Ronald Cooper
Dear Resident:
Well the summer is over and I hope all of you can look back on good times. Our pool, golf and tennis facilities were in excellent condition for your enjoyment and I hope you took advantage of them. As you know, a lot of effort goes into making those conditions happen and I would like to thank Adam Hoffman as Golf Commissioner and Adam Kolodny as Parks Commissioner, together with the members of their respective Commissions for making it happen this summer.
There are a number of things going on that I want to keep you abreast of. This may be lengthy but you should have gathered enough strength during the summer to get through it.
Of primary concern to everyone is the status of our assessment project. The process is moving along according to schedule and you should be receiving a mailer at the beginning of October which will indicate the newly established assessment for your residence. During the period October 15th through November 2nd you will be given specific dates when you will be able to meet with the assessor should you disagree with the amount assessed. As indicated previously, the assessed value will be determined based on the information the Village has obtained concerning the characteristics of your residence and the market values (based on recent sales) of similar properties. You have previously been sent information as to what has been recorded with respect to your property in the Village's database and a great many of you have responded with verification and / or corrections. Hopefully, this process will continue to go smoothly but I realize that any assessment change will cause ripples. Please be assured that it is the Village's desire to insure that fairness prevails and the Board of Trustees and I will do everything in our power to accomplish that. As you should recall from our past communications and meetings on this subject, the overall tax base of the Village will not change. The result of the reassessment project will insure a fairer distribution of taxes to all our residents and should reduce the effect of commercial tax certiorari cases on our future budgets.
As you know, school is now open and we need you to be cognizant of the various traffic and parking regulations around our schools. Our children are our most precious asset and I implore you to observe the various speed limits and stop signs. Our police will be out enforcing our regulations. With respect to picking up or leaving off your child at the Lakeville School, please note that there is no parking on Robbins Lane and parents can only stop on the school side of the street in designated areas only, providing that the driver remains in the car. Safety is a prime concern of our residents and as I have indicated to you before, it is incumbent on you to observe the traffic regulations within the Village. They will be strictly enforced.
The Village has obtained and placed defibrillators in various locations around the Village. Those areas include the locker room area in the Community Building, the Grill Room, the pool, the golf course starters shed and the golf rangers will have one on their carts. Training sessions have been conducted for Village personnel but I am told anyone can use them without concern of causing further harm. I hope they never have to be used.
The Board of Trustees has voted to enroll the Village with a program of Econnergy Natural Gas Corp. You will have the choice of either staying with Keyspan or using Econnergy for your natural gas distribution. You will be receiving information from Econnergy in the near future about their program. According to the information we have received, Econnergy's natural gas rates have been lower than Keyspan's and there are certain other economic incentives that you should consider. Should you decide to enroll in Econnergy's program, you would continue to receive your bill and service from Keyspan. This opportunity was brought to us through the Nassau County Village Officials Association.
I am pleased to report to you that Moody's Investor Service has assigned an Aa1 rating with respect to the Village's debt issues. This compares favorably to the Town of North Hempstead's rating of Aa2 . The rating is reflective of our conservative budget and reserves policies. It was interesting to note in their report that the Village's income and wealth indicators are significantly higher than state and national medians with a per capita income approximating 248% of the state median.
There are a number of key issues that the Board is currently considering, among the most important of which is the issue of our deteriorating roadways. We have recently carried out a study of our roadways, including curbing, and have received the final report. The Board is studying the report to determine our next course of action. We are cognizant of the potential high cost of this type of project and we will seek ways to mitigate the effect on our future budgets. The Board is continuing to monitor the negotiations between the Great Neck/North Shore Cable Commission and Verizon. Should there be no progress in the negotiations over a reasonable time period the board will examine our options. We will continue to keep you informed on a timely basis.
There will be another test of our emergency 911 system on October 11, 2007 at 8:00PM. If you do not receive a call or a message, please call the Village office. We may have an incorrect telephone number for you in our database. We intend to use this system only in case of emergencies or if it is determined that information needs to be disseminated quickly.
There have been some changes made with respect to the Parks and Golf Commissions. David Milner has been appointed Parks Commissioner and Adam Kolodny will continue to work with that commission as Deputy. With respect to the Golf Commission, Gary Gambetta has been appointed as Deputy Golf Commissioner, replacing David Milner. We thank those whose positions have changed, for their past contributions and wish those taking on new positions success as they take on their new responsibilities.
I would like to leave you with an experience that I had with a local owner/developer of an office building on Marcus Avenue. At an event held in his building I was introduced to him as the Mayor of Lake Success. After exchanging pleasantries, he proceeded to inform me that although his building was outside of the boundaries of Lake Success, he used our name in the building's address. He did so, he said, because of the cachet of Lake Success and indicated that increased the value of his building. My response was that we would immediately exact a royalty payment for the use of our name. After a few tense moments, I smiled and wished him well. Afterwards, I wondered how many of our residents state that they are from Lake Success or what they perceive a fancier address, Great Neck. Just a thought, but you should be proud of your village and how it is viewed by those on the outside.
My best wishes for a super fall season.
Sincerely,
Ronald S. Cooper
Mayor
May 22, 2007
Dear Resident:
This is a great time to be walking around our village. Spring is finally
here, the shrubs and flowers are in bloom and our residents are out of
their homes partaking of our facilities.
Winter was an active time for your Village government and we have worked
hard to insure that all of our facilities are ready for your enjoyment.
As you know, we have undertaken a complete reconstruction of our pool
complex. I can report to you that the pool will be open on time for the
Memorial Day weekend and that the project came in under budget. The
success of this project depended on the active participation by the Park
Commission and the Department of Public Works and together they
performed admirably well. Special kudos has to go to Trustees Handsman,
Kolodny and Gambetta, as well as to Deputy Mayor Lam, Administrator
Carol Pogrell and Public Works Superintendent Pat Mc Dermott. I am sure
when you see the new complex, which by the way includes a complete
makeover of our bathhouse; you will agree with me that they did an
extraordinary job. Tennis players should be pleased with the work that
has been done on our tennis courts. We have rehabilitated Courts 1, 2, 3
and 4 with new clay and better drainage. In addition, we have put in new
fencing around all of the courts and in the very near future we will be
redoing the paths around the courts and will be providing sun shades on
each of the courts. Golfers should be pleased with the continued
improvement to the course. The Golf Commission, under the leadership of
Trustee Hoffman, has worked long and hard to enhance the quality of the
course and to improve its competitiveness and it reflects their
dedication. I do need to mention the fact that our practice areas,
including the driving range are for the use of members and registered
daily players only. The driving range is a small facility and can not be
used by the general public since there are a limited amount of spaces
for those eligible to use it. Please abide by the rules.
The House Committee has been diligently working on providing a better
venue for our residents. We have changed the dinner format with
Wednesday being substituted for Thursday, and offering a premium dinner
on Friday with an enhanced menu. I encourage you to participate and
enjoy the new dining experience.
On the financial side, we have also been very active. We have passed a
resolution to reassess all of the Village's properties. That resolution
was the result of the hard work of a Committee, chaired by Deputy Mayor
Lam, which I appointed to review our assessment policies. At our May
14th meeting we had an open forum on the reasons for this action and I
was pleased to see so many of our residents attend. It's nice to know
that we have active participation by the residents on important issues
such as this one. We passed our 2007-2008 budget which calls for an
approximately 8% increase in taxes. The Finance Committee and Treasurer
Akua Bediako-Hood worked very hard with all the department heads to keep
our costs down. As I have previously reported to you, approximately 80%
of our budget is mandated in the form of pension and healthcare
arrangements or through our various union contracts. As an example, our
police costs are approximately 50% of our entire budget when you
consider the union contract and pension and healthcare costs directly
attributable to the police. It's a difficult budget to manage under
these conditions but the department heads have done an admirable job of
managing the remaining variable budget items.
As an outgrowth of a discussion held at a meeting of the Mayor's
Advisory Committee, we have begun the process of putting defibrillators
in our public areas. Hopefully the defibrillators will never have to be
used but in case of an emergency they can save lives. We will inform you
at a later date more about their deployment and under what conditions
they should be used.
The Great Neck/North Shore Cable Commission will hold an important
public meeting on May 30, 2007 at 7:00 PM at the Great Neck South Middle
School auditorium. The purpose of the meeting is to hear the results of
negotiations for a contract with Verizon for cable television services.
I encourage you to attend. This contract has been several years in
negotiation and it appears that there is finally an accord. Trustee
Gambetta is our representative on the Commission and he reports that the
contract will bring competitiveness to our residents in terms of cable
services offered.
The Village is working on all cylinders in an active desire to promote
the interests of the residents. If you have any suggestions on how we
can do better, please do not hesitate to contact me, Deputy Mayor Lam or
any of the Trustees. We appreciate your interaction with us as that is a
way to better understand your needs.
On a personal note, as I near the end of my first year as Mayor, it has
been a privilege to work with the other members of the Board of
Trustees. They are a dedicated group and while they do not agree on all
issues they are looking out for your interests in a very concerted way.
Our auditors have commented that among their municipal clients, the
amount of work put in by the Board of Trustees of Lake Success is most
extraordinary. I hope that you appreciate their efforts, as I do. Tell
them so when you see them. They certainly do not do this for the less
than extraordinary pay they receive.
I look forward to seeing you around the Village and wish you a great
summer, filled with the activities that the Village is pleased to
provide.
Sincerely,
Ronald S. Cooper
Mayor
May 1, 2007
Dear Resident:
At the May 14, 2007 Board of Trustees meeting (7:30 P.M.) there will be an agenda item that is of particular importance to you. As you may recall, I have previously communicated to you that I have appointed a committee to review our assessment policies due to the exposure the Village has to large tax refunds to commercial property owners. That committee, chaired by Deputy Mayor Lam, has completed its review and will make a presentation that evening on its findings. The Committee has been guided by John Terrana, Counsel to the Village on tax certiorari matters and Michael Haberman Associates, Inc. experts on property assessments. In addition, the Committee has met with representatives of the Office of Real Property Service of the State of New York. The issues that we face are relatively complex and the committee has spent a good deal of time with our consultants to explore our alternatives.
The Committee believes that a comprehensive reassessment of Village properties is in the residents' best interests and I concur. The Village needs to address the issue of tax certiorari settlements on commercial properties, which have been significant in recent years, and if not mitigated, will lead to higher future property taxes.
I encourage you to attend the May 14th meeting to get a full understanding of the reasons for a reassessment, how it will be done and how it will affect all our taxes, should the Board of Trustees vote to do so. After the presentation is made the floor will be open for any questions you might have.
Sincerely,
Ronald S. Cooper
Mayor
November 15, 2006
Dear Residents:
When I last wrote to you back in August, I indicated that my first few months in office were enjoyable and I am pleased to report that sentiment has not changed. Actually, considering my recent past as Golf Commissioner, the position seems almost tranquil. Not that I am looking for controversy but I always enjoyed a good debate.
Let me bring you up to date on what is occurring. All the Village departments and the Village office staff under the leadership of the Trustees, the various department heads and the Village Administrator are operating well. Our various projects are moving ahead on an appropriate timetable. In fact, our pool project seems to be ahead of schedule, which is good news considering the oncoming winter. The recently completed sewer project was completed timely and under budget. As I indicated to you in my last letter, we are putting together a master plan so that we can more efficiently plan for these types of capital improvements. That plan is being worked upon by the Trustees under the direction of Deputy Mayor Lam and we will be holding a meeting in early December to review the progress being made. Hopefully, we will be able to bring the plan to you in a public forum for discussion early next year. The House Committee in concert with the Department of Public works is working with CulinArt, our food service contractor, to refurbish the Grill Room and other areas of the Community Building. The cost of the refurbishment, per our contract with CulinArt, is to be borne entirely by them. As I previously alerted you, we are in the process of reviewing our real estate assessment practices and we are awaiting input from our consultants. The review process is likely to take some time because the issues are complex and we are seeking some creativity to insure that our assessment practices give us the desired result. At the November 13 Board of Trustees meeting, after a Public Hearing, the Board approved the accompanying new local law with respect to control of animals. Please adhere to the provisions of this law in order to help safeguard Village residents and their dogs from potential adverse situations.
There are some items on the technology front that I would like to share with you. The first test of our Reverse E911 system will take place in the next few weeks. Trustee Kolodny has been working on putting this together and I look forward to seeing it finally being put into operation. It will give the Village the ability to communicate to residents in the event of an emergency and / or to provide timely information when needed. I promise that it will be used only when appropriate. Carl Mittler, chairman of our Technology Committee has been hard at work writing software for the Village office that will streamline our databases. The software will enable our office staff to operate more effectively and is already helping to automate the golf registration process. I thank him for his efforts.
I have recently contacted Richard Kessel, Chairman of LIPA with respect to the numerous power outages in our Village. Many of our outages are storm induced with fallen tree limbs hitting wires, etc. However, there are times when there are non-weather induced outages and I have asked LIPA to provide us with the past several years’ outage history. Hopefully there are remedies that can curtail the number of outages in our Village. I may be jousting at windmills but someone once said that if you don’t ask you cannot receive.
I see that this letter is shorter than my last and so I presume that all of you have reached this point. Here is the tough part of the letter - we need your help in order to help you. As I have indicated above, we have put into place some pretty sophisticated systems that will enable us to keep in contact with you when necessary. However, we need you to provide us with contact information. Enclosed is a form requesting that information. Please fill it out and return it to the Village office. The more information we have the better job we can do for you. I pledge to you that all the information will remain confidential and will not be given to anyone outside the Village. For example, even with respect to broadcast e-mails our software insures that your e-mail address will not be shown. One item needs your particular attention - information with respect to individuals in your household who may need special attention in the event of an emergency.
Although at the outset of this letter I indicated that all departments are operating well, I would like to make special mention of three departments in our Village where I believe there has been outstanding performance. For those of you who are golfers you know that this past season has been one of our best. The course is in excellent condition and we owe a debt of gratitude to Trustees Hoffman and Milner and the members of the Golf Commission for their stewardship and to Bob Johnston and his staff for their outstanding accomplishment in bringing the course to its current potential. I know that there are more improvements to come and we look forward to an even better course next year. The Department of Public Works under the leadership of Trustees Handsman and Gambetta and Superintendent Pat McDermott has performed in outstanding fashion. Their work is often unheralded but vital to the well being of our Village. The Police Department continues to get compliments from our residents as well as non-residents who they aid. As you know, Chief Roberts retired last year and we will miss him. However, Chief Lang has picked up the baton and has not missed a beat. He, as well as Trustees Kolodny and Milner, has led the Department well and I believe they serve the Village in outstanding fashion. Having cited the various operating departments above, I do want to add that all of the individuals serving on our various boards and commissions deserve our thanks as well. They collectively help to maintain the quality of life that we all enjoy in our Village.
Finally, as we enter the holiday season Marcia and I wish you all the best and a very healthy and happy new year. May the best be yet to come.
Sincerely,
Ronald S. Cooper
Mayor
August 30, 2006
Dear Residents:
It is a bit over a month since I took the oath of office and began my duties as your Mayor. Although many of my friends and former colleagues in the Long Island business community have put my sanity in doubt, I have already found that I am enjoying the position. First, let me thank those of you who have stepped forward and volunteered to become a part of the Village government. I have tried in my appointments to insure that we have new faces in the governing process and I will continue to try to attract individuals who have not participated before so that we can get some new perspective on how we operate. In the short time that we have been in office we have taken certain steps that I believe will be of future benefit.
We have begun the process to prepare a Master Plan for the Village and have broken the plan down into three broad components-Infrastructure, Services and Financial Requirements. Each Trustee has taken on the components of the plan that are within their areas of responsibility and we will begin to formulate timelines for accomplishing the plan goals. As we go forward in the process we will keep you apprised of our progress and ultimately will present the plan at a public meeting.
Our new committees-Traffic Safety and Technology - and a resurrected House Committee have already begun their assessment process and I believe their work will be important to the Village in their respective areas.
We have embarked on constructing a new community pool and we will begin the initial construction upon the closing of the pool on Labor Day. Trustee Adam Kolodny and the Parks Commission have done an outstanding job in bringing the project through the design phase and we look forward to a timely opening of the new pool next Memorial Day.
We have also begun the process of reviewing our real estate assessment practices. Deputy Mayor Lam is spearheading the project and will be assisted by a number of Trustees as well as appropriate consultants that we will retain. The purpose of the project is to insure that our practices are fair and equitable. We will report to you our findings and we will not go forward without public input.
As you may know, we had two serious fire incidents in the past several months. Chief Lang and I met with the Chiefs of the Manhasset Lakeville Fire Department because a few residents had apprised us that they believed the Fire Department had certain deficiencies with respect to its handling of both incidents. A number of good points were made as to their manner of operation and I thought I would share them with you.
· With respect to the Jeffrey Lane fire, there was an error made by a "junior" firefighter in connecting a hose from the hydrant to the truck. There was no problem with the pressure from the hydrant, as was originally rumored. The truck itself carries five hundred gallons of water, it was pointed out that by the time the Fire Department arrived because of a delay in the resident calling the fire was already in the attic, and the house could not be saved. The key point here, other than the obvious lateness of the call, is that we have sufficient pressure in our hydrants (categorized by the Chiefs as being the best on Long Island) and that they are regularly tested.
· Response time is very important and the Chiefs recommend that in case of fire you call them directly at 466-4411. While it is also important to call our Police Department through either their direct number (482-4600) or 911, the direct call to the Fire Department will cut down the response time-which by the way has generally been excellent. It should be noted that if you are calling 911 from your cell phone that call does not go directly to the Lake Success Police Department but is routed to the Nassau County system or because of our proximity to Queens could be routed to the NYC system as well.
· We will be having our police checking the Village fire hydrants to insure that they are accessible.
· The Fire Chiefs have asked once again that all residents insure that their address is easily seen from the street. This is an age-old problem but I would implore you to comply with their request.
· The Fire Chiefs have also requested that during periods of construction that you cover smoke detectors where the construction is being done so that dust, etc. does not result in false alarms. Obviously, you should use discretion when doing this so that the house is protected.
We have an excellent relationship with the Manhasset Lakeville Fire Department and they have always provided our village with excellent fire protection. We will continue to work with them in this important endeavor. The Chiefs have offered to make a presentation to the Village residents on their operation and to provide tips on fire prevention. I think this is an important topic to bring to the attention of our residents and have asked Jack Epstein, President of the Civic Association, to sponsor such an event. You will receive a mailing from him as to the date of the presentation and I urge you to attend.
I know that this letter is getting lengthy and I have been told that many of you will not read past this point. However, I just need to make a few more points so bear with me and read on.
We have been noticing that some of our residents have become lax with respect to obeying traffic rules within the village. This is a cause for concern. Stop signs have been placed for good reason and speed limits have been posted-to protect our residents and specifically our children. The Police Department has been instructed to vigorously enforce the traffic laws within the village. Please consider the safety of your fellow residents and observe the traffic rules. We do not want to hand out tickets but unfortunately that is the only remedy that violators pay attention to.
We are in the final assessment stage of a "Reverse E911" system that will allow the Village to communicate on a mass basis with residents in case of emergency. We will follow up with you as the system is put into place.
I am very pleased to see the rejuvenation of our Civic Association under the leadership of Jack Epstein. They recently sponsored a wonderful art show featuring our own talented artists and it was well attended. I understand that membership is climbing and I encourage all of you to join. The Civic Association provides an important function with respect to enhancing our quality of life in the Village and can be a positive force in that endeavor.
We are still looking for volunteers for our CERT and POD programs. Please consider volunteering. You should contact Carol Pogrell who will get you the appropriate information.
Summer is about over and it certainly went too fast. Our recreational facilities were well utilized and we all need to thank the members of the Park Commission and the Golf Commission for all their hard work in assuring that their respective facilities were in outstanding condition.
Finally, and thank you for reading this far, I want to thank the Trustees and the Village office staff for making my transition to Mayor relatively easy. I look forward to continuing to communicate with you and if you need to contact me, please do not hesitate to do so.
Sincerely,
Ronald S. Cooper
Mayor
June 21, 2006
Dear Resident:
As you may know, yesterday I was elected as your Mayor. I take on
that position with a deep sense of responsibility to all of you. The
Village of Lake Success is a wonderful place to live in, a place to
raise our families, a place to enjoy truly wonderful recreational
facilities and a place to interface with our neighbors in a spirit
of harmony. We have created here what I would call an "ungated,
gated community" which is the envy of many who live on Long Island.
Our Village has all the attributes of those gated communities in
Florida and elsewhere, and all within 18 miles of Manhattan. The
Village is administered by elected officials who spend a tireless
amount of time on your behalf. I succeed a long line of Mayors, each
of whom has contributed mightily to the enhancement of the Village
and the quality of life that we all enjoy here. I hope that I, along
with the Trustees that I will serve with, will be able to add to the
long list of their accomplishments.
It is too early to provide you with any insight concerning any
proposals that I might bring to the Board of Trustees for their
consideration. However, I will share with you my desire to develop a
master plan for the Village, which will deal with our infrastructure
as well as quality of life issues. It is my intention to communicate
with you on a regular basis, so that you are aware of the issues
that we face and our proposed resolutions. I hope that you will
respond by taking an active interest in the Village's affairs and I
welcome your participation.
As my first required action, I need to propose to the Board of
Trustees at our July 10 meeting, appointments to the various
Commissions and Committees that form our organizational structure. I
believe that it would be helpful to all of us to get fresh ideas for
the enhancement of our Village and accordingly I would like to
include on the proposed appointment list, individuals who believe
they are qualified and yet are new to the process. I encourage you
to let me know if you would like to participate in the following:
· Environmental Commission
· Golf Commission
· Park Commission
· Planning Board
· Village Emergency Response Team
· Village Special Advisory Committee To The Mayor
· Technology Committee ( a new committee whose purpose will be to
monitor the Village's software and hardware technology)
· Traffic Safety Committee (a new committee whose purpose will be to
monitor the Village's traffic safety issues and will work with the
Police Chief and the Police Liaison)
We have very qualified individuals on each of the above previously
established entities but openings do occur and it would be helpful
to know that we have qualified individuals to fill them. As to the
newly established committees, we do need individuals who have an
interest in those areas. You can contact me by e-mail at larcwest@optonline.net
for more information or to indicate your willingness to serve. I am
not naive enough to think that I will be flooded with volunteers but
I do hope that those of you who believe you can make a difference
will respond. After all, it does take a village to run a village.
That is it for now but on a personal note, I do want to thank Bob
Bernstein for his dedication and hard work on behalf of all of us.
He has done an outstanding job as Mayor and I wish him well in his
"retirement". My best wishes to all of you for a great summer.
Sincerely,
Ron Cooper