The-Leader_1970-10-15

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NASSAU'S LARGEST WEEKLY"
FREEPORT
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BALDWIN
l i p Code 11510
MERRICK
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ROOSEVELT
ZIo Cdde 11S7S
35tli YEAR, No. 26 FREEPORT. NEW YORK, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1970 PRICE: TEN CENTS PER COPY
ROPm REMION GEKTER REPORT FROM STAN BREKNE,
There ar6 ^ose people jti our vitlagarwho have doubts pertainina to the upcomtn^ Recreation Center.
Few doubt the need for the center btit its location s^^eitti tp. concern.somQ peopia., , ' v^ J .^/
I t was suggested I h a t i h e oici Elks Lodlpe,would be good ^nd of late I've heard rumblings that the P.O.
Site would suffice. In fact, ndtfier would be adeiiuatel
The Post Office could not meet the needs of the children, let alone the Senior Citizens and Adults; it is
far too small.
I don't iinow if anyone has asked the Elks if they are selling^ but here again, the site is far too small and
the facilities would be too limited to adequately service the village let alone handle the parking.
If any site objections were to be valid, they should have been b r o u ^ t up $150,000 earlier and a year
ago. The plans, site survey, test borings, etc. are all complete and the center is ready to go to bid shortly.
Addition^ly; by changing the site we would have to forego the $^6,000 granted by N.Y. State for the
project. Further still; we will lose % the land aquisition costs approved by HUD and the necessary
limiting of the facilities would effect the revenue returns.
All in all —any other site In Freeport would cost twice as much for half the facility. Not a very sound
approach.
This view shows the center as it is to be bid - at Hanse Park. Safe bicycle routes are being planned,
buses can be scheduled, and adequate parking is available. Access to the outdoor rink, pools and grounds,
is through tiie building only, with enhance on the far side adjoining the parking l o t This is necessary as
many of the activities involve fees, and so ti'^t controls are mandated.
As presently planned the center will be adequate for the needs of all ages in cMir village, it will provide a
recreational setting of which the entire community will be proud and as presently planned — Freeport
can easily afford.
Buckley tauds Nl*«n Mm
I join the silent majortryin'
applauding P r e s i d e n t Nlxon'S
Imaginative and comprehensive
peace Initiative. I believe the
President has been following a
sober and responsible course in
Southeast Asia, 1 join with the
overwhelming inajoriiy of Amer­icans
in hoping that the North
Vietnamese will agree to a stand­still
cease-fire.
1 join with the families of
American captives in praying
for the immediate release of all
prisoners of war and others now
imprisoned by the Communists,
a,s the Presiden? has proposed.
1 believe this initiative has a
real chance for success precisely
because the President, the Con­gress,
and the American people
have not succumbed to the
Fulbrighis, the Goodells and the
Oitingers who have urged uni­lateral
retreat. The North Viet­namese
can |)e expected to give
serious consideration to Mr.
Nixon's proposals precisely be­cause
they must now be convinced
J-rf^-
C '
that Arherlca will not abandonher
respogsiUlltles.,
• The' Presiaent is foliiiwli^ a
realistic and responsible course
in Southeast Asia. He knows that
an American commitment to keep
the peace in any other part of the
world, including the Middle East,
cannot stand If we retreat in
Southeast Asia.
Bui he knows that we must work
for peace and his orderly with­drawals
of American troops ari-proceeding
on schedule or ahead
of schedule without at the sanie
time endangering the ablliiy of
South Vietnam lo protect herself
from North Vietnatn's aggres­sion.
We will have peace, and we
wiii preserve peace, if our Presi­dent's
political opponents at home
will stop trying to undercut hib
efforts 10 work lor a lasting
peace.
I call upon my two opponents,
Messrs. Qtinger and Goodell, to
join me in my wholehearted sup­port
of the President's bold new
peace progratn.
EOC Poverty Fiiiid Cumiiaigii
The Board of Directors of the
Economic Opportunity Commis­sion
of Nassau County has auth­orized
its delegate Community
Action programs to launch a
Campaign Against Poverty (CAP)
Fund drive Immediately to help
raise $400,000 needed to sus­tain
the County-wide programs
or face the possibility olgoing
under.
The EOC anti-poveny pro­gram
in Nassau, rated one of the
top in the nation's 1100 such
Community Action Programs,
has been crippled by recent fed -
eral funding cut-backs and was
dealt a devasting blow when the
United Fund of Long Island re­cently
refused to grant the EOC
emergency assistance after ex-plaln%
char UF LI wa^ not struc­tured
to meet the charitable needs
of the poor on Long Island whether
it be welfare poor, worklngpoor,
white poor or black poor.
The cut-backs have already
triggered a series of lay-offs
throughout the County-wide pro­gram
Including the Commission
Itself. EOC officials who have
been working round the clock
throughout the County to prevent
the tragedy, recently joined John
L. Kearse, Executive Director of
the EOC in a recent march on
Washington.
Some 250 people Including two
members of the Commission's
Board of Directors made the
Journey to the nation's capltol
where they were met by nearly
1,000 other EOC supporters from
all over the New York State area.
iH Washington, Kearse and his
delegation met with White House
alde> and Donald Rumsfeld, head
of the OEO, FoEowfag the offic­ial
sessions, Kearse explained
that he was not optomistlc.
Neither White House aides or
Mr. Rumsfeld, he said, appear­ed
to be moved by the plight
of the nation's 24,300,000 poor.
Kearse said he listened In
disbelief when he learned thai
the OEO in Washington is in­itiating
a |20 nrflMon dollar cut
back on a nation-wide level which
carries a $3.6 million decrease
for New York State — was an
administrative error. Congress,
he said, had actually Increased
OEO appropriations. The cut­back
had been made by OEO.
In the meantime, Kearse and
EOC officials are faced with the
awesome task of trying to save
the top Couray-wide antl-poverty
prc^rara which is being reduced
daily in services available to help
the poor and the manpower to
conduct the vital service?.
"Everything possible," the
EOC chief sMd, "Is being done
now to launch a pilot project
aimed at focusing on Nassau
(Continued on* Page 12)
Freepoifs Mayor Bob Sweeney wishes Ral^i Caso luck in his bid
to become Nassau County Executive. (The Leader endorses Caso
today; see editorial page four).