LETTERS: Better burbs, quieter villages?

Nice 'vision', but

come to your senses

I commend the effort and detail that went into the proposals to "build a better burb" . But the reality is: Can any of this actually get done?

Discussions of expanding Route 110 have been going on for years. What happened the additional track on Ronkonkoma's main line? Let's face it: The MTA is cutting service. How many projects never get off the ground? Ask Charles Wang.

If we cut through the bureaucracy, quiet the "NIMBYs" and stand up to the labor unions, perhaps anything is possible.

Joseph T. Poggi Jr.

Farmingdale

Sounding off on Freeport complaints

As a longtime resident of Freeport, I'd like to comment on the article regarding excessive noise at restaurants on the Nautical Mile .

A woman in the article is quoted as saying the live music "brings a lot of money to the town and it keeps my taxes down." Actually, the only revenue paid to the Village of Freeport by the businesses is property tax. Sales tax goes to the state, the county, and the Town of Hempstead, not village.

And regarding open-air music, a bar owner says: "I can only control so much." This is the same thing as a speeding driver getting pulled over and telling the officer: "It was the car doing the speeding, not me."

Eric Sanders

Freeport

As a member of Frontline, one of the bands mentioned in the article about "noise" on the Nautical Mile, I would like give a band's perspective on the issue.

We have been playing on the Mile for the past two summers at several restaurants that offer live music as entertainment for their customers. At a tryout this summer, the first question we were asked was, "Can you play good music below 85 decibels?"

After playing there all last summer, we were very aware that Freeport has strict guidelines for sound levels and we always stay within these limits.

After speaking with customers - many of them residents of Freeport - we have received positive feedback about their experience of a night of music along with dinner. We also find that our fans enjoy coming to the Nautical Mile more than every other place we play.

Although the Nautical Mile in Freeport has changed over the years, the opportunity for restaurants to have live music has become a vital part of the experience for both the visitors and restaurant owners. Music has always been an integral part of life all over the world, and Freeport is no exception. It would be a shame for the few disgruntled but loud voices to ruin the enjoyable experience that the majority of people are having.

Eric Vissichelli

Glen Cove