Thanks To Volunteers

To the Editor:

This summer, 39 New York City children found out once again just how special summer is in Nassau County. Fresh Air Fund hosts, volunteers and local supporters dedicated their time and efforts to help these inner-city youngsters experience simple summertime pleasures in your community.

None of this would be possible without LaShika Walker, your local Fresh Air Fund volunteer leader, who works throughout the year to make sure host families and children have the opportunity to enjoy memorable summertime experiences together. I invite you to join LaShika and the local Fresh Air Fund committee to help spread the word about the wonderful opportunity of hosting next summer.

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to over 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. For more information on how you can help to continue this wonderful tradition of volunteering, please call LaShika Walker at 800-367-0003 ext. 8962 or visit www.freshair.org (where you can also check out photos from 2009!).

Jenny Morgenthau

Executive Director

The Fresh Air Fund

More Information Needed

To the Editor:

The need for repairs and investment in our schools is clear—the video on the district's website is nothing short of horrifying in terms of the decay and neglect in the buildings. Funds spent to improve the quality of education are the best use of taxpayer money.

However, the information presented on the website lacks necessary and basic detail that the voters should have including:

-Proper labels on the vertical axis of the two charts presented (Change in Debt Service and Estimated School Tax). I seem to have learned about labeling graph axis in seventh grade.

-What is the estimated impact on property taxes as a percentage (rather than just dollar amount) of total taxes? This could give taxpayers an idea of the projected percentage impact on their future taxes.

-Other key financial metrics, i.e. : what is the impact of this bond issue on the District's total debt load?

-What impact would it have on the District's bond ratings?

-What is the expected interest rate if, for example, the bond were issued in November, December or the near future?

- The scoping document is light on details regarding energy savings from the investment. A goal of any new capital improvements should be to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and the document should identify those opportunities and the potential environmental and financial payback from them.

James Bauer