From the Mayor’s Desk Ralph V. Suozzi: September 10, 2009

End of Summer Thanks & Labor Day Thoughts

With the passing of Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer has arrived and the start of the new school year is upon us. While we had an extraordinarily wet summer this year, there were still a lot of great times to be had in Glen Cove. Thanks and congratulations to the Morgan Park Summer Music Festival in recognition of their 50 years of wonderful music-filled summer evenings at Morgan Park. Thanks to the Downtown Sounds and Farmer’s Market sponsored by local businesses and the Business Improvement District. Thanks to the sponsors and the committee of this year’s inaugural Gold Coast Jazz Festival and our annual July 4 Fireworks display. Thanks to the Youth Board and its year-round programs but especially for the summer youth workers. Thanks to Parks and Recreation for its year round programs but especially for its wonderful camp program. Thanks to Beautification for keeping our Adopt-A-Spots and public spaces looking better than ever. Thanks to St. Rocco’s Church for another wonderful feast, St. Patrick’s Church for another fun-filled family carnival and the Fire Department for the Downtown Cruise Nights every Thursday. Thanks to the entire Golf Course team for creating and maintaining one of the finest public courses around. Thanks to the Anglers Club for the Snapper Derby and the Police Dept. for National Night Out. Thank you to all the sponsors and supporters of Senior Day. A special thank you to all of the full-time, part-time, seasonal employees and volunteers who keep our city running year round. Thank you to all of the businesses and charitable organizations which support our community and its residents through their generosity. Congratulations to the Glen Cove Comanchees and their coaches who are now the 2009 New York State Metro Babe Ruth Champions. Finally, thank you to all of the veterans and their families for maintaining our nation’s liberty and for their service to our country.

Letter: The Fill a Bookbag Drive

The Fill a Bookbag Drive

This year has been the most successful drive so far, and thanks must be given to the Glen Cove Youth Bureau, the North Shore East Norwich Rotary Club as well as to all who have and continue to donate school supplies. Without the Youth Bureau’s organizing, coordinating, and distributing efforts, the Fill a Bookbag Drive would not happen, and there would be countless numbers of school age children without the essential supplies needed to be successful and productive students.

The Youth Bureau will collect school supplies until Sept. 15 at 128B Glen Street – 671-4600, so if you haven’t had a chance yet, the following supplies are still desperately needed:

Marble Notebooks

Dry Erase Markers

4 Oz. School Glue

Crayons Box of 24

Wide Washable Markers

Hand-held Pencil Sharpeners

Scissors

Thank you Glen Cove for coming together to support our kids!

Diane Yatauro

Nassau County Legislature, 18 LD

Letter: Mayor Should Not Vote on Council and City Council Should Have Districts

I request that my fellow Glen Cove voters consider the following questions:

1. How is my voice heard in Glen Cove government?

2. Why don’t we jointly vote for our mayor and deputy mayor?

3. Why is the mayor a legislator and a chief executive?

Letter: My Best Friend

On July 16, my best friend Mike Galluccio passed away. Mike was 51 years old and had his whole life ahead of him. If you’ve never had the privilege of meeting him or getting to know him, you missed out on a great guy. I have been friends with Mike for over 40 years.

Letter: For the Waterfront Project

For the Waterfront Project

As a local resident of the City of Glen Cove, and a taxpayer, I wish to inform the city officials of my support for the RXR Glen Isle waterfront revitalization. I think it will be a boon to the city’s tax coffers as well as providing much needed jobs to the city.

It has been way too long for there not to have been something done with that prime piece of real estate. There could be such a renaissance to this fine city. Right now there is not much for people to come and spend their time and money here in Glen Cove. The city is located too far north of the L.I.E, and there is only one (although very nice) hotel in the area. People need a reason to venture here. Although, there are things that locals can enjoy and learn from within the city limits. There are the beaches, the Glen Cove Golf Course, Garvies Point Museum, N.C. Holocaust Memorial, nature preserves, the stores downtown, music festivals at Morgan Park and downtown, some magnificent places of worship, and the fabulous restaurants. But, there still needs to be something more to draw the distant visitors. I believe that if we get this waterfront project done along with the ferry from NYC (hopefully other destinations, too) done we would see a much needed increase in revenue for the city. Maybe some relief for some of the highest tax paying people in the country.

It is also a great time for the city to be planning for this project in anticipation for the market return in the (hopefully) near future. I hope to see a shovel in the ground soon.

Mark Polowichak

 

Letter: Thank You From the Glen Cove Fire Department

Thank You From the Glen Cove Fire Department

The fund drive committee of the Glen Cove Fire Department would like to thank all the residents of the City of Glen Cove for their generous donations to our fund drive this year. We know times are tough for everyone. Also, as a reminder, the fire department fund drive is done by mail only. If someone calls you looking for a donation, please call the firehouse at 676-0366 and give us as much information as you can about the caller. Thank you again for your donations.

Bobby M. Citko, Fund Drive Chairman

 

Letter: Thank You GCPD

We wanted to express our appreciation to the Glen Cove Police Department, specifically Detective Vetrone and Detective Fitzpatrick, for their outstanding work in solving a recent burglary at North Shore Day Camp resulting in arrests and recovery of stolen property. Both Detective Vetrone and Detective Fitzpatrick responded to the situation in a quick, meticulous and professional manner. In addition, credit must also be given to all the members of the department for their collaborative efforts in achieving their goals. We know that teamwork like this comes from the leadership of an organization and credit should be given to Chief Whitton.   

Thank you again to Detective Vetrone, Detective Fitzpatrick and the Glen Cove Police Department for your dedication to your job and for your service to the people of the City of Glen Cove.

Jay Jacobs
Executive Director, North Shore Day Camp

Paula Rothman
Director, North Shore Day Camp 

 

Letter: ‘Collusion’ He Says!

The Glen Cove school board meeting of Aug. 17 was, in part, a discussion about boilers. It seems that our engineering and architectural firm, BJLJ, who was unfortunately rehired for this year, has, I believe, made many mistakes and been untruthful in the past. Among other things, they said that a new boiler for the administration building, Thayer House, should cost $70,000, and we budgeted for that amount.  However, it was revealed that estimates received for this project were far in excess of even the $70,000, which itself is an outrageous amount, considering it is for a boiler not much larger than would be used for a modest sized house, which after all, is what Thayer House is. As anyone who has installed a boiler of this size in their home knows, such projects cost generally between $10,000 and $15,000. There may be other factors which would elevate the price, but not nearly to that degree.

Green Ways to Keep Mosquitoes Away

The abundance of summer rain is bringing an abundance of mosquitoes. However, there are ways to control these disease-carrying pests. Here are some tips from Hicks Nurseries, located in Westbury, on how to repel mosquitoes by using these organic methods.

First, prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

Get rid of sources of standing water such as tins cans, plastic containers and old tires. Change bird bath water at least twice a week. If you have a pond, stock it with fish that eat mosquitoes and keep the edges clear of vegetation and debris.

Letter: BOE Should Define ‘Support’

I just read in this paper a letter by the Glen Cove Board of Education in which they say that “Dr. Aronstein has the complete support and respect of this board of education.” I think that they should define “support” and clarify whether or not they agree at any or all times with his decisions and policies. Many people in this community, including myself, believe that this cannot be true because they disagree at their public meetings. It is not possible for all members of any body who are doing their job representing the public, to agree unanimously all the time, since the very people they represent don’t always agree all the time. That is why there are an odd number of people on the school board, so that there is always a majority, often by only one. I think unanimous votes tend to be suspicious.