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We're on the eve of the vote to close Old Bethpage. The vote that was tabled two weeks ago when you raised such a hue and cry.
Yes, we know you helped already. Yes, we know it's Sunday night.
But we need you now as we have never needed you before.
Why should you care?
Historic spaces are being shuttered all over the country. Often, we hear only after it's too late or when nothing can be done. Pamphlin Park, The Old Statehouse, Morristown. All the museums in a given state.
This time we can do something. This time you can help fight for history.
We just need that little extra bit to get us over the top. This isn't a case of millions of dollars being needed.
And most of the Legislature is on our side.
It's those in the "middle of the road" who are waffling, but who have the votes to make the difference.
Help make up their minds.
"You can't teach history without Computers and Videoscreens"
Many of you have said how much you dislike the new Gettysburg Visitors' Center, the Animatronic Lincoln Museum with holographic Lincoln Ghosts and mannikins that tape loop the Gettysburg Address.
Old Bethpage is the opposite. It's real. The buildings are real, the living historians and live musicians are real.
It puts the lie to "we have to have automated computers to teach history." The chance to hold a hard tack, scrub on a washboard, sing along while someone plays an instrument, write with a slate pencil, gather kindling, touch a cow, chase a chicken, all of these are mesmerizing to today's children, and all can be experienced at Old Bethpage. Teachers see real improvement in schoolwork after a visit to the village.
Teacher Education
Not only does it inspire children, local teachers have been holding free workshops for each other to explain how to use the Village to teach math, reading, spelling and other topics. How to weave your lesson plans around the magic of the village. If this isn't an example of "use of local resources," and "added value" I don't know what is. Teaching consultants could get big fees for doing what local teachers are doing with each other for free.
Additional Source of Revenue
For those of you who aren't familiar with the village, they hold an 1870s fair every fall, and they've built a fair building to house it. An increasing number of couples, looking for an unusual spot for a wedding reception have been renting this building out. Until this year it didn't have a bathroom, so the rental fee was lower because any wedding party had to rent portable bathrooms to use it. If it had bathrooms, it could be rented at a higher fee, and more couples could use it on the weekends, thus providing an added source of funding. Wedding receptions are pricy events to hold, and a site with the Village's ambiance could command a healthy fee. Construction has already begun on those bathrooms, and they were to be completed this spring. If the village closes, this source of revenue will also be lost.
Why do I need to do something today?
You raised such an outcy two weeks ago, that the Legislature tabled the vote for two weeks, in hopes that you'd forget or get distracted.
These buildings aren't Disney Replicas, they aren't "based on an idea from Carl Sandburg of what a tavern looked like" -- they are the real deal. Buildings that were lived in and used by real people for 100 years (some of them nearly 200 years). Historic homes decay without constant vigilance. If the village closes, the buildings will be shuttered, the maintenance staff will be discharged and it will moulder, perhaps for years. Left alone to rot for years, some will decay past repair.
They were saved from being pulled down and gathered from every corner of Long Island. They were maintained through the Panic of the 1870s, the 1970s Recession, two World Wars and the Great Depression. Don't let it be said that our generation locked the doors and walked away.
Send a clear message that we didn't forget, and that we care about history, in every corner of this country. Yes, Long Island residents will carry the most weight on this vote. But even those of us who don't live on the Island can send a message that we travel, we spend money on historic sites and museums, and we vote.
What you can do:
1. Sign the electronic petition -- it takes less than a minute.
Link: http://www.petitiononline.com/saveOBVR/petition.html
2. Leave an email for a legislator -- cut and paste your favorite paragraphs from the arguments above. Or use your own words. Here's the link to all their emails:
Link: http://www.petitiononline.com/saveOBVR/petition.html
3. Leave them a message -- their phone mail will be open all night, and they'll be voting tomorrow.
Who needs to hear from you:
Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi
Telephone: (516) 571-3131 Fax: 516-571-4000
Finance Committee Members:
Chair: Roger Corbin
Telephone: 516-571-6202 Fax: 516-571-6761
Vice Chair: Wayne Wink
Telephone: 516-571-6211 Fax: 516-571-6271
Ranking Member: John Ciotti
Telephone: 516-571-6203 Fax: 516-571-6732
Finance Committee Members:
Kevan Abraham
Telephone: 516-571-6201 Fax: 516-571-6187
Denise Ford
Telephone: 516-571-6204 Fax: 516-571-6264
Joseph Scannell
Telephone: 516-571-6205 Fax: 516-571-0291
Vincent Mascarella
Telephone: 516-571-6208 Fax: 516-571-6268
Richard Nicolello
Telephone: 516-571-6209 Fax: 516-571-6166
Judi Bosworth
Telephone: 516-571-6210 Fax: 516-571-0405
Additional Legislators (Will be voting Monday, not on the Finance Committeee)
Frances Becker
Telephone: 516-571-6206 Fax: 516-571-6133
Jeffrey Toback
Telephone: 516-571-6207 Fax: 516-571-6287
Peter Schmitt
Telephone: 516-571-6212 Fax: 516-571-6734
Norma Gonsalves
Telephone: 516-571-6213 Fax: 516-571-6746
David Meijas
Telephone: 516-571-6214 Fax: 516-571-6134
Dennis Dunn
Telephone: 516-571-6215 Fax: 516-571-6235
Judith Jacobs
Telephone: 516-571-6216 Fax: 516-571-6287
Edward Mangano
Telephone: 516-571-6217 Fax: 516-571-6277
Diane Yatauro
Telephone: 516-571-6216 Fax: 516-571-6158
David Dennenburg
Telephone: 516-571-6219 Fax: 516-571-3907
SAVE OLD BETHPAGE! WE CAN WIN!
Sincerely,
Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com
Yes, we know you helped already. Yes, we know it's Sunday night.
But we need you now as we have never needed you before.
Why should you care?
Historic spaces are being shuttered all over the country. Often, we hear only after it's too late or when nothing can be done. Pamphlin Park, The Old Statehouse, Morristown. All the museums in a given state.
This time we can do something. This time you can help fight for history.
We just need that little extra bit to get us over the top. This isn't a case of millions of dollars being needed.
And most of the Legislature is on our side.
It's those in the "middle of the road" who are waffling, but who have the votes to make the difference.
Help make up their minds.
"You can't teach history without Computers and Videoscreens"
Many of you have said how much you dislike the new Gettysburg Visitors' Center, the Animatronic Lincoln Museum with holographic Lincoln Ghosts and mannikins that tape loop the Gettysburg Address.
Old Bethpage is the opposite. It's real. The buildings are real, the living historians and live musicians are real.
It puts the lie to "we have to have automated computers to teach history." The chance to hold a hard tack, scrub on a washboard, sing along while someone plays an instrument, write with a slate pencil, gather kindling, touch a cow, chase a chicken, all of these are mesmerizing to today's children, and all can be experienced at Old Bethpage. Teachers see real improvement in schoolwork after a visit to the village.
Teacher Education
Not only does it inspire children, local teachers have been holding free workshops for each other to explain how to use the Village to teach math, reading, spelling and other topics. How to weave your lesson plans around the magic of the village. If this isn't an example of "use of local resources," and "added value" I don't know what is. Teaching consultants could get big fees for doing what local teachers are doing with each other for free.
Additional Source of Revenue
For those of you who aren't familiar with the village, they hold an 1870s fair every fall, and they've built a fair building to house it. An increasing number of couples, looking for an unusual spot for a wedding reception have been renting this building out. Until this year it didn't have a bathroom, so the rental fee was lower because any wedding party had to rent portable bathrooms to use it. If it had bathrooms, it could be rented at a higher fee, and more couples could use it on the weekends, thus providing an added source of funding. Wedding receptions are pricy events to hold, and a site with the Village's ambiance could command a healthy fee. Construction has already begun on those bathrooms, and they were to be completed this spring. If the village closes, this source of revenue will also be lost.
Why do I need to do something today?
You raised such an outcy two weeks ago, that the Legislature tabled the vote for two weeks, in hopes that you'd forget or get distracted.
These buildings aren't Disney Replicas, they aren't "based on an idea from Carl Sandburg of what a tavern looked like" -- they are the real deal. Buildings that were lived in and used by real people for 100 years (some of them nearly 200 years). Historic homes decay without constant vigilance. If the village closes, the buildings will be shuttered, the maintenance staff will be discharged and it will moulder, perhaps for years. Left alone to rot for years, some will decay past repair.
They were saved from being pulled down and gathered from every corner of Long Island. They were maintained through the Panic of the 1870s, the 1970s Recession, two World Wars and the Great Depression. Don't let it be said that our generation locked the doors and walked away.
Send a clear message that we didn't forget, and that we care about history, in every corner of this country. Yes, Long Island residents will carry the most weight on this vote. But even those of us who don't live on the Island can send a message that we travel, we spend money on historic sites and museums, and we vote.
What you can do:
1. Sign the electronic petition -- it takes less than a minute.
Link: http://www.petitiononline.com/saveOBVR/petition.html
2. Leave an email for a legislator -- cut and paste your favorite paragraphs from the arguments above. Or use your own words. Here's the link to all their emails:
Link: http://www.petitiononline.com/saveOBVR/petition.html
3. Leave them a message -- their phone mail will be open all night, and they'll be voting tomorrow.
Who needs to hear from you:
Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi
Telephone: (516) 571-3131 Fax: 516-571-4000
Finance Committee Members:
Chair: Roger Corbin
Telephone: 516-571-6202 Fax: 516-571-6761
Vice Chair: Wayne Wink
Telephone: 516-571-6211 Fax: 516-571-6271
Ranking Member: John Ciotti
Telephone: 516-571-6203 Fax: 516-571-6732
Finance Committee Members:
Kevan Abraham
Telephone: 516-571-6201 Fax: 516-571-6187
Denise Ford
Telephone: 516-571-6204 Fax: 516-571-6264
Joseph Scannell
Telephone: 516-571-6205 Fax: 516-571-0291
Vincent Mascarella
Telephone: 516-571-6208 Fax: 516-571-6268
Richard Nicolello
Telephone: 516-571-6209 Fax: 516-571-6166
Judi Bosworth
Telephone: 516-571-6210 Fax: 516-571-0405
Additional Legislators (Will be voting Monday, not on the Finance Committeee)
Frances Becker
Telephone: 516-571-6206 Fax: 516-571-6133
Jeffrey Toback
Telephone: 516-571-6207 Fax: 516-571-6287
Peter Schmitt
Telephone: 516-571-6212 Fax: 516-571-6734
Norma Gonsalves
Telephone: 516-571-6213 Fax: 516-571-6746
David Meijas
Telephone: 516-571-6214 Fax: 516-571-6134
Dennis Dunn
Telephone: 516-571-6215 Fax: 516-571-6235
Judith Jacobs
Telephone: 516-571-6216 Fax: 516-571-6287
Edward Mangano
Telephone: 516-571-6217 Fax: 516-571-6277
Diane Yatauro
Telephone: 516-571-6216 Fax: 516-571-6158
David Dennenburg
Telephone: 516-571-6219 Fax: 516-571-3907
SAVE OLD BETHPAGE! WE CAN WIN!
Sincerely,
Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com
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