In honor of Lake Success’ former Deputy Mayor Stephen Lam, the village’s Board of Trustees has renamed its boardroom after the late long-serving trustee to pay homage to the man who devoted much of his life to his village.
“He made us all want to be better people, better trustees because he was probably the best at it,” Mayor Adam Hoffman said.
The Board of Trustees voted Monday night to name the “Stephen Lam Memorial Boardroom” in honor of his 28 years of service to the village serving under five different mayors. Lam died in January 2022 at the age of 79.
Present for the renaming of the boardroom and to receive a key to the village were his wife Joyce Lam and his two children, Stephanie Lam and Chris Lam. Stephen Lam lived in Lake Success from 1977 until his death, raising his family in the village.
Lam served on the village’s Board of Trustees from 1992 through 2020, starting as a trustee and ending in his penultimate role of deputy mayor for 20 years.
He was active in his community beyond serving on the village’s board, including as a member and chairman of the Village Party Board for 10 years and a member of the Lake Success Golf Commission and Golf Club.
During his 28 years as a trustee, Lam chaired the Department of Public Works, the Park Commission and House Committee.
Hoffman praised Lam for his commitment to the village, always putting its needs before his own desires.
In tandem with renaming the boardroom, the Board of Trustees also approved a slew of laws and resolutions Monday night.
This included an amendment to the village’s infrastructure improvement fees to reduce new driveway construction fees to $500.
The fees are for the construction of new home infrastructures. This includes $1,500 for a pool, $5,000 for a new home and $10,000 for new construction or demolition of commercial properties.
Previously, pool and driveway fees were the same at $1,500, but this new law now separates the two infrastructure projects and lowers the fees for driveways.
Amid the budgeting season, the board also adopted a law permitting them to exceed the property tax cap of 2% if necessary. This law allows them to raise taxes more than 2% in next year’s budget, but the village said it is not an indicator that they will choose to do so.
“In order for us, and god forbid we need to break the cap, we need to make this local law,” Hoffman said. “If we don’t, then we’re limited to 2% no matter whatever happens. So this is a law that we do every year, god forbid, just in case we need to go above the property cap for the year.
Resolutions passed by the board included a $1,500 contract with Gold Coast Art Center, the purchase of six golf work carts and the leasing of two electric golf work carts amounting to almost $100,000, and the purchase of a replacement golf simulator in the Pro Shop for no more than $10,000.
The Lake Success Board of Trustees will convene again March 11 when they will hold a public hearing on increasing the village’s fee schedule to address trees being cut down in the village without permits.
