Serving Williston Park, East Williston, Mineola, Albertson and Searingtown
$1
Friday, February 7, 2020
Vol. 69, No. 6
VALENTINE’S DAY GUIDE
BLOOMBERG TO OPEN CURRAN AWARDS TRANSITOFFICE IN MINEOLA ORIENTED HOUSING GRANTS
PAGES 37-44
PAGE 2
Town inaction on applications spurs lawsuit
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-T H O N S I G H T I N G
N. Hempstead joins 3 villages sued by ExteNet over cell node installations BY R O S E W E L D ON ExteNet Systems has filed suit against the Town of North Hempstead for failing to act on its 16 applications for cell nodes in unincorporated areas of Port Washington. The wireless infrastructure provider, which had been contracted by Verizon Wireless to build nodes across the North Shore, alleges in the suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, that the town’s council failed to act on the company’s applications within a “reasonable” time frame. ExteNet says in its complaint that its applications were filed with the town on Aug. 23, 2019, and that 14 days after the filings, on Sept. 6, the town paused the 90-day “shot clock” by “requesting additional information, indicating that the Defendants did not consider ExteNet’s application to be complete.”
The company says the town received additional information from it on Oct. 1, and that with the “shot clock” reset by Federal Communications Commission rules, the town had until Dec. 30 to act on the applications. Over the course of the town’s meetings in the ensuing months, the applications were not brought up in public session by the board, “triggering the filing action within 30 days thereafter,” the suit says. The complaint, which also claims that ExteNet began working with the town on the applications in 2017, says that the town had asked the company to hold off on submitting them. “In its almost three years of discussions with various town personnel, ExteNet was repeatedly asked to hold off on filing applications until the town could develop various processes, a Right-of-Way Access Agreement, and a local ordinance.” Continued on Page 64
PHOTO BY DAN OFFNER
This snake was one of many animals in attendance for the East Williston school district’s annual STEAM Fair. See story on page 5 and more photos on page 20.
D’Urso will not seek re-election to Assembly BY R O S E W E L D ON
D’Urso, 80, was elected in the 16th Assembly District in State Assemblyman An- 2016 and won a second term thony D’Urso (D-Port Washing- in 2018. The district includes ton) will not seek re-election Great Neck, Port Washington, this year, his office announced Manhasset, Roslyn Heights, North Hills, Flower Hill, Tuesday.
Lake Success, Baxter Estates, Manorhaven and Sands Point. Before serving in the Assembly, D’Urso had worked for over 30 years in New York City’s Department of Housing Continued on Page 65
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