______________ VALLEY STREAM _____________
HERALD VOL. 35 NO. 40
Women’s Alliance meets
Mets’ Alvarez inspires kids
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SEPTEMBER 26 - OCTOBER 2, 2024
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$5.9 million turf fields are finally ready Thomas McDaid, assistant superintendent for finance and operations, updated families Fo u r ye a r s a g o, p u bl i c on the progress of each project school districts nationwide earlier this month. One project were flush with federal cash. has been a considerable home r un for studentThe billions of dolathletes and coachlars was meant to es: the completion bring schools back of two $5.9 million from the ordeal of artificial turf the pandemic. fields at North and Some districts in South high schools, dire need used that respectively. funding to plug up Valley Stream major financial Nor th’s varsity holes or shore up baseball head basic infrastruccoach, Phil Santure. But others filippo, says the l i k e t h e Va l l e y turf surface will Stream High doubly serve his School District saw athletes and an opportunity. Nor th’s soccer Wi t h vo t e r s ’ PhiL SANfiLiPPO teams. The cause blessing, the disHead coach, for the hype maintrict channeled ly comes from one this large infusion Valley Stream North principal advanof cash into big- varsity baseball tage turf has over ticket projects budconventional wellgeting for new smart lockers, mental health worn grass fields — its resisclinic renovations, a new bar- tance to downpours. When heavy rain mixes bering program — the list goes on. Students are already bene- with earth, muck and mud can make the field unfit to play. fiting from the completion of several of these projects but And the clean-up can be equalmany are still under construc- ly as strenuous and time-contion or have yet to move past suming. the planning stage. Continued on PAge 5
By JUAN LASSO
jlasso@liherald.com
T
Alice Moreno/Herald
At a special celebration — technically a year late, according to President Billy Florio — the Valley Stream Historical Society marked half a century of preserving the village’s history and honoring the dedicated people who have safeguarded its legacy.
Village Historical Society celebrates 50th anniversary By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com
The Valley Stream Historical Society, a local organization that has made it its mission to preserve, collect, and chronicle Valley Stream’s history, made history of its own. It celebrated 50 years of its existence at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1790 last week. Members of the Society schmoozed with local dignitaries and residents, praising a collective body of historical work that spans five decades and has become the authoritative voice on Valley Stream’s storied past. Billy Florio, the society’s president, said the
event deserves an asterisk in the interest of accuracy. “It was our 50th celebration, though, technically it’s a year late,” he said. The society’s 12 founding members formed their society in 1973, nearly 50 years after the incorporated village was founded.
Uncovering forgotten history Florio, an author of village history, said the event was a year in the making, led by the society’s secretary Karen Vitale Selah. He described the efforts of his predecessors and current members as guarding Valley Stream’s past against the veil of speculation, Continued on PAge 10
here are only so many days of practice time on the field. The turf field allows you to consistently get on the field.