Bethpage-Tribune_1973-05-24

              BETHPAGE
" Y 1 IT '4
OLDBETHB^GE
also
PLAINVIEW
serving I S L A N D TREES
PLAINEDGE SEAFORD
VOL. 7 NO. 27
Thursday, May 24, 1973
The News
SO WELL REMEMBERED....Nassau County Executive Ralph G.
Caso (center) reminisces with a couple of titans of Long Island
history -Charles A. Lindbergh (right), who took off from Roosevelt
Field 46 years ago to fly into immortality, and Robert A. Moses
(left), master planner and builder. Scene was at the historic
ceremonies at Falaise, the breath-takingly beautiful Sands Point
estate of the late aviation pioneer and publisher, Harry F.
Guggenheim. Falaise, long a private domain, was open to the county'
on guided-tour basis Sunday, (May 20).
Congressman Angelo D. Roncallo, <K-Massapeo.ua> joined, with
several other Nassau County government officials to observe the
Nassau County Solidarity Day sponsored by the Long Island Com­mittee
on Soviet Jewry. Roncallo, a co-sponser of the Vanick Bill
which ties a more favorable trade agreement between the United
States and the Soviet Union to the granting of freedom of emigration
to Soviet citizens, pledged his continuing support to the Long Island
Committee in their efforts on behalf of Soviet Jews.
Shown left to right are: Assemblyman Stuart R. Levine, Bethpage;
Mrs. Inez Weissman, President of the Long Island Com mil tee on
Soviet Jews; Mr. Avraham Zalmanson, a Russian emigrant, and the
uncle of four imprisoned Soviet Jews; Mrs. Lynn Singer, Vice
President of the Committee; and Congressmen Angelo D. Roncallo.
Yevoli Appointed To Board Post
also been asked to serve as a
panel member on the Codes and
Ordinances, Highway and
Sanitation committees.
The Supervisor indicated that
Town Board members are as­signed
to various committees to
coordinate research
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor
.John W. Burke has announced
that Councilman Lewis J. Yevoli
has been selected to again serve
as chairman of the standing
hoard committee on Public
Transportation.
Burke stated that Yevoli has
10 cents per copy
TOB HEARING:
DELINQUENCY PREVENTATIVE
The Oyster Bay Town
Board held a public
hearing Tuesday night,
May 22, concerning the
application filed by
Mobilized Community
Resources, a non-profit
organization, to conduct a
supervised temporary
home for homeless or
troubled boys. A special
use permit is required for
the prospective site of a
two-story frame house at
218 Broadway, Bethpage,
which would house no
more than six hoys bet­ween
16 and 19 for a period
of )tt> Jo six months who
have not been involved
With the law.
Mr. Herbert Balin,
lawyer for MCR,
presented an overview of
the project to the Board.
The preventive aspect of,,
this facility was stressed,
a concept that has never
been fully explored by any
organization before.
Although Nassau County
does have facilities for
youths after they have
become involved with the
law, no such facilities
currently exist for
troubled youths whose
problems are of a mOre
personal nature.
Mr. Balin outlined a
brief financial prospectus
of the project. The house is
being purchased by MCR
The down payment has
been donated by the North
Shore Unitarian Society.
The rest of the purchase
funds will be supplied by a
bank mortgage of $33,000
which two individuals
have agreed to co-sign as
guarantors. The Ethical
Humanist Society has
granted $10,000 for
necessary repairs on the
house and is seeking
physical donations of
furnishings. The Nassau
Youth Board has allocated
$49,000 to cover the first
year's operating costs.
MCR has not applied for
tax exemption although
they are eligible.
The next question
discussed was who will be
by Shari Miller
chosen to have the
privelege of living in this
house. A married couple
w i t h professional
backgrounds in the fields
of social work will serve as
the "house parents."
Referrals of youths will
come from clergymen,
High School Guidance
Counselers, families,' and
the Youth Board. An in­volved
screening process
will be followed, which
was described by Ms.
Susan Bendor from the
Comprehensive Com­munity
Health Center.
First, the young man will
:Jbte>,. .; placed in an
Emergency Housing
Program family for 2
weeks, during which
time a professional worker
will be assigned to the boy
who will draw up a case
history of him. All alter­natives
will be explored
and every attempt made to
maintain the youngster in
his family. If this is not
immediately possible, a
plan will be drawn up by
the worker and the
youngster to reunite him
with his family through
counseling or to insure his
capability for independant'"
survival within the next
six months. The Screening
Committee, made up of
professionals and the
house parents, would then
study the youngster's case
and reach a decision as to
whether the "group home"
would *" be the right
solution for the boy.
Monthly evaluations would
then be continued by the
Screening Committee. The
boy and the worker would
be involved in an on-going
process toward the
achievement of his
specified goals during his
stay in the house.
Much concern was
expressed by the Bethpage
residents present at the
hearing. The fear that this
facility would be an in­centive
for others to leave
home was expressed.
There was protest against
the facility serving not
only Bethpage youths, but
also some from Levittown,
Hicksville', East Meadow,
Syosset, or Plainview.
Some residents objected to
b r i n g i n g "problem
children" into the neigh­borhood.
Mrs. Alalu of
Bethpage claimed that
there was "something
mighty fishy here." Other
residents complained that
the plan sounded
"amateurish" and "too
many questions were left
unanswered.'' , ,
Yet many other
residents strongly urged
the Board to approve
MCR's application, citing
pride in their cbmmunity''s
housing of such a wor­thwhile,
loving project.
Ms, Edwards, a Bethpage
resident who has served
with her husband as
parents in the Emergency
Housing Program, said it
was the town's respon­sibility
to answer the cry
of these "children trying
very hard to stay out of
trouble" who "are turning
to us for assistance." Leo
Schottland, owner of Beth­page
Tool and Hardware,
said he would be honored if
his was the first com­munity
to pioneer such a
project, urging the Board
to "let Bethpage be
pioneers." Mrs. Butehorn,
a resident of Bethpage for
27 years, said, "when
you're rejected you need
help and that's, what this
house is about."
Both sides presented
their views to the recep­tive
Oyster Bay Town
Board, who now have the
responsibility to consider
very carefully this ap­plication
which could
affect the lives of some
very confused youngsters
who, as Bill Graham of
Bethpage noted, "just
need a chance."