Greetings Neighbors!

I hope you had a pleasant week as we enter into warm weather season. Many of you have been busy spreading the word about our change.org petition and I and my team are so very grateful. We not only surpassed our goal of 500 signatures, we are on the cusp of reaching 600!  This could not have happened without your consistent support.

I have much to share, so let's get right to it.

On Tuesday, April 8, we were invited to present at a Special Community Meeting hosted by the Concerned Taxpayers of WheatleyHeights/Dix Hills Civic Association. The meeting was full -- standing room only, and many of our neighbors were there to get more information about this massive industrial project the Town of Babylon is trying to force into our community. I shared the updated Google slideshow (please see below) and took questions. I must say, everyone was very concerned and rightfully so. Our quiet, peaceful, small, connected residential neighborhoods are not the right place for this monstrous, nine-building, industrial project that Town Supervisor Schaffer wants to build. This thing has to GO. 

At the meeting, neighbors shared many frustrations. There were questions about traffic, water contamination, noise, and wait time at the intersections, especially at the train crossings on Little East Neck Road and North 18th Street where the local ambulances and fire trucks have to cross regularly. There were concerns about the safety of children who play and ride their bikes in and around Kevin Ver Pault Memorial Park and how they will be affected trying to dodge massive trucks and speeding cars entering and exiting the Industrial Project's planned entrance on Little East Neck Road. There were worries about the historical cemetery on the site that currently houses over 300 unmarked graves and includes the resting site of Native Americans, enslaved African Americans, and Civil War veterans. We spoke for two hours as a community discussing what could be done to abate this ridiculous and damaging imposition on our peaceful way of life. The Civic Association has restarted their GoFundMe fundraiser to hire a lawyer to try and fight this thing. Please visit their website at https://www.wheatleyheightscivic.org/ to get more information.

I and the small group of dedicated neighbors working with me have been fighting our own legal battle with the Town. As you know from my last few updates, we filed an Article 78 Petition to stop the Town from passing the SEQRA study -- the environmental impact report that showed all the damage this project would do to our area. Our Petition was set to be returned to the judge this past Tuesday, but the assigned judge recused herself from the case on Thursday. We are not sure why, but we think it has something to do with her personal connection to Rich Schaffer, as they are both members of the Suffolk County Democratic Committee. 

So we have a new judge and a new return date in May. That means there is no news on the success (or failure) of our legal Petition. But as soon as we have info, I will post an update and share with you.

In the meantime, we are pushing towards our next goal of 750 signatures! The more people we can show to Town Supervisor Schaffer, the more difficult it will be for him to ignore our petition -- both the change.org petition and the legal Petition!

Please continue to share and get the word out. We appreciate each of you so much.

Lastly, many of you who attended the Civic Association Meeting saw our lawn signs and asked for one. We only purchased a few and we gave away what we had. But if you'd like to purchase one for yourself, please use the Google Form linked HERE to purchase a sign for $25.00.

Thank you again for your support.

Best,

Love