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HOME What's New Important Dates Meeting Agenda Chitchat Dining Program Volunteer Corner Community Links Congrats & Thanks Photo Gallery NDCCA forms Contact us	JUNE 2007 Chitchat Open Letter to the Membership Sit down. Give me a few minutes. We need to talk. Our Association, like most other Associations and Civic groups, is facing the challenge of maintaining and increasing its membership. This challenge was clearly pointed out at a recent meeting held by Councilman James Oddo in his Staten Island office and attended by many representatives of civic groups throughout his district and the Island. Citizens are no longer attending civic meetings in sizeable numbers unless their neighborhood is under a direct threat. Show me a huge threat to the neighborhood and I will show you a well attended meeting. Otherwise, it’s a meeting of the regulars. Why is that? Are our neighbors not interested in our neighborhood? That’s probably not true because they sure complain to us and each other whenever we meet. So what is it that makes it so difficult to attend one meeting a month? Are we that busy? Is our neighborhood that low on our list of priorities? Or is it something else? Does the Association not fulfill your needs – the needs of its members? Are we not responsive enough? Are we too hard to reach? We are accessible by telephone, voicemail, letter and email. Do we need another method? What would that be? If you have a suggestion or recommendation, I need you to share that with me. But more on that later. What will work for you? More frequent meetings? Meetings earlier/later in the day? More frequent newsletters? More information on our webpage? Less frequent meetings? I need your thoughts and suggestions. Please take a few minutes out over the next few days and tell me what you think about us and this organization. (We are tough; we can take it.) Tell me how we can reach more people. Who should we be talking to that we are not currently talking to? How would we go about doing that? Telephone me at 718-979-6011 and leave a message with your suggestions and comments. Send us a note to NDCCA, PO Box 060245, SI, NY 10306 and send us your suggestions and comments. Email us at ndcca@excite.com or newdorpcentralcivic@yahoo.com and offer your comments and suggestions. We need to expand our membership. We need to expand our reach. And we need you to help us achieve that. Don’t be bashful. Share your insight. Our entire community will be better off because of it. I want to gather your comments, thoughts and recommendations which I will share with you before I share with you some of the comments made at the meeting in Jim Oddo’s office. As I’ve mentioned over the past few months… to ensure our continued vitality and to deal with the issues of the future we must bring in new members. We must reach out to our neighbors. So I ask each of you this year to resolve to invite one neighbor to join our Association. The next time you are chatting with or visiting with your neighbor, suggest they give us a call and join with us as we work to ensure that this neighborhood is second to none. Thank you. Joe Markowski, President MAY 2007 Chitchat There has been a lot of woods clearing activities taking place at the top of the block for our neighbors on Summit. What’s going on there? We are reaching out on a number of fronts. Come hear an update at the May meeting and if you have additional information call us at 718-979-6011… Do you know someone who would care to display their business card in our newsletter? Tell them to call 718-979-6011 and inquire about advertising to our community… The Preservation League of Staten Island is hosting a presentation featuring: “Women’s Places: Architecture and Design in the 19^th Century” with Professor Denise Rompilla on Friday, May 18 at 7:30pm in the Court House of Historic Richmondtown. Requested donation is $3.00. Call 718-9880-1551 to reserve your spot… Lastly, now is the time to consider whether you want to get more involved with your community and our organization. You can make a difference by running for office as a member of our Association. Nominations will be made in May with our elections in June. And even if being an officer seems too intense for you, there are a number of other ways you can contribute by joining or chairing a committee. Call 718-979-6011 and let us know that you are interested. Call today! APRIL 2007 Chitchat Wow. I don’t know about you but I was surprised – and happy – when I heard that they will have to shave 15 feet off the houses on Beacon and Summit that somehow tried to claim the same space as their backyards. We need a number of these reversals to happen before the new development guidelines will be followed more closely… And as if that wasn’t enough for our neighbors on Summit, there has been a lot of woods clearing activities taking place at the top of the block. What’s going on there? We are reaching out on a number of fronts to identify what is going on. If you know, give us a call at 718-979-6011… The Sunday Advance on Easter had an interesting story about the history to be found in Moravian Cemetery. By the time you read this it is probably too late for some of the tours they referenced but keep on the lookout for future opportunities… Do you know someone who would care to display their business card in our newsletter? Tell them to call 718-979-6011 and inquire about advertising to our community… The Preservation League of Staten Island is hosting a presentation featuring the life and work of one of Staten Island’s best known architects -Edward J. Sargent on Friday, April 20 at 7:30pm in the Court House of Historic Richmondtown. Requested donation is $3.00. Call 718-9880-1551 to reserve your spot… The Municipal Art Society will host a talk by historian Mike Wallace about Staten Island at the annual SI EDC Conference on Tuesday April 24 at 11:00am. Free… Lastly on Sunday April 29 from 9:30am to 3:00pm there will be a bus & walking tour of Staten Island given by the Municipal Art Society. Call 212-935-2075 for details… Was that Lara Lund – daughter of Laura and Ken Lund - on NY1 being interviewed at Our Lady Queen of Peace School? I think it was!... On March 21 we dined at Bistro as part of our Dining Through New Dorp program. In 13 years we have dined out 42 times, purchasing 1,226 dinners and spending over $30,000.00 in our neighborhood restaurants. It’s a program of which we can be proud… And speaking of proud, we presented Vincent and Nerina Martire a special recognition award at the dinner for all the good things they do for some of their older neighbors… Lastly, now is the time to consider whether you want to get more involved with your community and our organization. You can make a difference by running for office as a member of our Association. Nominations will be made in May with our elections in June. And even if being an officer seems too intense for you, there are a number of other ways you can contribute by joining or chairing a committee. Call 718-979-6011 and let us know that you are interested. Call today! MARCH 2007 Chitchat It is with mixed emotions that I tell you that Mark McCluski - our Regional Librarian and long-time friend of readers on Staten Island - will be moving on. I’m sure many of you have seen him at our New Dorp Branch over the years as well as at our meetings. Mark has been promoted to the position of Head of the Andrew Heiskell Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Manhattan. Mark assured me that library will continue to support Staten Islanders as will he, just from afar. I want to thank Mark for all he has done for us and wish him continued success with the NYPL in Manhattan… Do you know someone who would care to display their business card in our newsletter? Tell them to call 718-979-6011 and inquire about advertising to our community… The Alzheimer’s Foundation is sponsoring a St.Patrick’s Day Doo Wop Spectacular on March 17 at Susan Wagner High School @ 730pm. Call 718-667-7110 for additional information… The Staten Island Institute of Arts & Sciences is offering some presentations which may be of interest to you: (1) “On the Waterfront: A Walking Tour of St.George, SI” on March 11; and (2.) “The Irish on Staten Island” on March 15. Call 718-727-1135 x123 for additional information and details… We got to meet the new Commanding Officer of the 122Pct –Deputy Chief Delahanty. He is a resident of Grant City and we wish him success as he guides the NYPD in our neighborhood. FEBRUARY 2007 Chitchat Do you know someone who would care to display their business card in our newsletter? Tell them to call 718-979-6011 and inquire about advertising to our community… The Alzheimer’s Foundation is sponsoring a St.Patrick’s Day Doo Wop Spectacular on March 17 at Susan Wagner High School @ 730pm. Call 718-667-7110 for additional information… The Staten Island Institute of Arts & Sciences is offering some presentations which may be of interest to you: (1) “Stapleton: A Community of Contrast & Change” on Feb.16; (2) “On the Waterfront: A Walking Tour of St.George, SI” on March 11; and (3.) “The Irish on Staten Island” on March 15. Call 718-727-1135 x123 for additional information and details… JANUARY 2007 Chitchat At our December meeting we pulled the winning tickets for the two Holiday baskets. The Holiday Basket wonderfully put together by Linda Marotto was won by Arlene Donovan. The Holiday Basket donated by Safari Realty and brought to us by Paul Troiano was won by Tom Coffey. Congratulations to our holiday basket winners! … Do you know someone who would care to display their business card in our newsletter? Tell them to call 718-979-6011 and inquire about advertising to our community. … And I would like to borrow a phrase from the NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority - you know - the guys watching over our buses and subways. They encourage people to: “See something, say something”. Let me suggest that the same philosophy must be embraced by our members. If you see something happening in the neighborhood, say something. Whether it’s something wonderful, something suspicious or something that you have a questions about, say something. We are reachable by phone (718-979-6011) and by email (ndcca@excite.com or newdorpcentralcivic@yahoo.com). None of us can be everywhere at all times. But if each of us helps out, we can increase our vigilance and share information more quickly… As our children return to school following the holidays let me repeat the following - are all parents and grandparents aware of the help that is available to your children and grandchildren through www.homeworkNYC.org ? You can learn a lot more about this service by checking with the staff at the New Dorp Branch Library. Call 718-351-2977 for additional information … Lastly, we learned that Kathy Dodd, the District Manager for Community Board #2 for the past 16 years, has announced her retirement. We would like to thank Kathy for all her good works on behalf of our community. DECEMBER 2006 Chitchat Do you know someone who would care to display their business card in our newsletter? Tell them to call 718-979-6011 and inquire about advertising to our community. … And I would like to borrow a phrase from the NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority - you know - the guys watching over our buses and subways. They encourage people to: “See something, say something”. Let me suggest that the same philosophy must be embraced by our members. If you see something happening in the neighborhood, say something. Whether it’s something wonderful, something suspicious or something that you have a questions about, say something. We are reachable by phone (718-979-6011) and by email (ndcca@excite.com or newdorpcentralcivic@yahoo.com). None of us can be everywhere at all times. But if each of us helps out, we can increase our vigilance and share information more quickly… This year we will once again be raffling off a terrific Holiday Basket wonderfully put together by Linda Marotto. Tickets for the basket are $2 each and 3 for $5. You can purchase tickets at our next meeting or call Linda at 718-351-3714 to reserve your tickets… Make sure you send us your email address so we can add you to our Early Notification Group . Our email addresses remain ndcca@excite.com or newdorpcentralcivic@yahoo.com... Lastly, are all parents and grandparents aware of the help that is available to your children and grandchildren through www.homeworkNYC.org ? You can learn a lot more about this service by checking with the staff at the New Dorp Branch Library. Call 718-351-2977 for additional information … Lastly, we had an opportunity to hear City Council Speaker Christine Quinn at Community Board #2 and she was very impressive. And she is aware that Staten Island exists! NOVEMBER 2006 Chitchat We will be attending the Christmas Show at Mrs. Rosemary’s St. George Theatre on Sunday afternoon December 17 at 3pm. Please contact us at 718-979-6011 if you are interested in attending the performance with us. Tickets cost $18, $28, and $36. Call now and guarantee your seat at this performance with us… Do you know someone who would care to display their business card in our newsletter? Tell them to call 718-979-6011 and inquire about advertising to our community. … Congratulations to Steven Devereaux who won the 50/50 at our meeting… And I would like to borrow a phrase from the NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority - you know - the guys watching over our buses and subways. They encourage people to: “See something, say something”. Let me suggest that the same philosophy must be embraced by our members. If you see something happening in the neighborhood, say something. Whether it’s something wonderful, something suspicious or something that you have a questions about, say something. We are reachable by phone (718-979-6011) and by email (ndcca@excite.com or newdorpcentralcivic@yahoo.com). None of us can be everywhere at all times. But if each of us helps out, we can increase our vigilance and share information more quickly… This year we will once again be raffling off a terrific Holiday Basket wonderfully put together by Linda Marotto. Tickets for the basket are $2 each and 3 for $5. You can purchase tickets at our next meetings or call Linda at 718-351-3714 to reserve your tickets… Make sure you send us your email address so we can add you to our Early Notification Group . Our email addresses remain ndcca@excite.com or newdorpcentralcivic@yahoo.com... We are also monitoring what happens to the property on New Dorp Lane and Edison (the Welsh property)… Add the property that up until recently housed New Dorp Lumber… As we mentioned at the October meeting, Target is actively working to bring a new store to the old Waldbaum’s/Franks property. This addition of a commercial enterprise at this location is a welcome addition to our retail-starved neighborhood…. Lastly, the Service Corps of Retired Executives will be available at the New Dorp Branch Library on Tuesday December 12 from 6 to 8pm. They will provide free and confidential business consultations. Call 718-351-2977 to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins will be welcome if time permits… OCTOBER 2006 Chitchat The NYC Department of Parks & Recreation hosted a ground breaking ceremony of “new paths, seating areas and landscaping” at the new New Dorp Beach Park on Friday, September 22 at the corner of Cedar Grove Ave and New Dorp Lane. We have asked for this upgrade of our beachfront for many years and we are thrilled that it is about to begin. The anticipated opening date is June 2007. Lets track the progress and be prepared to celebrate next June! … I hope you were able to watch the Columbus Day Parade on New Dorp Lane on Oct 1. Sure, the weather was frightening in the morning but it cleared up nicely for parade time. Thank you to Borough President Jim Molinaro for keeping this wonderful event in our community… Do you know someone who would care to display their business card in our newsletter? Tell them to call 718-979-6011 and inquire about advertising to our community. … And I would like to borrow a phrase from the NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority, you know, the guys watching over our buses and subways. They encourage people to: “See something, say something”. Let me suggest that the same philosophy must be embraced by our members. If you see something happening in the neighborhood, say something. Whether it’s something wonderful, something suspicious or something that you have a questions about, say something. We are reachable by phone (718-979-6011) and by email ( ndcca@excite.com or newdorpcentralcivic@yahoo.com ). None of us can be everywhere at all times. But if each of us helps out, we can increase our vigilance and share information more quickly… Did you see the article in the SIAdvance and on NY1 about the property at 52 Beacon Avenue. The architect claims he was unaware of the backyard requirements and the Department of Buildings was extremely slow to react to neighbors’ calls. Councilman Oddo has made an issue of it. (Did you get his newsletter?) Now, will the Department of Buildings change its approach? Stay tuned. … Make sure you send us your email address so we can add you to our Early Notification Group . Our email addresses remain ndcca@excite.com or newdorpcentralcivic@yahoo.com... We are also monitoring what happens to the property on New Dorp Lane and Edison (the Welsh property)… Add the property that up until recently housed New Dorp Lumber… Lastly, we have some important information to share about the Waldbaum’s/Franks property on the Lane… See you at the meeting! SEPTEMBER 2006 Chitchat The New Dorp Public Library honored Theresa Myrhol and her staff at the New Dorp Branch Library with a special honor recently. Theresa received the Maher-Stern Award for Service Excellence. As quoted in the SIAdvance, Allison Stern said “Theresa Myrhol and her outstanding team strive daily to provide their neighborhood not only with the information and tools they need to succeed, but also bring expertise, commitment, and a passion for learning to their jobs”. … Remember, to ensure our continued vitality and to deal with the issues of the future we must bring in new members. We must reach out to our neighbors. So I ask each of you this year to resolve to invite one neighbor to join our Association. The next time you are chatting with or visiting with your neighbor, suggest they give us a call and join with us as we work to ensure that this neighborhood is second to none. Call 718-979-6011 for more info. … Do you know someone who would care to display their business card in our newsletter? Tell them to call 718-979-6011 and inquire about advertising to our community. … and we continue with our strong support for the commercial use of the former Waldbaum’s/Franks property on the Lane. We need more shopping alternatives in our neighborhood… We are also monitoring what happens to the property on New Dorp Lane and Edison (the Welsh property)… And add to that the property that up until recently housed New Dorp Lumber… Starting building up your appetite for our Dining Program as we venture out for the 40^th time. The tentative date is October 25 and location will be Portofino on Richmond Road. FEBRUARY 2006 Chitchat There is some new construction going on at 206 Ross Avenue. The foundation seems to indicate a house. We hear that it will be a three story, two family house. We have been in touch with Councilman Oddo’s office to check on whether this meets the new zoning guidelines. It sure looks like a tight fit to me. And what about the parking requirements? … Interested in becoming a Master Composter? The SI Botanical Garden is offering a course and training. Call 718-273-8200 for additional information. … We mourn the passing of Sam Morreale of Grant Tailors. He was a member and a friend. … And did you notice the ad for the grand opening of a new club in New Dorp? It will be called “The Loft” and it will be on the 2^nd floor of Ariana’s Catering Hall at 106 New Dorp Plaza. The ad specifies a mature crowd and it mentions that the doors open at 9pm every Thursday night starting March 16. Hmm. We will need to watch this one. … And this deserves repeating… Thank You For those of you who do not regularly attend our meetings, let me take a few moments out to thank a few non-Officers of the organization who help us on a regular basis but seldom get the recognition and thank you they deserve, such as, Marge Freeo and Darlene Hanken who help us with our refreshments at each meeting, Frances Guarino who helps with our monthly newsletter, Linda Marotto who helps with our “Dining Through New Dorp” and “Celebration of Lights” events and her husband Donald Marotto who is part of that wonderful team, Paul Troiano who provides us with photos of our meetings, Andy Pizza who helps distribute our newsletter at the New Dorp train station, Marie DeFazio who make sure I see every clipping from the SI Advance that pertains to our neighborhood, Heather Forbes who chairs our Sunshine Committee, our Election Committee and keeps a keen eye on the zoning happenings throughout the neighborhood. My only fear in thanking these people is that I may have omitted someone. For that I apologize and I will make up for it next month. No organization can survive without dedicated people willing to give of their time and energy for the good of the community. These people have been some of them. JANUARY 2006 Chitchat Our Holiday Gift Basket raffle was a wonderful success. We offer our congratulations to Bill Brander who won that wonderful collection of goodies… I We wondered whether the New Dorp Lane merchants would be able to come together as a group and endow the Lane with the holiday spirit by putting up the holiday lights along the Lane. Eventually - and just in the nick (St.Nick?) of time –the lights arrived. Now next year if they work to have some of the stores stay open at night during the holiday season it would make the Lane even more festive and cheerful… Member Dan Carbone informs us that DOT installed left turn signals on Hylan Blvd at Tysens Lane. And he asks if we will get the same turn signals at Amboy & Richmond? Ah, wouldn’t that be a nice New Year’s gift?... We will be attending Councilman Jim Oddo’s Civic Roundtable at the end of January. These sessions give us a great opportunity to hear the concerns of other Civic Organizations in our area and to have direct input to the Councilman. Find out about the highlights of that meeting at our February meeting… Thank You For those of you who do not regularly attend our meetings, let me take a few moments out to thank a few non-Officers of the organization who help us on a regular basis but seldom get the recognition and thank you they deserve, such as, Marge Freeo and Darlene Hanken who help us with our refreshments at each meeting, Frances Guarino who helps with our monthly newsletter, Linda Marotto who helps with our “Dining Through New Dorp” and “Celebration of Lights” events and her husband Donald Marotto who is part of that wonderful team, Paul Troiano who provides us with photos of our meetings, Andy Pizza who helps distribute our newsletter at the New Dorp train station, Marie DeFazio who make sure I see every clipping from the SI Advance that pertains to our neighborhood, Heather Forbes who chairs our Sunshine Committee, our Election Committee and keeps a keen eye on the zoning happenings throughout the neighborhood. My only fear in thanking these people is that I may have omitted someone. For that I apologize and I will make up for it next month. No organization can survive without dedicated people willing to give of their time and energy for the good of the community. These people have been some of them. As Margaret Mead said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committeed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” DECEMBER 2005 Chitchat Our Holiday Gift Basket raffle is underway. A wonderful collection of goodies can be seen at the next two meetings before we pull the winning ticket at our December meeting. Call 718-351-3714 if you want to purchase a chance. I believe they are $2 each and 3 for $5. Remember, you’ve got to be in it to win it … I hope you joined us for our Procession of Lights Celebration on Dec 3. It was our 11^th Annual caroling event. … We shall see if the New Dorp Lane merchants are able to come together as a group and endow the Lane with the holiday spirit by putting up the holiday lights along the Lane. We shall see. … Lastly, for those of you looking to do something extra this holiday season, we are including in this mailing a letter we received from Meals On Wheels that identifies items you can contribute to help them in their work. Take a moment to read the letter and then make a contribution. “Tis the season for giving.” … Happy Holidays everyone! … As for you, enjoy the holidays and come, share your ideas with us at our December meeting. …