Ronkonkoma Hub development plan faces headwinds

Daily Point

Piccirillo says $200M pulled from project 'that's never going to get off the ground'

The possibility of development on the southern half of the Ronkonkoma Hub grew dimmer last week, after Anthony Piccirillo, the Suffolk County Legislature’s presiding officer, made his opposition quite clear during a capital budget hearing.

And on Wednesday, Piccirillo told The Point that the $200 million that had been earmarked for the property — which included $150 million in state funds — had been "pulled" from the county capital budget.

That was not a surprise to anyone who heard the presiding officer during last Tuesday’s hearing.

"I think everybody at this horseshoe for good or for bad knows exactly where I stand on this," Piccirillo said at the hearing. "I don’t want to spend one more dollar of taxpayer money on this project that’s never going to get off the ground."

But then Piccirillo underlined his opposition with a reference only those who love the American Top 40 — a mainstay radio program Casey Kasem hosted for decades that can still be heard in reruns — would understand.

"I have a better chance having hair like Casey Kasem tomorrow than this project ever seeing fruition," Piccirillo said. "So, we’re going to consider everything that’s in the budget but as far as I’m concerned this is on life support."

With that, Piccirillo turned to county Legis. Ann Welker, a Democrat, for her turn to ask questions of a panel of speakers.

"Thank you, Mr. Chair," she said. "Can’t wait to see you have hair like Casey Kasem."

But the lighthearted moment also underscores a more serious concern regarding what Piccirillo’s opposition might mean not only for the county-owned property south of the Long Island Rail Road tracks, but for Islip Town’s ongoing efforts to upgrade Long Island MacArthur Airport, an effort that includes potentially moving the terminal.

The budget had initially included $150 million of state infrastructure funds offered by Gov. Kathy Hochul, and $50 million from the county’s hotel/motel tax. On Wednesday, Piccirillo told The Point that the money earmarked for the Hub was "being pulled and used for actual infrastructure needs, not a project that will never happen."

Hochul spokesman Gordon Tepper told The Point that the future of the state money "depends on what the legislature wants to do with those funds."

"We want to support local government to provide for its residents, and if for whatever reason elected officials don’t want a project in their community, that’s their prerogative," Tepper said. "The state provides the opportunity for municipalities to retain local control and sometimes local control equals stagnation."

Piccirillo doesn’t stand alone. At the capital budget hearing, lawmakers Greg Doroski, Dominick Thorne and Chad Lennon all expressed concerns regarding the money in the capital budget that had been allocated toward the Ronkonkoma Hub.

But outside of the hearing room, there seems to be more nuance to the discussion. Legis. Trish Bergin, whose district includes some of the land, told the Point she’s not opposed to development there. But, she said, she is seeking a change in how the county’s hotel-motel tax funds can be used. Right now, state legislation specifically earmarks a portion of that hotel-motel money to a county infrastructure fund that would go toward a convention center at the Ronkonkoma Hub.

"I am all for a medical think tank to create high paying jobs for young people on Long Island at that site," Bergin said. "However, looking at the condition of our roads and our bridges, if we’re going to be fiscally responsible, I think we’re better served asking the state to rework that language to allow for other desperately needed infrastructure improvements to be paid for by that money, as opposed to a convention center."

Multiple sources told The Point that there’ve been conversations with state officials about making such changes to state legislation, but there’s opposition coming from the unions and hoteliers. Tepper would only say that any bill that passes both houses "will be reviewed by the governor."

But lawmakers’ vocal opposition to developing the county land throws ongoing efforts into limbo. County Executive Ed Romaine had planned to issue a request for proposals for the 48 acres of county land earlier this month, but the future of such a request now is unclear. In Islip, the town’s professional review committee had selected a winning proposal that would build a new airport terminal on the north end of the airport property, allowing for a direct connection with the Ronkonkoma LIRR stop. Town officials are in the process of briefing Islip council members regarding the winning proposal.

"The selection of a tremendously competent and credible group shows that the town is serious, and they would now very much like the county to do something," one source familiar with the process said. "The hope, I think, of many is that the town moving forward seriously will convince the county that now is the time to do something and do it right."

Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter emphasized that Hochul’s committed funds, and Islip’s efforts, could have a broader impact.

"This is of regional significance," Carpenter said. "It’s beyond just Islip Town and the airport and the county. We can’t be parochial. We have to start thinking as a region."

Earlier this month, Hochul alluded to the ongoing process during an appearance on LI News Radio. She applauded Carpenter and Romaine, both Republicans.

"Angie Carpenter is a dear, dear friend," Hochul said. "I think her leadership has been extraordinary and she pushed hard for this."

For Romaine, she said, "this is an important priority for him as well."

Hochul called the connection between the train station and the airport "transformational."

But that conversation came before the county legislature’s hearing and before Piccirillo started talking about Casey Kasem and his hair.

"Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars," Kasem used to say when he’d sign off after a top-40 countdown.

Whether or not state, county and town officials move forward with plans for the Ronkonkoma Hub may depend on whether they follow that advice.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com and Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

Pencil Point

On the edge

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Final Point

Will Oliner tilt Hempstead supervisor’s race?

He hadn’t slept in nearly two days because of his granddaughter’s wedding in Rockland County, but former Lawrence Village Mayor Martin Oliner got his election petitions filed by Tuesday’s deadline.

Oliner told The Point he submitted 2,400 signatures to run as an independent in this year’s Hempstead Town supervisor’s election. The deadline was May 26, and Oliner needed 1,500 signatures to qualify. Barring a successful challenge to his filing, Oliner will appear on the November ballot against Republican incumbent John Ferretti and Democrat Joe Scianablo under his own "Citizens not Developers" party line.

"People came forward … and sure enough, they all came in and a lot of people volunteered," Oliner said of his efforts to surpass the number of signatures required to file.

Oliner previously told The Point he entered the race because he blames Ferretti for not stopping a transit-oriented development near the Lawrence Long Island Rail Road station. A petition against the project got more than 2,000 signatures, evidence of how strongly the community opposes the plan, Oliner said.

Nassau County political sources previously told The Point that Oliner’s appearance on the ballot, even as an independent, would likely pull more votes from Ferretti than Scianablo in a rematch of last year’s supervisor’s election. And Oliner said he garnered most of his signatures from the Five Towns, which overwhelmingly support Republican candidates.

"He might very well end up helping one candidate or the other," a Nassau political source told The Point. "Whatever votes he gets have to come from somewhere. The reality in America today is, if you don’t have a major political party line, you have a very slim, slim chance to win a race. I’m not going to say it’s impossible."

But Oliner said he wants to limit overdevelopment, reduce traffic, and improve infrastructure — not run as a spoiler. "My main focus is to make sure we have a town that’s better served," Oliner said.

The hardest part of his campaign may already be over since he had only two weeks to meet the petition deadline. Campaigning isn’t as difficult, Oliner said, as petitioning for signatures. "It’s easier to get a vote than a signature, in my mind," Oliner said.

Still, his nascent campaign lacks a formalized committee, and Oliner is spending his own money to fund his campaign. But his deep roots in the Five Towns and base of support there already got him this far in the election process.

"The Five Towns is a very, very important and integral part of winning an election," he previously told The Point. "We do make a difference … but mess with us and do stupid things, then don’t expect us to be quiet."

At 79 and with his career as mayor in the rearview mirror, Oliner said seeking elected office again wasn’t in his plan, but plans change. "The last thing I ever thought I’d be doing would be to run for Town of Hempstead supervisor," he said Wednesday. "God has a bit of a sense of humor."

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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