With the approval of its 1999-2000 budget, the Village of East Hills has also moved a step closer towards the acquisition of the Air National Guard property. Once the land is purchased, the village hopes to build an all-purpose park on the site which would be a first for East Hills.

The village has recently submitted a contract and a downpayment of $300,000 to the Department of Defense in Washington. Once DOD officials approve the contract, then the village will own the property. The East Hills Air National Guard station was slated for closure as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 1995.

The downpayment would cover about one-tenth the cost of purchasing the entire land, whose price has been set at $3,020,000. The village hopes to fund the rest of the purchase through the sale of village owned property on Tara Drive and the village hall, currently located on Town Path Road.

In the meantime, the village has retained the services of a consulting group to draft a master plan which would cover the relocation of the present Village Hall, the Village Justice Court, and the Public Works Department. The master plan would also include the development of the proposed Village Park Facilities.

Last month, the Air Force began an environmental overview and cleanup job at the National Guard station.

Through its contractor, Fanning, Phillips and Molnar of Ronkonkoma, the Air Force performed an environmental site investigation (SI) to determine the presence of contamination at 12 acres of land at the site. Data collected from the field was evaluated and recommendations were made for either additional samples, interim removal or "no further action."

The results of this SI has led to the removal of 50 cubic yards of soil and additional sampling. According to Mike Sorel, the Roslyn coordinator for the Air Force Base Conversion Agency (AFBCA), the 50 yards of soil will be taken off the East Hills site and disposed of at a certified location.

This cleanup will be the Air Force's final actions with the property. Once it is completed and once the contract is approved, the Air Force, Mr. Sorel said, will be ready to transfer the property over the Village of East Hills.

The environmental cleanup was coordinated with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Nassau County Health Department, the Roslyn Water District, the Air National Guard, and the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence.

The development of a park has long been a goal of the Koblenz Administration. The park would include, among other things, baseball and soccer fields, a tennis court, a swimming pool, a children's playground, a nature walk, roller blade facilities, and possibly, a miniature golf course. The financing of the park is likely to come through a bond act to be voted on by the residents of East Hills.