Freeport
HERALD Leader
NAACP enjoys Freeport barbecue
Concerts shine at the Nautical Mile
officials discuss school reopening
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Vol. 85 No. 34
AUGUST 20 - 26, 2020
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Village faces $4.4M loss due to Covid equation,” Kennedy said. “We see large municipalities like Nassau County and the Town of As the coronavirus pandemic Hempstead get their funding, but ravaged New York state in recent that doesn’t trickle down to us. months, Freeport Mayor Robert Freeport has yet to see a single Kennedy, president of the New penny.” York Conference of Mayors and When the pandemic caused Municipal Officials, has led shutdowns across the state, other local elected municipalities like leaders in demandFreeport suspended ing the federal govparking meter reguer nment provide lations and avoided economic aid to writing tickets for communities that non-egregious parkhave suffered finaning violations. Reccially because of the reation centers and Covid-19 crisis. other public buildDuring an Aug. 13 RoBERT ings were also shut news conference, KENNEDY down, causing even Kennedy said Freegreater loses in fixed port, the second- Mayor revenue for months. largest village in the Employees of the state, was expected police, fire and sanito lose $4.4 million in revenue tation departments, as well as because of the pandemic and other essential village workers, had amassed nearly $4 million in were paid overtime throughout expenses trying to combat the the height of the pandemic, coronavirus’s spread. when dozens of new cases were Freeport was the third-most reportedly daily. affected community in Nassau “Throughout this pandemic, County, with more than 1,775 our essential employees . . . have cases as of Aug. 18, according to been delivering the services and the county Department of helping our communities and Health. our country through this pan“We need our representatives demic,” Syracuse Mayor Ben in Congress to afford us funding Walsh said. “When you look at on the lost revenue side of the Continued on page 4
By RoNNY REYES rreyes@liherald.com
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reeport has yet to see a single penny.
Ronny Reyes/Herald
oBENG DwAMENA hiGh-FiVED his daughter, Aneesa Dwamena, 6, during a friendly game in the Learning Institute of Tennis, Life Skills and Sportsmanship’s summer program.
Tennis thrives in Freeport Players celebrate summer program By RoNNY REYES rreyes@liherald.com
With the coronavirus pandemic shutting down summer camps across the area, Obeng Dwamena, of Freeport, was having trouble finding a way to keep his daughter, Aneesa, 6, occupied and out of the house. When Dwamena drove by Bishop Frank O. White Park in July, he spotted his solution: the Learning Institute of Tennis, Life Skills and Sports-
manship’s annual summer program, for which kids of all ages gather to play tennis for six weeks at the park. “We couldn’t sign her up fast enough,” Dwamena said. “She had been stuck in the house all day with nothing to do, and this gave her a chance to get out of the house, stay active and socialize.” When the summer program ended Aug. 14, parents and elected officials held a closing ceremony to celebrate a successful summer.
Daniel Burgess, LITLSS’s president and Freeport’s resident tennis guru, has run the summer program for more than 30 years. He helped develop the tennis courts at Bishop Frank O. White Park, which are across the street from his home on Parsons Avenue. Through LITLSS, a local nonprofit, Burgess helps foster a love of tennis, selfrespect and leadership among Continued on page 5