Ever since taking office, Mayor James Altadonna of Massapequa Park said one of his aims was to make the village as friendly and inviting as possible. Now, with the establishment of a committee dedicated solely to the beautification of the area, Altadonna can begin bringing his plan to fruition.

According to Altadonna, the committeee will "survey the village and come up with projects and make suggestions as to how we can make the village a more special place. On the committee we have gathered people in real estate and people who are creative who can come to us with ideas and suggestions for projects we can undertake."

Already, the committee has been charged with looking into a number of endeavors toward the end of beautifying the village, and, in the words of the mayor, "giving it a nice, quaint look." At the entranceways to the village, instead of simply using signage, more of an effort would be made to refurbishing them, and make them more pleasing to the eye. Another possible project would be to have a permanent evergreen tree planted in the village in honor of those who perished in the Sept. 11 tragedy, instead of the usual Christmas tree, which is cut down and decorated every season.

Altadonna said that whether or not a project is pursued or deemed feasible is mainly based on its cost and on the budgetary constraints placed by such institutions as the state and county. All of these factors, as well as the aesthetic value and compatibility of each project, will be probed by the committee.

The hope is that this committee will give village officials somewhat more flexibility and input than Operation Downtown. "Operation Downtown was a county-based program spearheaded by Legislator Peter Schmitt, which served pretty much the same purpose as the new Beautification Committee, except that the committee will operate on a more concentrated local level," explained Altadonna. "The new committee will allow us to be much more detail-oriented."

"When I was elected, one of my goals was to make a gentle, friendly village," Altadonna said. "This is a lovely, quaint village as it is, but there is always need for further beautification and improvement."