Henry Holley-
"Hi , good afternoon, my name is Henry Holley. I’m the president of the Holley Group located in Hempstead, Long Island. We provide [don’t know] for up to fifty million dollars worth of collateral for small businesses and midsize businesses. We provide consulting but today I am here talking about the Lighthouse Project at the Nassau County. I have been asked some questions and make some comments in regards to the Lighthouse Project based on my experience and my knowledge of this project. I think this is a tremendous project for long island, I’ve been here since 1955, been in business for over 50 years here on long island, I served a capacity on Nassau County Panel Commission, Nassau County Tax Review Commission, and several businesses here in Nassau County. The Lighthouse Project is a 3.7 billion dollar project. It is, as I said , the largest project that came before Nassau County. In my opinion it is a Long Island destination , happened to be located in Uniondale, Long Island. It is a major major project, I am a consultant to the project, I have worked with the two principles and their families for over 25 years, so I know them both and their families quite well.
The project is located here in Uniondale, Long Island, but again id like to re enervate that it is a Long Island destination and I think all of Long Island will benefit from the project. Just a little bit of background, I would have advocated for the project should I not have been a consultant. Some may see it as a suseran? , but let me say to you, the public that I was involved with in Long Island Tourism Convention Organization on the board there when we advocated for the hotels to come to Long Island. I was involved and we were able to get the room tax on Long Island to pay some funds to the Long Island Convention where we can advocate tourism coming to Long Island. For years we never had adequate convention centers so therefore ive been in the transportation business, so ive been taking those conventions off long island in a sense that they use my limousines, my buses, my vans, to go to the airport, etc. several other large corporations, that was my client base would take their conventions off Long Island. Therefore, Long Island would lose the tax revenue. So therefore that’s why I said it is a Long Island destination , I think all of Long Island will benefit. This project will generate , my understanding, some seventy million dollars in tax revenue.
Also, my understanding, since it is located in Uniondale, Uniondale school district will get approximately 25 to 35 million dollars in tax revenue. I understand it will create an estimated seventy million jobs over the period of ten years. Also twenty thousand permanent jobs, not seventy million, seventy thousand jobs over the period of 10 years. I have been talking to many individuals and groups that have been to the presentations of the Lighthouse Project, I believe to date the lighthouse group have made over 185 presentations. Most of the residents of Long Island have embraced the project. Again, it is one of the biggest projects that I know of that has come to Long Island since I’ve been here. The project to date is again in front of the town of Hempstead. I recognize that it is a major project , the town have an obligation by state law, county , and town law to do their diligent. They are doing that. I realize it is a time consuming project.
I realize there is a time constraint on the principle. I think as we go forward with the project. Today we live in a society and in a world that is not what it was five or six years ago. I think in order to make the project go, Long Islanders have to look at it what I call outside the box. We can’t do business as usual. We have to change our way of thinking, our mindset if you will to see how we collectively make this project happen for Long Island. We are losing our young people. We need the tax base to keep our taxes down. It is just what Long Island needs. I realize again, how difficult it is for perhaps the developers as well as for the elected officials to go through this major project. I was able to read the paper this morning and see some of the concerns that the town have responded to the 6,500 document that the developers has presented to them. I realize that they have to do their diligent. But I really truly think that this is something that Long Island must do. So I say to all of us on Long Island, we need to embrace the project, we need to do whatever we can to make sure it happens and I’m sure that those who love Long Island will continue to do that. Just that we have to look at it a little differently, five years ago, we did not hear anything about the economy being what it is today , we didn’t have to deal with the issues of the banks being in trouble, the insurance companies being in trouble, the car dealers in trouble, the stimulus money, so we are living in a time that we have to think outside the box. But by the same token, make sure that the project is done efficiently and responsible.
So, I don’t suggest that none of us do something that is not responsible. I think that the town have to be responsible for their actions, I think that the developers have to be responsible for their actions. I recognize that the developers have some major investment in this area. I know that the there is a traffic problem, but if you look at this area come 4 to 7 o’clock, 4 pm to 7 pm, you cannot get in and out of the area without going through the side streets today. We need to do something to change that. I think that this will be a catalyst if you will, to make something happen in this area. I know, again, because of my background in transportation, transportation is a major issue, problem, if we don’t do anything. I realize that the developers have said that they will put 55 million dollars to negate some of the traffic problems.
I realize that we have to look at the water so I’m just suggesting that you look at it in a way to embrace the project and make sure it happens. These are some comments based on my experience , based on what I’ve heard, what I’ve read, what ive seen, that we need , we long islands as a whole, because I believe that it is not just the developer of the responsibility of the town elected official. It is the responsibility of us here on Long Island , if we want to keep our young people here, we need to reduce our tax of living in Long Island, so we have to keep jobs where people can have jobs , our unemployment rate has gone up. This can be Long Island’s stimulus money if we get this project going. I know that the developers and the owner of the islanders are under constraint , but as far as time is concerned, I know that both are advocating to lets get it done, I know that the town is doing their diligent, and again, the town is working, I hope, as hard as they can, it is a major project. This is something that we haven’t had to deal with in the past. The only thing I’m saying is that we collectively have a different mindset than we did five years ago. We cannot do business as usual if we want to keep the young people here, if we want to keep our tax down, we want this project to happen so there are my comments. I hope that the project goes forward, I’m sure that we are going to continue to work with those people that are about making this happen.
So whatever capacitated I can lend my expertise, my help, my comments, to whomever that wants to see the project. My job is , as a consultant to the project, is to reach out to the community, we have reached out to over 185 presentations, if you want to see the project we have groups. Come in and see it. Again, we are here , I’m here to advocate again on behalf of the project, because I think it is good for Long Island. So I hope my comments have been constructive on both sides of the isles. I think and I heard that the developers would not hope that it would be a political thing. I realize it is an election year and I know that politics and business go together. But for politician and the business comunnitiy, and for residents of long island, we have to have a different mind set ,we have to think outside the box, for the benefit of all of us who live here on Long Island. So Thank You for listening to my presentation."
Nick Giglia 7:
“I think the Lighthouse project is exactly what the Island needs at this exact moment. Where we have been doing the same thing the same sort of principles of sprawl, mini malls and condo developments for over 40 years now. And what do they say; insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. We’ve created all of these problems, we have younger people like myself who are leaving, I mean I am 24 years old half my friends are gone and half the ones still here are planning to leave and I am sure it might have to happen to me within the next 6 months. So anything that can be changed, anything that can be done new, can help us. The Lighthouse project I realize is not going to be a cure-all. This is not going to be something that as soon as it is approved that every problem on Long Island is going to go away.
What we’re hoping and what we are really advocating for is that the lighthouse can signal a new kind of thinking on long island. That we’re not going to build blindly without a cohesive plan, that we’re not going to pay these exhorburent taxes to educate our children so they can make a living somewhere else, we’re not going to simply get traffic to such a horrific condition and think it’s going to get better if we ignore it, it’s not. Hopefully building the lighthouse can lead to other good decisions, other smart growth characteristics that can move us into the 21st century. Let’s face it, right now the jobs and the people are going to the areas that embrace the future that embrace smart growth and are building out with cohesive plans. From Places like the complex in Glendale AZ to the Boston Center in Arlington VA. The world is changing and it’s not going to wait for us to catch up. It’s going to pass us by. The Lighthouse is a perfect opportunity to begin this new kind of thinking and move Long Island FORWARD. “I can talk about what got me into the project to begin with”“I was originally interesting in the Lighthouse project because I am a die-hard Islanders fan. I have a lone scar above my left knee from celebrating David overtime goal in 1993. So the team has scarred me literally and figuratively. So, it was first proposed when I had to do a paper for a law class of mine back at Boston Univ. It was a current events project and I decided to pick the lighthouse and write about it and I quickly realized this is not just about hockey.
This is not simply we’re going to have a home for a hockey team and there is 3 billion dollars worth other stuff to. This is really a chance to build a center for Long Island it’s something that can take us to the 21st century. I would have been a fan of it just being a hockey fan but I advocate for it because I really think it’s the best thing for long island and the best thing for our future.”:I think the lighthouse is for younger people if only to give them an option. I am trying to start a technology business right now and I reject the belief that I automatically I have to throw everything I own into my car and drive to Silicon Valley because everyone else does it. However, on the other hand, when you talk about leaving Long Island a lot of us really think the decision was made for us years if not decades ago through decision and policies that really limit a young persons option.
When the overwhelming majority of your housing options are single family homes in quiet leafy neighborhoods, that’s not something that a 20 something wants. Especially now when people are graduating college at 22 year olds or 23 year olds and not getting married until 30s they don’t want a single family home yet because they are not ready to settle down. At the very least, it can give them an option of not only that but it can provide for jobs. Jobs that attract young people. When I was in consulting, I rode the metro north train through Connecticut to my client. It left Grand Central Station at 6:40 in the morning and that train was packed with people who lived in Manhattan and had jobs in Westchester and Connecticut because companies that employed younger people who were taking advantage of the office space and opportunities those communities had to offer. I have taken that same time rain at the same time to Long Island and I could spread out across the six seat section by myself and nobody was dressed for work. Why aren’t these jobs coming where? Why aren’t we providing opportunity like that? So we have to provide the right types of opportunity to keep young people here and to employee young people here.”“I think Kate Murray and Town of Hempstead need to understand the nature of their responsibility and need to stop making the public statements they are making. Because let’s face it, KM hasn’t done anything so far to obstruct the process, but Kate Murray is ill [can’t make out word] will because she either doesn’t understand her role in this process or she’s playing the voters for fools. And I think either one is cause for concern.
Because the Environmental Review is ongoing right now and it has to be comp but on the other hand, to ask her to speed it up is simply of matter of hiring more consultants, it’s not a matter of breaking the law. Not a matter of .. The biggest problem, their PR is bad. They haven’t been doing anything to obstruct the process, but when people call to ask innocuous questions, like I have twice, they send a condescending letter assuming that we know nothing about the process and that we are trying to blame them for something. Or their entire strategy seems to be throwing their arms saying it wasn’t me, it doesn’t matter or not if it was you. The thing is it needs to move forward. In the best interest of ourselves or our neighbors. We can’t let politics get in the middle of this.”
Rosa and Katie's Lighthouse Project Story
Written by Kimberly Chin | 
