Thanks to Alissa Taff for providing this important information about the proposed changes at Republic Airport on Long Island to existing commerical airspace. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (NY TRACON) have proposed changes to existing commercial airspace for the New York metropolitan area due to violations that have been occurring in spacing requirements of the high volume of inbound traffic at LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airports.  One of the proposed changes is to lower the current ceiling height of class B (commercial) airspace from 3000 feet to 2500 feet, with some areas being allowed to go as low as 2000 feet.   This would then result in the lowering of ceiling heights at Republic airport to below 2500 feet, since they currently operate in the 3000 foot ceiling range.  This will also impact helicopters and the flight schools at Republic Airport that fly or train in the lower range of airspace that Republic’s planes will now be using.  

Lowering the ceiling heights of aircraft will result in greater noise, air po llution and increasing safety concerns over our homes and schools. We must register our complaints if we want this situation improved.  We are already impacted by noise, air quality and safety issues without the addition of lowering the ceiling height of aircraft over our neighborhoods.  Without documentation, little can be done.  WE URGE YOU TO CALL REPUBLIC AIRPORT TO LOG IN FLIGHTS OF EXCESSIVE NOISE AND LATE NIGHT HOURS – 631-752-7707 – PRESS 4.  

This letter just went out to about 1800 neighbors in Dix Hills along with a magnet calendar.  If you would like a calendar please email me at cheryl@liagent.com or call me at 631-549-1993.   Note the Free Offer for 2-hour Home Staging for new listings!

Huntington’s Long Island Fall Festival in Hecksher Park.

Looking for something fun to do this Columbus Day weekend? The Long Island Fall Festival is one of the largest in the Northeast and is brought to you by the Town of Huntington and the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce.

The Fall Festival will feature four stages of continuous entertainment, including a free concert by Deborah Gibson on the Harry Chapin Rainbow Stage at 7 PM on Saturday, October 6^th. Other attractions include a carnival by Blue Sky Amusement & Entertainment, 300 hundred arts and craft vendors, a farmer’s market, wine tasting and micro-brew beer tasting, and two international food courts featuring food from local Huntington restaurants. There will also be numerous activities for young children, such as pony rides, pumpkin painting, and a petting zoo.

This four-day event will be held at Hecksher Park in Huntington on: Friday, October 5^th (6 PM to 10 PM); Saturday October 6^th (11 AM – 10 PM); Sunday, October 7^th (11 AM – 10 PM); and Monday, October 8^th (11 AM – 5 PM).

Admission is FREE thanks to corporate sponsors. Carnival rides and food are extra. There will also be $1.00 round trip shuttle service available from the Huntington Long Island Railroad Station to the festival. Parking at the Huntington Station is free.

For more information call 631-423-6100 or visit the Long Island Fall Festival website at http://www.lifallfestival.com/.

Weekly Tips for Long Island homeowners to help you prepare your home for the market.

One of the first rooms that a buyer may see when entering a home is the dining room – so it’s especially important when selling your home to make that first impression a good one. Even if your dining room is located elsewhere following these suggestions will help to "showcase" it.

First, make sure that your dining room looks like a dining room and not an office or a playroom. Then you are ready for the basics of home staging: declutter, depersonalize, clean, brighten and make minor repairs. Finally, there are some specific things you can do to enhance the appearance of your dining room.

Declutter. When staging think, "less is more." Eliminate clutter by removing and packing up any accessories or items that are not chosen to keep for a decorative accent.

Depersonalize. Remove any personal photos and replace if needed with an accessory or artwork that adds a decorative touch. A mirror is also an acceptable replacement in a dining room. Remember that you want buyers to be able to picture themselves living in your house and not feel like they are just visiting someone else’s home. Also, be sure to remove any valuables you might have on display.

Cleaning your Dining Room. When cleaning the dining room, be sure to clean the windows and dust / wipe off the light fixtures and polish the furniture, if needed. Clean the floors and any rugs. Get rid of dead plants.

Brighten your Dining Room. The freshly cleaned light fixtures will help brighten the dining room. Make sure that all the lights work and that all of the light bulbs function. Use the highest wattage bulbs allowed for the light fixture. A dimmer switch is a good idea also. On occasion, "mood lighting" may be more effective than a bright room. If you have heavy window treatments blocking your dining room windows, then draw them back or replace them with something else to allow more natural light to filter into the room. If the room still seems dark, then consider putting an extra lamp on a buffet table.

Make Minor Repairs. Check to make sure that all the switch plates and outlet covers match and that none of them are broken. Replace them if necessary. Also check the trim around the doorways. Repair any nicks and consider repainting. If your wallpaper is dated, then it is be a good idea to remove it and paint the walls with a neutral color.

Setting the Stage. Complete the staging of your dining room by making the room feel more spacious, creating the illusion of higher ceilings and setting up the dining room table. Make your dining room feel more spacious by minimizing the amount and size of the furniture in the room. Unless the room is large you should only have a dining room table (with the leaf removed) and four to six chairs on top of a rug along with just one other piece of furniture (china cabinet / side board / buffet). The room should also have a chandelier or other light fixture, with the dining table centered underneath. If you know you absolutely want to take your existing chandelier with you, then take it down now and replace it with something else; otherwise, it can be excluded from the listing agreement (sometimes can become part of the negotiations for sale of home). Create the illusion of higher ceilings by removing any plants or accessories from the tops of china cabinets. The more wall space there is between the furniture and the ceiling, the higher the ceilings look. When setting up the dining room table, use a table runner or place mats. Designers recommended grouping in threes. Fresh flowers and a couple of candles can make a nice centerpiece.

Whatever the size of your home or whether a formal dining room or not, adding a fresh look to your dining room is sure to make a good impression with buyers! In today’s real estate market, a home in good condition and that "shows well’ adds value for Long Island homeowners.

Movies on the Lawn program features “Happy Feet” at Crab Meadow Beach.

Bring the family to a drive-in presentation of the award winning comedy, Happy Feet (rated G). This marks the end of the 4^th season of the Movies-on-the-Lawn program, organized by Councilman Mark Cuthbertson and sponsored by the Town of Huntington.

The movie starts at dusk (around 9 PM) this Thursday, August 23^rd at the Crab Meadow Beach in Northport. Don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs in case the parking lot fills up early. Bug repellent might also be advisable. Admission is FREE. Popcorn provided courtesy of LaCasa Café.

For more information, contact Councilman Mark Cuthbertson (351-1112 or lruvolo@town.huntington.ny.us). In the event of inclement weather, the movie will be presented indoors starting at 7:30 PM in the John Glenn High School Auditorium on Elwood Road.

Long Island Philharmonic Free Concert at Heckscher State Park.

One of the nation’s most respected regional orchestras is bringing their “Music Under the Stars” summer concert series to Huntington! The  Huntington Arts Council Summer Arts Festival welcomes the Long Island Philharmonic.

The concert will feature popular symphonic music from renowned American and European composers, such as Gershwin, Elgar and Sousa, as well as patriotic hits.

This FREE performance will be held at Hecksher Park on the Chapin Rainbow Stage in Huntington on Saturday, August 18^th . Bring your blanket and chairs along with a picnic dinner and post-concert snack. An umbrella might be also handy in case it rains.

Contact the Huntington Arts Council for more information at 631-271-8423 x5 or email Info@huntingtonarts.org . 
 

New York Philharmonic Free Concert at Heckscher State Park.

Ever wanted to hear one of the world’s greatest orchestras? The Islip Arts Council  welcomes the New York Philharmonic for a FREE concert followed by a fireworks display by Gucci. This year’s concert program includes "Le Corsair Overture" by Berlioz, Mendelssohn’s "Violin Concerto" and Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique" by Tchaikovsky. Featured artists are conductor Ludovic Morlot and violinist Stefan Jackiw.

This event will be held at Hecksher State Park’s North Field in East Islip on Saturday, July 14^th . The two-hour concert starts at 8 PM, though it is suggested that you arrive at 6 PM. Bring your blanket and chairs along with a picnic dinner and post-concert snack.

The council is also collecting nonperishable food donations for Long Island Cares. The food donations can be placed in the white-and-orange bins, which will be located at the main entrances to the park and next to the program stands. Last year they reported receiving more than 500 pounds of edible donations!

There is no admission charge and no tickets are required. Parking is $7 per car as charged by the State until 5 PM and a $10 donation thereafter. The parking donations are split 50/50 between the New York Philharmonic Free Concert Committee of Long Island and the Natural Heritage Trust.

Contact the Islip Arts Council for more information at 631-224-5420 or email IACouncil@aol.com. 

Cheryl Grossman answers questions submitted to her by her blogger friend, Linda Davis!

My friend and fellow blogger, Linda Davis, memed me – and thus this blog topic!  See definition at The Daily Meme. Linda is a dedicated blogger and she has lots of great articles and photos of beautiful Ledyard, CT (near Foxwoods) on her blog.  Click here to check it out!

Anyway, here goes!

WEB – The web is an integral part of my life.  Between setting up and monitoring all of the web sites where my listings are posted, utilizing my web-based programs for everything from CMA programs, showing feedback programs and our web-based MLS, I use the web as a resource to enhance my marketing and  business systems and to promulgate new ideas.  My first web site went “live” in 1996. Although it’s undergone many changes and formats – and has several web addresses that point to it – the web site has remained the same.  www.LIagent.com is rated #1 by Google and Yahoo when searching for Dix Hills Real Estate, and # 1 on Google when searching for Melville Real Estate.   Because I believe so strongly that the Internet is the most powerful marketing tool available, you’ll find my listings all over the web!  I’m constantly looking for new ways to expand and enhance my web site and internet exposure.  You can’t sit back in this field!  It’s always changing.

E MAIL – I’ve been emailing – forever, it seems!  It’s the easiest, fastest, most efficient way to communicate!  And now everyone does it!  So it’s really easy to not only send and receive messages – but the sharing of documents, photos and data has made email a real time-saver.  – And I do love the paper trail!

BROWSER - Internet Explorer 7. Really love the tabbing! Use Firefox some.

GROUPS – I’m on a couple of List-Serves for professional organizations.  But my heart belongs to the CyberProfessionals!  We started as a small group of real estate agents in 1995 and have grown to an international group of dedicated and committed agents.  These agents have become part of my family.  We meet twice a year and “chat” once a week on a forum.  Professionally and personally, being a part of this group is one of the best things I ever did.  Becoming more involved with the real estate blogging community is something I’d like to do more of.  Everyone seems so helpful and willing to share their knowledge and ideas.  I know I would love it!

BLOG PLATFORM – I use Real Estate Blog Sites and have been very happy with them.  It’s easy to use and their technology is awesome!  I find my blog posts all over the place when I do searches.  I’ve been surprised several times to do a search on something and find my blog article on the first page!  At first I treated every article as it were going to be graded.  (A trait that I remember from graduate school – where every report became a thesis – until I learned to “whittle it down”!)   I do love it though!  It’s really fun to put your thoughts and ideas on paper – and then see them published.

RADIO – WCBS – News Radio 880, occasionally, WINS 1010

MUSIC – vocals mainly

TV – I usually watch TV at 10PM – mostly crime shows – all the CSI’s, Criminal Minds – but also ER and 24.  Tivo is great!  We Tivo almost all "our shows" and watch them when we can.

BOOKS – I love to read! Mostly fiction. Real escape stuff.  Usually read before going to bed as a way to “wind down”.

PODCASTS – No.  Prefer to read info rather than listen to it.

COMMUNICATION – email. phone.

MAGAZINES – I like a variety to skim over. Really like newsmagazines the best!

NEWSPAPER -  We have daily subscriptions to Newsday and New York Times.  I usually read them in the morning.  I usually have CNN, MSNBC or PBS on when I’m on the computer.  Easy to multi-task.  I also check out headlines online from a few different web sites – on a sporadic basis.

OK, Linda, I met your challenge.  And you know what, it was fun!

Huntington Arts Council showcases a performance of music from The Wizard of Oz.

Enjoy a concert in the park this Tuesday! Since 1966, the Hungtington Arts Council’s Summer Arts Festival has been hosting summer concerts in Heckscher Park. The performance will feature an adaptation of music from the Wizard of Oz by Plaza Theatrical Productions, Long Island’s largest touring theater company.

The performance is on the Chapin Rainbow stage at Heckscher Park on July 3^rd,, starting at 7:30 PM. Don’t forget your blanket and chair!

Admission is FREE. In the event of rain, this Tuesday’s concert will be moved to the Elwood Middle School, 478 Elwood Road, East Northport at the John Glenn High School Elwood Complex. For more information call 631-271-8423 x5.

Huntington Manor Fire Department hosts the Firefighter’s Fair.

Celebrate Independence Day at the Firefighter’s Fair, hosted by the Huntington Manor Fire Department. Participate in games, amusement rides and a fireworks display at the Stimson Middle School on Oakwood Road in Huntington, NY.

The fair is open 7 PM to 11 PM on July 3^rd, 5^th and 6^th. On July 7^th, the hours are 5 PM to Midnight.

Admission is FREE. Events are canceled if it rains. For more information call 631-427-1629.