-WAR83 Volunteer Real Estate
Testers Needed
A Message From:
Michael Kirwan, Human Relations Director
and Coordinator, Stabilization Task Force. '
Recent census data, coupled
with the experience of our Home-finders'
Service, demonstrates
that to date ,we have been suc-cessful
in maintaining our Vil-lage
as a stable, integrated com-munity
where'people of different
ethnic, racial, religious' and
economic background can live
and work in harmony. . ' '. •
Despite the example of Free-port,
which demonstrates that an
integrated community can and
does work, the real estate in-dustry,
with some exceptions,
persists in its policy of a dual
housing market, one for white
purchasers, the other for black
purchasers. This policy is.an ever-present-
danger to/the stability of
such "integrated communities as
Freeport which has maintained its
integrated'riature only because of
the constant vigilance of the com-munity
— with its determina-tion
to remain integrated —
despite the flagrant violation of
both the New York (State and Fed-eral
laws by the real estate in-dustry.
The enforcement of those
laws is ineffective at best unless
the local communities are in-volved.
We in Freeport have found the
most assured way of securing
compliance with the law is to test
the realtors' compliance. This is
done by sending "couples"
posing as potential -.clients to
targeted real estate brokers; The
purpose is to document ' the
. disparity in treatment of - white
and black -testers which . might
include the racial steering of the
black testers to Freeport and the'
white elsewhere. -
Where such disparity can be
documented, there are several
courses of action which can be
pursued: complaints to the New
York Department of State, the
licensing authority; complaints to
the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development; or the
initiation of a law suit against the
offending broker.
To continue to be successful,
Freeport's testing program needs
additional volunteers. Testers are
trained before being assigned and
it is hoped that testers will only
have to test once in a-two month
period so the commitment of
rime will be minimal.
It is'essential that testing be
done in pairs. When necessary,
"husband" and "wife" teams
will be put together from among
the pool of volunteers. Prospec-tive
buyers could also include
mother and daughter, brothers,
etc.
Should you be able to volunteer
your time in this worthwhile
community effort, please fill out
the accompanying form and re-turn
it with your electric payment.
r
NAME OF TESTER(S)
ADDRESS
*RACE
* Racial identity is.necessary in order to
accurately pair the two testing couples.
Homeowners
And
Sewer Lines
'• For environmental reasons, the
. Village's Sewage treatment plant
was phased out with hook-up
accomplished to the Nassau
County-operated Cedar Creek
Water Pollution Control Plant
in Wantagh.
However, the Village main-
• tains< our four • pump- stations»and
over 100 miles of sewer lines un-der
Freeport streets.
In, .order to adhere .to the re-quirements
of the County's Sewer
Code, we must ask for the coop-eration
of all the residents in the
following ways:
1. Please do not drain grease
down the sink. Save your
grease and fat in a can. Let
.it solidify and include it with
your garbage.
: 2. Rags should not be flushed
down the toilet. Save them
as you do your newspapers,
;. and bring them to a salvage
station. They can be reused
for the making of paper, and
you will be reimbursed for
them.by the pound.
3. The maintenance crew of
the Sewer Department will
continue to be available to
respond to any emergency.
Should you experience a
problem with your sewer or
water pipes in the evening
or on a weekend, call the
Police Department —
FR 8-0700. Give your ad-dress
and a short statement
of the complaint, and they
will contact the appropriate
individuals to investigate and
try to assist you.
In the past there have been
instances of basement flooding
because a property owner, or a
plumber, opened a sewage house
trap in the home before checking
the street.sewer first. If there is
any doubt that the stoppage is not
located in the home, please call
for help from the Sewer Mainten-ance
Crew (as explained above)
before opening the house trap.
The Village Code regarding
lateral sewer pipe connections
from the house to the Village
sewer line is still in effect and this
connection is still the homeown-er's
responsibility.
MARCH 1983
•fiEFERENCE
LIBRARY
A Public Information Bulletin
of The Village Of Freeport.
46 North Ocean Avenue
Telephone.FReeport 8-4000
William H. White, Mayor,
Village
News
Public Meetings;on the 1st..and 3rd.:Mondaysof the Month, at 8:00 P.M.-
Curbs Should
Be Free
Of Cans
Garbage in Freeport is collect-ed
at the rear or side door. Des-pite
this special service, the Vil- .
lage government has received
numerous complains from resi-dents
disturbed by neighbors
placing their garbage cans on the
curb for collection. Cans standing
at the curb all day create- an
unsightly atmosphere in the area..
The practice is completely unnec-.
essary. A poll of residents when
the Village first went to private
carters indicated that they wished
to retain the luxury of backdoor
garbage collection despite the
higher cost which they pay in
the form of property taxes. It
makes no sense not to take advan-tage
of a service which one is
pay ing for.
Iri^ addition to unattractiveness.
cans standing at the curb for any
length of time can be an invitation
for burglary. They might be taken
as a signal that no one is home.-
Trash must be placed at the
curb for collection. Cardboard'
boxes (but not appliance cartons)
and the like) and other disposable
containers eliminate the need for
..metal cans which remain on the
curb ' after trash collection.
."Heavy'duty plactic bags may b'e
'used-in areas free of curious rac-coons^.
When cans must be used,
• theyshould be removed from the
curb immediately after collection.
In households where no one is
home during the day, a neighbor
Curbs And Sidewalks
Under the law, while street
' maintenance" and repair ' is the
responsibility of the Village at
large, the curb, sidewalk or any
area beyond the road surface is.
the responsibility of the individu-"
al property owner.
Any repair work must be done
by a qualified contractor licensed -
by the Village. A list of licensed
"contractors authorized to do such
•work may be obtained from the
Village Clerk's office. The con-tractor
must obtain a permit
from the Village before work can
begin. .. • . . _ . .
Property owners may receive
notification from the Village Clerk
to replace missing, broken or
otherwise unsatisfactory curb
and/or sidewalk area in front of
their property. In this case, the
property owner may engage one
of the licensed contractors to do
the required work. If the work is
not done within 15 days of receipt
of the. notice, the Village will
.order the work done and the cost
rwill be' charged to the property
•owner. Payment may be made at
that time, or can remain unpaid
"and'it will be added to the Village
taxes, -as they become due the
following March and September.
•' In the case of corner properties,
it is necessary to install a ramp
for handicapped persons (wheel-chairs),
at the curb, which is a
requirement of a newly enacted
State .law. Note: This only be-comes
mandated when a new
curb is installed. The contractor
who does the work will have to
obtain specific directions from the
Village's Sidewalk Inspector as
to the construction of the ramp.
should be asked to bring the cans
in as a security measure.
Noticia
La basura en Freeport se
recoge a! lado o detras de la casa.
Zafacones de basura no deben
ponerse en la acera.
. Desechos de otra clase tales
como periodicos, revistas, ramas
de ,arboles tienen que ponerlos
en la acera despues de la seis de
la tarde la noche antes de la
coleccion y deben ser empacados
eri (cajas) de carton o sacos
'.plasticos. Si vusa sus zafacones
para esta clase de desechos,
estos deben ser removidos de
la acera inmediatamente despuez
de la coleccion..
Organization
Night
The Village's Annual Organiza-tion
Meeting will be held on Mon-day,
April 4, at Village Hall, be-ginning
at 8pm.
The two Trustees chosen in the
March Village Election will re-ceive
the oath of office at the be-ginning
of the session. In addi-tion,
it is at this annual meeting
that the Board of Trustees ap-points
various department
heads and chairmen and mem-bers
of the Village's Commis-sions,
Boards and Committees.
The public is welcome to
attend.
Trustees: Dorothy Storm, Alfred Sirlin, James Clark, Vincent DiCostanzo
Village Clerk: Thomas DeVincenzo; Attorney: Harrison J. Edwards, Jr.; Treasurer: Thomas M. Molloy
Does the roof sa _
or leak? Are eaves
rotted? Is the chimney
safe and sound?
Is the wiring safe?
Are there enough
outlets?
Are there enough windows?
Any broken?
Are they weathertight?
Will they open?
One Day A Housing
Inspector Came to
Jack's House.
Here's What
He Did -
What Does Housing Inspection Mean To You
How many rooms? How
many people live in
them? Is there
enough space and
privacy for healthful
living?
Are there kitchen
and bathroom fixtures?
Hot and cold running
water? Does the
plumbing work?
... as a TENANT?
You will have the secure feeling that goes with
knowing that the house you rent is safe and
sound. You are protected by law from the care-lessness
;or neglect of the person who owns the
property you rent. If repairs or changes need
to be made,. ,thew owner_will J>er notified.., _ _
...as an OWNER?
Any holes or breaks
in floors, walls,
or ceilings? Do they
sag? Does siding
need paint or repair?
You do not have to make your own decisions a-bout
whether or not the house is in good shape.
This is done for you by a competent, impartial
inspector. Any dealings with the landlord are
also handled for you by the.inspector.
It means your property is .being looked over by
a home maintenance specialist. He'll tell you
what repairs are required by Village codes for
-health and safety's sake. He'll also give you
some good tips on ways to improve the beauty
and value of your, property.
You'll get a written report of his recommenda-tions.
If you have any questions, he'll be
glad to try to answer them.
Do foundation walls
hav^ ho!c?s or big
cracks? Is the cellar
too damp?
Is the heating system
adequate?
Wh.it abovt vents, safety]
devices and flues?
Is the yard free of
junk and rubbish?
Are there enough
garbage cans? Any
sign of rats? Are
there screens on
windows and
doors?
••o
He'll Folio* The Same Steps Men He Visits You.
Separate Fact From Fancy
Some say....
Once one place starts running down, it isn't
.long before other houses follow.
....Nonsense! There's no reason for any neigh-borhood
to turn into a slum. These are
'strong houses.' All they need is a little
fixing up.
But what if their owners - or just one owner -
don't want to repair? Then what can you do?
....That's where our Village-wide housing code
program comes in. It helps people keep
their neighborhoods in good condition by
requiring all property owners to comply
with the ordinances established for the
• general good.
How does the program protect MY neighborhood?
....By requiring minimum standards for health
and safety. Inspectors are maintenance
'" specialists who can inform owners on what
is needed to bring their homes in line with
Village codes, and bring new life and
beauty to their properties and neighborhoods.
FOR BUILDING VIOLATIONS, DEFECTS OR APPARENT
OVER-OCCUPANCY SITUATIONS (too many persons in
.onehouse),PLEASECALL-;BUILDING DEPARTMENT
* . . . 378-4000,. Extr 241
