Observer_1983-11-23; East Rockaway/Lynbrook Observer

              Official
Newspaper
INCORPORATED VILLAGE
East Rockaway
SCHOOL DISTRICT
INCORPORATED VILLAGE
Lynbrook
SCHOOL DISTRICT
"THE GOOD NEiakBOR NEWSPAPER "
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E. R. Public Library
477 Atlantic Ave.
East Rockaway, NY 11518
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Post Office Box 91, East Rockaway, NY 11518 (516) 764-2500
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VOL. 32 NO. 2 Wednesday, November 23,1983 25c PER COPY
Lf=P Rescue Squad
Extricates Victim
TO THE RESCUE. Firemen stabilize the victim after the
roof of her car was removed. (Photo by John Cribbin)
{Story on Page 4)
Committee: Bond Issue
"Too Rich" for E.R.
It will cost the average
East Rockaway School Dis-trict
homeowner approxi-mately
$3,630 to finance the
construction of two new
elementary schools, accord-ing
to the newly formed
Citizens Committee which is
against the bond issue. In a
statement issued by the Citi-zens
Committee, which is
designed to clarify the "dis-tortions
and patently mis-leading
statements which
bond issue proponents have
been making," the economic
repercussions for all district
residents were outlined.
Those living in a home
with an average assessment
($5000) would experience a
$121 yearly increase in
school taxes. It was noted
that most houses in the dis-trict
have assessed valua-tions
well in excess of $5000
and thus the tax implica-tions
for these homes would
be far greater than $121 a
year.
The Citizens Committee
emphasized that this $121
payment is not a "one shot
d e a l " but rather each
homeowner's tax bill would
be increased by $121 each
and every year for 30 years.
Thus it would cost each
homeowner with an average
assessment approximately
$3,630 should the demoli-tion
bond issue be passed.
In the Citizens Commit-tee's
statement, it was also
noted that the $121 tax
increase which would result
from the bond issue's pas-sage
is just that—a tax
increase. This figure would
be added to the staggering
amount of school taxes
which each homeowner
must already pay. For
example, the average home
in the East Rockaway
School District is assessed at
$5000; if the bond issue is
a p p r o v e d the average
homeowner would have to
add $121 to the approxi-mately
$1300 he already
pays in school taxes.
Calling statements that
declare that renovation
would save the taxpayers
only $34 a year "deliberate
distortions," the Citizens
Committee detailed how
renovation would save the
average homeowner $2325
in taxes. According to fig-ures
presented by the Citi-zens
Committee, renovation
would cost the average
homeowner $87 a year for 15
years. The.total cost to each
(Continued on Page 4)
Tempers Flare at Bond Discussion
When Superintendent
Michael Maiden entered the
doors of the Hewlett Point
Yacht Club on Thursday,
November 17, he faced a
crowd of over one hundred
concerned residents who
braved the chill winter winds
to listen to Mr. Maiden's
explanation of the Board's
position on the bond issue.
When the crowd left more
than three hours later, it was
with a fuller understanding
of the rationale behind the
Board's actions, but it was
not apparent that any minds
were changed.
Mr. Maiden explained
that the Board felt that it
was in the best interests of
the community to have two
new school buildings rather
than renovated ones. He
noted that neither he nor
any other members of the
Board would personally
gain from passage of the
bond, saying, "After all, it
won't be named the Michael
Maiden School."
Mr. Maiden's brief dis-cussion
was followed imme-diately
by a heated question
and answer session that
lasted more than two hours.
Many residents asked why
the Board considered such
extensive work on all three
buildings simultaneously
rather than one at a time.
Another resident posed the
question, "Where did all
maintenance money go?"
Mr. Maiden responded that
he has been involved with
the schol district for only a
little over a year, and was
u n a b l e to a d e q u a t e ly
respond.
A Senior Citizen then
remarked that those . on
fixed incomes could be
driven from their homes
should this tax increase
occur. She asked, "Do you
realize what this does to
people on fixed incomes? It's
shameful!" Mr. Maiden
noted that many people on
fixed incomes would indeed
have problems coping with a
tax increase of over $120 for
new school buildings.
Many well-known and
respected members of the
East Rockaway community
were on hand to express
their opinions on the subject
and pose questions to Mr.
Maiden. Former School
Board Membfers William
Brown and Earl Cole
repeatedly had the ifloor to
either correct misconcep-tions
presented or defend
actions by previous school
boards. Mr. Cole reminded
Mr. Maiden that during the
last year of Mr. Cole's ser-vice
on the Board, $100,000
was budgeted for mainte-nance.
"Now there is only
$36,000 scheduled for the
m a i n t e n a n c e of our
schools," noted Cole.
Mr. Leonard Polikoff,
chairman of the newly
Man Caught in Robbery
of Lynbrook Firm
Nassau County District
Attorney Denis Dillon
announced the arrest and
guilty plea of George Tsior-vas
for s t e a l i n g over
$400,000 from a Lynbrook
firm. Tsiorvas, 33, of 1635
Sherbourne Road in Valley
Stream pled guilty to Crimi-nal
Possession of Stolen
Property in the Second
Degree following an investi-gation
by the DA's Com-mercial
Frauds Bureau and
the Police Forgery Squad.
He faces up to four years in
jail.
According to Dillon,
"Between November of 1980
and February of 1983, Tsi-orvas,
aided by an unknown
employee of the Simon Gen-eral
Agencies, stole $420,000
from Simon General. This is
a major insurance underw-riting
firm. About 300
checks were never credited
to their account, but instead,
were deposited in Tsiorvas'
p e r s o n a l a c c o u n t . The
money was then withdrawn
several days later by the
defendant."
The DA said the scheme
came to light in January of
this year when Simon Gen-eral
received a complaint
from one of their brokerage
clients that one of his checks
appeared" to have a forged
endorsement. An investiga-tion
showed that Simon
General records indicated
they had received the check,
but that it had never been
deposited in their account.
Instead, it was deposited in
the personal account of
George Tsiorvas. An exten-sive
audit found 296 Simon
General checks which were
never credited to their
account. Each of the checks
were deposited in Tsiorvas'
personal account, and then
the money was withdrawn
s e v e r a l days later by
Tsiorvas.
(Continued on Page 4)
created "Concerned Citizens
Against the Bond Issue,"
spoke against passage of the
bond issue. He noted the
many financial reasons for
his opposition, and con-cluded
by stating that "i
think it is wrong that the
Board should hire a public
relations person at the cost
of $5,000 for the purposes of
selling the bond issue. I,
think that the public should
be allowed to make up its
own mind without having
their tax dollars spent to tell
them otherwise."
It was noted at the meet-ing
that registration will be
held on December 3 from 8
am until 4 pm, and on
December 6 from 4 pm until
8 pm, for all those who are
currently not registered but
are interested in voting on
the bond issue. The bond
referendum will be held on
December 13 at the High
School.
A s s e m b l y m a n Greg
Becker, who represents
those who live in the Lyn-brook
portion of the district,
said that he would do every-thing
in his power to keep
the taxes down in the 19th
school district. State Sena-tor
Carol Berman added
that she will work close-ly
with Superintendent
Maiden and the School
Board in their efforts to
improve the schools.
East Rockaway School
Board Report
The regular meeting of the
East Rockaway Board of
Education was held on
Monday, November 21 at 8
pm in the all purpose room
of Rhame Avenue School.
Approximately 40 members
of the community were on
hand to participate in the
discussion of the Board as
well as to pose questions to
the various members of the
Board.
The regular meeting was
preceded by an open forum,
during which time members
of the community were
allowed the privilege of the
floor. One resident inquired
why the gym floor at Rhame
Avenue had not been
repaired. Mr. Maiden stated
that a temporary replace-ment
would be dangerous
and costly, as the floor was
damaged by the leaking west
wall and that the wall must
be repaired as well.
Others in the audience
expressed their concern over
the proposed bond issue ref-erendum.
One resident
asked in regard to the fire at
Rhame Avenue several
years ago, "Where did the
insurance money go?" Mr.
Maiden responded that he
was not present in the dis-trict
at the time of the fire,
and could therefore not
comment on the question.
Another resident of 30 years
rose to express his opposi-tion
to the Board's hiring of
a public relations person for
the express purpose of sel-ling
the bond issue. He said,
"In years past, this was
handled by various com-munity
groups, such as the
PTA." Mr. Maiden noted
that the last time a bond vote
was left to community
groups, the referendum was
overwhelmingly rejected.
"The Board felt that it was in
the best interests of the
community to hire a profes-sional
so that the bond issue
might be passed," Maiden
c o n c l u d e d . He added,
"Almost every other school
district has a professional
public relations person on
retainer."
At the regular meeting,
Mrs. Brande noted that the
Board had received corres-pondence
from residents
surrounding Rhame Avenue
School, who had signed a
petition against parents who
p a r k along Althouse
Avenue before picking up
their children. Mrs. Burris
of Althouse Avenue rose
and stated that she had
spoken to the police officer
on duty, and he stated that
he would not issue tickets. "1
then called his superior,"
Mrs. Burris noted, "and he
told me that tickets would be
issued. Since then, the
policeman on duty has not
issued tickets."
The Board noted that the
East Rockaway School Dis-trict
has been asked to send a
r e p r e s e n t a t i v e to the
BOCES Board, and Mrs.
Brande asked that any
volunteers who are inter-ested
in serving this body
should please contact her as
soon as possible. The
appropriations for BOCES
comprise approximately
one sixth of the total school
budget, stated Mr. Duenges,
Business Manager for the
district,
(Continued on Page 4)
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