[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:00] Okay. All right. Good evening, everybody.
[0:07] If you'd all please stand and place your right hand over your heart and join me in saying the pledge for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
[0:29] Happy 250th birthday. Okay. Madam Clerk, would you please call the roll?
[0:34] Good evening, everybody.
[0:36] Tell our front-end street on board meeting July 7th, 2026.
[0:40] Consumers in China.
[0:42] Yes, sir.
[0:43] Consumers in Scott.
[0:44] Yes.
[0:44] Consumers in Walsh.
[0:45] Yes.
[0:46] Consumers in Liu.
[0:47] Yes.
[0:48] Consumers in Lviv.
[0:49] Yes.
[0:49] Supervisor de Sena.
[0:51] Here.
[0:51] Thank you.
[0:52] OK, so tonight is a very special meeting.
[0:55] We have a town board room full of men and women
[0:58] from our volunteer fire service.
[1:01] So I'm very, very happy.
[1:02] I'm
[1:09] very happy to see all of you here supporting your members.
[1:15] Tonight, we are honoring five members in particular.
[1:20] There is a woman alive tonight, thanks to the work of these five men.
[1:27] And we thank our fire service all the time, we thank you for your training, and your preparation, and your dedication.
[1:37] But right now we got to see the results of your training.
[1:42] So everybody is aware that there are a lot of mandates now on the fire service,
[1:50] and it's become a little challenging to recruit.
[1:55] It's expensive to live here.
[1:57] And some of our members don't feel that they're able to stay in North Hempstead
[2:04] and be part of the fire service.
[2:07] So tonight I hope we're able to change that a little bit.
[2:11] I hope that seeing how important you are to us
[2:14] and for us thanking and recognizing you for working together
[2:20] and saving a life.
[2:22] I hope that we have more young people,
[2:26] even more middle-aged people see that this is an incredible family
[2:31] and be inspired to come and meet you on one of your recruitment days.
[2:38] So in particular, these events began on Father's Day evening, June 21st.
[2:46] I have been told that there was a very large turnout at the House in Roslyn,
[2:52] because many of you also had been at a fire in Manor Haven, that same night.
[2:57] So there was a large presence there.
[3:03] Albertson was on the scene first, and it is because of the training and working together
[3:11] that these five men were able to go in and safely save a life.
[3:20] So we're very grateful for your training, we're grateful for the fire academy
[3:24] because of the Nassau County Fire Academy and the instructors there, all of our
[3:30] members are better prepared to work together, they train together, and so we
[3:38] hear this town board and all the residents of Northamstead are so grateful, so
[3:45] appreciative of your training and your efforts and of what you did on June 21st.
[3:52] So I have some proclamation, so I'm going to, I left them over there at the other microphone and I'll ask you to each come forward and be recognized.
[4:21] Okay. Now, four of you were included in the newspaper article and then some of you explained to us that there was one more volunteer who should be recognized, who was also there, who lived right nearby and was off duty
[4:38] but came on the scene with Hoses in hand to help this job actually be accomplished successfully.
[4:47] So would you please come forward.
[4:50] Kevin Rommel.
[4:51] I'm
[5:14] a department.
[5:21] We'll stand in the middle. We'll take a photo with this gentleman and the whole board. And then we'll take one separate photo.
[5:28] I'll take a photo with this gentleman and the whole board. And then we'll take one separate photo.
[5:35] Yeah, can we just move on?
[5:37] That's good.
[5:38] I'm sorry.
[5:39] They were scared to come forward.
[5:40] I'm all right out there.
[5:43] Okay.
[5:43] I'll talk about the center.
[5:44] Can we just move on?
[5:45] Okay.
[5:46] Okay.
[5:50] Okay.
[5:50] That's the way you turn up.
[5:53] Very good.
[5:59] Good?
[6:00] Okay.
[6:01] Okay.
[6:01] We'll call you back.
[6:02] All right.
[6:02] Thank you.
[6:04] All right.
[6:06] Thank you.
[6:07] Thank you.
[6:09] Thank you.
[6:09] Thank you.
[6:10] Thank you.
[6:10] Thank you.
[6:11] Thank you.
[6:41] By
[9:40] the way, I forgot to thank the families, these gentlemen,
[9:49] and by the way, these five
[9:52] happen to be gentlemen, but I see many ladies here also who are in the fire service.
[9:57] Thank you and we need more ladies in the fire service, but you wouldn't be able to give
[10:04] your time to us and the residents if your families didn't say yes and give up their time
[10:09] with you.
[10:10] So thank you to all of our families in the fire service.
[10:14] Would
[10:23] any of you like to say a few words about the evening?
[10:31] I'll start by saying thank you to you three gentlemen.
[10:34] You guys came down and helped after we found her and I can't thank you enough for helping get her out.
[10:40] She's here today with us because of that and I appreciate that heavily.
[10:44] That night it started out at 11.02. I'll be specific. I'm like that.
[10:49] We got there and then we found out she was in the house and everyone rushed into action.
[10:55] Many, like you said, were coming from Manor Haven, still kind of under their own ways back home.
[11:01] And we found out very, very quickly all things considered and got her out and she was transported really quickly.
[11:09] We were very lucky for that. Thank God.
[11:12] And the fire went out. That's the best we can hope for, right? The oil goes out at the end.
[11:18] It was a stressful fire for the first 15-20 minutes.
[11:23] And, you know, I can't thank my guys enough for every work they do and for all the mutual
[11:28] aid companies that came and joined us that day. Thank you.
[13:41] Listen, hold on, before anybody leaves because it looks like you're getting ready to leave.
[13:46] I want to say something. People in that sort of county, people in the town of North
[13:50] Hems that have no idea what would happen if there wasn't a volunteer fraud apartment.
[13:54] The reason why we can afford to live in our houses is because we have a volunteer fire department.
[14:00] We could not afford to pay for a fire department without taxes going up tremendously.
[14:06] So I want to thank everyone who is for keeping us safe and making sure that things continue the way they have.
[14:12] And again, people who are listening at home.
[14:15] Your taxes are going through the ceiling if not for these people in this room right now.
[14:19] I'm
[14:29] going to wait for everybody to finish the photos.
[14:37] Are we photobombing you guys?
[15:31] Can you guys hear me out there?
[15:37] I just want to point something out. Of course, every one of you guys
[15:45] have always done a great job and I was there for the fire at the Sump and I went to the
[15:51] location that that fire happened watching the back fences. I don't think anybody truly
[15:57] realizes the intense heat that comes off of that fire there was no back
[16:02] friends that PVC melted and I'm not pointing anybody out but I have to
[16:09] mention our firemembers some of them didn't get back to the firehouse some of
[16:14] them were at their house that were living next door and decided to start
[16:18] fighting that fire without the without gear on or anything started off with
[16:23] the fire hose and I was Kevin Rommel. I like to point out that the Rommel family, Eddie
[16:32] Rommel, was a 28-year member, ex-captain and ex-chief of the Menial Ambulance for 25 years.
[16:41] And the Rommel family would, Eddie, he was also a retired NYPD sergeant as many of us knows.
[16:47] And he passed away from 9-11 related illnesses.
[16:52] This family keeps giving as many of you do, and I want to thank you.
[16:57] I was a cop. I couldn't be a fireman because I just, I don't know how you guys do it, but God makes everybody for something.
[17:03] I tip my hat to you. I salute you all. And thank you for what you do.
[17:08] Really, from the bottom of my heart, thanks.
[17:11] I'd also like to add my huge thank yous, you know, when there's a fire, everyone's
[17:20] running out of the building, but you guys, you run straight into danger and straight
[17:23] into the fire.
[17:25] And so we certainly appreciate from the bottom of our heart your courage, your bravery and
[17:32] your commitment to service and sacrifice here in our town and throughout.
[17:37] out. So thank you for always answering that call. It's really hard for families to when
[17:42] my husband gets that call in the middle of the night, and he's always ready to go.
[17:47] And so I know it disrupts your sleep, but you guys go above and beyond. And I thank you
[17:53] so much. And we're always here for you and support you. And congratulations on a wonderful
[17:58] job. Thank you so much.
[18:03] I also want to add something. This family that the fire happened in Rosin Heights, they're
[18:08] family friends and at that time I was in India because my father just passed away and I was in
[18:13] India for his prayers and all that and they call me in India and the daughter is getting married
[18:18] so they were preparing for the wedding and they were so grateful they were saying that the
[18:24] lives were saved mom is still recovering the mother the elderly mother she is still in hospital recovering
[18:30] but they are all like so grateful that the lives were saved and at least they can still go ahead
[18:35] get the wedding done, and the ceremonies can still, tomorrow is the ceremony starting, I'm going to attend actually, and on behalf of that family, I want to thank all of you for saving those precious lives. Thank you.
[18:55] Okay, thank you.
[18:59] I just want to add on behalf of Marianne, Councilwoman Marianne Del Monte is not feeling well tonight, but she comes from a family of volunteer firefighters, and so I want to add her.
[19:12] thank you and congratulations. So thank you.
[19:23] And I still have a few spots open in my
[19:25] dragon boat, which is a dragon boat. Yes, well, so I need a few more paddlers. I know
[19:36] that you're strong and brave, so please spread the word and let me know if you'd like to come
[19:40] out and paddle with me. Thank you all for coming. Have a wonderful night.
[20:50] It's a full one.
[20:52] All the best.
[20:57] Thank you very much.
[22:12] Thank you.
[22:14] Thank you.
[22:14] Thank you.
[22:16] Thank you.
[22:17] Thank you.
[22:44] Okay. Thank you everybody for your patience. Now we'll have 30 minutes of public comment
[22:51] starting with Stanley Lucy or Lacey. Lacey okay.
[23:01] Hi good evening and thank you so much
[23:04] for offering the time.
[23:07] I rise tonight in support of a resolution
[23:11] that was authored by Robert Toriano,
[23:16] Councilman Toriano's resolution regarding
[23:18] town communication and mailers and separating
[23:22] and making sure that that use of public funds
[23:24] is always justified.
[23:26] It seems like a very common sense proposal to me,
[23:29] common sense being something that is
[23:31] an increasingly short supply.
[23:32] I moved to Town of North Impset with my wife in 2017 and I'm frequently very mindful of the
[23:44] tenor of our local politics. They seem outlandishly vitriolic to me. Sometimes what I think of is
[23:56] the best of our town we just saw here where we all got together and every single person here
[24:01] acknowledge is what a wonderful thing it is that we have these volunteer firefighters
[24:05] are so brave and acknowledge heroic feats of bravery that they just saw.
[24:13] However, when our town mailings come out and I received two in the last couple of weeks
[24:19] I believe, with full glossy photos of our town supervisor, Mr. Senna, on one side, one
[24:27] those touted her record on taxation.
[24:31] I'm sure the public has a right to know that information,
[24:33] but when I think of that in contrast with touting
[24:37] what our town firefighters do,
[24:39] or the Dragonboat Festival that's coming up soon,
[24:42] or any of the wonderful community-centered events
[24:45] that take place in Northampsett
[24:46] that are worthy of that sort of time and attention,
[24:51] that blatantly transparent campaigning
[24:54] on the public dime is very offensive.
[24:58] It seems also that maybe if there were some more eyes
[25:00] on the prize and not just those that are most interested
[25:05] in the campaigners, mailings, reaching its intended audience,
[25:10] perhaps we wouldn't see silly mistakes like happened
[25:14] with the second mailing that I received
[25:15] from the town of North Hempstead.
[25:18] The town of North Hempstead wanted me to know
[25:20] that the adoption fees were being waived this month for dogs, which is wonderful because we're considering adopting a puppy.
[25:27] And I was very glad to know the meat of that information.
[25:31] But I do think that when we see that, we see glossy mailings, glamorizing our town council members or supervisors,
[25:39] rather than celebrating the events that are going on in the town.
[25:43] That's not an appropriate stewardship of town resources, which should belong to us as a community.
[25:47] So, I respectfully ask that a hearing be scheduled on that resolution and that the town people be heard on it.
[25:55] Thank you.
[25:55] Thank you.
[25:57] Denise Hill?
[26:09] Good evening.
[26:11] I too am speaking in support of that resolution.
[26:14] I know two of America's most valuable ideas are the pursuit of justice and fairness.
[26:21] Unfortunately, occurrences of late by local and federal governments make it easy for
[26:29] one to question if some of us still hold these values to be true.
[26:34] Supervisor DeCena, isn't it the purpose of government to ensure fairness to all of its
[26:40] constituents?
[26:42] I've witnessed this town council pass a ruling to limit discussions to only town matters.
[26:49] Is it right and fair to entertain discussion of national issues and global conflicts by
[26:59] some members of town council and then turn around and limit that same type of discussion
[27:05] from others?
[27:06] There are postings on the official town of North Hemseds, Facebook page, supporting the
[27:15] war in Iran.
[27:16] Is it right and fair to use the town of North Hempstead's official social media powered
[27:24] by taxpayer dollars to express personal opinions about global wars?
[27:33] When did foreign wars become an official town matter?
[27:38] And is this an official position of the town council?
[27:42] was this post-vetted with all of its members?
[27:47] And even if it was, how is that town business?
[27:51] And how is that directly helpful to the people
[27:54] of the town of North Hamstead?
[27:57] It's both of personal politics
[28:00] and it must be removed from the official town postings
[28:04] paid TV and print ads and mailings
[28:08] and should be relegated to non-official media channels.
[28:14] It is a mismanagement of public funding, not to do so.
[28:19] The town council must set hearing date to consider a ruling to keep dialogues about town business only
[28:28] and eliminate inferences of political leanings out of town communications for all involved.
[28:37] You know what town business is. We've seen it here today. Helping the folks of North
[28:43] Hempstead who are wrestling with food insecurity inflated course for basic needs intensified
[28:52] by these conflicts and and closings in the state of Hormuz. People struggling to fill their
[29:00] gas tanks, put food on the table, and pay for the rising course of health care.
[29:07] These are town matters.
[29:09] Thank you.
[29:11] Thank you.
[29:11] Thank you.
[29:14] Thank you, May.
[29:25] Good evening.
[29:26] I'm proud to say that I've worked in politics for over 30 years.
[29:30] It's been my privilege to work for fine politicians like former Congresswoman Karen McCarthy and New
[29:40] the most bipartisan politicians I've known. There's a strict line between political activity
[29:48] and government activity that I have respected in my years in politics. I'm here tonight
[29:54] because I think that line has been crossed by some of our town elected officials.
[30:00] Supervisor Call to press conference some years ago to inform the public about what she wanted to do with the money that the town would receive from President Biden's infrastructure bill. Only Republican elected officials were invited, even though no members of the Republican Party voted for the bill in Congress. It was absolutely a political event sponsored by the supervisor. Why not invite Democrats since you are a registered Democrat? Supervisor could stop news day and other publications from stating
[30:29] that she is a registered Democrat, but she doesn't, because it's better for her politically.
[30:35] Mrs. McCarthy never did that.
[30:38] My question tonight is for the supervisor.
[30:40] Is your refusal to set a hearing date on the resolution regarding town communications and mailers?
[30:47] Because if the resolution passed, it would limit your ability to use town resources on your political agenda.
[30:57] This is time for you to speak.
[31:18] are you okay thank you I think this is this respectful now where I just
[31:23] call the this is this is public comment this is not supervisor comment my
[31:28] My other comment I think it's really disrespectful not to give our residents an answer. They come here to ask a question and
[31:34] You just ignore them. It's not right. Yeah, but you're only bringing that subject up now
[31:38] I've never heard you bring it up before but many
[31:41] Okay, yes, you might as a pattern is not to answer either emails or questions from the audience. Okay, Mr
[31:48] No, no, no, Mr. Bernoulli
[31:51] Mr
[31:53] No, you I'm sorry
[31:54] Sorry?
[31:56] No.
[31:57] No.
[31:57] No, you can.
[31:59] I will take it again.
[31:59] You order a spoken three minutes.
[32:00] Thank you.
[32:01] The next person.
[32:02] Yes.
[32:02] The finale.
[32:04] Okay.
[32:05] Good evening, town council.
[32:07] Good evening.
[32:08] About a week ago, I was trying to trap some cats from my friend Carol.
[32:11] She just left.
[32:12] She wasn't feeling well.
[32:14] Due to one of the cats being incredibly smart, we were unsuccessful.
[32:18] And the logistics of catching these cats is a nightmare.
[32:21] Not only do we have to pick a day when I was off from work,
[32:23] work, but we also had to find an affordable vet clinic to take the cats to be spayed
[32:28] and neutered. With no affordable options nearby, we had a factor in traveling to this clinic
[32:32] as well. Since we didn't catch the cats, we have to pull out a calendar and try to map
[32:37] out a plan all over again this week, because this is North Hemstead and nothing here gets
[32:43] done for the cats. On several locations that have been up here, I've mentioned that the
[32:47] town of Hemstead's animal shelter had spayed neuter services three times a week. While
[32:51] I haven't checked in on them in a while.
[32:53] It turns out I was grossly mistaken.
[32:55] The town of Hempstead, unlike North Hempstead,
[32:57] has been making progress.
[32:58] I just recently found out that they now
[33:01] have spain neuter services six times a week,
[33:04] and they have a mobile program.
[33:07] You're not going to make a dent in the homeless cat situation
[33:09] here.
[33:10] People have jobs, responsibilities, finite amount of money.
[33:14] While you have people like Liz and Carol and Sherada,
[33:17] who are willing to generously donate their time
[33:19] to help animals in need, ultimately with either true shelter to place, in place to help
[33:24] channel these efforts, you're just waiting for these compassionate people to eventually
[33:28] burn out.
[33:30] We need a proper facility, so their hard work actually creates lasting change instead
[33:35] of just delaying the inevitable.
[33:37] You have no place for the cats to be surrendered by those in fit to be guardians, the elderly.
[33:41] You have no place to take cats who have medical emergencies, and though you have a TNR voucher
[33:46] program which was meant to assist the once a month TNR clinic which lets not kid ourselves
[33:51] is woefully inadequate. This town by no means should be considered to have a humane or
[33:56] ethical policy towards cats at all. More is being done in places with far less resources.
[34:02] I don't think pleading is the way forward. People have tried that for 20 years. At this
[34:07] point we cannot deny that this is a case study in willful animal neglect and that our job
[34:11] is animal advocates is to point out culpability. If I'm wrong, well then why are we the only
[34:18] town in the Long Island without a catch shelter? Thank you. Thank you.
[34:24] Stuart Kroll.
[34:34] It's astonishing that for 20 years, this town remains the only one on Long Island with no catch
[34:38] shelter. When advocates come to speak, they're met with absolute silence. They are regaled with
[34:43] tales of innocent creatures suffering and dying in the streets, yet there's no change of expression.
[34:48] Does anybody in this board feel compelled by their conscience to disregard party position
[34:52] and stand up for what's right?
[34:54] Aless, once again, does anyone on this board want to join us in voicing support for
[34:58] a cat shelter?
[35:00] Feel free to talk, I guess not.
[35:03] Okay, I can't control, you know, I can't understand the fear of reprisal would stop somebody
[35:08] for standing up for what is right.
[35:10] We have the one of the wealthiest towns anywhere, and yet we ignore needless suffering and treat
[35:14] cat owners as second-class citizens.
[35:16] Once again, if you were a cat owner in North Hempstead, I urge you to realize you are treated
[35:20] with total disdain. You pay the same taxes as a dog owner, yet you don't receive the same
[35:24] benefits. There's a significant safety net for a dog owner who dies or for some other
[35:29] reason can no longer take care of his dog. I would dog shelter will take in your pet and
[35:33] hopefully be adopted once again. A cat owner in our fair town has no way to turn as our
[35:38] shelter only admits dogs. The annual budget of the dog shelter is roughly $1 million.
[35:42] dollars, and each and every turn cats and their owners are blatantly discriminated against.
[35:47] Why should a cat owner facing life crises have nowhere in our town to turn to for help?
[35:52] Is this even remotely fair?
[35:54] I think not.
[35:55] Ms. Cassena, you said the decision to not have a cat shelter was made 20 years ago by John
[36:00] Cayman.
[36:01] He diverted $130,000, as we know, to heaven knows where, and the contractor sued our town
[36:06] and collected the $130,000 settlement.
[36:08] That argument is spurious and cruel.
[36:10] Conditions and realities are constantly changing,
[36:13] and it misstifies me how this board,
[36:17] and specifically you, Mr. Center, can sit back
[36:19] and watch innocent cats suffering and dying on the streets.
[36:22] We have approximately $30 million that I know
[36:24] within our capital fund, and therefore,
[36:26] this is cruelty to the nth degree.
[36:29] A word about the free adoption program
[36:31] is this blatantly political.
[36:33] While we all want to see as many dogs as possible adopted,
[36:35] The reality is we have a $57 adoption fee.
[36:38] I, Liz, and numerous other people I know have spent over $10,000 out of our pockets on cats off the street getting surgeries.
[36:45] If you can't afford the $57, what's going to happen when you can't get sick?
[36:48] Or your door gets sick.
[36:50] Nothing. You can't afford to take care of it.
[36:52] And the animals can end up either dead or back at on the street.
[36:56] Many advocates, including myself, have gone through this situation.
[36:59] I was told that the Hempstead shelter has now returned to fixing cats five or six days a week.
[37:03] week. We have a voucher program where you have to drive 30 minutes
[37:07] deist meadow each way. It is also important to note that Hemsted can hold
[37:10] female cats for two days, which is medically a necessity. Our voucher program
[37:14] does not offer this mandated service. We also have no mandated, we have no
[37:20] monthly program, which we used to have for the past year. The conditions and
[37:24] services for this town are way below that of any of your town on Long Island.
[37:27] This is really a pathetic situation. Mr. Sena, you sit here dispassionally
[37:32] and thank us for coming. I hope that you will be thanking us for coming the day after
[37:35] election day. Thank you.
[37:41] Francesca's honor.
[37:53] Excuse me. Thank you. My goodness. There's
[37:56] always so many things to talk about after other people speak. I am so grateful to the firefighters
[38:02] and for what you did here for them for that ceremony. It is so important to recognize the
[38:09] people who give so much time and give up the possibility of their lives when they come
[38:17] out every day to fight for us.
[38:24] I spoke in a recent meeting on the inconsistency of the public Facebook page and the speaking
[38:31] out in support of the war in Iran and previous to that, there was not support for the police
[38:40] officers at the Capitol who fought valiantly on January 6th a number of years ago as you all know and I did not have the opportunity to speak at the end of the meeting last time and I have to silence this complicity and I have to speak out on something that council member levy said, which was that certain things might have been a hoax, including January 6th and I can't just let
[39:10] But that sit and Mr. Senna, you did not say anything against that, which I also found
[39:16] appalling.
[39:18] I don't know how young Mr. Levy is.
[39:22] I'm old enough, though, to have watched on 9-11, which was also not a hoax.
[39:27] People jumping out of windows, in desperation, crashing to the pavement.
[39:33] And that was a sound I will never, ever forget.
[39:35] that there are also people who believe that that was conspiracy and that is astonishing
[39:41] to me.
[39:43] Here, we believe in free speech.
[39:47] This is an opportunity for free speech.
[39:52] Councilmember Triano put forth a resolution to get a date on the calendar for the public
[39:59] to speak on these issues of how the public resources are used.
[40:03] First, I don't know the rules, I don't know how it works, my question for the board
[40:09] and specifically for the supervisor is when a resolution is presented by a council
[40:15] member is that always having to be set, is the date always set for that.
[40:22] What are the rules?
[40:24] Because I don't know the rules.
[40:27] can you deny a resolution to be set so that the public has an opportunity to know
[40:33] something will be discussed? Is that something that is allowed to happen? Is
[40:39] that typical? That's my question for you. Is it typical to deny a date to have
[40:45] something discussed for the public so that people know in advance? That's the
[40:50] question I have. Are you able to answer that question? It's kind of confusing
[40:54] in question. I know because I am very confused by the way that these things work. If somebody
[41:00] sets forth a resolution, do you have to set a date for the public to hear about that? Can
[41:06] you vote? You vote on Mr. Nicolello. Can you try and answer the question?
[41:17] Sure. The resolution
[41:19] referring to as a resolution setting a date for a hearing on a local law and what members
[41:24] are within their rights to vote yes or no with respect to that resolution.
[41:29] To set a date for the resolution.
[41:32] Yes, they have the right to vote yes or no.
[41:33] Has that ever happened before?
[41:35] I actually do not know that.
[41:37] Has that ever happened before?
[41:39] Where you don't set a date at all if someone proposes a resolution.
[41:45] Is that while I've been on the board since 2024, that has never happened.
[41:49] Okay.
[41:50] We've always been able to set a date for public hearing.
[41:52] So in other words, there is, this is free speech, but if you want to set a date for something
[41:59] to people to actually know about something that is controversial or inconsistent, as you
[42:07] can see, free speech happens all the time in our meetings.
[42:10] We have plenty of speech, we have plenty of opinions here and we have heard yours.
[42:18] So thank you.
[42:19] Thank you.
[42:20] You didn't answer the question.
[42:21] Thank you.
[42:22] Can you read?
[42:23] No, it's not.
[42:24] But you know what?
[42:25] The question is answered because it's clear that the free speech only applies to certain people and not to others.
[42:32] So I believe you've been heard.
[42:34] Everybody who comes here has heard.
[42:35] Thank you.
[42:36] And so I'll just make this observation.
[42:37] Gloria Brafer.
[42:38] I think I'm allowed to do.
[42:40] Yes.
[42:40] There are six resolutions on tonight to set a date and you're going to watch that in bipartisan fashion.
[42:46] Every one of them is going to be approved tonight.
[42:48] I go back, I'm a lot older than Councilperson Liu.
[42:52] I go back a lot further, go back to 2004.
[42:55] And never during that, during that 22 year period,
[43:00] have I ever seen a resolution to set a date,
[43:03] not even be voted, I'm sorry, be turned down.
[43:06] Next.
[43:06] Thank you.
[43:08] Gloria Grafer?
[43:17] Hello to the board.
[43:18] Can you hear me?
[43:19] Yes.
[43:20] Because we're echoing in my ear.
[43:23] Alright I have one question I know Stu went through a lot as he always does. He's very frustrated
[43:29] and concerned as we all are because we see firsthand what's going on with the animals
[43:36] and if any of you on the board has a dog or cat or bird or fish or whatever, when you see
[43:44] them pass away and they suffer as they most of them do the cat situation, it's really, really
[43:50] heartbreaking and you don't forget about it for quite a long time. I have been asked
[43:56] by people around this town in Port Washington where I'm from and other places. They know
[44:03] I'm trying to do something about this situation so that at least here we would have a catch
[44:09] shelter. Somehow or rather we're going to try to raise the funds somehow or rather we're
[44:13] and hopefully get the board to say yes to this,
[44:17] but my question is very simple.
[44:20] Or does anybody want to help us on the board?
[44:27] That's my question.
[44:29] Other people have dialogues, you go back and forth with them,
[44:33] and you help them just the scale right before me.
[44:37] You answer the question for her.
[44:39] Why doesn't anybody answer my question?
[44:41] People ask me, what's the board doing
[44:44] about this situation. You've been doing it for years. Stu's been doing it for
[44:49] probably 10 years. So my question is why don't you want to work with us or answer my
[44:56] question so I can answer other people.
[45:00] No reason. I'm not asking you to describe how to get to space. What is the reason? Nobody. And we're paying for you to be here to work for us.
[45:15] Why aren't you working? Why aren't you discussing? Look at the silence here. I think this is disgraceful.
[45:24] I really hope that some of you get voted right off because you're not helping the taxpayers or my concerns or other people's concerns.
[45:35] That's disgraceful. You should be ashamed of yourself. Even in Scripture God talks about helping your fellow man and taking care of the animals and the wild life around you.
[45:48] It's in Scripture. Look at the Psalms.
[45:54] Carol Lentner.
[46:01] Yeah, my name is Carol Lentner and I-
[46:04] You can put up a little so you don't have to scrunch down.
[46:06] I know it's all, you're tall.
[46:09] I've been living in this area for 34 years.
[46:13] I now live in Great Neck Terrace.
[46:15] I've been there since 1992.
[46:18] And I'm asking for your help because there's
[46:21] a situation there that makes life there.
[46:26] It's not livable.
[46:29] I'm sure most of you are familiar with the leaf blowing
[46:32] situation.
[46:35] We have leaf blowers today all day from 9 a.m. until I had to leave my house which I generally do at 3.30 after about 6.5 hours.
[46:47] You can't work, you can't enjoy anything. When I got home at 6.30, I still heard them.
[46:54] This is, so there's a lawn company landmark that's here one or two days per week.
[47:01] It's a very large complex, so we have a lot of land, but that is coupled with our maintenance
[47:11] every single day using loud, over a hundred decibels.
[47:17] We have so many infants and children there.
[47:21] using these leaf blowers to clean the cement and to clean huge parking lots.
[47:28] So from Monday till Friday night, there's no possibility of quiet.
[47:37] So I'm really asking help. I have gone to North Carolina to look for housing there.
[47:43] I've gone to Florida. I love it here. This is my home, but it's not livable.
[47:49] a friend of mine just is putting her home on the market.
[47:55] She just moved here with her husband two years ago.
[47:58] Can you help?
[48:00] Hi, Carol. So, hi.
[48:02] Thank you for coming to speak about the issue.
[48:06] So we do have the ban in place from June 15th to September 15th.
[48:11] And anybody in the town can call 3-1-1
[48:14] and they will also be directed to our public safety line.
[48:18] line, I believe, because it's very hard to go and send a code enforcement officer right
[48:25] then and there.
[48:27] But what we are told now is that you would tell us the name of the company, if you know
[48:31] it, like landmark, what time they come, what day they come.
[48:35] And so it will be on our public safety board to know that next week, at this certain day
[48:41] and time, that they will go out there, and that has been happening.
[48:45] So, once they see them blowing the lease without the battery-operated ones, then they can
[48:52] issue them notice the violation or ticket whatever that extends.
[48:57] And just, it's also our maintenance, you know, for 30 years, they used brooms or whatever,
[49:04] but now they just-
[49:05] Me, your maintenance.
[49:06] Our maintenance uses the leaf blowers.
[49:09] That's even more of an issue.
[49:11] Okay.
[49:11] It's every single day.
[49:13] So, that would apply to them as well.
[49:14] So if you but I have called 311 a number of times and they sent me here
[49:20] 311 sent you here. Okay, so on your card is her phone. Yeah, yes both of them
[49:29] So I have your information now and I will be in touch with you. Thank you so much
[49:34] What did you say you lived a great neck terrace? So you live in great neck
[49:38] Yeah, and did you ever talk to the management? Oh a million times? Yeah, yeah
[49:44] So, isn't that something that the management decided to do when they were on?
[49:48] Yes.
[49:49] So, you should talk to the management.
[49:50] I have spoken to them for four years.
[49:53] Okay, and they tell you...
[49:55] One of the maintenance men said that he has lost complete hearing.
[50:02] So, you know, this is a health issue.
[50:04] Yeah, but what does the management tell you for three, four years?
[50:07] Nothing they can do.
[50:08] Nothing they can do.
[50:09] Well, they have the contract with these leaf blower.
[50:13] right they could do something right right they're just not doing anything they so
[50:21] I'm just asking for help here because for four years we've tried and people he can't
[50:26] hear anymore this is crazy okay thank you so much thank you okay Michael O'Donnell
[50:45] Welcome back, Mr. O'Donnell.
[50:46] Welcome back, Mr. O'Donnell.
[50:47] Thank you, sir.
[50:49] Interesting.
[50:52] Come in first.
[50:54] I wish most of these people were speaking,
[50:56] would identify where they come from,
[50:59] whether they are town residents,
[51:01] or where so that the rest of us can see
[51:03] what their concerns are,
[51:04] and what the concerns are in certain areas.
[51:08] They are all town residents.
[51:10] or we like the rest of us we like to know those watching we like to know also
[51:14] so you've got to remind these folks to do that. A question came up with me to
[51:20] be sure on Fencing. Fencing in front of your house which is parallel is four feet
[51:26] am I correct?
[51:35] Come over here. Debra Algeo's deputy ten attorney so Fencing from
[51:40] the front of your house to your side property line is four feet and that is also on
[51:46] the side of your house. So the side of your house then is six feet? Yes six feet
[51:52] and six feet across the back.
[51:54] Like there is only four feet of your side.
[51:56] No. We changed it earlier within the last year we changed it to six feet.
[52:01] I don't want to be on that one. I don't want to tell you this and miss something.
[52:09] The mosque on hillside Avenue. I understand it's been settled. Of course the town
[52:17] and a half a million bucks us to settle this and provide go which is caused a lot of hard feelings,
[52:26] especially between the Muslim community and this board and the residents of the community
[52:34] because it looks like it's Christians against Muslims. I hope this town and this board does an outreach
[52:43] So the Islamic Center to modify the situation that has been expressed, I have a number of
[52:49] neighbors, or Muslim, who go to that mosque, and there are no peeps at the situation that
[52:55] has occurred.
[52:56] There was no reason for it, but I hope you stop and think if
[53:05] it was a Jewish place, you
[53:06] would have been all over the damn thing.
[53:08] I recall spade of spade, Councilman, but they become I don't accept that probably I don't I don't I don't agree with what you're saying
[53:16] Well, I just go ahead you're free to go ahead
[53:20] that this town is going to make an outreach to try to amend and make friends
[53:28] It's a little upsetting to quite a number of residents and again, I live at a 15 New Jersey North New York Park
[53:38] And I have never, my neighbors, our new neighbors coming in, their muscle.
[53:43] And some of the Hindu neighbors are going to do that to them, whether they're going
[53:47] to do it to me.
[53:48] So guys, kind of think a little better than what you're thinking.
[53:51] Thank you very much.
[53:56] Okay, so that's the end of our comments and 30 minutes.
[53:59] So let's move into our agenda, please.
[54:02] One thing before we move into agenda, I just want to note something, that every single
[54:07] question from the audience that comes to this board is asked because I've went recently
[54:14] to a Lakeville State Civic Association meeting where there were questioning those people
[54:21] and the question was not a question, it was a statement and the statement was, supervised
[54:27] at the center, picks and chooses from the questions that she wants to ask and what would
[54:32] you do different?
[54:32] And that's totally false because I sit here and I see every single question that comes up here and everyone is a
[54:39] Answered people called up in the order that the questions come in. So there was some false information given out in the form of a question at
[54:48] the
[54:49] Like Pacific Association meeting. So I just want to point that out. Thank you. Christine
[54:54] You can vouch for that too. You see me answer the questions in order that they're presented
[54:58] I see a deck of cards, and you go through them.
[55:01] You see, you go through them?
[55:02] I go through them in order.
[55:04] I don't know what the order is.
[55:05] You watch me.
[55:07] I don't sit here and watch every day.
[55:08] Yes, you do.
[55:09] OK, thank you.
[55:11] OK, moving on to the consent calendar.
[55:14] If I may say something, go ahead, Councilman.
[55:19] We have a very distinguished gentleman in the crowd.
[55:24] And he's the outgoing president of the Council
[55:28] of Greater Manhattan Civic Association. He is incredibly generous with his time. He has given
[55:39] many, many, many years to the betterment of the residents of Manhattan and the greater Civic.
[55:46] That's part of that association. And from here, from the day I would like to recognize that and your
[55:54] contributions to the entire community. And I'd like to say thank you very much. For all that you
[56:00] have done for your community, they've been very lucky to have you, your stewardship, your leadership,
[56:05] and your courageous advocacy for the community. It has definitely not gone unnoticed. And from here,
[56:12] I'd like to tell you thank you very much on behalf of the Town of Rotemstead. Thank you, Andrew.
[56:16] Andrew
[56:21] Schwenk.
[56:22] As a menacet resident and former member of the greater council of menacet civic associations,
[56:29] I can attest to Andrew's dedication and attention to detail and passion.
[56:36] So our loss is the gain of Katona, which I had to look on the map.
[56:43] And you're going to a very beautiful place for the lake.
[56:45] So we wish you the best. Would you like to say anything at your last-town board meeting?
[56:51] You have to come to the microphone if you're going to say anything. Come up.
[57:02] Thank you very much for the honor. I just want to say it's been a pleasure. I've lived here for over 30 years
[57:06] I've raised my children here K through 12 in Manhattan.
[57:11] It's been a pleasure to be a part of the community to work and volunteer for the community.
[57:15] I was president of South Strathmore, one of the civic associations with in Manhattan for eight years.
[57:20] years and I've had the honor of being president of the
[57:23] Manasset Greater Council.
[57:25] For the past three years working on behalf of the community
[57:27] and working with the town board.
[57:29] So on behalf of the Greater Council and on behalf of myself,
[57:32] I just want to thank you all for working so closely with us
[57:36] over these years.
[57:37] And thank you.
[57:37] On behalf of Manasset, thank you.
[57:39] Thank you.
[57:40] And by the way, there's a great diner in where you're going
[57:45] right next to Golden's Bridge at the train station.
[57:47] So make sure you take care of it out
[57:49] Okay madam clerk can you move on to the consent calendar it has been agreed by
[57:59] all members of the town board that the following resolutions may be called
[58:02] together item number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22
[58:18] 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, and 37.
[58:29] Okay, before we vote on the items on the consent calendar, there is a card on resolution number six.
[58:37] Michael O'Donnell, this
[58:45] is about an ordinance affecting Union term pike in New Hyde Park.
[58:55] Michael O'Donnell, 15 New District North New Hyde Park New York.
[58:59] Thank you.
[59:01] It's a long time coming that this will be amended to drive these traffic trailers back into
[59:08] Queens.
[59:09] I would go up two, three in the morning to see if anything were there.
[59:16] And I'd walk from New Hyde Park Road to Lakeville.
[59:20] I couldn't see all the way down to Lakeville Road.
[59:22] And then you call the police to come and take it.
[59:25] I didn't hang around for waiting for the police to show up because that could be an hour or so.
[59:29] But now all I have to go in my car and go, okay, they're there.
[59:36] Earlier, then two, three in the morning or four in the morning.
[59:39] It's about time. I appreciate it.
[59:42] We don't want our county to look like queens or Brooklyn unfortunate.
[59:47] There's no enforcing anymore with commercial vehicles and Brooklyn.
[59:50] It's horrendous. I've got to go somewhere, I should hold the cross and flappish.
[59:56] Track the trails all over the place. You wouldn't see this year's ago.
[1:00:00] The police will enforce the law. At least we're going to get something done between the town and the state of New York. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Positive thinking.
[1:00:14] Okay. If there are no other comments on the consent calendar items, I offer the resolutions and move for their adoption. Councilman Channel. Aye. Councilman Scott. Aye. Councilman Waj. Aye. Councilman Liu. Aye. Councilman Levy. Aye. Superhezadocena. Aye. Thank you.
[1:00:30] Item number 11, a resolution authorizing the award of a bit for DPW Project 19-03 Reconstruction of Town Dock.
[1:00:42] So this is very good news that we have been waiting for a long time.
[1:00:47] The Town Dock in Port Washington was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and unfortunately the damage has continued.
[1:00:56] So we have, we are fortunate, we have, it's almost completely grant funded and a lot of this is money from FEMA which Senator Chuck Schumer was instrumental in pushing through and he even in the last few years was able to secure additional millions of dollars so that we can not only, the bulk of the work is replacing the dock as is.
[1:01:26] We're basically reconstructing it over the dock.
[1:01:29] But thanks to the additional money from Senator Schumer,
[1:01:33] we will be able to have some landscaping along the edge of the parking lot,
[1:01:39] which will capture water rain that hits the parking lot instead of running off into the bay and bringing contaminants with it.
[1:01:46] We'll be able to capture it with some natural landscaping and it's going to be just amazing.
[1:01:55] So it's very good news for Port Washington, it's very good news for the whole town because it is it is the town doc.
[1:02:02] So thank you to our commissioner for a tremendous amount of work in and seeing through getting the permits from the Army Corps of Engineer and the and the DEC.
[1:02:15] So if there are any comments, I am very excited to offer this resolution and move for adoption.
[1:02:23] Councilman Trano.
[1:02:25] Giving thanks to the Democrat leader, Chuck Schumer, I vote aye.
[1:02:29] Councilman Scott.
[1:02:31] Aye.
[1:02:32] Councilman Walsh.
[1:02:33] In that Chuck Schumer works for all of us, and I should call him Senator Schumer, not Chuck.
[1:02:37] I don't know him as well as Robert, but he works for all of us, and he did the right thing for everybody.
[1:02:42] I vote yes.
[1:02:43] Councilman Liu.
[1:02:44] Aye.
[1:02:45] Councilman Liwi.
[1:02:46] Aye.
[1:02:46] Supervisor Descent.
[1:02:47] Aye.
[1:02:48] Thank you.
[1:02:48] item number two.
[1:02:53] Our resolution authorizing the execution of an agreement with DNB engineers
[1:03:00] and architects, DPC for professional services related to utility improvements at North
[1:03:07] Thamstead Beach Park in Port Washington, New York, TPW Project number 26-2.
[1:03:12] Okay, this is also very good news.
[1:03:17] This is to perform a survey of the infrastructure at Barbeach.
[1:03:26] Barbeach was transferred by Nassau County to the town in 2007.
[1:03:31] And this study of where there is electricity, where there is drinking water, what is the
[1:03:38] condition of the septic system really should have been done 20 years ago when we took possession
[1:03:44] but at that time we took it as is. So while we are getting closer to getting a permit to repair
[1:03:52] the seawall which is eroding we are making some headway with the DEC while we do that we will conduct
[1:04:01] conduct this survey, and it will tell us what investment we need to make in Barbeach.
[1:04:09] We barely have enough electricity there to keep the lights on.
[1:04:13] So while we are certainly interested in options and building recreational facilities there,
[1:04:21] some people have said why not a restaurant.
[1:04:24] Well you have to have drinking water and sewers and electricity to be able to build there.
[1:04:30] So this will give us, this is the first step in studying the infrastructure that we need to rebuild Barbeach.
[1:04:43] So I'm very, very excited about this and if there are no comments.
[1:04:48] I'd like to make a comment.
[1:04:49] Okay.
[1:04:49] You know, I've been going down to Barbeach since I was seven years old, I went to swim there.
[1:04:53] And in 2007, I believe the county was a county executive swase, did a deal with Supervisor
[1:05:04] John Cayman, I believe it was, and they gave us, so it took the burden off the county
[1:05:12] of this, these parks, because it's more than one, it took the burden off their budget and
[1:05:18] it put it on our budget, and I don't think we got much for it, I think it was a little
[1:05:21] but a money exchange, but God only knows what happened to that.
[1:05:25] We got nothing for it, and I have been walking down there,
[1:05:29] and my wife can't walk in that section because my wife is here,
[1:05:32] handicapped.
[1:05:33] She uses a role later, and she can only go so far,
[1:05:36] and it's about time we got something fixed.
[1:05:39] The northern most bathroom has been at a commission for probably
[1:05:46] two decades, at least 15 or 18 years,
[1:05:49] that I'm personally aware of and you know I mean it's about time we got that fixed
[1:05:54] and people decided that they didn't want the Southern land development project to happen
[1:05:59] and if it had happened they would have provided a sewer service for us that could lead to
[1:06:05] an area where we could have had a restaurant put in.
[1:06:08] So now that expense was disappeared it was going to be given as an amenity to the town
[1:06:14] And folks in Port Washington decided that they would rather have a stone-crushing outfit over there than what I thought was a nice looking housing.
[1:06:23] I thought it was a smart growth, but now we have to go forward in this way, and it's more and more and more and more overdue.
[1:06:31] Okay, thank you. I offer the resolution and move for its adoption.
[1:06:35] Councilman Trano.
[1:06:36] Aye.
[1:06:37] Councilman Scott.
[1:06:38] Aye.
[1:06:38] Councilman Walsh.
[1:06:39] Aye.
[1:06:40] Councilman Liu.
[1:06:40] Aye.
[1:06:41] Councilman Levy.
[1:06:42] Aye.
[1:06:42] Supervisor De Seno.
[1:06:43] Aye.
[1:06:44] Thank you.
[1:06:45] Item number 35.
[1:06:47] Resolution authorizing the employment, appointment, transfer, adjustment, correction, change
[1:06:51] in grade or salary, and our domination of employees and our officials in various departments
[1:06:57] of the town.
[1:06:58] Okay.
[1:06:59] Before we vote on this item, I would like to strike number five.
[1:07:02] This was a summer position and the person is no longer interested in the position, took another job, so.
[1:07:10] This is the employment.
[1:07:12] Yes, this is employee Rezo, and this person no longer seeks this position.
[1:07:18] We found out today, so with striking number five, I offer the resolution and move for its adoption.
[1:07:44] Okay,
[1:07:46] thank you, everybody.
[1:07:47] Motion to adjourn.
[1:07:48] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:50] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:50] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:50] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:51] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:52] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:52] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:53] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:53] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:54] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:55] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:55] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:56] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:57] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:57] I move to adjourn.
[1:07:58] I move to adjourn.
[1:08:02] to the resident who asked if resolutions for public hearing set dates ever not get passed.
[1:08:12] They did not tonight. So all of them got passed very easily.
[1:08:16] So I vote aye.
[1:08:20] I am just adjourning.
[1:08:22] Supervisor Dissahai.
[1:08:23] Good night, everybody.
[1:08:24] Good night, thank you.