All this talk of "community" by advocates of the St. Dominic playing fields would be touching if they really meant it, but unfortunately it is only their own community they are talking about. Make no mistake. They are asking the Village Zoning Board for a variance to permit the conversion of the old Stoothoff farm property into athletic fields for children who attend St. Dominic¬not for anyone else's children.

I live smack on Mill River Road just a half mile north of where these playing fields will be located, buy my young son and daughter will have no privileges there.

I have yet to hear any proponent of the playing fields suggest that, in exchange for the zoning board's approval of a variance, St. Dominic would be willing to make some or all of the fields available to the other children in the village, let us say, on designated days and times during the week or on weekends. Such a proposal would truly be in the spirit of community and would merit serious consideration. The silence on that point, I am afraid, has been deafening.

I have no ax to grind with St. Dominic, and the concept of children's athletic fields is a fine one, but the simple fact is that they are asking the village for a special dispensation of the name of "community" without showing they care a wit for the larger community to which they belong. The Village Zoning Board has the absolute right and the solemn obligation, to protect the interests of the greater community by insisting that, if a variance is granted, all the children of the village will have some access to these fields. This is an ancient principle of zoning.

When Donald Trump builds a luxury tower in Manhattan, he knows he will be required to give something back to the community by creating public open spaces where people can gather to relax and enjoy their surroundings. St. Dominic is subject to no lesser a standard.

Our community is being asked to bend its rules for St. Dominic. The price for this must be a concrete demonstration of St. Dominic's commitment to the community.

We all have children who would love to play on those fields, and we are counting on the Village Zoning Board to make sure that their voices can be heard over all the urgent and pious cries of "community."

Geoffrey R. Kaiser

Muttontown

On Monday, March 15 at about 3:30 p.m. my husband and I had the scare of our life. We were unable to locate our 9-year-old daughter for a little over one hour.

I ran frantically from house to house in my small neighborhood thinking she was visiting a friend. The outcome, thank God, was what every parent in this situation would hope for.

The purpose of this letter is to commend not only my neighbors for their support and effort in finding our daughter, but also the 2nd Precinct, Brookville Police Department and the East Norwich Fire Department. All of these units put in so much effort to help find our daughter with helicopters and the teams of people my husband and I were so moved.

We just wanted to say, thank you, for everyone's support in helping us in a parent's worst nightmare.

Melanie and David Nardiello

On March 25 a Village of Oyster Bay Cove trustees meeting was held at Eastwoods School.

The residents in attendance had the unique opportunity to witness the convoluted logic involved in establishing a peculiar legal precedent. In his absence, Trustee O'Neill submitted a letter which he specifically requested be read at this meeting. This letter was presented along with Trustee O'Neill's request for public disclosure by Trustee Schiff. Mayor Peragine and Trustees Fitzsimmons and Appell refused to allow the letter to be read because a letter submitted by an absent trustee may not be disclosed due to his absence.

The possibility of some vague and undefined adverse legal ramifications associated with the reading of Trustee O'Neill's letter was cited by Village Attorney Cregan of the law firm Farley, Kessler and Chetkof. Coincidentally, Mr. Farley is Mayor Peragine's campaign manager and co-conspirator in the Cove Neck/Oyster Bay Cove police debacle.

Having refused to address Trustee O'Neill's letter regarding the police issue, Mayor Peragine proceeded to expound on the advantages and benefits accruing to our village as the result of a diminished police budget.

Hopefully, the same logic and political self-interest exhibited at this meeting has not entered into the development of the new budget.

Charles R. Meyer