On Tuesday, July 16, community leaders of Oakdale civic and historical groups met with representatives of Mercury International at the Weber Law Group LLP, in Melville, about the blighted Idle Hour mansion at 150 Idle Hour Boulevard, in Oakdale, that previously was owned by Dowling College.
The community meeting was mandated as part of the lawsuit judgment from the Town of Islip’s case against Mercury International.
In a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York that was resolved late in 2023, Mercury was given a tax assessment reduction of 80 percent, with a stipulation that the first $250,000 would be used towards security for the Idle Hour property.
In the resolution, it was stipulated that “Mercury voluntarily agrees to conduct community outreach with various community groups, property owners, and residents of surrounding neighborhood in the Hamlet of Oakdale no later than March 30, 2024.”
Community members expressed dismay at only being contacted for the first time after the March 30 deadline and three-and-half-month delay in setting the meeting.
In a statement, Bram Weber, attorney for Mercury, said about the July 16 meeting, “The parties had an open and honest discussion of important issues related to property maintenance, security, and the future use and redevelopment of the property. The property owner’s representatives reported to the community attendees that new physical security features were currently being installed at the property and all parties agreed to more regular communications going forward.”
Tom Alfano, a member of both the Oakdale Civic Association and Oakdale Historical Society, characterized the meeting as “reasonably productive,” but warned that “while not groundbreaking, we received assurances that basic security measures would be implemented, and we are beginning to see these measures take effect.”
“A line of communication was established between the community and China Orient, who expressed a noticeable interest in understanding the community’s perspective on potential development. I walked away feeling something was in progress. We will continue to monitor the property and take the appropriate action as needed. We look forward to talking more about the future of this property,” said Alfano.
Maryann Almes, president of the Oakdale Historical Society, said that the organization was “happy to open a dialogue with Mercury directly,” but that “past neglect leaves us skeptical about the speed in which security concerns and maintenance needs will be addressed. We are cautiously optimistic that we will finally see this property attended to as she deserves.”
