Sometime in December 2014 local officials became aware that Nassau County Off-Track Betting (OTB) and a developer were negotiating to purchase the vacant Fortunoff building in Westbury for the purpose of using part of it for a video slot casino.
OTB officials stated they were working under a “Confidentiality Agreement” and could not reveal details of the plan. This facility, located on the south side of Old Country Road, is approximately 250 feet from a single-family housing area containing hundreds of homes and two schools.
This plan, and its lack of published information by OTB, enraged residents of Westbury and Carle Place, who cited specific statistics about the precipitous rise in crime rates in areas where casinos are located. They also cited the increased traffic and congestion that this facility would create. To compound the problem, OTB has stated the casino would be open from 10 a.m. to 6 a.m., practically a 24-hour operation.
Project supporters cite the economic benefits the casino would bring, including job creation. Well, OTB officials stated that only 200 new jobs would be created by this operation. Nassau County is not Buffalo or some truly depressed area and this facility will bring no benefits to the surrounding residents. If OTB does not withdraw its plan and signs a contract, all objections will have to go to the New York State Gaming Commission, located in Schenectady.
Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro, also president of the Nassau County Village Officials Association (NCVOA), is leading the fight against the proposed casino. I know the mayor quite well from my years of attending NCVOA general meetings and also as a member of the NCVOA executive board. Peter was kind enough to invite Mayor John Watras, Village Clerk Brian Ridgeway and myself to a meeting on Jan 9. This meeting was attended not only by elected officials and civic association leaders from Carle Place and Westbury but also by Senator Jack Martins, Assemblyman Edward Ra, Nassau County Legislator Laura Schaefer, representatives of Nassau County and the Town of Hempstead as well as Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth.
Speakers reiterated the adverse impacts such a project would have on their quality of life, especially the increased crime rates. No one at this meeting was in favor of this project and all promised to continue the fight.
On Jan. 15, Mayor Cavallaro was kind enough to invite me to be a speaker at a public rally in Westbury. Also attending were Chris Mullaney, Eastern Property Owners’ Association (EPOA) president, and Joe Moody, EPOA vice president. Garden City residents as well as Village Trustee Bob Bolenbruch were also in attendance.
Virtually all our elected officials, including Senator Martins and Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, attended. More than 1,000 people, including Garden City’s retired police commissioner, Ernie Cipullo, attended. Once again every official and civic association leader spoke out against the project.
OTB had a representative there who answered some questions, but mainly hid behind the “Confidentiality Agreement” and avoided relevant topics such as whether or not the gaming would be permanently limited to 15 percent of the 200,000-square foot building.
When my turn came to speak I stated that I, and the EPOA officers in attendance, were against the project for all the previously stated reasons. I also stated that even though residents of Garden City would not be as affected as those in Westbury and Carle Place, we needed to support our neighbors. We do not live in a vacuum and my years of experience in the NCVOA have taught me that support for our neighbors creates respect for our residents and enhances the reputation of our village.
The OTB representatives and their consultants promised traffic and environmental studies and are now circulating literature promoting this project. No study will move the nearby homes and schools. OTB is trying to create a “silk purse from a sow’s ear” and that never works. Please use the following link to voice your objections to this project: www.facebook.com/stopthecasinoatfortunoff.
Nicholas P. Episcopia
Deputy Mayor
Chairman Public Information Committee
