HALF HOLLOW HILLS Copyright © 2014 Long Islander Newspapers, LLC
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VOLUME SIXTEEN, ISSUE 10
24 PAGES
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014 DIX HILLS
The Paramount Spotlight
Family Finds Peace In New Law Say backup cameras in cars will prevent tragedies like theirs By Jacqueline Birzon jbirzon@longislandernews.com
Kevin Costner and his band Modern West played The Paramount Sunday.
KevinCostner BringsTheBand By Peter Sloggatt psloggatt@longislandernews.com
By the look of the audience – women outnumbered men by a healthy ratio – the crowd at The Paramount Sunday night probably wasn’t there to hear Kevin Costner sing. All the three-time Academy Award winner had to do to get the adulation of the crowd was walk to the edge of the stage and flash a smile. And he did just that, more than once, during his nearly two-hour show before a nearcapacity house, bringing applause and a squeal or two from whichever part of the audience he was flashing that smile to. But guess what. The guy can sing. And he can handle a guitar, too. With his band, Modern West, Costner kept the crowd entertained, performing original songs best described as American rock, and chatting with the audience between songs. By the end of the (Continued on page A16)
This is the first year the Nelson family, of Dix Hills, returned from Washington, D.C. with some peace of mind. After years of tireless, passionate advocacy urging the federal government to enact a law that would require that all cars be equipped with backup cameras, the Nelsons’ goal was finally realized in March when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finalized a law requiring rear visibility technology in all new vehicles by 2018. The new law tackles safety issues created by a driver’s blind spot, the area behind the car that a driver cannot always see due to obstruction, limited sight distance and at times, carelessness. The issue hits incredibly close to home for the Nelson family, who in 2004 lost their son Alec after a grandparent accidentally ran over the 16-month-old baby with a car. “It’s historic they were able to implement this change,” Alec’s father, Bill Nelson, said.
Runners and community supporters participate in the annual Alec’s Run at Half Hollow Hills High School West, held in memory of little Alec Nelson, who was run over by a car a decade ago.
(Continued on page A16)
HALF HOLLOW HILLS
Little Revealed On Leasing Talks Board adopts budget, mulls tenant options for empty schools By Jacqueline Birzon jbirzon@longislandernews.com
While several potential tenants have expressed an interest in leasing two school buildings that will be student-free by next year, an attorney for the Half Hollow Hills Central School District said little about who those lessees may be at the April 10 board of education meeting. However, what attorney Jack Feldman did disclose was that the board has a duty as “judiciaries to the community” to secure an offer that will bring the greatest financial benefit to the district and will be a reliable, non-intrusive business partner. Next year, due to declining elementary enrollment, the school district will close Chestnut Hill and Forest Park elementary schools. The leases, Feldman said, can be canceled by the district should the board wish to recover either facility in the
instance enrollment were to unexpectedly rise. According to Feldman, the school board has already taken several steps to look into possible lessees by consulting with real estate brokers to determine whether a prospective tenant is the right choice for the school district, and have already ruled some potential tenants out. “In addition to trying to get the biggest bang for your buck, you have the opportunity to consider the nature of the proposed use, and whether there will be unnecessary or unreasonable ware and tare [to the building],” Feldman said. The board, Feldman said, will most likely include a provision in any leasing contract that would make a lessee responsible for restoring all building modifications to its original form at the end of the lease. Any proposed changes to the buildings would be studied by the board and subject-
ed to an engineering study on behalf of the State Environmental Quality Review Act, the lawyer said. “That’s really it in a nutshell,” Feldman said. “The district has the right to and has begun efforts to lease the facilities and…will be moving further in those directions. And when they [the board] have a lease to present they will take action in the public [forum] to adopt the lease and the community will provide input.” By closing the two schools, district officials have said Half Hollow Hills will save roughly $3 million, largely the result of staff reductions. On Thursday, the seven-member board adopted a $234-million budget, up 2.61 percent from the current 2013-2014 budget—the lowest budget-to-budget increase the district has seen in 18 years, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Facilities (Continued on page A16)
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