Welcome to the West End of Long Beach, New York.  Here’s what’s happening:

 

HOLIDAY DECORATIONS ON WEST BEECH STREET

As part of the West End Neighbors Beautification Committee’s continuing efforts to beautify the West End, we are excited to announce the installation of festive lighting along parts of West Beech Street for the holiday season.

This multi-organizational effort was spearheaded by Walks Association President Jamie Lynch, West End Neighbors President Rick Hoffman, Historic West End Business Association members Sean Schaefer and Jason Schatzberg, Legislator Denise Ford, City Manager Charles Theofan, and Director of Labor Relations Lenny Remo.

The members of the Historic West End Business Association recently pooled together considerable funds and purchased 25 decorative ornaments and two streetscapes to be affixed to predetermined street light poles along West Beech Street.  Legislator Denise Ford committed to obtain grant monies to pay for the installation of the decorations and the City will absorb the lighting costs. 

On behalf of the West End Neighbors Beautification Committee and all of our members, we can not thank the Historic West End Business Association, Legislator Ford, and the City Administration enough for working with us to make this extremely generous contribution to our community, which will become a wonderful holiday tradition.  It is just another example of how people from different organizations in Long Beach can collectively work together to take responsibility upon ourselves to make the West End all that it can be.

 

WEST END BEAUTIFICATION PROGRAM

The West End Beautification Program acknowledges and rewards West Beech Street business owners who consistently comply with Long Beach sanitation codes and present a clean, attractive landscape.  This program the first in a series of initiatives identified to enhance the appearance of, and attract new businesses to the West Beech Street commercial district.

Participation in the program is FREE. Those who sign up receive a West End Beautification “Proud Participant” emblem to display in his or her window. Awards are presented to merchants who go above and beyond.  For more information, click here for complete program information and here for the initial press release.

The West End Neighbors Civic Association would be remiss to not recognize the individuals of the West End Neighbors Beautification Committee that ran this year’s West End Beautification Program. Resident Jerry Romanoff, a retired independent business owner and lawyer, and the West End Beautification Program Director, worked tirelessly to help develop the attainable objectives, goals and awards of the Program, answer questions and distribute all the materials. His insight as a business owner was critical to the success of the program, especially after Committee Members Mary Ellen Pollina and Judy Rudnic withdrew from the project as they have publicly stated on several occasions they do not see eye to eye with the leadership of WENCA, namely Rick Hoffman and Karen McInnis.

Jerry, John Garbarino, Rick Hoffman, Karen McInnis, Nick Ventre and Damian Walsh did the scoring of the businesses over a period of several weeks to determine the winners. The winners were announced and given award certificates at the November WENCA meeting, and former Committee Members Mary Ellen Pollina and Judy Rudnic were publicly thanked for their efforts.

WENCA is pleased with the positive attention the program received from the onset and has secured commitments with the Historic West End Business Association and the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce to jointly continue our beautification efforts, including most recently Holiday Lights along West Beech Street, and applied to trademark the program name and logo developed under the auspices of the West End Neighbors Beautification Committee of WENCA. We again extend our thanks to all involved and look forward to an exciting and productive 2012 for the West End where each one of us can truly make a difference in the community we love.

 

WENCA ELECTION RESULTS

It’s official and unanimous.  The following neighbors were elected/re-elected for the next term:

· President—Rick Hoffman

· Vice President—Karen McInnis

· Treasurer—Damian Walsh

· Secretary—Maria Fitzgerald

Thanks are due to the Nominating Committee, dues-paying WENCA neighbors who voted, and to these four volunteer leaders who are continuing their commitment to  volunteer service for a better West End.

 

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

Click  here to read or download a copy of our November Newsletter.

 

STATE-OF-THE-ART FIRE HYDRANT DONATED TO LONG BEACH IN THE NAME OF GARRET ROONEY

Sigelock Systems, the company that manufactures the newly designed, tamper free, stainless steel Sigelock Spartan hydrant,  has donated the new apparatus in memory of Garret Rooney, former  Long Beach Assistant City Manager and Fire Chief, and installed it in the West End where he and his family have lived for many years.   About one hundred people attended the installation and commemoration ceremony on Arizona Avenue.  A second hydrant has been donated for the Long Beach LIRR station. 

City Manager Charles Theofan stated that the City of Long Beach is grateful to George Sigelakis (Sigelock Systems) who designed the hydrant, and Chris Windle and John Mooney of the City’s Water Transmission Department for “remembering Garret and initiating this project to honor him.”  For more information about the donations and a photo of the installation ceremony, click here.

 

SHOULD THERE BE A DUNKIN DONUTS IN THE WEST END?

The West End Dunkin Donuts poll is now closed.  While there is no written lease agreement in place at this time, Dunkin Donuts is still interested in coming to the West End.  Residents can sign a petition at one of the local stores in the West End, post on a Long Beach blog, or call City Hall to voice your opinion.

 

ARTHUR VON GLAHN PARK (GEORGIA AVE PLAYGROUND) IMPROVEMENTS

The Long Beach City Council passed (4-1) a Resolution at its October 18, 2011 meeting to apply  for Funds from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in Accordance with the Provisions of Title 9 of the Environmental Protection Act of 1993.

“… the City of Long Beach desires to make various improvements at the Georgia Avenue Playground and is required, in order to implement this Project, to submit and file an application for funding to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, in an amount not to exceed $400,000…. the City of Long Beach agrees that it will fund its portion of the cost of the Project (approximately 50%) and that funds will be available to initiate the Project field work within twelve (12) months of written approval of its application by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.”

We thank Commissioner of Public Works Kevin Mulligan and his staff for their innovation, persistence and hard work in preparing this grant application.

 

ZONING BOARD DECISION RE:  THE CABANA - 1034 West Beech Street

The Long Beach Zoning Board has published the following decision in Case No. 2196:  Application of 1034 West Beech Street LLC c/0 Suzzane Adams of 151 Eldorado Street Atlantic Beach, New York 11561 for a variance from the following Sections of the Zoning Code of Ordinances of the City of Long Beach, New York:  Section 9-106.1 General Provisions for a full service bar with stools at 1034 West Beech Street Long Beach, New York, also known as Section 58, Block 106, Lot 117 on the Nassau County Land and Tax map. 

Decision:  2 year Temporary Conditional Variance granted for five (5) stools w/conditions:  Landscaping in compliance with all applicable codes.

 

FEMA DISASTER ASSISTANCE APPROVED FOR NASSAU RESIDENTS           

FEMA has approved area residents for possible disaster recovery assistance from Tropical Storm Irene.  To learn more and apply online, visit www.disasterassistance.gov.    Residents may also telephone FEMA at 800-621-3362 for assistance.

 

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

WENCA President Rick Hoffman suggests two recent op-ed pieces for your consideration:

The 9/11 ‘Overreaction’? Nonsense by Charles Krauthammer

The Welfare State: Too Many Takers-Not Enough Givers by Laurence Elder

 

WEST END BEAUTIFICATION PLANTING DAY

On June 18, the WENCA Beautification Committee organized a planting day on West Beech Street.  West End Neighbor Civic Association volunteers, armed with gardening tools and fortified with coffee, spread out along West Beech and planted flowers supplied by the City of Long Beach around the fifty street trees.   It is hoped that the merchants along West Beech will maintain the flowers and water them throughout the summer.   Photos of the day by John Garbarino are below.  Thank you to the organizers, all the hard-working West End volunteers and the City of Long Beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LONG BEACH LIBRARY — WEST END BRANCH

We are really proud of our West End Branch of the Long Beach Library, and are forever grateful to the Palmieri Family for their efforts to establish the branch.  The West End Branch is located at 810 West Beech Street at the corner of California Street.  Hours are:

· Tuesday, Wednesday 1 pm - 5 pm

· Thursday 4 pm - 8 pm

· Friday, Saturday 10 am - 2 pm

· Sunday, Monday CLOSED

The branch’s collections include children’s books, adult fiction, and a modest non-fiction collection, along with two computers and a copy machine.  We have a great source for summer beach reads right here in the neighborhood — please patronize the library!

 

HOW CAN THE WEST END START A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH PROGRAM? 

Click here for information from the LBPD.  This subject was discussed a year ago, and the LBPD provided this flyer in Fall 2009. 

Press coverage about the Neighborhood Watch Program appeared in the November 2009 and January 2010 Herald.  To read it, click here. 

Want to volunteer to help?  Email us.

 

DUES MATTER

We really need your dues!  You can pay them at any meeting or mail them in.  Dues are $20 per year for families and $10 per year for seniors.  The Association Newsletter and other notices can only be mailed to paid members.  Please bring your dues up to date.  Send your name, address, email address, and telephone number along with your check to:     

West End Neighbors Civic Association

218 E. Park Avenue, Suite 512

Long Beach, New York  11561

Note:  This is a NEW address effective May 2, 2011.

            

MEMBERSHIP Q&A

Are my dues up to date?  Send us an email and we will let you know.

Why haven’t I been getting a newsletter?  Because we’ve had to resort to sending the newsletter to only dues-paying members due to a substantial decrease in membership.  There is no newsletter this month.

Why are meetings on the last Wednesday night of each month?  My child has basketball practice! After a thorough analysis of all the meetings on the City of Long Beach calendar and the charitable organizations across the City, this is the day and time that is optimal for the largest number of our guest speakers and members.

 

WE NEIGHBORS SPIRIT!

You can support West End Neighbors and encourage your neighbors to join by proudly displaying your affiliation with a WEN tee shirt or plaque.  The plaques, created by Christina Rode,  measure 12” x 5.5” and are for sale at meetings for $20.  Be the first on your block to get one! WEN tee shirts are $10.

 

COMMITTEES IN FORMATION

WEN would like to form committees for fund-raising, beach/beautification, and membership.  If you would like to volunteer, please send us an email by clicking here.

 

BLOCK CAPTAINS NEEDED

Block Captains are the eyes and ears of their block and are important conduits of neighborhood concerns.  Issues identified through our block captains are brought forward from WEN to City Hall.  In addition, Block Captains help with distribution of our newsletter. 

Our newsletter and our WEN communication network are critical to our effectiveness.  Just look at the beach entrance pictured at the top of the Beach Survey page or read about the new library on our Resource Info page for two examples of what we’ve been able to do with the support of our neighbors.  These efforts rely on effective communication and grass roots efforts at the block level.  Won’t you please help?

If you can serve as a block captain, or if you’d like to find out more about what is needed, please click here to send an email with your name, street address, telephone number, and indicate whether you are located at the beach or bay end of your street.

We need as many volunteers as are willing to help!  So, step up and take part in our efforts to improve the West End.

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you would like more information about our organization, please email: info@westendneighbors-longbeach.org

 

 

Last update, December 19, 2011 by webmaster.

 

 

 

 

 

218 E. Park Avenue, Suite 512

Long Beach, New York  11561