{ title: 'The Farmingdale observer. (Farmingdale, N.Y.) 1963-current, August 04, 1977, Page 4, Image 4', download_links: [ { link: 'http://www.loc.gov/rss/ndnp/ndnp.xml', label: 'application/rss+xml', meta: 'News about NYS Historic Newspapers - RSS Feed', }, { link: '/lccn/sn95071030/1977-08-04/ed-1/seq-4/png/', label: 'image/png', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn95071030/1977-08-04/ed-1/seq-4.pdf', label: 'application/pdf', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn95071030/1977-08-04/ed-1/seq-4/ocr.xml', label: 'application/xml', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn95071030/1977-08-04/ed-1/seq-4/ocr.txt', label: 'text/plain', meta: '', }, ] }
Image provided by: Long Island Library Resources Council
*?>-''\•;#'-•:>>.• *f Editorials • Viewpoints • Comments l Main St. Fires i 1 Another major fire struck Farmingdale's downtown Main Street area, this time wiping out Jo Jo's Deli and damaging Capt. Andy's Restaurant. This was the second close call for Capt. Andy's. There's nothing left on the Front Street side of the restaurant but a hole in the ground where five stores once stood. The board fence still stands on the corner as a stark reminder. On both of these occasions, the restaurant, and this time Schmidt's Hardware Store were saved from destruction by the volunteer firemen from the three Farmingdale Departments. We don't want to be accused of constantly beating the same drum, but we must give praise when praise is due. These men give of their time not only to answer a 3 a.m. call, but spend hours and hours in training to learn what to do when they finally get to the scene of a raging fire in order to contain it and save any additional damage. Let's also remember, now while we're patting them on the back for containing a major blaze that caught our attention, that they spend a lot more time chasing small brush fires and minor catastrophies. And, while their efforts often go unrecorded, save more lives because of their intensive training on \routine\ emergency rescue calls. God bless our volunteers and thank God that we have them. We sure couldn't afford them if we had to pay them. Remember this the next time they ask for your support. SPH\'COLBY COMMENTS Last week I received a copy of Director of the Office of Management and Budget Bert Lance's comments before the House Committee on the Budget regarding the mid-session review of the 1978 federal budget. In addition to the mind-boggling fact that every single figure in the entire 11-page statement is in billions of dollars, I was dismayed, as a taxpayer, by Mr. Lance's blithe remarks on the present and future deficits. Forexample, he notes that \Forl977 our current estimates show ... a deficit of $48.1 billion.\ And then he adds, with what seems to me a touch of pride, \These estimates are within a billion dollars of the estimate that we sent to you in April.\ Imagine: to have budget estimates vary by a billion dollars in a three-month period and be able to brag about it! I am well aware of the spiraling costs facing all levels of government and the nature of budget estimates in general, but for the federal government to accept increased deficits this year and actually plan for an even greater deficit of $61.5 billion in 1978 is difficult to comprehend. Admittedly, we deal with much smaller numbers on the local level (our entire 1977 budget is only about one one-thousandth of the federal government's estimated 1978 deficit), but our policy has been, and will continue to be, that we will only budget for and spend what we expect in revenues. This Town is on a fiscal diet, and the budget officer is working full time on a line-by-line review of the budget with our department heads to develop an operating plan and budget for 1978 that will not produce a tax increase or a budget deficit. I only wish this philosophy was more apparent in the present federal administration. \YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER\ - Established 1920 - 51 Heisser Lane, Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735 Telephone: CHapel 9-0131 - 0170 Publisher Joseph Merendino Editor/Manager . Robert J. Starrett Production Mgr Steven Vid Published every Thursday by Farmingdale Post Division of Merlin Printing Co., Inc. Joseph Merendino, President; Steven Vid, Secretary-Treasurer COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY MEMBER: This newspaper will not be liable foi errors, appearing in any advertising be- yond the cost of the space occupied by the error. By—Lined Articles & Columns are the sole opinions of the writer* fit do not necessarily represent views of the paper. Second Class Postage at Farmingdale Post Office. SUBSCRIPTION RATE: 1 YEAR $5.00 / fttom oun> leaden*, New York Press Assoc. MEMBER: Nassau County Press Assoc. MEMBER: American Newspaper Repre| sentative MEMBER: National Editorial Assoc. Dear Mr. Mayor: It is indeed a pleasure and a great honor for me to receive this \Citation of Merit\ from the Village of Farmingdale. I feel very proud and happy. I sincerely appreciate the gesture as a token of affection from the people for whom I have worked for the past twelve years. I came to Farmingdale in July 1965, by the end of August we had started a busy reading club and in September we began a pre- school program which, up to now, is an outstanding example of what library work is. Presently we are running two such programs, one at South Far- mingdale and another at the Main Library. It is my firm belief that a library, especially in a com- munity like Farmingdale, needs to transcend the four walls of a building, that a library is people, is service. I must say I have been very fortunate to have worked for a Library Director who happened to have the same philosophy - Mr. Orrin B. Dow. Together we developed programs of service like art trips, craft programs, adult programs of information and referral services, etc. The library was also in- strumental in establishing and nourishing two cultural clubs which fill a need in the com- munity, the Hispanic Society and the Italian Cultural Society. The greatest satisfaction of my Career, - of course, was the celebration of the Hardscrabble Fair in Farmingdale. All the in- put, all the energies used in this affair were very well worth it. American industry was described as making far greater progress than municipalities in our national effort in water pollution control during hearings last week before the House subcommittee charged with overseeing the five-year-old federal program. The Investigations and Review Subcommittee of the House Public Works Committee held the hearings to determine the ef- fectiveness of the $18-billion Federal Pollution Control Act. As a member of the sub- committee, I had an opportunity to question Doug Costle, the new administrator of the En- vironmental Protection Agency, about the program's impact on Long Island where an extremely fragile eco-system presents horrendous potential water supply problems. The I & R subcommittee was the same panel I brought to Farmingdale last year to conduct hearings on the Southwest Sewer Project in western Suffolk. Costle claimed that although great gains have been made in controlling toxic and other hazardous substances entering our water supply, we have only \scratched the surface\ in cleaning up the nation's water. The 1977 clean water standards have been met by 90% of in- dustry, while only half of all municipalities have been able to meet those same criteria, Often painfully slow EPA processing of federal grants to municipalities combined with frequent difficulties in raisins the The cooperation of the Honorable Mayor, the service clubs and the community was admirable. I feel very glad I was part of that event and that it continues as an annual affair in this town. It is my aspiration that the Fair be continued as a historical event, that the streets of Farmingdale boom with the echoes of yesteryears, if it is that our future is to have meaning. I hope the annual event, is kept dignified, that the older citizens, the people who have lived here for many years and have seen the town grow, have a place of honor in the ceremonies. I hope that the parade becomes a review of its history, that a grand marshal leads, someone who has merited the applause of a grateful community. I have a vision of some kind of monument, erected with com- munity funds, to Hardscrabble Day - one that Will serve as an attraction to Farmingdale. Hardscrabble Fair could also be used for projects in our school - for costumes, research, art work, essay contests. I think there are unlimited prospects of how to keep the Fair as an im- portant event ... Let's do it. In retiring from my active position as Assistant Director of the Farmingdale Public Library, I want to reiterate my love for the people of the community, my satisfaction of the years spent here, my great pleasure with the wonderful friends I have made here. In closing I want to put myself at your service, and to express my desire to continue actively CHI other water cleanup efforts, however, have contributed to local government difficulties in meeting federal clean water standards. In reference to Long Island, I raised a matter of specific per- sonal concern in questioning Costle: \... do you (EPA) have,\ I asked, \the wherewithal, the personnel, the resources, and the legislation to determine the ef- fects of dumping eight million cubic yards of potentially participating in the life of this, my second home. For this I am at your command. Sincerely, /s/Hortensia R. Stoyan Dear Sir; We at Schmidt Hardware Inc. would appreciate your publishing the following letter to the public, the Farmingdale Fire Depart- ment and their mutual aid departments, and all others who cooperated to keep our losses to a minimum during the fire next to our premises, early Thursday morning. Although our smoke and water damage is considerable, it would have been a much more serious problem had it not been for the help received from the various departments and our friends and neighbors. We want all to know that this is sincerely appreciated by all of us, and made possible our continued business the following morning. We would further thank our agents, Sullivan, Shgrue, & Lucie, for their immediate response to our problems in getting our building cleaned and back into operation, and our tenants for their understanding, and willingness to bear with us during the cleanup operation. Fire is a serious threat to anyone involved, and without help could be disasterous to life and business. Again, we want to publicly thank all those who helped keep our problems to a minimum. Sincerely, /s/C-M. Schmidt, Pres. Schmidt Hardware Inc. damaging dredged spoil material contaminated with toxic sub- stances and heavy metals into Long Island Sound?\ Mr! Costle: \We ..., I think we have got the will ... We sure as hell know enough now to do more than we have been doing.\ I will remind Mr. Costle of that statement when the Army Corps of Engineers (presses) its plan to dump eight million cubic yards of dredged toxic materials into the Sound. ifU «»§W During the oil embargo and fuel crisis of 1974-75, when New York State motorists found themselves waiting in long lines at the gas pumps and when home heating supplies were threatened, then- Speaker of the Assembly Perry Duryea created an Assembly Task Force to s^ek advice and offer legislative remedies at the state level to ease the burden of the crisis on state residents. The most notable result was the creation of a State Energy Office which helped considerably in making sure that available supplies were fairly distributed but the testimony gathered by the Task Force covered many related problem areas. One such problem involved complaints by franchise owners of service stations, supplied by the large oil companies, who complained that their suppliers had virtual control over their businesses. One result was that the Legislature passed a grievance procedure law for franchise owners and another recommendation made at that time has been acted upon this past session. iJrJ? > \ Spo, 2 ored this bm » Assembly 4»ao (a), to prohibit contracts SL-?•? \ ™chtaeservice station operator and a major oil company wmen had allowed the operator to sell only tires, batteries and other f^ffsonf purchased from Ns supplier or which forbid the operator »1 1 HH . J ems which **** supplied from another source. This year, we Legislature passed this bill, now been signed into law, banning such practices. a^r* 11 \\/\ 8 £** competition for tire, battery and other auto ^TV J?^ 8 ' me new tow should prove to be beneficial for both tk~L„I operators and consumers who *ill realize lower prices through competitive business procedures.
