This letter is in response to the letter in the April 17 issue titled "Neighborhood Going to the Dogs" regarding the lack of cleanliness in the neighborhoods surrounding St. Rocco's Church, or what is commonly referred to as the Upper Orchard.

I would like to thank Ms. Ward for her commentary, opening up a discussion concerning, in my opinion, a neighborhood on the decline. After returning to Glen Cove after being away for nearly a decade, I was more than happy to move back to my old neighborhood, into the house I grew up in, with hopes of reconnecting with my past but with a solid mindset focusing on future goals. Only a few weeks after returning to my childhood home, my focus was blindsided when I started to become aware that the neighborhood I grew up in had deteriorated considerably during the time I was away. When I had visited on the weekends, I would drop in and out, and didn't really take notice of all the changes going on right in my backyard. Aside from the increase in the amount of cars on the street, illegally parked cars, poor property maintenance, overcrowded housing, sidewalks and yards strewn with garbage and debris, abandoned CVS shopping carts, as well unsavory characters strolling the streets at all hours of the day and night, I was blown away to say the least.

This wasn't the place where I grew up, a place where everyone knew you by name, where people respected their own and each other's property. It was a wakeup call for me, who had fond memories of a community that was once tightly knit and pleasant. I seriously tried to figure out what went wrong. I spent many sleepless nights wondering how this could happen to my neighborhood, a place my grandfather, father, and the rest of my family worked and still continue to work hard to maintain a certain standard of living. After much thought, I came to the conclusion that my neighborhood, like so many others across Long Island and the country, are struggling with the effects of an uncertain economy, a mortgage crisis, and the passing of the old-timers who founded this once beautiful and quaint community. The result: a transient, urban-like environment where the sense of community is almost extinct.

When I discuss this issue with residents from Long Island, I get the same responses: "Glen Cove is a city; it should be expected" or "It's happening all over the country" or "Things will never change." How sad is it when the consensus of attitudes is to throw in the towel and turn the other cheek not only on the issues surrounding their individual communities but on themselves. Are we going to continue to be victimized by slumlords, absentee landlords, and those select individuals who choose not to assimilate into our society? How can we sit back and let those that don't care about their community dictate the future of our neighborhood's existence? Granted, there are landlords, homeowners, and residents that value their property and take pride in maintaining their homes, as well as using discretion when choosing tenants for their rental properties.

I thought long and hard about settling down in the "old neighborhood," but I had second thoughts. Then I thought again, if everybody runs and nobody tries to preserve their quality of life, then what happens to those that call this their home, have been here their whole lives and don't want to leave or have no where else to go. As members of the community, take pride in your surroundings. It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch and only one person to make a difference. Let's maintain a quality of life that once was and as residents, it starts with you, so please take back the neighborhood.

James T. Suozzi

Saturday, April 12 was the Glen Cove Junior Baseball & Softball Annual Parade and Opening Day. This is a very exciting time for the children in our community. The announcement made was that representation would include Mayor Suozzi, the City Council, Senator Carl Marcellino, Assemblyman Charles Lavine and Judge McCord. Present at our opening day ceremonies were Judge McCord, Senator Marcellino and all our city council members, and I thank each one of them. I understand that Mayor Suozzi was away, but where was our deputy mayor, who should have served in his place? The children may not have noticed, but all the parents and sponsors there did. This is disrespectful to our community and the children.

Dawn Coyle