What the new year has in store for LI

The new year dawns full of uncertainties. Will Nassau County give up a Congressional seat? Will a new manager improve the New York Mets? Will Snooki and JWOWW move to Long Island?

The new year also holds certainties: a new governor, a Congressional re-districting battle, a state budget deficit and commemorations for the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Serious issues are on the horizon. But 2011 also promises some fun: Lady Gaga's first Long Island performance, new restaurants and butterflies populating the East End.

Despite continued economic weakness, construction projects will continue. A long-awaited viaduct improvement in Roslyn finally ends, while long-sought road improvement in Syosset will begin.

Construction of Canon U.S.A. Inc.'s massive North American headquarters in Melville will continue and permits will be sought to start the large Heartland Town Square project in Edgewood.

Among the certainties of 2011 are:

BUSINESS

Developer Gerald Wolkoff will seek town and county permits for Heartland Town Square, his mini-city in Edgewood proposed for the former Pilgrim Psychiatric Center site.

The Rubie Costume Co. building in Melville expects to open with two tenants after several years of delays.

Northrop Grumman Corp.'s electronics facility in Bethpage will trim its 2,000-person workforce somewhat as the Pentagon looks for ways to cut its spending for defense projects.

The Allegria Hotel in Long Beach plans to open Jacks on the Rocks, a 3,500-square-foot rooftop space with an outdoor pool, restaurant and bar with views of Manhattan and the Atlantic Ocean.

A 100-room Hyatt hotel in Riverhead and its adjacent 10,000-square-foot butterfly display should open this summer, developer James Bissett said.

POLITICS

Andrew Cuomo, who becomes governor at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and inherits a 2011-12 budget deficit topping $9 billion, has signaled he won't raise state taxes.

The new governor also will push the Legislature to cap yearly increases in property taxes by school districts and other local governments.

The deficit will mean reductions in school aid and Medicaid, which together account for the bulk of state spending.

Redistricting also will dominate state government. The legislature and Cuomo must eliminate two of the state's 29 congressional districts because of population gains in other states. Among the seats that may be in jeopardy is the Nassau one held by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola).

ISLAND LIFE

For drivers using the Roslyn Viaduct bridge across Hempstead Harbor, five years of construction will end in summer 2011, according to Eileen Peters, spokeswoman for the state department of transportation.

In Syosset, work will start on a $6 million reconstruction of Jackson Avenue, one of the hamlet's busiest roads, which is plagued with potholes, blind curves and flooding.

The Islamic Association of Long Island will build a new 8,000-square-foot mosque on Park Hill Drive in Selden. Construction will start after the association bulldozes its 29-year-old, 5,600-square-foot mosque, the oldest on Long Island.

SPORTS

The New York Mets enter spring training with a new general manager and manager. Sandy Alderson, who successfully ran the Oakland Athletics' and San Diego Padres' front offices, replaces Omar Minaya as GM. On the field, the team will be directed by Terry Collins, who formerly managed the Astros and Angels.

The Long Island Ducks minor league baseball team goes into the new year with a new manager, Kevin Baez, and a new stadium name, Bethpage Ballpark.

The New York Islanders will have a new head coach in 2011. Current coach Jack Capuano replaced Scott Gordon on an interim basis.

The New York Liberty will play in the Prudential Center in Newark for the 2011 season while renovations are made to Madison Square Garden. Their WNBA season begins in June.

Arjun Atwal, who played for the Clarke High School and Nassau Community College golf teams, will play in the Masters for the first time in 2011.

ENTERTAINMENT

Lady Gaga will minister to Long Island's little monsters on their home turf for the first time April 23 when she plays the Nassau Coliseum. Pop artist Sade will make one of her first appearances in a decade at the Coliseum on June 21.

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi promotes her book "A Shore Thing," on Jan. 11 at Huntington's Book Revue. The next day, figure-skating bad boy Johnny Weir discusses his book, "Welcome to My World."

The Jellyfish restaurant in Centerport will open early next year with a tank holding live versions of its namesake and exhibits curated by the Vanderbilt Museum. The restaurant will offer a menu by chef Heather West, who won the competitive cooking television show "Hell's Kitchen" in its second season.

In Stony Brook village, Norman Rockwell's American Cafe will open in the early part of the year. Co-owners Bill Sukow and Kevin Haranta will feature comfort food and reproductions of the artist's iconic work.