The-Leader_1988-06-02

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Memorial Day report
- see page 6
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W IdERRlCK RD
FREEPORT H Y U520 f>
Oltielal
Newspaper
Villageot
Freeporl
' •
Freeport
School District
•
Baldwin
School District
THE
FREEPORT
BALDWIN
„„^BI»»0»'^''"*'^* UAMR 54th YEAR, NO. 22 FREEPORT, NEW YORK JUNE 2,1988 PRICE 25* PER COPY
State comptroller cites Freeport in audit
In a report issued last week on
the financial affairs of Freeport
and two other Nassau County,
localities. New York State
Comptroller Edward V. Regan
cited the Village as having inade-'
quate inventory records of
Village-owned property and not
having a written investment pol­icy
based upon the Comptroller's
guidelines.
The report alio states that "cer­tain
purchase orders were issued
after goods were received by the
Village," and concludes that "the
inherent benefits of a purchase
order system can only be derived'
if the purchase orders are pre­pared,
approved and issued prioi
' to the acquisition of goods and
services." - - - •
. Also mentioned.in the Comp­troller's
audit was S746 not
accounted for by a fire depart­ment
chief who was advanced.
S3,S00priorto his attendance at a
conference in Dallas in Sep­tember,
1986. '
Of the expenses accounted for,
the' report said,"$373 was toi -
expenses incurreid by an unauth­orized
Individual, arid S403 was
for a Disney World Package."
Mt^yor Dorothy Storm
responded that most of the points
mentioned in the' audit had
already been addressed by the
Village and procedures put into
place. f^^
The Mayor said she had
brought the Comptroller's
recommendations that purchas­ing
methods be tightened up to
avoid purchase orders being
issued after the gopds.are,
received to the attention of-department
heads last year.
She said a new directive from
her office was issued earlier this
year reiterating the strict adher-
' ence to purchasing policies, with
all purchases to be authorized
and no commitments made to
suppliers by a'ny department
except after approval by the Pur­chasing
Agent. —-,
Treasurer Michael Haran fol­lows
a very conservative invest­ment
Bol'cy> Mayor Storm
pointed out, to avoid any possi­bility
of financial problems
resulting from such items as the
"repurchase agreements" that
caused the failure of some
investment forms a .'couple of
years ago. The Village funds are
in Certificates of E>eposit only
and fuUy collatec&ed.Mr. Haran
noted. The specifics of ,the
investment policy will be outlined
in writing for formal action by the
Village Board, Mayor Storm
said.
Regarding the auditor's
recommendation for improve­ment
of the Village's inventory
records. Mayor Storm said the
basic; compiiterized inventory
format was in place and all of the
improveiiients recommended by
the audit would be implemented
this year.
Mayor Storm also responded
to the Comptroller's criticisni of
the payment by the Fire Depart­ment
to a travel agency, and
other expenses paid, for a trip to a
conferenceby a Fire Chief which
included personal travel events
outside of the conference trjp.
-She noted that the travel agency
involved had sold the trip to the
Freeport Fire Department, and a
number of other fire depart­ments,
as a "package deal," which
included a side trip to Disney
Worid. The Fire Chief did not
realize the impropriety of the
"package,"and the Village Board
was not asked'for approval and
did not authorize it, the Mayor
stated, and added that the indi­vidual
is required to reimburse
Fire Department funds for the .
non-conference outside events.
The Village of Great Neck
Plaza and the South Farming-dale
Fire District in Oyster Bay
were also cited in the audit.
Comptroller Regan's complete
report is filed with the Freeport
VilUge Clerk's Office, where it
"may be reviewed by "interested
citizens," the report said.'
Karen Downs: first woman in Freeport Rotary
FIRST WOMAN MEMBER of Freeport's Rotary Club, Karen
Down*, it congratuUitad by Club PrMldent JwryTadeschl. Mr*.
Downs Is Dlrsctor of FInanes fortha Woodward Mental Health
Center In Freeport.
The most recent member. of
Freeport's Rotary Gub is a
ground' breaker. She is Karen
Downs, Director of Finance for
the Woodward Mental Health
Center, the first Avonian meinber
of Freeport's dub, now celebrat­ing
its jSth anniversary. .
, Mr».-Oowns is Director of
Financefoftfie Woodward Men-
' tal Health Center in Freeport,' a
facility which provides a program
of care and nlucation forcmor
tionaliy troubled children and
youngadults,agesthree-21 from -
Nassau, Queens and Western
Suffolk.
Mrs. Downs, her husband
Fred, and their four children
Andy, Valerie, Ketmy and Ricky,
' ages iiine to 17, recently settled in
one of Freeport^ many \!rater-front
homes.
In addition to being an avid
bowler, Mrs. Downs confesses
that she also enjoys boating and
gardening as well as a challenge.
In her short time as a member of
the club she has already been '
involved with helping to orgaiuze
next year'i Civic Leadership
Award Program, which honors
unsung heroes of the Freeport
Community for their diligence
' and charity work throu^out the
Rotary year.
Quietly, Mn; Downs also'says
that she wasnt aware that she
was a jTouad breaker until she
was already involved with the
meinbership qualification inter­views.
However, she also states
that the fact that she was the
ground breaker didn't matter to
her. She wanted to become a
member .of the club because she
believes that you miist give some­thing
back to the society in which
you live, otherwise there will be
nothing for that community to ,
grow on. .
Since she and her husband
chose Freeport as a place to raise
their family she wanted to make
sure that their children would live
in a livb and vibrant community,
and -what better way. to help
insure this than by being actively
involved with a service and char-i
t y organization in the
community.
She felt that the Rotary Cliib
with all of its programs would be
the means to help her to this
accomplishment Now, she hopes
toencourage other women to join
her in the ranks and to get more
involved in the everyday work of
the club.
Festival this weekend see page 2
Recycling underway at Transfer Station
The Village^ Transfer Sution,
located at 173 Albany Avenue, is
ndw accepting .recyclable'
materials.
There are three recycling con­tainers
at the station. One is for
newspapen (no' glouy maga­zines);
the second for ^ s bottles
and jarS; and a third for inetal
cans. The latter articks need not
• b« washed but should beiinsed to
remove residue. Loose labels
should be torn off but it is not
necessary to totally remove them.
The station also bu a receptacle
for the disposal of iis«l motor oiL
The station wilt b'e open Mon­day
to Friday, 12:30-3:30 p.m. to
receive recyclable materials only.
On Saturday, froni 8 a.m.-3 p.m.,
the station win be open to receive
recyclables u well u bulk items
and excess refuse. Proof of resid­ency
is required to utilize the
Transfer Station and only cars,
full window vans, and station
wagons will be adnutted.
< This voluntary recycling pro­gram
will be on-going until the
falL At that time residents will be
required to place their recycbbles
at the curb In Vtllage-provided
containers. This is • requirement
of both the Sute and the Town of
Hempstead whkh disposes, of
Freeporti refuse.
Iti u r ^ g residents to take part
in the voluntary program tlus '
summer, Mayor.DoroUiy Storm
noted that recycling makes good
sense, not only for the environ­ment,
but also in keeping prop­erty
taxes down. "Every item put
ii\ (ori^cyding will be that much
* . ' . . I ' i ' t ,
less for which we have to pay a~
dumping fee of $31 per ton, a fig-'
ure expMted to go to $7S or even
higher by next March. In the
future, when we are in full scale
' recycling, we will be selling the
matetials as weil as having leu
tonnage for disposaL In addition,
wherever possible,, the Village
government will be purchating
supplies made from recyckd
materials."