Indian Hills Country Club served up a grand feast to about 120 residents and guests at this year’s Brunch. Director Kevin Claus organized an exceptional event. Thanks to John and daughter Grace Heaphy’s contribution of instructors from the Grace Music School who performed a number of classics as a string quartet.
We were also joined by a number of officials who mingled and listened to the concerns of our community. They included Smithtown Supervisor and neighbor Pat Vecchio; Smithtown Highway Superintendent Glenn Jorgensen; and, from the planning department, David Flynn and Chair of the ZBA Adrienne Giannadeo. From the Huntington side of town we met Susan Berland and Mark Cuthbertson from the Town Council; Deputy Highway Superintendent Patricia Irving; and Chair of the Town Planning Board Paul Mandelick.
From the state, Assembly members Mike Fitzpatrick and Andrew Raia, as well as Senator John Flannagan were all on the scene. County Legislator Lynne Nowick also joined us.
FSA President Paul Graf began the program with some Fort Salonga trivia, including the question, “In June of 1691 legend has it that Richard Smith created the boundaries of modern day Smithtown as he rode on the back of a bull from sunrise to sunset. On that day, what did he have for lunch?” The answer was: bread and cheese!
Paul then introduced Congressman Steve Israel, who delivered a visionary presentation.
This was Rep. Israel’s first visit as the House Member representing all of Fort Salonga. Using the tragic attack in Boston as context, he spoke of the goal-oriented focus that American government must achieve to meet the challenges of the next decade. To this end, he illustrated that the Long Island Sound is an incredible financial engine, generating over $9 billion in economic activity annually and deserving of federal guidance through development grants. He also spoke of the most recent National Intelligence Council’s world projections for 2030. By that year there will be 1.2 billion more people on the planet, and the world’s population will trend “much older, much faster, as people live longer due to improved medical practices.”
The report, Rep. Israel noted, further states that in the next 17 years we will see a significant increase in the populations of cities, as the balance of people increases from a current 40 percent living in urban areas to 60 percent by 2030. This will explode the middle classes in China, Brazil, India, and South Africa, increasing competition for food, water, and energy. The good news is that by this time the United States will become the world’s leading supplier of energy. The report further acknowledged the advent of highly disruptive technologies, such as 3-D printers and increased use of robotics, as well as technologies we have yet to imagine, which will displace manufacturing jobs while increasing the skill level required by our work force. His remarks were fascinating.
The afternoon ended with Membership chair Tony Geraci selecting the winners of this year’s raffle. Congratulations to grand prize winner J. Gasser of Marions Lane.
Also winning raffle prizes were:
- P. Richards of Concord Drive
- P. Love of Sunken Meadow Road
- J. Ott of Breeze Hill Road
- J. Pisel of Fort Salonga Road
- J. Fry of Pebble Hill Drive
- E. Marlik of Northfield Drive
The FSA board and all the FSA members truly appreciate the efforts of Indian Hills Country Club General Manager Dina Bevilaqua and her staff for hosting this splendid event.
Spoke on local issues to Fort Salonga Association today. twitter.com/RepSteveIsrael…
— Steve Israel (@RepSteveIsrael) April 21, 2013
Much has changed in suburbia concerning this species of flora. When allowed to grow freely without constraint, bamboo can be intrusive and damaging to the quality of life the towns seek to assure for their residents. When planted in proximity to a property line, bamboo is known to migrate from the owner’s property to the adjacent property, causing damage to the landscape design or natural habitat being maintained on the adjacent properties. Both Town of Huntington and Town of Smithtown have passed laws to manage the planting of bamboo on all properties.