Serving The Willistons, Albertson, Herricks, Mineola, Roslyn Heights, and Searingtown
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Friday, July 28, 2017
Vol. 66, No. 30
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Health, Wellness & Beauty
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GUIDE TO HEALTH, TOWN AIMS TO CUT WELLNESS & BEAUTY PERMIT WAIT TIMES
MARTINS VOWS END TO NIFA IN 2 YEARS
PAGES 31-38, 43-50
PAGE 6
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Cuomo touts $5.6B LIRR ‘transformation’
PUT TING DOWN ROOTS
Calls third track a major piece in upgrade of transportation on L.I. BY N O A H M A N S K A R The Long Island Rail Road’s third track project is one piece of a $5.6 billion “transformation” that will increase the railroad’s capacity by up to 80 percent after five years, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last Wednesday. Speaking at a Long Island Association luncheon in Woodbury, Cuomo pitched the third track as part of a plan to revitalize and modernize the LIRR, which he characterized as stagnant and outdated. While Cuomo’s messaging about them is new, the projects themselves are not. Other parts of the plan, such as a second track on the Ronkonkoma branch and an overhaul of railroad infrastructure at the Jamaica station, have been in the works for years. “It is an investment in Long Island,” Cuomo told a crowd of about 1,000 on Wednesday. “These infrastructure projects are investments
that pay dividends, and multifold dividends.” Wednesday’s event was a sort of victory lap for Cuomo and supporters of the $1.95 billion third track project, for which funding was approved earlier this month. Also present were leaders and members of labor unions, elected officials and leaders of the Right Track for Long Island Coalition, a group organized to push for the project. It came as Amtrak works on two months of repairs at Penn Station in Manhattan, causing disruptions for LIRR commuters in what Cuomo has dubbed the “summer of hell.” Cuomo pushed the third track over the last 18 months despite local community opposition, winning over previous opponents of a 2005 proposal by making his plan less intrusive and adding community benefits. Cuomo’s staff negotiated agreements with affected municipalities that aim to mitigate any potential harm from construction. Continued on Page 66
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TOWN OF NORTH HEMPSTEAD
North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth and Councilman Peter Zuckerman (D-East Hills) greet and thank a volunteer from Human First for their work at Clark Botanic Garden in Albertson. See photo on page 22.
State rules govern E.W. assessments: officials BY N O A H MANSKAR Though a critic is pushing for local changes, East Williston officials say the village’s property assessment system is
largely governed by state rules that they are only administering. The village maintains its own assessment roll listing the taxable value of its 830some homes, but any changes
to those assessments follow a process governed by the state law and the state’s Office of Real Property Services, Bonnie Kreisman, the deputy village clerk, said. Continued on Page 66
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