Plans to authorize a five-year deal for Oasis Children’s Services to run a summer day camp program at Manorhaven Beach Park sparked a debate between Democrats and Republicans at Tuesday night’s town board meeting.
Town Councilwoman Dina DeGiorgio said based on an estimated $315,000 Oasis would earn from running the camp at Manorhaven starting in the summer of 2014, the town should get more than the $30,000 it will receive from the first year of a five-year deal with Oasis.
“It’s very expensive and they don’t actually limit their campers to the Town of North Hempstead. I think the board should reconsider the fee arrangement. Their fees are going up and our share is remaining the same,” DeGiorgio said.
DeGiorgio, who is running as the Republican candidate for town supervisor this fall, said she had no objection to Oasis running the camp at Manorhaven, but she also questioned the length of the deal between the town and Oasis.
“I don’t know that the town should be micro-managing a private camp,” said Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman. “Running a camp is very expensive. The notion of doing it for five years is to have some kind of continuity.”
Kaiman, who is not seeking re-election as a Democrat, pointed out Oasis has staff and insurance costs to consider.
DeGiorgio said it costs the town more than $880,000 to run Manorhaven and the town should have attempted to negotiate a fee of $45,000 or $50,000 with Oasis.
“The truth is, if we raise the fees, they’ll probably raise their fees,” Kaiman said. “We shouldn’t get greedy here.”
Democratic Town Councilman Thomas Dwyer said the costs Oasis would be charging are much less than fees charged by other private summer camps on Long Island.
Town Councilwoman Anna Kaplan, also a Democrat, said one Great Neck resident had told her recently she was grateful the town would be permitting Oasis to run the camp at Manorhaven.
“I don’t disagree with using the park or using Oasis, but as a business plan, the fees don’t escalate over five years,” said Republican Town Councilman Angelo Ferrara.
Kaiman said there is a slight increase in the fees Oasis will pay the town over the five years of the deal.
Town Recreation Commissioner Jennifer Fava said Oasis gave out $25,000 in scholarships last year.
In response to questions outside the meeting chamber, Fava said Oasis would charge summer campers $1,030 for a two-week session and $3,750 for its full nine-week session. She said the town’s revenues from the deal increase from $30,000 in the first year to $40,000 in the fifth year.
Oasis currently runs a summer day camp at Michael J. Tully Park in New Hyde Park.
The board voted 5-2 to authorize the agreement with Oasis for Manorhaven, with DeGiorgio and Ferrara voting against the agreement.
In other developments:
• New Hyde Park residents raised questions about the establishment of a household for eight developmentally disabled adults in a house at 7 Stephen Ave. in New Hyde Park. In a June 7 letter to Kaiman from an executive from, that agency informed the town it had 40 days from the date of the letter to approve the site, suggest another one of object to it.
“That home is just a regular one-family home,” said Stephen Avenue resident Richard Neumayer.
Kaiman said the town does have concerns over the size of the house and alterations that would be required.
“They may have some building department issues with the property. They indicated they might not buy the property,” Kaiman said.
Marianna Wohlgemuth, president of the Lakeville Estates Civic Association, said neighbors of the proposed site for housing the developmentally disabled adults is making neighbors “nervous” and “scared.”
She asked that the town keep the residents informed of what is happening with the house.
Kaiman said the town is conducting a “thorough analysis” and residents would be notified of a public hearing within 90 days if the project goes forward. But he said he doubted purchase of the house would go through.
Quality Services for the Autism Community operates under the auspices of the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities according to the letter sent to Kaiman, a copy of which was obtained by Blank Slate Media.
• The town board approved a an amendment to an agreement with Cashin Associates for engineering services to replace a storm water pump state on Crescent Drive in Searingtown. Paul DiMaria, town public works commissioner, said the project is to replace a 40-year-old pump station to alleviate recurring flooding on Crescent Drive.
“We’re making improvements to the pump station to make it more reliable,” DiMaria said.
He said the first phase of the project, to replace the pump station to enable use of a portable generator when needed is complete. The final phase will be to install a new permanent generator in the pump station.
Total cost of the project is $918,495 according to Tom Devaney, town grants director, who said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will cover 75 percent of the cost under that agency’s hazard mitigation grant program.
• The town board approved the refunding of $28 million in bonds and the re-issuance of bonds in the same amount. Town Comptroller Kathleen Mitterway said the move to refund the bonds at lower interest rates would save the town $2 million.
• The town board authorized an agreement for Geomodel Inc. to conduct a ground penetrating radar survey of the Allen burial ground on Pearce Place in the Village of Great Neck Plaza.
“After a couple of years of navigating a dicey situation, we’ve come up with a plan to determine where the graves may be,” said Kaiman.
He said the town planned to maintain the burial ground of the Allen family “in perpetuity.”
He said members of the Allen family were some of the original settlers of the town and one family member signed the Town of North Hempstead’s declaration of independence from the Town of Hempstead.
