The-Leader_1977-10-06

              NASSAU CTY HISTOaiCAL liUSEUU
EISEHH03ER PARK
-EAST-UEADOWTll-t—llSS-l - ; -
- FREEPORT
BALDWIN
ROOSEVEIT
MERRICK 1
FREEPORT'S
OFFIIini
NEWSPAPER
42nd YEAR No. 23 FREEPORT, NEW YORK. OCTOBER 6,1977 PRICE 15( PER COPY
Sign law Meets Opposition
Call Restricfions Excessive
A PREVIEW OF this year'sannual Freoport Chamber of Commerce
Toylahd Parade can.'bo«eeh In this aljove pictu're.of last year's Mrs.
• Merry Christmas, Joanne De Angells, riding on her float. Pictured with
her are Ora Nyhan and Sharon Renz <r.), runnersrup In last year's Mrs.
Merry Christmas contest. This year's contes:(, sponsored by the Free-port
Chamber, will bo held Tfiursday, November 10, 12:30 pm. at
Harborvlew Restaurant. The contestants, who must be married and
reside In the Village of Freeport, will t^e Judged oh their poise, person­ality,
appearance and community. Involvement. Trophies will be
awarded to all finalists, with cash awards and other gifts to the.
•winners. All cont^tants will receive a gift certificate from Manuel and
Oivaldo Hairdressers on Freeport Mall. To apply, call or write the
Chamber off ice at 70 West Sunrise Highway, 378r7402.;
Freeporters Aid Police
In Nabbing Three Muggers
i - - - • - . - '
by Richard Sanders
FREEPORT - A meter maid, a Judge, a cab driver, a by-stander,
school officials and a,multitude of Freeport detectives and police
officers were among the cast of characters involved in the arrest of
three young men who mugged an elderly woman last week.
The episode began"a'few min- " - — " - -
utes afternoon, Tuesday, October -
27, on the comer of Kne Street
and Sputh Ocean Avenue; A fe- -
male passer-by, who works in the
-area, told THE LEADER she.was-going
home for lunch when three
black teenagers accosted her. She
ignored them, looked the other
-ft-ay as they approached,^ and con­tinued
walking.
But after she'd gone half a
block, she heard loud screams-
Turning' around, she saw'the
same three youths, in front of Our
FREEPORT - There will be no
curbside trash pickup Wednes­day,
October 12, due to the
Columbus Day holiday granted to
Villagexmployees, The„next pick­up
will be on October 19.
Residents are urged to cooper­ate
in keeping curb areas dear of
trash.
The Village Board of Trustees, _
keeping to the holiday schedule,
rtill not meet Monday niglit,
October 10. The next public
voting session of the Boar^ will be
October 17. 7:30 pm. at Village
Hall.
School Tax Rate
Rises $1,606
-'MirJEOtA'-TftTport^najTraTtr'
for the 1977-78 school year has
increased. On a $100 .valuation,
local taxpayers are paying $1,605
more than they did last year. -
According to figures released
by the Nassau County Board of
Assessors, Freeport district's
new tax, per $100, is $17,677;
during 1976-77. it was $16,072.
By a listing of 59 Nassau.
school districts, beginning with
the highest (Levittown, S25.046)
arid ending with the - lowest
(Sea aiff,.$11.557), the Board of
Assessors rank. Freeport as the
seventeenth highest.
Across the County, the average"
tax rate, has increased $0,631.
Commenting on the new data,
(Cent, on Page 3)
Arts Council Presents
-Mus»€alfof€hiWren-
FREEPORT - Following only expressions of a negative nature,
at a public hearing regarding the proposed village-sign ordinance,—
the Board of Trustees reserved decision Monday night. Mayor William
White told those present that he had questions in his own mind that -
he wanted answet«dby village counsel. He suggested that the trustees
_could_jnake changes in the pro­posed
ofdinance"wilhbUt~having^
-HzslyHedfremcr ChUTch; dragging;
an elderiy woman across the
ground and attempting to wrestle
her pocketbook away. "For a
woman of her age," the by-stand-crtold
this paper, "she had some
set of lungs."
Intinndated by the woman's
shrieks, and cowed by the by-slander
who was retuming and by
a cab driver who had stopped, the
youths abandnned their broad-daylight
atta{± and ran off.'
In addition to the by-stander
and the'taxi driver, there was an­other
witness to the assault—a
witness who'd been following the
trio for ten minutesrMary Volpcr
a Freeport meter maid, had been
alerted earlier by a bus driver*
who'd observed, the teenagers
staring suspiciously into her veh­icle.
Volpe, on her motorcycle,
trailed the youths" down Pine
-Street and watched theni turn "on
Sputh Ocean Avenue.
She also turned on Ocean.
passed the tno and spotted ari'el-derly
woman walking several feet
in front of them. Volpe proceeded
north on Ocean, momentarily los­ing
sight of the teenagers, and
then she heard the screams. "The
next thing 1 saw," she stated in
her report, "were the three sub­jects
running away from the el-
_ deriy woman who w ^ laying on
the ground. The last time I saw
the youths they were going over &
fence.",_ ^ ..
(Cbnt.onPageS)
FREEPORT - A performance
_of;"The Road to Camelot," the
story of young John F. Kennedy,
will be the first production in the
Freeport Arts Council's 1977-78
Mini-Series for Children. The
musical will be presented Mon-
"day, Ort6ber~I0."n pm, m th¥
auditorfum" of Freeport High
School. Tickets are $1 each and
there are special group rates.
A production oJF the Perform­ing
Arts Repertory Theatre, "The
Road to.Camelot was written.by
three young men who are still in
their 20's. One has written for
Uiree_msJor_jiet5voiks*_]QiieJa3:
collaborated with composer
Marvin Hamlisch, and one is for­mer
assistant musical director of
the Dick Cavetl show.
Tickets may be purchased in
advance at the Freeport Arts
Council in the Freeport Recrea­tion
Center, between 9 am and
noon, Monday through Friday.
Ti^ets will also be sold at the
door on thfc day of the perfofm-arictt.
For information, call 223-2522.
a second public hearing.
Most of the criticism of the
ordinance came from local busi­nessmen,
although a representa­tive
of the New York State Sign
Association was present to offet
his group's help in drafting a
more suitable law. David Palmer,
the. sign industry's representa­tive,
specifically disagreed with •
the provision setting up an
ArchUecturyl Review Board to.-
"revieVairsignV.'fle.'pointed'out'
that this is an "opiriionated"
method of,"determining what'is
proper. Palmer mentioned that
the village of- Mamaronack had
a similar law which they "got
rid of." The building inspec­tor
now does the reviewing.
Palmer explained. "There is no
question what is acceptable. The
village has a clearly defined
code."
Mayor • White explained that
the Freeport ordinance allows
for an appeals situation within
a strict time sequence. -
Lionel Socolov, who" owns
various retail arid commercial
properties in the village, called
the ordinance "Filled with am­biguity
and discrimination"
and a violation of "a man's rights
to even pick his own colors."
Socolov noted that "cheap paper
signs" are still peftnitted tinder
the proposed ordinance.
Un majorartenes, where traffic
speeds by, Socolov stated that the
signs allowed (10% of the window
space), would be too small to
attract customers. '•' -'
"I think all different kinds of
signs blend to an atmosphere of
community," Socolov said, com­paring
the sign regulation to
robots. He suggested that
members of the business comma- '
nity should have been consulted.
Speaking for himself, as a real­tor,
and.the Freeport Oiamber of
Commerce, Sid Lieberman re­marked
that thfe" present sign.
lawjs "^bly-;Uke rare of by the .
villa'gcT)uilQfhg department." He '
called the Architectural Review
Board anexamplc of "big gov­ernment*'
and suggested that in
future years, under different ad­ministrations,
it could", have a" "
different complexion.
Restrictions, such as the sign
ordinance, Lieberman said, would
make businesses looking for a
location say "goodbvC I'll go to
Merrick or Baldwin. He pomted
out that in the past the village
had lost Fnendly's. "I know you
don't, and I don't want to do any­thing
to keep busitiess out of
Freeport," Lieberman told the
Board. • • ;
A Freeport retailer Richard
Pilatsky criticized the size limi­tations
on various signs. He also
pointed to different traSlc flows
in different areas of the village
arid mentioned th at stores have
- different size windows on which'
percentages are based. A sign to
advertise a sale wouio have to be
. no more than 10% of the window
space and would not attract cus­tomers,
Pilatsky said. Pilatsky
(Cont. on Page 3)
WITH SIGNS HELD HIGH, members of the cast of the Performing
Arts Repertory Theatre photographed In a scene frorti'"The Road to
Camelot," the story of young John F. Kennedy. This first production.
In the Freeport Arts Council's 1977-78 Minl-Serles for children, will be
performed Monday, October 10, 1 pm in the auditorium of the high
school. Tickets, at SI each, are obtalnal^Ie in advance at the Freeport
Recreation Center, or at the door on the day of the pertormance.