The-Leader_1976-01-01

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FREEPORT'S
opfinni
NEWSPAPER
40th.YEAR,No. 36 FREEPORT, NEW YORK. JANUARY 1. 1976 PRICE: 15^ PER COPY
Increase $1.22
0TB Survey Shows
No Great Objection
to Local Office
by Linda Steinberg
and James Mor/arty
Editon-Nqte: This is tfie first of
a two-part series, '.reporting a
special airvey taken exclusively
for.' THE LEADER by the
WrftgwrThrrecond part wilJ-fae-published
next week.
AGiVINGi HAND/TKsconcern of one.gripup^f.oldflr citizeni
fbr another was demonstrated recently by'.'thv Freeport Recreation
Center's 'Seniar.Xiti2enrgn»ip/^.hid> preimted ,^^ check'to The -
Industrial'.Hdroa fbr/theaii^ Nassau Day, Center, in B|dd«iii,.The.-
Aibriey- Will lie used rto prpytde addttjonat eifuipmeht. Shown. here. ^
arB-Katbe^ne.Savage, Ways and Memt.Comiriittee of the Frcepbrt „„p_„„., ^,j^„»j„v«^„w
SentorgrouprJanartCnibeli.lHSCenteritSrseti^
.FREEPORT '- Surprisingly,
ahn(Bt a)% of the people tn-tew^
din a poll,,taken ex-dusively'
for • THE' LEADER,
were eith^ apathetic or unin-fdfmed
when asiced if they would
lilie to sete an Off-Track Betting
office. lijiFreeport. .;:„.
. • Ofr two: hundred. people sur-.
veyed: (residents a^d individuals
fron;i - heighboiing ctmimuniUe^
shqjpJng InPr^^jJorU* Jhe cpsults.
Increase Reduced 5"^
From Printed Proposal
- FREEPORT — The VUlage budget for fiscal year 197&-77 wUl
protmbly he reduced approximately another five cents, from*the
printed tentative budget released last week by the Freeporl Board
of Trustees. The preliminary budget, now "available to citizens at
the Village Clerk's office and at the Freeport Memorial Library,
shows a budget of $12,016,974.33, -
Cuiiiire amounts to $1,236,687
(this includes personnel, added in.
the total personnel' services
-Cgure-as-welDr-Tho-proposal-of—
closing the Recreation (^nter for
one day would cause a decrease
In that amount to approximately
$886,687, plus the fringe benefits
-foPythe-employeesrralHrf-whid^-
which carries an increase on real
property of $1.27. per $100
assessed valuation. There wi^l
_ probably. be. a_further_'reductipn_
to $iJ22 increase (or a total tax of
$10.25 per $100 ,. assessed
valuation) as a result of the
projected closing of the Freeport
Recreation CentJery-one—day-a-
^ihs IHB Baldwin Centerr;' Lbi^isa; Albaeh; DirKtor of thorFreiepbrt
;Seflior^ Crtizep >jRei^^tion\Fri}§f«rn;'Ba^
MUribn G«dmr,'~Pfetident-'of Jtii^ Treisport; griwipr The Freeport
saiiiors raised tf)e money ($1,(700) from'their tale of handicriaful .
otions
FREEPORT . ^ ^ e i r those foreign flsbmg^^traiitos harrassed the
Freeport cbairter fisUog. vessel, Starstreiam II last'we^ arid dam-:
ageditsandrarandcablef ttiey didn't know the^d eventually have to
wi^e idtb.Dotty -BeHuiwitz, the; boat's. owner, and (lofigressman
-Wontaan^Lent-Berkowitt.-Whose'age belies her.energies, and
strength of purpose,-wiu give tt!e-Buiganan.t!:ast.uermanf Kus^an"
ajad Polish jgovenunents more to think about as she visits her lawyers '•
, andmooints her campaign to »t<^ -/..v-.;'-,*. - , ' '., . - '
fgreign fishing .vessels, from. -United- States Cqast jGuard.
Ihterferihg with Aineriam boats • Acoording to Lent, •the'.foreign
as.fo whether or, not pTB should
lie joibatedln this-village.^ .Tije-interviews
.were ^conducted at
supermarltets,, near Sunrise
Highway, Merrick-Boad.: South •
Main Sto^t .and the Long Island
• Railroad Station. V':t. .-•;;,
'.]••• : The poll found that«% of those'
mterviewedwould like.to see
T;—OTBlii Freeport, whUfe^s^rwefr
against such a facility anyiriiere
in the village. Among )the reasons
given were the "hdi^ wives wQI
turn into' prostitutes to sui^ort
their gambling habit" theory and
thff fffar that having ah (YTB
week starting in'June, 1976.
'Although the Board has hot .
finalized their, plans, or the--
Ijudget, the closing of the Center •
for one day .would resiilt in an
aipproximfite 4S5,000 savings,
thus tK>th reducing.expenditures
ahdalldwing one day each .we^.
when the .facility could IK'more
: ^sily: Jnaintaiopd'-Tandr pleaiAKi;'.
-TheJiuB«'date was set to allgw.
; those wHo_ DOW hold season.
' discount tickets to receive the fuli '
use of the facility (seven* d a^ per
week) for which tliey contracted: -,
. Honday -wait <tiientibned' as. a
pbssible-?-'closed".day..-It: was
- pointed out; that at this, time the
obotract with the Colter's food
^.ogocfsslonJias-nQtJbeen signed. ;
:_,' Costs to Taxpayer . . -
The $1.22 tax increase: would
. mean that an average Freeport
home, estimated at a $7,500
assessmoit, would be tiaxed an
additional $91.50 per year or
(the'Vlllage Treasurer agreed)
.wbiild total about $L irdllion:
-Estimated revenues vfroin the
Recreation Center , for" this
.coming.fiscal year is.$275,000. '
Parking' meter expehses; inr
cludhig installation^ maintenance
and personnel, amount to $45,738
(plus fringe benefits on that t«tt
whlch"ls' enit>16ye«a''v^sala'rtes)'?'
The income-derived .'last year
from fines etc.\ was $30,000. The
Mayor explained that the parking
meters are! designed to Ice^ a
steady flow of traffic. and ac'
c^sibility of parking within the
' Central Business'DistriCLv.
Tlie Mayor pointed out that ot
the total budget, $2,308,121
-represents items over whinh the
Village has ho conthil and which'
have risen $344,639 over last year.
These' items are insurance,
payments into the retirement
system, social security, health
insurance,; .higher interest
about $7JiO per month." The tax—payments on bonds and notes,
past the twdve^nile limit.
•, -Jo i n i n g . ^ e r k bw;l t z ;
CcsssKssaiaalftimsa heai-vibb
has beoj fighting for several
' yeaiisforthe passage of a bill to
achieve ai 2()0 mile fi^uhg limit
-t^our ooasts-has.already called
upon Secretary of State Hairy
;TQssinger. "to: lodge formal
protests vrtth' the' governments
whose vessels were involved^ In
hisT tel^ramtd KissingO'.-'Lent
^ asked for :"immediate and firm
American investigation. and
response" to. the inddent-
(^gressman Lent Protests
Describing the incident,. on
Sunday, Dec." 21, when Star-.
stream n, with 31 fares and six
crew members, eocountered a
large fleet .of foreign fishing .
' vessels, iu the codrgrwrods some:'
15 miles south of Fire Island, ,
•Lent called it "tj^pical of the
abuse which American fishermen.
_ are compelled to' endure so long
as the .United States does not
declare and demarcate a 200 mile
fishing limiL" He pointed out to
MssingCT that the foreign vessels
-deliberately dragged their nets so '
dase to Starstreara II that one of
two • andior lines set in wide
•^ bridle were cut PtiotograiAs and
r. positive identification of of­fending
vessels were made by the ;
trawler.v^ch came so dose as to
cut one" anchor.line hate the
i d e n t i f y i n g numbers^
DAZO/-ROS 312, and another
trawler, with hull number SZN
99,' came dose to the Freeport
brat's stem. Earlv and uhdffidal',
reports indicated tlie offending.
boats,.which flew no:national
flag, were East (Jerman and
Polish,. » -
~ — --: H.R.2ao—^ —
. Lent.is cosponsor. of H-R.-200,
wliich recently passed the House
of Representatives "arid " wotdd.
establish a 200-mile' economic
zone in which the U.S. would
control all fishing activity. Tlie ''•
bill is awaiting activity in the
Senate. This coming wedr, tlie
Congressman will appear on
•-WPK-TVCCaiannel 117 to answer
that station's editorial wiiicfa said
that H.R. 200 '.'should be allowed,
to die in,the Senate" heczvtse an.
international agreement is tlie
preferred way to achieve a 200-
mile" fishing limit Speaking on
Friday, Jan. 2, at 10:57 pm, arid
Satm^y, Jan. 3, at 11:57 pm.
Lent will point out that, while an
international agreement wmld
be preferable, past sessions-whidj
he has attended-of the
World Lav? of the Sea Conference
(Continued tm Page B) -
office, -nearijy' might bavp
negative effects on Freqiort's
youth. , . : " .
' • Over two-thirds (67%) of those
questioned were enthusiastic
about : the Shopping Mall
proposed for South Main Street
However, a significantly smaller
percentage (39%) wanted to see
.theOTB office' located on the
mall. By far the main reason for .
opposing a mall-situated CTB
facility was that it would caiise
additional traffic and parking
pn^lems around the mall.
: -_ While 39% of those surveyed did
ndrSvision ah.CXTB office haying'
any. social effects on Freeport,
41% did think there would be side '
effects (some fearing the worst)
and 20% of the interviewees
._^didn't know.". Rlany of those
against 0TB were of the opinion
that it would attract "un­desirables,"
some fdt that the
. area would become a "hangout
for gamblers" arid a few others
expressed fears that shopliftingr
in the Inisiness area woild in­crease.
-
About twice as many residents
as non-residents were in­terviewed.
Of the residents, 43-
1/2% were for 0TB, 40-1/2%
were against and 16% didn't care.
Of the non-residents, 45.2% were
for iL. 29% were against it and
25.8% didn't care. ..
The results of tl^survey woe
(Continued on Page 7)'
increase, without the dosing of
the Center, for one day would
mean an increase to the same'
homeowner of $95,25 per year, or
about $7.94 a month. The dif-.
ference In the monthly tax bill
between a> six-day-a-week
-Recreation (Center and a seven-day-
a-wedt program would • be
about 36< per month. •
The total Village tax rate per^
$100 assessed valuation of $10.25
would result in a yearly tax bill of
$768.75, for.the same taxpayer.
A public hearing on the budget
-wili. be_beld _at Village Hall,'
Monday, Jan^ 5, at B pm. The
budget was printed in a tentative
fohn to conform with the l^al
requirements as> to its
availability for . public
distribution, liut tlie Boand liiet'
after the printing and will con^
tinue to do so, to consider further
cuts.
' • Budget Breakdown
An addition of the Personnd
Services costs from each
department or agency of \i\e
Village shows a salary ex-
, penditure for the next fiscal year
of $4,490,979 (the addition was
done by THE LEADER), with the
added fringe benefits — of
Medical and Dental "Insurance,
. Workmen's Compensation, Social
Seairity and the Retirement Plan
Contribution of the Village
— totalling to another $1,788,512.
- Total costs in Recreation anrf
and sludge disposal costs to
Nassau County. The budget
figures- also had to take into
consideration a 25% telephone
rate increase, an 8-1/ 2% hike in
dectriclty, an Increase of 8% In
water rates; a possible postage .
hike of almost 30%, a 10% rise in
service contract costs and the
unstable price situation of gas, oil
and fuel oil. •
The Village will enter the next
fiscal year while still in
negotiations with' the Freeport
Police Benevolent -Association
andJbe'CSvil Service Employees
Assodatioh and might Iherdor^
be facing possible higher "per­sonnd
costs. The amount of
$625,000 is provided in this
proposed budget for con-tingendes
which could \» used
for. salary increases as well as
other emergendes. The Police
have not yet settled their 1975
contract; the dSEA settlement
this year resulted in a 7-1/2%
. increase over a 2-1/2% In-
. crement or a 10% salary raise for.
Village employees. Non-CSEA
employees, such as liead^ of
departments, were also given a
10% total increase this palt year
Ijy Village Board vote.
- Mayor's Message
In releasing the tentative'
tjudget, Mayor White stated,
"The meml>ers of the Board are
quite certain that our fellow
(Continued on Page 12)