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THE
TAXMAN COMETH!
A sure fire way to ruin a magnificent summer occurred when Point
Lookout residents received their preliminary tax assessment
notices in the mail this August. Not since Hurricane Gloria have
we witnessed such a potential fiscal tidal surge levied onto our
community. The vast majority of our 850 homeowners saw their
assessments increase by 60 to 100% with some even higher! If
that weren't bad enough, several weeks later property owners of
vacant parcels were lambasted with assessment on these properties
as if they were developed parcels. Some of these vacant lots are
being assessed at $300,000 to $400,000 dollars!!
The Point Lookout Civic Association took some definitive steps to
try to get our arms around this issue.
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We held
a special general meeting in August attended by close to 300
people to hear first hand what homeowners were experiencing
and to develop a strategy on how to attack this unfairness.
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We
circulated a petition which was mailed with a strong letter of
protest to our governmental state and local officials
expressing our outrage and asking them to correct this
injustice through legislation or any means possible.
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We
advised our residents to reaffirm this outrage by writing
themselves (as many of our Board Members have done) to all our
elected leaders asking for assistance.
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We
recommend that all homeowners contact and schedule an
appointment with COLE - LAYER- TRUMBLE Company to appeal their
decision.
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We
consulted with some legal experts to ascertain some potential
avenues of redress that residents can pursue.
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We
advise that residents consult the www.mynassauproperty.com
and www.townofhempstead.com
web sites to gather more information regarding their homes and
what exemptions individuals may have available to them.
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We are
scheduling a special follow up general meeting on Thursday,
September 26th at 8:00 p.m. to continue fighting this
injustice. Please consider attending your input is important.
CHILDRENS
DAY 2002 & CLAM BAKE
The Civic Association has been sponsoring this day for over 70
years and the 2002 event some believed was the best yet.
Thanks to
the Herculean efforts of Chairpersons Rose
& Brian Gallagher Children's Day 2002 was an
unqualified success. The storm clouds threatened but never came as
"Divine Providence" smiled as our children ran, swan,
rode, threw, shot, created and ate their way through a magnificent
day. Special thanks should be conveyed to Mary
Beth Magan our "Ice Cream Queen" and Tommy
Corning proprietor of OLIVE OILS (our new pizzeria in town)
for the generous donations of their culinary delights. The
countless volunteers who coordinated each event and our friends
from the Town of Hempstead, Ann Ryan, "Big Pat Laverty"
and John "our man on the beach" contributed immeasurably
to making this day possible.
CLAMBAKE
What better way to unwind after watching your kid's runs around
all day? The Civics' "Feast on the Beach Clambake" which
has become a tradition after each Children's Day. Valerie
Reidy, Mary Goldberg and
countless others provided some 300 partygoers a fine way to top
off a great day. Dancing on and around the newly refurbished
Somner Gardner Pavilion and enjoying a hamburger or clams on the
half shell there was no better way to savor the traditional end to
summer. A great time was had by all.
DEDICATION OF AMERICAN EAGLE WEATHERVANE
& CUPOLA
The events of September 11, 2001 touched all of our lives. The
Civic Association commemorated this tragedy by dedicating an
American Eagle Weathervane and Cupola. This memorial affixed to
the top of our beach pavilion, is a small tribute to the Manning,
Holland, and McCarthy families of Point Lookout who lost loved
ones on that fateful day. It is also a tribute to our volunteer
fire department members from our Point Lookout-Lido Dept. like Chas
Thompson who fought so valiantly in assisting with the
rescue effort at Ground Zero. We will never forget the sacrifices
these individuals and their families have made. Special thanks
need to be extended to Bill Hemp who
provided the Civic with this idea and to John
McIntyre and his son who took the time and major effort to
install this memorial.
ELIZABETH MCCLOSKEY
With a note of sadness, long time Civic Member, Elizabeth
McCloskey passed away recently. A noted attorney and President of
the Feal-Lock Burial Company, Elizabeth was a consummate community
activist. A prolific letter writer, Elizabeth kept our elected
officials on their toes when it came to matters pertaining to
Point Lookout. She was instrumental in getting N.Y.S. to put
lights on the Loop Parkway and marshalling the efforts for many of
the decorative signage in and around town. Elizabeth will never be
forgotten for the numerous contributions she provided to the Civic
and above all our community. Our thoughts and prayers are extended
to her family.
BEACH NOURISHMENT PROJECT
Our Beach Committee Chair Gerry Ottavino has
continued his efforts to get the City of Long Beach to take a
position regarding this initiative. We will be giving a full
overview of the status of this project at our General Meeting on
the September 26th. Gerry has schedule Earth Day III, Beach
Planting for Saturday, October 5th. Please come and join us help
restore our beach plantings.
STREETSCAPES
Bill Waite and his Civic Committee
have continued to spearhead this effort. Come hear the latest
developments and progress regarding the refurbishment of Lido Blvd
on the 26th.
Please continue to check our Post Office Bulletin Board and www.mypointlookout.com
for updates and special events.
Francis X. Ryan
President
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