, based on which are in the worst condition. Fare said that the village can’t do all roads at once. “Everybody wants a new street,” he said. “With 93 miles of streets, that’s $93 million.”