Farewell to a Friend

Last week we said goodbye to Councilman Keith Romaine, who passed away suddenly, 0nly two weeks after being re-elected to a second term. Councilman Romaine, who was instrumental in helping us with several issues here including Smith Landing Park at Shirley Beach and the buoys at the Smith Point Marina, was always responsive to our organization and will be missed. Its always nice when an elected official takes the time to understand the problems facing their constituents and utilizes the various departments at their fingertips to help the community they represent. In the short time he represented us, Keith Romaine and his staff did their best to address whatever concerns we brought their way. We were looking forward to his second term to see what other projects we would be able to implement to improve our neighborhood. Councilman Romaine was certainly a friend to the Smith Point Homeowners and his successor will have some big shoes to fill. Sadly, we bid our friend Keith Romaine - "Farewell."

Hurricane Season 2009

Well, Hurricane season is in full swing now. We've already had one near miss with "Bill" and now it appears that "Danny" may be brushing by us this weekend. Forecasters have been saying that our area is DUE for a hurricane hit. Are you prepared if our lovely below sea level community is socked with a storm surge? It would likely be Katrina revisited. Although there are coastal evacuation signs along the William Floyd Parkway, they will not help if everyone is trying to make their way north at the same time and at the last minute. Plan ahead. Now is a good time to think about what you and your family will do in case of just such an emergency. Make your own hurricane preparedness plan. Give yourself plenty of time to get to higher ground. Try to secure valuables and important paperwork ahead of time. Set up a meeting place for your family members to gather. Make arrangements to place family pets. Don't wait until the hurricane hits to think about these things. Remember, fail to plan = plan to fail!

SPPHOA Swings into Action!

Smith Point Peninsula Homeowners Association, stewards of Shirley Beach at Smith Landing, have been successfully lobbying Brookhaven Town Parks department to help improve the park there. In addition to having new BBQ's and picnic tables, we now have brand new playground equipment for the local children (and parents) to enjoy. Commissioner Ed Morris and Deputy Commissioner Carol Bissonette attended our last meeting to talk about the successes we have shared and what we can expect moving forward. As many of you know, SPPHOA has been working in concert with the Parks Department to keep the park clean, planting flowers and identifying additional improvements that would benefit the neighborhood. The upcoming project, which should begin in another week or so, is preparing the platform for the bronze sculpture that was donated, thanks to the William Floyd Community Summit's Beautification Committee. These are all part of the wonderful things we can accomplish when we work together with other solid organizations and with our government officials. We look forward to continuing this work for our community.

Smith Point Buoys Afloat Again thanks to SPPHOA!

After almost two years of lobbying on behalf of all boaters utilizing the Smith Point Marina, we are proud to announce that the efforts of the Smith Point Peninsula Homeowner's Association have been fruitful and an agreement has been reached between Suffolk County and Brookhaven Town to replace the buoys in the channel leading out to the bay. Many a boat was damaged since the buoys were removed and not replaced.

Special thanks to SPPHOA President Vinny Albino and member Richard Hagan for staying on top of this issue and bringing it to the attention of government officials. Suffolk County Legislator Kate Browning and Councilman Keith Romaine have been able to work out the details necessary to use intergovernmental resources to acheive this result.

Once again, the Smith Point Peninsula Homeowner's Association shows that it is possible to accomplish our goals, taking care of our own backyard!

Welcome to the Neighborhood

Many people in the community gripe about the lack of sit-down dining in our area. We are all aware of the over abundance of fast food restaurants but we also have two successful restaurants, Manor House and Mike's Place Too. Still, if you want to go to a family style restaurant, or a more upscale or ambiant restaurant, you would have to travel outside our community. Over the past few years, we have heard the rumblings of some potential new restaurants coming to our community - and no, we aren't referring to another fast-food-drive-thru....

The William Floyd Community Summit hosted the owners and/or representatives of Applebee's, Friendly's and Mama Lisa's to discuss their upcoming community projects. Applebee's will be opening a beautiful 180 seat restaurant in the shopping center at the corner of William Floyd Pky and Montauk Highway approximately October 6, 2009. Friendly's will be opening one of their family-friendly restaurants sometime in November 2009 at the former Firestone Deli location. Mama Lisa's will be opening an elegant Italian restaurant where the old Bel Aire Tavern once stood. These three projects have been in the works for awhile now but were having difficulty getting approvals from Suffolk County Health Department. That has now been taken care of and we can finally look forward to some new sit-down dining in our community. Thanks go out to Beth Wahl and the Summit for bringing these representatives, as well as Brookhaven Town's Planning department, to the meeting to keep the community informed.

Parks and Recreation

We were pleased to have Brookhaven Town Commissioner of Parks, Ed Morris as the guest speaker at our June meeting. Mr. Morris discussed some of the plans the Parks department has in the works for our community. Those of you who have been to Shirley Beach at Smith Landing saw the improvement to the facility and grounds last summer thanks to the partnership between the Brookhaven Parks Dept and the Smith Point Peninsula Homeowners. Additional improvements to landscaping and the BBQ area are expected for the 2009 season.

Mr. Morris also discussed some of the improvements made to other local parks, such as the Forge River Marina and the Washington Ave. Ball Fields, the planned improvements for Osprey Park and of course the construction of a new park at Bayview Avenue.

We are looking forward to another year of working closely with Mr. Morris on keeping Shirley Beach the family-friendly oasis we have come to know it as. Be sure to stop down and visit it this summer.

LI2Day - What's Raised Here, Stays Here!

Smith Point community has hosted the LI2Day Walk to fight Breast Cancer since it began 6 years ago. The LI2Day organization has raised funds through this event to assist Long Islanders affected by breast cancer.

The 2-day event starts at Smith Point County Park, with hundreds of walkers crossing the Smith Point bridge, heading north along William Floyd Parkway, stopping along the way at Southaven County Park in Shirley for lunch and continuing on a 20 mile trek to Cathedral Pines County Park in Middle Island. Once there, the walkers are treated to hot showers, a hot meal, terrific entertainment, massage and chiropractic care and yes, even medical treatment if needed. The next morning, these courageous volunteers walk 15 miles back to Smith Point County Park where they are met by Breast Cancer Survivors from all over Long Island for a celebratory lunch and closing ceremonies which includes a parade of pink balloons and pink t-shirts marching back over the Smith Point bridge. It's quite a site to behold.

All of the money raised by this event stays here on Long Island and the organization has raised over $2 million to date. The volunteers along the 35 mile route are the best cheerleaders and support team that you could ask for. But the community members who come out of their homes to cheer the walkers on, offering water and encouragement show the very best of the Smith Point neighborhoods.

This year, whether you are home, or driving down the WF Parkway in your car, look for these dedicated walkers and show them some of that Smith Point support that has kept them coming back all these years. Your encouragement can make a world of difference especially during those last few miles. And if you are so inclined, make a donation to this very worthy cause because every dime is helping a fellow Long Islander.