Serving New Hyde Park, Floral Park, Garden City Park, North Hills, Manhasset Hills and North New Hyde Park
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Friday, August 2, 2019
Vol. 68, No. 31
N E W H Y D E PA R K
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Best OF THE North Shore WINNERS
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BEST OF THE NORTH ZIMMERMAN WON’T SHORE WINNERS CHALLENGE SUOZZI
COUNTY CONSIDERS DIOXANE THREAT
PAGES 27-70
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PROUD SPONSORS:
Hempstead to vote on natural gas alternatives
HEAR ME ROAR!
National Grid voices it’s support, but notes it will handle deliveries BY TOM M CC A RT HY Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen is proposing a vote that would allow the town to seek natural gas alternatives to National Grid’s residential and small business service. “My administration is always looking for ways to provide financial relief to our residents and save them money,” Gillen said in a statement. Gillen’s plan for the town is to pursue what is known as a Community Choice Aggregation program, which would give residents the opportunity to get natural gas from an alternative provider. Her office said energy markets in New York were deregulated in 1998, giving towns in the state the opportunity to pursue CCA programs. Westchester has joined a similar program which the Town of Hempstead says has saved that county an estimated $15 million for 130,000 ratepayers.
The aim of a CCA program, according to Gillen’s office, is to reduce the supply cost of natural gas by procuring it cheaper via a third party bidding process. All eligible residents and businesses would be automatically enrolled but would be able to return to National Grid’s service and pricing at any time. The town projects that this proposal would affect 174,000 residential homes and small businesses and aim for the program to save 5 to 8 percent on natural gas bills each month. “The anticipated savings will effectively equate to a free month of natural gas for homeowners and small businesses,” Gillen said. The resolution will be voted on at a Town Board meeting on Tuesday. The town would then enter a competitive bidding process in which an alternative gas provider would be chosen with the expectation that an alternative provider could be available as early as the Continued on Page 83
PHOTO BY TOM MCCARTHY
New Hyde Park North Lions Club President Jeanne Dippel testing the new lion water fountain in Memorial Park. See story on page 4.
Community gives third track project high marks BY TOM MCCARTHY The results from the LIRR expansion team’s first-quarter community scorecards are in: Long Islanders gave the highest
marks to construction in Hicksville and Garden City Park and their lowest to the project in Carle Place and Floral Park. As part of the LIRR’s project to construct a third track from Floral Park to Hicksville,
the survey determines how much bonus money contractors earn from the project’s overall budget. “We feel our incentive program is another example of Continued on Page 83
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