Lynbrook Village attorney: Capri decision could take more than a month

After public hearings, mayor's appointed panel waiting on testimony transcripts

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A panel made up of members of the Lynbrook Village board of trustees to determine whether or not the operators of the Capri Lynbrook Motor Inn should have their room-rental licenses revoked could take another month or two to reach a decision.

According to Village Attorney Peter Ledwith, the panel — made up of Deputy Mayor Alan Beach and Trustees Ann Marie Reardon and Hilary Becker — are awaiting the remainder of the transcripts from testimony given by police, expert witnesses and the hotel managers from five public hearings held in March and April before they make their decision.

Though they were appointed by Mayor Bill Hendrick and serve as trustees on the board, Ledwith said there is no inclination as to which way the panel will rule.

“They’re all very independent-minded persons, believe me,” Ledwith said. “You just don’t know what the panel would do, but these are not people who just go along. All three of them are very independent-minded folks, so you may have a real diversity of opinion.”

Ledwith said the transcripts from all five hearings should be ready by the end of June and some are already available. The panel members will review them before reaching a decision. Ledwith said he would draft a proposal summarizing both sides of the argument and present it to the panel to create a dialogue. “I have to honestly and fairly set forth what each side says on each issue,” Ledwith said.

Once a determination is reached, the village board will decide whether or not to adopt it. If the Capri’s owners have their licenses revoked, they will have a chance to argue their case to the Nassau County Board of Zoning Appeals. The motel has seven different owners with varying shares.

Over the last few years, Lynbrook police have arrested several people near the Capri on charges of assault, prostitution and drug possession. There have also been three deaths from overdoses at the motel, two in 2015 and one in 2016.

Last September, Hendrick announced that he was forming a committee to determine the fate of the Capri. In response, Joe Pizzuto, the Capri’s manager, denied any criminal activity. “There’s no prostitution there,” he said. “There’s nothing going on ... It’s maybe just a building that [the village doesn’t] want there.”