Veterinarian proposes to build teaching hospital in Garden City, seeks tax breaks

An animal surgeon is seeking tax breaks to build a $34.5 million hospital in Garden City to train veterinary students and others who handle dogs in military and police activities.

Dr. Dominic J. Marino, who wants to open the 30,100-square-foot facility next year, said he'd employ 65 people by 2030 if Nassau County awards him tax breaks, according to an application for the assistance. 

The private hospital would allow students from Long Island University's Lewyt College of Veterinary Medicine and other academic programs in the region to gain clinical experience locally instead of having to travel to institutions upstate and in New Jersey. LIU alone has about 100 students in each veterinary class, based on enrollment data.

Marino said his hospital would also treat about 20,000 animals per year, with half coming from outside Nassau for specialized brain, spine and joint replacement surgery.

"The goal of this project is to provide unique services that currently don't exist, and to provide training opportunities for students," he said during the March 31 meeting of the county's Industrial Development Agency.

Two years ago, Marino purchased a former medical office at 975 Stewart Ave. for $6.8 million and now proposes spending $27.7 million to build his hospital on the property. He said the hospital would have six operating suites, 17 exam rooms and a 2,000-square-foot rehabilitation space to be run by a sports medicine specialist. 

But to move forward Marino said he needs IDA tax breaks.

He is requesting a sales-tax exemption of up to $885,857 for the purchase of construction materials, equipment and furnishings, up to $75,000 off the mortgage-recording tax and 17 years of property-tax savings, according to the IDA application. 

“If financial assistance by the agency isn’t granted, [Marino] will not construct the state-of-the-art teaching and training facility proposed,” the application states.

Businesses and real estate developers seek help from Long Island's eight IDAs to defray the cost of construction and to obtain financing. The assistance usually lasts for 10, 15 or 20 years and is granted in return for substantial investment and job creation.

The Nassau IDA board voted unanimously last month to begin negotiations for an incentive package for Marino's proposed venture.

Marino said the hospital would bring together his jobs as a professor of small animal surgery at LIU, an Army Reserve major in veterinary services and chief of staff of Long Island Veterinary Specialists in Plainview. He helped found the latter in 1998.

Dr. Carmen Fuentealba, dean of LIU’s veterinary school, welcomed the proposal for the hospital, saying it was needed to ensure “that many students from New York in general, Long Island in particular and from out of state who are seeking job opportunities or advanced training will stay on Long Island after graduation.”

The hospital would also provide multiday training to law enforcement and military personnel in caring for wounded dogs and handling them in warzones. 

Dr. Matthew Morgan, a major in the U.S. Army Reserve's veterinary services, estimated that up to 75 trainees would attend each session at the hospital. The training is “essential to maintaining proficiency in advanced trauma care for both human and animal casualties,” he said in a letter to the IDA.

Marino, 61, of Asharoken, said his experiences after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center led him to join the Army Reserve. 

He said he was one of the first veterinary responders at Ground Zero and spent weeks helping to care for the K9 units of the New York Police Department. He added that a 9/11 memorial is to be built in front of the proposed hospital.

John D. Chillemi, Marino’s real estate attorney, said his client provides free training to the county’s police, fire rescue and ambulance services. He also treats police dogs for a fee.

IDA Chairman William Rockensies called the hospital “a very exciting project that would create good-paying medical jobs and provide services that aren’t available on Long Island right now.”

Among the 65 jobs to be created, 30 would be professional positions with annual salaries of between $70,000 and $400,000, according to the IDA application.