County Executive Thomas Suozzi addressed a sometimes contentious group of over 200 Sands Point residents who came together in Hempstead House to discuss a proposal put forth by the Village and the County to increase the number of catered events permitted in that building. Hempstead House, which was built in 1912 and is located in the Sands Point preserve, has fallen into disrepair. Because of the County's severe financial condition, Suozzi said that the only way that badly needed repairs and renovation can be performed is by generating additional revenues. "However," he said, "we will not do it if the community doesn't want it. It's your community; if you don't want us to do this, we will move on to deal with the other 5,000 problems that we've got in this County, and this beautiful building will deteriorate. It's up to you."

At the beginning of the meeting, Sands Point Mayor Leonard Wurzel emphasized, "No decision will be reached here tonight. Any action taken will require the full vote of the board of trustees." Indeed, the only decision - a significant one - made at the meeting was to establish a "Friends of Sands Point Preserve" organization, which would be charged with recommending ways of protecting and preserving this important asset. Suozzi said that this group would be analogous to the Central Park Conservancy. He commented, "We want things like that to happen in each of our major park facilities throughout the County, so we can get interested people with ability involved in preserving and protecting our properties over the long term." He added, "Nassau County government simply does not have the ability to do this on our own, so it will require people who care about this facility to adopt this project and take it on and make it happen."

According to an April 15 letter that Mayor Wurzel sent to all Sands Points residents, the Village had agreed to a request by the County to permit up to 24 catered evening events, such as weddings and similar occasions, to take place annually in Hempstead House. This is an extension from an 8 o'clock deadline stipulated in a 1971 agreement. Each event would be limited to 250 persons, and would take place indoors, with outdoor music prohibited, unless approved by the Village. The income from these events would be used to generate funds to restore Hempstead House. The letter stated that, on the basis of this agreement, the County had solicited caterers to conduct these events. It further stated that the County had requested a 10-year agreement (rather than five), with an escalation clause that would permit increasing numbers of events over the years.

Almost immediately after the letter was sent, a number of Sands Point residents manifested their opposition to the proposal. In a full-page advertisement in the April 24 edition of the Port Washington News, a group calling itself "Citizens for a Safe PW/SP" raised a number of issues. The main concerns mentioned in the advertisement and/or at the meeting included traffic, water consumption, noise, alcohol consumption, infringement on the tranquility of the preserve, potential costs of additional law enforcement, and possibly changing the character of the community. The letter urged all residents to turn out to the meeting and to get involved.

In his introductory remarks, Mayor Wurzel indicated that the Sands Point Board of Trustees had agreed to the 24 events, but, in the light of the County's severe financial problems, this would not be enough to repair and rehabilitate Hempstead House. He went on to say that he, personally, favored the proposal, saying, "While I am a citizen of the Village, I am also a citizen of the County. If this is something that will help the County and not hurt the Village, I would favor it." Wurzel went on to say that the Village has not received any complaints about noise or traffic from the events that have taken place over the past 30 years in the preserve. A sampling of those events were described in the April 15 letter, and have included special exhibits, the Medieval Festival, galas including the annual Sands Point Civic Association event, musical events, and movie shoots. He added that the annual Schreiber High School gambol will be held at Hempstead House this year because of construction at the school.

County Executive Suozzi, who received warm applause at a number of points during his presentation, began his remarks by putting the proposal in the context of Nassau County's financial situation and the efforts that his administration has made to resolve the County's financial problems. He pointed out that the proposal falls into a part of the County's overall financial plan called "smart government initiatives." Under Commissioner Doreen Banks, who was also present at the meeting, a variety of creative revenue-raising enterprises are being considered for virtually all of the major facilities operated by the County's Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums. In spite of the many steps that the Suozzi administration has implemented to cut expenses and increase revenues, he said, "Nassau County is in very serious financial trouble." He went on to describe in detail the many reasons for that situation, which included previous mismanagement, slowdown in Nassau County's growth and erosion of its tax base, cutbacks by federal and state government, and the general economic downturn. He said, "Our workforce in the Parks Department is one-third the size of what it was 15 years ago. It was reduced before we got into office and now it's been further reduced under our workforce reduction plan. We have to think smarter and better as to how to address the problems."

After providing some background on the Sands Point preserve generally and on Hempstead House and Castlegould in particular, Suozzi described the details of the County's proposal. As stated, it would allow for up to 30 daytime and 24 evening events in the first year, which had already had been agreed to by the Village. The number of permitted events would gradually increase, until in year five it would permit up to 36 evening and 50 daytime events. Then, in years six through 10, a new schedule would be negotiated based upon previous experience. Suozzi said that he believed that the residents would not notice a significant impact from the revised schedule. He said, "I believe that you will say, 'Gee, I didn't even know this was happening over here.'" He emphasized that the County must find creative ways of generating new revenues if it is to make the half million to $2 million worth of badly needed repairs and renovations. He showed slides that depicted some of the damage that has taken place at Hempstead House. According to Suozzi, all of the income generated by the catered events would be used first for Hempstead House, and any remaining funds would be used for the other parts of the Sands Point preserve. He reiterated, "If you like it, we'll do it. If you think it is a bad idea, we don't want to do it. We have plenty of other problems to work on. But be conscious of the consequences for the facility." He concluded his formal remarks by urging residents to become active in the newly created Friends of Sands Point Preserve.

During the lively question-and-answer period, a number of residents elaborated on the concerns outlined above; others asked for clarification about how the implementation of the proposed plan would work. Some alternative suggestions for generating revenues were made from the floor, including corporate sponsorships, creating a conference center, using the property for film shoots, and private donations. (Suozzi, perhaps jokingly, said, "Who wants to pledge a $100,000?") A few residents objected to the fact that the Village board of trustees had already entered into an agreement without any input from the community. One individual pointed out that the grounds also need attention, with which Banks agreed.

There was discussion about the clause in the original agreement by which the federal government turned over Hempstead House to the County, which calls for the property to revert to the federal government if it falls into disrepair because the County can no longer maintain it. Herb Mills, The County's director of museums, commented that the "reversion" clause also applies to Falaise, which would go back to the Harry S. Guggenheim Foundation, which had donated it to the County and which provides some funds for maintenance of that building. Mills pointed out that there is a federal law on the books that states that one of the prime considerations for use of surplus government property is to house the homeless. "I'm not saying that's going to happen," he said, "but you need to be aware of this."

Suozzi agreed to hold off any action until the Friends of Sands Point Preserve has had a chance to meet and to make recommendations. He ended the meeting by thanking everyone for coming out and encouraging them to stay involved. He said, "We really would like you to put the effort into helping us develop a plan for the future use of the property. There is no reason that with the wealth that we have in this community and the intelligence and concern that you have, that you can't come up with a much better solution as to how to care for the entire preserve and this wonderful facility." He added a strong statement of support for the Mayor, saying, "I have the greatest respect and admiration for Mayor Wurzel. He is a tremendous public servant and you are very fortunate to have him as your mayor. I think that any representation of a breach of trust is completely inaccurate."

According to Deputy Parks Commissioner Michelle McFaul, who is coordinating the Friends of Sands Point Preserve meetings, about 80 people signed up to participate in this group. McPaul said that the first meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Hempstead House. An invitation letter will be sent from the county executive to all those who attended the April meeting.