PERSOMMEL ITEMS
Leslie Lewis has resigned as
chairman of the Highway Com-mission,
due to the pressures
of his regular employment and
other activities,, His resignar
tion was accepted with regret
by the Village Board.
Revo Co Barrow of the Bethel
ME Church has been appointed
to the Citizens Coflsaittee On
Community Planning,
Ptl« Martin Condon has received
a special commendation from the
Village Board for his recent
action above and beyond the
call of duty, in disarming a
man firing a revolver in the
presence of a large number of
peopleo Disregarding his per-sonal
safety, Ptl. Condon also
wrested an eight inch hunting
knife frora the man.
VILLAGE ORDIMAMCES
The abandonment of super-market
shopping carts on the streets
of the village is a problem in
Freeport as it is in many other
communities,, An amendment to
village law will now tighten
enforcement procedures, calling
for issuing a summons to anyone
abandoning a cart. Merchants
will not be permitted to leave
carts on sidewalks, streets or
other public property. Charges
for reclaiming carts will be
made, of not less than $1 plus
reasonsble fees for storage
and other expenses.
An amendment to the ordinance
governing the planting of trees
in the public property between
sidewalk and curb, adds Ash
White, Sweet Gum and Sycamore
MajJe as species of trees per-mitted,
and deletes Norway
Maple.
BEAUTIFUL AUTUMN PROBLEM
The many hued splendor of autumn leaves enhances the natural
beauty of our tree-lined streets. But as the leaves fallj a dis-posal
problem is created for the village's Highway Department.
Under the air polution control laws, the burning of leaves is not
permitted. It has been found that the smoke released from burning
leaves is harmful to health. In Freeport the Highway Department
provides a special service for leaf removal in an eight-week pro-gram.
Residents are asked to sweep leaves into the gutter and keep them
neatly aligned alongside the curb. Highway Superintendent Harry
Chuisano has his work crews out each day, gathering up the leaves
with the help of the large vacuum trucks. There are two units
working in the northwest area, two in the southwest, two in the
northeast and one in the southeast (where there are fewer large
trees)o Mr. Chuisano requests the cooperation of all residents
in keeping the leaf piles free of branches, stones, rubbish and
other objects that would affect the operation of the vacuum truck0
A PUBLIC INFORMATION BULLETIN OF THE VILLAGE OF FREEPORT
46 NORTH OCEAN AVENUE TELEPHONE FReeport 8-4000 ROBERT J. SWEENEY. MAYOR
JUBILEE MEKEOTOS ARE AVAILABLE November, 1967
Now is the time to buy a keepsake of our village's Diamond Jubilee
celebration, either for yourself or someone else. With the holi-day
season approaching, what gift could be more appropriate than
one of the Historical Commemorative Books, or a Diamond Jubilee
Chinaware plate, beautifully illustrated with pictures of Free-port
past and present..
Souvenir plates will become a collector's item very soon, as
there are only a few left to purchase, at $2 each. There may be
a few left, at the cashiers' windows in the Village Hall. The
commemorative books, useful to children in school and an inter-esting
reference work, contain a history of Freeport, a listing
of most important dates, photographs, articles on many aspects of
village life, including Police Department, Fire Department, rec-reation,
religious organizations, the school system, a look into
the future by Mayor Sweeney, and many other features. The books
may be bought for $1 each at the Village Hall, Memorial Library,
Municipal Power Plant, some newsstands and drug stores, and other
outlets in the business area.
A limited number of other Jubilee mementos, such as old-fashioned
top hats, derbies, sunbonnets, western colonel bow ties, and $75
bill souvenir certificates are available from Jubilee Committee
vice president Robert Raynor (Steinmetz Studios), 64 South Grove.
Trustees: Henry M. Altengarten, Frank W. Somers, George H. Fairberg, Thomas J. Loveiidge
Village Clerk: John J. MacDonald — Treasurer: Leonard D. B. Smith — Counsel: Oakley Gentry, Jr.
REHABILITATION. PROGRAM TO PREVENT HOUSING BLIGHT
In line with the Village Board's conintuing efforts to prevent
decline of neighborhoods, the Board gave its approval last month
to a new type of rehabilitation program to be financed by the
federal government and administered by the Freeport Housing Auth-ority.
Authority Chairman John Bs Mack said federal authorization
for the $1,000,000 program was expected quickly, since all re-quirements
have now been met,the last being the approval by the
village government. The.Freeport Planning Board also recommended
that the village proceed with the rehabilitation plan.
It calls for buying substandard houses located in otherwise good
residential neighborhoods in 'northeast ~Freeport,~c6mpletely re-habilitating
the houses and making them available .for rental and
sale*
They will be under the control and conditions set down by the
Freeport Housing Authority for proper maintenance by the occupants.
The initial program allows for rehabilitating 50 hpuses.
No village funds will be required, since complete financing and
guarantees are provided by the federal government. The rehabili-tated
houses will be offered to applicants in the moderate in-come
group of about $6500 to $8000 per year, depending upon the
size of family, who meet the requirements for financial responsi-bility
o These families will rent with an option to buy, and money
paid as rent for up to three years will be credited towards the
purchase price. The prospective home owners will also save hun-dreds
of dollars normally needed for legal fees and other expenses.
Housing Chairman John Mack said the Freeport program will be the
first for any suburban community in this part of the country,
although similar programs in Philadelphia and Boston have been
successful in preventing decline of neighborhoods. Unlike urban
renewal the rehabilitation project is preventive in nature,
attempting to avoid deterioration of residential areas before
they get to the point where urban renewal is necessary.
Other programs undertaken by the Village Board to prevent blight
in housing include the hiring of a community consultant to work
with families and civic groups on social problems, tightening of
building and zoning codes to combat over-occupancy of one-family
houses, and working with state officials to impose rent control
on substandard houses so that landlords will find it financially
expedient to make necessary improvements.
Cracking down on substandard housing maintenance, Freeport Build-ing
Superintendent William Noll, center, and inspectors Spencer
Clark, left, and Lou Curran, check off a list of violations for
a house on Broadway. With the cooperation of the New York State
Office of Rent Administration the rent on a second floor apart-ment
was reduced from $240 a month to $55.20, when housing con-ditions
were found to be a detriment to life and health.
A proposed amendment to village
law which would have required
licensing of dealers in second-hand
articles, and a record-keeping
system on purchases,
was rejected by the Village
Board. At a public hearing on
October 23 noone appeared to
speak in favor of the amendment,
while many businessmen and resi-dents
raised what the Board con-sidered
valid objections. A
motion was made by Trustee
George Fairberg to reject the
proposed amendments it was sec-onded
by Trustee Frank Soraers,
and carried.
