The year 2017 was an eventful one for Farmingdale and its neighboring communities, marked by several intriguing developments.
Tragedy struck in April, when FDNY firefighter and Bethpage resident William Tolley fell five stories to his death while battling a fire on Putnam Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens. Hundreds from nearby towns gathered around St. Martin of Tours Roman Catholic Church in Bethpage to pay their final respects to the fallen hero, with road closures ensuring an uninterrupted and heartwarming tribute.
One of Farmingdale’s most celebrated institutions reached an important milestone in May. The United Methodist Church held an Open House in honor of its 175th anniversary, providing church trustees, village officials and residents the opportunity to reflect on all that the church has done to serve the community since 1842, from soup kitchens to various humanitarian efforts.
The hard work of students and faculty alike paid off in June, as Farmingdale High School sent off its seniors with a graduation ceremony at Hofstra University. Principal Dr. Samuel Thompson commended the Class of 2017 for its excellence in academics, athletics and the arts, while valedictorian Samuel Croes, salutatorian Hamza Malick and class president Nicolena Spadalik offered words of encouragement to their peers.
Ongoing concerns over the hazardous Grumman-Navy Plume were compounded by the discovery of elevated radium levels in the water on Bethpage High School’s campus. Several months-worth of remediation efforts led to a press conference in late September that saw the arrival of Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, who pledged to expedite the cleanup process.
And finally, October saw the unveiling of a plan to expand Allen Park into a much larger athletic facility which would include several new fields, a bike path and additional parking. The project was made possible thanks to longstanding efforts to clean up the land adjacent to the park, which was once a superfund site.
Cheers to 2017 and here’s to more local success stories in 2018.
