1912 Rejected $14,000 for extension of lighting system.
1922 Rejected $50,000 for addition and enlargement of the Memorial Li-brary
then under construction.
1926 Rejected $9,000 for deep wells for water system.
Rejected $10,000 for purchase of incinerator site.
Rejected $65,000 for road making machinery and building to house
the same.
Rejected $3,000 for completion of the interior of the Memorial Li-brary.
1925 Rejected $42,000 for purchase of site for a Municipal Bldg.
1927 Rejected $4,000 for a bronze Honor Roll tablet for Library.
MERRICK ROAD WIDENING
Active work has been started by the County in the Widening of Merrick Rd.
through Freeport from Brookside Avenue Easterly to Main Street. Condem-nation
proceedings to acquire easements for straightening the road and making
the widening effects more than 75 properties located along Merrick Road, in
conformity with the design on map prepared by order of the Board of Supervis-ors
and filed with the County Clerk.
The contract for the widening of Mill Road from South Main Street to East
Merrick Road, has been awarded to the John C. Peterson Construction Corp.
and operations will be started as soon as weather permits.
VILLAGE TAXES
According to report by Village Treasurer, Gordon Simonson, 93. 55% of
the 1953 taxes have been paid by the close of business on December 31, 1953;
in figures $ 920, 186. 98 had been collected out of a total levy of $983, 594. 61.
The principal deficiency is due to the failure of the Long Island Railroad to pay
$10,459.59 assessed against it. Final settlement of the L. I.R. R. Taxes is de-layed
due to the fact that railroad affairs are under the supervision of the Fed-eral
Bankruptcy Court.
RESCUED FROM THE SNOW
"Dear Mayor Glacken:
Last night our car was stuck in the snow on Merrick Road and we
were unable to get out of the drift. A s it was after midnight there was not much
traffic on the road. (We were returning from a fraternal organization meeting
and were in formal clothes.) The officer in your Police radio Car #1 gave us
every assistance possible and when he could not help us out of our difficulty
sent a wrecker to our assistance. I think this officer is to be commended for
his courtesy and his ready willingness to be of help. I feel he went out of his
way to help us.
(Signed) Mildred J. Blacker"
BUILDING DEPARTMENT REPORT
The following permits were issued in the Building Dept. for the Month of
December 1953:
29 Permits for new construction Cost $407,150
26 Permits for additions & alterations 48.290
Total $455.440
FREEPORT
Your
Home Town
The
Friendly Village
Vol. 3-No. 2 February,1954
REVERAND REGINALD HEBER SCOTT
We are proud to write about an individual who is truly a great humani-tarian
and whose love of people has brought him close to those of all walks of
life. Freeport can be proud that it was our Village he came to forty years ago
to become Rector of the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration.
"Doc" Scott as he is so fondly called, will celebrate this year fiftyyears
in the priesthood of his church, born in C anada a son of a Minister and a Grand-son
of a Minister, named after the Bishop Reginald Heber of India, author of
the famous hymn, "From Greenlands Icy Mountains" - Studied in and graduated
from Berkeley Divinity School, New Haven, Conn. .Received his Bachelor of
Divinity degree and continued his studies at Trinity College, Hartfort, Conn. ,
received his Masters Degree in Columbia University.
While Rector of a growing parish, with its many duties he still found time
to aid in the founding of the Freeport Memorial Library and was appointed
Trustee in 1925 and in the year of 1937 became President, continuing actively
in this capacity to date.
He has been Chaplain for thirty years of the Freeport Volunteer Fire
Department and the rank and file of its member s have truly taken him into their
hearts. Spartan Lodge, of the Masons also claim him as their Chaplain for
some thirty years.
"Doc" Scott was one of the founders of the Inter Faith Clergy of the Vil-lage
of Freeport and became First President of this organization, of all faiths.
So let us give to him what he has so unselfishly given to all people through-out
these many years-Fill his heart with gladness and pay tribute to him Feb-ruary
25th at 8. 30 P. M. in the Freeport High School when the Community will
hold a reception and Testimonial in his honor.
FAIRBERG MADE MEMBER OF ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
The Board of Trustees has designated George Fairberg of 141 North
Brookside Avenue, as Member of the Zoning Board of Appeals.
BOARD HOLDS HEARING ON SUBSTANDARD BUILDINGS
In conformity with the provisions of Rehabilitation Ordinance No. 9. 6 the
Village Board on January 18th conducted a hearing as to why certain buildings
on East Sunrise Highway should not be repaired or removed. The buildings
on which the hearing was held are those located at 132-138, 132-A, 144 and
146 East Sunrise Highway, three houses are occupied by ten families; the own-er
of which is George Wicks. As a result of the hearing it was found from the
evidence adduced by the B oard that the buildings were dangerous and substand-ard
and the Building Superintendent was authorized to issue an order in con-formity
with the Ordinance, commanding the person to repair them so as to
comply fully with the law or remove them.
The Board also called for hearings under the Rehabilitation Ordinance en
February 8th, as to th e premises located at 48 Alexander Avenue and 80 Henry
Street.
PROPERTY TAX PROTEST
At the recent Grievence Day held by the Village Board on which occasion
the opportunity is afforded taxpayers to protest Village tax assessments, the
only claims for readjustment were requested by Mr. Morris Garfinkle and the
R S L Realty Corporation, which he also represented. Similar protests have
been filed with the County on the same properties.
METERED PARKING FIELDS COMING
In his New Years's message over Station WGBB, Mayor Glacken Announced
that plans have been completed for the installation of two mete red parking
fields within the next few months. The first field will be on South Ocean Ave.
immediately south of Sunrise Highway; the second field will be in the vicin-ity
of the contemplated Railroad Station Plaza on Henry Street.
The Mayor in his talk outlined a twelve-point program for the 1954 im-provements,
including the expansions of the park and playground program,
an effort to bring about the railroad grade crossing elimination, expansion
of municipal facilities and the creation of a traffic bureau within the Police
Department.
RELIEF ASKED FOR TAXPAYERS
An article by Village Counsel Martin H. Weyrauch, has won honorable
mention in the Law Review of the National Institute of Municipal LawOfficers.
This publication is made up of materials supplied by corporation counsels of
cities and villages throughout the Country. The article proposed that steps be
taken to protect cities and villages from the excessive costs of settling claims
in negligence actions. It pointedout that juriesof the present day make awards
to individual claimants that run over a quarter of a million dollars each and
•that several claims of such nature might well impose an intolerable burden
upon the taxpayers of a community in which the accident brought on by munici-pal
negligence might occur.
The article suggests that limitations upon such recoveries be imposed so
as not to let the burden of taxation fall to heavily upon a limited group of tax-payers.
This matter has been brought to the attention of the State Legislature
by action of the New York State Conference of Mayors and reforms in the pre-sent
law to provide protection to the taxpayers are being urged as a result.
Assemblyman John Burns has been active in this Campaign.
BOARD MEETING
It was decided by the Board of Trustees
of the Village to omit the regular meeting
scheduled for FEBRUARY 22nd, 1954, due
to that date being a HOLIDAY.
EDWARDS ARRIVES IN INDONESIA
Friends of F. Gordon Edwards have received letters indicating his safe
arrival in the City of Djakara, Java, where he is located at the Hotel Des
Indes. Mr. Edwards, who was director of the Freeport Civil Defense and
Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, has been assigned to make a sur-vey
of the telephone lines and needs for expansion throughout Indonesia, as
part of an engineering survey to modernize all sorts of equipment and facili-ties
in that Island Republic.
PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS VOTERS HAVE DISAPPROVED
In checking over old Village records, John DeLorme, former Village
Trustee, found the following interesting data as to propositions for public im-provements
rejected by the Village of Freeport between the years 1896 and
1927. Votes were taken on these propositions under a provision of the Vil-lage
Law which Vested voters with authority under mandatory referenda to
determine what should be done in various situations. The law was revised
in 1927 to permit public improvements under permissive referendums. The
following propositions were rejected under the old Law;
1896 Rejected $400 for the erection of a fire house on Bayview Ave.
for Hose Company #3.
Rejected $150 for maintenance of the Board of Health.
1898 Rejected $500 for maintenance of Police Department.
Rejected $150 for maintenance of Board of Health.
1905 Rejected $1,000 for extension of gutter on Grove St. south from
Fulton St.
Rejected $1, 000 for paying 1/2 of cost of laying granitoid sidewalk.
1906 Rejected the proposition to impose a poll tax on the voters of the
Village, 242 to 114.
Rejected a proposition for all night street lighting.
Rejected $5,000 for the purchase of a fire engine.
1910 Rejected $7,500 for setting up a fire alarm system.
Rejected $2, 000 to pay 2/3rds of paving of roads'when petitioned
for by property owners.
Rejected $3, 500 for paving with macadam a strip 15 feet wide on
Bayview Avenue, from Merrick Road to Atlantic Ave.
1912 Rejected $15,000 for permanent roads.
Rejected $7,000 for a police force consisting of a Chief, Captain,
Lieutenant and 4 patrolmen.
