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Thursday, March 27, 2008

What Is Smith Point Town?

I received an email from Vinnie, the proprietor of the Mastic Shirley Report, about Steve Levy approving the use of Smith Point as an address. Check out Vinnie's comments from his blog then read on to see mine:

In the March 26th edition of the SUFFOLK LIFE newspaper, there is an article in which 'Smith Point Residents Lobby for Own Zip Code'. (by Barbara LaMonica).

I consider this an outrageous attempt to secede from their community in what only can be described as elitism. Just what exactly is the Smith Point Beach Property owners association? Everyone knows that NOBODY owns land on Smiths Point, just NEAR it. How near do you have to be to be included? Is this a new 'other side of the tracks' issue? I can find no reference to this group either online or in any phone directory either. The two people quoted in the article state they are from the Smith Point Beach Property Owners association but is this a group of two? I do see a group called the Smith Point PeninsulaHomeowners Association but there is no listing for the two quoted in the paper as being members of that organization.

Statements like 'we always lived in the shadow of Mastic Beach' are truly incomprehensible to me....you ARE IN MASTIC BEACH! other statements like 'we started to realize that we were significantly different' and 'we are the gateway to the Fire Island National Seashore' infuriates me to no end! HOW DIFFERENT ARE YOU? DO YOU HAVE TWO HEADS? The post office response so far is that zip codes 'are not assigned to provide community identity' seems comforting, but what identity are they trying to create? IT smells to me like they simply don't want to live in mastic or shirley anymore!

Also, apparantly Steve Levy is on board with this as well according to the article. Ive emailed him and other community leaders looking for a response but there has been an utter lack of communication so far.

Now I have all of our town leaders linked on the main page. If this infuriates you as much as me, then ACT! WRITE! EMAIL! CALL! Make your opinion KNOWN!

I appreciate Vinnie's comments and want to add my own. First of all, let's not forget the discussions a few months ago to make "The Links" into a pricey gated community. Will the address there also be Smith Point? Is this to help big builders sell these houses more quickly because people may not realize it's actually Mastic, Shirley and Moriches? Are these people trying to avoid the negative media attention and set up a segregated area? What about all the promises made to our community as we pay taxes that continue to increase? The solution presented by government leaders is setting up an incorporated village and charging more taxes but will this really change anything? Should we examine villages such as Amityville for our answers?

Further, do government officials want to "dress up" the area where people from all over drive to the beach in the summer to attempt to "hide" what is going on a mere few blocks away? It's time to get real around here.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Spring Has Sprung

During the past week, spring has sprung in Mastic Beach! With daylight savings time, there is more sunshine so the children are playing outside longer and you hear the welcome sounds of laughter despite frequent bouts with rain.

St. Patrick's Day was Monday and we had a terrific time at the Community Library. My children decorated delicious shamrock cookies with green icing while my husband and I enjoyed laughter yoga. The kids got paper aprons and hats and decorated the cookie box then got to eat a tasty cookie - what could be better? My husband and I loved laughter yoga, a variation on traditional yoga which is also taught at the library. By using forced laughter and yoga stretching, you rejuvenate and improve your breathing. We all felt wonderful on St. Paddy's day at the library! Meanwhile, the Long Island Press had an article about Leg. Kate Browning, a native of Ireland, teaching Irish dance at the local Long Island School of the Arts. What an exciting, cultural community we live in!

Today is also the first day the children have off for spring break although many of the Easter and spring activities took place last weekend. There are still ongoing services for the holidays at the local houses of worship and you can find a last minute Easter bunny at Walmart in Middle Island. On Friday and Saturday between 10 and 2, the bunny will be at Walmart for free photos.

Meanwhile, in the back of all our minds is the idea that our neighborhood may become an incorporated village. What do you think of this?

With so much to see and do around town, have a wonderful spring break in beautiful Mastic Beach!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Getting Around Town

I just went for a haircut to Mona, the best hair dresser in Mastic Beach, and was pleased to see the community banding together again. Mona own's N & R Cool Cuts by the Mastic Beach post office and she talked to me about legislator Kate Browning coming in to visit the local shopkeepers with a petition about the WBLI situation. I told her about my recent Associated article and we talked about local merchants who were supporting our community and working toward improving its face. She was offering business cards from Norma's Deli & Grill (a new, great little place for sandwiches with terrific prices). Mona also had a sign up featuring a free pizza from Pizza Time with 10 haircuts (on the other side of that, Pizza Time offers a free haircut with ten pizzas).

I love living in a community where everyone is so supportive of each other, where legislators visit business owners and business owners promote one another. I've lived all over Suffolk County throughout the course of my life and never saw such a tight-knit community as Mastic Beach. Get in on it by supporting your local merchants and having pride in the place you live!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

A Place for the Beautiful People

We've all heard the phrase, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". When I think of beautiful people, I don't think of fancy hairstyles or designer clothes (although ornaments can be attractive they don't endure). To me beautiful people are friendly, hard-working and not afraid to say what they feel. These beautiful people live in the unpretentious, natural environment of Mastic, Shirley, Moriches.

While surrounding towns are caught up in image, people here are concerned with substance. Although the journey may take a bit longer, in time our community will be stronger than ever because of the beautiful people that live here, continuing to share and give.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

A Good Place With Bad Press

Tired of all the bad press about fantastic Mastic Beach? I recently wrote in article about the WBLI scandal and you can check it out at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/637775/wbli_dj_rowdy_randy_spears_makes_foolish.html

More good news - Vinnie Pinzone started a website for the community with updated news links at www.masticshirleyreport.com - I heard from him today through Associated Content where I posted the article about WBLI. It's great to see so many people in our community appreciate its value and unique beauty and are ready to stand up for it.

Just as a reminder there will be an important meeting of the Mastic Beach Property Owners Association tomorrow night at 7 pm and the councilman will be present. With all the issues on the table, including the possible incorporation of Mastic Beach as a village, everyone should try to make it.