Letter:Carle Place to Celebrate School Board Recognition Week

Governor David Paterson has designated the week of October 19 – 23, 2009 to be School Board Recognition Week. This is the 18th year this event has been celebrated. In order to recognize the trustees of the Carle Place School District, the Carle Place PTA Council would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank the dedicated members of our board of education for their tireless efforts.

A school board trustee spends endless hours on the job. This requires someone who is not only dedicated, but is also willing to make great personal sacrifices. In addition to concerning themselves with the administration of the district, our board trustees are highly visible members of our community, attending many sporting events, musical concerts, award ceremonies and a variety of other school functions.

We extend our gratitude to our current board of education - Barry Dennis, John DiFrisco, Peter Fitzgerald, Tom Kane and Larry Zaino – as well as the many members who came before them. Their efforts help make our district a truly special place for our students, parents and staff.

As an expression of our appreciation, the Carle Place PTA Council has donated $100 to the Carle Place Educational Foundation on behalf of the board of education.

Jeanne Lofgren

President
Carle Place PTA Council

 

Letter: Westbury High School To Celebrate Homecoming 2009

Westbury High School will hold its annual Homecoming celebration on Saturday, Oct. 17.

The day will begin at 8 a.m. with the usual pancake breakfast, sponsored by the high school PTA, in the cafeteria of the high school. The breakfast will feature “all you can eat” pancakes, served with bacon, eggs, sausage and a cold beverage for a mere $6. Coffee, tea, fruits and assorted pastries will also be on sale.

Following the breakfast will be the Homecoming Parade along Post Avenue featuring local civic groups, community associations and the members of the elementary, middle and high schools. The parade begins at noon, and will culminate at the high school sports field prior to the football game between the West Hempstead Rams and the Westbury Dragons. Kick off is 1:30 p.m. and half-time activities will feature the presentation of the royal court.

The Grand Marshal for this year’s parade will be longtime Westbury resident Dr. Darrell W. Pone, author of We’ve Come This Far By Faith and Dr. Pone’s Ten Keys to Success. This year’s theme will be “Westbury Back in the Day,” and will focus on the decade of the 1920, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

The day’s activities will conclude with the senior class dance at the high school from 7 to 11 p.m.

Come and make a day of it, the weather promises to be nice, so bring the entire family and enjoy!

Chester McGibbon
Vice President Westbury PTA Council

 

Town Topics: By Supervisor Jon Kaiman

Tackling a Growing Problem at the Root

Nothing happens in a vacuum.

What I mean by that is this: Most every event or development that unfolds in society is somehow, someway connected.

Take, for instance, the recent news about an initiative Suffolk County law enforcement officials launched to try to rein in the alarming increase in heroin use among Long Island youth. The anti-heroin initiative, part of the county’s Police Department’s PoliceSmart program, includes visits to Suffolk schools. Among other things, it features graphic images depicting the real lives of heroin users.

Letter: Discusses Lighthouse Project

Much attention has been paid this summer to the proposed Lighthouse Project, which is designed to refurbish the Nassau Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum and develop the 150 acres surrounding the arena. Public comment has centered around the project’s economic benefits to Long Island, with admonitions to prevent negative impact on water supply, air quality, waste disposal and traffic.

It is also important to note that this project includes housing construction, 20 percent of which will be designated as affordable, sometimes called next generation or workforce housing. Many speakers at the recent public hearing referred to the statistics showing that young people are leaving Long Island at an alarming rate because they cannot afford a place to live, thus causing an eventual stagnation of the local economy.

Affordable/next generation/workforce housing, with rental units as well as those for sale, should certainly be constructed in the first phase of the project and scattered throughout the area. Affordable housing as part of the Lighthouse Project will be a positive step towards reducing the “brain drain.” Let’s keep our young people on Long Island.

Barbara Epstein
Director, Affordable Housing Committee
League of Women Voters of Nassau County

Letter: Setting the Record Straight

I am writing in response to the letter from Rose Ryan in which she says she has “been getting the run around” from the Town of North Hempstead and that they have not returned her phone calls.

I have, in fact, had near weekly conversations with Ms. Ryan since she first contacted our office in mid-July. Councilman [Robert] Troiano also had the opportunity to speak with her to give her a status report on what the Town was doing to address her concern. The town has taken her request to have stop signs installed at the intersection of Tennyson Avenue and Bryant Street very seriously.

Letters: Fully Supports Stop Sign

I am writing in response to Rose Ryan’s letter, which appeared in last week’s Westbury Times, regarding stop signs that she and a group of residents on Bryant Street in Westbury are petitioning the Town of North Hempstead to install on their corner of Tennyson Avenue and Bryant Street.

First, as a long-term resident of Poets’ Corner in Westbury, as well as a resident just off Tennyson Avenue, I am all too familiar with the drivers that speed down Tennyson Avenue in the mornings and evenings traveling to and from the train station, as well as the cars during the day and on weekends rushing to and from the nearby shopping plaza often disregarding existing stop signs, other vehicles and pedestrians alike. I have seen my share of accidents on my own corner of Tennyson and Whittier, and have even been involved in one, albeit several years back.

Letter: A ‘Thank You’ To Supporters

I have been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response our grassroots Campaign for Change has received since its inception. I am grateful and humbled by the support received from the many, many volunteers who lent their help by knocking on doors, making phone calls, sending mail or simply telling a friend.

Letter: Desperately Seeking Stop Sign

I wrote a letter to the Town of North Hempstead back in July 2009. I have been getting the run around from all the councilmen and town supervisor and traffic technician office. We need a stop sign on Tennyson Avenue on the corner of Bryant Street in Westbury for the safety of our children and elderly residents.

The cars that come off Old Country Road and out of the Associated food store parking lot go so fast down Tennyson Avenue and the cars that stop at Whittier Street come so fast to Old Country Road. They do not stop for the school bus when the lights are flashing.

Letter: A BOE Trustee’s Message to the Teachers of Westbury

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome back our children, staff and teachers this school year 2009.

To the teachers and staff, it is my belief that you are well-trained, tested, motivated and skilled. With these four pillars each of you possess the means to effectively educate our children.

Therefore I will speak of my wishes that I want our teachers to impart to our children, their students.

Mayor’s Corner: September 17, 2009

MTA Hearing Testimony

At the invitation of New York State (NYS) Senator Craig Johnson, I testified at a Sept. 3 hearing held at the Nassau County Legislative chamber in Mineola.

The hearing, on the confirmation that Jay Walder – Governor David Paterson’s nominee to be the new MTA chairman – was actually a joint hearing of the NYS Senate’s Standing Committees on Finance, Authorities and Commissions and Corporations. Also present were Long Island Senators Charles Fuschillo, Carl Marcellino, Brian Foley and Owen Johnson.