Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen and local labor leaders on Monday appealed to the developers behind the proposed Islanders arena at Belmont Park to employ local residents in the thousands of temporary and permanent jobs that the $1.2 billion project is expected to generate.
Some 12,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs could be needed to build and run the 19,000-seat arena and surrounding retail development — jobs that could be a boon to local trade workers and other nearby residents seeking employment, Gillen said.
"We want to make sure that Long Islanders and people who know our communities best and take pride in our community are doing the work," she said.