Harbour Green Association, Inc. P.O. Box 57, Massapequa
Park, N.Y. 11762
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Harbour Green Association, Inc. P.O. Box 57, Massapequa
Park, N.Y. 11762
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Community Information for
Summer 2007
The last quarter in Old Harbour Green has been both a challenging and rewarding period with several notable events. Starting with our annual Egg Hunt, the weather cooperated for an event that was well attended. Coordinated by Melissa Minikes, there were plenty of eggs to hide and many children from our community eager to load up their baskets with as many eggs as they could find. Thanks to Melissa for taking the time to plan a well attended event. For those wondering who was in the rabbit costume, it was our own Paige Snider – thanks Paige for suiting up to take pictures with all the children. Mark Salamack coordinated, from what I understand, the first ever spring
clean up of the front property. The event took place on April 14th with over 35
people lending a hand to very thoroughly rack out all the leaves and debris from
the front property. Thanks to everyone who participated. Peter Pagano from
Biltmore Shores, and the owner of the Rose Kiosk on the corner of Merrick and
Hicksville Road stopped by to donate over 50 perennial flowers. The majority
were planted at the entrances on Bay and Cedar Shore with the remaining flowers
finding a home in one of our 14 Islands throughout our community. Thanks to
Peter for a very generous contribution. We recently reached out to Ed Olsen, from Olsen Brothers Tree Service who is
a certified arborist to request his expertise in identifying, dating and tagging
some of the older trees in our community. This process was done several years
ago but some of the name plates have been lost and not all of the older trees
tagged. Ed will work on this effort over the coming weeks at no cost to our
Association. A message from the Treasurer
Dear Friends and Neighbors, As of May 31st, the Harbour Green Civic Association has received paid dues from 232 residents. There are 422 homes that make up our fine community and without the support of each of you the Civic Association could not exist, nor could it be as effective as it is today. It is the goal of the Board to reach out to those of you who may have forgotten to pay, to remind everyone how important it is to contribute to the annual membership. Your continued support through volunteerism, community advocacy and a strong dedication to maintaining and improving our neighborhood has helped to make Old Harbour Green a great community. We look forward to everyone’s enthusiasm in making things even better and ask for your help in reaching 100% paid membership. Our focus continues to remain on: Lowering Front Property Taxes Continuing to Beautify Harbour Green Higher Attendance at HGA General Meetings 100% Paid Members in 2007 Reducing the Overdevelopment of Property in our Neighborhood Through your dues, you can help us with these goals. Thank you for your support! Sincerely, Stephanie Carter
HGA General Meeting Minutes
Held at the Bar Harbour Branch of the Massapequa Public Library on April 5, 2007, the Meeting was called to order at 7:32pm. HGA President Kevin Kobs began the meeting by introducing the Board Members and guests of the Association, Mrs. Arlene Martin, past president of the Massapequa Board of Education, Dr. Maureen Flaherty, Superintendent of Massapequa Schools, Don Nobile, Dean of Berner Middle School and Officer Mike Williams of Wantagh, of the Nassau County Police Department’s POP Unit. Dr Flaherty addressed the upcoming school budget vote. She explained that Massapequa has operated efficiently this year by renting out the Hawthorne and Carmen Road buildings for 1.2 million annually, by obtaining state and federal grants in the amount of 2.3 million dollars, by obtaining a $400,000 shared municipal services grant, with a performance bond which helped save half a million dollars in energy costs, and by having employees contribute 1.6 million dollars to the cost of their benefits. She noted that students are benefiting from school wide enrichment models, more electives, more scale courses, and two new athletic teams. She noted that the cost per student in Great Neck is $24,999, while that figure is $16,600 in Massapequa. She stated that there are only 6 central office administrators in Massapequa and that this is $583 per pupil. Dr Flaherty announced that the 2007-2008 budget would increase by 6.78% and that the tax levy may be slightly less than last year. Allan Adcock is still reviewing the recently announced state aid figures and this number will be available after this review is completed. She stated that if the budget does not pass, state law requires a 4% cap on the budget increase, and the Board of Education would have to decide what would be cut. Options include cutting 18 staff members, no new equipment purchases. She noted that summer recreation would have to be cut and organizations that currently use district buildings and fields would have to be charged a fee. Audience members asked several questions. Mark Salamack asked why Lotto is not being used to fund education as it was originally intended. Jean Branigan asked why summer recreation would be cut if the budget failed in light of the fact it is “self-funding” program. Dr Flaherty explained that the district would not be allowed to include it even though it pays for itself. Jean also asked why the job applications for the program have not been made available. Dr. Flaherty said she would look into it. Melissa Minikes asked what was being done to address the crowding at Birch Lane. Dr. Flaherty explained that the enrollment numbers have dropped and are projected to continue dropping, so there will not be a problem in the future. Jean Branigan asked about the drop in state test scores at Birch. She noted that the students are going in early in the morning for a ½ hour of extra help and then have to sit watching television for ½ an hour before classes start. Dr. Flaherty said that they have to look at a 3 year trend and that the issue is under review by the administration. Officer Mike Williams of the 7th Precinct addressed the Problem Oriented Policing Unit (“POP”). Officer Garrett Fujarski is the officer in charge of Massapequa. Williams spoke because Officer Fujarski was unavailable. The POP Unit can be reached at 573-7000. The Unit looks at long term problems. He said to call 911 for reporting suspicious activity and for health emergencies. The Unit has a program for extra patrols when you are away from your home for several days. The homeowner need only fill out a form and give it to the Unit. He noted that there are gangs in the 7th Precinct but the problem is minimal compared with other neighborhoods. There is drug activity. The Bureau has been increased by 20 employees. He noted that during the first week of August, there will be a National Night Out Against Crime. Mark Salamack asked about more police presence to discourage speeding and the running of stop signs. Officer Williams suggested that the Association write to the Precinct to request that a machine to monitor speed be placed in the community. Officer Williams also supplied the audience with pamphlets on neighborhood watch groups, Crime Prevention and a Burglary Prevention Checklist. Copies of each have been filed with the minutes. Kevin Kobs reported on the tax status of the front property. He summarized as follows: property taxes have increased from $2,000 in 2004 to $6,800 in 2007. The Board met in January and voted to pay $1,600 for a preliminary appraisal to file a claim with the county for a reduction of taxes from January 2003 to March 2007 (involving $15,000 in taxes). The attorney filed the claim on March 13, 2007. On April 17, 2007, the county will do its own appraisal and will meet with our lawyers to try to settle the claim. If the claim is not settled, it will cost $2,500 to have the full appraisal necessary brought to proceed to a hearing. Kevin noted that the county puts the fair market value of the parcel at $380,000, but the preliminary appraisal sets the value at $45,000 because the land cannot be developed. Kevin stated that once we have successfully challenged the past taxes, the Association can meet with the County Assessor to have the current assessment lowered. Kevin reviewed the Association’s Budget. He stated that as of the publication of the spring Newsletter, we had 185 paid members and we currently have 210 paid members. The paid membership goal is 325. Kevin asked for suggestions to increase paid membership. He noted that the Association invites all members to the Candle Light Tea and distributes the Newsletter to all members. Expenses paid include the taxes on the front property, the fee for the preliminary appraisal and other miscellaneous expenses. The front property was addressed. In the past, $2,500 was paid for the spring cleanup. This year volunteers will do it on April 14 and Stephanie Carter is getting bids on weekly lawn cutting. The $1,500 Grant from Joe Saladino may be used for plantings and island care. A plan needs to be drafted and submitted. Community members can provide the labor. Kevin reported that Grace Church has been having permit problems, as well as problems with insurance coverage. The current plan is that construction will take place over the summer and the temporary building will be removed. Kevin summarized the “over development” issue. The Board voted to approve Stephanie Carter reaching out to Prudential and she set up 2 meetings with Cate Astrof and Dan Ryan. The first meeting addressed over-building and destruction of trees. The second meeting was with Dan Ryan and Mark Goodman. Goodman stated that he felt that his homes “fit in”. The meeting got contentious. Dan said the Association’s request to meet with the builders and the architect was reasonable. As of this newsletter, this third meeting had not been scheduled. There was a discussion the Association’s pursuit of a moratorium on building with the Town of Oyster Bay, which would slow or stop new development to allow the town to conduct a study on development, and issue new guidelines on floor area ratios and establish new size limits in relation to surrounding homes. The study could take 6 months or more and the moratorium could be extended up until the time the new guidelines are issued. Kevin spoke to Joe Muscarella about our interest and he set up a meeting for the Association with Jack Libert and Leslie Maccarone of the Planning Commission, where Kevin presented them with photos and other information illustrating the over development. Libert requested that the Association submit a detailed letter with supporting information to request the moratorium. Kevin sent the letter on behalf of the Association.
Respectfully Submitted, Terry Yard-Healy/Secretary
Neighborhood News & Notes
S.T.O.P. And Electronic Waste Collection Day Scheduled For June 16
The collection day will be held at Town Hall South, 977 Hicksville Road, Massapequa, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
The S.T.O.P. program, which provides residents with an environmentally safe means for disposal of household hazardous waste, is now in its 22nd year. This is the fourth year for the Electronic Waste Collection program, and the Town of Oyster Bay is the first Town on Long Island to have a regularly scheduled e-waste program. Up until the inception of the program, which was kicked off in April 2004, all e-waste in the Town had been hauled away and disposed of with the regular garbage.
Now, the Town is offering residents a convenient and environmentally friendly way to recycle their e-waste. Under the program, the Town accepts computer monitors and hard drives, printers, keyboards, mice and cables, copiers and fax machines, cell phones, pagers, VCRs and stereos. Supreme Computer & Electronic Recycling, Inc., a company specializing in e-waste recycling, will collect the items and recycle the components, thereby ensuring that they will not end up in a landfill or incinerator.The TOB has also scheduled a Massapequa S.T.O.P./Electronic Waste Collection date for October 13, again at Town Hall South.
Residents who would like further information can call 677-5943.
Town of Oyster Bay Presents Music Under the Stars 2007
Performances at John J. Burns Town Park
JULY 7— Dennis DeYoung—Lead vocalist of Styx JULY 10—Kansas JULY 14—Bobby Vinton JULY 17—Gin Blossoms JULY 21—Children’s Festival (4pm start) with Raggs Kid Club Band (6pm show) JULY 24—Performers from the Lawrence Welk TV show featuring Dick Dale, Jack Imel, Anacani and Jo Ann Castle (7:00 PM Start) JULY 28—Live! From the Red Carpet... It’s Rich Little and Friends JULY 31—"SALUTE TO AMERICA" with Sawyer Brown (Southern Rock) and Fireworks by Grucci (7:45 PM Start) AUG 7— DIVA NIGHT with Kathy Sledge of "Sister Sledge", Shannon, Alisha, and Lisa Lisa
All concerts begin at 8pm unless otherwise noted. All concerts are FREE!
Movies by Moonlight
Saturday, AUGUST 11th “Night at the Museum” starring Ben Stiller Marjorie Post Park Time TBA FREE admission!
Visit www.oysterbaytown.com for more information
Winter Bros. Purchases Waste Management Winter Bros. Recycling has purchased the Nassau and Suffolk County operations from Waste Management. What this means for Old Harbour Green is that we will now have only one company picking up residential trash, which is good news for many of our neighbors who have been complaining for years about garbage collection taking place every morning of the week.
The new pick-up schedule for all Harbour Green residents effective June 4, 2007 is now on Mondays and Thursdays. Please have your trash out by 6:00 am on the morning of pick-up, but not earlier than 7:00 pm the night before.
Architectural Preservation Committee (formerly the Architectural Review Board)
The mission of the Architectural Preservation Committee is to be an advocate for the neighbors of Old Harbour Green who wish to prevent the overdevelopment of land through new construction and renovation The committee, overseen by the HGA Board of Directors, also champions the preservation of the stately trees throughout our community.
The Architectural Preservation Committee, when asked by a member of the community, will provide building code guidance on new construction and renovation. The committee will also provide support to a member of the community who asks for help at a variance hearing with The Town of Oyster Bay Planning Board.
HGA Board of Directors Help Wanted The Harbour Green Association is looking for a webmaster to volunteer a few hours a month to assist in keeping our website up-to-date. You must have experience in HTML and website design and will work in tandem with our current Webmaster, Mark Plowman. If you have the kind of experience we are looking for and would like to help, email mplowman@msn.com or contact HGA President Kevin Kobs @ 541-1261 for more information.
Maintenance
Things worked out better than anyone could hope for at the Front Gates Spring clean up. About thirty neighbors, including a lot of hard working young people helped out (See photos on p. 8) The weather was great, the refreshments were welcome, a lot was accomplished and the goal of saving money on the clean up was realized. The situation looked formidable as all involved began to wonder how we were going to be able to dispose of all the debris that was packed into the large plastic bags. One neighbor stopped by with his work truck and volunteered to bring some to his dumpster at his place of business, another neighbor had his brother, a landscaper, take another large pile. We still had a big pile of debris that the Town of Oyster Bay Sanitation Department agreed to take away for us. During the course of the day a man stopped and told us that he owns the kiosk at Merrick Road and Hicksville Road that sells flowers. He had a large inventory of left over Easter plants; could we make use of them? We did not have to be asked twice. He returned with a truckload of tulips, hyacinths and daffodils. Some of these now grace the front property, others were brought to enhance some of the traffic islands in the neighborhood. A sincere thanks to all who helped out, especially the younger people. Your civic pride is an inspiration. An additional special thanks to Neptune Landscaping. The owner of Neptune has offered to care for the front property free of charge for this season. The lawn has been aerated, reseeded, treated for dandelions, edged and kept trimmed so far under these arrangements. This has reflected in a significant savings for the Association. With the shortfall in dues paying members it would have been almost impossible to pay a landscaper this year. At this time our Treasurer, Stephanie Carter, has been working at reestablishing the Association’s status as a Not for Profit organization and obtaining the tax department ID numbers necessary to continue the application process for the $1,500.00 grant that is due from New York State. Once this application is completed, and the grant assured, the Association hopes to purchase a large lot of flowers and bushes to compliment the front property and the islands. We will be looking for volunteers to help plant. I am still looking to be contacted by anyone presently caring for an island, anyone who knows of an island in need of a caretaker, and any one willing to “adopt” an island. My contact information is inside the front cover of this Newsletter. See you at the Fall cleanup. Mark Salamack
Reminder
TOB Hours for Landscapers: Mon-Fri: 8am-7:30pm Saturday: 9am-7pm No landscaper shall perform work on Sunday or Holidays. Code of the Town of Oyster Bay Chapter 145-8A&B
TOB Hours for Contractors: Mon-Sat 7am-10pm No contractor shall perform work on Sunday or Holidays. Code of the Town of Oyster Bay Chapter 156-4-7A
TOB Hours for leaf blowers* Mon-Fri: 8am-7pm Sat, Sun & Holidays: 9am-5pm *Note: these hours fall under the Town’s Noise Ordinance and apply to landscapers as well as individual homeowners.
Please be respectful of our community by not allowing your landscaper and/or contractor to work on Sunday or a Holiday, as it is prohibited in the Town of Oyster Bay. Old Harbour Green residents should call 911 in the event of a violation of Town code.
Code Compliance Remember, the TOB Code Compliance Division does not enforce town codes unless they receive a written complaint. To have a Code Compliance Complaint Form mailed to you please call TOB @ 516-624-6250. They take your confidentiality very seriously.
How do You Rate as a Neighbor?
Do you park your car in the driveway, not in the street? Do you put out trash containers after dark, especially on Sunday? Do you store your boat at a marina, not on your property? Do you “stop” at stop signs? Do you respect your neighbors by not allowing your landscaper/contractor to work on Sundays/Holidays? Do you support the HGA by attending meetings and paying dues?
Green Harbour Beach Club
Dear Neighbor, We hope you are enjoying this lovely spring weather. The beach club is off to a great start. It was nice to see all our friends at the Memorial Day Party and to welcome our new members. The club is all spruced up with a fresh coat of paint, new sand and lighting. We look forward to the upcoming events such as the Adult Party on June 30th, the kids party on July 4th, and Ladies Night on July 13th. As we begin our 49th season, thoughts are turning to our 50th anniversary. We are looking to form a 50th Anniversary Committee and would love to hear from anyone with information or pictures from when the Club just opened. If anyone has any questions or comments about the Beach Club, or if you or someone you know is interested in joining, please feel free to contact us. Lori & Steve Wagner 799-8887
Babysitter List Christine Gein 509-5050 Sarah Anderson 541-8235 Elizabeth Sarant 799-9220 Jenna Bedard 541-1308 Paige Snider 797-4377
Petsitters Thomas Sarant 799-9220 Alex Hoffman 526-4247
For additions or corrections please contact the newsletter editor
Community Feedback
The Harbour Green Association is looking for news from the community to publish in our quarterly newsletter. Please email your information to the following address: mplowman@msn.com
Thanks for your interest, and don’t forget to visit our website: www.harbourgreenassociation.com
SOS update Dear Neighbors,
It is hard to imagine praying for no snow now that summer is almost here. However, someone was listening this past winter and so we were very fortunate to have had a very mild winter. Thanks still need to be bestowed on our extremely capable group of officers and members. Special thanks to Lauren Bedard and Kaila Roti, this year’s co-presidents. They did a great job organizing the group this year. Thank you also to Matt and Linda Roti for all their assistance.
I believe this is our eleventh year in existence, although I am starting to lose count. For the past several years, with donations from the community, we have been able to grant several community service scholarships to SOS student participants. I am hoping to announce the recipients of this year’s scholarships at the coming HGA meeting. Thank you to the following people who have already contributed: Mr. and Mrs. Allen Cobrin, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Colangelo, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Hurd, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Schlossberg. Anyone still wishing to contribute should promptly contact me at 799-5298. It is a small way to say thank you to the great group of young adults we are blessed with here in Old Harbour Green.
Susan Schlossberg, Advisor HGA Student Outreach to Seniors Program (SOS)
SOS, Student Outreach to Seniors, has enjoyed another successful year! Although Mother Nature was kind to us, the effort and enthusiasm displayed by the SOS volunteers as well as many parents during our single call to duty were greatly appreciated.
Thanks to the following volunteers for continuing this important service to our local senior community: Kelly Bartels, Casey Bartels, Lauren Bedard, Emily DiDonato, Dan Divietri, Ryan Gannon, Danielle Sabia, Natalie Sabia, Annie Hillen, Gerald Levano, Kaitlyn O'Keeffe, Kelsey Parham, Lindsay Parham, Kaila Roti, Marielle Kachau, Sarah Anderson, Patrice D'Elia, Lauren Arceri, Alex Arceri, Chris Purcell, Sarah Dramer.
Also, special thanks to our SOS coordinator, Susan Schlossberg. Anyone interested in joining the SOS Crew may contact Kaila Roti at 541-9330, or Lauren Bedard at 541-1308.
On the Cover Our Summer Newsletter cover was created by Julie Turano, 10, of Rumson Road. Julie is the oldest of three daughters of HGA Vice President Craig Turano and his wife Christine. Julie will receive a $25 gift card from the Association for her beautiful contribution. Thank s Julie! If you would like to submit a drawing for the cover of our Fall Newsletter, contact Mark Snider at 797-4377. The artist chosen will receive a $25 gift card Are you a handy person?
One of our residents needs assistance maintaining their lawn and with other odd jobs. This is a perfect opportunity for a student to make some extra money this summer. If interested please call 797-4377.
Hi Neighbor! The Harbor Green Civic Association welcomes a new family to our neighborhood:
The Chimeri Family 136 Exeter Road
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