Wang tells town, just tell me yes or no on Lighthouse

Islanders owner Charles Wang broke his silence Saturday on his stalled Lighthouse Project, reiterating his long-stated desire for a yes-or-no answer from the Town of Hempstead. The problem, he said, is that he hasn't heard from the town.

Speaking to team broadcaster Howie Rose on MSG after the first period of Saturday's Islanders-Hurricanes game, Wang said, "Our hope and our love is Nassau County, Long Island. We've said this over and over again. We want to be here.

"But in order to do something you have to communicate. We haven't heard. I have an application into the town. Tell me yes or tell me no. If it's no, tell me what you want. It's very simple."

In response to Wang's remarks, Town of Hempstead spokesman Mike Deery said that Wang and the town supervisor, Kate Murray, met one-on-one together in late October, their staffs met once or twice around the same time, and that the parties have exchanged "correspondence" since then.

Deery said that Wang hasn't paid consultant fees to complete an environmental study and there are outstanding questions on the project's impact on traffic.

"For the Lighthouse folks or Mr. Wang to say he hasn't heard from us is right because we're waiting for answers from him," Deery said Saturday. "The ball's in his court. They have an outstanding balance with the consultant, and there are unanswered questions that the Lighthouse group is aware of."

Deery added: "Quite frankly, you can't vote on a zoning until the environmentals are completed."

Wang, who declined to speak with reporters after his MSG interview, had not addressed the Lighthouse Project publicly since he said on Oct. 3 that he was ready to explore his options outside of Long Island.

"We have a lot of options," he said Saturday, "and we're looking at all the options."