Focus East Patchogue Meeting

Contributed by Focus East Patchogue

OUR  NEXT  FOCUS MEETING will be Thursday,  MAY 17, 2012 at the Mediterranean Manor, Main Street, Patchogue, from 7 to 8:30 pm.  The end of May is Memorial Day and this year it falls on May 28 allowing for many to have an extended weekend.  We therefore had to change our planned date of May 24 back to the 17, the third Thursday of the month.

WE THANK EVAN and his staff for allowing us the use of one of their rooms for our meetings. Some had mentioned that they never saw the inside of the Med Manor and expressed many compliments. We have attended many functions at the Manor and they do a wonderful job from weddings to all kinds of parties and functions.

At our last meeting we distributed a NOMINATION sheet for everyone to complete for our next meeting.  We invite everyone to privately write in the names of those they would nominate to be members of the board of directors of Focus, including the officers.  There will be a closed box to collect them at our next meeting.  Anyone can write their suggested names on a sheet of paper and bring to our next meeting. The Focus board consists of seven, three trustees and four officers, President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasure. Elections will be in the fall. Come on!  We need the next generation to step up to the plate.

While we are concerned about all of Main Street and want to help with the future plans for our community, we agreed that the EAST MAIN STREET SHOPPING CENTER is our most important concern at this time. All other real estate has been maintained or improved except for this neglected shopping center.  The tenants are in a hard place as they all wish the owner would take better care of the property.  The facade needs to be repaired, replaced and painted. The parking lot is so deteriorated that the original grade has long been destroyed.

The entire front portion of the parking lot needs to be dug up, adjusted and re-graded. It is dangerous for motorists to enter and exit on Main Street.  The current condition of this property is a turn off to other would be investors.  This owner has witnessed enough change and improvements on Main Street to encourage them to begin their own desperately needed improvements.  They have not received the message so it is now our job to make sure that improvements begin.  If the Serota Brothers can keep their property in decent condition, having several vacancies and during these economic times, then this owner can surely do their part.  With hardly any vacancies this translates into rental income, a portion of which can be used to maintain and improve his investment property.

If we need to prepare for a rally in the months ahead, then so be it.  Our County and Our Town have invested millions of tax dollars into our area, not to mention the hard work of Focus over the past ten years.  This owner is either deliberately ignoring their investment or they have no idea what is going on in Patchogue.  This is a key property in the hub of Main Street and it’s depreciated condition is not acceptable any longer. The Plaza is gone and the owners of the old TruValue willingly demolished and cleared their own property. This is a loud message to the owner or owners of the East Main Street Shopping Center that they are next.  Since other merchants and owners have improved their properties, this owners time has come. Now is the time, not next year. The Chamber even has a façade program where some funds can be matched to encourage improvements.  No excuses.

This is a link from ‘Citizens Campaign for the Environment’ for information on those interested in the LAND FILL issue.  They asked if we could pass along to our members.
 http://www.citizenscampaign.org/alerts/alert-2012-05-a.htm

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