Letters to the Editor
FLANDERS
Hit ’em where it hurts
While the Moose Lodge might be exempt from laws that bar discrimination based on gender (“Moose Lodge’s marina no place for lady boaters,” June 17), I wonder how many wives are paying their husband’s membership and docking fees? Could be time to cut the string, ladies, and let your hubby pay the fees himself. If the Moose can’t balance its budget, I wonder how many dock slips might open up to Women of the Moose!
Mary Anne Corwin
SHOREHAM
Moose Lodge does a lot for Riverhead
Regarding last week’s article headlined “Moose Lodge’s marina no place for lady boaters,” as a member of Riverhead Lodge 1742, I am offended that the News-Review is trying to imply that Riverhead Lodge 1742 discriminates against women. This is not true.
First off, it should be noted that the woman in question was offered a slip for one year and she refused it. The dockage money was refunded to her. Vera Chinese’s article was slanted and I really feel the News-Review should publicize positive aspects of the Riverhead Lodge, like the way the members of the Loyal Order of Moose 1742 and The Women of the Moose volunteered their time and worked together in donating 1,000 hot dogs and soda and fed the students and staff of Pulaski Street School after the anti-drug march June 4, or that the Loyal Order of Moose donated $3,100 from the proceeds of their annual fishing tournament to the Suffolk County Child Advocacy Center, which assists abused children. The Riverhead Lodge has donated to many other great causes as well.
I usually enjoy reading articles in the News-Review but was extremely disappointed in this article. I hope the News-Review will write more positive articles about Riverhead so maybe the town will start to attract businesses to come back downtown. Positive articles will also attract more people to come to Riverhead as a tourist destination. On a positive note, I think your staff photographer Barbaraellen Koch is an excellent photographer and her photos are fantastic.
Ray Kelly
SOUTH JAMESPORT
Walter’s motives were good
I am writing this letter to you as a concerned senior citizen. I believe that our town supervisor, Sean Walter, has been targeted politically over the mold at Jamesport Community Center.
Many years ago, Supervisor John Leonard and the rest of the Town Board were in favor of tearing the school building down and putting a police impound lot there, among other ideas that were just as bad. My daughter, Kathy Anthony, and I organized a group of volunteers to “Save our School.” We went to Town Board meetings and were told that if we could have it inspected and declared safe, we could have it as a community center. We all set to work cleaning and scrubbing. We had Ray Janis, a noted builder, do necessary carpentry. When we were all finished, Gordon Ahlers, an architect who had worked with us, certified that it was safe. The Town Board accepted what we had done and it was named the Jamesport Community Center. Since then the building has been in constant use. There are homemaking, garden club, bridge groups — more than I can think of at this moment.
After the flood in March, there were all sorts of rumors about how they could not fix the building, etc. I called the supervisor to find the truth. I did explain to him how much the center meant to our groups. He told me he was trying hard to get a company to clean it and had only one company so far, but they were on it. He especially wanted it open in June for the children’s summer camp. The various organizations followed the matter and we all went to Town Hall meetings.
Now I would like to ask the politicians and those who would like to keep the controversy surrounding the mold cleanup contracts going, to let it go. I have been involved in politics for many years and have seen mistakes made by supervisors and other politicians. That old adage about “glass houses” comes to mind. As for Town Board members Jodi Giglio and George Gabrielson, I am very disappointed by their attitudes. I wonder what they are thinking.
Please, let’s give our supervisor our support. He made a mistake, but I believe his motive was a good one — to get the job done for his constituents.
Georgina (Jean) Gillen
peconic
Helicopter noise
Congratulations to the News-Review in reference to its editorial on the helicopter problem. You got it exactly right. Your piece adds needed clarity to where citizens need to focus their resources to stop this invasion of our area. The problem, as you suggest, and my own research supports, began with Senator Schumer’s early negotiations with copter companies to move flights eastward and fly south over our area. Schumer’s move placed the problem in our backyard and gained him support in western Suffolk and Nassau County. One can say Schumer “did us in” in many ways, such as urging people to call the Copter Council’s 800 number to complain and solve the problem, an organization totally in support of cost-saving flights over Peconic and Southold Town.
Something is wrong with that picture! And in recent FAA negotiations, it’s Schumer again, fooling us one more time. Here he takes credit for changing routes, but in the end, as the Times suggests, changes nothing as copters can still fly the shortest routes to the Hamptons.
In fact, Congressman Bishop along with Supervisor Russell and Legislator Romaine have been the main support to stop the copter flights, with Bishop leading the way for FAA intervention. As the Times suggests, the focus now should be on pressuring the FAA.
Lessons learned? Looking to Schumer, the Copter Council, and calling the council’s 800 number is useless. Let’s not be fooled a third time. As the saying goes, “Fool me once … fool me twice … ” Again thanks to the News-Review. We needed your wise assessment.
Bill Fibkins
Cutchogue
Them is us
Just when we were getting excited about the new brokered helicopter deal that causes the choppers to go over low population areas, we discover that we are the low population area.
Jack Barthel
cutchogue
Now is the time
It was nice to see the rail link for freight get started awhile back. It will be a great public service to get some trucks off our highways. Something that should be considered in conjunction with this is service to the North and South forks on the weekends (maybe modified buses to ride the rails), which may help with tourist traffic.
One more thought. Before we get an indoor ski slope or casino on the Grumman property, how about the five East End towns joining forces and putting a state-of-the-art solar farm with a natural gas generator (for nighttime) on one-third of the property? With all of the available incentives, rebates, grants and the disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico, maybe now is the time.
Bob Dickerson
CALVERTON
Good ideas for Suffolk Transit route
We are making a request to amend bus schedule S58 to improve safety and increase ridership with no impact to other riders or stops. Such a change would reduce travel time and even include a new pickup and dropoff stop in front of Riverhead High School at 700 Harrison Ave.
Currently, bus S58 departs the Suffolk County Center, located at 210 Center Drive in Riverside and heads west by traveling north on Osborn Avenue, the road then forks to the left and travels through a higher populated residential area, crossing seven side streets, then turns left onto Route 58 in Riverhead.
Over the years, Osborn Avenue and Harrison Avenue, along with Route 58, have been re-engineered due in part to an increase in road volume and development.
The safest and most direct means to connect to Route 58 from the south end of Osborn Avenue is to go straight north, when bus S58 reaches Harrison Avenue, continue north to Route 58.
At the new re-engineered intersection of Harrison Avenue and Route 58, bus S58 would make a left turn and head west (staying on S58’s schedule).
This improved bus route and stop would make available for high school students and others a green way to travel west to work or shop at The Home Depot shopping center, the Tanger Outlets or other shopping centers and businesses along Route 58, even to attend college classes at Suffolk Community College in Selden or summer school at the high school.
Joe and Karen Muncey
NORTH SHIRLEY
Senator should be fielding these questions
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry two weeks ago when state Senator Ken LaValle initiated a series of robocalls to voters in the 1st Senatorial District, asking whether or not they would support a shutdown of state government. Why is he asking for opinions all of a sudden? Before last weekend, Mr. LaValle voted four times to shut down state government. If he had succeeded, New York government would have stopped operating, thousands of out-of-work people would not have been able to receive unemployment insurance checks, school aid would have been withheld and the economy would have been dealt a serious blow. Mr. LaValle should be answering some of our questions. Why has he repeatedly, over the years, voted to approve state budgets with gimmicks like one-shot sources of revenue? Why has he voted so often for taxes and fees to be imposed and increased on New Yorkers — more than 600 times over his term in office? Why did he write a school aid formula that gives Long Island 12 percent of state aid to schools when we educate 17 percent of New York’s children? I hope that Mr. LaValle spends less of his time this year asking questions and more of his time answering them.
Terri Scofield
Southold
Seeing the light
As mentioned in Julie Lane’s nice article on the East End Lighthouse tour, Horton Point is the only onshore lighthouse of Southold Town’s eight. It is also the only one open to the public. A visit to this historic site is a lovely way to spend a summer afternoon.
You might want to bring a picnic and enjoy the beautiful grounds and the nature trail. Then step up on the porch and sign the guest register. Inside the dwelling house is the Southold Historical Society’s lovely nautical museum, where volunteers will explain the exhibits and answer your questions.
Next, you’ll want to climb the tower. Since the lighthouse is on a bluff approximately 52 feet above sea level, it’s an easy climb and is often a child’s first lighthouse. In the lantern room, another volunteer will explain the functioning light and the reason for the lighthouse’s location at Horton Point.
Finally, don’t miss “The Tale of the Whale” in the oil house. Listen to whales talking and find the stepping stones indicating the length of the whale whose skull bone is inside.
Horton Point Lighthouse is open Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., from Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day. A donation of $3 per adult is appreciated: children under 12 are free. We look forward to your visit!
Jean Mirchel and Anne Schwiebert
co-chairs, Horton Point Lighthouse Committee
Southold Historical Society
Orient
Observe bike law
In response to Donna Carvevale’s letter from the June 10 issue, and with the North Fork Century (100-mile) bike race coming up on Aug. 29, I just wanted to remind cyclists that drivers will be driving this summer on the roadway with you.
This means observing and adhering to the New York State bike laws, such as focusing on the road, riding single file and, above all, keeping to the right of the white line so that motorists are not forced to veer into oncoming traffic to avoid you riding in their lane!
Everyone is always reminding motorists to watch out for bicycles, but if cyclists would just follow the laws, the roads would be a lot safer for everyone.
Wow! I’ve been itching to write that letter for a long time!
Janet Hands
