Roslyn trustees answer sole attendee’s questions

The Island Now
Resident Richard Branciforte, standing, asked several questions at the Roslyn Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday. (Photo by Rebecca Melnitsky)

By Rebecca Melnitsky

The Village of Roslyn Board of Trustees meeting was sparsely attended on Tuesday, but the one resident present asked several questions. At the brief meeting, Richard Branciforte asked the board about plans for a parking lot turnaround, an antiques fair for the Roslyn Chamber of Commerce and road repair.

To answer Branciforte’s first question, Mayor John Durkin said the village wants to convert the former site of the Mobil gas station on Old Northern Boulevard and East Broadway into a parking lot with a turnaround to ease traffic flow.

“We would put parking up there and then make it so you can pull in and pull out and drive back into the middle of town without having to go all around the streets again,” Durkin said.

Branciforte said the Chamber of Commerce has discussed holding an antiques show, and he asked board members if they had a suggestion for a place to host such an event within the village. No date has been set yet.

“In the past we had [an antiques show on] Old Northern Boulevard and it’s good for merchants,” said Branciforte. “But at the same time I do remember there was always a question of access to some of the people’s businesses, particularly restaurants … The idea is to keep as close to downtown as possible.”

Branciforte also asked the trustees if the Department of Public Works telephone line forwards to another number in case the office closes early for a snowstorm. He said he had difficulty getting in touch with DPW during the recent snowstorm to clear the road in front of his home.

Village Clerk Anita Frangella said the Department of Public Works line does roll over to Superintendent Sam Daliposki’s village cellphone. “But if he’s on the truck, and it’s noisy and he’s working he’s not going to hear it,” she said.

The trustees said they would work to improve that.

Finally, Branciforte asked if the village had finished paying for recent roadwork.

Frangella said the payment had not been sent yet to contractor Roadwork Ahead of Westbury. Daliposki is holding it back until he can speak to Roadwork Ahead.

Branciforte said five of his neighbors were not happy with the finished results on Remsen Avenue and Davis Lane, despite attempts to rectify it. “Personally I think it was an extraordinarily sloppy job and still is a sloppy job,” he said. “The asphalt is just all over the place, it’s on top of the stones.”

He asked that village officials take a look at the area before starting work with Roadwork Ahead in the spring.

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