1972-02-03

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FARHIMDALE OBSEME* » c
WHERE THE HISTORY OF YOUR COMMUNITY If 7 4 M * ' * " T , i i 7 3 5
An Official Newspaper of the Incorporated Village of Farmingdale — Serving Grea f a H * " W •'
V o l . 9 NO. 2 4 Second Class Postage has been paid at Farmingdale, N. Y. 11735 • Published by THE OBSERVER, IN auaie, N. Y. Thursday, February 3,1972
rP. eople in the News^
HEART TO HEART TALK: February is Heart Month and
Majorie Pfoh, chairman of the Farmingdale Heart Fund, is seen
with Farmingdale's mayor John Hallahan presenting
proclamation making February Heart Month.
FIRST GUEST: Deputy County Executive Joseph H. Driscoll,
Jr. of Floral Park, officiating at opening ceremonies of new
Dale view Nursing Home in Farmingdale, welcomes first guest
Alice LeViness, being assisted by Mrs. Ruth McCauley of
Lynbrook, nursing director. At left is home administrator Frank
Leone.
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STAND: New York Yankee outfielder Ron Swoboda. left. Joins
Oyster Bay Town Councilman Joseph J. Saladino and Robert
Campbell ( standing), president of the Farmingdale School
Board, in chatting with 9 - year - old Matthew Glascott of 29
Circle North, Farmingdale, following a meeting of STAND
( Sports Talk Against Narcotics & Drugs) held at Farmingdale
High. Swoboda is serving as coordinator of the STAND program
which operated under the direction of the Oyster Bay Drug
Abuse Control Agency.
Shopping Mall Can Come- if
Barbera's Plan Finds Favor
The Farmingdale OBSERVER, in an editorial on December 9th of last year,
advanced the idea of a shopping mall in Farmingdale. At that time, the OB­SERVER
received a letter from James Barbera of Farmingdale not only en­dorsing
the idea but volunteering at the same time concrete plans as to how such
a shopping mall could come about.
Farmingdale's Main Street, the
vital center of the incorporated
village of Farmingdale as well as
the unincorporated part, could
use some improvements. On that,
probably everybody agrees.
When it comes to practical
proposals or actions, differences
of opinions shoot up like weeds in
the summer. A case in point is the
controversy about the parking
rules now in effect on Main Street
which allow only for alternate-side-
of- the- street parking.
James Barbera, 25, who lives in
Farmingdale for 17 years and
who holds a degree in ar-chitectual
technology, is not an
angry young man by any means.
But the conditions as they exist
on Main Street upset him ( as they
indeed upse': many people).
About a year ago, he decided to
do something about it. He started
a survey on his own, spending
many hours just sitting in the car,
or walking around, observing
people or talking to them. He
came to the conclusion that the
majority would rather have no
parking on Main Street at all.
His plans call, in a nutshell. for
a shopping mall closed for all
traffic from South Front Street to
Conklin Street and from Conklin
Street to Prospect Street.
He also proposes to tear down
Main School and replace it with a
new village hall, fire house and
police station. The old buildings
could be used as a day care
center and nursery. A new
library building could either be
accommodated at the old village
hall building complex or the new
one which would replace Main
Street School.
The Main Street Mall could
become a thing of beauty. Bar­bera
has it all figured out: it
would come complete with trees,
benches and grass with crossing
lanes to the sidewalks which
would be ten feet wide on each
side. In order to allow for an
emergency lane for fire trucks or
police cars, Barbera would in­stall
so- called waffle blocks in the
center of the mall which would be
strong enough to support heavy
trucks and which would still
allow grass to grow in it.
The mall could be open, par­tially
covered by a roof or fully
covered.
The four specific parking areas
behind the stores ( as they are in
existence now) would allow for
loading zones for trucks and
specific truck routes that would
not interfere with customer
parking.
The Main Street School which
covers an area of almost six
acres could include 25 single floor
garden apartments which would
bring additional revenues to the
village, as could the day care
center.
All' that sounds beautiful if it
would not cost money. Barbera
who undertook the study Without
any financial backing whatsoever,
is just a planner and not a
fianancier. The financial
question will have to be answered
by those who are more qualified.
Barbera thinks that the project
could grow in phases and is
convinced that increased con­sumer
interest in the mall would
bring in additional revenues.
MALL OF THE FUTURE: This is how Farmingdale's Main Street
could look like. Shown above is a sketch of Main Street south of
Conklin Street with new double deck parking areas, new day care
center on existing town hall site and Main Street mall. Shown below
is a section of Main Street as envisioned by Barbera. In the center
strip could also be grass with waffle boards to allow for emergency
traffic.
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