Greetings ... well … the long summer is quickly winding down. And it has been an incredible summer. What have we seen? Temperatures rising to 106 degrees! An earthquake! A hurricane! Wow … if that isn’t an incredible mix of natural phenomena … what is?
And for me it has been an incredible summer. A personal note if I may. When I was younger I used to wonder why old people talked so much about grandkids. Heck … they were just little kids. Au contraire. Now I see what they were talking about. Having one of those little ones call you “grandpa” is quite an amazing event and I’ve been blessed to have that experience. But enough about me.
Our next meeting is Thursday September 15 at 8pm. ( Our newletter will say September 18 but that was because I was still looking at the August calendar. My Bad. )
There are many things we will need to talk about this year. The new ballfield at the foot of New Dorp Lane. Kohl’s – what is it’s status? … Sterling Avenue gets repaved. ( What is your new nomination for the worst street in New Dorp? I nominate the stretch of Ross Avenue between 10th and the railroad. It is quite painful. What is your suggestion? ) … Cedar Grove Beach / Park. How did it pan out over the summer? … What’s next as we talk about the water problems that our members face?
It’s been mentioned to me that New Dorp Lane is dirtier than ever. What do you think? Is it? It certainly has more vacant stores than we have seen in a long time.
And let’s talk about the Lane. Actually I would like us to begin a discussion about the future of New Dorp. What should New Dorp look like in 2020? Or 2030? What should the Lane look like? Hairdressers, tattoo parlors, pizza places, pet stores, restaurants and empty stores. What types of businesses can the Lane support? What type should it support? What do we need in our neighborhood? We have decried attempts to allow buildings which are higher … myself included. But in a future New Dorp … if you want more people to walk the Lane and shop in its stores … would it make more sense to allow some buildings full of apartments so there were shoppers around? I know we had a presentation earlier about a large structure for seniors and it met a lot of resistance … much of it warranted. But if we do not have higher density housing near public transportation then who will be the shoppers along the Lane? How do we keep our small town feel without limiting our possibilities.
I am not saying that we need to go in that direction. I am saying that we need to start thinking about these things and talking about these things and inviting speakers in who will help us understand the pluses and minuses of the various options we have.
There are few jobs for our young people on the island. There are few places for young people to gather. There are fewer places that our young people can afford to live in. They are leaving New Dorp. They are leaving the Island. Have we created an atmosphere that prevents them from establishing roots and growing in our community? What direction are we headed? Is there room for them in our vision of the future?
And the ways we communicate with each other. The newsletter ( I hope ) still has a place in our lives. However the handwriting is quite clear that the future will be electronic and found on a smartphone or tablet or some other device. Social networks move vast amounts of information faster than any telephone calling tree. Check out Facebook and how all our politicians and businesses have taken to using it. They know where the future is. We need to recognize that as well.
We have a Facebook page which is updated much too infrequently. I need to get much better at that. I am not exactly a Luddite but when it comes to Facebook I remain really basic. When it comes to Twitter I don’t tweet. However if we want to engage the young in our community then we need to embrace these technologies. No high school or college student is going to read our newsletter. They might … just might … check out our Facebook page. We need to move in that direction. They could have input … make suggestions … become an active part of our community and a participant in the ongoing dialogue.
Ok … let me get off my soapbox. (Kids … have your parents or grandparents explain that to you.)
As I’ve said in the past, 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 helps to finance our newsletter. Let us know if you are aware of a business in our community that would like to be represented in our newsletter.
We will be sending out of membership renewals soon. Please support our efforts on your behalf.
Lastly, as I’ve mentioned and will continue to mention, 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, President
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Dear Mr. Markowski,
ReplyDeleteAs a lifelong New Dorp resident, I unfortunately can not recall our fine neighborhood ever looking or feeling worse. Our streets are in terrible condition and I do not refer to only the condition of the asphalt, although I would agree that Ross Ave is in terrible condition...however I would add the section from 10th to the Blvd as well.
New Dorp Lane and the Plaza, as well as the Hylan Shopping Centers have never looked worse, and even our neighbor's residential properties are not as well maintained as they once were in the past.
Yes, we are in the middle of a terrible economic downturn and I understand many of our good neighbors are suffering and this may have something to do with the current conditions, but I also know that the effect of the economy on the residents of New Dorp is not nearly as bad as that which is being faced by others and that our neighborhood conditions began deteriorating long before 2008...
New Dorp's living conditions are becoming worse everyday. We can continue to blame it on the free train, or the families living on the Plaza and the Lane...and we can continue to concern or trouble ourselves with our Civic Association only when it is convenient, or we can get serious about taking real action to make significant and enduring improvements to the quality of our surroundings and living conditions.
Everything that everyone does to improve our community is greatly appreciated, and I do not want to criticize anyone’s good intentions, but the truth is that sometimes good intentions are not enough.
We all work hard, we all pay our taxes...we all deserve to live in the great neighborhood New Dorp should and can be. Personal and Community Responsibility hand-in-hand will take us back to the neighborhood where we should be.