Letters to the editor- April 1, 2010

Thanks for parade support

To the Editor:

On behalf of my colleagues on the Rockville Centre St. Patrick's Parade executive committee — Ann Marie Myatt, Sean O'Rourke and Michael Cosgrove — I would like to thank the village for assisting with logistical planning and operational support. We could not have done it without the expertise of village officials, the Police Department, the Fire Department, the Parks and Recreation Department and the Department of Public Works.

Our 14th annual parade was a tremendous success that was proudly led by Grand Marshal Bernie O'Brien. We would like to thank the Parish of St. Agnes for starting the day with a beautiful Mass honoring St. Patrick. The weather was absolutely beautiful and the streets overflowed with crowds of our friends, neighbors and families as 117 marching units provided a wonderful celebration of our shared Irish-American heritage. We were celebrating something else as well: community service at its best.

Since its inception in 1997, the parade has distributed $566,000 to 39 charities. Each year three charities (local, national and Irish) are selected. Those chosen this year were the Mollie Biggane Melanoma Foundation; the Long Island Gaelic Athletic Club and the Greater NY Chapter of the Families of SMA.

We thank the many people who have supported us these past 14 years. Whether you were a sponsor, purchased a journal ad or a 50/50 ticket, sported one of our parade T-shirts or attended one of our fundraisers, we could not have continued our sharing tradition without your help.

This year it was our pleasure to work with 55 extraordinary people who bring their time and talents together to put on the best parade possible and raise money for our charities. A special thanks to all of you who work so hard behind the scenes all year long to put the parade together and organize support functions. This is an 11-month commitment, and we want everyone to know how special you are.

The St. Patrick's Parade Committee applauds the outpouring of support, and once again thanks everyone for making this year's parade a huge success.

Kathleen Schwarting

Rockville Centre

Post-parade events cast unfair shadow

To the Editor:

The headlines on your coverage of the 14th annual St. Patrick's Parade, "No better day to be Irish," and the follow-up story "Large police presence kept village from boiling over" (March 18-24) convey conflicting messages until you read both stories completely.

Both ultimately convey what those of us experienced in great detail on parade day — that it was by far the best and most exciting parade to date. It was also a very safe and secure event, thanks to the excellent coverage of the Rockville Centre Police Department and, I must add, the excellent cooperation of the many establishments in town that have unfortunately been unfairly criticized in the past. Their owners are very active with the parade planning committee and cooperate willingly with the Police Department to ensure that their patrons comply with village laws.

The incidents cited in the second story were unfortunate and were dealt with effectively by the police.

Each year we learn from such events and they serve to help the committee to develop ways to anticipate them and strategies to prevent or mitigate unacceptable public behavior. While such incidents were, clearly, small occurrences in the otherwise grand experience of parade day, they tend to cast a disproportionate, negative and unfair shadow on the reputation of the parade.

To all who made the "Parade That Cares and Shares" such a success, and to our residents and visitors who so enthusiastically support the parade's charitable efforts: Thank you.

Bud Cosgrove

Rockville Centre

Cosgrove is a former village trustee and the father of parade organizer Michael Cosgrove.

Cancel future St. Patrick's parades in village

To the Editor:

I'm writing because I'm a concerned Rockville Centre citizen. As a village taxpayer, I watch as money goes for extra police and sanitation workers to straighten out and clean up after the St. Patrick's parade every year. It seems to me that the bar owners are dictating how the village should run things so they can benefit by making all that money. But we, as taxpayers, have to pay extra for cleaning up the mess left by irresponsible people because of their drinking and the destruction and chaos they cause all around the village. It's not so much young kids causing the problems, but people in their 30s, 40s and 50s, many of whom are not even from the area.

The village is supposed to be a place where the quality of life is so important. Well, hearing the police scanner this year and the numerous calls about fights, destruction of property, injuries — all due to drinking — just shows me that Rockville Centre allows bar owners to control the town, letting chaos take place. Are we waiting for a tragedy, when booze and guns land in the wrong hands and innocent people get killed? Guess that's next, and it will prove that the bar owners are in charge of the village — not the Board of Trustees.

Julie Molesse

Rockville Centre