Great Neck Plaza trustees moved to hire LKB Engineering to review a possible proposal from the U.S. Post Office on 1 Welwyn Rd. to transform its lower level parking into an area that residents can use on Wednesday, after several months of talks.
Deputy Mayor Ted Rosen said the village has been hoping to lease the lower level of the post office’s garage and that, several months ago, post office representatives presented the board with a list of what could be done to repair and restore the garage.
“We believe it’s important to get that facility, if we take it over, in suitable shape,” Rosen said.
Rosen said retaining LKB would help the village to make a good decision on what changes the garage actually needs so the cost could be lowered.
It’s unclear at this time how many spots it would add or what such a project would cost, but officials said it could possibly add between 25 and 30 spots if it makes financial sense to pursue.
“The spaces that are in there now are big spaces, they were basically for trucks, so it has to be redesigned,” Rosen said. “So the final number is something to be determined, but it is in an area of the village that desperately, desperately requires additional parking and opportunities like this don’t come around all the time.”
“And people would get a designated spot,” Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender added. “How often is it that you get a spot where you know you’re going to be able to park overnight and leave [your car]? That is like a jewel in this village.”
In unrelated business, Celender said the village plans to dedicate time at their May 16 meeting to hear public safety and quality of life concerns so they can be fielded to the Commissioner’s Community Council, which was created to boost police outreach to communities.
Celender was appointed by County Executive Laura Curran to serve on the Commissioner’s Community Council and sworn in on April 9 to swear District 10’s subdivision, which corresponds to the county’s 10th legislative district.
“If I’m sitting on the committee as chair, we have to give public input,” Celender said. “So I think it’s appropriate that we allocate some time for that at our meeting and invite people to come down.”
