P.O. Box 623, Miller Place, NY 11764
November 6th is Election Day.
This year, along with selecting local representatives, we are being asked to vote on the Community Preservation Fund, Proposal 3. The MPCA Board of Directors has voted to support this important endeavor to accumulate funds from the sale of homes to purchase open space. This plan is not perfect in my opinion, however, negotiations are inevitable in any project affecting a large community. I would have preferred to see acquisition and preservation of historic buildings and landscapes included, no transfer of development rights, and more financial leniency with first time buyers. Even with these concessions the CPF proposal is an important effort to stop overdevelopment in Brookhaven.
Community Preservation Funds have worked for other Suffolk towns. The East End towns have raised nearly $500 million through their CPFs, permanently protecting over 6,000 acres from overdevelopment. Our CPF calls for assessing a two percent fee on the purchase price of homes over $250,000. First-time, qualified (there is an income requirement) homebuyers are exempt. The Community Preservation Fund is not a sales tax and will never show up on property tax bills.
Brookhaven expects to generate between $30 million and $33 million annually for 17 years, after which the law authorizing the fee expires. Every cent raised by the Community Preservation Fund is eligible for matching funds from Suffolk County and New York State meaning every dollar raised will go twice as far.
The money will be used to help preserve farmland and open space, as well as thousands of acres of the pine barrens that protect the quality of Suffolk County's drinking water. Less development also means less congestion and a break from higher property taxes caused by the need for more services.
There is a provision that would transfer one quarter of the development rights generated in the purchase of an open space parcel into a development rights bank. These could be purchased by developers to increase density in other projects. Proceeds from the sale of development rights would go back into the preservation fund for additional purchases, a positive trade-off.
Please consider a Yes vote on Proposal 3 November 6th.
Kathy Rousseau
Sign, signs and more signs
Paul Degen of the Town Attorney’s office recently confirmed that all signs tacked to poles and the freestanding small signs stuck in the ground on public property with wire bases are illegal and can be removed by anyone. Law Dept employees are removing, collecting and ticketing businesses advertising this way. It is a huge job but they are making a dent in the problem. Until recently of course. Right now all we see are political signs blanketing the area. Candidates are supposed to apply for a permit for specific locations. This apparently means all of Brookhaven and/or Suffolk. I ask that you bear with the political signs until after Nov. 6th, then help remove as many as you’d like. At the Meet the Candidates Night we co-sponsored Oct. 1st all participants were asked to promise to remove their signs on Nov. 7th. Time will tell.
Keep America Beautiful
OUR MISSION:
Engaging individuals to take greater responsibility for
improving their community environments
Anti Litter Task Force
I will share with you some of the facts learned through Keep America Beautiful as we progress through development of our own local program:
KAB knows that there is no such thing as a single source of litter or a single profile of a litterer. What they do know is that there are seven primary sources of litter:
*Pedestrians or cyclists who do not use receptacles.
*Motorists who do not use car ashtrays or litter bags.
*Business dumpsters that are improperly covered.
*Loading docks and commercial or recreational marinas with inadequate waste receptacles.
*Construction and demolition sites without tarps and receptacles to contain debris and waste.
*Trucks with uncovered loads on local roads and highways.
*Household trash scattered before or during collection.
Cigarette butts are the most littered item in America and an emerging litter problem in many communities around the country. Lack of awareness, lack of ash receptacles, and the increase of outdoor smoking add to the visible impact of cigarette litter. Research shows that individuals who would never consider littering an aluminum can, a piece of paper or other items may be littering cigarette butts. They may be surprised to be called litterers. But dropping partially-smoked cigarettes, cigarette butts, matches, lighters and packaging to the ground is littering. These items become litter when not disposed of properly. This is no surprise to those of us who have participated in cleaning up our hamlet. Research shows that smokers will litter cigarette butts, lighters, matches and packaging material if an ash receptacle is not readily available. Cigarette litter occurs most often at Transition Points. Transition Points are those places where a person must discontinue smoking before proceeding. A bus stop, a store entrance, building loading docks, walkways leading to government buildings and similar places are the Transition Points in a neighborhood. Strategies will be formulated for Brookhaven once our initial community studies have been reviewed by KAB. Their Cigarette Litter Prevention Program has been developed and field tested over a five year period. In recent implementations, the program resulted in an average 48% reduction in cigarette butt litter in the areas where it was tested.
The Litter Index Survey completed 9/22/07 resulted in Miller Place roads scoring as follows: Echo Ave between Pipe Stave & MP Rd 1.5, and Miller Place Rd 2.4. These were rated from 1(pristine) to 4(can’t see the grass).
Historic Society News
Annual Postman Pete Christmas program.
Children are welcome to meet Postman Pete at the old MP post office on the grounds of the historic 1720 Wm. Miller House, North Country Rd., Miller Place, on December 2nd anytime between 1-3 PM to have their letter stamped and sent to the North Pole (child's return address must be included).
Program includes carolers and refreshment in the historic house and a response from Santa sent to the home. Mail a $5 check donation to MPMSHS, PO Box 723, Miller Place, NY 11764.
Visit: www.www.mpmshshistoricalsociety.org
Welcome to the Community Tuscany Gourmet Market
Reported by Rita Miszuk
"Our Own Back Yard"
It was the dream of Tom and Lorraine O'Grady to open a gourmet market in their own back yard. Miller Place welcomes the Tuscany Gourmet Market located in the shopping center on the corner of Pipe Stave Hollow Road and Route 25A. Both of the O'Grady's are caterers and gourmet cooks. They opened the market on June 8, 2007 featuring old fashioned, home cooked recipes. Everything is fresh and organic. Pre-cooked items are available as well as special holiday dishes. Their goal is to get to know all of the local families by name. There are approximately 10 people working with the O'Gradys. The staff is warm and adds the personal touch which I have found to be missing in so many of the larger corporate type shops. If you have a special cut of meat in mind or are trying a new recipe, or wish to learn how to prepare something new so that you and your family can get a change from the same old same old-the O'Gradys and their staff are right there to assist you in becoming the next Rachel Ray. There are gourmet salads, cold cuts, breads and rolls, custom cuts of meat, precooked dishes, ready to heat gourmet meals, whatever your heart desires at a very reasonable price. Stop in and help us keep this kind of quality food and service in our neighborhood.
Membership
There are a number of you who haven’t yet renewed for 2007. With two months to go I have to ask you once more to remember to send in your annual dues. New residents are added to our mailing list for a month which is indicated with an * after your name. Please visit our Web Site, www.millerplacecivic.org, to learn more about our association and consider membership. New members receive a 3 month subscription to the North Shore Sun.
New residents are added to our mailing list for several months which is indicated with an * after your name. There are many new names included in this mailing. Please visit our Web Site, www.millerplacecivic.org, to learn more about our association and consider membership. New members receive a 3 month subscription to the North Shore Sun.
Upcoming Meetings
November 26 Highway Superintendent John Rouse
Jan. 28
Feb. 25
Mar. 31
Apr. 28
May 26
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