1966-06-09

              South ngdale Puh. TjH tfMMI HEKSPAPER OF THE INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF FARMINGDALE
Men oa «
Farmingdale, N. Y.
„„ MnrmxnabuU ( Pterorr
10* POWELL HOUSE— I 7QO
SERVING GREATER FARMINGDALE. BETHPAGE & MELVILLE
Vol. 3 No. 42 Second Class Postage has been paid at Farmingdale, N. Y. 11735 Thursday, June 9, 1966
SEEK LAND PURCHASE
FOR RECREATION Town of Oyster Bay Councilman Frank Hynes
of Farmingdale, who chaired a meeting of com­munity
leaders on Farmingdale* s recreation needs
last Thursday at the Parkway Oaks school, con­cluded
that the 16.48 acre tract on Motor Avenue,
South Farmingdale should be purchased.
Hynes, at the start of the meeting, attended by
over 35 community leaders, said that he was mainly
interested in an expression of opinion on the land
in question, rather than a discussion of the relative
merits of the Councilmen Ed Poulos plan to use
school district facilities and the Supervisor Michael
M. Petito plan to build a community center.
Hynes said that when the In- school facilities be sufficient for
corporated Village of Farming-dale
voted down a proposal to
join in a park district with the un­incorporated
area of Farm­ingdale,
the question of the land
purchase went into " limbo."
Also, as die Town had started
to develop park- pool projects
predicated on a certain amount
of memberships to make diem
self- sustaining, it was found
that the subscriptions fell short.
He said that it gave die Board
our needs. Should we purchase die
former ' Liberty Avenue site on
Motor Avenue' and develop it to
a limited extent widi perhaps
ball fields only, since it was die
last available piece of land in
die area.
James Arvanitis, Town of
Oyster Bay Director of Rec­reation,
explained die proposed
policy of taking advantage of
existing facilities and tfiat with
die Town of Oyster Bay setting
' some hesitation.' Hynes said up die machinery, it was pos-that
he needed advice. Will die sible to receive Federal and
program for use of existing State aid. He said that die pro­gram
should involve all age
groups. He said diat die Petito
plan for community centers would
probably include a year- round
enclosed swimming pool, meet­ing
rooms and an historical pre­serve.
Widi die Poulos plan,
Farmingdale would receive $ 71,-
500 for additional recreation
omer man intra mural or varsity
sports.
William Wesche, former
Farmingdale Village Clerk,
asked whedier die general pub­lic
could use die facilities if,
for example, the Farmingdale
Youdi Council took die monies
to build a swimming pool on
die high school grounds.
In answer to a question by a
representative from die Farm­ingdale
Baseball i-^- igue on where
die money would come from and
how much it would cost die tax­payer,
it was explained that under
die Poulos plan die monies would
be based on a Town tax widi a
specified recreation formula and
the maximum cost would be
$ 630,000, in which there are 11
school districts and die monies
would be allotted on a per
capita basis. The community cen­ter
program with eight districts
would be financed by a bond issue
of $ 640,000 with $ 80,000 a year
Rehearsing for the annual St. Kilian's concert are members of the Boy-choir
with conductor Arpad Darazs. The concert will be presented on Sat­urday,
June 11, Friday and Saturday, June 17 and 18. This week was des­ignated
St. Kilian Boychoir week by Mayor Joseph Zureck of Farmingdale
in recognition of the dedicated efforts of the Rev. Raphael Schoof and Con­ductor
Arpad Darazs and the position of national prominence in the music
world that the choir has achieved.
needed for operation.
Carl Dittmeier, representing
the Police Boys Club of Farm­ingdale
said that he favored ac­quiring
the land and asked for die
acquisition cost. A sum of
$ 575, 000 was quoted as of May
19, 1964. It was learned diat the
village of Farmingdale would add
an assessed valuation of 18 mil­lion
and diat a ' park district'
needed 60 million of assessed
valuation.
It was learned diat the Bethpage
pool woidd be open on a Town of
Oyster Bay level. A family pool
membership was estimated at $ 70
( later revised to $ 55) and that ap­plication
could be made through
the Department of Parks-
Don Phelan of North Mas-sapequa
repress. uu6 th « Yic « XOj
Civics Association, said that
Farmingdale was getting nothing
in comparison to odier com­munities,
and that he strongly
advocated die purchase of die
' Liberty' land. He said that
Farmingdale's program for r e c ­reation
was way ahead of every­body
else and that Councilman
Carl Grunewald, one year ago,
said that die total cost would
be one million 200 thousand so
how could it have gone up diat
much. He said that he'd feel like
a second class citizen to have
only the school facilities for use.
He said there was the problem of
replacement and supervision. He
said that we're in die fourdi
largest retail area in die nation
and that Nassau County was die
wealdiiest county in die state,
so we at least should buy the
land.
Tom Lavan, speaking as an in­dividual
taxpayer, and not as a
board- member- elect, said diat
he favored the land purchase and
asked whether it would be pos­sible
to channel funds dirough the
Famingdale Youdi Council. The
answer was in the affirmative.
He asked who would own die pool
if it were built on school property
and die answer was the school
district.
George O'Haire, Deputy Sup­ervisor
explained that under the
Petito plan the cost would be
townwide and would not be paid
solely by a park district.
Sam Bernstein asked whedier
die Town had considered die
problem of die school district
being in two Townships and in two
counties-
Mrs. Caroline Klesh, pointed
out diat North Massapequa, in
die Plainedge School District and
Norm Massapequa in the Farm­ingdale
School District., were two
differently oriented places, and
that North Massapequa - Farm­ingdale
school district and upper
Massapequa Park in Farming-dale
school district should be
togedier in a park district. She
also urged purchase of land. She
made die point that the Incorpo­rated
Village of Farmingdale r e ­consider
being part of die Park
and Pool District.
Jack Goor, President of the
Farmingdale Youdi Council urged
the land purchase, although
swimming pools could possibly
be built on existing school land
in neighborhood locations-
Councilman Hynes said that he
didn't need another committee
to make a decision, diat each
one represented a group and tiiis
was a sufficient sounding board-
Councilman Edmund Ocker
said diat the original proposal
was that the village would as­sume
36% of the cost which
would amount to about 20 cents
per hundred. It was estimated
( Continued on Page 4)
Christine Constanzo of Girl Scout Troop 248 of
Bethpage is shown presenting her award- winning
poster to Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Michael
N. Petito at Annual Girl Scout Historical Poster
Contest held last Friday. Christine won first place
honors in the Cadette Division for her painting
titled " Still Life."