Community Shares Visions for Carll Farm

While the community has voted down a mixed-use plan for Marion Carll Farm, on Wednesday residents gathered at the Commack Fire Department pavilion to float thier own ideas for the controversial land.

And a most of them favored conservation over development.

"We have to take the school board at their word. They said they want it to be preserved," Bruce Ettenberg, president of Commack Community Association (CCA) said. 

Paul Arfin, of Hauppauge, said that an eco-village might be an option for the farm. 

Arfin said the eco-village is a set of 15-20 units in a community where residents live a simple lifestyle and are responsible for the land and buildings on it. He also said the farmhouse, which is on the national registry, could be the "common house" for the eco-village and for the Commack community. 

Vito Cottone, member of the CCA and resident since 1959, said residents should "all stick together and go forward to follow what she [Marion Carll] wanted … so we have a place for the community." 

Gabrielle Guerra said she would like to see the edible schoolyard model, similar to what is being done at P.S. 216 in Brooklyn. 

"The kids grow the food, learn about it and it's part of the curriculum," Guerra said. 

Suffolk Legis. John Kennedy Jr. presented his own conservation plan. 

"There is a bill, that will be introduced at the Aug. 3 meeting, to acquire the  Marion Carll Farm – or parts of it – under the Suffolk County Farm Preservation program. This strips the real estate rights off a piece of property and places new covenants on it for the future. I have a good feeling this will be able to go further," Kennedy said. 

After listening to the community suggestions, Ettenberg said he plans to get a steering committee of five or six people together to determine what proposal should be presented to the school board. 

Many residents stressed a collaborative effort, including Debbie Virga, secretary of the CCA and independent consultant for school community relations for the Commack Union Free School District.

"You need to think of everyone," she said. 

"It always bothered me that we don't have a center of town. We have 25,000 registered voters in Commack and can't place a tax burden on them." 

If nothing is done, the school district has said it would cost $200,000 to maintain the property, which would come out of taxpayers' pockets.

Thomas Morrissey has 6 children in the Commack schools and said taxes shouldn't be an issue. 

"We need to have some sort of committee to make a proposal and maintain the property. If it is going to cost $200,000 to maintain it, and you divide it by 25,000 registered voters – what is that $8 per household? I think we should all be able to handle that," Morrissey said. 

"We're looking for a vision and a dream. If we can't create something, we can't, but we'll give it our best try," Ettenberg said.