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National Night Out celebrates first responders By JUSTIN HABERMAN Intern
Aidan Adycki/Herald
Mayor Robert Kennedy stood alongside Freeport village trustees, Legislator Debra Mulé and Assemblywoman Judy Griffin in recognition of the village’s dedicated firefighters and first responders.
Freeport residents, police officers, firefighters and community organizations gathered at Bishop Frank O. White Park, located on Parsons Avenue in Freeport, for an evening focused on strengthening the bond between the community and its first responders. Freeport has participated in National Night Out for more than 25 years, making the event a longstanding tradition in the community. This year’s event on Aug. 4, brought members of the community together for an evening of food, games and a chance to interact with local public safety officials. Nassau County Legislator Debra Mulé and Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy were among the local leaders who came to the park, formerly known as Northeast Park before being renamed after the late reverend, to show support for the event. For Mulé, it has become an annual tradition ever ContinueD on pAGe 5
Trade school construction underway at local armory By ANDREW FRANCIS afrancis@liherald.com
Following an announcement by Nassau County Legislator Debra Mulé’s office that the Freeport Armory would receive $300,000 in grant funding for renovations, Mulé met with Mayor Robert Kennedy and other village officials on the armory property last week to celebrate the grant. The money will be used to transform one of the buildings on the property into a trade school in less than a year. Before a news conference on Aug. 5, Kennedy told the Herald that he hoped to give young peo-
ple from Freeport and other areas of Long Island more access to career paths that trade schools can offer. He said that because college may not always be the best option for every student, it’s important to encourage alternative and productive routes to fulfilling professions. “Kids that don’t want to go to college will now have a place to lear n electric, plumbing, HVAC, welding, IT,” Kennedy explained. “We want to work them with the unions to get them to be aggressively taught for the specific jobs that they’re going to be looking for.” Renovations have already begun on the 16,000-square-foot
building, with the installation of air conditioning systems and new windows. Kennedy estimated that the village would have to allocate an additional $200,000 to the construction, in addition to the grant, which is part of the state Community Revitalization Program. He added that he hoped to have the construction completed in two to three months. “What we’re doing here is we’re taking this [property] New York state kind of abandoned and turning it into something that’s really, really positive,” Village Trustee Jorge Martinez said during the news conference. “I think it’ll be
great for all the residents of the village. I also want to thank our legislator,” he added, referring to Mulé. “She’s a former trustee in the Village of Freeport, so she didn’t go very far, so we can thank her for thinking of us.” The thee-acre armory property was vacant for nearly a decade until the village was granted ownership of it by for-
m e r N e w Yo rk G ove r n o r Andrew Cuomo in 2020. The Cedarmore Corporation, a nonprofit that is affiliated with the Zion Cathedral Church of God in Christ, which sits on the opposite side of Lakeview Avenue from the facility, disputed the village’s claim. Since then, village officials ContinueD on pAGe 3