Popular Nassau County Mini-Golf Course, Batting Range Fights To Stay Open

LAWRENCE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A couple of elected officials are going to bat for a family-owned business in Nassau County.

For 39 years, Marty Rosen's Five Towns Mini-Golf & Batting Range has been a summer fixture along Rockaway Turnpike in Lawrence.

"I'm not going to be around much longer," Rosen told WCBS 880's Alex Silverman. "I'm 74 years old and I really want to keep going. I love what I do."

But the state's Department of Transportation, which owns the land and charges Rosen a monthly permit fee, has decided to raise the rent by 150 percent.

Rosen said his heart sank when he got the news and couldn't bear to tell his family that their beloved business might be forced to close because they can't afford to keep it open.

Rosen said business is still down nearly four years after Superstorm Sandy.

"The first year we were off 50 percent, right now we're off about 20 percent," Rosen said.

He has been paying the same amount for almost 20 years and said this hike came "out of the blue."

"It's not that I don't want to pay an increase, the scope of it is what knocks my socks off," Rosen said. "I just can't afford to do that."

He's appealing and working with local legislators.

"I'm willing to compromise," Rosen said.

"It's unfortunate, it should never happen to anybody, but especially from an agency that is charged with helping the community," said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, D-Far Rockaway.

The DOT claims it doesn't want the property for any other purpose so Goldfeder and Nassau County Legislator Howard J. Kopel said it appears to be a money grab, 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported.

The DOT said in a statement to WCBS 880 that Rosen was notified about the rent increase in December.

"The agency conducted a statewide review of DOT properties to assess fair market value.  All properties in The Five Towns area were part of that review and subject to a rent increase more reflective of the region's current property values," the DOT said. "The owner of Five Towns Mini-Golf was notified in December and given the opportunity to appeal based on assessment values of comparable properties.   That appeal is under review."