Art Gallery Opens In Massapequa

Grand opening reception Saturday, June 1

Environ Vision Designs, a complete design and fabrication service specializing in fine art, custom indoor/outdoor sculptures, paintings, architectural elements, display, scenery, props, models, and restorations, announces the grand opening celebration of its new gallery at 5404 Merrick Rd., Massapequa, on Saturday, June 1, from 4 to 8 p.m. The event, featuring works by artist Lori Horowitz, is free and refreshments will be served.

Owner and director Lori Horowitz, a member of the Massapequa Chamber of Commerce, invites the public to stop by to meet her and view her creations. “My true passion is creating art based on society, political issues, and the environment,” says the designer and artist, whose slogan is “We design what you envision.”

Massapequa’s Stephen Antaki Plans ERASE Racism’s 2013 Benefit

Stephen Antaki of Massapequa is serving as a benefit committee member for ERASE Racism’s Annual Benefit Celebration, being held at the Garden City Hotel on June 5. This is the first time Antaki has been involved in planning the event, which helps support ERASE Racism’s mission to promote racial equity on Long Island.

This is not the first time Antaki has been involved with improving the community around him. He is a longtime CYO basketball coach, serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Suffolk Chapter for Habitat for Humanity, is treasurer for Friends of Community Services of Oyster Bay, and is the former President of the Institute of Management Accounts.

Massapequa Remembers Its Veterans

Flags waved against a cobalt blue sky as Massapequans lined the streets to honor their veterans at the annual Memorial Day Parade, which began on Main Street in Massapequa Park and ended in Massapequa at Veterans Memorial Park.

Driving a 1934 Ford, Frank Keller, 88, a survivor of Iwo Jima recalled why Memorial Day is important, “It means a lot to me, just remembering almost 7,000 men that got killed on Iwo Jima. Not many of us survived that day.” Keller was just 20 years old when he landed on the island. He has been a resident of Massapequa for 61 years.

Chamber Celebrates Successful 2013 Street Fair

Coming off the first annual Massapequa Chamber of Commerce Street Fair, Chamber President Patricia Orzano said that strong community support for the new fundraising event, combining food, fun, and excitement for families, has ensured it will become an annual tradition.

“I would say it was a spectacular success,” she said. “We were blessed with great weather; we had terrific local businesses as sponsors...we probably a one point, during our peak hours, had about 5,000 to 7,000 people attend.”

Filmmaker Carpenter To Share Story

A decade before The Artist won the Academy Award for best picture, Massapequa Park filmmaker John Carpenter released the silent comedy Late to Lunch.

Carpenter will speak about his lifelong devotion to bringing joy to moviegoers at “Carpenter On Carpenter” at the East Meadow Public Library on Friday, June 7 at 1 p.m.

Massapequan Pens Teen Grieving Book

Losing a loved one is always painful, but it takes an especially acute toll on teenagers, who are emotionally vulnerable as they struggle to come to grips with life’s countless challenges. Teens are liable to suppress grief – only to have the unresolved pain erupt years later.

Massapequa resident Luciano Sabatini, author of the recently published Bereavement Counseling in the School Setting, is hoping his new book, which draws upon his years of experience in working first-hand with kids in crisis, will help caretakers understand the grieving process of young adults so they can more effectively address these issues.

Massapequa HS Remembers Fallen Graduate

Navy SEAL killed in crash was top student athlete

Jonathan Kaloust, a 23-year-old Navy SEAL who hailed from Massapequa, lost his life last Wednesday in a freak Humvee crash during a training exercise in Fort Knox, Ky.

A 2007 graduate of Massapequa High School and standout wrestler, Kaloust was recruited to Binghamton University, where he continued to wrestle while pursuing a political science degree.

$40-Million Makeover For Massapequa LIRR

Increased service will save local

commuters up to 40 minutes a day

A $40-million construction project, designed to modernize the Massapequa Station at Sunrise Highway (Route 27), just east of Broadway and Route 107, was announced by the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Long Island Railroad. The station renovations are part of a multi-phase initiative to improve infrastructure and train service at the station that serves approximately 6,000 customers every weekday.

The first phase is scheduled to begin on May 29, and the improvements are scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2015. Over the next two years, the rehabilitation project will include the sorely needed replacement of the station platform and canopy, heated platform waiting room, escalator, elevator and staircases, pedestrian walkway over Broadway, public address system, plus the addition of signage, energy-efficient platform lighting, and a decorative granite wall adjacent to ticket office. The railroad is also starting work on the installation of a pocket track just east of the station that will significantly improve train service and frequency, as well as on-board seat availability.  

Proposed School Budget Is Under Tax Cap

Declining enrollment and

reserve funds are key factors

As voters in the Massapequa Union Free School District approach the Tuesday, May 21, budget vote, the proposed spending plan retains popular educational programs while keeping the rise in spending to 1.49 percent.

Despite what district officials call unprecedented increases in state-mandated employer pension contributions, as well as rising health insurance costs, the overall budget is up just over $2.7 million.

Rebuilding Together Long Island

After Massapequa resident Sol Goldstein and several friends helped finish building a house for a family 20 years ago for Habitat for Humanity, they had a question: “What do we do now?” They were all retired, had enjoyed working together and accomplishing something for a family in need, and wanted to do more.

“I was looking for something [to do] hands-on,” said Joe Botkin, of Williston Park, a retired principal, who had worked with Goldstein in building the home.