The Village of North Hills approved an extension to a longstanding home construction project located at 90 I.U. Willets Road during their meeting on Tuesday.
After an executive session to discuss how to proceed, Mayor Marvin Natiss and trustees approved another 45-day extension.
Natiss said Manheet Singh, the building’s owner since 2013, will be required to post a $3,500 security deposit to get the extension. He said Singh would lose the deposit if the house is not finished within 45 days.
Despite that, Natiss expressed frustration with the slow pace of progress on the house.
“You haven’t kept your word to us for anything you’ve asked us to do for five, six months,” Natiss said. “We’ve heard every story — the plumber was gone, the electrician wasn’t there.”
Singh has sought extensions from the board for over a year now.
In May 2017, the North Hills trustees approved a 30-day extension, which was extended for 45 days in September and again for 30 days in November.
A request for an extension in December was rejected by the board, but Singh was granted a 60-day extension in February at the behest of trustees Phyllis Lentini and Gail Cohen.
Another 45-day extension was granted at the April meeting, which was set to expire in mid-June.
The board also accepted the resignations of Leslie Nizin and Stephen Salup from the village’s planning board, which will be effective on June 30. Their replacements will be named in July.
“They both served for a long period of time and they were both very, very good,” Natiss said. “But they are both now retired and they spend their winters in Florida and missed six or seven meetings.”
Natiss also gave an update on the village’s shuttle service, which runs at 30-minute intervals in the morning and evening from village hall to the Manhasset LIRR station.
He said that in May 1,240 took the shuttle in the morning and 1,148 took it in the evening, an increase of more than 100 over last year.
“It’s really a terrific service,” he said. “The young people find that it is very convenient.”
