Drainage Valves Installed in South Freeport
Officials from south shore waterfront communities were
on Irving Avenue recently witnessing the installation
of new drainage check valves in Freeport's worst flood
zone. The valves are designed to stop the bay waters from
coming back in the outfall pipes, and eventually coming out
of the storm basins which flood the street. Drainage check
valves were also installed on South Long Beach, Lester,
Stirling Avenues, Meister Boulevard and inside Waterfront
Park.
Superintendent of Public Works David Lovejoy says offi-cials
and engineers from Island Park, Lindenhurst, Massapequa
and the Town of Hempstead are looking to follow Freeport's
lead in solving flooding problems. The new valves are being
adjusted by the contractor who installed the valves and all
should be operational by mid-January.
Mayor Thompson has pledged that his administration will
continue to combat the flooding situation which plagues thou-sands
of Freeporters. A study is now underway to determine
the next locations where the drainage check valves are to be .
installed. Residents are urged to voice their concerns by call- V |-f~\
ing thef Engineering Department at 378-5020. Q -4-
—~" : ~
Men installing drainage check valves in Freeport's flood zone.
Dear Sirs:
A pothole is fastly getting bigger in front of my residence
on Ray Street. I first communicated this last September, but
no action resulted. Perhaps you can get action.
John L. Warren
Mayor Thompson's staff forwarded Mr. Warren's letter to the
Public Works Department. The pothole on Ray Street was
repaired shortly afterward.
Dear Mayor Thompson,
Cars parked in our parking lot have been damaged by per-sons
unknown trying to steal them.
We would appreciate it if you could advise trie Freeport
Police to patrol our parking lot area. The hours between 12:30
a.m. and 2:30 a.m. seem to be the time we have experienced
this damage.
Our residents are apprehensive and afraid to go into our lot,
not to metion the expenses incurred by these incidents.
The Board of Directors
70 North Grove Owners Corporation
Dear Residents of 70 North Grove Street,
I am forwarding a copy of your letter to Deputy Police In-spector
Michael Woodward for his review and direct response.
Thank you for taking the time to inform me of these
occurences. Please feel free to contact my office with any
problems that may arise in the future.
Sincerely,
Mayor Thompson
Since informed of the concern, Freeport Police Officials have
added more frequent patrol of North Grove Street between
the hours of midnight and 3 a.m. and have suggested addi-tional
lighting to be placed in the area.
Dear Mayor Thompson,
A large tree on our street gave way to the heavy winds and
snapped off at its base taking with it five utiltity poles,y dam-aged
our underground electrical feed and making Smith Street
a disaster rarea. If it wasn't for the quick reaction of the Free-port
Police Department to secure the area while there were
live wires around, and by the Freeport Electric Company to
make the repairs quickly and thoroughly as possible, Christ-
Letters to the Village
mas Eve would have been a total disaster for all the families
affected by the outage. } ')
The entire crew of the Electric Company were courteous
and kept us informed as progress was made. When a few oj
the residents of the building complained how they were "in-convenienced"
by the power failure, I told them to look at the
crews out on the street who were working in the rain and not
complaining. Others didn't let the outage interfere with the
holiday. One resident entertained 16 for dinner in the dark.
It is because of the total commitment of all the departments
in the Village that makes Freeport a great place to live. My
thanks to all the police officers and linemen from the electric
company who did their best to allow us to enjoy the hours
that were left on Christmas Eve. \
Heidi Rosen '
\
Dear Ms. Rosen:
It is always a pleasure to receive positive correspondence
regarding our employees. We are very proud of'both the Free-port
Police Department and Freeport Electric Company.
This is another fine example of the commitment and loy-alty
that has been constantly demonstrated by the employees
of the Freeport Police Department and the Freeport Electric
Department.
Sincerely,
Mayor Thompson
Cease & Desist Notic
On page 2. as a public service, we have published a
Cease and Dcsistrcqucst form. Please take a moment to
complete it. dale it and return to Michael'E. Kirwan. 46
North Ocean Avenue Freeport. NY 11520. He will per-sonally
deliver all completed forms to the Department
of State for publication and distribution to the real estate
industry. Do not mail this form directly to the Dcpart-mcnt
of Slate.
We cannot stress enough ihc importance of taking the
lime lo complete and return this form. Frccportcrs have
been complaining about the volume of solicitation from
real estate 11 mis cspccialy those based far away from
Freeport. Now is the time to put a slop lo this practice.
Sinn. dale, and return your Cease and Desist form today.
Vol. 2 No. 1
January 1995
Suffolk Man Nabbed for 319 Freeport Building Violations
Freeport police traveled to Suffolk
County on January llth to arrest a
Melville man accused of significantly
damaging the quality of life in the Village,
according to Mayor Arthur W. Thompson.
Asish Sen, an absentee landlord who owns
five properties in Freeport, was ordered held
in lieu of $25,000 bail. He was initially ar-raignment
before Freeport Village Judge
- Roy Cacciatore.
"Four of his prop-erties
are falling
apart," said Mayor
Thompson. "They
are a prime example
of what this admin-istration
has been
working to improve since we began a ma-jor
crackdown on over-occupancy."
Thompson noted that three of Sen's com-mercial
buildings with apartments above —
at 163, 165 and 167 North Main Street — have faulty electri-cal
systems. Garbage and debris have accumulated, the base-ment
of one building is flooded, and bricks have been falling
into the street.
At a fourth property at 215 Colonial Avenue, Sen is charged
with building an illegal apartment on the first floor of a com-mercial
building. "An apartment," the mayor said, "that is
seriously overcrowded." An auto body shop there also vio-lates
in Village zoning code.
This Will
Serve Notice
To Other
Violators..."
Police lead absentee landlord Asish Sen into Village Hall in handcuffs after his arrest.
Among his 319 building code violations, Sen also failed to
get rental permits for his properties.
"The building -Department has been investigating Sen's
properties since 1990," Thompson revealed.
"He has repeatedly failed to appear in court to answer the
summons, so we sent the police to his home to arrest him and
bring him in to face these charges," said the Mayor. "This
will serve notice to other violators that Freeport will not al-low
landlords to keep tenants in deplorable living conditions."
New Long-Term Care Center Replaces Ex-Hospital
Mayor Thompson stressed priority for the new Care Center with HUD's Jose
Cintron (1) and developer Sidney Engelduring Cintron 's summer visit to Freeport.
Freeport Mayor Arthur W. Thompson lead a
delegation to the United States Department
of Housing and Urban Development Re-gional
office in New York for the purpose of clos-ing
the deal on the long vacant Lydia E. Hall Hos-pital
development project. It will be known as
Meadowbrook Care Center.
When completed the former hospital will be-come
a state-of-the-art 280-bed long term care
facility.
Mayor Thompson stated the lengthy bargain-ing
that led to the closing would pay big divi-dends
for Freeport Village. Some 250 jobs will
be generated during the construction phase and
at least 300 part- and full-time positions will be
created for the new facilities operations.
Continued on page 2
New Nursing^Hom^o Rise on Site of Hall Hospital
Continued from page 1 '- -•' ' '2 'I
• '"-. .""'., • L/'i!
Milestones to Meadowbrook Care Center,GIosing
T '• ". i
•1954— Lydia E. Hall Hospital, a full service hospital is built,
occupying 2.92 acres on Merrick .Road.. -• '/'
•1960, 1965, 1975—Additions to existing property enlarges
total building site to 205 beds..
•1985, October—Lydia E. Hall closes" suddenly and without
notice due to financial insolvency.
•1985-1990—Derelict building continues to decay for next
five and one half years.
•1990, August 22—Village acquires property at bankruptcy
auction for $310,000.
•1992—Freeport Community Developemnt Agency issues
Request For Proposals, and receives Henkind-Engel Group
proposal, the highest bidder, at $3,100,000.
•1992, June—Henkind-Engel selected as developers by Board
of Trustees" on recommendations Lydia E. Hall Task Force.
•1992—Developers receive official NYS Certificate of Need
and approach HUD for mortgage financing.
• 1994—HUD NYC office denies the total mortgage neces-sary
to finance the project and without the full financing guar-antee,
the project is stalled for two years.
•1994—Mayor Thompson enters negotiations with Henkind-
Engel and developers agree to increase equity.
•1994—Thompson creates partnership with Nassau County
to close budget gap, by securing $640,000 in County funds.
•1994, Aug. 9—Mayor Thompson urges HUD's new regional
representative Jose Cintron to make first Long Island visit to
Freeport with Meadowbrook Care Center noted as Thompson's
top priority.
•1994, Dec. 21—Thompson leads delegation with Henkind-
Pictured signing the final papers during the closing on the prop-erty,
Mayor Arthur Thompson (seated center) is joined by (stand-ing
from left) Beryl Niewood, acting director of HUD multi-family
housing; Donna Napolitano, assistance Vice-President for Fund-ing
at Fleet Funding Associates; Francine Kellman, HUD Spe-cial
Assistance; Haldamar Ortiz, HUD general counsel; Simon
Pelman, president of Meadowbrook Care Center; Gerard W.
Sheridan, HUD Housing Director; Ari Friedman, Vice-Presi-dent
of Meadowbrook Care Center; and David Mammina, project
architect. Seated next to Mayor Thompson are Henkind-Engel
Group developers Sol Henkind (left) and Sidney Engel (right).
Engel to title closing at HUD regional office. Developers sign
check for $830,933.30 in back property taxes to Village and
land is put back on Freeport Village tax rolls.
•1994, Dec. 22-—Construction begins at 8 a.m. on
Meadowbrook Care Center.
•1996—Meadowbrook Care Center anticipated opening.
Cease and Desist List to be Compiled
by Village Human Relations Director Michael Kirwan
N;'ot surprisingly, many Freeporter are confused by a spate
of news reports concerning the New York State De-partment
of States non-solicitation orders directed
against real estate brokers in certain areas. A word of expla-nation
may be in order.
A recent Federal Court decision in New York decided that
area wide non-solicitation orders were
on unwarranted restriction on commer-
Secretary of State
State of New York
I (we) the undersigned owner(s) ol property located at
County ol,.
property and hereby revoke my (our) implied invitation to solicit (or the sale or purchase
manner whatsoever and do not wish to receive any communication of whatever nature
purchase from any real estate broker or salesperson.
I (we) hereby request you. by virtue of the power vested in you as Secretary of State,
of the Real Property Law. to issue a Cease and Desist Order to all licensed brokers
solicitation of the undersigned, 'until such time as I (we) notify you to the contrary in writing.
are not1 desirous of selling such
of such property in any
relating to such sale or
pursuant to Article 12A
and salespersons from
Zip Code
Dated:
Signed:
Print name(s)
NOTE: Completion of this form and the issuance ol a Cease and Desist Order do not prevent an owner from
selling or listing his home for sale with a real estate broker.
DOS 996 (5/89)
The Human Relations Commission urges Freeporters to sign this Cease and Desist card
and return to the Village as soon as possible while a list is still being compiled.
2
cial _speech ^nd consequently were in
violation of the Dnifesf States Constiu>
tion. This decision had no bearing what-soever
on the State Department's Cease
and Desist regulations.
Many years ago, most Freeport
homeowners signed "Cease and Desist"
cards which, in effect, required the Sec-retary
of State to inform all real estate
brokers that the named homeowner had
requested that they not be solicited to
sell their homes. The signing of this card
in no way prevents the homeowner from
initiating a contact with a real estate bro-ker
for the purpose of selling a home.
The Cease and Desist list that many
Freeporters signed in past years expired
in August, 1994. I am pleased to say in
recent weeks the Secretary of State au-thorized
the compilation of a new list.
Continued on page 4
30 199E
Community Activists Honored At
The Village of Freeport's Annual Brother
hood Dinner in honor of Dr. Martin Luther
Kings, Jr. was held Sunday, January 15 at 6:30 p.m. in
the Freeport Recreation Center
This years Freedom Awards were presented to Rev. Dr. E.
Mitchell Mallette and Sally Popkin for providing outstanding
examp!6s of Dr. King's ideals and creative solution in devel-oping
a community of peace.
Mallette, a native of Jacksonville, Florida was called to the
gospel ministry at age 12, ordained at 16-years old, and served
at the First African Baptist Church in Woodville, Georgia. After
gaining degrees from New York City University, SheJton Bible
Institute, and a Degree of Doctor of Sacred Scriptures from
the Pillar of Fire Pentecostal Seminary in York, England,
Mallette began his service as the proud pastor of Greater Sec-ond
Baptist Church, Freeport in 1958.
Among his lifelong service as Commissioner of the Free-port
Housing Authority, member of the Freeport Village Board
of Ethics, and his international mission leading Crusades for
Christ, Mallette was privileged to participate in the Civil Rights
Movement under Dr. King and was honored to present Dr.
King Sr. to his congregation as a guest speaker.
Sally Popkin has been active in social causes in Freeport
for several years. Receiving her Bachelor's Degree from Tufts
University and her Master's Degree in Public Health from
M.I.T., Popkin became a member and president of the Advi-sory
Committee for the Freeport Youth Service Project in the
early 1960's. When the project formed into the Freeport Fam-ily
Community Center, she became a member of the board.
Through her involvement in both organizations, she has vig-
Dinner
Freedom Award recipients, Sally Popkin and Rev. Dr. E. Mitchell
Mallette are awarded plaques by Mayor Arthur W. Thompson
and Human Relations Commissioner Michael Kirwan (left).
orously fought for health, urban renewal and fair housing
issues. She has participated in NICHE, Physicians for Social
Repsonsisbilty.
Popkin has tirelessly given all her energy as a member of
the Board of Directors of Family Service Association for the
past 20 years, including a three year term as president. She
currently chairs the Long Range Planning Committee and also
sits on the Executive, Family Advocacy and Personnel Com-mittees
of the FSA.
Freeport Police Officer Cited For Valor
Mayor Arthur W. Thompson (2nd I.) commended Officer Tho-mas
Drew for his professionalism and presented him with a Ci-tation
of dedication and commitment while Sizzler Manager
Regina Schmid offered her thanks on behalf of the company.
Deputy Inspector Michael Woodward is standing at left.
Police Officer Thomas Drew received words of praise
and a citation of valor from Mayor Arthur W. Thomp
son and his commanding officers after diffusing a po-tentially
dangerous situation in a crowded restaurant this Oc-tober.
While off-duty and having dinner with his two sons in the
Sizzler Restaurant in Rockville Centre, Officer Drew wit-nessed'a
fight in progress between two restaurant patrons.
After putting both of his children under the table, Drew brought
the disrupting situation under control and insured the safety
of all in the dining room.
Sizzler International Regional Vice President Arnold
Runestad heard of the officer's good deed and, in a letter sent
to Freeport Police Chief and Mayor Thompson, wrote: "I'm
sure his fast action prevented the fight from progressing and
prevented people from getting hurt. I just wanted to let you
know about this and to ask you to please thank Officer Drew
for his quick and brave action. He was off-duty and could
have just sat there, but he didn't....and we're very thankful
for that You should be very proud of Officer Tom Drew!"
:*•/ Over pccupaney.Hptline , , / >
The Building Department has treated a new Hotline available
between the hours of 4:30 p.in. and'8:30 a:m. 'Residents wish-lng,
to?report'buildihg code' violations arid over occupancy in
specific,aieas'aie'urged toi leave'!'private message at the hotline
number,'378-4005. All calls are confidential and anonymous. '
Recreation Center Happenings
• Don't miss „the Antique,and E)epression'Glass' Show at the
Freeport Rec Center on Sunday,-Feb. 5 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• AToy Soldiers Show will also b'e held^Sunday,-February 26
, from 8 a.m. to 6p.m' ' '" ',''"-, ' ' '-
' For more information call the Recreation Center at 223-8000.
