Friday, January 5, 2018
Vol. 78, No. 1
NEW EAGLE SCOUT
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino (right) recently joined with Nassau County Legislator Rose Marie Walker (left) for the Eagle Scout Court of Honor Ceremony for John Hartel (center) of Troop 381. Eagle Scout is the highest honor a Boy Scout can achieve after completing hours of community service and attaining numerous merit badges. Supervisor Saladino commended John for his dedication, integrity, and commitment to helping better the community.
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Planning meeting to discuss Hicksville redevelopment
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and Councilman Anthony Macagnone announce that the fourth meeting of the Local Planning Committee for downtown Hicksville is scheduled for Thursday, January 18th, at the Town’s William P. Bennet Hicksville Community Center, located at 28 W. Carl Street in Hicksville. The meeting is scheduled to take from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and will continue the process of planning efforts for the community. “Earlier this year, the Town of Oyster Bay was thrilled to be the recipient of $10 million in Downtown Revitalization Initiative funds from Governor Cuomo and the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council for downtown revitalization in Hicksville,” stated Supervisor Saladino. “Now, after three successful meetings, proposed plans and renderings are taking shape. I am excited to advance to the next step in the process of making our dreams for this community a reality, and invite residents to attend and observe.” In addition to planning committee meetings, the Town has hosted a series of
successful public workshops, which have seen tremendous turnout and great resident participation offering input on the potential uses for this grant opportunity. The Local Planning Committee (LPC) – comprised of local and regional leaders, stakeholders, and community representatives – have worked to establish and approve a community-based vision for revitalizing the Hicksville downtown into a vibrant community. In addition to exploring housing opportunities, the creation of office space and restaurants, and revitalization of storefronts, potential projects may include decorative pavers, attractive lighting, newly planted trees, benches, street art, and a homogeneous street and storefront signage program to create a strong sense of place intended to celebrate Hicksville’s history and cultural diversity. Furthermore, the Town envisions the creation of a plaza area—large community gathering space to be used for events such as fairs, farmers markets, art exhibitions, food truck nights, classic car nights, concerts, and much more.
The TAS Center, which is located at 153 S Broadway, opened six months ago. It offers a variety of hands on learning activities for children and also holds classes in computer coding, art and public speaking. “The kids can come in and study and explore the arts and sciences in a relaxed environment and can also engage in other learning activities,” said Sehgal. Sehgal said that she plans to offer the book club free of charge for the first few months and will consider charging a slight fee somewhere down the line. There is an informational meeting on
January 18th at 6:30 p.m. about the book club and the club will hold its first official meeting in February. Sehgal said she has received a very positive response so far on Facebook in the number of people who want to participate in the club. “I have gotten a good response with 600-700 messages on Facebook about the book club. It looks like it will be a popular thing in the community.” The Mommy and Me Book Club will be for preschool aged children up to the fourth grade level.
New book club hopes to bring families together
BY GARY SIMEONE
There is a new club coming to the Theory of Arts & Sciences Learning Center in Hicksville. It is called the Nassau County Mommy and Me Book Club, and the purpose is to bring families closer together through reading and craft related activities. Shika Sehgal, owner of the TAS Learning Center and founder of the club, said she came up with the idea of the book club after seeing so many parents and children spending so little time together after school.
“I see a lot of broken families and too many parents who have no time for their children, “ said Sehgal, who also owns a TAS Center in Deer Park. “With this Mommy and Me Book Club, parents and children will read together in a quiet setting and spend quality time with one another, which is most important.” She said that there will be more to the club than just coming in and reading books. “The parents and children will have discussions based on their reading and explore their reading adventures through craft based activities.”
Read to Achieve at Burns Ave. School PAGE 5 A World of Holiday Cheer in the schools PAGE 3