The Eastern Property Owners' Association (EPOA) has launched a new membership drive, aimed at homeowners who share the organization's growing concern over threats to property values and way of life in the eastern section of Garden City. Non-members living in the East should receive a cover letter, membership form and return envelope, either in the mail or by hand, this week or early next.

Forty percent of Village residents live in the East, an area that would suffer serious damage from a light rail or other mass transportation system running through the East from Mineola to the HUB. Other pressing concerns include the Lighthouse development itself, dense development in Mineola, Ring Road development, expansion of the Covanta waste facility and the LIRR third rail.

Approximately 28 percent of the 2,850 families who live in the East are members of the EPOA, which represents and advocates for all families residing in the East. Members pay a $15 annual family membership fee, which supports outreach efforts to all residents of the East that include newsletters and a Web site, in addition to activities such as the recent opinion poll and trustee primary.

Newly elected EPOA president Walter McKenna is asking for the support of all residents of the East. "We face serious threats to our way of life," Mr. McKenna said, "and we need the support of all our residents to make our collective voice heard loudly and clearly."