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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Spring Newsletter 2007
President’s Message
President’s Message
Presidents Message I’m sure we are all looking forward to the Springtime as it’s certainly a beautiful time of year in Old Harbour Green. Before I focus on some commentary for ’07, I’d like to make note of two events that closed out ‘06. First, for those of us who attended our annual Candlelight Tea, I hope you found it to be enjoyable. The planning committee for this event decided it would be special for the board members to personally hand deliver the invitations to the families who have lived in Old Harbour Green for many years – approximately 80. It was nice to see so many of them attend, as some had not been to a Candlelight Tea in several years. Annual traditions like this make our community special. Thanks to immediate past President Mark Snider, his wife Melissa and the planning committee who worked tirelessly to ensure everyone would have a good time. For those of you who may not know, Mike Interrante has coordinated the annual Santa drive for the past several years. The presents collected went to a very good cause coordinated by the Social Service Volunteers of Nassau Inc. Mike has decided to pass the baton to another volunteer this year – Vice President Craig Turano. Thanks to Mike and Denise for sponsoring this event.
This brings us to ’07 - We certainly have some interesting challenges ahead of us I’d like to elaborate on. The Budget: Our annual budget of $13,500 assumes we collect dues from 300 of the 419 families in our community. A growing annual expense is our tax bill for the property on Merrick Road, between Cedar Shore Drive and Bay Drive. To give you some perspective, our tax burden has grown more than 3X since ’04, from $2,000 to an estimate of $6,800 for ’07. So what is your board doing about this? In short, we are working with legal council to grieve the taxes going back to ’01, hopefully resulting in a refund. We’re cautiously optimistic they will succeed and we are mid-way through the process. Our next step will be to meet with the County Assessor’s office to argue our case to lower the assessed value based on an independent assessment required to grieve the past taxes.
Get involved! Our board is made up of 14 people who volunteer their time to serve the needs of our community, plan and coordinate the events for our children, pay our bills, publish a quarterly newsletter, and address issues within our community to name a few. But we obviously can’t do this alone. We need the support of our community and for our neighbors to pay their annual dues and volunteer their time. To date, we’ve received good feedback from people who want to get involved – thank you. On the dues front however, our membership has fallen short of our goal. Our neighborhood is beautiful, unique and very special – you live in this neighborhood for the same reason we all do. Please take the time to complete the membership form and join.
Our local Assemblyman, Joseph Saladino, made a donation of $1,500 to our Civic Association last year. The money isn’t in the “bank” so to speak as there is paperwork that must be filed with the state and guidelines that must be adhered to. Not to worry though, a team of us, headed by Treasurer Stephanie Carter are paving the way to secure these funds. The board voted to spend the money on beautifying our neighborhood. From our entrances on Cedar Shore and Bay, to the 10 Islands within our community, a team headed by Mark Salamack will lead this effort (see article on page 4). The Woman’s Club has been a tradition within Old Harbour Green for many years. It was disbanded about a year ago for various reasons. Since then, some old timers and new residents have expressed interest in resurrecting the Woman’s Club. If you are interested please call me or send an email – Don’t be shy!
Lastly, the discussion of “over-development” appears to be on the minds of most of us. In the end, change is inevitable. However, change should occur in a managed way to maintain the charm, beauty and historical character of our community. Or at least that’s what I and others on the board have heard from you. The board is taking a multi-faceted approach to deal with this issue. To hear more, come to our General Meeting.
In closing, the board is here to represent the interests of our neighbors and our community. If anyone would like to discuss any of the above items or have thoughts to maintain and improve our community, please give me a call or send an email – I’m interested in hearing from you.
I look forward to serving our community this year – enjoy the spring and see you at the General Meeting.
Kevin Kobs HGA President
Maintenance I WANT YOU
To join the effort to clean up the front property and beautify our traffic islands. As you may gather from other articles and reports in this Newsletter the cost of maintaining our front property is a major expense which is paid for with your dues. The property tax bills for our front property have escalated at a staggering rate over the past three years. Through an ongoing effort, presently being spearheaded by Kevin Kobs, the Board of the Civic Association is fighting hard to have the front property reassessed and the taxes reduced. In recent years the number of dues paying members has declined significantly, causing a shortfall of available money to meet all the expenses associated with owning this property.
Hence, a call is going out to all to PAY YOUR DUES and to give a hand performing a Spring Cleanup of the front property. We will announce a date in April for a cleanup to take place. We will supply heavy duty plastic bags and are asking that volunteers bring home a bag of refuse from the property to dispose of with your own household waste. With a sufficient number of volunteers this task can be undertaken in a short time. Additionally we will need volunteers to plant flowers at the Front Property and the Traffic Islands. These flowers will be provided by the Association. If you are interested in participating in these activities, or if you are inclined to adopt an Island please contact me either by phone (799-8243) or email (mlsalamack@aol.com). I would also like to hear from you if you are presently taking care of one of the Islands, so that your efforts can be recognized, and to keep track of which Islands may be in need of a caretaker. Mark Salamack Maintenance Committee
An Open Letter to our Neighbors To our neighbors and friends in Old Harbour Green,
As most of you know, our house was destroyed by a fire on Christmas night. Just minutes after the fire started, we started receiving help from our neighbors. Throughout the night and all through the next day, so many of you offered your prayers, your help, your friendship. You ran errands; you helped salvage items from our house; you sorted through and dried out photographs. You clothed us; you comforted us; you cooked for us. You took care of our children; you replaced their Christmas presents.
Over the next weeks, help came in another form. The outpouring of generosity from our community was overwhelming and very much appreciated. Thank you.
We are looking forward to rebuilding our house and hope to be back in Old Harbour Green by Christmas 2007; back among our neighbors, back among our friends.
Much love from the Strick Family, Cathy, Kenny, Matthew and Megan
What’s Old is New Again
Special thanks to long time Old Harbour Green resident Peggy Waxman Gates of Bay Drive for donating past issues of our newsletter dating back to 1973! So why did Peggy have all these newsletters in storage? She was the editor of our newsletter in 1973 and 1974 and has been collecting them ever since. We are so glad Peggy came forward and donated them to the HGA. We now have them on file in our archives and will refer to them from time-to-time for historical reference and, quite frankly, to steal a few good ideas from days past!
On the Cover
Our front cover is a rendering of the Delancey Floyd Jones Free Library located on Merrick Road at the intersection of Cedar Shore Drive. This art originally appeared on the cover of the Spring 1985 edition of the HGA newsletter. Artist unknown.
If you would like to submit a drawing for the front cover of our Summer Newsletter please submit your 8 1/2” x 11” drawing to the editor by May 31st. The artist selected will receive a $25 gift card.
Good luck and keep on drawing!
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.
SOS
Due to the mild winter this year we have been very lucky and have not had to shovel at all. Although we have occasionally had an April Fools snowfall, I don’t want to jinx this, but I think I can say that we are home free this year. Thank you to the 2006-07 co-presidents, Lauren Bedard and Kaila Roti for standing ready to lead the group in case of snowfall this year.
Since some SOS articles were inadvertently excluded from previous newsletters, I would like to take this time and space to update you on what has transpired in the previous year. The 2005-06 season was a successful one for SOS. The HGA Student Outreach to Seniors Program was proud to give Community Service Scholarships totaling $600 to four graduating seniors. The recipients, all crucial to the success of the organization, were Mike DiDonato, the program President for 2003-06, Elizabeth Reilly and Maureen Dowling, who shared the responsibility as Co-Presidents along with Mike for the 2005-2006 season and Gabrielle (Gaby) Zone the organization’s Vice President. All four recipients sent gracious thank you letters. The scholarships were funded with the generous donations of the following people: Mrs. Cashdan, Mr. and Mrs. Colangelo, Mrs. Conely, Mr. and Mrs. Hamburger, Mr. and Mrs. Zagaja, and Mr. and Mrs. Schlossberg. Mike, Elizabeth, Maureen and Gaby did a extraordinary job. Thanks also to the rest of the year's officers: Vice Presidents: Chris Bedard, Kristin Roti; Second Vice Presidents: Dan DiVietri, Kelsey Parham, Kaila Roti; Secretary: Kelly Bartels, Lauren Bedard, Joey Langsner; Treasurer: Megan Gannon, Liz Hillin, Lauren Hendel.
I'd like to thank everyone else who has made the 2005-06 year a successful one. That includes parents who helped drive, students shoveling diligently in the coldest of weather and seniors with their offers of hot drinks, cookies and or letters of appreciation. Now in 2007, I am amazed that SOS still going strong after eleven years and that we can all be proud that we have maintained the quality of concern for our neighbors that seems only to be found in years gone by. Congratulations to all of you!
Again, any students wishing to join us can call Lauren Bedard at 5411308 or Kaila Roti at 5419330. Senior Citizens wishing to register for the program can contact me at 799-5298.
Wishing you all a warm and wonderful spring!
Mrs. Susan Schlossberg, Advisor
Note: the following letters were erroneously omitted from previous Newsletters:
August 20, 2006
As time winds down, and the sun sets on the summer, I came to realize why I have put off writing this letter. It’s hard to let go of the beautiful skies, warm water, and easy-going life style the summer provides. Just as the summer is to many of us, our community gave me the same comfort. I will not only watch the summer fade into the crimson-gold of autumn, but will see my childhood drift away. I will have to let go of the warm smiles, and easy-going nature of our neighbors, and venture off to a new community down in Washington DC. Along with my clothes, computer, and dorm room accessories, I will also take along with me a piece of Harbour Green.
I have learned many valuable lessons, along with meeting fascinating people. These lessons and faces have taught me so much in the last eighteen years. I can not explain how deeply the community has touched me and how thankful I am for what you all have done. I would like to thank you for honoring me with the SOS scholarship. I can only hope my work has justified your generous contributions.
With my closing remarks I would like to thank the Schlossberg family and all they have contributed to our community. From swim lessons, to developing swimmers into competitive racers, to their hard work to bring the youth of our neighborhood together in SOS, the Schlossberg family has demonstrated what true neighborly love is. Even as I write this letter I know there is a piece of Resa, Marin, and Dane influencing me. Without their community service, and leadership I might have lost the Harbor Green spirit. From their hard work, the Schlossberg’s have set a strong foundation so that the future leaders of the community can develop.
Mike DiDonato Immediate Past President
SOS Scholarship Recipients
Dear Mrs. Schlossberg and SOS Senior Citizens,
Thank you so much for the SOS scholarship. It will come in handy when I get settled in down at Maryland. I’ll be thinking of SOS when it snows.
Sincerely,
Maureen Dowling
Dear Mrs. Schlossberg and SOS Senior Citizens,
Thank you so much for the scholarship; it will go to good use! Also thank you for your hard work because the program wouldn’t have achieved the same greatness without you. This group was a significant help to my college applications and I hope it can be the same to future generations of S.O.S.
Thanks again.
Gabby Zone
Reminder
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
Homeowners, please be respectful of your neighbors by reminding your landscaper and/or contractor that working on a Sunday or Holiday is prohibited in the Town of Oyster Bay. We all deserve a day off from the noise.
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. Or printable version - Website Code Compliance Complaint Form 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?
Are we prepared? By Phil Westerman & Brian Sarant Recent Events within Old Harbour Green and Neighboring Communities have raised the issue: Are Our Homes Properly Insured?
Here are "The Three Most Important Questions to Ask Your
Insurer": 2. Do I have enough insurance to replace all of my possessions?,
3. Do I have enough insurance to protect my assets? Through a series of notes to our association we will attempt to provide you will clear concise answers to these three questions: 1. "Do we have enough insurance to rebuild our home?".
It is commonly acknowledged that over 50% of Americans are "under
insured",
these recent events dictated that we all do some soul searching with respect to
our own home owners coverage. For many of us in Old Harbour Green, our homes are
our greatest asset. To protect our investment, we should update our insurance
regularly to include for improvements, (plenty of that going on here!), major
purchases, (new sub-zeroes, HDTV's, computers, etc.) and increased rebuilding
costs. How many of us actually took the time to address the concern?
Hopefully, you have a starting point and will be inspired to get the answers to
the to the "three big questions",
1. Do I have enough insurance to rebuild my home? 2. Do I have
enough insurance to replace all of my possessions? 3. Do I have enough
insurance to protect my assets?
Green Harbour Beach Club
Dear Neighbors,
Spring is in the air and Summer will soon be here.
The Board has been very busy planning all the fun and exciting events and also getting the Club ready for the 2007 Green Harbour Beach Club Season.
Opening day is planned for Sunday, May 27th at 3:00 P.M. We are looking forward to meeting all our friends old and new. This is the time to sign up for water activities, volunteer to help at an event and enjoy some good food and fun.
If anyone has just moved into the neighborhood or has questions about the Club, please free call us. The Club is a great place to meet new friends, to swim and play in the sun, while overlooking the Great South Bay.
Sincerely,
Steve and Lori Wagner 2007 Green Harbour Beach Club Co-Presidents 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
Editor Retires Many thanks to Chris Wesch of Hampton Blvd. for serving as Newsletter editor for the past six years. So what is Chris up to now? On June 23, 2007 he will be running the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska. As a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program, he has pledged to help raise money for leukemia research and patient assistance programs. His goal is to raise $5,800.00 by April 4th. If you’d like to support Chris and his run for this very worthy cause, please send a check made payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (Christopher Wesch, 130 Hampton Blvd) and he will take care of all the paperwork. Thank you Chris and good luck!
Minutes The Harbour Green Civic Association hosted the annual holiday general meeting at Grace Day School Arts and Crafts classroom, Thursday, December 7, 2006. A call to order by Mark Snider, HGA president was informal and included dispensing with reading of previous general meeting minutes and treasurer’s report. Mark welcomed members present and acknowledged his wife Melissa and children Corey, Trevor and Paige for their support and input through his tenure. Kevin Kobs was introduced as HGA president for 2007.
Under the guidance of Jane Reilly (HGA-Secretary), the children enjoyed assembling a craft with glue dots and foam pre-cut pieces to create a holiday bookmark. A very special THANK YOU goes to assistant elf Sara Dramer for her time, patience and smile while helping smaller fingers, and distributing glue dots! Each child was able to bring their completed project home to be proudly displayed.
The Civic Associations’ own Santa (Mark Salamack) listened intently to each child as they shared their stories of how good they have been all year. All were given an opportunity to have pictures and videos taken with Santa as well as walk away with a goody bag. Families were able to enjoy holiday treats from the share table, and enjoy in some holiday chat. The evening proved to be a short break from all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
Minutes respectfully submitted, Jane S, Reilly, HGCA Secretary
Neighborhood News and Notes
At the December General Meeting The Harbour Green Association presented our two immediate past presidents with beautiful watercolor renderings of their homes. On the left is the home of Mike Browne on Fairfax Road and on the right the home of Mark Snider on Bellaire Road. The renderings are the work of long time Fairview Road resident/artist (editor’s note: and my mother) Marguerite Snider.
Santa Visits the Neighborhood (Toy Drive)
Hi Neighbor! The Harbor Green Civic Association welcomes these new families to our neighborhood:
Laura and Michael Fregara 139 Harbour Lane
Brian and Karen Miraval 95 Fairview Road
Regina and Patrick Spates 95 Adam Road
Thursday, April 5th HGA General Meeting Bar Harbour Library 7:30 PM Guest Speakers: Massapequa School Superintendent Dr. Maureen Flaherty and representatives from the Nassau County Police (7th precinct) Followed by an open forum to discuss issues affecting our community
Bring yourself and a neighbor Speak out!
The Top Ten Reasons to Support The Harbour Green Civic Association 10. The Association landscapes and manicures the front property and we pay all taxes on the land (two lots). 9. We provide and maintain our street signs, “Drive Slowly” signs and the entranceway gates. 8. Our many islands are beautifully maintained by neighborhood volunteers 7. We print the Old Harbour Green Residents Directory which is distributed to paid members only 6. We host the annual Candlelight Tea along with the HG Women’s Club 5. We run special programs for our children: Spring Egg Hunt, Halloween Parade, Santa’s Toy Drive, etc. 4. We provide an Architectural Review Board to assist with home improvements and to represent our community at County and Town meetings to protect Old Harbour Green’s interests 3. Our “Welcoming Committee” makes our new neighbors feel right at home 2. We publish a quarterly newsletter to keep our community informed 1. For all the above reasons and more, when you drive through our front gates, your property value soars!
Please do your part and commit $45 to the Harbour Green Civic Association. Join your neighbors and become a member today. We need you!
Always at your fingertips If you have access to a computer which has internet capabilities you can find most answers to your association questions with just a few key strokes. So remember you don’t have to pull your hair out looking for the last copy of the newsletter, all you have to do is turn on your computer and go to www.harbourgreenassociation.com. There you will find event dates, board member names & numbers, all the good stuff. Surf the web and be happy!
Sponsor an Island The beauty of OUR neighborhood relies on the efforts we all make to maintain our individual homes and property. As a neighborhood we are lucky to have the landscaped islands which add additional charm. They can very quickly become eyesores without the proper care. It does not cost any money to sponsor an island, only your time and care. Any interested parties please contact Mark Salamack at 799-8243. Community Feedback The news letter is interested in publishing your thoughts. Comments, insight, and articles can be directed to Mark Snider at mark@snidermail.com
Remember When… No cars were parked on the streets Garbage pails were brought out to the curb after dark and put away first thing in the morning Our streets were lazy thoroughfares, not race tracks
For additions or corrections please contact the editor, Mark Snider at 797-4377. Good babysitters are hard to find and this is the perfect place to look. To all our young entrepreneurs this is a great way to build a business using FREE advertising, so let’s make some additions to our list.
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