We were very sorry to have missed the meeting of the Save the Jewel committee. [We were on vacation for two weeks.] It is a movement that seems to be the right thing at the right time. Kathy Prinz tells us that the response for the July 27 meeting was tremendous, over 100 people showed up. She said that over the next few weeks they are working on getting petitions signed to bring to the hearing for the proposed residential building moratorium meeting that is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 27.

"The response is very encouraging and we are determined to keep moving forward to our goal of a moratorium," she said in a telephone interview.

Ms. Prinz, her husband Ben Jankowski and Rita Pecora were thrilled with the response for the meeting, "especially since it was a hot oppressive day and there was no air conditioning in the Oyster Bay Community Center. We said it was 'the hottest meeting in town.' There was a big thunderstorm that hit the area at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting was scheduled for 7 p.m.," she said. Still, people came!

She said NYS Senator Carl Marcellino and his communications director Kathy Wilson stayed throughout the meeting. Assemblyman Chuck Lavine sent a representative. Town Councilwoman Mary McCaffrey spoke, as did Councilman Chris Coschignano. Ms. Prinz said civic leaders also attended including Marie Knight of the Oyster Bay Civic Association; Laura Schultz of Residents for a More Beautiful Syosset; Kyle Rabin of Friends of the Bay. She said Wally D'Amato, president of Nassau Shores Civic Association of Massapequa spoke and offered his support and encouragement.

The issue of very large houses being built on small sites and changing the character of a community is rife. At a visitor's information desk on the New York State Thruway we spoke to a young man who said the problem is spreading to upstate New York. Farmland is being bought and turned into developments, changing the character of communities. Developers are buying lots and building giant million dollar homes in quaint neighborhoods.

Skaneateles, located in the Finger Lakes region of New York has become so popular that they have created an architectural review committee with strong laws to ensure that anything built there will conform to the existing streetscape.

Oyster Bay it seems is acting in good time on a problem invading towns and villages across the state. Our congratulations to Ben, Kathy and Rita for their commitment to the job.

- DFK