His kindly way with students - and people generally - has earned the legendary coach the nickname Gentleman Joe at Calhoun, where for 38 years he taught math and for 24 years he served as the school's athletic coordinator. Much to the disappointment of Corea's colleagues and students, he retired from the two positions last June. But Corea will continue to coach his two loves, football and baseball.
Central calls in an auditor
The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School Board of Education voted in September to spend an extra $25,000 to have the accounting firm KMPG look over its books. The decision came two weeks after it was revealed that a board trustee, Charles Reinhardt, had failed to provide receipts to justify trip advances he'd received for national conferences.
Reinhardt, who hadn't turned in receipts for seven of the past eight years, reimbursed the Central District nearly $7,000 and promptly resigned from the Central and North Bellmore boards in August. Howard Pollitt, who was elected to the North Bellmore Board of Education last spring, replaced Reinhardt on the Central board.
Central Superintendent Dr. Thomas Caramore said that district clerk had sent reminders to Reinhardt that he needed to turn in his conference receipts. But Caramore said those reminders "were not followed up on."
District names trustee
Cheers of approval were heard when the North Bellmore Board of Education named Joseph Perrone as its newest trustee in September.
The announcement came during a board meeting at the Martin Avenue School. Perrone was sworn in by the district's business official, Tony Cincotta, and the ceremony was witnessed by members of the district's PTA, teacher and principal associations, community advocates and residents.
Perrone took the seat left vacant when Charles Reinhardt resigned from the North Bellmore and Central District boards of education in August, after it was revealed that he spent nearly $7,000 of the Central District's money but failed to turn in receipts to justify his expenses. After the discovery, Reinhardt paid the district back, but decided to resign.
The North Bellmore board immediately began soliciting letters from people interested in taking Reinhardt's place. According to state law, the board was required to find a replacement by holding a special election or appointing a new trustee. The board thought an election would be expensive, and so it appointed a new board member.
Infant's death accidental
A preliminary medical examination showed the death of 6-month-old Robert Cirigliano, who was found with his head wedged between the railing and the mattress of his crib, was caused by positional asphyxia. That is, he suffocated.
According to Richard Laursen, detective sergeant of the Nassau Police Homicide Squad, Cirigliano, of North Bellmore died on Wednesday, Sept. 15. He was found unconscious in his crib by a 38-year-old baby-sitter, who called police at 2:16 p.m.
When police arrived at the Coolidge Street home, they found the infant lying next to the crib, unconscious and unresponsive. Police and EMT's immediately performed CPR and rushed Cirigliano to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, where he was pronounced dead at 3:53 p.m.
Residents square off
When North Bellmore resident Jerry Mallon describes her neighborhood, just south of Jerusalem and Little Neck Avenue, she refers to it as a miniature United Nations, with neighbors of diverse ethnic backgrounds, including people of Jewish, Chinese, Italian and Pakistani descent.
She raves about her neighbors. "These are just the most decent people you will ever find, and they make this neighborhood just a wonderful place to live," Mallon said.
But she and several of her neighbors were worried that their quiet enclave would soon be transformed into a commercial district by the possible expansion of the Belair Care Center Inc.
Mallon and a handful of her neighbors attended a Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals hearing to determine whether the nursing home, at 2478 Jerusalem Ave., could expand onto Little Neck Avenue, roughly 20 feet from one of Mallon's neighbor's homes.
The BZA, which convened the hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at the Hempstead Town Pavilion in Hempstead, also heard testimony from Belair Care Center representatives, who said the planned expansion was needed to accommodate the nursing home's residents. Ultimately, the BZA rejected the expansion plan in December.
District finances in good shape
After its annual audit, the Bellmore Board of Education was given a clean bill of health and praise from the accounting firm of Rynkar, Vail and Barrett.
The firm, which has worked for the district for the past 20 years, said the district was on a sound financial footing and was an example for others to follow.
"As an auditing firm, we review documents and check for fraud," said Russ Vail, a partner in the firm. "One way of doing this is by looking for checks that are written under one name and recorded in another. It is our opinion that check fraud could not happen in this district because the controls in place are very strong and are of the highest quality."
Vail added that when the state comptroller visits the district in three years, it will not have a problem with the inspection.
October
Wild art photo: set in box:
Photo credit: Scott Brinton/Herald
Photo caption #7273A:
Happy Homecoming
The Kennedy High School cheerleading squad makes its way down from the Bellmore train station to the high school during JFK's Homecoming parade in October. The cheerleading squad won the county championship for the ninth straight year in 2004. Kennedy covers Bellmore and Merrick.
Housing crisis
When Keith Mainhart graduated from the University at Delaware with a master's degree in urban affairs and environmental public policy in 1997, he moved back with his family in Bellmore.
After landing a job with the Long Island Neighborhood Network, Mainhart, now 31, looked for an apartment in the area. But he soon realized just how expensive rentals are on the Island. He couldn't afford a place of his own and stayed with his parents. He moved out to a $600-a-month apartment in Amityville in 2003, but still he harbors reservations about staying on the Island long-term.
"Now that I am working here, I'm still considering if I want to stay on the Island or move somewhere where I can afford an apartment or a house," he said. "Forty-thousand dollars is nothing for Long Island. You look at the average salaries in another state, like Delaware, and it is considered a decent salary, but on the Island it's nothing."
Studios and one-bedroom apartments average $800 to $1,100, or more, depending on the neighborhood, according to real-estate experts. High rents, coupled with an above-average cost of living, are forcing many young adults, ages 18 to 34, to leave the Island. And many community planners worry that the youth exodus is draining the Island of a much-needed pool of young talent, as well as a critical segment of the tax base.
According to the Nassau County Office of Economic Development, the population of 18- to 34 year-olds declined 20 percent in the last five years.
Welcoming new principal
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Regional School in Bellmore gathered for its first-ever block party to celebrate the start of a new school year and to officially welcome its new principal, Leeann Graziose, into its fold.
Before being named principal, Graziose was the school's assistant principal for four years. According to the Rev. Peter Dooley, pastor of St. Barnabas Roman Catholic Church, Graziose was one of seven candidates for the position, and proved to be the best qualified. Dooley explained that her experience as an educator and her academic credentials earned her the job.
"She showed a youthful energy as an assistant principal," he said. "I think she is doing an excellent job with the school and has developed a great relationship with students, faculty and parents. She is a very caring and competent woman, and I have enjoyed working with her very much."
Seeking a safer intersection
Nothing concerns Patti Hoffman more than what she calls dangerous traffic conditions that children must face when they cross Bellmore Road and Bellmore Avenue on their way to school.
Hoffman, who lives on Orchard Street and has a third-grader at Newbridge Road Elementary School, voiced her concern during a North Bellmore Board of Education meeting. Hoffman said the intersection of Bellmore Avenue and Bellmore Road desperately needs a crossing guard or a traffic sign.
She explained that part of the problem is that a restaurant and a nursery are located at the intersection. Both have parking lots that are difficult for drivers to get out of and for residents to cross the street from, Hoffman said. "If it weren't for the parking lots, it wouldn't be that bad," she said.
Internal auditor for Bellmore?
The Bellmore Board of Education agreed to hold public hearings on whether to bring in a part-time internal auditor to help the board keep watch over the school district's finances.
The recommendation came a month after an annual audit found the district to be in good financial standing. Sheldon Dumain, the Bellmore schools superintendent, credited the budget's clean bill of health to the work done by board's purchasing committee, which oversees purchase orders, price quotes, invoices, shipping documents and check disbursements.
The sharpened focus on the district's finances follows a year of budget scandals in respected districts like Roslyn. School officials across Long Island are now looking at ways to upgrade their budget safeguards.
A businessman to love
The Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores officially named Tom Valenti, co-owner of Piccolo Ristorante in Bellmore, as its Small Businessman of the Year last week.
The award ceremony was held at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.
Gail Volk, executive director of the Community Wellness Council of the Bellmores and Merricks, was thrilled that Valenti had received the award, and said that he was the most accommodating businessman she'd ever worked with.
"He is somebody who is very accessible," she said. "During the Clean Indoor Air Act legislative hearing, Tom was one of the business owners who provided testimony with me. He was perfect for the hearing because his restaurant had been smoke-free for years."
November
Incumbents win big
As expected, incumbent candidates for local state races routed their challengers.
In the 8th Senate District, Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr., a Republican of Merrick, handily defeated Democrat John Lewis, also of Merrick. With more than 70 percent of precincts reporting, Fuschillo took 65 percent of the vote.
Sen. Kemp Hannon, a Republican of Garden City, staved off a challenge by Democrat Charles Ferzola. Hannon, who covers a small part of North Merrick, grabbed 56 percent of the vote.
In the race for the 17th Assembly District, incumbent Republican Maureen O'Connell, an attorney and former nurse, beat Anthony Pellegrino, of North Merrick, a retired school principal and Democratic committeeman.
Mepham's in the running
The Mepham High School girl's cross-country team was playing one intense game of follow-the-leader.
Dressed in maroon-and-gray T-shirts and bright red shorts, the girls ran in a tight pack on the school's rubbery track. Those who were squeezed in the middle couldn't see much of what lay ahead of them, so the girls in front had to yell back which direction their teammates should weave before they hit one of the dozens of other people sharing the track that day.
The game builds "team unity," said cross coach Dave Frazer.
Mepham High held its annual charity walk-a-thon at the track on Friday, and the red-clay oval became a giant human obstacle course for the cross-country team, as the girls circled it again and again. One misstep could have sent the 15-member squad toppling to the ground. Ankles might have been sprained - and the team's hopes of repeating as county champions seriously jeopardized. But the girls kept their balance, hurtling forward in perfect formation.
The next day, the Mepham squad won the Conference II Championship race on a rough, 3.1 - mile course at Bethpage State Park. Three Mepham runners finished in the top 10, including the second - and third - place competitors.
Ultimately, it won the county team crown. Bellmore-JFK's Maegan Krifchin took the individual title.
National honor for teacher
North Bellmore kindergarten teacher Jennie Kuhn was named "Outstanding Early Childhood Practitioner" by the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators.
The award is presented once a year to an elementary teacher who has demonstrated leadership and professionalism and contributed greatly to early-childhood teacher education.
Kuhn, who lives in Babylon and teaches at Martin Avenue Elementary School, received the honor in Anaheim, Calif. She was nominated for it by Linda Davey, associate professor of education at the Hofstra University School of Education. Davey was Kuhn's professor at Hofstra while she pursued a master's in early-childhood education.
"I nominated Jennie, and she submitted a portfolio, which contained documented work with teachers and children," Davey said. "Not only does she have exceptional classroom practice, she has contributed to education by giving presentations at the top level."
Coach's suit dismissed
District Court Judge Thomas Platt dismissed a lawsuit by a former Mepham High School football coach, Stephen Vernet, of Bellmore, who charged that the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District was unconstitutional.
Lawrence Reich, the Central District's lawyer, reported Platt's finding during a Central District Board of Education meeting.
Vernet had argued that because the Central District school board comprised members from four elementary districts, each with disparate populations, it violated the one-person, one-vote principle. The board was thus illegal, Vernet said, and had no right to dismiss him or any of the four other Mepham coaches who were removed from their coaching jobs in the fall of 2003.
Vernet and his fellow coaches lost their positions last November in the wake of the Mepham football sex-abuse scandal.
Reich successfully argued that because the Central District board is appointed by the four component elementary districts' boards of education, rather than voted on by residents, it did not violate the one-person, one-vote principle.
Kennedy's county champ
Maegan Krifchin, a junior at Kennedy High School in Bellmore, joined spring track her freshman year as something of a lark. She was looking for a sport to take part in. Having played soccer and tennis as a child, she knew she ran fast. So she figured she'd become a sprinter.
Her coach, Todd Wolin, suggested that she try some of the longer distances - 400, 800 and 1,500 meter. Within weeks, Wolin said, he realized Krifchin would someday soon be counted among Nassau's top distance runners. She was a natural.
On Nov. 6, Krifchin, 16, took first out of 140 runners in the Nassau County Championship meet, qualifying her for the state championship.
Dinkelmeyer supports the troops
For North Bellmore resident Justin Lenz, a master sergeant in the 442nd Military Police Company of the New York National Guard, who is now stationed in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, nothing has been more moving than receiving support letters from the children of Dinkelmeyer Elementary School in North Bellmore.
In a letter to the school, Lenz wrote, "I wanted to thank you on behalf of my company for all the cards and letters your students sent to us in Iraq. It is special for me because my son Michael is a student in Dinkelmeyer."
School taxes on the rise
Residents of the Bellmore and North Bellmore school districts received their property tax bills in November, and discovered what some residents said was an unexpectedly high school tax increase.
In North Bellmore, residents saw a school tax hike of 17.1 percent, one of the largest increases in Nassau County. In the Bellmore School District, the increase was more than 12 percent. The increases reflect residents' total tax bills for their component elementary districts and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District.
In interviews, local residents said the schools need sufficient funding to provide children with a good education, but many were still concerned about the amount taxes rose.
December
Army base plan hits bump
Town of Hempstead officials are considering rezoning a former 16-acre Army Base in North Bellmore and calling it the North Bellmore Planned Resident District.
The possible rezoning is the result of a demand made by Ronald Rosenberg, an attorney representing developer Keith Kaplan, who won the bid to redevelop the former base at Maple and Liberty avenues.
During a public meeting, Rosenberg told town council members that the property's current redevelopment plan, known as the North Bellmore Base Reuse plan, was outdated and would not be economically viable.
The plan, which was developed in the late 1990s, calls for the building of 74 residential units: 40 Golden Age semi-attached senior townhouses, subject to certain income requirements; and 34 detached single-family homes, available at market value. In addition, the plan requires the developer to establish a homeowners' association and a recreation facility that residents would be responsible for. And the plan mandates that the developer to build roads and an infrastructure to support the homes.
Bellmore district corrects tax levy
At a public meeting of the Bellmore Board of Education, school Superintendent Sheldon Dumain said the district had made an error in filing its paperwork with Nassau County. The mistake led to the district to pay less of the tax levy authorized by the district in August. But Bellmore corrected the matter and saved itself $100,000.
According to Dumain, the mistake was found on Nov. 1, when the district discovered that a clerical error had been made. "The clerical error was caught quickly, acted upon and is in the process of being corrected," said Dumain.
Saving the woodlands
The woodlands along the Meadowbrook Parkway run for roughly 10 miles, from south Merrick to East Meadow, and encompass hundreds of acres. By all accounts, they are beautiful, serving as a reminder that before Nassau County was a suburban Mecca, it was a pastoral farming community.
Until now, the government has failed to protect woodlands from all-terrain vehicles users and partying teenagers, who have ravaged the forest over the years. That may soon change, however.
The Nassau County Unprotected Woodlands Task Force completed its draft management plan for the woodlands in December. The 15-page document is a blueprint to preserve the forest for generations to come.
Gennaro Jewelers founder dies
John Gennaro's fondest memory of his father, Lou, dates to John's years in grade school, when he was learning how to pitch a baseball.
John said his father was a particularly good left-handed first baseman. He also never had to use a backhand in tennis, which he also excelled at. In fact, Lou Gennaro was good at most any sport he tried.
"My father was good at baseball, tennis, golf, and was a great ballroom dancer," John said.
Lou was a successful businessman, and a community activist as well. He founded Gennaro Jewelers, in Bellmore, and was past president of the Bellmore Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis Club.
Gennaro, 77, who suffered from pancreatic cancer, died Dec. 15 in North Carolina, saddening friends around the Bellmores. "It's unfortunate that he had this disease," said Gary Hudes, the current owner of Gennaro Jewelers and a Town of Hempstead councilman. "It's a terrible loss of a good friend, someone I worked with for 19 years."
Nursing-home expansion nixed
North Bellmore residents living south of Jerusalem and Little Neck avenues were given an early Christmas present. They received notice that the Town of Hempstead's Board of Zoning Appeals had rejected the Belair Realty Company's proposal to demolish an existing nursing home and construct a new, larger facility at 2478 Jerusalem Ave.
According to a letter sent by Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray and Councilwoman Angie Cullin, the decision to deny the nursing home's expansion was based on resident concerns of overdevelopment and increased traffic in the area.
