New trustee to lead Floral Park train task force

Neglah Sharma

The Village of Floral Park has resurrected a committee to address concerns about plans for a third Long Island Rail Road track and tapped its newest trustee to lead it.

Floral Park Mayor Thomas Tweedy and the Village Board inducted Archie T. Cheng Tuesday to succeed former Deputy Mayor James Rhatigan, who died in December.

He will head Floral Park’s Third Track Task Force, which opposed initial plans for a third track in the mid-2000s.

In a statement announcing the task force’s reactivation, Floral Park community leaders said the project Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in January will “disrupt business and residential areas” along the LIRR’s Main Line.

A Metropolitan Transportation Authority LIRR spokesman has said the MTA will continue to meet with elected officials and conduct an environmental review to address community concerns and show how the third track will minimally impact surrounding areas.

Cheng, a local attorney, has formerly served as Sewanhaka school board president. 

“(I’m) very, very honored to be working alongside Archie Cheng,” said Tweedy, who is serving his third term as mayor. “He’s done so much for Floral Park. He’s a mature man, and he’s given so much of himself.”

Cheng said Tuesday he, Tweedy and the rest of the board also oppose housing Nassau Off-Track Betting Corp.’s proposed temporary video casino holding 1,000 video lottery terminals, or VLTs, at Belmont Park.

He said the casino is “not illegal, but bad planning.”

Cheng said a Jan. 30 march against the casino was “a follow-up to a great rally we had at Floral Park Memorial High School” on Jan. 12. “It was done in an orderly fashion, and the police were incredibly helpful,” he said.

“We had our signs out, horns were blowing, and I would say it had to have been over 500 protesters,” Cheng said.

OTB has declined to comment on the rally.

Nassau OTB received permission from state lawmakers in 2013 to open a casino. A vacant Fortunoff jewelry store in Westbury was considered last year but met sharp opposition from locals and politicians, resulting in a joint lawsuit.

OTB will need approval from the state Legislature for a permanent 100,000-square-foot casino at Belmont Park, and the temporary gambling hall needs approval from the state Office of General Services and the New York Racing Authority.

“VLTs are specifically excluded and prohibited from Belmont Park. They would have to change legislation in order to obtain VLT’s at Belmont Park, it’s illegal to start at this point,” Tweedy said.

An OTB spokesman did not return a request for comment Thursday, but said last week the casino would generate $24 million in revenue for surrounding businesses.

Share this Article