Contract on toll booth staffing at beach under review by town officials

An agreement made by Hempstead’s park commissioner to have a private company run the toll booths at the town's Malibu Beach Park is now under scrutiny by town officials.

News 12 Staff

Jul 12, 2019, 9:39 PM

Updated 1,743 days ago

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It comes after teenagers who used to staff the toll booths at the entrance to Malibu Beach lost their jobs.
Town Supervisor Laura Gillen she says she just learned that the commissioner entered into substantive contractual agreements without even discussing them with her office. The toll booths had been run by seasonal employees hired by the town, but the contract extension signed by Parks Commissioner Daniel Lino allows businessman Butch Yamali to have his employees collect the town parking fees.
Gillen says that there is no way this should have been executed without a board resolution and that it seems like a back-room deal. 
She says that she has not spoken to the park’s commissioner yet regarding the situation.  Yamali argues that the agreement was not a back-room deal.
“The Town Board approved it long before she was supervisor, and that was in the deal,” says Yamali. “If they read the contract, it says it automatically renews. He [Daniel Lino] had the right to do it as the commissioner, and that's the way it goes.”
The parks commissioner issued a statement saying that the contract "is in compliance with all town regulations,” and adds that “utilizing the vendor to collect tolls ....actually results in tax savings for town residents compared to using municipal workers."
Town Councilman Bruce Blakeman tells News 12 that the matter has now been referred to the town's compliance officers for review.
This image was provided to News 12 by Butch Yamali. He says it shows his contract with the town that gives the commissioner the right to extend the contract.


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