Editor's Note: This article was written and submitted by George Wallace.
The South Bellmore Civic Association (SBCA) held its inaugural meeting at the Bellmore Memorial Library last week.
Born at least in part out of the continuing struggle of many residents of South Bellmore to recover from the effects of Hurricane Sandy, SBCA supercedes the East Bay Civic Association, which South Bellmore Civic spokesperson Alison Frankel said ‘hasn’t met in a long time. I went to Ira Harris, the leader of that group, and asked his permission -- he said ‘I’m passing the baton to you.’”
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“We want to make this town the best it can be,“ said Frankel. “I’m passionate about this, even with a little baby at home. We want this to be a town we can be proud of.”
The meeting was in part organizational, with Frankel and board member Seth Hirschorn calling for topics to place before the association, as well as for volunteers.
“As we progress we’ll be looking for volunteers from different areas, and with specific concerns,” said Hirschorn. “So fill out those questionnaires.”
“This is not just about me and the others,” said Frankel, speaking from the head of a table that included fellow SBCA leaders Hirschorn, Chad Milman and Amy Zaslansky. “It’s about everyone in the community stepping up.”
The South Bellmore Civic Association will meet monthly, according to Frankel, at a date and location to be announced.
The pressing need for forward movement in hurricane recovery was a big item on the evening’s agenda. Ray Perez, a public relations officer with FEMA, explained the ‘team’ of organizations and entities that are in the area to help with the recovery process. Greg Mullinix, also of FEMA discussed flood insurance issues, saying that Hurricane Sandy pointed out the homeowner’s need to ascertain the one percent chance flood level for their property.
“Knowing your risk is the first part of the equation,“ he said. “The second part is how you personally are covered for that risk. You need to make an educated choice.“
The meeting also included presentation of a “HydraBarrier” device that takes the place of sandbags to divert water and water contaminants from flood-prone homes. And a group called Project Hope, which offers free and confidential supportive counseling and public education services to Hurricane Sandy disaster victims, was on hand.
But SBCA’s initial meeting took up everything from park maintenance to potholes, and from delineating upkeep responsibilities of homeowners to school safety and security.
In particular, a damaged fence at Mill Pond Park, which has had damaged posts and rails going back to Hurricane Irene in August of 2011, were addressed at length.
Many of the questions about jurisdictions and responsibility for public facility maintenance and code enforcements were directed toward representatives of Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Angie M Cullin.
Legis. Dave Denenberg, D-Merrick, praised the group for forming.
“A civic association is a great idea,“ Denenberg said. “There are many different issues, quality of life issues, to bring to the community. I’ll get to every one of these meetings I can.“
What issues do you think need to be spotlighted in South Bellmore? Tell us in the comments section below.
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