Serving Roslyn, East Hills, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn Heights, Harbor Hills, Greenvale, Old Westbury and North Hills
$1
Friday, August 9, 2019
Vol. 7, No. 32
GUIDE TO SENIOR LIVING
FLOWER HILLS CLOSES EXTENET HEARING
COUNTY NEARS BALANCED BUDGET
PAGES 27-32, 41-46
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Merchants say parking rules dry up business Argue meters, ticketing are to blame BY T E R I W EST
PHOTO BY TERI WEST
A central section of Old Northern Boulevard in the Village of Roslyn is regulated with Muni-Meters.
Victoria Gothels said her job as manager at Village Nails of Roslyn has gradually morphed into one similar to the role of a valet. If a customer comes in stressed because the meter she parked at was broken, Gothels takes her keys, finds another meter to print a pass at and slips it on her dashboard. If another says her meter printed a refund ticket after she paid but never got a pass, the manager will make the call for her to get the dollar back. The nail salon has been open for 30 years, and owner Judy Seu said
the shop has never been in so much trouble financially. She’s not alone. Storeowners and employees along the Village of Roslyn’s main business street, Old Northern Boulevard, which is lined with restaurants and boutiques, say the evermalfunctioning meters, lengthy list of parking regulations and strict enforcement are gradually gutting the village of its customers. “I would say our sales are down 10 percent year over year and most of it’s pretty much because of parking,” said one business owner, who like many requested anonymity. Continued on Page 71
Off-duty cop gets man out of burning car BY T E R I W EST
exploding. Within that brief span, while There were just two minutes on the Northern State Parkway between the time Officer Joseph in Roslyn, Ryder managed to get Ryder saw a car driving by with the driver’s attention, have him sparks flying and the gas tank pull over and get him out of the
car before the explosion. The incident occurred the night of July 25 when Ryder, a police officer in the New York Police Department, was on his way home to West Babylon on the Northern State. He had just passed Exit 29 when he noticed the car with sparks. About 15 seconds later the sparks became a fire, he said.
“All the other drivers are just going around him, and the entire underside of his car’s on fire,” he said. So he wailed on his horn, first from behind and then next to the burning car. When the driver pulled over, Ryder did, too, and together they stood about 40 feet back, he said. The gas tank exploded about a minute later.
“I just felt like I was in the right place in the right time,” Ryder said. “I think anyone else would have done the same thing.” In addition to being a police officer, Ryder volunteers with the East Farmingdale Volunteer Fire Company. He has witnessed many car fires, but the gas tank rarely explodes, he said. Continued on Page 59
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