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July 16, 2001
Discussion about garbage everywhere and noise pollution.
Fire Department:
Fund drive has started. Previous problems with imposters alleviated in
that all genuine fund raisers are wearing some type of uniform. Tax funds
are earmarked for certain things. Funds raised are used for anything that
is not covered such as meals. No one gets paid except except people who
are employed.
Youth Project:
Summer camp started. Weekly trips. Swimming is at the High
School. They have to walk from the center to the HS. The teen camp
is at the Neighborhood Center.
A traffic light has been installed so people can park across the street from
the library.
Some apartment buildings along with some small stores near the former A&S
store in Hempstead Village will be torn down to make room for new
development. There is no plan in place for relocating the residents and it
is likely that some might end up in illegal multi-family housing in
Uniondale.
Police:
Special patrols have been assigned to Uniondale to combat drugs and gangs.
June 18, 2001
Guest Speaker:
Michael DeLuise, Hofstra University discussed the new span across Hempstead
Turnpike and the new Arts Center to replace the former District Court House.
April 16, 2001
Raymond Rhoden, School Board Trustee, is running for re-election.
Average class sizes are 21 - 24 in middle and elementary schools and 26 in
the upper classes.
Our District was among the first to issues building bonds which is good
because our cost per square foot is about $68. Districts starting to build
now pay $115 - 135 per square foot.
The District is struggling to control fights. In cooperation with
Roosevelt and Baldwin, a pilot program has been started which places five police
officers with sector cars on the same schedule as the schools.
People who commit fraud to enroll their children in this District instead of
the District where they live are turned over to the District Attorney for
prosecution. Uniondale is one of only four Districts with this approach.
The school day has been extended from 6 hours 20 minutes to 7 hours 15
minutes.
"Learning Academies" have been started as an alternative to after
school remediation. The academies are in the middle of the day and that
prevents the children from cutting those classes.
Three hour learning blocks have been implemented. This will ensure that
the children who need the extra attention will get it. At the same time,
gifted children have the opportunity for additional challenges.
It is not good to hold children back. Instead, they attend transitional
classes with the intention of helping them catch up to their classmates.
Tenured teachers are being evaluated up to five times a year. Untenured
teachers get six evaluations and get in-service training as needed.
Project Save is a program for those kids who have been permanently suspended
as an alternative to them hanging out at the library and other places.
State permission is required for this.
State permission is also required to implement school uniforms, and there
must be an opt-out clause, so it could be a while before these two programs get
implemented.
Youth Project:
The annual dance recital will be on May 19, at 7:00 p.m. at the High School.
Please contact S.T.R.O.N.G.
to participate in their postcard campaign to get legislators to provide feasible
alternatives to harsher penalties for gang violence.
U.N.I.T.E.
A new Town law will have to be passed to reduce the speed limit on Jerusalem
Avenue.
March 19, 2001
Police Report by Steve Sullivan and Glen Carpentier:
Officer Carpentier who has been a police officer for 15 year, 12 of which in
Uniondale, is replacing Officer Bartlett.
There is some difficulty getting speed measuring equipment set up on
Jerusalem Avenue so that it doesn't obstruct traffic or take up parking spaces.
Why does it take so long to get an abandoned car removed? Well,
sometimes they do get removed right away. A police officer will file a
report of an abandoned car. Then an attempt will be made to contact the
owner. Then the Town of Hempstead is notified. The car will then be
removed next time pick-up is scheduled for Uniondale.
There are three quality of life officers assigned to Uniondale. They
will address the illegal parking of cars near Uniondale and Jerusalem Avenues as
well as in front of EAB bank.
Loose dogs: The animal shelter has summons power, not the police.
If a dog is picked up by the shelter and it turns out that it is properly
licensed and has the proper shots, it will be returned to its owner.
Fire Department by Wayne Ludewig:
The Department has an ongoing recruitment campaign which is going
well. Unfortunately, many recruits are lost again quickly as being a
fireman is quite demanding and requires considerable sacrifices and commitment.
Fire prevention is going well. There has only been a garage fire about
three weeks ago.
U.N.I.T.E. by Ernst and Marie Catanese:
Minor details have yet to be implemented on fences around Stratford
Farms. Asking for a no-left-turn sign coming out of Stratford Farms.
The Roosevelt Field expansion hearing has been postponed. Watch the Town
of Hempstead Board of Zoning
Appeals calendar. Clogged sewer lines were cleaned quickly by the Town
Sanitation Department. Asking for a 20MPH speed limit on Jerusalem Avenue
at Turtle Hook. Fruitless attempt to get Newsday coverage of Uniondale
issues. Water tower at Hempstead Boulevard needs painting and outside
pipes need to be checked. The High School is not participating in
cooperative purchasing of supplies. The fence at the Meadowbrook Parkway
overpass on Jerusalem Avenue is missing on the north side. DEC has been
notified of gasoline smell near gas station. An engineer from the Town has
looked at the farmstand and advised that electric power needs to be installed
before anything can happen. He is looking into which building codes apply.
Financial Report by Frank Young:
The dinner dance was the most successful ever. The final result is not in
yet, but will be close to $2,000.
EAB's representative cannot comment on the acquisition by Citibank at this
point, but will be glad to tell us all about it later.
Hostra will explain what is happening with the new overpass at the April
meeting.
Milton Bowe, a fireman for 13 years in Uniondale reported that he had
observed Fire Department snow removal equipment being used for private purposes
by a Fire Department employee at the request of Commissioner Rancuso.
Commissioner Tom Toscano read a statement from the Fire Board to the effect that
Commissioner Rancuso admits the improper use of the equipment. He
apologizes for his lack of good judgment and has reimbursed the Department for
the employee's time and use of the vehicle. The matter will be further
discussed at the Fire Department Board Meeting tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. at Fire
Headquarters.
Youth Project by Lorraine Danser:
Got a $40,000 line of credit from EAB to be able to meet payroll and to buy
supplies while we are waiting for the State funds to be released. We are
waiting to get our SACC (School Age Child Care) license. Only then can we
accept the 11 and 12-year olds. Currently, there are 79 13-year olds in
the TASKS program. We will have to figure out how to make room for the
younger kids once the license has been approved.
Letter writing campaigns are underway to 1) restore State funding for
non-school hour programs and 2) support the Younger Americans Act.
March 10, 2001
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Jeannine Maynard, Program Director for TASKS (Teens After School
Knowledge and Skills) and Finn Mauritzen, your
Webmaster, picking up the technology grant Jeannine applied for at BestBuy in Levittown. The grant was presented by General Manager, Jim
Williams.
The grant will be used to make solar powered light boxes which will
display the name of this Web site at six locations throughout Uniondale. The
purpose is to help the many new neighbors we get each year to quickly
become familiar with life in Uniondale and to get them to become
actively involved in our town. |
February 27, 2001 Meeting
U.N.I.T.E.:
Got commitment from Home Depot to help with the farmstand restoration, but
cannot make use of it until plans have been prepared by an engineer.
Trying to get the Town to do that.
Efforts to get the speed limit reduced in front of Turtle Hook turn out to
have been misdirected. It turns out to be up to the school to put in a
request for speed restrictions. Help the school in this effort by writing
letters in support.
The garbage incinerator is operating at 90% capacity. The unused capacity
will be utilized to incinerate garbage from Queens.
Regular garbage trucks collect at the Merrick dump. Then, it is
transported in larger trucks to the incinerator. Uniondale and East Meadow
each have four such trucks. You will see them loaded going north on
Uniondale and return empty.
As a result of the removal of covenants on the Stratford Farms property, no
speed bumps will be implemented. Because of poor visibility in the area, a
traffic light is needed.
The Roosevelt Field mall is being expanded. Watch out for public
hearings.
Youth Project:
The TASKS (Teens After School Knowledge and Skills) program started January
29. The program is made possible by a State grant of $200,000 over each of
the next five years. However, until a School Age Children license
has been approved, only children over 13 may be accepted.
There are currently 24 children age 6 to 12 who are on suspension for the
remainder of the school year. They are only offered two hours of
tutoring. The rest of the time they are left to roaming around on their
own. UCC is attempting to provide an alternative in cooperation with HEVN
(Helping End Violence Now) and the School District.
Guest Speaker:
Edward Beuel, P.E.
Brian Hoffman, P.E.
N.Y.S. Department of Transportation
Hempstead Turnpike Improvement Project
Existing conditions, concerns and needs
- Accident rates and severity exceed State average
- Pavement has poor skid resistance
- Missing sidewalks
- Delays during rush hour
Objectives
- Improve traffic flow and safety to meet needs of community
- Improve safety by reducing accident rates
- Improve concrete surface
- Improve pedestrian facilities and safety
- Reduce delays at intersections
Proposed Improvements
Oak Street to Meadowbrook Parkway
- Grind pavement to improve skid resistance and reduce accidents
- Additional left turn lane at Uniondale Avenue
- 7000 ft. of new sidewalks and upgrade crosswalk signals
- Adjust signal timing to reduce delays
- Landscaping
- Replace non-standard guide-rail
- Clean and repair drainage system
- New signs and striping
Hendrickson to Oak Street
Option 1
- Continuous center two-way left turn lane by removing westbound shoulder
and eastbound parking lane
Option 2
- Hatched median with exclusive eastbound left turn lanes at Manor, Surrey
and Fairview
- Continuous center two-way left turn lane between Kernochan and Courtney
- Divert westbound traffic left turns at Cameron, Cornwall and Truro to a
new traffic signal at Hendrickson for left turns.
Both options
- Replace signal at Fairview
- Clean and repair drainage system
- New signs and striping
Traffic During Construction
- Traffic will be maintained using daytime lane closures
- No construction during rush hour
- Scheduled around major events at Hofstra, Coliseum and Eisenhower
Cost and Schedule
- Cost: $2 million
- Public Information Center: Spring, 2001
- Letting: Spring, 2002
- Construction Completion: Fall, 2002
January 26, 2001 Dinner Dance
Honorees:
Patrick Williams
Barbara Sparrow
Julio Gotay
Beverly James
Surprise Honoree:
Lorraine Danser
January 22, 2001 Meeting
Re-assessment
Speaker: Ben Nadola from Cole, tation, and handed out literature about the tax
assessLayer, & Trumble discussed, showed a
slide presenments
taking place on our homes in Uniondale. Mr. Nadola's company is the vendor
selected to conduct the assessments.
A web site, www.mynassauproperty.com
has been set up to provide information
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