1965-09-23

              Rtti lo Public Library
274 Main S t.
Bfermingda 1c , TT. Y, Rb , 16
SERVING GREATER FARMINGDALE. BETHPAGE ft MELVILLE
Vol. 2 No. 45 Second Class Postage has been paid at Farmingdale, N. Y. 11735 Thursday, September 23, 1965
SCHOOL TAX RATE DROPS
Historical Society Hears Van Santvoord
Peter L. Van Santvoord, Past
President of the Oyster Bay His­torical
Society held the wrapt
attention of the Farmingdale-
Bethpage Historical Society by
his informative and amusing talk
on the ' trials and tribulations;
the successes and failures' of an
historical society on Tuesday
evening at the South Farmingdale
Library.
Van Santvoord described the
tribulations of organizing a walk­ing
historical tour in Oyster
Bay when the society discovered
to their dismay that ' this was
not the age of the pedestrian-the
average man in the prime
of life got tired after a half
a mile'.
The speaker outlined the suc­cess
of holding a Christmas party
at Sagamore Hill; and the failures
of expecting junior high school
essay contest winners to read
aloud their essays on a hot,
humid Jrjx* i*? 5zL He JrtSO f'e-scribed
die failure of an ' auto­cratic'
historical society organ­ization
versus a democratic one
and lauded President Frank J.
Klesh of the Farmingdale- Betii-page
Historical Society for his
patience in running an extreme­ly
democratic meeting. " Some­times
it takes a little longer,
but no one feels left out", he
said.
The audience went into peals
of laughter when Van Santvoord
described a ' non- friendly histor­ical
society' meeting which he
had attended where there were
no refreshments nor a social
hour as the members solemnly
filed out reminding him of the
end of a church service. He lauded
the fine public relations of the
Farmingdale - Bethpage His­torical
Society whose spirit of
friendship was evident to those
who came as guests for the first
time.
Van Santvoord, who is also
Vice President of the Underbill
Society of America; Vice Chair­man
oi iht Gleu Co/ e Tri- Cen-temial
Committee; and Research
Chairman of the Huntington His­torical
Society ended his talk
with a descriptive and enter­taining
dissertation on ' Found­ers
and Patriots Day' held by
the Oyster Bay Historical So­ciety
last June.
The By- Laws, which had been
prepared by a committee headed
by Andre Hubbard were read
and discussed. The By- Laws
were then adopted by a unanimous
vote of the members present.
Treasurer Lucille Rosen gave
a report on the Society's highly
successful historic bus tour of
the Bethpage Purchase conducted
by Iris and Alonzo Gibbs. Plans
for a future tour were announced.
Mrs. Caroline Klesh, gave a
report on the executive commit­tee's
study of auctions this sum­mer
as a possible fund raising
plan for the Society next spring.
She named a number of pro­fessional
auctioneers who were
available and described the suc-cessf!''
auctions told by severaj
groups.
( Continued on Page 12)
Weldon E. Howitt. past Farmingdale Village Historian and member of the Farmingdale- Bethpage
Historical Society ( center) shows Peter L. Van Santvoord, Trustee of the Oyster Bay Historical
Society and guest speaker Tuesday night at the first meeting of the Fall season of the local society
a volume entitled, • Katonab: The History of a New York Village and Its People. Andre Hubbard,
Chairman of the Library and Museum Committee of the local society looks on. The meeting was
held in die Community Room of ti* e South Farmingdale Branch of the Farmingdale Public Library.
The volume had been presented earlier in the evening to Caroline Bunting Klesh, Village Historian
as a personal present from Mr. Howitt, who had inscribed die book which had been written by Frances
R. Duncomne and other members of die Historical Committee Katonan Village Improvement Society,
" Presented as a guide to writing die history of Farmingdale. Widi Best Wishes for Success", signed
by Mr. Howitt who had been die beloved English teacher, dien principal for whom the Weldon E.
Howitt school building was named. Mrs. Klesh had recently presented a suggested resolution to the
Farmingdale Village Board thai an official history be compiled by die Village Historian with the
assistance of a committee," so that each chapter would be written by die authority of one segment
of die history of Farmingdale. Pokress Photo
The 1965- 66 school tax rate for District 22
was set at a special meeting of the Farmingdale
Board of Education on Monday, at $ 6,753 for
$ 100 of assessed valuation in the Oyster Bay
section of the district and $ 10,805 in the Babylon
portion. The figure represents a decrease of
13.9£ in the Oyster Bay rate from the 1964-
65 figure of $ 6,892 and a decrease of 22.5£
in last year's Babylon figure. At the time of the
budget vote in May the rate had been estimated
by the Board at $ 6.08 and $ 10,881 in Oyster Bay
and Babylon respectively. The additional decrease
of 4.7£ over the original estimated decrease of
9.2£ was attributed by the Board to assessed
valuations coming in $ 487,145 over the May esti­mate
in Oyster Bay and $ 95,309 over the Baby­lon
estimate. In both instances, however, the a s ­sessed
valuations are lower than the previous four
years average assessed valuation increase. The
actual increase of $ 1,578,145 compares with the
previous four year average increase ( excluding
vacant land re- assessment) of $ 1,743,400 in Oys­ter
Bay. The Babylon increase of $ 445,309 com­pares
with the previous four year average in­crease
of $ 486,250.
from 13.9£ to .34tf.
Last year 5 Nassau districts
( and 7 Suffolk districts) had
higher school tax rates than Dis­trict
# 22. This year preliminary
figures indicate that 10 Nassau
districts have higher 1965- 66
school tax rates than Farming-dale.
rOur tax rate decrease is due
primarily to die improtant in­crease
in the shared- cost ceil­ing
on State Aid for operating
expenses from $ 515 to $ 600 per
pupil," according to a spokesman.
Open GOP Headquarters
Among Nassau's 53 school tax
districts die relative position
of the tax rate has improved in
the last two years. Last year
23 Nassau districts had higher
school tax increases than
Farmingdale. This year 37 Nas­sau
districts had increases aver­aging
25£, 2 had no change, and
7 had decreases of 2$ or less —
a total of 46 districts receiving
less favorable tax treatment dian
our own decrease of 13.9# in
Oyster Bay. The 7 remaining dis­tricts
had decreases ranging
Attacking Oyster Bay's incum­bent
Supervisor Michael Petito,
a Democrat, as a man who prom­ised
everything and delivered
nothing, outgoing Assembly­man
and Republican candidate for
Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor
Edwin Fehrenbach moved an
overflow crowd to rousing cheers
at die opening of die Farmingdale
GOP Election Headquarters last
Thursday night at 376 rulton
Street. Fehrenbach was greeted
and introduced by Farmingdale
GOP leader and Oyster Bay Tax
Receiver Frank J. Hynes who is
running for Oyster Bay Town
Councilman and who will use
the- newly opened headquarter as
his home base for his campaign.
The large turnout on opening
night overflowed into an adjoining
lot where a public address system
was installed to hear die remarks
of Fehrenbach, Hynes and odier
candidates were present. Giving
the example of Petito's promise
to bring about die elimination or
at least reduction of toll charges
for Oyster Bay residents going to
Tobay Beach Fehrenbach char­acterized
his opponent as a man
who doesn't hesitate to make
promises even when he knows
very well diat he can't fullfil
diem. Referring to what he
called Petito's false alibi
diat he's constantly sabotaged by
Oyster Bay's Republican Council-men
Fehrenbach explained diat in
this case, as in many others
like it no town board, be it
Democratic and Republican, has
die power to enable or hinder
Petito in die fulfillment of his
promises.
Farmingdale GOP leader Frank
Hynes declared diat die election
of Fehrenbach and die diree Re­publican
candidates for Oyster
Bay Town Council would insure
an administration that not only
would get die Town moving again,
but which would also make sure
diat its energies and experience
would be directed towards prob­lems
whose solution was within
the power and province of of die
twon government instead of chas­ing
pies in die sky.
Other candidates addressing
the crowd were Frank Hynes'
running mates Angelo Roncallo
and Ralph Marino, Judge Francis
Donovan, State Senator Henry
Curran, Martin Ginsberg, can­didate
for die newly created 9
A. D. and William Buchman, who
is seeking office as trustee for the
Jones Fund.
Refreshments were served and
entertainment was provided at the
opening ceremonies.