Great Neck Village Faces First Snow Budget Overage in Decade, Approves $7.5M Property Sale

The Village of Great Neck is expected to exceed its snow removal budget for the first time in 10 years, officials announced at Tuesday’s board of trustees meeting.

The village has already spent over $42,000 of its $45,000 snow budget this winter, according to Clerk/Treasurer Abraham Cohan. With more snow forecast for this weekend, the Department of Public Works continues preparing for additional expenses.

Cohan said the village will likely need to tap into its $150,000 contingency fund to cover the shortfall.

The board also unanimously approved the sale of a former sewer plant site at 263-267 East Shore Road for $7.5 million. Trustee Steven Hope received authorization to sign closing documents for the property, which the village had declared surplus.

The approved contract amendments dispersed ownership among six limited liability companies, all controlled by Kings Point Mayor Kouros Torkan, according to village officials.

“The principal is the same on all of them,” Deputy Mayor Barton Sobel said.

The closing is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 18.

During public comments, seven North Drive residents raised safety concerns about speeding traffic on their street. Resident Bob Mehdizadeh told the board that drivers frequently speed through the neighborhood.

“We are concerned about the traffic on our block and how fast people are going,” Mehdizadeh said, describing an incident where a speeding car struck a tree in the middle of the night.

While residents attributed increased traffic to construction at 739 Middle Neck Road, board members said the street has long experienced speeding from drivers avoiding traffic lights on Middle Neck Road.

“This is an enforcement issue,” Sobel said. “We don’t have a police force. You have to call the 6th Precinct and tell them.”

The board discussed potential solutions including one-way signs or restricting entry from Middle Neck Road. Building Department Superintendent Michael Sweeney said the village would need county approval for road status changes.

Mayor Pedram Bral suggested the traffic issues might improve after construction concludes, telling residents, “You just have to give us time.”

The board approved two items related to the new village hall currently under construction. Trustees authorized a $3,180 change order to Roland’s Electric, Inc. for a generator roof mounting plate that was discovered missing during installation planning, according to Cohan.

They also approved a contract addendum with Bohler Engineering NY, PLLC, for exterior building lighting design. Bral explained the original plans included only light posts, not building-mounted lights. The board approved $2,000 for construction document revisions and $1,750 for landscape and lighting design revisions, though costs exclude purchasing and installing the actual lights.

In other business, the board granted permit amnesty to 15 homeowners for 17 expired permits that the building superintendent determined were not the homeowners’ fault. The board agreed to close the permits and issue certificates of occupancy and completion after homeowners pay required permit fees.

The building department received 32 permit applications in January and collected over $65,000 in fees, according to village records.

Department of Public Works Superintendent James Neubert reported that four new garbage trucks have arrived. The village funded the trucks using approximately $1,218,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and $244,000 from its capital fund.

Neubert said the new trucks have experienced minor operational issues, particularly with turning radius in snowy conditions.

“They don’t turn as wide. A lot of times they’ll favor the middle of the road…but now that snow is there, they have to swing much wider,” Neubert explained.