Town Notebook: Air Patrol Named for Grumman

Cherry Blossoms in Bloom
Cherry blossom trees are in bloom all over the Town of Huntington. Those on the Huntington Village Green at are no exception and they have a particularly special meaning.

Nearly 40 years ago members of 'Women in Support of our Men in Vietnam' planted 40 Kwanzan Cherry Trees on the green, located at Park Avenue and Main Street in Huntington, to honor and memorialize 40 are soldiers who had died in the war. It became one of the nation's first memorials established to honor those lost in Vietnam.

In October 2010, when Councilman Mark Cuthbertson and the Town of Huntington hosted the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, additional Kwanzan Cherry Trees were added to honor those soldiers later killed or declared missing in action and to replace those trees that succumbed to disease and/or damage.

Councilman Mark Cuthbertson and Director of Parks and Recreation Don McKay  recently went to the Village Green to see the 49 trees in full bloom.

"The Village Green memorial is a living tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice serving our country in Vietnam," Councilman Cuthbertson said. "These beautiful trees will ensure that the memorial never fades or loses its intended purpose of nearly four decades ago—to honor those lost in battle."

Civil Air Patrol Renamed For Grumman
In January, the Long Island Civil Air Patrol renamed its squadron after Huntington native, World War I veteran and founder of the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation Leroy R. Grumman.

Last week Town Council members Susan A. Berland, Glenda A. Jackson and Mark Mayoka presented the Grumman Squadron with a special proclamation from the Town of Huntington honoring the squadron on their name change.

A ceremony took place Sunday afternoon at the on Main Street in Huntington and featured remarks from Major James Ridley and Major Alan Gibbs of the Grumman Squadron, Colonel Jack Ozer of the New York Wing and a keynote address from David Grumman, son of the late Leroy R. Grumman.

Councilwoman Berland was also on hand to distribute advance copies of the second edition of "Huntington's War Heroes: A Guide to Our Town's Historic Veterans," which features an article on the late Leroy Grumman. It will be available to the public on Memorial Day.

 "Leroy R. Grumman was certainly one of Huntington's greatest and most admired residents and I commend the Civil Air Patrol, Long Island Group, for memorializing his legacy," Councilwoman Berland said.

"It was an honor to congratulate the Long Island Civil Air Patrol, which has been in existence for over 70 years," Councilwoman Jackson said.  "My best wishes to them as they embark on the next chapter of their lives as members of the Leroy R. Grumman Cadet Squadron."

"Leroy R. Grumman Squadron embodies service, dedication and the spirit of Long Island," Councilman Mark Mayoka said.

Public Hearing Set on Convenience Store Regulations
The Huntington Town Board  set a May 16 public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Town Code that would impose new regulations on applications for free-standing convenience stores in the Town.
 
"What some people view as a convenience – a place where they can make a quick stop to buy coffee, breakfast items or basic staples—has actually, in some cases, caused great inconvenience to those who live nearby and has potentially affected public safety," Supervisor Frank P. Petrone said. "With these markets proliferating, it is clear that the Town needs to establish regulations to minimize their impact on their neighbors' quality of life."  
 
Because of the traffic they create, convenience markets should be in a class by themselves and subject to regulations that take note of their effect on surrounding property," said Councilman Mark Cuthbertson,  the sponsor of the proposed code changes. "We need to do what we can to minimize the disruption they cause."
 
The proposal follows a study conducted by the Town's Planning Department of numerous convenience markets in the Town, evaluating parking and loading requirements during peak traffic hours. The study concluded that convenience markets generate more customers per hour during morning peak hours when compared to other retail uses. The study also concluded that while convenience markets located in shopping centers appeared to have sufficient parking and areas for on-site loading, freestanding markets did not. As a result, the study found, the insufficient parking and loading areas often resulted in those activities spilling over into adjacent residential areas, detracting from the quality of life in those neighborhoods. The study also concluded that the insufficiencies produce traffic circulation issues that create safety concerns for pedestrians.
 
Under the proposed code amendment, someone wanting to open a freestanding convenience market (defined as "a retail establishment which sells food and beverages, prepackaged or packaged within the establishment, and in a ready to consume state, which may also sell newspapers, magazines and/or other sundries of a convenience nature") must obtain a special use permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals. The market must have a minimum lot area of 25,000 square feet and, if it is to operate between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., all commercial uses (including the building, parking lot, utilities and dumpsters) must be more than 25 feet from any adjacent residentially used property. The code amendment also requires a 10-foot-wide landscape buffer to reduce noise and visual impact on adjacent residents, unless existing vegetation is determined to be more suitable for that purpose. The amendment also establishes the minimum size of a loading area and requires one parking space for every 150 square feet of gross floor area, instead of the 250 feet under the current code.