Vote Tuesday on bond for Roslyn Heights park

Eight months after the North Hempstead Town Board voted to create a special park district around the shuttered Roslyn Country Club, the board will hold a special meeting Tuesday on whether to issue bonds to improve the Roslyn Heights property once the land is purchased.

But the town board will put off a vote on purchasing just more than 7 acres of the roughly 10-acre country club property from its owner, Manouchehr Malekan, for $2 million, instead taking it up at its Sept. 10 meeting. Also on today's agenda is whether to issue $7.5 million in bonds for the construction of new park facilities and whether to approve an engineering contract for the work.

Malekan would retain ownership of about 3 acres of the site, including the catering facility.

The new Levitt Park at Roslyn Heights park district covers 727 homes and eight nonresidential plots in and around the area known as the Roslyn Country Club development.

The bonds would be paid for by district property owners, who would receive automatic membership in the new facility, but the money for the land purchase will come from the town's Environmental Legacy Fund, the town has said.

Councilman Thomas Dwyer, who represents the area, did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Todd Zarin, president of the Roslyn Country Club Civic Association, said the proposal had wide support among district homeowners.

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"I think the beginning of this project is going to be a good thing, both for the town and for our community," Zarin said. "I think all the parties will benefit from a reduction of the uncertainty that has defined our neighborhood for so long."