2011-08-25

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76th Year, No. 34 Freeport, N.Y. 11520 The Community Newspaper
FREEPORT CELEBRATES SUMMER GRADS: Thirty
one FHS seniors proudly celebrated their August 2011
graduation last Friday. Board of Education President
Debra Mule addressed the graduates. "This is a real
milestone for you. Through your hard work and deter-mination,
this night marks a beginning for you, not an
ending," she remarked. Freeport High School Summer
School Principal Gleni Pena added, "Today is the day
many of you thought would never come. But you made
it. I'm so proud of each and every one of you."
Waterworks still a work in progress
by Laura Schofer
Roger Diller, the architect representing Waterworks
Realty, made an informal presentation to the Freeport
Landmarks Commission at its monthly meeting held on
Tuesday at the Freeport Memorial Library.
The newest rendition proposed for this site, which bor-ders
Brookside Preserve on its north side and the Long
Island Rail Road tracks on its south side, includes 121
apartment units and 228 parking spaces in a six-story
building (including the garage). The building has two
dormers, a parapet and rises 66 feet high. The apartment
is 362 feet long.
The front side of the building would be set back so
there would be a courtyard and it would face the railroad
tracks. It includes some of the architectural features that
mimic the original Brooklyn Waterworks building includ-ing
a deep red brick facade with stone banding, a Roman
arch, a mansard style roof and recessed windows. The
original Brooklyn Waterworks sign would be built into
the front wall next to the front door and there would be a
"history wall" inside the lobby of the apartment building.
But the back side of the building is three feet from the
Brookside Preserve and is "a 365-foot wall," said Mr.
Malone. "We won't see any [architectural] elements, just
a railroad apartment." Mr. Malone suggested flipping the
building, but Mr. Diller said he wants to keep the build-ing
away from the railroad tracks.
"The building is very big," said Tony Baker, landmarks
commissioner. Other residents agreed. One man called
the building "enormous;" another called it "very large."
"It's too big and it's 50 feet longer than the original
building," said another resident.
"I understand it may not be financially viable, but is it
possible to change the size," asked one woman.
"That is riot my decision. My client has worked out his
numbers and this is what he wants. We are allowed to
build to a 72-foot height," replied Mr. Diller.
The previous plan, withdrawn in March after some res-idents
raised concerns about aesthetics, traffic and its
environmental impact on the Brookside Preserve, called
for a 125 unit apartment building with 225 parking
spaces. That building would also have beenjust feet from
the Brookside Preserve which could have an impact on
the wildlife and birds, said Audubon members.
Residents continue to have the same concerns. Stephen
Malone asked that developer Gary Melius provide a
completed Environmental Impact Statement.
Members of the South Shore Audubon Society want
the building moved away from the preserve.
Several residents had concerns about the proposed size
of a brick ramp way that would be built alongside the
easterly side of the building facing Brookside Avenue.
"It looks like there is a sharp right and left hand turn.
We do get weather and there is a park across the street,"
said one woman. "I have concerns about visibility and
that could be compromised going south at the complex."
Ellen Kelly agreed. She also pointed to the heavy
pedestrian traffic in the area.
Petrina Reda, chairwoman of the Landmarks
Commission, reminded residents that the formal hearing
on the proposal will take
Is
Thursday, August 25, 2011 750
Revitalize
Jones
A new group called the Alliance to Revitalize
Jones Beach (ARJB) has called for the immediate
construction of Trump on the Ocean, the proposed
restaurant and catering hall at Jones Beach.
But the state already agreed to a modified design
that increases the square footage of Trump on the
Ocean on the first and second floors while eliminat-ing
the basement, a design Mr. Trump did not sign on
to.
The Trump Organization had an agreement in
place with the New York State Parks Department in
2006 to build the facility at the site of the former
Boardwalk Cafe but ran into problems when it asked
for a variance to build a basement facility in a flood
zone.
When the application was denied, Trump on the
Ocean filed a lawsuit against the New York
Department of State and New York State Parks.
Although the court ruled in Trump's favor late last
year, the state has appealed and the project continues
to flounder.
"Five years after getting the green light to build,
the State of New York continues to kick sand in
Trump's face with constant frivolous legal haggling
and roadblocks," said executive director of ARJB,
Rafe Lieber, in a press release sent by Gotham
Government Relations and Communications, a Long
Island lobby and public relations firm that also repre-sents
the Trump Organization.
The press release calls ARJB a "grassroots coali-tion
of Long Islanders who will create awareness that
the State Parks department is standing in the way of
allowing The Trump Organization to build the world-class
facility, as it originally agreed to." Furthermore,
ARJB will "seek to educate the public as to why this
project is so crucial to the future of Long Island."
But in a document dated October 22, 2008, the
state outlined criteria that needed to be met to adhere
to strict state guidelines that kept the original height
of the building, as per historic relevance. The docu-ment
noted requirements, such as a substantial reduc-tion
of the basement, moving the square footage up
to the first and second floors in order to protect
employees from potential floods in the basement.
Who is behind ARJB? Mr. Lieber insists there is
no connection between ARJB and Gotham
Government Relations and Communications' other
clients. "I know these guys and I asked for their help.
I didn't know there was any connection," said Mr.
Lieber. (continued on page 3)
place on Thursday,
September 8, at 7:30 p.m.
at Village Hall.
;E OF FREEPORT RECREATION AND P
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Why community
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page 2
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