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Friday, October 7, 2022
Vol. 7, No. 40
PortWashingtonTimes HOME & DESIGN
PORT SCHOOLS RANKED #23 IN STATE
ZIMMERMAN, SANTOS SQUARE OFF
PAGES 23-30
PAGE 3
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LIRR express service to stay on Port line
L E A R N I N G C E L E B R AT E D
No rush hour trains will be removed BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z After proposing changes to the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Washington branch that would have eliminatedexpress service as part of the agency’s East Side Access project, transit officials announced Thursday that they have abandoned their plans to do so. The draft timetable changes, residents and officials said, would shortchange commuters throughout Port Washington, Plandome, Manhasset and Great Neck by decreasing express service. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority held multiple virtual sessions to hear feedback from North Shore residents and officials, a majority of which was in opposition to the proposed cutbacks. State Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-North Hills) and state Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti (D-Port Washington) helped lead a charge that encouraged residents and other elected officials throughout the North Shore areas to express their concerns to transit officials so that the longstanding express service could be retained. The two expressed their excitement following the announcement that the plans to eliminate the express service would not come to fruition. “Thousands of residents in this community have spoken up about the impact of the proposed cuts on their daily lives, and today, the MTA has
heard us, and taken action to address our concerns,” Kaplan said in a statement. “I applaud the MTA and LIRR for working to ensure our community still has express train service to Penn Station even after Grand Central Madison opens this winter, but there is still more to be done to ensure our communities get the level of service we need and deserve.” “When the draft timetables were released at the beginning of the summer, I listened to the thousands of commuters who were outraged to see the elimination of the express trains,” Sillitti said. “After thousands of public comments, three packed public hearings, and hours of testimony, I am grateful that the MTA and the LIRR heard the concerns and restored express train service back to the Port Washington Line.” Overall, the branch will receive an 11% boost in service, with more trains becoming available for commuters on the Port Washington Branch, according to the draft schedules following the agency’s announcement. A total of 103 trains per day will be servicing the branch, 10 more than the current schedule has, officials said. On weekends, a total of five more trains, 81 total, will be operating along the branch. The draft morning rush hour schedule includes 15 trains arriving in Manhattan between 6:16 a.m. and Continued on Page 43
PHOTO COURTESY OF PORT WASHINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Salem Elementary School celebrated its First Annual RULER Charter Day. RULER is a systematic method to social emotional learning that intends to instill emotional intelligence principles into schools.
West Shore Rd. hearing draws opponents By Steven Keehner Days after Pride in Port, where locals celebrated Port Washington, many took the stage to oppose a proposed seven-story, 176-unit residential development projectwith a 29-
slip public marina at 145 West Shore Road that opponents say could change their community forever. On Wednesday night, North Hempstead’s Town Hall hosted a public hearing on the proposed West
Shore Residences’ draft environmental impact statement. While most speakers opposed the project, some residents and union representatives spoke in its Continued on Page 42
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