EDITORIAL: Lighthouse progress welcome

Nassau County needs the Lighthouse Project. It needs the revenue, the jobs, the promise of revitalization and the retention of its professional hockey team.

So the effort by Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray to "jump-start" the stalled project of developer and Islanders owner Charles Wang is a welcome move. The review of Wang and Scott Rechler's initial proposal had come to a halt at the end of last year when, after paying $550,000 to the engineering firm the town made them hire, they refused to pay any more.

Now, to get the zoning process back on track, Hempstead will pay $150,000 to that very same firm to come up with a development plan for the county-owned 77 acres. At last, Murray - who is concerned about traffic and density - is taking an active leadership role in determining what the town wants built.

The new plan is due this summer, and Murray says the town will consult with Wang during the process. Certainly it will be a smaller project, but it also must be large enough to fund a $350-million renovation of the county-owned Coliseum. Murray and Wang need to skillfully ride this seesaw of zoning and financing to the right balance.

Nassau Executive Edward Mangano's support of Murray's strategy is a good sign that the county wants to cooperate as well. There have been too many false starts for the Lighthouse Project, but this latest one could actually make it to the finish. hN