[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6662368,"mediaKeyId","2397258-adfa7bcd5aa4d0f16fc1514576ce3bbf","parentId",2397258,"title","Votes at a glance: Hempstead board adopts local parking rules, handicap parking, sidewalk assessments, water-tower financing and administrative calendar","audioSeconds",146,"startMs",6501000,"endMs",6647000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2397258-adfa7bcd5aa4d0f16fc1514576ce3bbf&start=6501&end=6647","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2397258-adfa7bcd5aa4d0f16fc1514576ce3bbf/thumbnail_6501000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6662368/New-York/Votes-at-a-glance-Hempstead-board-adopts-local-parking-rules-handicap-parking-sidewalk-assessments-water-tower-financing-and-administrative-calendar","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6662368-d7328995c730469def58aa8ff3f2a5af/orig.mp4?Expires=1771178035&Signature=hIZQMudIs4oOPDz687DhafXVb93l09YxgxDl0RjZqtRZRcBdkhnmOQX5ghYwQ-AbNilp38GYmUgPB62l4x17s-qS-EKdofe4nCp0qZej~d1HnZIhx2gU7cPYaR7lulR1U0WDOWodyak8DwD4dJ7gmuTytNs2wNUe6AgA-VPW4yOV-aCNBN3BsBXNcNB~uTHLB9k1aVyNgwfyRHVMBDFfFJxa3Cipe8~GriEETlJDnYrvK3~ei5TvswPcTlbHiFVYp25My2-6eYZUFg53mSsFqpcte8CvPjIyp8ZLoNotDK-eV7PIuCEpQtSq0W5v9BZSD12jsxrBIlq8u118f6uLuw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nassau County","date","2025-02-26T13:05:48.46Z","article","The Hempstead Town Board approved multiple items at its Feb. 25 meeting, adopting public-hearing items and an administrative calendar entry added as an urgent item. All roll-call votes listed below were recorded during the public meeting at Hempstead Town Hall.

Votes at a glance

- Proposed local law regarding regulations and restrictions to limit parking in Franklin Square (agenda item 1): Adopted. Roll call: Supervisor Clavin — Aye; Councilman Dunne — Aye; Deputy Supervisor Goosby — Aye; Councilwoman Miller — Aye; Councilman Muscarella — Aye; Councilwoman Ryder — Aye; Councilman Schneider — Aye. Outcome: approved.

- Proposed handicap parking on public streets in Elmont and Uniondale (agenda item 2): Adopted. Roll call: Supervisor Clavin — Aye; Councilman Dunne — Aye; Deputy Supervisor Goosby — Aye; Councilwoman Miller — Aye; Councilman Muscarella — Aye; Councilwoman Ryder — Aye; Councilman Schneider — Aye. Outcome: approved.

- Public hearing determining parcels benefited by construction or reconstruction of sidewalks in Baldwin, Bellmore, East Meadow, Elmont, Franklin Square, Garden City South, Inwood, Lido Beach, Merrick, North Baldwin, North Bellmore, Oceanside, Seaford, Valley Stream, Wantagh, West Hempstead, Westbury, and Woodmere (agenda item 3): Adopted. Roll call recorded in meeting transcript: unanimous ayes. Outcome: approved.

- Public hearing to raise $10.5 million for the East Meadow Water District to replace the Mitchell Street water tower (agenda item 4): Approved. Supervisor Clavin and board members voted aye on the motion to close the public hearing and approve the item; the transcript records Commissioner John Reinhardt (Department of Water) answering questions about the project and how the debt will be satisfied through district revenue and taxes. Outcome: approved.

- Proposed local law regarding a temporary moratorium on battery energy storage system facilities (agenda item 5): Adopted (see separate article for full coverage). Roll call: unanimous ayes. Outcome: approved. The town attorney stated the moratorium is for one year unless altered by the board.

- Administrative calendar (agenda items 6–49) and an added urgent item (item 50): Adopted. The board added an urgent resolution authorizing a lease agreement with the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency for suites at 350 Front Street, Hempstead, NY (suites 234, 234A, 238 and 240) as item 50; the administrative calendar was approved by unanimous roll call.

What the votes mean

Several items came from public hearings with no speakers signed in or with limited public comment; the Mitchell Street water-tower financing (item 4) drew questions about timing and wider water system costs from residents, and Commissioner John Reinhardt said the debt will be satisfied through revenue and taxes in the East Meadow Water District. The temporary moratorium on battery energy storage systems sparked extensive public comment and a separate detailed record of testimony; the board voted to pause approvals while staff assess codes and safety requirements.

Administrative notes

The transcript records that the board added the lease resolution for Town Hall suites at 350 Front Street as an urgent administrative calendar item. The administrative calendar (items 6–50 as amended) passed by unanimous roll call. A motion to adjourn passed at the end of the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","February 25, 2025 Hempstead Town Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Hempstead Town Board approved a package of public-hearing items and its administrative calendar during its Feb. 25 meeting, including parking rules, sidewalk assessments, a water-tower financing plan and a one-year moratorium on battery energy storage projects.","taxTitle","Hempstead, Nassau County, New York","taxId",65905,"location","New York","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6662373,"Hempstead board enacts one-year moratorium on large battery storage projects after lengthy public comment",5334,1187000,6521000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2397258-adfa7bcd5aa4d0f16fc1514576ce3bbf&start=1187&end=6521","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2397258-adfa7bcd5aa4d0f16fc1514576ce3bbf/thumbnail_1187000.jpg","/articles/6662373/New-York/Hempstead-board-enacts-one-year-moratorium-on-large-battery-storage-projects-after-lengthy-public-comment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6662373-b1df0c41892ae0a1137e7b2d3b413a97/orig.mp4?Expires=1771178035&Signature=PGfzgD-6-~~aPaERi2wKZL5FlCjbKVUELoUPZxpfYByWPfX6nZRdpT7eFuRs5a-Jmj612G8PxnR2CgSXgd7VJJnR3Q1PnjW2YCEQi20gx3AhN8SqbduoXVRb~f1ZoXNKEVBhvo9mG6KtJs12d6z5inUirKOHCvMdzdH4RodniQadZuzf-6tv1ngKU~DhmRS-24XWoMNFad3G1olL9l5zT3SQsJi3VBMWAUUU-6cd2xyFWuvewpE9aXpcW4Hqqn3t~u-96co07DdyR5K2eA009buiOMbO6PNQ3RrksnwJv2qgrHXk2xHBc8AuEU9HBpT-Zcnx2SBq5fL1nXeuHNas8w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Hempstead Town Board voted unanimously on Feb. 25 to adopt a temporary one-year moratorium on large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) facilities, approving the measure by roll call during a public meeting at Hempstead Town Hall.

The moratorium, described by the town attorney as a pause intended to allow the board time to consider safety, zoning and regulatory issues, drew dozens of speakers from Island Park, Long Beach, Point Lookout and surrounding communities. Speakers urged both a permanent ban and stronger local codes; others urged the board to adopt local standards rather than halt projects.

Town Attorney (unnamed) opened the discussion by asking board members to refrain from answering questions from the public, saying, “there could be litigation, and anything you say tonight may have an effect on that,” and noting he was “in possession of a letter from the Nassau County Fire Commission, office of the fire marshal, which indicated ... they have revoked a permit for that site.”

Congressman Anthony D'Esposito urged the board to act and said the issue reflected state-level overreach; D'Esposito told the board, “We have an opportunity tonight ... to put a moratorium on large scale lithium battery storage facilities,” and said he would favor banning them permanently. Mayor Michael McGinty of Village of Island Park called for a permanent moratorium, saying the proposed facilities represent “a direct and imminent threat” to volunteer first responders and nearby residents.

Many Island Park residents described safety and health concerns tied to lithium-ion battery fires and cited the January Moss Landing, California, incident as a cautionary example. Speakers voiced worries about toxic smoke, possible impacts to groundwater and the Lloyd aquifer, risks to children and schools near proposed sites, potential insurance and property-value impacts, and the limited capacity of volunteer fire departments to respond to such events.

Opponents of a ban argued for local regulation rather than prohibition. George Poval, executive director of the nonprofit All Our Energy, said the town should “establish your own codes” and urged the board to design standards and training so that projects could be “well regulated and well built.” Other speakers, including Steve Ralston and Kevin O'Keefe, said battery storage can lower bills, improve grid resiliency and reduce reliance on fossil-fuel peaker plants.

Board members approved the temporary local law by roll call: Supervisor Clavin, Councilman Dunne, Deputy Supervisor Goosby, Councilwoman Miller, Councilman Muscarella, Councilwoman Ryder and Councilman Schneider voted aye. The town attorney stated the moratorium is one year unless the town board decides to shorten or extend it.

The board did not adopt a permanent ban at the meeting. The moratorium will give town staff time to draft local rules or recommend other actions; the transcript records speakers offering a range of next steps from establishing local codes to pursuing a full ban.

The revocation letter from the Nassau County Fire Commission regarding the Island Park site was entered into the meeting record by the town attorney; the board also received letters of support for the moratorium from state legislators and the Island Park School District, according to the transcript.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: the moratorium takes effect after the vote for up to one year, and the board may consider code-writing, additional studies or extensions before that period ends.","The Hempstead Town Board voted unanimously Feb. 25 to adopt a temporary one-year moratorium on large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) facilities after nearly two hours of public comment that included safety worries and support for tighter local rules.","actionData","errors"]

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Votes at a glance: Hempstead board adopts local parking rules, handicap parking, sidewalk assessments, water-tower financing and administrative calendar

Hempstead board enacts one-year moratorium on large battery storage projects after lengthy public comment