By Samuel Glasser
Good news and bad news are coming within the next couple of weeks for visitors to the Village of Roslyn business district who need to park in a metered spot.
The good news is that the village Board of Trustees voted at the Tuesday meeting to put metered parking in force from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with free parking all day on Mondays. The current hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week.
The bad news is that the 10-minute free grace period will be eliminated.
“It will encourage people to come to Roslyn on Mondays which is the slowest day,” Mayor John Durkin said of free parking on Mondays.
Monday accounted for only 8.3 percent of total parking meter revenue based on receipts sampled last October, a report by traffic engineer Gerard Giosa, principal of the parking consultant Level G Associates, showed.
While the date has not been set for the new rules to take effect, village Clerk Anita Frangella said the village was aiming for June 1. The meters need to be recalibrated, and she said that all of the merchants will be notified beforehand.
Giosa’s report showed that meter revenue declined by 44 percent in 2017 to $118,973 compared with $212,469 the previous year. First quarter 2018 revenue was up by about 33 percent compared with the first three months of 2017.
The 2017 revenue drop was seen across cash and credit card payments, and Giosa’s analysis concluded that abuse of the 10-minute grace period was a factor. The report also said that Fridays and Saturdays generate the most revenue, 18.7 percent and 26.5 percent respectively.
In other business, the village board opened a hearing on an application by Simone Sarcona of 19 Davis Lane to install an in-ground pool with hot tub in his backyard. Board approval is required since Sarcona’s property is located within the Hillside Protection Overlay District.
The land behind Sarcona’s property, and that of others on his side of the street, is a steep hill estimated at about 100 feet high. Residents at the bottom of the hill on Valentine Lane opposed his plan. They said the hill had become increasingly unstable in the last few years and worried about a pool on top.
Sarcona said the pool “would be nowhere near the ridge line.” The proposed pool would be 12 feet by 21.5 feet and four and a half feet deep, which he said was smaller than the original plan.
Andrew Braum, a professional engineer engaged by Sarcona and principal of ASB Engineering of Bellmore, said the proposed pool would meet the requirements for drainage and setback from a steep slope. He said that dry wells, which store rainwater and slowly release it to the ground, would be installed.
“I wouldn’t risk my license,” he said, if he thought the project would be hazardous.
The Valentine Lane neighbors were not convinced. Malini Wang said, “the hillside is unstable” and that she has seen a change in the landscape since 2013 when she moved in.
“There’s runoff, there are trees with exposed roots, debris comes down,” Wang said. “I feel it’s a safety issue.”
Brad Popick, who has lived on the street for 20 years, said he has noticed conditions deteriorating over the last 10 years. He said he was concerned that the pool would reduce the ground area that could absorb rainwater.
The board reserved decision and adjourned the hearing until next month.
“The smartest thing for us is to have the village engineer examine the property,” and report his findings, Durkin said.
