Serving Port Washington, Manorhaven, Flower Hill, Baxter Estates, Port Washington North, Sands Point
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Friday, March 15, 2024
Vol. 10, No. 11
PPortWashingtonTimes Po rt GUIDE TO SCHOOLS, EDUCATION & CAMPS PAGES 23-30
JOANNE’S PIZZA CLOSING
GOP PICKS ASSEMBLYMAN TO OPPOSE SUOZZI
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After 18 years, G.N. building to be demo’d Town reaches agreement with owners after complaints 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 decision 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 requirements. 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
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PORT WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT
Schreiber Theatre Company performs “Footloose,” including a pit orchestra in the production. See story on page 45.
Port residents to vote in uncontested elections BY C A M E RY N O A K ES Residents of three Port Washington villages will be going to the polls Tuesday to vote in their local elections, all of which feature uncontested races with mostly incumbents running. Baxter Estates, Flower Hill and Port Washington North will be holding elections Tuesday, with each of their ballots featuring a combination of different village positions.
Baxter Estates The Village of Baxter Estate’s ballot will feature the three positions of two trustees and one village justice. Trustee Alice M. Peckelis will be seeking re-election for another twoyear term on the village’s board. Peckelis has been a resident of Port Washington since 1978 and moved into Baxter Estates in 2005. She previously served as a trustee to the Village of Manorhaven from
1985-1989. She was appointed to Baxter Estate’s Board of Trustees in 2007 to fill a vacancy and has been serving on the board since. “There is nothing glamorous about being a trustee,” Peckelis wrote to Blank Slate. “The board enacts legislation designed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its residents and provides local services necessary for daily living.” Continued on Page 42