The-Leader_1978-09-21

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FRiEPORT
BALDWIN
ROOSEVELT
MERRICK
NASSAU CTY HISTORICAL UUSEVli
EISEUUbv.ER PARK'
EASTUEADOSf, M X U??-!
'" LEADER
FREEPORT'S
OFFItlRl
NEWSPAPER
43rd YEAR. No. 21 FREEPORT, NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 21.1978 PRICE 15< PER COPY
Residents Oppose Planned Stores
Five Freeporters Board Reserves Decision
TOURING THE PLANT: Village, of, Fr^port Deputy Mayor Dorothy
. 3tQrj|n-;0^^i$d>^Br}^^^^ott^^chat|f^^.I^i^^ Ih^Vll j»oe'«* Enylrontrtental
Named Merit
Semi-Finalists
FREEPORT - Five local high
school seniors have been named
as semi-finalists - in the annual
National Merit Scholarship Pro­gram.
The five all residents of
Freeport will have an opportunity
to continue in the competition for
about 4,100 Merit Scholarships to
be awarded in the spring of
1979.
Two of the young Freeporters
arc members of the June 1979
class at Freeport High School.
Achieving the honor, based; on
the 1977 ,Prelinunaiy Scholastic
Aptitude :"Test/National • Merit
On Atlantic Ave. Rezoning
-FREEPORT - Residents from the East BedeJl. Ray Street and
Atlantic Avenue areas were present at a meeting of the village Board of
Trustees this past Monday night, September 18. for a publichearing on
a rezoning of a piece of property on the southwest corner of South Main
Street and Atlantic Avenue. Although John DiGrazia. chairman of the
village's Planning Board, spoke in favor" of the rezoning. from
Residence "A" to Business "A", almost all the residents present
objected to the contemplated change in zoning.
Gerald Halpern, attorney for
the a'pplicant — GBMS — ex­plained
his client's proposal.
Principals of GBMS are George
BeUisis, a resident of Freeport
and owner of both an Indijstrial
business jn.the village and a new
row'bf stores on Atlantic-Avenue
to the 14 traffic accidents record­ed
since January 1; of this^ y^ar.
The road's construction, she said,
would make it difficult to* feed
traffic onto and into a shopping
area. She^ also objetfted to new
stores being btiiltwhenihe other
hewly:built Bellisis' stores wiere
C^mTiirilasldhs^'wnfeh^Jcfe'; itt^roMlng^
Present with theni wbre local siita teglalators.Assismblymah Armand
D'Amato (r.), and Senator Normaii l^vy (rear); and, explaining the
plant'ioperatlpnj^TowhPresIdJnfl Supervisor AlfpnseD'Amato. "'
'^^r Residents Ask Help
With TVIWlc F^rp^^
FREEPORT - Traffic problems in south Freeport dominated the vil­lage
board of trustee's public meeting Monday night. September 18. A
Jefferson Street resident, Mrs. Greeley, told the board that because of
the "heavy traffic every weekend," she could not get into or out her
street. Jefferson, she pointed out is the first through street leading to
Hudson Avenue.
and ^ t h Oceah^'Avftnue: '.and..... . . - . - , - - . - , „ ^ ,.
firm. Haij^m did explain to the
ljjj{]j* .. ba«r((and.rtsldet)ts several tima
Mayor William White told her,
and those who came with her.
that the board recognizes the
.problem-and hopefully continued
police. attention to not only_hec
Sigal of New York Avenue.
Patricia Tricamb and . John
Trotta. students at Maria Regina
High School, were also named.
—They, as^ their fellow-semi-finalists
represent the top Tialf of
one-half of one percent of New
York State's graduating seniors.
The fifth .Freeporter' to be
named. Jordan Soreff of Craig
Avenue, was an August, 1978
graduate at Baldwin High School.
and is ~ presently attendmg. the
New England Conservatory of
- Music.
more damaged. "I can't park on
my street on weekends."- she
said, noling- that the speeding
cars also concerned her because-of
her two small children. "She
,OnThe Air!
-area,^but all areas of the village, -askcdfor a blinking lights
would help - - ^ - -: ' The Mayor pointed out thatihe
m answer to Greeley s request on,y ^^y „ stop the lise of South
for no parking signs on the Long Beach as a speedway is" to
north and south side of the street ^ee that the village's speed limit
off Hudson. White pointed out of30mphb strictly enforced,
that such signs often result in_^ "We Need More Sp«e"
tidcets being givea to the re- • ~ ^rnard Pechtcr. a principal of
sidents of the block themselves. ,he Freeport based Ail-American
Another Jefferson Street resi­dent,
whose son had l>een struck
ty.a car two years.before, told
White that of the 30-sbme chil-
FREEPORT - The opening of
-jchool does.not.mean the.end of
.-Freeport's-.watcrfront_activities,
That's the message of this
Sunday's (September 24) "Some­thing
Special From Freeport"
show over WGBB (12.40AM).
Freeport School District-Supe'r-mtenderit
Donald Costlow will
.discuss the opconung
another row of stores- on "the
vacant parcel which might
include -^ Halpern explained —'• a
saving bank which, has shown
interest in the Freeport site. Park­ing
for 50 cars would be provided
as wen as a traffic lane. While re-co^
izing the heavy flow of traffic
on the street and particularly at
that - intersection. Halpern's
summary noted that the plan for
' the~. buildings would atteinpt to
control the traffic pattern.
Among the arguments "Halpern
gave for the rezoning were the
traffic (it could be utilized to bring
tax dollars into the village); the
location (right across the street
from industrial); and the need to
. "enchance". that part of the vil-
- lage.-while providing services to
—the community.-
Metal Qimpany noted that his
firm was in need of more space in
order to continue to grow.
—"YTr have made rvrry fffnrt tn
, , get additional space," Pechter
them.were under 12 years of age. sajj, ,eUing the Board that he had
Charles Dean blamed the ^itua- alreadr] contracted Community
tionon the boat dealers and the Development director Jaroes-laije
trailers they use.the buses - Dunne who could not help hunC
dren-on the block about. 9a% of.-
year and what it wiH mean to the
Distnct's 7.500 stiTdents and
their parents.
' Charles Pigadis of." Lake's
Objectlona Came
From Residents
Rose Hudson of Ray Street
brought with her a list of her.
neighbors who were concerned
with the proposal and she voiced
school i_their objections to it. She pointed
that M the efght stores on South
Ocean Avenue.' four were already
occupied; leases were being pre­pared
for two more (a stereo store
and a camera store) and interest
was already present for the final
two.
An Atlantic Avenue resident
Frank Sihith, speaking for the
residents of that area, also ex­pressed
concern over the possibil­ity
of empty stores, pointing out
that thiey lead to vandalism.
Traffic and paiXTog conditions in
the area were detailed by Smith
who worried "how will people get
.out of the parking area?"
Smith called a rezoning of that
plot, "a strict case of spot
zoning."
;''All.our efforts," Smith said,
"should he jttgered.lnwarH retrix-ing
the Mall storey and not .-
adding competition from satellite--
stores attempting to rent."
Other residents also pointed to.
the accident numbers, the traffic -
patterns and the noises. Mrs. _
(Cont. on Pagel3)~^
"that.chew up the-streets. and
fisherman parking on Jeffqrsop.
•'He sugge^ed that-"<:-slgnf--be"
. ..mc^& stating Siat- all -streets
'.; south of Jefferson also go through
^ to'Hudson. White.can^ the sbg-
T.'gestion a possibility they would
. ;look into. The Mayor-also said
—that he would cooimnnicale
;, with the MTA about the bus
-traffic because the buses should
^ now be able to turn arotind at the
Marina.. -
Yachts, Wooddeft Avenutf.-wtu
be internewed about the Guy
Lombardo Gold Cop race Jo be
JieW out-.of Guy Lombardo
Manna on September 30. .He
will-discuss how the public can
paxBapxte tjy viewing the boats
'Enforce Speedbig Laws"
A resident of Sooth Lon^ Beach
Avenue, Mrs. Edelstein. told the
board that in the three years that
she has lived there; two of her
cars had been totalled and. two
Noting that Wqodply. a neigh­bor
of his finn»-9iiuU like to move- . . . - . - ,- .
'• to the Benhington Park DHan---Vp^J?,^cj]^^.uiA,p^-vax^:.
Renewal-site. P«htcr $aidr^**?°§r^^'^^^^^
the-.high speed race
.beadies, boats or race
quarters at the Marina. - . _
Sunday will be the first reading*
- of. a letter subihitted to the-
/'Freepott .Red_lctter. Days"
contest whettia" listeners write
~tn~7d>ont something special,
"someone spffial. in Freepoi
he could easily expand by tatiog
over that building.
The move of Wbodply to the 13
acres of Bennington Park is part-of
a planTpn^pMed by Freeport
builder Fred Scalamandre as an
alternate to the purchase'of the
village-owned property Iry "fwo
finyt," a ditmtmt storr gopiujMP ntf^PgrreyrtiE fiHALLErr.bo«t« of l i afeest Stn on
compete (of monthly prizes. . dis^jaythlipMtwadcatthefourdayGreater New York tn-Th»-Water
This month's prize is a lobster Boat Show. The marine trades Industry-eponsoi'ed show drew thous-j
. r—. TT--..--^r:— ^ ^ of" prospectWe boat-buyers ami, »boat-tovers. to the"
yllUfle: The~ stjow's first two days coincided with the
artival of the brig "Unicom." as part of the L.I. Nautical Festhral. Actl-vitfes
ocrurred at the Town of HempsteadrGuy Lombardo Marlna.
Scalamandre was present at the
meeting, but did not speak. Later
he told THE LEADER that he had
sent his proposal(a copy of which
{Com on Page 16) . .
dinner^ for two at Harixir View
and*entries have been received
from listeners in Baldwin. North
Merrick and VaDey Stream.
i V'' 4 4 % 4 « V .