DAN'S PAPERS, April 25, 2008 Page 21 www.danshamptons.com
Out of the Shadows Father Alex’s Little Church at 9/11 Will Be Rebuilt in the Sunshine By Dan Rattiner Father Alex Karloutsis is the priest at the Greek Orthodox Church in Southampton, and is, or was, also the priest for the small and historic St. Nicholas Church in Manhattan. That church was the only church destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. It was reduced to rubble. And when Father Alex went there just a week after the attack to walk through the smoking ruins, he was as moved as anyone by what he saw. There was little left of the church. Picking through the ruins, he was able to find some fabric, several icons and religious objects. But that was all. He was there, and you might have seen him on television standing just behind our President as he
announced to the world that this attack would not go unavenged. Soon thereafter, workers began clearing the area, and at the same time architects began to design plans for it. The intention was to make a grand space that would include the Freedom Tower, a memorial park and at least a dozen other buildings. The Freedom Tower, at 1,776 feet, a number dear to all our hearts, would rise as the tallest building in the world. As the planning moved forward, it was agreed that the small plot at the corner of Washington St. and Liberty St. where this church once stood would be considered sacred ground. The church would be rebuilt by the parishioners, of course.
And it would be on the site where it was before. No one would touch it. As time went on, however, a very strange decision was made about the future of a particular part of the site involving what was known as “Building Number Five.” This was scheduled to become one of the 50-story towers that would surround the Freedom Tower. It would stand adjacent to the little church, and it would be the new home of JPMorgan Chase. They would move their entire operation there, including their executive offices and trading floor. After signing on the dotted line, JPMorgan Chase went ahead with its plans, apparently (continued on the next page)
THE CPF QUESTION: PRESERVE LAND, OR WAY OF LIFE? By T.J. Clemente Standing in a Southampton farm field on June 22, 1998 with pen in hand, former Governor George Pataki signed New York State legislation that amended laws in the five towns of the Peconic region, creating the Community Preservation Fund. The CPF was to be a vehicle to purchase available open lands in order to preserve the character of the five towns. To finance the fund, a 2% real estate transfer tax was created. At the time it was hoped the fund would raise $100 million in its first ten years. Now, eight years and four months later, according to Assemblyman Fred Thiele staff
member Becky McGrory, the CPF has accumulated more than five times that number — over $518 million. In both Southampton and East Hampton, improved properties (homes) with values under $250,000 are excluded. If an improved property is sold for $2 million, the $250,000 is deducted so that the taxed amount (at 2%) is $1,750,000. The result is a $35,000 tax with the revenue going to the CPF. In November of 2002, Town of Southampton residents voted for an extension to the CPF, adding its ability to borrow money so that the Town could purchase available land as quickly as possible before prices escalated. In addition,
a program called PILOT allows the Towns to use 10% of the CPF funds collected each year to offset the deduction of real estate taxes lost to the towns to pay for services like fire departments and schools. Now under the guidance of proposals put forward by Town of Southampton Councilman Chris Nuzzi, new breaks are being introduced for first-time buyers in Southampton — the recommendation is that first-time homebuyers of properties up to perhaps $476,000 are exempt from the 2% CPF tax. Recently State Assemblymen Marc Alessi, (continued on page 34)