WEST HEMPSTEAD CIVIC ATTEND, January 21 2009

WEST HEMPSTEAD CIVIC ATTEND

MTA HEARING VOICE OPPOSITION TO

REDUCING SERVICE ON WH BRANCH OF LIRRR

Scores of West Hempstead residents attended the MTA’s Public Hearing on January 21, 2009 at the Garden City Hotel. Many of them registered to speak and voice their opposition to the proposal made by the MTA to eliminate weekend service on the West Hempstead Branch of the LIRR.

West Hempstead Community Support and West Hempstead Civic Association president Rosalie Norton addressed the MTA and LIRR Boards on behalf of thousands of community residents and business owners.

A summary of the statement made by Mrs. Norton, which became part of the record, is printed below.

*******************************************************************

January 21, 2009

Thank you for the opportunity to be able to come before you tonight. As president of the West Hempstead Civic and the West Hempstead Community Support Associations, I am here on behalf of thousands of resident to ask that you do not eliminate weekend service on the West Hempstead Branch of the LIRR.

Eliminating weekend service will negatively impact our residents and severely effect businesses situated near the train stations. In these difficult economic times, eliminating weekend services will create hardships for both workers and customers. Entirely eliminating all trains on the weekend is unrealistic and ignores the needs of the public.

You should be exploring ways to increase ridership, improve service, and make every effort to keep fares reasonable. Every time there is a deficit, the same type of recommendations are made…increase fares and eliminate service. Perhaps a different approach or ideas should be considered.

You applaud “Transit Oriented Development”. The best example of a TOD will soon be built at the first station on the West Hempstead Branch of the LIRR. Our community has worked for many years to have the property adjacent to this station redeveloped. Now a highly regarded builder, Trammell Crow Residential is in contract to purchase the property and plan to build, on the site, an apartment complex which will be called the “Alexan at West Hempstead Station.” Eliminating weekend service at this time sends the wrong signal to the builder, to the community and to the Town of Hempstead. Continuing weekend service is crucial to the success of this development.

The MTA has to show that it is serious in its desire to encourage TOD’s. If you want to increase ridership and reverse declining revenues, a different approach should be considered. The one you are proposing pulls the proverbial rug out from under the concept of “Transit Oriented Developments.”

I urge you to recognize that weekend service on the WH Branch is necessary and vital to the riding public and to a TOD.

The MTA should do all it can to encourage increased ridership, to maintain services, and to keep fares reasonable. Resorting to past practices of providing less services and asking for more money seems to result in a perpetual loop of failure and deficits. You have to ask how residership can be increased. Transit Oriented Developments is one method and must be encouraged, where possible, and every effort made to make them succeed.

Recently an official commented that housing for young people was sorely needed on Long Island. That official further noted that the location of the Trammell Crow apartment project couldn’t be better and that sometimes in government you get unique opportunities where you see that something can really work. I hope that you will also recognize the value of what is being proposed adjacent to the first station on the West Hempstead Branch and make a decision to do all you can to work towards helping this project succeed.

In conclusion, I again ask that you make a commitment to provide weekend service on the H Branch of the LIRR. It is the right thing to do for the communities, the riders and the MTA.

Respectfully,

Rosalie Norton

President

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ALFANO: GOVERNOR PATERSON’S 137 TAX AND FEE INCREASES WILL COST THE AVERAGE NEW YORK FAMILY $3,875.48, COULD LEAD TO THE LOSS OF 1-IN-10 JOBS Says the 137 tax and fee increases in Governor Paterson’s budget are like “declaring war” on New York’s middle class families

Characterizing it as a “gut punch” to Long Island’s middle class already hurting from a terrible economy, home foreclosures and loss of real wages, Assemblyman Tom Alfano today warned that the 137 tax and fee increases within Governor Paterson’s 2009-10 Executive Budget will cost the average New York family an extra $3,875.48 annually.


Click here to read more about the tax and fee increases.

Click here to see Spreadsheet with proposed taxes and fees