By Tom Liotti
Frog Hollow also known as Carle Place is part of the unincorporated Town of North Hempstead. Carle Place and it’s renowned school district extends from Ellison Avenue on the east between Old Country Road and Jericho Turnpike and all the way over past Glen Cove Road to the Mineola line. The Village of Westbury is also part of Carle Place and vice versa.
The Village part of Carle Place also includes all of the area between Ellison Avenue and Carle Road plus the land northwest of Northern State Parkway up to Glen Cove Road. Approximately 40 percent of the Town of North Hempstead is in unincorporated areas. Zoning and land use are controlled by the Town of North Hempstead in the unincorporated part of Carle Place outside of the village.
The area is called Carle Place because its school district includes both the incorporated and unincorporated parts of the town. If you live outside the village, then you pay school and town or general taxes twice a year on each. If you are in the village, in addition you pay a tax there once a year. Since the village provides for services such as garbage and snow removal, the town or general tax is lower for those who live in the village. This does not mean that you are paying more taxes because you live in the village but the taxes may tend to be a bit higher there because the residential plots are usually 75 feet by 100 feet whereas in Carle Place outside the Village in homes developed by Bill Levitt, the plots are more commonly 60 feet by 100 feet.
While it has been said that Carle Place is one square mile, it is configured differently than that. Some years ago the town’s voters expanded the number of Councilmatic seats to include six. One of those districts was established as a minority district. The purpose of creating six districts was to give residents in the unincorporated areas of the town more representation closer to their communities which are at the southern end of the town, far removed from Town Hall in Manhasset.
Thetown has a population of approximately 230,000 people within it but they have often felt neglected by the town. Hence, esteemable civic associations such as the Carle Place Civic Association now headed by community activist John Hommel have sprung up to advocate for local concerns such as the blight along the west end of Westbury Avenue. John and the Civic Association have a long and commendable history of fighting for the Carle Place community whether it be peach trees along Westbury Avenue; better police protection or schools. Their Frog Horn newsletter supplements this distinguished newspaper, reaching three thousand of its members.
The Carle Place Civic Association is all about building pride in the community and making it a better place in which to live. We owe it a continuing debt of thanks for their long standing, volunteer efforts in our behalf. Incidentally its 35th Annual Family Run/Walk, 3-mile race, will occur this year on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m.
