Freeport Report 2003-07

              An Important Reminder About
Property Tax Exemptions
The deadline for new applica-tions
for property tax exemptions for
the 2004 tax year is October 1st.
Property owners who currently have
tax exemptions that must be
renewed annually must submit appli-cations
to the Village Assessor's
office by that deadline. All complet-ed
applications must be received by
4:30 p.m. on October 1st, in the
Assessor's Office; it is not sufficient
to have the postmark dated October
1, 2003. The necessary forms have
been mailed to those parties who
received-a .renewable exemption-for.
the 2003 tax roll. If you believe you
are entitled to an exemption, and
have not received the appropriate
form, please call 377-2256 to have
one mailed to you.
The individuals and organiza-tions
which are required to reapply
annually for a property tax reduction
include: homeowners, co-op and con-dominium
owners, senior citizens,
members of the clergy, and non-prof-it
organizations. Residents receiving
veterans' property tax exemptions, or
an exemption for capital improve-ments
or who qualify for a business
exemption, are not required to reap-ply
each year.
Applications are available at the
Assessor's Office, Room 105 in
Village Hall, Monday to Friday, from
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additional
information on property tax exemp-tions
is also available.on.the Village,
Assessor's section of Freeport's web-site,
www.Freeportny.com, and: the
forms can be downloaded directly;-
from www.orps.state.ny.us. "Star-"''',
exemptions require an application
that is available only through the
Nassau County Department of
Assessment at 571-3000.
THE GREAT FREEPORT
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for information & registration
Farmers Market Comes to Freeport
Fresh produce for sale at Freeport's new Farmers Market on Woodcleft Ave. in the Long Island
Marine Education Center's parking lot directly across from the Esplanade.
Fresh vegetables, fruits, homemade
pies, jams and jellies, all sold by the
grower or baker, and all guaranteed to
be produced locally and picked or
baked either that morning or no later
than the night before the sale, will be
available weekly on the Nautical Mile
as of July 17th.
The Farmers Market will be set up in
the parking lot of the Long Island
Marine Education Center directly across
from the Esplanade at the midway
point on Woodcleft Ave. The market
will be open every Thursday, from 8
a.m. to 1 p.m. until the Thanksgiving
weekend.
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JULY, 2003 www.FreeportNY.com THE HOME OF CHAMPIONS
Freeport Establishes Friendship Agreement
with German Village
Mayor Bill Glacken, along with
Trustees Don Mauersberger, Bill
White, and Don Miller, were recent
guests of the people of Walldorf,
Germany. The Freeport officials
were there to establish a "sister-city"
relationship between
Freeport and Walldorf designed to
share educational, cultural, and
business associations between the
two villages.
Freeport has maintained an
informal relationship with
Walldorf ever since volunteer fire-fighter
Allen Grosser was stationed
in the U.S. Army near the village in
the late 60's. Grosser visited a
family with relatives back in New
York and eventually became a
familiar face in Walldorf, returning
each year and bringing along other
members of Freeport's Fire Walldorf Burgermeister Heinz Merklinger and Freeport Mayor Bill Glacken displaying their official agreement.
Department. Walldorf firefighters
have visited Freeport often, stay-ing
at the local firehouses and
have even helped fight local fires.
Now that Mayor Glacken
and Walldorf Mayor Heinz
Merklinger have signed an official
"treaty" formalizing the associa-tion
between the two communi-ties,
more exchanges are planned.
"This will enable Freeport and
Walldorf to embark on formal
agreements, including locating
German businesses in Freeport,
and establishing educational and
cultural exchange programs," said
Mayor Glacken. Walldorf has had
sister-city programs with several
other municipalities for several
decades, including associations
with two American communities
Walldorf, Maryland and Astoria,
Oregon. '
Freeport Police Sponsoring Provisions Drive
for Troops in Iraq
The 205 servicemen and women
of the U.S. Army 310th Military Police
Battalion are currently stationed in
Northern Iraq, providing security to
that country while establishing law
and order.
The soldiers receive trTe~basic liv-~
ing supplies, but are in need of addi-tional
items that would make their
stay more comfortable. Their requests
include: Athletic Socks, Phone Calling
Cards, "AA" Batteries, Sanitary Baby
Wipes, Sunscreen, Shaving Cream and
Razors, Lip Balm, Deodorants, Shoe
Insert Gels, Foot Powder, Beef Jerky,
Altoids, Tic Tacs, and Powdered
Beverages (Iced Tea, Gatorade, Kool
Aid, etc.)
These items may be deposited in
the collection boxes in Village Hall,
Police Headquarters, the Recreation
Center and the Freeport Memorial
Library? 'Monetafycibha'tiohsare~nee~d-ed
to cover the cost of shipping.
Checks may be made payable to the
"Support the Troops Provisions Drive"
and either mailed or brought to the
Freeport Police Department at 40
North Ocean Ave., Freeport. For fur-ther
information, please contact Sgt.
Michael Capriola or Sgt. Miguel
Bermudez at 377-2411. Mayor Bill Glacken joins Police Chief Michael Woodward and Sgt Michael Capi
in supporting the donations drive.
A ME: FROM THE MAYO: Firefighters Demonstrate
I'm always amazed at how one small
gesture can often make a remarkable dif-ference
in the lives of many people. Last
month a delegation of Freeport firefight-ers
and village officials visited a small vil-lage
in Germany where the residents have
maintained a 30-year relationship with
people from our village.
In the late 60's, when local resident
Allen Grosser was stationed in the Army in
Germany, his father asked him to visit a co-worker's
elderly parents who lived near
Grosser's Army post. The young soldier
expected a short, polite visit. He never
dreamed that he would be embraced by
the family and become an honorary citizen
of the village of Walldorf, Germany.
After leaving the Army, Grosser
returned to Walldorf frequently, visiting
his German friends and joining them at
the local firehouse, where Fire Captain
Grosser and the German firefighters
would share experiences and information.
Over the years, Grosser would bring along
fellow Freeport firefighters who soon
developed close ties with the Walldorf
firefighters. Eventually, the German fire-
"fighters came to Freeport,*"stayed'at'the"
local firehouses, and even responded to
fire calls. The Walldorf firefighters have
become regular guests at the annual Fire
Department Installation Dinner.
Last year, the people of Walldorf were
so moved by the 9/11 World Trade Center
terrorist attacks that they organized a spe-cial
tribute to our local fire department
victims, some of whom they had grown to
know and respect. A very special group of
musicians journeyed to New York to per-form
a selection of medieval music in
Freeport, donating the proceeds from the
event, along with other contributions col-lected
in Walldorf, to the families of the
lost firefighters.
Freeport, a village that welcomes all
newcomers and is home to 64 distinct cul-tures,
has now established an official
alliance with this European community,
opening the door to future economic,
educational and artistic exchanges. We
welcome visits from additional German
performers and hope to send Freeport
artists and musicians to entertain the peo-ple
of Walldorf.
Through these initial steps - student
exchange programs, visiting artists tours,
and mutual economic alliances with for-eign
towns and villages - Americans may
cfeate'bn a"global scale'whaTFreYpo'rte'fs'
have achieved at the local level, bringing
together people of varied races, creeds,
and cultures, to live in harmony, respect-ing
each others' differences, while recog-nizing
the universal hopes and desires of
all human beings to live in a safe, peaceful
world.
Thank you, Allen, for helping bridge
the gap of thousands of miles between
countries, uniting the people of two
villages.
Each year the
International Luncheon draws
a large crowd of guests and
participants, eager to see the
many costumes, enjoy the per-formances
and taste a variety
of foods which represent the
many cultures and origins of
the Giblyn School students.
"This event shows our
children, parents and friends
the unique quality that makes
Freeport such a special place
to live. No matter where we
come from or who we are, we
are all a part of one communi-ty
here. This is an idea our chil-dren
understand and our resi-dents
embrace," said Mayor
Bill Glacken.
Firefighters from Long Island
and the metropolitan area
recently gathered at the former
Meadowbrook Bank building
located on Sunrise Highway and
Grove Street to view demonstra-tions
of a newly developed system
that enables individuals to escape
a burning building by exiting
through a window and lowering
themselves safely to the street.
According to the manufacturer,
American Escape Systems, the har-ness-
like device will hold as much
as 300 Ibs. and can be used from
as high as seven stories above the
street level.
"The LifeCender Personal
Escape System could mean the dif-ference
between life and death in
a building fire," said Bill Henson,
Sr., Chief Executive Officer of
American Escape Systems.
Freeport Ex-Chief Paul Hashagen,
who is also a New York City fire-fighter,
said he supports the use of
the LifeCender device and
believes it will help save lives. "In
my experience as a firefighter, I
know getting individuals out of a
burning building as quickly as pos-sible
is critical to protecting their
lives and preventing fatal injuries.
I believe this device can help
accomplish that goal." The
LifeCender Personal Escape
System has devices designed for
the consumer market as well as
professional firefighters and res-cue
units. For more information
visit the website at www.lifecen-der.
com or contact 888-201-1850. %-, *? -*,^,^ -4 *,-V £*f > J i »f <i,'t v,'i* *« '^t* -a^, "?&»r;/*
In a demonstration of the LifeCender Personal Escape System, a firefighter escapes safely to the street from (tie
sixth floor window.
Caption: Back row, Town Clerk Mark Bonilla, Mayor Bill Glacken, Councilwoman Angle Cullin, Principal Harris
Chandler, Town Supervisor Kate Murray, Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby and School Superintendent Dr. Eric
Eversley. Front row, Dennis Adams, Tucker Williams, Vanessa Ramos, Jesenia Rivera and Zaire Sprowal. One of the Naval Academy's sailing vessels.
Six 44-foot sailboats will
arrive Friday, August 8th, from
the United States Naval
Academy and tie up at the
Esplanade dock directly oppo-site
the Long Island Marine
Education Center on
Woodcleft Ave. On Saturday,
August 9th, the midshipmen
will provide tours of the sail-ing
vessels from 10 a.m. to 4
p.m.
This is the sixth year the
United States Naval Academy
Sail Training Squadron has
selected Freeport as a "port-of
call." "This annual visit has
become one of our favorite
summer events. With the revi-talization
of the Nautical Mile
and the completion of the
Esplanade dock, we expect to
see many more tourist attrac-tions
on our waterfront.
This October 17th-to the
31st, Freeport will sponsor a
Fall Festival on the Nautical
Mile complete with the
Hollywood replica of the
famous mutiny ship, the HMS
Bounty, decked out as a ghost
ship in keeping with the sea-sonal
theme," added Mayor
Bill Glacken.