Civic Organization Tackles Commack's Woes

While defeating the Holiday Organization's development plans for Marion Carll Farm is a win for the Commack Community Organization, the civic group isn't resting on its laurels. In fact, it's already targeting another Commack issue: traffic on Town Line Road. They've been working together since 2008 to determine what Commack residents want – and how to accomplish those goals. 

Trucks use Town Line Road to get to Kings Park Industrial Park – the same road that houses theNorth Ridge Primary School and the Commack High School. 

"We're working with county legislators," Ettenberg said, "trying to get 'Your Speed Is' signs put up near the schools. The signs cost ten thousand dollars each." 

Ettenberg said the CCA will try to raise the money for the signs this fall.

"We're also concerned about the growing traffic and noise in North Commack from the Kings Park Industrial Park," Ettenberg said. "So we're also proposing to re-zone the area so these trucks aren't barreling through residential neighborhoods." 

Ettenberg said he is sure he'll have plenty of residents on his side for that proposal. Still, he urges fellow Commack residents to get involved and join the CCA. 

"Democracy is not a spectator sport," he said.

With that concept in mind, Ettenberg created CCA after looking at the Town of Smithtown's Chamber of Commerce listings and found no houses of worship listed in Commack. He knew there were churches and synagogues in Commack, but according to the Smithtown, they didn't exist. He decided to do something about what he said is the "forgotten end of each town."

Joining forces with a dozen or so similar-minded Commack residents and business owners, Ettenberg and the others each put up $25 to incorporate. "We found a local lawyer to represent us pro-bono, and we started the Commack Community Association to address the needs of Commack," he said.

Today, the CCA has nearly 55 paid members including a handful of Commack-based businesses like Commack Drugs, Kings Park Asphalt and Once Upon a Time Nursery.

"We have monthly meetings the last Thursday of each month," Ettenberg said. Meetings are open to the public and often include guest speakers.

Bob Semprini, member, said CCA is a "quality of life organization, not a political organization."

Most recently the group worked to shoot down a mixed-use plan for the Marion Carll farm. They created fliers to inform residents, urged people to vote and posted several blog posts on their website. Now that they have accomplished the goal of voting down the sale, they will continue to form a plan to actually save the farm – proposed to the school board by July 31.