Friday, June 14, 2019
Vol. 79, No. 24
$1
Additional parking spaces created in downtown Bethpage BY GARY SIMEONE
Local officials and members of the Bethpage Chamber of Commerce at the new parking spots.
Town plans “Salute to America”
The Town of Oyster Bay will be holding its annual “Salute to America” on Tuesday, July 9 at John J. Burns Park in Massapequa. The program will include presentations to the winners of the Town of Oyster Bay’s 2019 Veterans Awards. “We will be honoring all of our men and women in the armed forces, as well as amazing local veterans, who continue to be involved in the community and advocate for those who have served this great Nation,” Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said. “The program, which is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m., will include a ‘Salute to
Divas’ show featuring Massapequa native JayCee Driesen and conclude with spectacular fireworks by Grucci.” The Salute to America will feature presentations to residents in three categories, including Veteran Volunteer of the Year, Non-Veteran (Friend of Veterans) Volunteer of the Year and a Lifetime Achievement Award. Nominations were made by Town residents for consideration of the awards and will be announced at the show. “There is no greater recognition than to be acknowledged by one’s peers, and the members of our vet-
eran community truly deserve tremendous credit,” Supervisor Saladino said. “The ‘Salute to America,’ which is free to residents of the Town, has become an annual event and is just a small way in which the Town shows its appreciation for our men and women currently enlisted in the military, many of whom are fighting every day to help protect our country’s freedom, as well as honor veterans for their service to our country. I hope all of our residents, their families and friends join us at this very special show on July 9th.”
Downtown Bethpage just got a little bit more consumer-friendly after the recent addition of nearly two dozen parking spaces. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held this past Monday in a parking lot off of Broadway. Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino attended the ceremony along with Town Councilman Louis Imbroto and Nassau County Legislators Rose Walker and Laura Schaefer. The new parking spaces were paid for by the Bethpage-based development firm Steel Equities, who helped in the transformation of the former Northrop Grumman site. Steel Equities is owned by brothers Joseph and Glenn Lostrito. “Years ago, when the Northrop Grumman corporation closed its doors for good, the Bethpage community was financially and emotionally devastated,” said Supervisor Saladino. “Steel Equities helped attract thousands of new jobs back to Bethpage. Together, with the Bethpage Chamber of Commerce, storefronts have reopened and the community is stronger than ever. This additional parking is great news for local business owners and shoppers alike, as it will help keep our downtown vibrant.” He added that because business was booming in the downtown area, it is sometimes challenging for shoppers to find parking availability in the municipal lots. “Business is so good that at peak times, people have to circle around a few times in order to find a parking spot to utilize the local stores,” said Saladino. “Thanks to the Lostrito family and Steel Equities, that challenge will now be made somewhat easier.” Legislator Rose Walker said that additional parking spaces in Bethpage are important to the community because of lack of available parking areas. “Its very important to have additional downtown business parking in the Bethpage community because sometimes there’s just nowhere to park,” said Walker. “This parking is not for commuters and we will make sure it stays like that.” Councilman Imbroto said that as a Bethpage resident, he is thankful for the additional parking spaces because he knows how difficult it is to find parking in the area. “This is a very exciting day for our business community, a very exciting day for our town and all of our residents,” said Imbroto. “I look forward to parking here everyday of the week.”
Young authors at Division Ave. school PAGE 4 Mind, body and health at Kramer Lane PAGE 13