The-Leader_1984-08-02

              Olticial
Newspaper.
^ Village of
Fre«porl
•
Freeport
School DistricI
•
Baldwin
School DislricI
WE *XSX&KliXXXf^'^-''^''^fff<:f^fA
». \- i\ DOLLAR DAY | SPECIAL
iMk BER
FREEPORT, NEW YORK. AUGUST2,1984
: and
Waferrronf
In
Leader^
49th YEAR, No. 15
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FnEEFoar UEUORIAL LIB.RVRY
*• UERHICK RD • '
FRPT nX U520
PRICE 2 5 * PER COPY
Fines Code Violators
Baldwin Wjns Case
Against Sawyers
Valor Award
Presented To
Freeport Cop
NEW YORK Cnr - CaUing it a
^'modest token of gratitude for
your acts of courage and deter­mination,"
U.S. Senator Alfonse
D'Amato presented the one of the'
two first Al D'Amato Medals for
Valor to a Freeport Village police
officer for "his act of bercusm and
professionalism under fire."
Freeport Police Opcer George
Dowddl received the award for
his actions on January 29, of last
"year, when he saved people Croin ~
a .fire in a Freeport bmldmg,
while sustaining second and tliird
degree boms when a contuner of
inflammable liqmd exploded.
"Officer Dowden. was off
duty at the time he heard screams
- - coming bom _ the —tenement,''.
VIolafors Can Reduce
Fines If Compliance Met
FREEPORT • Violating village ordinances in such matters as elec­trical
and plumbing work, proper maintenance of rental units, legal
rentals, use of property and other such Building Department matters,
can cost money as several prtjperty owners' firms and other individuals
discovered recently In Village Court.
But ttie conditional fincf
levied hi Village Judge Ralph
Franco's court .room are often
lowered when the violators meet
the deadlines for repair set by
tlie judge. . .
Among tiie recent cases, before
Franco were several that in­volved
multi-unit dwellings.
Apartment House
Ovmen Fined
BaldwinHarixjr jMiorHighScboolto^testforasbestos. . _ ^ o i ^ o f ^ wSS^t'bulldi^g
In a^one caU froni Sawyers on Thursday afternoon, July 26, THE ^^ ^^ North • Grove' Street, re-
Teacher Continues To
Deny Tampering Cliarge
by Joan Delaney
BALDWIN - By a 2-1 decision, the Baldwin School District won Its
3020A case against Industrial Arts teacher Robert Sawj-ers, who was
accused of tampering with an air filter tliat had been installed In the
explained Senator D'Amato. "He
immediately rescued, a mother
and child and while attempting to
prevent the .flames from (|uicUy
spreading through the building,
he sustained major bums on parts
of his body ..That did not. prevent
him from leading eight other
people to safety."
Also receiving the D'Amato
Award for Valor is New York
I^ce Officer Peter King of the
*(ifid-Sonth Precinct, who faced
point blank gunfire from an
assailant on pifih Avenue and
33rd Street. The gunman wound­ed
a police detective before.King
and his partner could exchange
fire and mortally wound him.
D'Amato observed that "There
is no adequate thank yoa for the
work these men perform "every-
- day. This medal is but a token of
the esteem and admiration we
have for oar law enforcemeo I offi-
' cers and I am proud and privi­leged
to be able to niake tliese
awards." "
Officer Dowden is 3 ! years old,
a Logg Beach resident and in
eight year veteran of the Freeport
Police Department.
LEADER learned of the.dedsion.
Attempts to reach schotd district
personnel in time for THE
LEADER'S deadline were un­successful
.since tlie Superinten­dent
of Schods, Assistant Super­intendent
of Personnel and Public
Information OfBcer were all on
vacation.
_ How^?r,aphon.e_conversalion.
with the chief hearing .ofBcer
Jonas Silver confirmeid Saw­yers'
announcement to THE
LEADER.
. Sihrer indicated that Sawyers
. had. been found guilty of the
cbaiges. He said tiut the recom­mended
penalty was a S2,(XX>
fine and reinstatement as a teach­er.
According to Silver, Qiat
penal^ murt be imposed by the
1 SchopI District unless one or
both parties appeal the decision.
Such an- appeal may be made
either to the State Compilssioner
of Education or to the courts
direcUy. ...
Sawyers indicated that he
wants to "fight it to the bitter
end." However, neither his own
lawyer Robert Qearfield, nor
NEA union officials, were avail­able
to Sawyers for consultation
since all were on vacation. At
this point. Sawyers indicated that
he does not know what he will
do. Howe^'cr, he added that he
still maintains his .innocence
and still insists.that he did not
tamper with the filter. When
asked if he felt any consc^tipn.,
that removal of asbestos at tey;
eral Baldwin pnblic .schools wis
conducted during the tnramet,
with personnel removed fiom the,
btulding. Sawyers said, "It's not
ceived a SSOO conditional fin;,.
mudi conscdaUon. I'm at a real, levi^ by Judge Franco, .The
low." CTHE - LEADER had owners have 30 day* In whieh to
leaned in July that. asbestof
was being removed at that
time..). . . . ..
The air-filter, with which
SawycTf b accused of tampering
with, had origfaiany been bistallfid
when - Sawyers - questioned-the-safe^
of the bnildCag for students
and personnel while alleged as­bestos
material .was being re­moved
.^om the boiler area
whSf S^opl was in session.
The bearings, .in addition to
centering on the installation,
monitoring and contamination of
-the. air-filter,-
repair ceiling leaks in two apart-inepta
and to paint apd tcfif. If
the wotk is •ecompUabed, Uie fine
will be reduced to SISO.
Purpose Management Corp. of;
Hempstead was condftlooaUy
fined-*500-for "unsafe-ftont"
and rear stairs and an ungraded
driveway at the ^artment house .
at 25 Graffing Flace. If jepalrs
are done in 30 days, the fine
win be dropped to S75.
Frtsldehtial . . Management
Corp. c( Whhe ' Plains was
conditiohaUy fined S250 for
both tiie motivation of Sawyers,
who was known as a' gadfly
regarding toxic substances, and
tlie motivation of tiie district..
According to Sawyers' comments,
in bur phone interview, the
majority opinion of. the .hearing
offiicers indicated that tlie testi­mony
of tiie District's expert
witnesses and . the testimony
of several teachers .were more
credible Uian that of Uie defense.
_Manx tim.e?.4nring the heart,
ings the school. district's at^
Iqmeyi Jerome Ehrlich, stressed
that the hearings should (enter
only on the specific charges
of tampering and not on alleged
motivations.
Under the Freedom of Informa­tion
Uw, however, THE LEADER
.-will be requesting access to both
, the majority and difseqting
' opinions expressed by the hear­ing
officers in order to determine
the specific reasons for tlie de­cision.
•^'—failore-lo-repair-a-reoeeurring
ceiUng and waU leak in an apart­ment
at 216 West End Avenue
as wen as for not repairing a
sliding doset door. The company
lias 30 days in wtiicli to make the
repairs.
Other Residential
Violators
Minna Gottlieb, owner of a
two-family house at 190 Wallace
Street, wu conditionally fined
$250 for allowing the occupancy
of the third floor.
B.A. WeUs, owner of 16 Rose.
Street, wa^ conditionally fined
SJSO for the popr condition of
the garages on the proper^ and
$2Qln a fi.nal fine for a stored
vehicle in the front yard.
Mary Kuchman of 36 Casino
Street waf condltionaUy fined
.$750. She had recehtd Uiree
aormnonses from the VlUage'a
'Building Depirtment coveniig
ffilnre to .cqt the grass, taUnre to
repair the garage, door,' and
for . n<«itfuM''g the premises
without a protective coating of
paint or otho;. suitable pre­servative
on the fencie, garage
and one f i ^ of the noose.
Mr*. KBchniai|^.waa_givCT_30^,
'days fat which io correct itll
viotations, at WUdi time the
fines cpold be reduced to S30.
Arthur Marino, ..of Seaford,
owner of 748 Soatii Lobg Beach
Avenue, -was oondiUontUy fin^
SSOO for failure to have the
driveway .^t grade level so as to
prevent the ooUectipn of stagnant
-watef and foroot-baving-s-lawn
or other ground covering.
A fine of S2S0 w u levied on
Louis lasser of 104 East Betjen
Street, where a summons had
been Issued. bemuse of debris
and rubbish 00 the premises.
Other Violations
John Jeffreys of 240 St. Mirks
(Cont. on Page 18)
Village policeman Arrests Man
For RVC Robbeiy
FREEPORT - Viflage Police
Officer Robert Paolik arrested a
Freeport man on Broadway in
this village less than one hour
after he. allegedly mugged- a
woman in-RockviDe Centre.
According to the pcjice, the.
female victim was sitting in her
car in a parking field off Merridi
• (Cont.onPao«20)
AWARDEPf OR VALOR. U.8. Senator Alfohsa D'Amato (2nd r.) pr*-
sants th« Urii of hi* Police Valor Award* to Freeport PolM Officer
Oeorie Dowdell (c.) for his rescue of ten people from • fire In a-Free-port
building last yaar. D'Amato called Oowdell'* action "eourageou*
and beyond the call of duty but typical of Officer Dowdell'* commit­ment
to hi* profeulon." The Senator I* joined by Jeff Jeffrey p.) of
Freeport, who aponsored the Senator"* Police Valor Award; Peter
Rellly (2nd I.), president ot tha Police Conference of flew York; and '
Pal Benllvesna (x-)r secretary-treasurer of the Freeport P.B.A. (See
«tory, tw» page.)
) • i •