The-Leader_1981-11-19

              Official
Newspaper
Village ot
preeport
•
Freeport
School District
•
Baldwin
School District
FRiT IJV.. 11520
'- LIEP.ARy
FREEPORT, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 19.1981
46th YEAR. No. 30
PRICE 2 5 * PER COPY
Merchants Ask To Open The Mall
Holiday Schedule Want Auto Traffic And
Parking Back On Sfreet
CRAFT SHOW VISITORS. State Senator Norman J. Levy and Con-gres
»man Norman F. Lent visited the Arts Council at Freeport's Craft
Sftaw and Sale, held at the Freeport Recreation Centre this past
Sunday, November 15. Pictured with the Senator and Congressman are
members of the CouncH'a.Board of Olractors (1. to r.): Judy Ehrsnfeld,
Seymour Klempner.- Congressinan-Lent.- Ptiyliss^PuUrovi,Bemle-
Kablan, Jack Holly. Senator Levy and Lila Dirlnger.
Baldwin Board Votes
To Keep Elemenfar)f^
Schools "As Is"
byJoanDdanty >•
BALDWIN - On -Thursday, November 12, the Baldwin Board of
Education met to consider a resolution regarding the status of the
elementary schools and to discuss the bond referendum.
By a vote of 4-1. with Victor Rohe opposed, the Board approved a
resolution wiiich would leave all elementary schools at a status quo for
1982-83. Each Board member was
given the opportunity to express
his views. With the exception of
Rohe and Bernard Pittinsky,
who declined comment, the
remaining Board memkers
indicated their concern ' for
overcrovvding if Milbum School
were closed and stated their
belief that any closing might
interfere with long term planning
and future restructuring or
school closings.
Board president Arnold Lurie
referred to the possibility of
closing Steele School in two to
three years and noted recent
offers to purchase the property
for condominiums and/or a
shopping center.
The desire by the library
to use Milbum School was
to
mentioned vrith Lutie statinglKit
a year or more "should not
affect those plans In a negative
sense." Ryan suted that as a
school board member, his
primary concern was the edu­cation
in Baldwin, not the
library.
Rohe stated his opposition to
the resolution, noting tfie im-porunce
of financial savings and
the value of making Milbum
School available to the library. tstressed that this use was one
eh he felt the. residents would
rove if a'na'warned of pro­blems
if the library chose
expand in another manner.
The majority of the Board,
however, stressed the problem
of making "premature judg­ments"
which could preclude
future options. It was also noted
that additional community
conditions should be considered
in any long term plan. Lurie
said such items should include
the long term educational value,
the impact on real estate con­ditions
in mid-Baldwin, the best
housing for the handicapped
program, the maximum fmancial
return to the district as well as
the library situation, and the
possibility of a community center.
He also said that this resolution
would "no way preclude looking
at it in another year."
DisciisslaaOf
. Bond Refereodam
The.second half of the meeting
dealt with the bond referendum in
four major areas: the total
amount, the length of the bond
issue, the dmeline of the ref­erendum
prxxess and the prob­able
impact if there is no bond
issue.
Discussion at most times was
extremely complex and serious;
after several hours, however,
(Com. on Page 101
FREEPORT - All Village of
Freeport government offices will
be closed Thursday, November
26, for the Thanksgiving holiday
and Friday, November 27. The
Friday date was given to em­ployees
ill lieu of the Election Day
holiday.
The Freeport Recreation
Center will be closed on Thanks­giving,
but will open on Friday.
There will be no garbage or
trash pickup in the i«srthem
section of the village on Thanks­giving.
The private carting
service will be working on Friday
so the central section will receive
the normal trash and garbage,
collectiou.
M-S: English Dept.
Plans Trip
To England
FREEPORT - Members of the
Freeport High School English
Department are planning to
accompany F.H.S. students on a
trip to England and Scotland
during the spring vacation. The
trip is sponsored by the American
Institute for Foreign Study, an
organization which has served
over a quarter million teachers
and students since its foundation
in 1964.
,The nine-day trip will include
visits fft: Buckingham Palace,
Westminster Abbey. St. Paul's
Cathedral, and other London
attractions. The group will also
attend the London theater and a
performance of a Shakespearean
play in Stratford. They will spend
several days in Edinburg and will
explore the Old Town.
The group will be departing on
April 9. 1982 and will be return­ing
on April 17.
Any students wishing further
information on the trip should
contact Mrs. Therese Thompson,
chairperson of the English De­partment,
at Freeport High
School.
FREEPORT - Representing their fellow Freeport Mall merchants,
the co-chairmen of the Freeport Chamber of Cominerce's Retail Divi-sion
told the ViUage Board of Trustees thj^ past Monday evening,
November 16,tiuit tljey were "pleading" tb have the Mall— South
Main Street, between Sunrise Highway and Merrick Road —"re-open­ed
for traffic. J
Calling it a "desperate situa­tion."
Larry Grebinar, owner of
Irving's Mens Shop, and Ira
Bryck of Bar^h's Better Kid's
Clothes, pointed to the targe
number of store closings on the
Mall and the almost non-existent
amount of new store openings.
None of the three members, of
tfae Board who were present gave
any Indicatlnn- tkat. they^svote4 :
reopening the street ^to tntSe.
Mayor William H.^Wbhe, saytiig
at one point "1 hate to think about
what it would cost.", told'the two
merchants he lielieved it would be
"dumping good money after
bad."
Trustee Timothy. Petemana
made reference to the type of
stores on the Mall when he
questioned. "Why is there no
traffic (on the MallJ? Is it because
there is no traffic or because of
the quality of merchandise?"
Comparing the Fr?epprt Mall's
situation to that of Santa Monica.
California Trustee At Sirlin said
that in the latter area a small,
closed Mall thrived even though
new large, stores were built-several
blocks away. "Is it the
Mall, is it the tenant, or is it the
merchandise?" asked Sirlin.
Answering his own question,
Sirlin was of the apparent
conclusion that the problems on
the Mall were the fault of the
merchandise. "Putting a bull­dozer
through the Mall wouldn't
do a damn thing," said the
Trustee. "Someone has to prove
to me that it isn't a problem of the
individuals." . . .
Grebinar, however, told the
Board that he had spoken to
"many, many residents m the last
few weeks.' Bi an infinmal poS.
whichbebad taken; ^'.iOO%of the
residents-said th^' wanted the
street opened," said Grebinar.
. When he asked those residents
if they would still be willing to
have the Mall re-opened if their
taxes would be affected. Grebinar
sud-he was "surprised" at the
answer. Out of the same 30-40
people, he said) only four were
against re-opening the Mall.
Grebinar said the people queried
seemed to think that, if the Mall
remained as it is. there would be
abandoned buildings, which do
not pay taxes, so "the tax burden
would be shifted to them any­way."
Grebinar also told the Village
Board that one of his customers
bad taken the same questions to
his service club. At a meeting
attended by 28 people, said
Grebinar, 20 favored opening the
street and eight were opposed to
It.
According to Grebinar
(Com. on Page 16)
and
Ice Rink Schedule
FREEPORT - The 3 to 5 pm
public sessions at the Freeport
Recreation Center's ice rink will
be cancelled on Saturdays.
November 21 and December 19.
due to home hockey games of St.
Jehu's University.
On December 19. there will be
a free skating session. 12:30-
2:30 pm. as part of the Holiday
Festival sponsored by the
Recreatioii Dspar^ment and the
Freeport Chamber of Commerce.
SPORTSMANSHIP TROPHIES were presented by Freeport Mayor
William H. White (2nd I.) at the Freeport Recreation Department's
annual SofttMDI Awards, held recently at the Recreation Center. The
Mayor's Sportsmanship trophies were awarded to Oalvery Taylor 0 )
and Ellen Conner (r.). whose proud parents, Mr. and Mrs. Irwin
Conner, look en. Da)v8ry-)ead his team, the Braves, to a championship
and Ellen was an o<itstanding team player lor the Angels.
.i -,
I
y 1
V }
t