HALF HOLLOW HILLS Copyright © 2015 Long Islander News
Online at LongIslanderNews.com
VOL. 17, ISSUE 29
NEWSPAPER THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015
24 PAGES
DIX HILLS
State Puts Brakes On Rest Area Plans Long Islander News photo/Jason Lee
The state Depapartment of Transportation bulldozed trees behind the “text area” off the Long Island Expressway in Dix Hills. The work has since stopped.
By Carl Corry ccorry@longislangergroup.com The state Department of Transportation has “temporarily suspended” a plan to build an expanded rest area between exits 51 and 52 in Dix Hills that was slated to include a 9,000-square-foot building with dining and restrooms and 200 parking spaces, according to state Assemblyman Andrew Raia. Raia (R-Northport) said he spoke with the chief of staff to DOT Commissioner Matthew J. Driscoll Monday about the issue, who said the plan was put “on hold.” This comes days after local elected officials were caught off guard when they started getting calls as early as Aug. 18 about trees behind the current “text area” being uprooted. “They pretty much clear-cut the
majority of the property and decimated it,” said Huntington Town Councilwoman Susan Berland. Local and state elected officials, as well as civic leaders, demanded the state put a halt to the work, noting opposition to expanding the area going back nearly two decades and an understanding that the DOT had planned to build such a rest stop, which would promote local foods and goods, at Exit 67. By last Thursday, following a flood of calls, meetings and letters to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Driscoll, the work had stopped. Cuomo spokeswoman Dani Lever said, “Discussions regarding a Taste NY store on the Long Island Expressway are preliminary, and we look forward to a robust dialogue with our local partners and stakeholders moving (Continued on page A22)
HALF HOLLOW HILLS
A ‘Houseparty’ With The J. Geils Band A18
District Alters Graduation Sked By Andrew Wroblewski awroblewski@longislandergroup.com
For the first time in roughly 15 years, Half Hollow Hills School District has scheduled the proms and graduation ceremonies of its two high schools for separate days, officials announced Monday at a school board meeting. The schedule strays from the district’s former policy, which placed the schools’ proms on the same Friday and the graduations on the following Sunday. With the change, High School East’s Class of 2016 will have its graduation rehearsal and prom on (Continued on page A21)
Long Islander News photo/archives
SPOTLIGHT
Half Hollow Hills School district officials announced Monday that the district will be hosting its two high school commencement ceremonies on separate days for the first time in more than a decade.
Grandson Explores Geller’s Genius Page A7