Manhasset-Lakeville Water District officials on Tuesday authorized water district engineers to seek bids to replace its 85-year-old water tower in the Village of Munsey Park with one that is the same size but holds 250,000 more gallons of water.
But Munsey Park village officials and residents who live close to the water district’s Eakins Road site said the decision was made without considering their requests for Manhasset-Lakeville to seek alternative water storage options, such as an underground pumping station.
“With all intents, they’ve put the job out to bid. I think a lot of people feel misled,” Munsey Park Deputy Mayor Sean Haggerty said. “I’m not sure a lot of people even knew this was happening.”
Munsey Park Trustee John Lippmann said the water district issued a letter advertising Tuesday’s meeting only to residents who attended an April 8 public hearing about the project at North Hempstead Town Hall.
“I think it’s right to say that they have taken a very aggressive approach to this project and it’s not in the vein of transparency and working with the residents of this community,” he said.
Chris Prior, Manhasset-Lakeville’s attorney, confirmed on Wednesday that the letter was sent only to residents who requested more information about the project during the April 8 meeting.
He said Manhasset-Lakeville does not regularly issue notices of upcoming decisions regarding its properties, as it would be “a waste of taxpayer dollars” and require contacting the entire district.
“The water district has information on its website and fulfilled its promise to notify those who requested they’d be updated on the project,” he said.
Prior said he thinks the water district has been “very transparent” throughout the process, holding information sessions with village officials and residents and posting information about the proposal to its website.
“They’ve been analyzing this process for the last two years,” Prior said. “All of the engineering advice has led them to the conclusion that the best interest of the entire district are served by preserving elevated water storage.”
Munsey Park’s current water tower, a 165-foot-tall elevated storage tank constructed in 1929, is one of two such structures that distribute water across Manhasset-Lakeville’s 10.2 square miles covering Manhasset and parts of Great Neck and New Hyde Park.
The proposed tower would be built on a different part of the water district’s Munsey Park property and contain 750,000 gallons of water. Manhasset-Lakeville officials have said the $3.2 million tower would be built according to current codes and safety regulations and would be financed using the water district’s capital fund.
But residents on Tuesday called the project “a once-in-100-years decision to get that ball out of the sky” for fear an unforeseen occurrence could topple it over and crush nearby homes.
“What was acceptable, to me, in 1929 is not acceptable for a residential area today,” said Munsey Park resident Henry Hinz. “If they had a proper amount of property, would they be allowed to build a 15-story building there?”
Haggerty said he was confused as to why the water district put the project out to bid, as officials have previously said they would hold a second public meeting with residents before moving forward with project.
“They told us a pumping station is feasible at that site and it is surprising that they have neglected to seek alternatives on this, as they should,” Lippmann said. “They’re just not taking a hard look.”
But Prior said the water district has considered alternative options and that officials clearly expressed to residents that the benefits of an elevated storage tank outweigh those of a ground storage tank.
“The only advantages for ground storage raised during this lengthy process was a perception by a few that ground storage is an aesthetic improvement,” he said. “The board feels that its obligation is to weigh the benefits available to the entire district, which are many, against the perception of a few neighbors that ground storage would be superior aesthetically.”
