There will be a Santa Claus, a prince and a playground with swings for Manhasset's kids.

The Manhasset Community Playground Steering Committee has recently held meetings with Town of North Hempstead officials regarding the plans for a playground at Mary Jane Davies Park. Plans for the playground are proceeding and we continue to expect Manhasset's kids to be playing in their playground before summer, 1999.

Meanwhile, Clearview Cinemas and Chase Manhattan Bank have very generously announced that they will be delighted to continue the tradition and work with the Bayview Civic Association to present: The fourth annual holiday show for the children of Manhasset. (Children are asked to bring canned food for the needy so that the kids learn to help those that are less fortunate than themselves.)

This year we have a newly refurbished theater, a new sound system and, we expect to show The Prince of Egypt, the day after national release! The show will be held on Saturday morning, Dec. 19. Tickets will, once again, be sold on a first come basis (Last year the show was sold out). Tickets will be priced at $1 each and will be on sale at: Chase Manhattan Bank, Joseph's Haircutters, Hallmark Big Party Shop, Casa Mia, The Dime Savings Bank, Dunrite Cleaners, Daniel Gale MacRate Real Estate and Phil's Manhasset Sport Shop.

John Minogue

I recently attended a local Civic Association meeting at which a presentation was made by the proposed developers of the Filene's Shopping center. This was followed by a presentation from a local civic leader indicating the reasons why such development would be a disaster for the Manhasset community. While I agree that the additional traffic would complicate an already impossible intersection, I think all Manhasset residents should think long and hard before signing petitions opposing such development.

The reality is that once Waldbaum's closes, Manhasset will have no full service supermarket. We will be able to buy Armani suits and Coach bags, but not be able to do necessary shopping in a convenient manner. If the Zoning Board rejects the current proposal by King Kullen and Kimco Realty, we will probably have to wait a considerable time for new plans to be developed by another developer - plans which may be less desirable than the current suggested configuration. Where else in Manhasset is there a sufficiently sized commercial property on which a supermarket could be built? The bottom line is that no developer wants an unsuccessful property and a successful one, by definition, brings shoppers and traffic to the site. They are concerned about security and the image of their property, and the success of the stores within produces the cash flow to maintain both. The use of this area as a supermarket would mean that most of the traffic is from within Manhasset rather than from elsewhere. Everyone should make an effort to become informed of the pros and cons of the issue before giving their support to those who oppose it. I would hope that the leaders of the Civic Associations are speaking for the true majority of the citizens and in their best interests.

Ruth Bechtold