Limba

Dr Jon Gibralter Pres, Farmingdale Univ.
2005-01-28 00:00 (America/New_York) | NY
Today’s speaker was Dr
Jonathan Gibralter, President of Farmingdale State University. Farmingdale was
an agricultural school, as times and needs changed, so did the
curriculum.The school has adopted many new programs, and redirected it’s
focus to technologies that are needed for today’s world. At the same time
standards for admission have been made more stringent. Remarkably this
approach has increased the size of the student body. Among the programs that
were strengthened was the aviation program. The school now has 13 aircraft to
use in the pilot training course.
The automotive development has been
created under a program with Diamler Chrysler. The automotive field is now high
tech. It is appropriate that the technology be taught at the university level.
This is the approach that is used in Europe, and Germany in particular.
Farmingdale, under Dr. Gibralter’s lead has built a strong relationship
with the business community. Medical innovator OSI, maintains offices in the Bio
Science Complex. The Bio- Science facilities are a big success and phase II is
going forward.
We had a lively Q&A and I know that the questions
could have gone on longer, but in keeping with a certain amount of disciple we
had to end it, more or less on time.

Roundtable meeting
2005-02-04 00:00

Mathew Cordaro PhD. Update on Repowering
2005-02-11 00:00
There are new considerations that bode well for repowering

Presidents Day weekend NO MEETING
2005-02-18 00:00

Broadwater-Liquified Natural Gas Depot
2005-02-25 00:00
This morning, despite the snow we had our regular Friday morning meeting. We ordered a cake to celebrate Paul Townsend’s birthday. Paul and Terry could not get out of their driveway, so we wished him a happy birthday in absentia.. The topic was the Broadwater proposal to create a liquefied natural gas depot in Long Island Sound. John Hritcko, who is the spokesperson for this effort, asked for us all to keep an open mind. Let the process unfold and explore the pros and cons. was essentially his message.

John discussed the history of this technology which goes back forty years. In that forty years there has never been a failure of any system in place in the entire world. Presently there are four LNG installations operating in the United States. All of these LNG operations are on land, which pose a larger risk to population than a platform 9 miles from the closest shore. According to Hritcko the Broadwater facility will be so far away from shore that even the worst case scenario would not be a threat to anyone on Long Island.I posed the worst case scenario to Mr. Hritcko. I asked what if a “Kohl” type attack Took place, what would happen. According to John the ship would have a double hull that would be a much less vulnerable than the Kohl. In the event that the hull was penetrated the liquid natural gas would quickly change from a liquid state to a gas. The gas is lighter than the ambient air and would rise. The rising gas would probably ignite creating a spectacular flame, but there would be no explosion. And there would be no effect on Long Island.John pointed out that there is a need that for diversification of supply, and that by increasing supply there would be a downward pressure on the price of natural gas. He also noted that because the facility would be offshore, real estate taxes would not have to be paid. Nevertheless Broadwater would pay a voluntary tax to the surrounding local governments. Two weeks ago we had a presentation on repowereing Long Island’ generators. While repowering is very attractive, it wont happen without a substantial increase in gas supply. Broadwater would easily create the supply needed for those projects.Next week out topic is “rehabilitating brownfields” Michael Posillico of Bluewater Environmental, will make that presentation.

Michael Posillico-Restoring brownfields
2005-03-04 00:00
Another friday morning, another stimulating LIMBA session, worth rising early for. Today we had Michael Posillico speak on the utilization of Brownfields sites as starting points for redevelopment. Michael, a scion of one of the families that built out the island, has his own firm, Blue Water Environmental, specializing in remediation of these sites. Along with the recent Rauch Long Island Index report, and Senator Clinton’s meeting on the housing problem here, density, one of the third rails of LI politics, looks like it may be starting to have its voltage turned down.Michael spoke at length about the need to educate our community and encourage leadership on this issue among our government reps. He gave us some detail on the scope of the Glen Cove project that is underway and the degree of co-ordination necessary among the diverse federal and state agencies that have hands in environmental projects. Michael sits on the board of Vision Long Island, one of the foremost advocates of planning out here.Now that more and more open space is being taken off the market, the cheapest raw material for building will be brownfields sites. Density must be increased on these sites in order to make it economically feasible to build.. Without acceptance of higher density done well, Long Island is doomed to stagnation. We need local leaders that are willing to be political risk-takers in this. First among them is Tom Suozzi over in Nassau, but he has no bench on his team. Yet.

Fred Krebs Pres NY & Atlantic Railroad, Freight Progress
2005-03-11 00:00
Fred Krebs, the president of Long Island’s freight rail system spoke to our LIMBA audience this morning. Fred started by telling us those facts that he is, and should be, proud of. That is the fact that the number of freight cars on Long Island has more than doubled since he and his company, NY & Atlantic began operating in 1997. Thousands of trucks have been removed from our roads, with a subsequent reduction in air pollution. However Mr. Krebs, is frustrated by the senseless and arbitrary actions taken by the LIRR that inhibit the use of freight trains on Long Island.

One bone of contention is the prohibitive charges made for the construction of siding switches needed to accommodate freight customers. Krebs cited example after example of situations where the MTA wanted $500,000 or more to install a switch that the contractor could build for under $80,000. Another source of his frustration is the relicensing of cars that are oversized again and again. He gave an example of a rail car which has been on the same route numerous times and the tolerances are known, and approved, having to go through the same cumbersome approval process even though everyone knows that car has been approved many times before.In a meeting at the transportation committee of the LIA earlier this week, I brought up the question of the overpriced switches with Jim Dermody, president of the Long Island Railroad. Dermody denied that there was such a problem. We, at LIMBA, know differently, since two of our members have complained of this problem.This was a meeting that was rich with information, and in no way can I do justice the spirited discussion that took place after Fred’s formal remarks, but nobody in that room was satisfied that our public officials in the MTA are concerned with the very real problem of overcrowded highways that is being made worse by not moving more freight by rail. We move less than 2% of our freight by rail, the rest of the country averages 40%. That’s a disgrace! With a little help we can remove hundreds of thousands of trucks from the roadways each year and breathe easier too. LIMBA is committed that goal. Thank you Fred Krebs for your successes so far. Thanks to our very interested audience as well.

David Kapell, Mayor of Greenport
2005-03-18 00:00
Our speaker this morning was Greenport mayor, David Kapell.
In my promotion of this morning’s meeting I promised an interesting meeting. I can reassure it was an understatement. The audience was impressed.. Comments like “Mayor Kapell should teach a required course on governing to the rest of Long Island’s elected officials” were heard. Mr. Kapell is an understated man, with lots of content and no bombast.

Here is a man with a sense of adventure that lets him see opportunity to improve the village, where others see unnecessary risk. When Grumman closed its’ nearby facility there was a picnic ground that included a carousel. Mayor Kapell is a romantic. He likes carousels, so he asked Grumman if the village of Greenport could have it. Grumman agreed, and through LIMBA board member Dick Dunne the transfer was made. The carousel is now a charming addition to the village. It is located in Mitchell Park which is another coup for David and the village. The blighted area which was the location of Mitchell’s Restaurant, a famous landmark before it burned down, was an eyesore for years until the mayor persuaded the village board to buy it for what turned out to be “peanuts,” one million dollars. There is also a skateboard park and an ice skating rink at that location.

There must still be a child inside the mayor. His philosophy is that “if it’s good for children, its good for the village. But beyond this romantic image is a man of enormous resolve. After he first took office the village was being written about in the newspapers because of corruption in the police department. He realizing that the surrounding town must legally provide police protection if the village just got rid of the police department. He showed the leadership to bring the issue to a vote and the people dismissed the police in a 2 to 1 landslide. This move saved the village millions of dollars.

Another controversial, but very successful move was the legalization of auxiliary apartments in all parts of the village. This relieved pressures on housing and increased the value of home ownership in the village. It also helped retired people with limited income to remain in the village that they loved.

After the meeting new member, and AMSOIL dealer, Jim Baumert, asked if he could donate the lubricants for the carousel. The mayor graciously accepted. David stayed in the room for at least another 1/2 hour to answer more questions and to interact with the people who attended.

(John Howell helped with the notes for this report.)

NO MEETING_Good Friday
2005-03-25 00:00

Cliff Sondack- Land Use Institute -Planner
2005-04-01 00:00
I had the feeling that this morning’s presentation had the potential for leading to an interesting debate. Our speaker was Cliff Sondock, President of the Land Use Institute.
The premise advocated by Sondock is that the market should dictate the use of land, and not restrictive zoning.
That theory is antithetical to what we have espoused on Long Island. Obviously there are going to be sharp differences of opinion. And believe me, there were. When radical ideas are presented, and I categorize any idea that is diametrically opposed to what we have been doing as radical, then expect a spirited debate. Well! Spirited is putting it mildly. What I needed to control that meeting was a whip and a chair.

One example of a debate inciting idea was the notion that land preservation was a complete waste of money. Sondock said that the allocation of $225,000,000 for land preservation had the effect of making Long Island even more unaffordable. Actually that makes sense, since preserving land reduces the amount of buildable land and drives up the price. But that would beg another question. Do we really want to live in a completely affordable rotten place?

Having a discussion of this nature, lets us look at new ideas and select from them, that which is workable. When the question of population density came up, someone, you’ll never guess who, asked “How do you deal with that higher density? After you allow higher density, do you then, build the infrastructure that you need”? Sondack said yes, you could. Well, wouldn’t it be better to plan?
In other words allow for greater density under a comprehensive plan while at the same time infrastructure is incrementally and simultaneously built.

At one point there were various simultaneous conversations going on in the room. What that told me was that this was a hotter topic than I expected. It probably would be suited to a more in depth discussion. As it was we went overtime by about 20 minutes.

According to several people in the room, the topic needs more time, maybe we will do that in the future.

Joe Gergela' Ex Dir. LI Farm Bureau
2005-04-08 00:00
Each week people at LIMBA learn surprising facts. This morning was as good an example as any. Our guest was Joe Gergela, Executive Director of the Long Island Farm Bureau.
Agriculture in Suffolk County is the largest revenue producer of all of the counties in New York State. I knew that was true in 1988, but I was surprised that it was still true today. The Farm Bureau’s interests are broadly defined and encompasses fruits, vegetables, aquaculture, greenhouse growers, fflowers, nurseries, and other related industries. while Suffolk it is credied with being the largest agtriculture county in the state, it is grossly under estimated. According to Mr. Gergela the gross product may be close to a billion dollars.

Joe spoke about the effort to maintain the value of the land by keeping it in line with all other land uses. He pointed out that by zoning farm land in a way that is unfavorable to farmers it deprives them of what may be the only lasting value for a lifetime of work.

There was a creative solution involving transfer rights that was worked out with the farmers, and while I did not exactly understand the mechanics of the planning, the resulting benefit to the public was 200 acres of prime Keyspan property on Long Island Sound being converted to parkland.

The farm bureau gets into the issues that effect farmers viability. Gergela made a case that the economic security of the farming community has a net positive effect on the rest of us. Having a functioning farming industry keeps a certain amount of open land, which in turn retains some of the rural nature of Long Island.

One of Joe’s important issues issues is “grown on Long Island” This copyrighted label is enforced by the farm bureau and is currentlly being embraced by one of Long Island’s biggest grocers, namely, King Kullen. The emphasis in the label is more than local loyalty, it is better quality.

At LIMBA we appreciate the diverse nature of our economics,and this was an enlightening discussion. Thank you Joe Gergela.

Bob McMillan-Health Care
2005-04-15 00:00
Bob McMillan came to LIMBA this morning and soke about the state of health care. He pointed out that medical technology is the best in the world. He also pointed out that universal availability continues to elude us. These fact are becoming a familiar theme now. A few months ago Michael Dowling, President of North Shore LIJ, said more or less the same thing.

According to Mr. Mcmillan there are 45 million uninsured people in the country. Of that amount, 25% of those people are employed at incomes of greater than $25,000. This is no longer a problem relegated to the desperately poor. And like the Titanic, the band plays on.

The stats are appalling, and getting worse every year. In terms of quality care the gap between large city facilities and rural America continues to grow.

The problem of delivering quality health care is challenging. As it is the cost of long term care is consuming 80% of the Medicaid budget. Twenty-three million Americans do not speak English. How hard is it to administer medicine to people who cannot tell you what bothers them and have trouble responding to care they don’t understand? He predicted that the cost of healthcare would consume 20% of the Gross National product in 20 years. And finally, productivity in healthcare is growing at half the rate of industry in general.

McMillan gave a little history on attempts to put a health care program in place. Starting with Teddy Roosevelt through Hillary Clinton. Since Clinton’s failure on the issue, no one has been courageous enough to rejoin the battle.

The bright spot is that that since a higher and higher percentage of the economy is being diverted to health care, job opportunities in the health care sector will be increasing dramatically. Otherwise, a bleak picture was presented. The good news is that we are talking about it.

Lisa Tyson, LI Progressive Coalition
2005-04-22 00:00
This morning we started a little early to get out a message delivered by our new member Irving Like and his partner Vincent Tenety. The issue Irving brought up was the way that commercial property is being exposed to a quickly escalating tax based on a new formula. There is a small window to establish your challenge that ends May 17th. Failing to do so could have dramatic effect on your taxes. Please download this file for additional help on this matter.

Our scheduled speaker was Lisa Tyson from the Long Island Progressive Coalition. The topic was a Failed Education System. She acknowledged that, while schools on Long Island are generally good to excellent, there are several places that are not providing a quality education.

Lisa cited situations, mostly upstate and in NY City, where basic tools such as books were not available. She referred to a study that said the minimum cost for a good basic education for the students of NY State is $8,000. That did not shock anyone in the room since most of the school districts on Long Island spend considerably more than that.

The study went on to say, in order to meet that threshold there was a need for an additional 5.6 Billion dollars each year. But there is more, the state of the infrastructure is in bad repair. Ms. Tyson told us that there were schools in NY City that h were still burning coal in their ancient furnaces. The cost of bringing these facilities into the modern era is an additional 9 Billion dollars. This 9 billion, however, could be amortized over a number of years.
The state was sued over this lack of funding and lost. Presently the state has asked for a stay of the court order while they appeal. Not a pretty picture, but that’s where it is.

On Friday the 29th we will have NY Times Long Island desk mgr. speak on “getting the Story”
This should be an interesting meeting. Meanwhile, have a nice weekend

Bruce Lambert, reporter NYTimes-Getting the story
2005-04-29 00:00
This morning, Bruce Lambert, lately of the New York Times, came to talk about some of the different ways that peoples’ stories wind up as newspaper stories. It turns out that Bruce is an old-time veteran reporter on the island, having worked for many of the local papers from time to time. He was also the first reporter working on the AIDS story full time for the New York Times. As is the reporter’s role, Bruce brought us some news, that Newsday’s Paul Vitello is moving to the Times.
What is the News?
There is tons of competition for column-inch space in the metro section of the NYT. For Long Island stories to make it into the metro section, they have to be of tri-state regional interest. The Long Island section of the Sunday Times, is obviously more focused on our home, with longer, more focused stories.
How do reporters get stories?
Reporters are bombarded with press releases and phone calls, having to sift through many of them to find items that are newsworthy for that day or week, but sometimes stories find reporters. Bruce recounted the story of the Gertz heiress, Alison Gertz, who was one of the early heterosexual women to contract AIDS when the disease was thought to be confined to the gay male and IV drug using communities. There, Alison’s mother called Bruce and brought him the news that the disease was breaking out of those communities. Alison went on to become an AIDS activist, forming the organization Love Heals, passing away tragically at age 26.
Sometimes personal relationships are sources. An old friend of Bruce’s introduced him to a Private Investigator that turned out to be working on reopening the Marty Tankleff murder case. Personal experience can also suggest stories. Bruce’s experience in newspaper union organizing and negotiations was helpful in doing stories on the arbitration process with county police department contracts.
And sometimes stories are just plain fun. Bruce recounted some stories on Long Island’s fractured geography, oddities that date back to Revolutionary War times.

No Meeting
2005-05-06 00:00

Les Scheinfeld- Habitat for Humanity
2005-05-13 00:00
At LIMBA we like to promote infrastructure that will have a large and lasting impact on the quality of life on Long Island. We also give voice to those people that embrace needs, even if the scale is small.

Habitat for Humanity’s Les Scheinfeld made a presentation this morning at a LIMBA meeting. Astoria Federal Savings was the sponsor of the meeting.

Habitat has been building houses around the world since 1988. They have built 88 of those houses on Long Island. They will build another 12 by 2006. Given the need for affordable housing, this does not seem to be an adequate response to the problem. But, as usual, there is more to the story.

The labor needed to produce these houses is voluntary. Astoria Federal Savings Bank helps fund the organization, and Astoria personnel give their free time to the projects. They also encourage other businesses such as Lowe’s to provide materials and labor. Unions have contributed labor and training for the volunteers. Skilled retired people give a lot of their time too. What emerges is a picture of people helping people. “Barn raising” in America is not dead.

Alexis DeToqueville, a Frenchman traveling through America in the 19th century, made some interesting observations on the way Americans behave as a community. He observed that Americans tend to create ad hoc solutions to problems as they see them emerge. That was, and is, the spirit that inspires this call to action. Habitat has, in my opinion, has been a catalyst in furthering additional community action. They portray this communal effort as fun. It is fun. Learning and building creates satisfaction, a sense of neighborhood, and, oh yes, housing.

The program this morning was inspiring and thought provoking. Adequate housing is so fundamental to our needs. Most of the people in the room either have a home, or a home is a realizable dream. I think it is important that the workforce has a decent place to live. Habitat is making their effort.
EMF

On the 26th of May the HIA is holding its trade show. THE BEST TRADE SHOW IN TOWN. LIMBA will have a display booth showing the achievements of LIMBA. Paul Townsend was justifiably proud of LIMBA, and we will continue to have an impact on the shaping of Long Island future. Please plan on attending. www.hia-li.org for details

Robert Yaro, President, Regional Plan Association
2005-05-20 00:00
This morning we heard from an old friend of LIMBA Bob Yaro. Mr. Yaro is the president of the New York Regional Plan Association.

Bob started with a challenging proposition. We can be an example of how a region will function or, a good example of how not to operate.

Yaro made the following observations;

We need new patterns of growth on Long Island because the zoning we have today is unsustainable.
The rural and natural areas of the East end can be preserved and doing so will have a positive effect on the economy. Growth Vs preservation is a non-choice
Instead of Long Island being the leader in the NY Region’s economy, it is now emerging as a drag on the region. Most of the many new jobs in New York City went to New Jersey rather than Long Island. Why? Because we need a more efficient and attractive, as well as, less costly means of transportation to the city.
There is little progress in getting the changes we need because of what Yaro calls the “pull up the drawbridge” mentality.

Yaro cited the need for the third track on the main line of the LIRR. We also need to properly fund the remaining work on the East side access to NYC.

With the region growing, the share of new jobs for Long Island should be 1/2 million. That just isn’t going to happen unless we address the problems that need attention.

After hearing Yaro, it makes me wonder if we are not just drowning in our own stupidity. Perhaps we are, but is the job of those of us who try to lead is to make the case for intelligent change.

On a positive note Yaro said that he believes the leadership of Suffolk and Nassau under Steve Levy and Tom Souzzi is excellent and therefor hopeful.

We adjourned the meeting at 9:38. Some of us went into Great Neck for a memorial service for our founder, Paul Townsend, which commenced at 11AM. I could not help thinking that Paul has been citing much of the shortsightedness that is plaguing us now. Paul always saw the opportunities for Long Island, but he was never blind to our myopia. He pressed on nevertheless. We must do so as well.

I was asked to speak at the memorial, which I considered a great honor.

Remember, there is no meeting next week

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND-NO MEETING
2005-05-27 00:00

The Economic Impact of Film Industry on LI- Michelle Stark
2005-06-03 00:00

Michelle Isabelle Stark- Suffolk County Film Commissioner
2005-06-03 00:00
This morning we had a presentation of “The Film Industry on Long Island..” Michelle Isabelle Stark, from the Suffolk County Office of Film gave us an overview of the film industry and the impact it has had on Long Island.
Members and friends

According to Stark, filming on Long Island is a big business. Not nearly as big as in NYC, but Suffolk County is the largest revenue creating county in the state, when it comes to film making and production. She pointed out that films going back to the days of Rudolph Valentino have been made here.

The many estates, horse farms, beaches, and other unique settings makes Long Island a natural. The beach scene in the remake of “The Manchurian Candidate” where the drowning took place was filmed in Centerport Harbor. “The Sheik” was filmed in the Hamptons. Parts of “Superman” was filmed in Water Mill. Michelle asked people who think they have houses, antique cars, or other properties that could be rented to the industry to register with the film office.

After her talk Michelle fielded some questions Which tended to be focused on how individuals and businesses could participate, and perhaps make a little money in the process (a good thing as Martha would say).

Next week we will hear from Jim Morgo, who is now the Commissioner of Economic Development for Suffolk County. More on that next week.

Jim Morgo
2005-06-10 00:00
Jim Morgo spoke at LIMBA this morning, and as usual, he was full of information. Jim has taken the vision of the county executive, Steve Levy, and has been furthering the interests of more workforce housing. Jim, as most of you know was formerly the President of the Long Island Housing Partnership, so when charged by Mr. Levy to increase that segment of housing, it was a natural for Jim.

Jim Morgo’s title in Suffolk County government is Commissioner of Economic Development and Workforce Housing. Mr. Morgo and the county executive see economic development and workforce housing as being related in the sense that, if your aim is to aid business, then create housing for the people who will work in industry.

However the primary focus on promoting economic development remains. Among the concerns of the county is zoning. Zoning for higher density must be accomplished for the sake of cost and efficiency, but without sewers the density that is needed it cannot be achieved. There was considerable discussion about sewers, or more accurately, the lack there of. There seems to be no doubt that extensive sewer expansion is a must.

Mr. Morgo spent some time talking about the use of county owned land in Yaphank. The good news for that location is that sewers are available. There are 880 acres in total and 440 acres are vacant. Proposals are being sought for use of that land. Steve Levy would very much like to see some housing be part of it. Multiple housing with apartments with two bedrooms are a net tax gain for the area, according to Morgo. Therefore the effect on school taxes should be favorable. Presently there is a proposal to create a NASCAR facility, which could be an excellent generator of business and tourism, but they are being asked to put affordable housing in the mix, and so far the developer is not offering that.

Jim went on to speak about Empire Zones. One of those would be Gabreski Airport, but there are five others. Apparently the county under the stewardship of Jim Morgo, is creating a very ambitious agenda. He gave us enough information to trigger a very interesting Q&A period.

I want to thank again Jim Morgo, as well as the most interested audience anyone could hope for.

The Huntington Chamber is having a “roast ” of Alfonse D’Amato at the Huntington Hilton. LIMBA is a co-sponsor. I’m sure I’ll see some of you there. www.huntingtonchamber.com/

Next week we have the Democratic primary candidate for governor, Mark Green. The newspapers were given the wrong information, my apologies. This newsletter goes out to a large following, but please forward this to a friend to get the message out. More on this next week.

Mark Green., Democratic primary candidate for AG
2005-06-17 00:00
Is it real? Or is it a hoax perpertrated by the “vast left wing conspiracy”? Expect this to be a very informative meeting.

LIMBA mtg recap of Round Table Discussion
2005-06-24 00:00
Members and friends
This morning’s meeting was a “Round Table Discussion” of a few important issues. These sessions where we do not have an outside speaker, are often productive and interesting. This morning was particularly interesting.

A topic brought by Charlie Richardson centered on illiteracy and the enormous cost that it has on business. More important is the human tragedy of lives that are more prone to crime where illiteracy is a problem. According to Richardson, the cost of properly educating children is much cheaper than incarceration. LIMBA does not have literacy improvement as an action item on our agenda. But having an articulate and knowledgeable person such as Richardson in our membership allows LIMBA to weigh in on that issue. LIMBA will lend its name to Richardson’s efforts.

An action plan for establishing a much discussed ferry service from Shoreham to New Haven was laid out. The plan would involve making the ferry system part of the Interstate Highway System. Under the plan the William Floyd Parkway would become Interstate 91 and hook up with Interstate 91 in Connecticut. Fred Hall, General Manager of the Port Jefferson – Bridgeport Ferry was in the room and suggested that a South Fork auto ferry be proposed at the same time. All of this was discussed in the context of these links being necessary to enhance Homeland Security. The premise is that Long Island would be virtually impossible to evacuate, but with adequate ferry systems we would be able to supply the Island with supplies.

John Howell, Kelly Gutradt, Gina Levechio, Jeff Levy, and several others volunteered to do some legwork for making a complete ferry proposal that is scheduled to be done by August 31. Included in the proposal will be graphics.. We may be able to use some work that has been already done, but it will need to be modified. Thanks to all for the participation and interest.

Ernie Fazio

Next week we will observe the 4th of July holiday – There will be no meeting July 1. Next meeting July 9th.

Fouth of July weekend-No Meeting
2005-07-01 00:00

Village Revitalization-Mayor Paul Pontieri
2005-07-08 00:00
The mayor of Patchogue will talk about the village of Patchogue efforts to revitalize the downton.

LIMBA mtg recap 7/8
2005-07-08 00:00
Members and friends,
This morning our speaker was Paul Pontieri, Mayor of Patchogue. Mayor Pontieri has been pressing the issues that will improve the quality of life and the vibrancy of this very old and historical village on the South Shore of Long Island. But before I tell you what the village is doing at the present, I think what Paul said about ethnicity of the village now, and that of the past is worth pondering.

Paul reminded us that the Italians that were a major part of the population of the past, were equally disparaged as are today’s new arrivals, mostly Hispanic. The names of those Italians which we think of as our respected elders in Patchogue and other places on Long Island, were no less foreign to others as our new immigrants. They were poor, different looking, and struggling to be part of America. Putting that fact in perspective helps us be tolerant. As my friend David Ochoa said after the meeting, “All these people want is to get in the game.” They will get in the game, and we will be proud of many of them too.

Paul spoke about the problems of Patchogue in terms of opportunities. He quoted a fellow mayor and friend David Kapell. David stated when you approach problems you often uncover wonderful opportunities (not a direct quote). Right now Patchogue wants to expand it’s sewer plant to accommodate some changes in Patchogue. There is a joint dormitory planned for Briarcliff’s and St. Joseph’s Colleges, and there is a plan to increase downtown housing. There is a plan to better utilize the waterfront on the Patchogue River.

Earlier this year we had village trustee, Victor Yannacone come to LIMBA and speak about the refurbishment of the Patchogue Theater. Mayor Pontieri spoke about the theater too and mentioned that the theater made a new contract with Gateway Theater. The Mayors presentation was about the village reinventing itself. With some nostalgia we say good-bye to the old and familiar and welcome the new. At the same time the village is preserving it’s most architecturally sound buildings, such as the theater.

After we adjourned the meeting there was an unusual number of people that stayed longer and wanted to speak to the mayor. He graciously obliged.

Next week we will have Smithtown Supervisor, Patrick Vechio speak at LIMBA. Please plan om joining us.

Meanwhile have a great weekend,
Ernie Fazio

LIMBA mtg recap & news
2005-07-10 00:00
Members and friends
This mornings meeting featured Dr Matt Cordaro from LIU as our speaker and the topic was Disaster Preparedness. We advertised this event as hurricane preparedness, but in fact we covered more ground than that. Terrorist attacks were also discussed.
Matt began by citing the inadequacy of the local and state officials in Louisiana. A bit unfair I thought, but their were certainly some bad responses to the emergency, and that is the greater point.

His point was that the local authorities have the real responsibility and FEMA is a source of money to get things done. Even as we can accept that the position, FEMA was stripped of its previous large funding that it had in the 90’s. Of course not having a take charge type of individual is a bigger problem (Michael Brown) was not helpful, nor was it discussed.

Cordaro explained how planning for disaster is a “what if” exercise. Where the participants throw out the most devastating set of circumstances and discuss, what do we do to mitigate the disaster. He pointed out that all that can go wrong is very often beyond the reach of our imagination. We do the best we can and hope we can deal with what we have imagined with the tools we put in place.

According to Matt, the biggest problem was having an alert system that people know about. The day of the disaster is not the time that you tell people what they have to do to save their lives and property. Matt alluded to a systemic approach being required. In other words larger plans than can be followed with very little knowledge of the intricacies of the planning on the part of the citizen, because until we are faced with an emergency we are not likely to pay much attention. The trick is not having “the best layed plans of mice and men” but having a ritual of survival we all can follow. The discussion that followed was useful in firming up Dr. Cordaro’s comments.

Follow-up on other LIMBA issues
Rail freight– Fred Krebs, president of NY & Atlantic RR, has pointed out to me that Congressman Nadler was successful in getting $100,000,000 for the planning of the New Jersey to Brooklyn Tunnel. Fred contends that is a a waste of money because it simply is not going to address the problems we have, and the final tab on that boondoggle is more than $8 billion. Moreover, if it should be built it would not have economics to support itself. A better use of that $100,000,000 would be to make the bridge and track improvements on the existing rail system and we could increase rail freight by ten times our present loads, and take 300,000 truck off the road each year. Now that would help.

Repowering-LIPA and Keyspan are talking seriously to each other on this topic. Now that we will have a little excess capacity after the newly approved cables are in place, we will have a window of opportunity to replace an existing power plant, and several others after that. I applaud the efforts of Bob Catell and Richie Kessel.

Ferries -Homeland Security Access Ferries We have come up with a plan that makes perfect sense in terms of getting funding. Supplying Long Island with commodities, medical supplies, and equipment of all kinds requires a high speed ferry that is more than an economic benefit, it is a survival lifeline. The design of this plan is done and should be available on our website in two weeks.

Next week we will have Barry Greenspan from NY State Economic Dev.
Thanks to all that attended today’s meeting. Have a nice weekend
Ernie Fazio

Patrick Vechio, Supv. Town of Smithtown
2005-07-15 00:00

Recap of the June 17th meeting
2005-07-17 00:00
Members and friends,
This morning our speaker was Mark Green. Mr. Green has had a long experience in the field of consumer advocacy for the city of New York, and now would like to replace Elliot Spitzer as NY State Attorney General.

According to Mark, the job of AG is similar in its purpose to the job he has already doing. By the use of legal suits and prodding, people and companies that have been cheating the public are punished or forced to make amends. I can see the similarities, but it appears that the scope of the AG’s office is broader.

Mr. Green started by pointing to the lack of confidence that has been spawned by the administration in Washington. Then he tried to tie those deficiencies to the relevancy of his candidacy. He may have succeeded. He expressed the attitude that the AG was the “peoples attorney,” and that while he admired the present Attorney General, he probably would be somewhat different in his approach.

During the Q&A Green was asked if there was a place for him interceding on behalf of the investors. He pointed out that Elliot Spitzer did, and was generally successful. He stated that the honest dealings with investors by the financial community would continue to be important to him as AG.

Mark is a good natured, self effacing speaker. His sense of humor helps him communicate as a leader and we were pleased to have at our venue. We will subsequently have Andrew Coumo speak who is also interested in the Attorney General job. And finally we will have the Republican candidate for that job when he or she emerges.

Ernie Fazio

Global Warming-"Fact or Fiction"-John Cusack
2005-07-22 00:00
