Merrick
HERALD local libraries open to readers
liiFE takes a different form
N. Merrick author writes first book
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Vol. 23 No. 39
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SEPTEMBER 24 - 30, 2020
Residents decry rentals for Whaleneck ings, held Sept. 16, was expected to attract 20 to 30 people, but roughly 200 turned out. A petition opposing a developThe initial lack of a publicment complex proposed by address system caused a contenSouthern Land Company, which tious environment, with resiis seeking to build 140 mixed-use dents loudly voicing their conrental units at 3000 cerns across the Whaleneck Drive mask-wearing in south Merrick, crowd and causing had garnered neararguments over ly 1,000 signatures who should speak as of press time first. As Southern Tuesday. Land’s senior vice The Herald Life president, Dustin reported last Downey, attempted month that Southto describe the ern Land, a Nash- SuSAN details of the projville-based firm, is ect, the majority of in contract to buy SchochNER attendees shouted the eight-acre prop- Merrick “no” in unison. erty — subject to “The communiper mitting and ty doesn’t want rezoning approvals by the Town this,” one resident cried. of Hempstead — to construct “Speak for yourself,” replied five three-story buildings and another. waterside promenades at the site Hewlett Avenue resident Paul of the Whaleneck Marina and Healy, who started the Change. the restaurant Salt. If approved, org petition, took the floor to conthe project is projected to vey his concerns. “The proposal increase the property tax base by of multiple apartment buildings $16 million over the next 20 with several stories in a singleyears. home residential community Southern Land principals was a blaring siren to all of our have held a series of public hear- residents,” he later told the Herings to brief local residents on ald. “We recognize this is a penthe proposal and gather community feedback. One of those hearContinued on page 3
By AlySSA SEidMAN aseidman@liherald.com
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don’t want the hustle and bustle of the city here.
Courtesy Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District
AT MERRick AVENuE Middle School’s incoming seventh-grade orientation, students learned how to log onto Google Classroom while spaced out in the gymnasium.
Central District gears up for full in-person classes By ANdREW GARciA agarcia@liherald.com
Slowly but surely, a sense of normalcy is returning to the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District — despite new mandates of mask wearing, one-way hallways and desks equipped with plastic barriers. On Friday, the district’s students will return to full inperson classes for the first time since May, when schools across New York adopted dis-
tance-learning plans to slow the spread of the coronavrius. Middle and high schoolers in Bellmore and Merrick have attended lessons in a hybrid model, switching between inperson and virtual learning, since the school year began earlier this month. The roughly two weeks of the combined learning models have helped the district gauge the effectiveness of the new safety guidelines, ensuring that teachers and students have adapted to procedures,
officials said. The plan for Wednesday and Thursday was to stagger attendance so students “can continue practicing and perfecting the navigation of entrances, exits, stairwells and hallways with a decreased population,” Superintendent John DeTommaso wrote in a letter to parents. This also gave students “an opportunity to attend classes that have full in-person attendance,” he said. Continued on page 2