Serving Great Neck, G.N. Plaza, G.N. Estates, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock and Thomaston
$1.50
Friday, March 15, 2024
Vol. 99, No. 11
GUIDE TO SCHOOLS, EDUCATION & CAMPS PAGES 23-30
TENANT WINS DAMAGE FROM LANDLORD IN VG
GOP PICKS ASSEMBLYMAN TO OPPOSE SUOZZI
PAGE 3
PAGE 6
Smiley, Shemesh face off Estates race only contested election BY C A M E RY N O A K ES Great Neck residents of five local villages will head to the polls Tuesday to vote, with Great Neck Estates headlining elections as the community’s only contested race with two candidates vying for a trustee position. The villages of Great Neck Plaza, Kensington, Saddle Rock and Thomaston will all hold uncontested elections featuring a variety of positions. Great Neck Estates The Village of Great Neck Estates will have one trustee position for a one-year term up for a vote, with incumbent Trustee Michael J. Smiley facing off against challenger Lilia Shemesh. Smiley, a second-generation, lifelong resident of Great Neck, was appointed to the board last year. He is also the village’s representative to the Water Authority of Great Neck North, serving in that post since 2017. He said he is seeking to be elected to his position to continue contributing positively to the village as he enjoys the responsibilities it encompasses to give back to the community. He first became involved in the village’s community service in 2001, later joining the village’s Zoning Board in 2014. He served on the Zoning Board up until his appointment to the Board of Trustees. Continued on Page 42
PHOTO COURTESY OF MALLORY WEBER
SCW Cultural Arts at Emanuel presented Massapequa Philharmonic, David Bernard, Music Director, performing an InsideOut Concert featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. See story on page 8.
Fire-damaged building to be demo’d Former Bombay Palace will come down after decades of abandonment BY C A M E RY N O A K ES Almost 20 years after a Great Neck building formerly occupied by an Indian restaurant and catering hall burned down, the Town of North Hempstead established an agreement with the owner for demolition at a public hearing Tuesday morning. A month and a half since the board denied a site plan approval for the Hillside Islamic Center, it rendered a deci-
sion explaining its disapproval at that same public hearing. The former home of the Bombay Palace at 380 Northern Blvd. was damaged by a fire about 18 years ago, which the town said has been unaddressed due to various issues including owner disputes. “This is really, really disgraceful that this has been going on so many years and nothing has been done,” Kathleen Levine, president of the University Gardens Property Owners Association, said. For years the owners have expressed an intent to demolish the building, even filing a demolition permit in July of 2021. But no demolition occurred and the town said it has failed to comply with its require-
ments. Multiple residents expressed concerns about the safety of the building, which many council members echoed, including hazards present at the site, rodents and sometimes individuals camping out at the building for periods of time. On March 1, the attorney representing the owners Robert Schaufeld said the owners entered into an agreement with a demolition contractor to begin the demolition on or after April 20. He said this was done before he was aware of the town’s public hearing. Schaufeld said he was not made aware of Tuesday’s public hearing and the town’s multiple notifications to the owners to be heard until the day prior.
But the town had requested demolition to start no later than April 5, with the required application to be filed by March 26 – two weeks earlier than the owner’s contract with the demolition contractor. The attorney asked to have the demolition timeline be pushed out two weeks to meet the ability of the contractor, saying it would not be simple to find a new contractor to fit the town’s timeline. While the board ultimately granted this extension, multiple council members and the building commissioner expressed their grievances and hesitancies to grant it due to the long history of neglect and issues to get any action taken on the property by the owners. Continued on Page 43