Meeting 12.1.2009 of Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners' Assoc.

Each of the above views can be enlarged by clicking on the photo. Both look west on Ocean Avenue, Seaford. At the far end of the block, Ocean Avenue turns north for about a half-mile to Bayview Street. Most of the meeting of the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners' Association at the Seaford Library on December 1, 2009, concerned a plan by a developer ("Seaford Landing") to build 46 senior condominiums on two acres somewhere along the left side of this section of Ocean Avenue. Previously, the developer had considered building eleven single-family homes here. If the plot is east or west of this photo, please tell me. The address given for Seaford Landing is 3660.
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Three men from the developer addressed a group of about twenty-five at this meeting, which became quite contentious. It seems that the developer has not yet asked for a calendar date with the Town of Hempstead Zoning Board of Appeals for the variances needed for the 46 condos. Please do not confuse this project with the proposed condos on Arrowhead Place, located on the adjacent peninsula to the west. I was pleased to see this morning that a length of north-south Ocean Avenue is being repaved.
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I am certain that the Wantagh Citizen will have a more detailed account of this meeting.

St Joseph honored at St William's

About twenty-five years ago at St. William's church, the baptismal font was moved from a semicircular part of the vestibule to the front of the nave. A shrine replaced it, and on November 15, 2009, the former baptistry was reopened with a statue honoring St. Joseph. To the right is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, New Yorker, who lived from 1774 to 1821. To the left, the statue was chosen to represent St. William the Abbot, who was born in Vercelli, northern Italy about 1085 and spent much of his life at Montevergine, central or southern Italy. He died about the year 1142. The sword may refer to the power of the Word, perhaps as found in a Bible in his other hand.

Veterans' Day in Seaford, NY, 2009

The men and women who served their country deserve both thanks and praise.

Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

Past commanders of the the post were introduced and honored.

Election Day, November 3

I was glad to see copies of a 2009 Voters Guide (published by the League of Woman Voters) available at the library.
On November 3, we will be offered a Yes/No vote on two amendments to the state constitution:
1) An amendment concerning six acres of forest preserve in St. Lawrence County.
2) An amendment to allow prisoners to voluntarily perform work for nonprofit organizations.
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In Seaford, we were allowed to vote candidates for these offices:
3) The county Executive. Recount.
4) The county Comptroller. George Maragos won.
5) The county District Attorney. Kathleen Rice won.
5a) The county clerk. Maureen O'Connell won.
6) A county legislator. Dennis Dunne won.
7) One judge in the county court. Meryl Berkowitz won.
8) One judge in the 2nd District court . Terence Murphy won.
9) The supervisor of the Town of Hempstead. Kate Murray won.
10) The town clerk. Mark Bonilla won.
11) Six of ten candidates on the (regional) State Supreme Court.

September 11, 2009

The Seaford community gathered at 7 p.m. on September 11, 2009, to honor those who lost their lives on that date in 2001. Because of rain, the participants filled the high school auditorium. Please see the memorial site here for further description.

New pastor at United Methodist Church, Seaford, NY

As of July 1, 2009, a new pastor has been welcomed to the Seaford, New York, Methodist church, the oldest congregation in Seaford. He comes to Seaford from New Canaan, Connecticut. Please see the link here.

New elevator and escalator at Seaford railroad station

The new elevator and replacement escalator are now available at Seaford Long Island Rail Road station.

July 4, 2009, parade in Wantagh

Since Seaford, New York, did not have an Independence Day parade, you may wish to see photos of this year's Wantagh parade here or here. Special thanks to the five or six bands which participated: the Wantagh Pipe Band, the Comanches, the Nassau Police band, a unit or two of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and high school students from Wantagh. (Sorry, but the parade photos are not presented in order of march. The American Legion and the Vietnam Veterans were up front.) If anyone can identify the bands more closely for me, please leave a comment! Thank you.

New pastor for St. William's parish

Parishioners of St. William's parish knew they were losing their pastor, Msgr. William Koenig, to St. Agnes Cathedral, Rockville Centre. On May 3, 2009, parishioners learned of his replacement: Rev. Robert Hayden, presently pastor at St. Aidan parish, Williston Park.  Many thanks to Fr. Bill for his years here, and a hearty welcome to Fr. Hayden.

New trees beautify a parking lot

Ten new trees line Sunrise Highway west of Jackson Avenue. I presume that were planted by the Town of Hempstead during the renovation of the railroad station parking lot. The trees blossomed in late April, a marvelous display of alternating pink and white colors, seen best from passing cars. I did not risk a photo from the median to get the line-up of all ten. Congratulations to the planners and the supporting taxpayers!

Earth Day in Seaford, Long Island

Twenty or thirty years ago, many trees were planted along Merrick Road after the street was widened. On the morning of Earth Day, April 22, 2009, I walked to the Seaford Post Office and found that someone had cut down the two remaining trees located in front of the post office, as shown in the above photos.

Seaford station, Feb. 25, 2009

Seaford decoys

These photos from a 2008 meeting of the Seaford Historical Society are presented in connection with the February 28 item in the calendar above.

East end of LIRR platform now in service

On January 31, 2009, the LIRR trains began serving the renovated eastern half of the Seaford station platform, and the western half was closed for work. The photos above show the almost-hidden entrance to the platform from the south side of the ticket office; the new waiting room, and the new platform. The available stairs are at Washington Avenue and adjacent to the south side of the ticket office. The problem is that the ticket machines are on the northside, with inadequate markings that one must walk around the barricades to get to the stairs. The decorations on the waiting room windows are remarkable and commendable. Please click on the photo for magnification.
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The elevator and escalator are not yet in service.

Commerce on Merrick Road, Seaford

The business row in Seaford on Merrick Road seems to total about 167 commercial enterprises in a distance of about 1.3 miles. On the morning of January 12, 2009, I counted about 80 businesses on the south side of Merrick Road from Cedar Creek (East Bay Diner) to Seaford Creek (Tackapausha). It seems that four of these locations are empty: an home theater dealer opposite Kenora Place, and, at Willoughby Avenue, a Korean vegetable store (which offered excellent produce) and two others.
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The north side of Merrick Road from Fir Street (Seaford School District, but Wantagh Post Office) to Seaford Creek has about 87 stores. Several vacancies occur between Spruce St. and Willoughby Avenue and again between Kenora Place and Seaford Avenue.
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