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Focus Bulletin Board 09 10 2011

Demolition Day at the Plaza - This Tuesday, September 13th, 2011 at 2:30 pm

Special FOCUS 'Merchant Discount Card' is now available!

Focus Meeting this Thursday, September 15th, 2011 at 7:00 pm

Special Invited Guest for September and October meetings

Welcome to LISS, Long Island Soda Service (formally Party Depot behind MiTerrita)

Shopping Center health issues

Videos for some Patchogue merchants

Where is our Supermarket?

Salvation Army Building

'Chili Cook-Off' at Swan Lake Park Civic Association's Clubhouse, October 15th

Demolition Day at the Plaza - This Tuesday, September 13th, 2011 at 2:30 pm

The Town of Brookhaven has rescheduled the Demolition of the Plaza for this coming Tuesday afternoon, at 2:30 pm. We are told that the ceremony will start at 2:30 followed by the start of the demolition. The exact agenda will be available on that day. Because of hurricane 'Irene' our beautiful weather on Tuesday, August 30 was cancelled. There was so much clean up to do and many folks were still without electricity that it really was the right thing to do.

We certainly hope that as many as you can will try to be there. We will be there with our FOL Video camera along with the many news media.

The Town has promised refreshments after the ceremony so all the more reason to attend. Right?

Focus volunteers will also be there with a Canopy and our sign promoting our organization. Many of you, as supporters of Focus, have helped make our community proud of this day, for removal of this eye sore will help mark the start of change on Main Street that we have been working for. This is not to play down the wonderful work that has been accomplished so far. Take note also of the new look that is being developed by Route 112 as you enter Montauk heading East. The Diner has a new façade and ready for leasing again. The new 7-11, Checkers and Bridgehampton Bank are soon to open. The Mediterranean Manor has purchased the adjoining building and has cleaned up the façade to match its own look. This whole area will have a beautiful feel and look when completed. This is the fever we want to spread down the road till it reaches LOWES and then beyond into Bellport. Why can't the whole area clean up and be proud? We need to wake up these owners of business property and let them know that profit can be made if they would renew an interest in their real estate.

Special FOCUS 'Merchant Discount Card' is now available!

While you are at the ceremony for the Demolition, stop by the Focus Canopy and purchase our Merchant Discount Card Set for $10. It is a fundraiser for us and a great deal for you!

Forty of our Patchogue Merchants have signed onto the cards to offer you discounts on their products and/or services. Click here to view the cards and note the many merchants. Many more merchants wanted to support our effort but we couldn't accommodate all on these cards. Normally you purchase a single card for $10 to 15 dollars. This offer is $10 for two cards! It is good for one year.

Supporting our local merchants is what Focus is all about. Do you want a sound economy? This is how it is done. When we support our local businesses, we circulate our dollars back into our community. We create jobs for local residents. We support local residents who have invested their money into the community they live in and in return they maintain a livelihood for themselves and their families. Supporting our country keeps our currency in our country and helps us maintain a sound economy. When we spend our money outside America, only a quarter of it may return in trade.

(Somebody send this to Washington DC for 525 officials to study! Economics 001)

Focus Meeting this Thursday, September 15th, 2011 at 7:00 pm

We must thank the Swan Lake Park Civic Association for again allowing us to use their clubhouse. They have further extended this kindness toward us for our October meeting also. We extend an invitation to all to attend Focus meetings. If you live in Patchogue you are a member. There are no due required, only your support by getting involved in your community. Making those phone calls, signing the petitions, letter writing to inform companies or officials of issues of concern. These are the roots of civic activity and it needs to be done in every community. Since there is no excuse not to join because there are no dues, you can tell your neighbor to join our mailing list so that all will be informed of events important to our neighborhoods.

Special Invited Guest for September and October meetings

We have a full agenda this month so we really would like to start on time. We also will have a special guest at both this month and next months meeting. You know that we do not want to get involved in the politics of parties, but the candidates for Supervisor are our special quests. Doctor Cecile Forte had asked to join one of our meetings early this year. We were so busy with the issues of National Grid, the Plaza, and you name it that we kept forgetting. Marita invited Mrs. Forte to attend this meeting and since it is close to election time, she also invited Supervisor Mark Lesko to attend the following month. In this way we can treat each equally. You should know that both individuals are wonderful people so we are happy to have them join us, not as candidates but for who they are. Please do not read into this as anything more than what we have just said. Thank you.

Welcome to LISS, Long Island Soda Service (formally Party Depot behind MiTerrita)

We also have another guest attending this meeting. Mr. Vincent O'Leary will attend to introduce himself and his family. They have attend meetings before but this one is special as they will share with us about opening their business in Patchogue and cleaning up another eye sore to our community, the old empty 'Party Depot' on Evergreen Street.

If you haven't noticed, they have cleaned up the property and painted the whole building. This property now compliments the Columbian Restaurant, their neighbor to the north. MiTerrita has been trying to keep their property clean at all times and now the adjoining new property owner is of the same mindset and has cleaned up also. Thank you so much the O'Learys!!

Shopping Center Health Issues

Folks, now we all need to work on the East Main Street Shopping Center. This owner needs to clean up the act. There are several issues here. First is the odor of cesspool that has been permeating the air in the back of the property while it is noted that a few pools of water are still in the parking lot. The building needs a façade do over, and the parking lot needs to be repaired. The best deal for this owner is to connect to the sewer line, terminate the parking lot cesspools and reconstruct them into additional storm drains. This will help reduce or eliminate the flooding that always seems to develop during a heavy rain. The parking area can then be repaired and repaved eliminating the damaged and sinking portions returning this business area into a desirable place to shop. Currently it is a disaster and shamefully neglected.

Videos for some Patchogue merchants

We wish to thank to special young high school students that have agreed to volunteer their time, talents and services to produce a few business videos for Focus. Their names are Sean O'Brien and Jimmy Gubitosi. We had met with their parents in August to discuss the idea and if they would want to help try out this experiment. Their parent gave them the green light and they were ready for the challenge. These young men have a strong interest in filmmaking and we can expect they will both be well known in the years ahead. They are award recognized Videographers from the Patchogue Medford High School and are currently involved in a Patchogue Video project in school.

Thank you guys for your help and your vision to see the possibilities! Next step is for you to hook up with the Plaza Media Arts Center!

Where is Our Supermarket at the Serota Swan Commons Shopping Center?

It is going on four years? It seems like an eternity! The owners need to be ashamed of themselves! This is beyond any excuses. They have the means and the contacts to have negotiated a lease with a new grocery store. They apparently have no heart or concerns about their tenants currently struggling to earn a living renting from them in this half empty shopping center. Being penny wise and dollar stupid is not paying off very well. Imagine if they had another supermarket? The people would shop and bring activity back to all the business owners. This would in turn allow another investor to become interested in their vacant stores. Soon all the space will be filled again! (and they all lived happily ever after….)

It's time to discuss alternatives to resolve this issue. We know that Assemblyman Dean Murray is working on a possible solution but negotiating with a supermarket chain is worse than getting a peace treaty with North Korea! The best solution to greed is competition. It cuts everyone down and gives the consumer the edge and benefits. Big is bad, not better. Another reason to support our local merchants!

Salvation Army Building

After the walk on Main Street with Supervisor Lesko and Councilman Mazzei, the law department contacted the Salvation Army about safety and structural issues with that building as well as other issues. Our member June Zegal had also communicated with the Salvation Army regarding the graffiti as well as safety of the building.

A representative of the Salvation Army was invited to our meeting on Thursday. He has indicated that he will make a strong attempt to be there. We want to welcome him and listen to their plans as we were told that they desire to take down the building.

If you recall nearly two years ago, Tom Dixon and Matt Crane, two professional businessmen, who live in Patchogue and have been members since the start of Focus, along with their associate and friend Mike Russo, conducted a free presentation for the local Patchogue business community. The meeting was to instruct and learn more about the zoning changes the Town was planning and how each owner/investor could benefit by these changes while helping to revitalize Main Street. Evan, owner of Mediterranean Manor, generously opened his catering facilities to us to do his part to help encourage investment and growth in our area.

It was at that time we had suggested that if a few adjoining business property owners could get together they could tear down their small old buildings and together build a larger more profitable property and change the face to Main Street toward the feel of the Village. This idea may still become a reality if the Salvation Army, the owners of the old TruValue property and the owners of the empty furniture store could all work together. There is no reason why any resident cannot email or write to these owners to encourage them to consider this approach to investing. Go ahead, get involved!

'Chili Cook-Off' at Swan Lake Park Civic Association's Clubhouse, October 15th

Now if you like Chili, then you will love to get involved in this taste testing contest! This is the 4th annual cook-off and it would be great to get more to participate. Now if I mentioned that Bobby Flay would be there then OH BOY would there be a turn out! So why not come out anyway and pretend you are a 'Food Network' star and you're showing off your Chili?

Here is the link to the Swan Lake Park Civic web site. The home page has some of the info for you. http://swanlakepark.shutterfly.com/

Now all you have to do is click on this link and Bingo you are on their site ready to chill out with some Chili!

You can also learn more at the meeting on Thursday as there will also be Swan Lake members attending.

This Bulletin page is part of changes to our web site as we continue to grow learning the needs of our residents.