New Hyde Park Deputy Mayor Robert Lofaro opened up the very packed meeting for questioning regarding the proposed LIRR third rail and depression, but before he did that he said, "We are here as the Village Task Force. Our responsibility is to be a clearinghouse for information and anything we know we will tell you. I can understand that the folks whose homes are affected and other neighbors are very concerned and very emotional, as well they should be, and what we are trying to say, we don't want to get yelled at because we are just the messengers."

Former New York State Assemblywoman Maureen O'Connell, who is running for the 7th Senatorial Seat vacated by Senator Balboni, who was at the meeting, said, "I applaud the village for getting this word out to the public. But, I am very upset as to what I am seeing which is a patchwork of plans being sent to us long after the time frame that we can review this and have an opportunity to be heard is over.

"This is more MTA nonsense. I don't trust the MTA. We should have a full review, community by community of what they plan to do. The last time we trusted the MTA, as your state assemblywoman, they gave us a 30 percent fare increase. I am sure people in this room are thinking, gee, how fast can I sell my home and get out of here and that is unacceptable, as far as I'm concerned. We need to stand firm against this plan and make them answer to every detail. Until it is completely reviewed by everyone who is impacted in every way shape or form we need to stand firm and oppose this project. I will do everything in my power to make sure they do not get the money to advance this project.

"That is my position and that is what I will advocate," she said.

Nassau County Legislator Craig Johnson, who is also a candidate for the 7th Senatorial seat, who was also in the audience, said, "Even though the MTA is not here today, I assume that you are tape recording this to provide written records to the MTA. I think it is incumbent on the MTA to know because for years they have been moving forward and if they say they do not want to listen it's incumbent for everyone to get their voices heard first. I assume you are audio and videotaping the comment period for right now because I don't know how you can get to everyone today and what is being done."

Lofaro said, "Your assumption is not correct, we are not audio or videotaping this meeting and I will tell you why not. The goal of this task force is to provide the residents will all the information that we know. We are listening and we are getting a sense of what the community is saying and we will get together a position paper that we will send to the village board and they will decide what is the official position of the village."

Johnson said, "It's horrible that the MTA is not going to answer the questions that are asked during public comment."

Lofaro said, "My feelings we need to deal with this in two ways. You personally (the community) need to deal with the LIRR regarding your specific questions and then I think we should ask collective questions of the MTA."

Johnson countered, "You're are the elected representative of the Village of New Hyde Park."

But before he could ask anymore questions, or make any further comments, a member of the audience shouted, "Hey, you're a Spitzer guy and Spitzer is for the third rail."

Lofaro said, "I don't want to turn this into a political thing. I answered the question. The village website is vnhp.org and we do ask all residents and all parties to write to the village website and write to village hall, Village of New Hyde Park, corner of New Hyde Park Road and Jericho Turnpike and give us your concerns in writing so we have a document we can use. But, thank you for your comments. Further, the person to contact at the MTA is Peter Palmero at (718) 558-7934 and we urge all people to contact the MTA or to write our website as we have a link to the MTA."

Task force member Edward Powers said, "The final decision on what the MTA can take will not be made known until the Record of Decision, which right now is not until 2008. Basically, the railroad has put the cart before the horse in telling people they might take their property. A billion dollar project with only a 16 page PowerPoint presentation is wrong. However, legally they cannot make a decision until the Record of Decision is made by the Federal Transit Administration and according to them that is not until 2008. We are in limbo until then. One of the plans, I am keenly aware of is because it goes right through my living room. The issue here is not to trust them and that's paramount. They told the village board that the project would cost $772 million. In the papers it says $1 billion. There is a $232 million difference. Where is that money coming from? It is a problem with this agency and has been with all projects they do. As you see in the media they decline comment. They were supposed to have a talk with Carle Place the other day and they cancelled it. What we are doing is giving you all the information that we have so far. They say they are coming back to us between September and December, but we don't know what they are coming back to us with."

Curt Langjar, a resident of New Hyde Park, who has been involved in the village for many years said, "I told you this once before, they should lower the railroad and it can be done. To lower the railroad is no problem, it's just a matter of cost. In the long run if they are going to run freight cars it's going to be louder and noisier and in the village, for the one-mile stretch, if they covered it, like a subway and the railroad station would be underground. It would eliminate the noise and the crossings. It would give additional parking spaces. It's a 'no brainer.' They want to put the third rail in because they want to run freight cars, and they will do that because it's a moneymaker. I worked on a project in Jamaica. It was havoc for a little while, but it was good because it eliminated the overhead rail and that's good because of the noise it made. We have to challenge the MTA to spend the money. It can be done. The railroad goes under the East River. They say water will affect it and in no way will water affect this project. It's easily done and it will have a lesser impact."

Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicolello, a New Hyde Park resident said, "What I think is happening is that they want to use the third track not for the reverse commute, but for freight. We did have the hearings and there was strong opposition from all the communities involved. But this process is obviously moving forward and I think, we as a community of New Hyde Park and Garden City Park, have to get together not only with the villages support but with elected officials and community groups and we have to be heard by the MTA. They have to know that we are demanding that they come and talk to us."

Lofaro then reached out to the community and said, "If there is anyone in this audience with skills that can do analysis on reverse commuting and dispute the figures they are quoting, please come forward."

One resident wanted to know about Miller's Lane, and Lofaro said as far as the plan so far shows, Miller's Lane will not be affected, except for an increase of truck traffic during construction.

From Herkimer and all roads from north and south, it is felt that trucks will be traveling on those roads during construction.

A gentleman living along the south side fence of the train track said he is affected every day by the railroad, 24 hours a day. As far as the EIS. How can it be done in a vacuum without input from those most affected, who live along that area. I would like to make it a proposal that the village make sure that the LIRR know how we feel.

Lofaro said, "In the EIS the LIRR feels that they gave an opportunity for residents to be heard in May and December of 2005. They look at that as the window of opportunity. How that was conveyed to the public is another thing. They provided pamphlets at the train station. I am not defending them, but that's how I found out. They did publish announcements of the public hearing and there were a number of New Hyde Park residents that attended at the Floral Terrace and were able to express their concerns. But, quite honestly, we have residents that just moved into the village that are upset."

Lofaro continued, and this is a theme he continued, "I think that all of you need to speak as individuals and I think all of you need to speak as collective groups. In other words, you have to get the word out how upset you are with the plans and you have to ban together to get that out as a group. Do not rely on a collective voice being the only voice. You need to speak to the railroad and to the MTA."

Another resident wanted to know if there has been an economic impact study on the properties they wish to take.

Lofaro said that New Hyde Park/Garden City Park School Board Trustee Curtis Axelsen is here and he will back the information flow because if you, for instance, don't feel you are affected by the economic side of this project. They are taking properties that will come off the tax maps and that will absolutely affect everyone in the village.

A woman wanted to know if the parallel parking would be removed on Third Avenue. Lofaro said, "It is our belief, by looking at the sketches, that the fencing will be pushed out approximately 10 feet. That being said that will narrow Third Avenue and parking, if any, will have to be reconfigured and we think that it will be a dead end street.

Another resident wanted to know if the village had an attorney and Lofaro said that the village attorney John Spellman has been advising the village and will continue to work with the village and bring on folks whom he thinks are important in this case.

A resident who lives on the north side of the tracks, two blocks from the tracks, he said his home is built like a tank but when he is on the second floor, he said, "I don't know what they are doing, I don't trust the LIRR, but they are overloading those tracks at night and whatever they are putting on the tracks is vibrating my house to the point where the light on my night table vibrates like a mini-earthquake. I am concerned about the vibration impact. We have foundations that could crack. We need vibration sensors now, because they are overloading those tracks to see what it is now and what it should be. I think they are leasing tracks at night and they put these freight trains through and God knows what is on them and they are overloading those tracks. They are doing the wrong thing already. We need an independent engineering firm that's on our side that will give us an unbiased opinion and they have to have a fund for whatever damage they do incur."

Lofaro said, "We have been asking the LIRR why they want to do this project and they continually say it's for passenger traffic. I would ask you all to ask the question of the railroad, what is the intention of this track and ask them about freight and your concerns about vibration."

Another resident said, "First of all you look at the entire plan relative to the size of our community is very extensive. It is going to have a profound physical and economic effect on our community. It will disconnect our community. The closure of S. 12th Street will close off Garden City that goes right into the central business district of New Hyde Park and that will have an effect on the district. Also, what is the percentage of the tax base we will lose based on this plan? If this community was four or five times the size it is, it would not seem so great. It will have an impact socially, economically and physically. Plus, they will be forcing commercial traffic into residential streets."

Another resident wanted to know about elevation and Lofaro said the railroad said that was the most expensive option. Lofaro said, "Fifty years ago the residents and the Village of New Hyde Park were opposed to elevating the railroad. The railroad did elevate Floral Park in the 1960s and the village was against it because they thought it would cut the community in half and now 60 years later maybe there is a more palatable way an elevation could be done. We want the best method, not necessarily the least expensive."

A member of the zoning board of New Hyde Park said, "we are always concerned. It is not just 3rd Avenue, but it's Jericho Turnpike and the traffic that is going to occur that we are concerned about; I am also concerned that there is not a member of the LIRR here. Why is everything hush, hush."

Lofaro said, "We announced this meeting in our newsletter, at our open meetings and through the newspapers. This meeting was to tell you everything that we know. I can assure that if the MTA was here they would not answer your questions, because we have been told that they do not comment while they are involved with an EIS."

A man from 5th Avenue said, "You know that 3rd Avenue ends at Premier Boulevard and becomes 5th Avenue. My front door is near the railroad. If they do this, the train will go right through my living room."