Next Civic Meeting: October 9th - Election 2008: Meet the Candidates
Oct 06, 2008 Filed in: Events
| General
Announcements
The next Civic meeting will be on Thursday, October
9th, at 7:30 PM, at the American Legion Hall, 115
Church Street, Lake Ronkonkoma.
Election 2008: Meet the Candidates
The Executive Board has invited the following candidates to the General Membership meeting on October 9th to meet with our members. The Board does not endorse any particular candidate or political party, but we do encourage our members to come to the meeting and ask our guests about the issues that are important to them.
1st Congressional District
Timothy H. Bishop (incumbent)
Lee Zeldin
State Assembly, 5th District
Ginny A. Fields (incumbent)
John Bugler
State Senate, 2nd District
John J. Flanagan (incumbent)
Michael DePaoli
State Senate, 3rd District
Caesar Trunzo (incumbent)
Brian X. Foley
Members and non-members welcome!
Click here for a map and directions to our meeting.
Election 2008: Meet the Candidates
The Executive Board has invited the following candidates to the General Membership meeting on October 9th to meet with our members. The Board does not endorse any particular candidate or political party, but we do encourage our members to come to the meeting and ask our guests about the issues that are important to them.
1st Congressional District
Timothy H. Bishop (incumbent)
Lee Zeldin
State Assembly, 5th District
Ginny A. Fields (incumbent)
John Bugler
State Senate, 2nd District
John J. Flanagan (incumbent)
Michael DePaoli
State Senate, 3rd District
Caesar Trunzo (incumbent)
Brian X. Foley
Members and non-members welcome!
Click here for a map and directions to our meeting.
|
Brookhaven 2030 Needs You
The Brookhaven 2030 Charrette will be held at Town Hall
in October 2008. Read
more...
What Brookhaven Does While You're at Work
Sep 28, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements | Your Action
Needed
The majority of the members on the Brookhaven Town
Council would apparently prefer that the public not
attend Town meetings. They would also prefer that one
of the council members who represents Lake Ronkonkoma
and Farmingville not attend Town meetings
either.Read
more...
Ronkonkoma Chamber of Commerce Meeting
Sep 28, 2008 Filed in: Events
| General
Announcements
Tuesday, October 28, 2008, 5:30-7:30pm
Ronkonkoma Chamber of Commerce Dinner Meeting sponsored by Windows on The Lake.Read more...
Ronkonkoma Chamber of Commerce Dinner Meeting sponsored by Windows on The Lake.Read more...
Nesconset-Sachem Civic Association Meeting
Sep 28, 2008 Filed in: Events
| General
Announcements
The Nesconset-Sachem Civic Association will be holding
a Neighborhood Watch meeting with representatives of
the 4th Precinct regarding the increase in drug
activity in the neighborhoods to the west of the Lake.
The meeting will be on Thursday, October 2, at 7:30 PM, at the Nesconset Nursing Home, 100 Southern Blvd, Nesconset NY.
For more information: http://www.nesconsetcivic.com/
The meeting will be on Thursday, October 2, at 7:30 PM, at the Nesconset Nursing Home, 100 Southern Blvd, Nesconset NY.
For more information: http://www.nesconsetcivic.com/
Fall Festival Cancelled Due to Weather
Sep 25, 2008 Filed in: Events
| General
Announcements
Due to the predicted rain storms and high winds for
Saturday and Sunday, the Executive Board has decided to
cancel this year's Fall Festival scheduled for
September 27th at the Michael P. Murphy Memorial Town
Beach on Lake Shore Drive.
It wasn't an easy decision, but after weighing the pros and cons of the situation, the Executive Board decided that given the high chance of inclement weather over the weekend it would be in the best interest of our visitors, vendors, volunteers, Town employees, and our community members to cancel the event.
After four years in a row of clear skies at the Festival we're disappointed that weather wasn't as cooperative this year, but we'll be back next year with a bigger and better Fall Festival!
Many thanks to all of the civic members who have worked for months in preparing for this event, especially co-chairs Pat Duffield and Gregg Freedner, who put in countless hours into ensuring a successful festival.
It wasn't an easy decision, but after weighing the pros and cons of the situation, the Executive Board decided that given the high chance of inclement weather over the weekend it would be in the best interest of our visitors, vendors, volunteers, Town employees, and our community members to cancel the event.
After four years in a row of clear skies at the Festival we're disappointed that weather wasn't as cooperative this year, but we'll be back next year with a bigger and better Fall Festival!
Many thanks to all of the civic members who have worked for months in preparing for this event, especially co-chairs Pat Duffield and Gregg Freedner, who put in countless hours into ensuring a successful festival.
Suffolk County Homemakers Now Meet in Lake Ronkonkoma
Sep 10, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements | Events
Suffolk County Homemakers, Unit 38, will be meeting
every Friday, from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM, at the
Ronkonkoma Fire District Building, on the corner of
Portion Road and Hawkins Avenue, in Lake Ronkonkoma.
Suffolk County Homemakers is an organization that hosts local community service projects, donates to scholarships, worthwhile charities and organizations, and provides a social atmosphere where members can share talents and skills.
New members, and those who are interested in finding out more, are welcome to attend.
Suffolk County Homemakers is an organization that hosts local community service projects, donates to scholarships, worthwhile charities and organizations, and provides a social atmosphere where members can share talents and skills.
New members, and those who are interested in finding out more, are welcome to attend.
Keep Ronkonkoma Clean
Sep 08, 2008 Filed in: Events
| General
Announcements
Because of rain, our Clean Up has been
rescheduled for Saturday, September 13, 9:00
AM will be our next Portion Road & Hawkins
Avenue Clean Ups.
Read more...
Read more...
Commerce Bank Rebuffed
Sep 07, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements | Planning
& Land Use
Recently, representatives from Commerce Bank were going
up and down Hawkins Avenue trying to get local
merchants to change banks and come bank with them. They
got an earful from many local shopkeepers. Many told
Commerce Bank representatives that their corporate
policies of refusing to work with local communities and
their insistence on cutting down trees and destroying
pristine property instead of redeveloping a previously
developed site, means that they will never become
customers of Commerce Bank.
Local businesses understand that when large corporations ignore the redevelopment goals and revitalization efforts of communities, that it makes it much harder to sustain a vital downtown business district. One would think that a bank, which depends on the business of local merchants, would be more sensitive to community planning efforts. It may be too late for our community, but maybe, just maybe, by hitting Commerce Bank in the wallet they might change their policies before they inflict themselves on the next community.
Local businesses understand that when large corporations ignore the redevelopment goals and revitalization efforts of communities, that it makes it much harder to sustain a vital downtown business district. One would think that a bank, which depends on the business of local merchants, would be more sensitive to community planning efforts. It may be too late for our community, but maybe, just maybe, by hitting Commerce Bank in the wallet they might change their policies before they inflict themselves on the next community.
Response to Newsday Article
Sep 07, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements | Planning
& Land Use
The following letter was sent to Newsday in response to
"Residents to boycott bank on site of proposed
memorial", in the 8/10/2008 edition, by Patrick
Whittle.Read
more...
Battle with Commerce Bank makes Newsday
In case you missed it, we were able to get Newsday to
publish a story about our battle with Commerce Bank on
Sunday, August 10th in the LI Life section.Read
more...
You may have received your last newsletter!
Sep 07, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements | Your Action
Needed
If the mailing label on the back of your newsletter is
asking you to renew your membership, then your dues for
2009 are overdue. Contact the Membership Chair, at
membership@lakeronkonkomacivic.org,
to renew your membership. Your participation (and
your money) keeps the Fourth Wave in motion!
The [Insert Name Here] Triangle Park is Ready
Sep 07, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
If you have recently passed the little triangular park
at the intersection of Church Street and Pond Road, you
will have noticed that the Town has installed a
perimeter fence and that there are pathways through the
park. Read
more...
Ronkonkoma Hub Plan Phase II Meeting
Ronkonkoma Hub
Transit-Oriented Redevelopment Study
Informational Meeting
Phase II
Recommendations
Thursday,
September 18, 7:00 PM
Brookhaven Town Hall Auditorium
2nd Floor, One Independence Hill,
Farmingville
Lake Ronkonkoma Means Fish
Sep 06, 2008 Filed in: Events
| General
Announcements
Lake Ronkonkoma is stocked and ready. Are you ready for
the challenge of largemouth and smallmouth
bass, Walleye, Chain Pickerel, Bluegill,
Pumpkinseed, Black Crappie, Yellow Perch, White Perch,
Carp, and Brown Bullhead?Read
more...
WS Commerdinger, Jr. County Park
Aug 25, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
The WS Commerdinger, Jr. County Park is
open.Read
more...
Why We Drive the Way We Do
Aug 20, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
"Traffic does not yield to simple, appealing solutions.
Adding lanes or roads is a short-lived fix. Widen one
highway, and drivers from another will defect. Soon
that road is worse than it was before." - Tom
Vanderbilt, in his new book, "Traffic: Why We Drive the
Way We Do (And What It Says About Us)."Read
more...
Thank You Assemblywoman Fields
Aug 10, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
A big “thank you” to Assemblywoman Ginny Fields for
sponsoring a New York State grant to help the Civic pay
for the production and distribution of our newsletter,
“The Fourth Wave” and to expand our membership outreach
program. These funds will go towards informing our
members of important issues as well as increasing our
membership. Keeping our community members informed is
critical to having a community actively involved in
improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods.
Assemblywoman Fields will be speaking at our September meeting.
Assemblywoman Fields will be speaking at our September meeting.
Lightning Awareness
Aug 10, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
Summer marks the peak season for a deadly and yet
dangerously misunderstood weather phenomena –
lightning.Read
more...
Illegal Signs
Aug 10, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements | Your Action
Needed
Tired of those unsightly signs you see on utility poles
and along public streets? They are nothing but visual
clutter advertising everything from weight-loss to home
repairs. Well, as long as they’re not on private
property, feel free to rip them down, pull them up, and
throw them out, because those signs are illegal. You
cannot even obtain a permit to post that type of sign.
During our monthly cleanups we usually take them down. The only exception we consider are signs for local yard sales. As long as the date on the sign hasn’t passed, we’ll leave them in place, but if they’ve expired, or there is no date, in the trash they go.
During our monthly cleanups we usually take them down. The only exception we consider are signs for local yard sales. As long as the date on the sign hasn’t passed, we’ll leave them in place, but if they’ve expired, or there is no date, in the trash they go.
Illegal Housing
Aug 10, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, Department of
Social Services (DSS) Chief Deputy Commissioner Greg
Blass and Legislator Kate Browning outlined new
legislation combating illegal, overcrowded housing.
Town supervisors and village mayors will now be able to
submit to DSS a list of 10 housing units at a time that
are in violation of regulations. If any of those
dwellings are home to public assistance recipients, the
property owners will be given 20 days to remediate
those violations. If all violations are not remedied
within 20 days, DSS will work with any willing public
assistance recipients at those residences to identify
alternative housing.
Residents Urged To Call In Sightings Of Dead Birds
Aug 10, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements | Your Action
Needed
Suffolk County has activated a hotline for residents to
report certain types of dead birds, which may be
infected with West Nile virus. Read
more...
Sober Homes Continue to Trouble Neighborhoods
Aug 10, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
Assemblywoman Fields sponsored legislation (A.1533)
regarding uncontrolled "sober homes," which would bring
oversight to these residences. The legislation was
passed two years ago but vetoed by former Governor
Pataki.Read
more...
LRCO In the News
Aug 10, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
Read the Newsday article, and video, about Commerce
Bank in Sunday, 8/10.
http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/lilife/ny-lftronk105792794aug10,0,2762650.story
http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/lilife/ny-lftronk105792794aug10,0,2762650.story
Commerce Bank Took Highpoint Away
Aug 10, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
As you may have seen, the beautiful wooded hill across
from the movie theater on Portion Road is gone.
Commerce Bank felt they had to put their new branch
there even though the community voted in our 2004
Visioning to have a 9/11 memorial park in that
location. The Civic tried to persuade them to choose
another site in our area but Commerce Bank refused to
listen. Read
more...
Suffolk County Parks Calendar of Events: Summer 2008
Jul 04, 2008 Filed in: Events
| General
Announcements
Concerts, horse shows, movies, boat shows, kite
flying, sand castles, nature walks and
more!Read
more...
Cenacle To Build New Retreat House
Jun 08, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
Members of the Civic Board recently attended an
informational meeting at the Cenacle regarding the fate
of the existing Retreat House. After the meeting, we
invited James Rennert, Province Director of Development
for The Cenacle Sisters, to prepare an article for our
newsletter.Read
more...
We Couldn’t Have Done It Without Him
Jun 08, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
We would like to recognize the service of Ken Kellaher,
who recently stepped down from his position as
Treasurer of the Lake Ronkonkoma Civic Organization.
Read
more...
A Reminder From the Membership Committee
Jun 05, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements | Your Action
Needed
Has it been a year already? When you are a Civic
member, time flies! And it’s time once again to renew
your membership. Renewing your membership on time helps
to save your Membership Committee the time and effort
it puts into interrupting the things you enjoy with
those phone calls that gently remind you to renew.
It also saves the Civic money; printing those customized blue renewal forms isn’t cheap you know.Read more...
It also saves the Civic money; printing those customized blue renewal forms isn’t cheap you know.Read more...
An “Ill-Conceived” Site Plan Gets Approved, and Ronkonkoma Residents Get To Suffer
Shockingly, on March 24, 2008 the Town of Brookhaven
Planning Board approved the site plan for a Commerce
Bank to be constructed on Portion Road. Despite the
Planning Board’s recognition that Commerce Bank’s site
plan was “an ill-conceived project for this
particular parcel of land,” six of the seven
Planning Board members voted to approve the
plan.Read
more...
Civic Marches in Memorial Day Parade
May 30, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
See photos of Civic members marching in the Lake
Ronkonkoma Annual Memorial Day Parade.Read
more...
Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy Honored at Lake Ronkonkoma
May 13, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
Navy Names New Ship and Town Dedicates
“Serenity Plaza” for “Medal of Honor” Recipient Navy
SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy
On Wednesday afternoon, May 7th, on the shore of Lake Ronkonkoma, U.S. Navy Secretary Dr. Donald C. Winter, Brookhaven Supervisor Brian X. Foley, 5th District Councilman Timothy P. Mazzei, and 1st Congressional District Representative Tim Bishop today joined the Murphy family to honor Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue. Lt. Murphy, who was killed in action in Afghanistan June 28, 2005, received the nation’s highest military medal, The Congressional Medal of Honor, for his courage, sacrifice, and heroic efforts to save the Navy SEALs under his command.Read more...
On Wednesday afternoon, May 7th, on the shore of Lake Ronkonkoma, U.S. Navy Secretary Dr. Donald C. Winter, Brookhaven Supervisor Brian X. Foley, 5th District Councilman Timothy P. Mazzei, and 1st Congressional District Representative Tim Bishop today joined the Murphy family to honor Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy of Patchogue. Lt. Murphy, who was killed in action in Afghanistan June 28, 2005, received the nation’s highest military medal, The Congressional Medal of Honor, for his courage, sacrifice, and heroic efforts to save the Navy SEALs under his command.Read more...
Portion Road Visioning Update
May 05, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements | Planning
& Land Use
Members of the Civic Executive Board met with the
Suffolk County Department of Public Works engineers and
County Legislator Brian Beedenbender on April 1, 2008
to discuss the status of the Portion Road improvement
project.
Read more...
Read more...
Newsletters Available Online
Apr 04, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
Past copies of our newsletter, The Fourth Wave, are
available to download and view online on our
Downloads page.
Newsday Article on Commerce Bank
Feb 19, 2008 Filed in: Planning
& Land Use | General
Announcements
Daniel Wagner of Newsday has written a brief article
describing the situation with the proposed
Commerce Bank on Portion Road in the Long
Island Edition of Newsday for Tuesday, February
19th, page A33.
You can also read the article online at http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzwagner0219,0,1838331.story. Scroll down to see the item titled "Vote on bank development."
You can also read the article online at http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzwagner0219,0,1838331.story. Scroll down to see the item titled "Vote on bank development."
Concerned About Local Crime?
Feb 10, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
A Neighborhood Watch program has proven to be a
successful method of reducing the risk of crime. But
don’t wait until your neighborhood has problems to
participate; establishing a Neighborhood Watch now can
prevent those problems from occurring.The Civic can
assist your neighborhood in establishing a Neighborhood
Watch.Read
more...
Success! Bavarian Inn Update
Feb 06, 2008 Filed in: Planning
& Land Use | Events
Thanks to the efforts of members and other
organizations, the Suffolk County Legislature voted on
Tuesday afternoon to override the County Executive's
veto, allowing the County to investigate possibly
purchase of the Bavarian Inn property. Both Legislators
Kennedy and Beedenbender voted yea to pass the
resolution.
The County will now proceed to prepare a report regarding the property, which will include information such as a survey, assessment, appraisal, and an environmental audit. Given the environmentally-sensitive location of the building, having the County gather this information is invaluable to the community.
The property report will take 6 to 8 weeks to prepare and after it is complete a decision on the disposition of the property will be made. The Civic will keep you informed as the situation develops.Read more...
The County will now proceed to prepare a report regarding the property, which will include information such as a survey, assessment, appraisal, and an environmental audit. Given the environmentally-sensitive location of the building, having the County gather this information is invaluable to the community.
The property report will take 6 to 8 weeks to prepare and after it is complete a decision on the disposition of the property will be made. The Civic will keep you informed as the situation develops.Read more...
Commerce Bank Proposal Update
Feb 03, 2008 Filed in: Planning
& Land Use
As outlined in the January issue of the Fourth Wave,
Commerce Bank is proposing to site a new bank in
Lake Ronkonkoma. On the surface, this is not bad
news: more choices for consumer banking is always
welcome, and there are some areas along Portion Road
that are ripe for redevelopment. Old, empty and/or
under-utilized parcels would be great possibilities
for a new bank in our community. However, Commerce
Bank has chosen one of the few remaining green
tracts in the area to place their new bank.
Read
more...
Ronkonkoma Hub Plan Update
Feb 02, 2008 Filed in: Events
| Planning
& Land Use
A well-attended community meeting for the ongoing
Ronkonkoma Hub Planning and Land Use Study was held on
Thursday, January 17th, at Brookhaven Town Hall.
Besides community residents, many elected officials and
staff members from several government agencies were
there to explain the study and discuss it with the
community.Read
more...
Join our Email List and Stay Informed
Jan 28, 2008 Filed in: General
Announcements
The Civic Board can keep you informed with periodic
email updates about what's happening in our community.
Just send us an email at information@lakeronkonkomacivic.org and we’ll add you to our emailing list.
Just send us an email at information@lakeronkonkomacivic.org and we’ll add you to our emailing list.
Development Threatens Nearby Residents
Jan 07, 2008 Filed in: Planning
& Land Use | Your Action
Needed
You have probably driven past it countless times
without giving it a second thought, and yet during the
Portion Road Visioning, in October of 2004, hundreds of
you had identified this property as a desirable
location for a memorial park. Now it may
disappear. Commerce Bank has decided to cut down all of
the trees and remove the hill to completely flatten the
site, and construct a bank with a multi-lane drive-thru
adjacent to the homes on the south side of the
property. But you can help prevent this from happening.
Read more...
Read more...
Yet Another Unnecessary Flag Lot
Dec 31, 2007 Filed in: Planning
& Land Use
The Lake Ronkonkoma Civic Organization often addresses
the Brookhaven Town Board, the Planning Board, and the
Zoning Board of Appeals on applications in the Lake
Ronkonkoma, Holbrook and Farmingville areas in the
Civic’s boundaries. One such application involved a
change-of-zone for the CVS parcel at the corner of
Portion Road and Holbrook Road in Lake Ronkonkoma. This
was a complicated application in that it was not
readily apparent what the intent was, but after our
initial meeting with the developer, it became
clear.Read
more...
Brookhaven 2030: The Town Plans Ahead
Nov 07, 2007 Filed in: Planning
& Land Use
The Town of Brookhaven has started a 3-year program to
update the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, which has been
titled Brookhaven 2030. Read more...
Brookhaven’s New “One Call:” 451-TOWN
Oct 05, 2007 Filed in: General
Announcements
Brookhaven has unveiled its new Constituent Response
System “451-TOWN.” This new system uses a single phone
number to provide Brookhaven residents with direct
access to all town services and information.
Read
more...
It's Not a Real Myth Unless There are Stories to Tell
Sep 02, 2007 Filed in: Requests for
Feedback
The giant, but friendly, lake monster; the scorned
princess who lives in the lake looking for young men to
drown.Read
more...
The Civic Online Gift Shop is now open!
Aug 15, 2007 Filed in: General
Announcements
You can support your Civic and buy get some great stuff
at the same time.
We have hats, shirts, mugs, tote bags, and more with the Civic logo and other neat Lake Ronkonkoma artwork.Read more...
We have hats, shirts, mugs, tote bags, and more with the Civic logo and other neat Lake Ronkonkoma artwork.Read more...
Protect Your Privacy and Safety
Aug 03, 2007 Filed in: General
Announcements
The online search site, Google.com, has implemented a
new feature that allows you to search for information
by entering a telephone number. Read
more...
Neighborhood Enhancement Projects for Local Service Organizations
Aug 02, 2007 Filed in: General
Announcements
If you know of any local service organizations, such as
the Boy/Girl Scouts of America, that would like to
accomplish local beautification and neighborhood
enhancement projects to earn merit badges or to become
an Eagle Scout, the Civic can help.Read
more...