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Electric Update
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I think everyone recognizes the need for the new 69kV substation (tap-switching station)
with LILCO and the separate transformer substation. Without the installation of these
facilities we will not be able to obtain the additional 2.5 megawatts of low-cost hydroelectric
power we are entitled to (from the present 36 megawatts to our full 38.5 megawatt
allocation). In addition, installing this equipment widens our future power purchase
options. Further delay is irresponsible and threatens our reliability.
You must constantly review power supply options whether from the Power Authority,
upstate utilities (either investor-owned or municipally-owned) or elsewhere. Responsible
utilities always update their outlook for at least a ten year horizon. Transmission rates
are a potentially enormous item in our cost picture, and as those transmission rates
increase, Fitzpatrick nuclear power looks increasingly unfavorable in comparison to self-generation.
I want to leave you with another important consideration, and that is as leaders in
the Village you must look out for everyone in the Village, and as leaders you must look
ahead five years and ten years, not just one week and one month down the road, or
simply to the next election. As the Water and Light Commission and the Village Board
have recognized, the Power Project is the responsible action to institute. Criticism is
easy when you do not step-up and provide reasonable alternatives, which if examined
would prove to be much more costly.
Free Tree Application
The Freeport Electric Utility has purchased 400 trees with the New York Power Authority.
This is the beginning of the Tree Power program, an energy conservation effort.
The aim is to plant a free tree for every municipal electric meter, which means Freeport
will have 13,000 new trees over the next five years at no cost to the homeowner.
The Village's program is being coordinated by the Property Improvement Committee.
That Committee has prepared a list of 100 dead trees which are threatening overhead
power lines. These will be removed by the Electric Utility at no cost to the homeowner.
The property owner will be offered one of the free trees this spring.
The remaining trees will be offered on a first come, first served, basis to property
owners. Those who do not get a tree this spring will be put on the list for the future.
The actual planting of the trees will be the responsibility of the property owner who
must adhere to Village tree ordinances.
The species of trees, suitable for curbside planting, are Summit Ash, Cherry and
Colorado Green Spruce will also be available and should be planted on lawns.
Those interested in receiving a tree application should fill out the form below and
return it with their electric payment or mail it to the Freeport Electric Utility, 46 North
Ocean Avenue.
Tree Application Request
Print Name
Print Address
Print Daytime Phone
'REFERENCE ONLY
NewS
A Public Information Bulletin
of The Village of Freeport
j Uf afV46 North Ocean Avenue
1 Teelephone: FReeport 8-4000
Dorothy Storm, Mayor
Meet with Mayor:
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. every Friday
Public Meetings: 8:00 p.m.,
1st and 3rd Mondays of the Month
- March 1992 -
Electric Update
(Editor's Note: William Cominos, General Manager of the Electric Utility since 1985,
an employee of the Utility for 32 years, and Immediate Past President of the State Municipal
Electric Utilities Association, recently resigned to take another position in Connecticut.
The following are excerpts from his final communication to the Water and Light
Commission.)
Our electric rates are less than one-half of the rates of LILCO and I am leaving the
Electric Department in excellent financial health which will permit the Village to take
the necessary steps to address future electric system upgrades and equipment
replacement. These decisions cannot be delayed.
After a 13 year legal battle against the State Power Authority we finally have a contract
that should provide the Village with 38.5 megawatts of low-cost hydroelectric power
from the Niagara Project. This increased availability of power in the summer of 1989
allowed us to eliminate purchase of Fitzpatrick nuclear power and saved us approximately
$2.5 million per year. (We have) the right to receive this hydroelectric power through
the year 2013.
We cannot afford to rest on our laurels, and you must move forward so that the
ratepayers/taxpayers continue to receive reliable service at the lowest cost reasonably
possible. This means you much act.
We must pay electric transmission charges to the Power authority, LILCO and Con
Edison. With the installation of the new sound Cable Project, which went into service
June, 1991, LILCO proposed increasing their transmission rate from approximately $2.207
kilowatt per month to approximately $8/kilowatt per month. If LILCO succeeds, this would
increase our charges by almost $1 million each year. We are fighting this proposal and
we must fight it to avoid Village rate increases of well over 10%
We must still move forward with the Freeport Power Project. We sent out Requests
for Qualifications/Requests for Proposals to get a new design/engineering firm and a
separate environmental consulting firm. We received 12 environment bids and ten
engineering bids which are being evaluated by the Commission, consultants and in-house
help. The final approval will be in the hands of the Mayor and Board of Trustees.
The Village must recognize that while reasonable people may differ, I am convinced
we need new electrical generation and the logical place is at Power Plant No. 2. The
first phase of the new design/engineers work, and the environmental consultants activities,
is to evaluate the prudence of the costs and analysis associated with the four options
the Village has considered: 1)12 megawatts of dual-fuel (diesel and gas) combustion
turbine generation at Power Plant No. 2; 2) 12 megawatts of dual-fuel (diesel and gas)
diesel generation at Power Plant No. 2; 3) purchase of 12 megawatts of Fitzpatrick nuclear
power from the Power Authority; and 4) purchase of 4 megawatts of Fitzpatrick nuclear
power and construction of 8 megawatts of dual-fuel (diesel and gas) combustion turbine
generation at Power Plant No. 2. We all know this is a highly charged political environment,
but we must still act responsibly choosing power supply options that will provide us
with the lovA/pst cost and highest reliability. (Continued on page 4)
Trustees: Ralph Smith, Victor Cohen, Vincent P. Campion, Catherine Collins: Village Justice: Michael Solomon
Village Clerk: Karen A. Navin; Counsel: William Glacken; Treasurer: Michael Haran
Freeport At Crossroads
These 1891 views were taken at our present intersection on North Main and East Dean
Streets, just one year prior to our Village's incorporation. The photos, the property of
the Freeport Historical Society, depict a corner of the William Rock Smith ("Daddy Bill's)
boat building business on a 40 acre farm. Fishing and farming, a largely undeveloped
waterfront, vast tracts of virgin forest to the north, and a population of slightly more
than 1,800 individuals, were typical aspects of Freeport's incorporation year of 1892.
This year marks our Centennial celebration of this event.
Charles J. Zimmerman, Village Historian
Upcoming Celebrations Of 100th Anniversary
The Century One Celebration Committee has two events in April as part of the year-long
festivities marking the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Freeport as
a Village.
Thursday, April 5, is the 100th day of 1992. On that date, at 10:30am, the Committee
will have ceremonies at the intersection of South Main Street and Freeport Plaza West
to "change" the name of what is commonly referred to as "Cannon Square" to "Century
Square."
On Thursday, April 23, the Committee will present a Heritage Concert at the Freeport
High School beginning at 8pm. It will be performed by the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra,a
14 piece ensemble which plays turn-of-the-century popular theater selections using lost
authentic period arrangements. Regarded as the leading exponent of vintage American
music, PRO has performed across the nation including Alice Tully Hall (the first concert
ever presented at Lincoln Center by a professional ragtime orchestra), the Smithsonian
Institution and the South Street Seaport.
Advance tickets may be purchased at $10 each, Groups of eight or more may purchase
them at $8 each. Checks, made out to "The Century One Celebration Committee," should
be mailed to PO Box 100, Freeport. Limited tickets at $12 will be available at the door. •
Attorney General Acts On Racial Steering
L.st month, Attorney General Robert Abrams
gave credit to the Freeport Human
Relations Commission in announcing that his
office is suing two Nassau County real estate
brokers and will seek civil contempt charges
against a third for allegedly discriminating
against prospective homebuyers on the basis
of race in violation of state and federal fair
housing and civil rights laws. Abrams stated,
"Our undercover investigation found evidence
of blatantly discriminatory racial steering.
Realtors have no right to deprive anyone of
a full range of choices for where to live."
Human Relations director Michael Kirwan,
after discussions with Mayor Dorothy Storm,
approached the Attorney's General Office
regarding his research.which showed that real
estate brokers with offices located a distance
from Freeport and in all white communities,
were showing and selling houses in Freeport
and similar racially mixed areas, only to
minorities.
During the 10-week undercover investiga-tion,
the Attorney General's office sent four
black and four white couples to each of the
three real estate brokers. Each couple provided
equivalent financial information and asked to
be shown three and four bedroom homes in
the $200,000 range.
Attorney General Abrams said that two of
the brokers, Command properties of West
Hempstead and Goodtime Real Estate of
Massapequa, failed to show blacks any homes
they had shown to whites
The two brokers and their employees
uniformly showed white couples homes in
predominantly white neighborhoods. A few
hours or days later, the same brokers showed
the black couples entirely different homes, in
substantially minority., neighborhoods,,.and
often well below the requested price range.
Of 25 homes offered for sale through the third
brokers, LaRosa Realty of Westbury, only three
were shown to both black and white testers.
Abrams said the company and its owner, Frank
LaRosa, should be held in civil contempt
because LaRosa's current practices violate a
1986 court judgement reached with his office
for previous incidents of racial steering.
(Freeport's Human Relations Commission was
also involved in the 1986 action.)
"In one case, brokers welcomed a white
couple right off the street and raved about the
number of homes available, but told a black
tester to come back after making an
appointment," said Abrams. "The brokers
sometimes offered to help the whites obtain
mortgage financing, but never offered to help
the blacks," he said.
Both Mayor Storm and Director Kirwan
expressed gratitude to the Freeporters who had
served as volunteer testers during the latest
investigation while explaining that their
indentities must be kept confidential.
The lawsuits against Goodtime and
Command each seek to bar the racial steering
practices, as well as $100,000 in compensatory
damages and additional penalties. The suits
would also seek detailed reports to the
Attorney General of the racial background of
all clients and a list of all homes offered for
sale and shown to customers for a three-year
period.
The Goodtime lawsuit also names owner/
broker Donna Rice and real estate agents,
.Adrian. Abrams and Richard Pusateri. The
lawsuit against Command also names owner/
broker Frank Cammarata and employee
Joseph Day. Both Suits were filed in the US
District Court for the Eastern Division in
Brooklyn
The civil contempt motion against LaRosa
asks US District Court Judge Leonard Wexler
in Hauppauge to require LaRosa to give up
all profits derived from the discriminatory
practices during the 2'/2-month undercover-investigation,
and to impose a $25,000 penalty
for each future violation of state and federal
civil rights laws •
Memorial Day Parade Planned
The annual Memorial Day Parade organized
by the American Legion will be held the
morning of Monday, May 25. This year's event
is honoring the men and women who died in
cap.tivity,.with special recognition of the men
and women who died on the Death Marches.
Guest Speakers and Grand Marshals will be
Rear Admiral Floyd ("Hoss") H. Miller, USN
(Ret.), a Freeport native who now serves as
President of the State University of NY Maritime
College; and Chief Warrant Officer Arnold A.
Bocksel (Ret.), ex—POW and survivor of the
Bataan Death March.
All Freeport organizations are invited to
participate by sending a representative to the
Planning Meetings on April 6 and May 4. The
meetings, beginning at 8pm, are held at the
American Legion Post, 49 West Sunrise
Highway.
For further information, call Parade
Chairman Charles Jackson at 868-5373. There
will be further parade news in the April "Village
News." •
