State Hits Minigolf, Batting Facility Near JFK Airport With Steep Rent Hike
LAWRENCE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – A minigolf and batting cage complex in Nassau County is hoping its patrons can step up to the plate to help.
Five Towns Mini-Golf and Batting Range sits on state-owned property, and officials are nearly tripling the monthly rent, CBS2's Jessica Moore reported.
The business is just beneath the approach lanes for planes landing at JFK Airport. For nearly 40 years, locals have enjoyed the batting cages, arcade and minigolf course.
But the state Department of Transportation is looking to raise the monthly rent by nearly $8,000.
"If it's going to be the rent, the raise that they're asking for, we would have to close down," said Five Towns owner Matt Rosen.
Rosen said he simply can't afford the higher rent, especially since he spent nearly $100,000 replacing the batting cages ruined by superstorm Sandy's floodwaters.
Several area baseball and softball leagues depend on the batting cages, and hundreds of kids would be disappointed if they closed.
"I come about every few days," said Aaaron Eichorn, of Lawrence. "I play in a couple of leagues around here. If there wasn't this this place, I wouldn't be playing baseball."
Shelly Shulman, of Long Beach, comes every week to watch his grandson perfect his swing.
"I think it's outrageous," Shulman said. "I think it's way too high. The gentleman who run this place do a fabulous job, and they're just squeaking by."
Rosen worries the state may want his property for a truck maintenance yard.
But a DOT spokeswoman said the rent increase is long overdue, adding that all "DOT properties in the Five Towns area were subject to a rent increase more reflective of the region's current property values."
But 1,700 people have already signed an online petition calling for a rent rollback. As a result, state officials have asked to meet with Rosen in the coming days, he said.
"We're very encouraged by that, and we're hoping we can come to a reasonable agreement with them," Rosen said.
