1972-10-05

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FARMINGDALE
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VOL. 10 N O . 7 Second Class Postage has been paid at Farmingdale, N. Y. 11735 • Published by THE OBSERVER, INC., Box 146, Farmingdale, N. Y. TKurSdaV, UctODer 5 1 9 7 2 • ! & :
Oversized Classrooms Blamed on ^ e a r i n g on SicWut Charge
Underestimate of Enrollments
First grade classes of 30 and 31 students at the Parkway Oaks school were
criticized at the Farmingdale School Board meeting on Monday evening by
Sondra Eiseman^ a mother of one of the children included. Class size for first
graders was set at 29 pupils. Dr. Acinapuro, assistant superintendent for the
elementary schools explained that estimates of student enrollment in the district
which were usually quite accurate had been incorrect this year, and that all
rooms in the Parkway Oaks schools were in use.
Trustee Terry Weathers stated
that though every reasonable
effort was made to keep the
classes at a maximum of 29, a
DOT Evaluates Busy
RL 109 Intersection
In response to a request by the
village of Farmingdale, the State
Transportation Department is
now considering installation of a
traffic light at the busy in­tersection
of Route 109 and
Heisser Lane.
DOT Regional Traffic
Engineer T. C. Hoffman has
written Farmingdale Village
Clerk James McKenna stating:
" The intersection ... is currently
under study. In the process of
compiling the data for this study
we have found that one of the
major contributing factors to
traffic conditions at Route 109
and Heisser Lane is the location
at which West Street enters
Route 109.
" The offset of West Street in
relation to Heisser Lane is one of
the major causes contributing to
the number of accidents at this
intersecton," Hoffman said. " We
have recently recommended and
installed a restriction at West
Street that permits right turns
only. Compliance with this
restriction will reduce the
number of conflicts at this in­tersection.
We are now observing
the effect of this restriction
before making a decision on
signalization."
deviation of one or two was not
unreasonable in view of the
districts' financial problems. He
pointed out that rezoning could
help but would lead to public
opposition.
Dr. Charles Manso pointed out
that in past years there was a loss
of students by mid- year. At the
earlier executive session the
board had made an adjustment to
reduce one particularly oversized
elementary class of 33 students.
The new civil service em­ployees
association contract for
cafeteria aids and clerical aids is
approximately the same as the
old one with increases to cover
the rising cost of living according
to board president Campbell.
The school board received a
letter from Mrs. Kornfeld
requesting the use of part of the
Main Street school as a senior
citizens' center. President
Campbell later said that this
request was being discussed.
However there were a number of
complications including the
maintenance costs. The possible
use of part of the facility for
school . district offices is also
under consideration.
Marie Riccio, an exchange
student who recently returned
from Brazil, enthusiastically
reported on her visit there.
Waka Kobayasi, a Japanese
exchange student in Far­mingdale
High School, is
currently staying with the Ric-cio's
but will live with five other
families before she returns to
Japan.
Answering to a complaint at a
previous meeting Dr. Acinapuro
stated that he had received a
report from the administrator at
Woodward Parkway about school
supplies being taken and books
discarded in the dumpster. The
school supplies were taken by
boys who had helped in moving
the supplies. The students were
disciplined. The obsolete books
had been dumped because there
was no place to store them and no
one who would take them.
Marilyn Hametz
On the day 80 Farmingdale teachers were charged with having
staged a sick- out, the prosecution's key witness, Superintendent of
Schools Dr. Wm. Kinzler, could not testify because he was out sick
Also absent at the scheduled opening time was the man to hear those
charges, Cole Pilcher, because he missed his plane.
Thus the hearing before the Public Employees Relations Board
( PERB) which was to begin Thursday morning at Farmingdale
village hall got off to a rocky and belated start in the afternoon.
The hearing was called in response to charges by the Far­mingdale
school administration that on March 28 and 29 some 80
teachers staged a wildcat strike by calling in sick.
Speaking on behalf of his members, union president Ken Deedy
called the hearing a travesty which the taxpayer's should vigorously
protest since it will cost them some $ 20,000.00. He arrived at this
figure by computing the cost of absence for the 125 teachers the union
has subpenaed for its defense during the four days on which the
hearings are scheduled. This schedule would include Friday,
Tuesday and Wednesday unless unexpected developments force a
change.
While these hearings deal with the union as a whole, additional
hearings will be held at future dates, dealing with individual tea­chers
and their reasons for calling in sick.
As far as the school administration is concerned, qo epidemic hit
Farmingdale the end of March justifying sick calls far above the
average unless this epidemic was one to which teachers are
especially susceptible.
Civic Associations Join Forces
In Fight Against Master Plan
Farmingdale residents still feel that they have been overlooked by the Oyster
Bay master planners and they would very much like to have a chance to discuss
the master plan proposals directly with the Planning Advisory Commission and
the town board. This was the consensus of a well- attended meeting called by the
Dolphin Green Civic Association last Friday night at the South Farmingdale
Public Library.
Oyster Bay councilman Lewis
Yevoli, who spoke to the
gathering of about 125 residents,
agreed with the sentiment of the
people and meanwhile has
proposed to the town board to
meet with Farmingdale
residents. There has not yet been
a decision by the town board on
that matter.
" There is a need for multiple
housing in Oyster Bay," Yevoli
told the audience, " but I also feel
that the town board can not go
against the will of the people if
that will is demonstrated
vigorously enough." Yevoli
expressed doubts that the town
could rezone the properties on
Hempstead Turnpike and Motor
Avenue to residential, but he
suggested that residents come up
with alternatives that could be
accepted by the town board.
Expressing fear that any ad­dition
in population would bring
Farmingdale that much closer to
urbanization, Michael Giovingo,
member of the Dolphin Green
Petition Committee, announced
last Friday that his group had
already collected 3,000 signatures
opposing multiple dwellings in
Farmingdale and that at least
10,000 signatures would be
collected. Other members on the
committee include James Pawl
and Andrew Peck.
( Continued on Page 12)
The Case of the Multiple Dwellings
While the following thoughts are those of a resident, the
problem here is that this resident also happens to be the
publisher of this newspaper. It therefore might help to
make this distinction:
As publisher of the OBSERVER, I will always take the
position that no official body has a right to institute any
action that is clearly and undisputedly in contravention
to the public's expressed wishes. The central theme of
our form of government is the responsiveness of elected
and appointed officials. If the public shows an over­whelming
desire for a particular course of action, the
OBSERVER will back the public regardless of my or
anybody else's private opinion.
As a taxpayer and voter I may differ from the
publisher's position when I believe that the views of the
majority of the public are based upon incomplete, wrong
or emotionally colored information.
This beingthe case in this instance, and now having put
forward all possible disclaimers, here are my thoughts as
taxpayer, voter and resident regarding the Town, of
Oyster Bay Master Plan Proposal to rezone parcels of
land on Merritt Road/ Motor Avenue and Hempstead
Turnpike for multiple dwellings.
Living just three blocks away from the intersection of
Merritt Road and Motor Avenue, and around two corners
in fairly close proximity to the Hempstead Turnpike
parcel, my family and I would more or less be affected by
the town planner's plans.
But how? Positively or negatively? Let's take a look
and start with what we have there at present.
Both parcels of land are zoned for commercial use. On
Merrit Road and Motor Avenue the construction of yet
another gasoline service station has been approved, and
somebody was also trying to get in car wash in there. On
Hempstead Turnpike we have the unattractive com­mercial
view that is the hallmark of almost all of the
turnpike from the city line to Suffolk County.
What would be so bad about exchanging this for at­tractive,
low- silhouette town or apartment houses with
green lawns and shrubs? Does not the side of Fulton
Street that has Suburbia Apartments and the Rainbow
Apartments look more attractive than Hempstead
Turnpike or a gas station?
Of course, there would have to be a guarantee that
these would be the type of apartments going up. This,
however, seems to be assured by the proposed density,
allowing only ten units per acre. This would put such
apartments or town houses in the more expensive class.
Price would also be the limiting factor in the amount of
rooms per apartment, thus appealing only to families
without, or just one or two children. The proposed
restriction on the height of these buildings would fur­thermore
serve to enhance their attractiveness. Again:
Wouldn't this be better than what we have now?
But what about our school taxes? Information gathered
by the Farmingdale school district shows that apart­ments
of the type discussed here, small and fairly ex­pensive,
tend to produce more tax revenue and less
school population than- an equal number of one family
houses. After all, any one family house can hold ( and
some do, indeed) six, eight or ten children. The key here
is not apartments per se, but what type of apartments.
An acceptable proposal obviously would be to rezone
these parcels for one or two family houses. For the parcel
on Merritt Road / Motor Avenue, interested builders
might possibly exist. For the Hempstead Turnpike
parcel, however, I cannot see anyone putting up houses
which in today's market would have to sell for at least
$ 35,000. Who would want to have a house there?
In conclusion, I wonder if not the proposals put forward
by the town's planners deserve at least an unemotional
discussion, based strictly on their merits.
The fear that an undesirable element might move into
the neighborhood seems to be unfounded because the
price of such apartments or town houses would be an
effective screen. And the argument that school taxes will
be affected appears to be invalid also.
The prospect, however, that the commercial blight on
Hempstead Turnpike and the construction of another gas
station on Merrit Road/ Motor Avenue could be stopped
is certainly worth a second glance.
Gerhard Hirseland