Meeting 1.30.2008 of the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Assoc.

The Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association held a bimonthly meeting on January 30, 2008, in Room 152 of the Wantagh High School. The meeting, with an attendance of about eighteen, ran from 7:22 to 8:43 p.m. Following the Pledge, the slate of the nomination committee was presented and elected without challenge. I am sure the list of officers will soon appear on the Association's website here.
An attempt to summarize the meeting follows:
Assemblyman David McDonough explained the topic of Trump on the Ocean. Regarding PILOTS or payments in lieu of taxes, he pointed out that each assemblyman around the state would demand the same treatment if we succeeded in getting such payments for the Wantagh School District. As far as the Fire District is concerned, it may be possible to chart the added number of calls regarding events at the new restaurant and arrange some increased payment.
Floyd Earle, new president of the Wantagh Chamber of Commerce, spoke.
Richard and Lisa Shary spoke about park or environmental issues: the marine playground at Wantagh Park; security patrols at Wantagh and Cedar Creek; the rejection by Nassau County for the proposed Cedar Creek Park; windmills in the Atlantic; an artificial industrial island in the Atlantic; the Nassau Hub.
They distributed a map from the South Shore Bikeways Connection Study, which proposed connecting the Jones Beach Bikeway with the bike path in Massapequa Preserve. It would depart Cedar Creek on the east side, travel north on Cedar Street and Willoughby Avenue, east on Waverly Avenue, through Tackapausha Preserve, then east on Maple Street. Mr. Shary is president of the Friends of Masssapequa Preserve. He warned of 6,000 bikers daily on that route. He urged a route from Cedar Creek east to some unused paving on NY 135, then along the south side of the railroad to Massapequa.
As this blog concerns Seaford, I note that Waverly Avenue is a rather bumpy road for wheeled vehicles, bicycles, sedans or any other size. I am not certain, but I think Waverly Avenue was open by 1908 from Washington Avenue two blocks or so at least to the fire house. Perhaps in the 1920's, I understand it was lengthened west to Willoughby Avenue. Is the name "Waverly" Scottish in origin?

Meeting 1.3.2008 of the Seaford Historical Society

Each time I attend a meeting of the Seaford Historical Society, I am impressed how the individuals who lead this organization show cordiality and competence. They welcome newcomers and strangers. They know the order and timing of the program, and they run the meetings well.
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Harrison Hunt, historian and author of books on our Civil War, presented an excellent slide show, with narration, on Long Island's participation in that sad conflict (1861-1865). I have several pages of notes, but I will present items in my own order, attempting to begin with Seaford and move outwards.
1) The Seaford men who served in that war tended to be farmers and baymen, as these were the principal occupations. [Recall that the place name "Seaford" comes almost twenty years after the war.] We were part of the Town of Hempstead [town hall being in Hempstead], but the county was Queens and the draft board of 1863 met in Jamaica.
2) Apparently, the individual names of men from hereabouts who served in the war might be found in an 1890 census of Civil War veterans. Most seemed to have joined Company H of the New York 119 Volunteers. As Mr. Hunt addressed the Civil War from a Long Island viewpoint, instead of Seaford only, he did not provide individual names.
3) Moving a half-mile west of Seaford: The Wantagh Fire Department displays a bell from a Civil War warship outside its building on Park Avenue.
4) In North Bellmore, African Americans who served in the Civil War are buried in the Oakfield Road cemetery.
5) In North Wantagh, the cemetery on Wantagh Avenue (now adjacent to the church of St. Frances de Chantal) contains the grave of a doctor who served in the war and died there by disease, as many participants died.
6) Mr. Harrison displayed a photo of David Allen from Jerusalem (North Wantagh) in the Zuave uniform some regiments used. One must remember that the U.S. Army numbered fewer men than the volunteer regiments.
7) Delancey Floyd Jones served in both the Mexican War and the Civil War. A biography is in Wikipedia. A description of the Floyd-Jones of Massapequa (South Oyster Bay) is here.
8) In the early 1830's, having graduated from West Point, George Meade did survey work for the Long Island Rail Road, probably in Brooklyn or Queens, as the railroad began expansion eastward from Jamaica in April, 1836.
9) Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee were both stationed at Fort Hamilton sometime.
I may edit this post further. Corrections are welcome.

Native American names in Seaford

In an attempt to identify which Seaford streets had names of the earliest people in Seaford (generally from the 1600's), I encountered several surprises. Obvious are the names Tackapausha, Seaman, and Jackson. There appears to be no street named after a Native American ("Indian"), but rather the Tackapausha Pond and Preserve. Merrick Road is named for a local tribe or family. Otherwise, more streets have Indian names, but they are not the names of individuals, rather tribal, geographic or both. Some of the Indian street names refer to tribes or locations far away from Seaford. The list I have made includes: Merrick Road, Narragansett Ave , Mattituck Ave, Penataquit Ave, Wyanet St, Ladonia St, Tonopah St, Manhasset St, Wadena St, Roanoke St, Alcona St, Tuscala St, Seminole Ave, Peconic Ave.

Meeting 11.1.2007 of the Seaford Historical Society

Thomas Saltzman, historian of the Town of Hempstead, presented two Powerpoint CD shows that he and his office prepared. The first reviewed the history of record-keeping in the Town of Hempstead. The second was prepared for classes of fourth-graders, who study local history.
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Many thanks to the volunteers of the Seaford Historical Society, who graciously and expeditiously offered this meeting. First, however, I must provide this link to a page outlining the history of the Town of Hempstead. I must also remind readers that Seaford, New York, does not have the status of village or city. It is an unincorporated section of the large Town of Hempstead. We have about 16,000 residents, but our local government is the Town of Hempstead, which counts about 750,000 residents.
Mr. Saltzman explained from 1643 to 1784 the Town of Hempstead extended from Long Island Sound to the Atlantic Ocean. During the Revolutionary War, the northern section tended to be "Patriot," siding with George Washington, and the southern section was "Loyalist," friendly to the King. In 1784, the town was split, a division that can be seen on the parking signs along Old Country Road! (In Westbury, those on the north side of that street are marked "Town of North Hempstead," on the south side "Town of Hempstead.") For a while after 1784, the term Town of South Hempstead was used.
It must also be noted that the towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead, and Oyster Bay formed part of Queens County until 1899, when Nassau County was established. As a result, certain county-level documents (some land deeds, for example) originating prior to 1899 are held in the Queens County record office on Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica.
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Until about 1870, the town records moved from house to house depending on who was Town Clerk. When the Town of Hempstead was split in 1784, the clerk happened to live in north of Old Country Road, so North Hempstead retained the older records. Some were later copied, by hand, of course. Through many years, there was only one town meeting a year, in April, and it considered few items of business. The records from 1784 to 1870 make six volumes. About 1870, the Town created a records office on Liberty Street, Hempstead, so the records would not thereafter be stored at the current clerk's home. Nowadays, there is a special department in Town Hall for the preservation of records.

Wantagh Fire District Budget Hearing

As the Wantagh Fire District (more than eleven square miles in size) includes a section of Seaford west of Seaman's Creek, I attended the public budget hearing of the Wantagh Fire District, October 16, 2007, pursuant to a law signed by Governor Pataki in 2006. The hearing was called to order at 7 p.m. with the pledge to the flag and a moment of silent prayer for those fighting overseas. Superintendent Antonucci gave a Powerpoint presentation of the budget. A comment period followed, but the seven citizens in attendance were told that no questions would be answered. One person commented that the presentation was excellent. With that, the meeting ended at 7:20 p.m.
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The number of emergency calls keeps rising, about sixty percent of them for rescue (ambulance) work. Also, an increasing number of calls are transferred from the Nassau County police because their ambulances are already on call.
The superintendent explained the proposed budget of $6,177,500 in less than twenty minutes. Account 100 totals $925,000 for "Personal [personnel?] services."
Account 200 totals $630,000 for purchases.
Account 400 totals $1,551,500 for what seems to be a variety of running expenses. In part, it includes (Account 400 03) $65,000 for Travel/Conventions. Account 400 11 includes $310,000 for Fuel/Light/Water. Account 400 23 includes $30,000 for Travel.
Account 600 totals $1,895,000. In part, it includes $500,000 for hydrant rentals and $420,000 for Service Awards (LOSAP, or Length of Service Award Program).
The tax rate will decrease in 2008, even though the budget went up.
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Before the meeting, a six-page summary of the budget was distributed. Also distributed were copies of the Public Hearing Policy, including these two important points:
"3. This is not a question and answer session. This is a hearing designed to solicit comments from the public. The Board wants to hear your concerns so they can better represent you."
And
"4. Please do not expect the Board to answer any questions, as this time has been reserved for the public to inform the Board of Fire Commissioners about their concerns and comments regarding the proposed budget."

Fire Districts Public Budget Hearing

It seems that a new state law requires fire districts to hold public hearings on their budgets, even though the citizens apparently do not get to vote on the budgets. It seems that these hearings must be held on the same day, October 16, 2007. The Seaford Fire District will hold its hearing at 7:30 p.m. at the Waverly Avenue fire house. The Wantagh Fire District, which covers much of Seaford, will hold its hearing at 7 p.m. at the Park Avenue fire house.

Seaford Public Library

On October 14, 2007, the friends and staff of the Seaford (N.Y.) Public Library held a gala celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Library. For six photos of the event, please click on this link. When you reach that Flickr page, clicking on each photo will enlarge it. You do not have to register to view the photos.
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Many thanks to all those who worked to establish the Seaford Public Library in 1957 and to the friends and staff who have contributed their talent and time ever since.

Seaford HS Memorial Ceremony for 9/11 Victims

About 7 p.m. on September 11, 2007, a thousand people gathered on the lawn of Seaford High School to remember the victims of 9/11/2001, and in particular, the five alumni of Seaford High School who perished. For further information, see
http://www.shs911memorial.org/
and photos on Flickr
http://flickr.com/search/?q=seaford+911memorial

St. William the Abbot Church

The extension of the east entrance of St William the Abbot Church is nearing completion. It provides a larger foyer or assembly area, particularly needed for weddings and funerals during rain. Also, two needed lavatories have been located in this addition. This photo was taken on September 7, 2007, before the granite terrace was installed. Previously, the church did not have steps on this Jackson Avenue entrance.

Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Assoc. 5.30.2007

On May 30, 2007, Ella Stevens chaired a meeting of the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association at the Seaford Public Library. Scheduled for 7 p.m., the meeting began at 7:13 with twenty-one present. First was an informative and helpful presentation by Gary P. Sauer, Acting Director of the Traffic Control Division of the Town of Hempstead. The main discussion with him was the difficulty of cars exiting north out of Pine Street onto Merrick Road because of street parking at the new diner there. One interesting point: a sign totally lacking county or town identification is often non-enforceable. Town signs are now being marked TOH.
As for Town parking lots (such as near the railroad), a stall is defined as having a white line on both sides. Concerning the stalls in the center of a town parking lot, beware of parking outside the last painted line even if there is a curb nearby.
Other Wantagh items were then discussed. A Seaford discussion began at 8:18 p.m., thirty-two people present, with the proposal to build eighteen town houses at the south end of Arrowhead Place. The builders must get the zoning changed from commercial (the present marina) to a residential designation. A young woman (lawyer for the developer?) displayed large maps and sketches of the town houses and their adjacent docking spaces. If you see these maps again, be careful to note where north is, because not all their maps have north at the top. For an excellent aerial view of the marina, go to Google Maps, type in "Arrowhead Place, ny 11783," and later choose the hybrid view. You can count the boats!
She referred to a man there as "our client,' so I presume he was the developer. He made some verbal promises: that the homes would stay as "age 55 and older," that the lofts were not a third story, etc. The asking price may be $650,000 per townhouse, no basement, two floors (and a loft), two bedrooms, two baths, and a dock. "We are not asking for variances from the code." "Hempstead limits residences to a height of thirty feet." One boating enthusiast pointed out that several marinas in Nassau County have already sold out to developers and that dock and boat storage space is falling greatly. I left the meeting at 8:55.

Results of Board of Education vote

The Seaford, New York, school budget passed. For the two open seats on the Board of Trustees, John DelGiudice won with 1,678 votes and Linda Hurley with 1,377. The five candidates (including these winners) pulled in 4,852 votes in total, each voter being allowed to vote for two candidates. The budget passed, 1,780 to 1,222. My May 31 letter to the Wantagh-Seaford Citizen, therefore, was misleading, as I forgot that each voter could cast two votes for trustees.