Freeport Report 1999-09

              UPDATE ON PROJECTS AROUND THE VILLAGE
Continued from page 2
"In the evenings, when I look at the court-yard
from my office window," said Mayor
Glacken, "I see families gathered there, sit-ting
on the benches and watching their chil-dren
playing while couples stroll across the
courtyard. On days when the weather is
good, village employees can be seen eating
lunch on the benches. The courtyard has
even acquired a regular visitor, a recent
arrival to Freeport who reads her newspaper
there each evening.
"I am proud of all the work that has
been accomplished in Freeport in the past
two and a half years, and am very pleased
with those department heads and employ-ees
who have devoted so much time and
energy to improving our wonderful village,
Freeport, the Home of Champions."
The Village Court with new ceiling, painted walls,
gold trim and new flooring.
seasonal garden. A new irrigation system
was installed and the broken slabs of slate
surrounding the flower beds were replaced
with brick pavers and, sod was planted on
the sloping, treed areas. Families enjoying the early evening hours in the newly renovated courtyard.
FREEPORT STREET NAMED
IN HONOR OF
BISHOP FRANK ORTHA WHITE
Deputy Mayor Renaire Frierson-Davis
unveiled the sign proclaiming the honorary
new name for the street located just east of
the Church of God in Christ Little Zion,
Bishop Frank 0. White Ave. Also known as
Lakeview Ave. The re-naming was the result
of the work of Bishop White's congregation
in honor of his years of dedication to his
community.
Deputy Mayor Renaire Frierson-Davis
addressed the many well wishers assembled,
congratulating them for accomplishing such
a fine tribute to their pastor. "Often we only
think to dedicate streets or buildings for
those individuals who are truly our spiritual
leaders and mentors after they have passed
away. How wonderful that the members of
the Freeport community and the congrega-tion
of the Church of God in Christ Little Zion
chose to honor their pastor and friend while
he and his family are able to appreciate it."
Bishop White praised the organizers of
the event, Barbara Jordan and Phyllis
Hickmon and the dozens of other volunteers
who helped make the day so successful.
Pictured in the photo are: Freeport Housing Authority Board
member Ed Monroe, Bishop White's son and co-pastor,
Dr. Frank A. White; Deputy Mayor Frierson-Davis,
Bishop Frank 0. White, and his wife, Dr. Juliette White.
SEPTEMBER, 1999 www.FreeportNY.com THE HOME OF CHAMPIONS
VILLAGE CDA ACQUIRES FREEPORT
HOSPITAL PROPERTY:
SEEKS DEVELOPER FOR PRIME REAL ESTATE PARCEL
"We were fortunate to be able acquire this
ideally located piece of land well below the
current real estate market value by taking
advantage of a bankruptcy court authorized
sale of the property," said Mayor Bill Glacken
in announcing the official Request for
Proposals for the 2.06 acre parcel, situated
just below Merrick Road on South Ocean
Ave.
Freeport's Community Development
Agency purchased the former hospital prop-erty
for a net purchase price of approxi-mately
$650,000 as a result of the bankrupt-cy
action against the former owners of the
site. The Agency will benefit from the collec-tion
of back property taxes due and the real
estate taxes generated once the property is
returned to the tax rolls.
The current structure on the site is a
one-story building having approximately
15,000-sq. ft. on the first floor together with
the same amount in
the full basement. A
two and one
half-story brick_and_
stone house with a
detached three-car
garage and apart-ment
is also located
on the site. The par-cel
will be sold "as
is" with no represen-tations
as to condi-tions
of structures,
grounds or systems.
Applicants may be
required to demolish these structures or to
provide for it through negotiated arrange-ments
as part of this proposal.
Mayor Glacken said, "Ultimately, our
goal is to make this valuable parcel a finan-cially
viable operation that benefits the corri-munity
with increased employment, provides
local construction work, returns the parcel to
the active tax rolls, is aesthetically pleasing
to the neighborhood, and finally, to accom-plish
this as quickly and as effectively as pos-sible."
FREEPORT'S FIRE DEPARTMENT DOES IT AGAIN
Mayor Bill Glacken and Trustee Don Miller on the reviewing stand
applauding the Freeport Fire Department. Trustee Don Mauer-sberger
was among the firefighters participating in the parade.
The Freeport Fire Department, led by Chief
James Olin, won the 1999 Championship as the
best appearing fire department in New York
State for the second consecutive year.
A contingent of more than 200 firefighters
thrilled the assembled thousands who came to
view the annual state parade, held this year in
Central Islip on August 22. In addition to the
department's first place win, the Freeport Fire
Department Band took second place honors in
the tough competition among the marching
bands.
Mayor Bill Glacken, who along with Trustee
Don Miller, was on the reviewing stand to sup-port
the firefighters congratulated the marchers
for their outstanding job. "Everyone viewing
the marchers could see why Freeport is known
as the Home of Champions. Our firefighters did
an outstanding job; displaying excellent march-ing
precision and a tremendous turnout, we
were very proud of our firefighters and proud
to be Freeporters."
More than 100 other fire departments
throughout New York State participated in the
annual parade. The Members are judged by
how well they march in such categories as uni-form
and haircut neatness, marching in line,
keeping in step and general overall appearance.
The judging is handled by a group of parade
officials from Nassau, Suffolk and around the
state who are posted along the parade route.
Last year, the Freeport Fire Department
captured the state honors at the competition
held in the upstate community of Clayton,
New York. The department also took first place
honors the previous week in the annual Second
Battalion Fire Department Parade held in Island
Park.
UPDATE ON PROJECTS AROUND THE VILLAGE
There is a famous Chinese saying," May
you live in interesting times."I often think
with the changing of just two words, it
would apply so well to Freeport, "May you
live in an interesting place." There is no
where else that I would rather live than
here in Freeport. Every day I am reminded
of the benefits we enjoy in a village that
offers so much cultural and environmental
diversity.
But living in a community so close
to the ocean has its challenges as well as
benefits. As we approach the height of the
hurricane season, there are important
precautions that cannot be stressed too
often or too strongly. The South Shore has
not had a devastating hurricane or serious
storm since the two bad storms that hit in
December 1992 and March of 1993.
Eventually, we will experience a storm of at
least that severity again. The month of
September can be a dangerous one on
the water and the only real protection is
preparation and awareness.
Freeport's excellent Emergency
Management Team includes representa-tives
from the Fire Department, Police
Department, Building Department, the
Electric and Water utilities and Village Hall.
.There will be regularly updated messages
on the village emergency hotline number
at 377-2400. Check the number frequently.
The EMT group can be relied on to do their
part, but residents must learn what they
can do to protect their lives and property.
Preparation is the key to protection.
Learn the storm and hurricane risks in your
neighborhood by contacting the Building
Department at 377-2243. Neighborhoods
below Atlantic Avenue are prone to flood-ing
during serious storms and dangerous
hurricanes.
If you and your family are ordered by
the police or the EMT to
evacuate, do so at once. There is an official
emergency evacuation route marked
with Coastal Flood Evacuation signs. Learn
the route. Listen to local radio stations,
(WGBB., WHLI, WKJY) TV stations (News 12,
Fox 5, ABC 7, NBC4, and CBS 2), for
weather reports and instructions.
Prepare a Family Disaster Plan, and
make sure every member of your house-hold
is familiar with it. Identify where you
will go if you are told to evacuate. Choose
several alternative places; a friend or
relative's home which is located north, a
motel in another town or an American Red
Cross shelter.
It is a good idea to have an emergency
kit prepared and set aside in the event of
an evacuation. It should contain items
such as a spare pair of glasses, prescription
medications, cash, important documents
such as insurance papers, deeds, etc. Pack
blankets, sleeping bags, toiletries, battery-operated
radios, extra batteries, flashlights,
protective clothing, rainwear, and any spe-cial
items needed for infants, the
elderly or disabled members of your family.
Make arrangements for your pets.
Public health regulations do not allow pets
in public shelters. Call your veterinarian for
advice on sheltering your pet. Pick a com-mon
meeting place and a mutual contact
should your family get separated. Post
emergency phone numbers near your tele-phones.
Remember, your property can be
replaced, but nothing can replace your life.
Stay safe.
LIBERTY PARK CELEBRATES ITS
25th ANNIVERSARY
It was a combination Anniversary and Block Party
at the Liberty Park Apartments last month as the
residents and founders came together to celebrate
a 25-year success story. Mayor Bill Glacken praised
the many individuals who took part in the found-ing
of the housing complex for their foresight and
dedication to providing good, safe, affordable
housing for moderate-income families. The com-plex
consists of two-story apartment units, play-grounds,
basketball and handball courts and picnic
areas. Many of the original tenants are still enjoy-ing
living in the Liberty Park complex.
.Some of the early tenants attended
the celebration along with those individu-als
and clergy members who were instru-mental
in getting the complex started in
the early 70's. Among the speakers and
honored guests were Mayor Bill Glacken;
Rabbi Reuben Katz; Daniel Mandel, Esq.;
Hempstead Town Receiver of Taxes Angie
Cullin; former Freeport Mayor Robert
Sweeney; Rev. Robert Dawley; and Liberty
Park Tenants Association President Marcia
Matthews-Wilson.
The April edition of this newsletter reported
on the projects that the Glacken
Administration has been working on to
improve the roads and streets throughout
the village. Now it is time for an update. The
Woodcleft Ave. street and road upgrading
has been accomplished in record time as you
will notice in visiting the 'Nautical Mile' in
the past few weeks. Construction work is
approximately 85% complete and is ahead
of schedule. The brick promenade has been
completed, and families may be seen
strolling down the street buying fish, enjoy-ing
a meal, or cooling off with a refreshing
Italian ice.
By the time this newsletter reaches you,
••most-of-the- antique street lights-will have
been installed, and we expect that Freeport
Electric will be energizing those fixtures
soon and removing the existing lamps on the
wooden poles. Banners welcoming visitors to
the 'Nautical Mile' will have been placed on
the street poles. The new benches, planters
and litter receptacles have been installed.
Our 'Nautical Mile' has been enhanced to
attract an increasing number of visitors and
tourists from all over Long Island and the
metropolitan area. We expect to schedule an
official dedication ceremony when the pro-
Woodcleft Ave. with the new benches, planters and litter receptacles
ject has been completely finished this fall to
thank everyone who has worked so hard to
enhance/ and preserve Woodcleft Ave., one
of Freeport's precious assets.
A few of the other projects we have
managed to complete recently include the
reconstruction of Colonial Avenue. That
street was once a series of potholes. Now
residents and drivers on that road can enjoy
a safe, smooth ride,
new curbs, driveways,
road pavement and
handicap ramps on all
the comers.
Residents in the
Meister Beach area
will also enjoy a safe,
dry ride on their way
home now, following
the raising of the
road elevation on
Florence Avenue and
surrounding streets
to eliminate street
flooding that
occurred regularly as" ~~ . '
a result of the lunar cycle. Thanks to a grant
from the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, Freeport received funding for 75%
of the costs to increase the elevation of
Stirling and Lester Avenues. Freeport's engi-neering
personnel are in the process of
designing construction and specifications
plans now for a fall start date.
The Glacken Administration is in
the process of reconstructing Brooklyn
Avenue and North Long Beach Avenue; a
project l o n g
overdue.
Survey crews are
busy gathering infor-mation
that will be
used to develop base
construction maps for
two new projects. You
may have seen these
surveyors recently
on Southside Avenue
from South Long
Beach Avenue to Guy
Lombardo Avenue;
South Ocean Avenue
from Archer Street
to Atlantic Avenue;
Lillian Avenue from
North Main Street to
Union Avenue; Charlick Place from Forrest
Avenue to Woodside Avenue; Wilson Place
from Pennsylvania Avenue west to North
Bayview Avenue; and Willow Avenue from
Lakeview Avenue to Fredericks Avenue.
The Public Works Department will use
these base plans to develop construction
plans and specifications for projects that will
be completed under this administration
within the next year.
In the fall, curbside trees will be planted
to supplement the existing trees and replace
the dead or diseased trees that were
removed as part of my 1,000-tree program.
Unfortunately, there seems to have been
some concern over the removal of diseased
trees. Freeport has a certified arborist exam-ining
the trees in the village and making rec-ommendations
concerning which trees can
be saved and which ones must be cut down.
It is not always possible for the untrained
eye to recognize a diseased or insect infest-ed
tree. But I assure you, for each and every
tree that has been removed; another tree
will be planted in its place as part of our
1,000 trees-a-year program. For further
information on the tree program, please
contract our Public works Department at
377-2233.
Renovations and refurbishing at Village
Hall is ongoing. The restoration of Village
Court reflects our historic heritage. The ceil-ing
and walls, which were damaged by
water from the leaking roof, have been
repaired and painted with authentic colonial
colors which accent the architectural details
of the woodwork. The benches and the jury
box were also restored and new flooring was
placed throughout the room.
Finally, you may have noticed that the
courtyard on Grove Street behind Village
Hall has been almost completely renovated.
The old fountain in the center of the court-yard,
which had been out of service for a
number of years, was turned into a trellised
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