by William G//Jesp/e,~"~
Village Safety Director
SAFETY is, or should be, an
integral part of family life, and
although the basic responsibility
for SAFETY rests with the par-ents
and adult family members,
the examples we set do tend to
make SAFETY an all-hands
family project.
Even the very young have been
indoctrinated into SAFETY by
the New York infant-child seat
law which requires that children
under four years of age must sit in
a federally approved seat when
riding in a private car. This some-times
imposes a trivial hardship
on grandparents anxious to take
the young ones out for a ride or
a treat, but the benefits of the law
are great.
fflew Law April 1
Presently children between
ages four and five are required to
be buckled by a regular seat belt.
Beginning April 1 children be-tween
ages four and seven must
be secured by a seat belt. On an
annual basis the law will be
extended so that by 1987 children
up to age 10 must be buckled.
Hopefully the training of early
years will carry over into the
teens and beyond.
Flash... Warning
The holidays saw many gifts
which are activated by miniature
batteries. Some are tiny enough
to operate pocket calculators
hardly bigger than a credit card,
or watches which tell time
around the world, or pens which
double as watches with perpetual
calendars.
A word of caution. These bat-teries
are often no bigger than a
vitamin tablet and can prove
lethal if ingested by a tot or a pet.
Pay careful attention to how you
store or dispose of them. Keep
them out of reach. If you lose one
under circumstances that sug-gests
child involvement, get im-mediate
medical attention from
your own doctor or at a hospital
emergency room: The batteries
will show up quickly on x-ray or
flouroscope examination.
SAFETY is a matter of LIFE
and DEATH!
Occupy 55,000 Sq. Ft. on 'Two Guys" Site
Vornado Properties, Inc., own-ers
of the 13-acre Sunrise Busi-ness
Campus located .at .Sunrise
Highway and Liberty Avenue,
have announced the leasing of
55,000 square feet to Cablevision.
The cable firm will use the site
as its south shore regional
engineering heaadquarters.
The facility will include office
space for managerial staff and
garage space for 70 service
vehicles. Some 200 employees
will work out of the Freeport
office which is scheduled to open
in June.
The State Division of Housing
and Community Renewal has an-nounced
that any tenant living in
an apartment under the juris-diction
of the Emergency Tenant
Protection Act (ETPA) has the
right to file for a rent reduction
if he/she feels the rent is excess-ive
and he/she is being over-charged.
This often occurs when
a new tenant coming in has not
been advised of the rent paid by
the prior tenant. Every new ten-ant
under ETPA should be furn-ished
with the amount of the prior
tenant's rent along with his new
lease. If this is not done, it is
relatively easy to "jack up" the
rent to a higher amount than it
should be. The Guideline rate in-crease
could then be applied to
this higher amount.
All apartment buildings in
Freeport with six or more units
and built before January 1, 1974,
are under ETPA.
Beginning April 1, 1984 or
shortly thereafter, every tenant
under ETPA will receive a state-ment
from his landlord showing
the rent charged, and the services
provided. If you suspect you are
Students are urged to apply
now for summer jobs with (he
Village. Such jobs include recrea-tion
aide, laborer and lifeguard.
Application must be made at
the office of the Village Clerk,
Village Hall, weekdays, 8:30 am
to 4 pm. No telephone inquiries
will be accepted. Applicants
will be required to present
proof of residency in the Village
Cablevision will occupy 25,000
square feet in the existing,
110,000 square .foot building,
formerly occupied by "Two
Guys." Bulova occupies 60,000
square feet in that building,
leaving 25,000 feet available.
In addition, Cablevision will
occupy a new 30,000 square foot
addition now under construction.
Vornado has also announced
plans for the construction of an
additonal 50,000 sq. ft. building
at the Sunrise Buisness Campus
for a total of 190,000 square feet,
of tax-producing construction.
being overcharged, please act
at once and file duplicate copies
of form R.T.P.2, with the State
Division of Housing. Make sure
you give all necessary information
on both copies of the form and
date and sign them.
Landlords under ETPA are
required to register all rents by
July 1, 1984. By July 1, 1984 all
rents will be registered with the
State Division of Housing — and
it will no longer be possible to
challenge or protest the rent over-charge.
The above information was
furnished by Freeport Tenants
Association President Ethel Dor-man
who was appointed Munici-pal
Tenant Representative by
Mayor William White. The neces-sary
forms can be obtained from
Mrs. Dorman, 623-8581, or from
Michael Kirwan, Village Tenant-
Landlord Coordinator, Village
Hall, 378-4000.
Completed R.T.P.2 forms
should be sent to: New York
State Division of Housing and
Community Renewal, 50 Clinton
Street, Hempstead, NY 11550.
and must be at least 18 years of
age. Lifeguards must have certifi-cation
.
The deadline for summer jobs
is May 1. If vacancies for life-guards
exist, after the deadline,
applications will be accepted from
non-residents as well as resi-dents,
17 years or older, with
the required certification.
MARCH 1984
A Public Information Bulletin
of The Village Of Freeport
46 North Ocean Avenue
Telephone FReeport 8-4000
William H. White. Mayor
Public Meetings on the 1st. and 3rd. Mondays of the Month at 8:00 P.M.
Mayor William White (left) and Freeport Memorial Library Director Gerald Nichols look over the
first book of the official minutes of the Village Board of Trustees which was started in June, 1892 as
plans for the incorporation of Freeport as a Village began. Four such minute books, three handwritten
and running until March, 1922, have lovely leather and suede bindings which were deteriorating with
age. The Village sought the advice of the Library. It was learned that to replace the original covers
would be prohibitively expensive and would destroy the books' antique authenticity. As a courtesy,
the Library arranged for their expert cleaning and repasting and the custom making of chemically
treated storage boxes to prevent further damage.
Trustees: Dorothy Storm, Alfred Sirlin, James Clark, Vincent DiCostanzo
Village Clerk: Thomas DeVincenzo; Attorney: Harrison J. Edwards, Jr.; Treasurer: Thomas M. Motley
r
The Village of Freeport has
joined the U.S. Commerce
Department's Census Bureau in a
special Neighborhood Statistics
program. The purpose of this
program is to produce demo-graphic
and economic information
based on the results of the 1980
Census of Population and Hous-ing
for officially recognized
neighborhoods.
There are five such neighbor-hoods
in the Village: Northwest,
Northeast, ..Central, Southwest,
and Southest. Information on the
first three neighborhoods has
been printed in the "Village
News" beginning in December.
This month the focus is on the
Southwest. The series will finish
in April with the Southeast.
NOTE: It is important to keep
in mind that this data was collect-ed
in 1979-80.
Southwest Freeport
For this purpose, the Com-merce
Department defines the
southwest as that area from
Atlantic Avenue south to the
water; from the Village's westerly
boundary to South Ocean Avenue
above Front Street, and including
Woodcleft Avenue south of Front.
According to the census,
6,175 persons lived in the area
on April 1, 1980. They comprised
16.1% of Freeport's totaf popula-tion
of 38,272. Of that number,
5,236 were White; 701 Black;
2 were among the American
Indian, Eskimo and Aleut group-ing;
and 92 of the Asian and
Pacific Islander grouping. Per-sons
of Spanish origin (who may
be of any race) numbered 431.
Among residents of the south-west,
20.1% were under age 15
and 8.8% were 65 or older. The
area's median age was 33.9%
years as compared to total Free-port's
30.9% years.
The southwest's 2,070 house-holds
represent 16.3% of all Free-port
households. 15.2% consisted
of one person and 6.9% had six
or more persons.
Among persons in the south-west
age 15 and older, 63.6% of
the 2,383 men and 59.6% of the
2,549 women were married
(excluding separated) at the time
of the.census. Of 1,672 families,
89.2% were maintained by a
married couple, 8.8% be a female
householder with no husband
present, and 2% by a male house-holder
with no wife present.
Foreign born in the area
was 13.9%. In terms of ethnic
or national origin 329 persons
were of Irish ancestry, 526 of
Italian and 475 of German.
In the southwest, 1,675 persons
ages three and over were en-rolled
in school. They included
86 in nursery schools, 857 in
kindergarten through eighth
grade and 432 in high school.
Of the students in grades K-12,
8.8% were enrolled in private
schools. Of those over the age of
25, 8.8% had a grade school
education or less, and 80.1%
were high school graduates,
including 37.7% who had com-pleted
one or more years of
college. About 18% had com-pleted
four years or more of Col-lege.
Of civilians 16 years and
over, 20% were veterans, includ-ing
41% of the males.
Of the total of 5,874 persons;
five years and older, living in
the southwest in 1980, 32.7%
had been living in a different
house in the United States five
years earlier. Of those movers,
48.4% had lived in Nassau
County; 46.3% had lived in New
York State but in a different
county; and 5.4% had lived in
a different state. On the other
hand, 46.5% of all householders
in the southwest had lived in
their housing units 10 years or
more.
The unemployment rate for the
area in 1979 was 4.7% — 4.4%
for White persons; 8% for Black
persons; and 5.1% for Spanish
origin persons. In the area,
66% of all working age (16 or
older) persons and 53.1% of
working-age females were in the
labor force.
Those employed included 648
in administrative support occupa-tions
including clerical. Another
430 persons said they were in
precision production, craft and
repair occupations, and 411 per-sons
were in executive, adminis-trative
and managerial occupa-tions.
Of the 2,989 employed
persons, 75.7% worked for wages
or salary for a private entity.
Another 18.7% held local, state
or federal government jobs; The
self-employed represented 5.2%
of the total.
The median income in 1979 for
families in the southwest was
$26,755. The median income for
White families was $26,230;
$27,104 for Black families; and
$24,732 for Spanish origin fam-ilies.
There were a total of 137
persons below the poverty level
($7,412 for a four-person family)
in 1979. There were 23 persons
65 years and over below that
level, or 4% of all elderly in the
area. Of the 18 families below the
poverty level, 4% had a female
householder with no husband
present. The poverty rate for
White persons was 2.6%; 0.0%
for Black; and 1.2% for Spanish
origin persons.
The census showed that of
the 2,070 year-round occupied
housing units in the southwest,
80.3% were occupied by owners
and 19.7% for renters. Of the
1,662 owner-occupied housing
units, 86.6% were occupied by
White; 10.6% by Black; 1.1% by
Asian and Pacific Islander group-ing;
and 5% by Spanish origin.
Of the 408 renter-occupied hous-ing
units, 95.6% were occupied
by White; 2% by Black; 0.5% by
Asian and Pacific Islander group-ing;
and 5.8% by Spanish origin.
The- census found that about
9.3% of the housing units were
built in 1970 or later, while
21.1% had been built before
1940. Median value, in 1980,
for owner-occupied homes was
$46,200 compared to $43,900, „.
total Freeport median. Median
contract rent paid for rental hous:
ing units was $412 compared to
total Freeport median of $308.
The Village's Annual Organ-ization
Meeting will be held on
Monday, April 2, at Village Hall,
beginning at 8 pm.
It is at this annual meeting that
the Board of Trustees appoints
various department heads and
chairmen and members of the
Village's Commissions, Boards
and Committees.
The public is welcome to
attend.
Dear Freeporters: '
Many of you probably read a recent editorial in Newsday which indicated that "Freeport Officials" do
not allow the public free access to Village records.
The impression this Newsday editorial created is absolutely false!
It is the type of "reporting" that has earned Newsday the reputation among"many Freeporters of being
the newspaper that never lets the truth stand in the way of a'good"s"tory".
We are bringing this to your attention Because we frequently get complaints aboutthe unfair image of
Freeport projected by Newsday, and it is false stories such as these that unjustly tarnish ourlmage.
Regarding free access to village inforniation, the fact of the matter is that we received 71 formal re-quests
for information in 1983 which were promptly honored. Infontfation fe only withheld in cases such
as when it affects the persona! privacy of an individual or would impair Taw enforcement, as in an active
polNiceew isndvaeys teirgraotnioeno.usly referred to a situation in 1975 which was a matter of individual privacy. In a polit-ical
context there was a demand for a fist of all" village employees, their salaries and their home address-es.
The person requesting the inforniation was given complete access to tife entire village payrolls; three
times, names and salaries, but not aTist of employees home addresses.
Over a hundred employees petitione'd the Board not to violate their personal privacy by releasing a list
of their home addresses, and the Board concurred with their wishes. It is interesting to note "that the
Freedom of Information Law, which was silent on (he subject of Home' addresses, in 1977 was changed to
indicate it is necessary to furnish only the business address of municipal employees (Village Hall). The
legislature has recognized this basic right of personal privacy, even if Newsday hasn't.
Incidentally, Newsday neglected to mention (hat in 1975 they printed a retraction 6f their editorial be-cause
they had the facts wrong" and hadn't bothered to properly check. (Of course, the retraction Is al-ways
in much smaller, less prominent space than the original'untruth). Even the retraction did not tell the
whole truth, concerning employees' hom6 addresses.
Regarding the current Newsday editorial, they again are falsely creating the impression (hat the Vil-lage
is withholding records or jSubfic inforniation. The request for ihfomfation Involved records of the
Freeport Municipal Stadium going back over a period 6f ten years, contained in thousands of individual
doAculmthoenutgsh, iint t tohorke*e s evvilelaragle e mdepploayrtemese nmtsa.ny days to gather the inforniation it was done'and the applicants
were informed it would be available for inspection and copying, for three afternoons"a week indefinitely
(making it necessary to have one'or more "Village employees on Rand each time). After all" of that unpro-ductive
and costFy work by village employees none'of the applicants made any attempt to inspect the rec-ordIns.
stead, a lawsuit was filed two Weeks later, to attempt to get unrestricted time all day every day,
whenever the applicant felt like dropping in, and have village employees drop Whatever work they were
doing, to go over ten years of records. It appears that the applicants were more Interested in publicity
than in inforniation,"and, as always, Newsday was happy to accommodate them, at the expense of the
Village of Freeport. Newsday was given the facts but choseto misinterpret the village's position as a re-fusal
to make records available.
Why does Newsday constantly do this to Ffeeport?
It seems that there are one'or more Individuals on (he paper who have some sort'of personal gripe
agaWines th oauvre cboemenm utonlidty't 1hat a Newsday reporter said to a" group" of Freeporte"rs, only two days before
Newsday's recent editorial, that "Freeport will probably never get another good'Story'but'of Newsday."
Those'present said they had the feeling that they were being blackmailed. That reporter was angry at a
private Freeport organization because she failed to get infomfation that the organization felt would
jeopardize the personal" safety of certain individuals. This information Bad nothing to d6 with the village
government or the village in general, but the Newsday reporter was reacting against our' entire com-muTnhiitsy
.was the same reporter who dfd the news story "about the village's alleged failure to properly re-spond
to a freedom'of inforniation request. With that sort of dbvfous~bias is it any wonder that so many
Freeporters are asking us, "Why does"Newsday always print such a negative picture of Freeport?"
Fortunately, most Freeport residents recognize the Newsday bias for e"xactiy what it is — an attempt to
create controversy at Freeport's expense, regardless of tfuth.
Regarding Village records the truth is, of course, that they are all available to aH our residents, except
as may be specifically prohibited by law, Newsday notwithstanding. Very truly yours,
The Village Board of Trustees
