Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Summer Ends and We Move On

Greetings. Well we have come to the end of a long, long, hot, hot, dry, dry summer. According to the newspaper I read this morning (yep, a good old-fashioned newspaper ) this summer was the hottest summer on record … since they started keeping records back in the 1860s. We often here about how summer’s used to be in “the old days”. Well, everyone got to taste how it “used to be in the old days”. Now the question is … did you enjoy it? I must admit I am not thrilled by everyone’s brown lawn. But … so it goes.

Our guest speaker this month will be Sylvia d’Alessandro from the Sandy Ground Historical Society. If we take a look at Wikipedia we see the following:

After slavery was abolished in the State of New York in 1827, freedmen from all over the state, as well as far away as Maryland and Virginia, settled in the area known since colonial times as Sandy Ground, which was located in the area around what is now the intersection of Bloomingdale and Woodrow Roads in Rossville. These early settlers were skilled in the oyster trade, and brought this knowledge with them to Staten Island. Oyster harvesting was a major business on Staten Island during the 19th century and was mainly conducted on the island's south shore. The area of Prince's Bay was the main hub and was within walking distance from Sandy Ground. Sandy Ground also served as an important stop on the Underground Railroad, and is the oldest continuously settled free black community in the United States.[

So come hear about a unique part of NY and Staten Island history.

As we all return from vacation and focus once again on our community, what are the things you are curious about? What are the things you are furious about? What should we be focusing on this upcoming year? What things do we worry about, but shouldn’t? What don’t we worry about enough? Who would you like to hear from this coming year? Share your thoughts, concerns, needs, desires. Start talking to us. It is your / opur neighborhood. What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it? What do you wish we had more of? What do you wish we had less of?

We all need to get involved in a discussion of our neighborhood and the things that make you want to live here. What are we missing?

Our dues notices for the 2011 year will be mailed real soon. We rely on your support to keep the Association going and involved in this community. Your support is vital both through your dues and donations. The support of various merchants and entrepreneurs help finance our newsletter.

Keep checking our blog. Plan on attending a meeting. Join us for one of our “Dining Through New Dorp” meals. Volunteer some time on one of our committees. Get involved. It’s (y)our community!

Plan on attending our meeting and bring a neighbor. Can’t you give two hours a month to your community? Think about it.

Lastly, never forget that an important part of this dynamic is your feedback and participation. We need your comments, your concerns, your suggestions, your complaints. It is your neighborhood. What is on your mind? Let us know at 718-979-6011, newdorpcentralcivic@yahoo.com or comment on the blog. Check us out at http://www.ndcca.blogspot.com for continuous updates.

I need you to sing aloud the need for civic involvement and invite your neighbors to join. The more voices the smoother and richer the sound. Thank you for your interest in our neighborhood. You live here. You know why it is a respected and desirable community. Be proud of it.
See you around the neighborhood.

> Joe Markowski