Brookhaven Republican
05-13-2007, 09:47 PM
From the South Shore Press May 9, 2007
Now that the criminal charges have been dropped against former Brookhaven Parks Commissioner Bob Chartuk, it's time to say a few words about a man whose reputation has been unfairly attacked and whose many accomplishments swept under the rug.
As a retired public school counselor and administrator I focused some of my attention over the last few years on our local government, particularly the condition of our parks system. Projects never got off the drawing board, department morale was extremely low, and several of the most basic of repairs were never accomplished.
When I went looking for answers, Commissioner Chartuk was one of a few at town hall who found the time to meet with me and start turning things around. Bob showed up with a clipboard and took notes. He had that rare quality that I respect from our elected officials-He listened to what I had to say and shared my vision of how the town's parks should be.
After years of neglect, he made one of my favorite parks, West Meadow Beach, a priority and soon, the buildings were painted, bathrooms fixed, roofs repaired, and the sand piles, litter, and weeds in the parking lot removed. He saw to it that the rusted fences were replaced, sprinklers in the kiddie park fixed, benches and picnic tables cleaned and the parking lot repaired. We had hot water in the bathrooms for the first time in years. He took my suggestion on how to stop people from speeding through the parking lot and installed speed bumps. He even had the pulley fixed on the flagpole so we could finally raise the red, white, and blue.
Spending time with Commissioner Chartuk, we experienced what it takes to get something done in a bureaucracy and I saw first hand how much effort, skill, and integrity he put into the job. His results over four years were outstanding. He created a union-management partnership that put needed equipment, materials, and tools in the hands of the parks employees and they responded by dramatically increasing production. Morale turned around and the staff took great pride in thr work.
He used town employees, instead of expensive contractors, to do much of the work in building the 18-acre Heritage Park in Mt. Sinai, a project that would cost ten times the amount if attempted today.
He built new parks at Osprey Park in Mastic and Pine Lake in Middle Island and practically re-constructed the entire Mt. Sinai Marina, three environmental restoration projects that dramatically improved water quality. He was a commissioner that led massive environmental cleanups removing tons of garbage and debris from the town's open space holdings such the Orchard Neck Preserve in Center Moriches and he dredged the muck out of Senix Creek, not to mention a complete renovation of Neville Park in Center Moriches after decades of decay.
He managed the renovation of Great Gun Beach, Shirley Beach, and Kaler’s Pond Park in Moriches and remodeled the Mastic Recreation Center. He also tackled much-needed improvements at the Sweezey Avey House inYaphank.
He focused much-needed attention on the Longwood Estate, the town's historic cemeteries, Lake Grove Church, and even the Firemen's Memorial Park in Ridge which showed off its improvements by hosting one of the most successful fire tournaments in state history.
Across the town, parking lots were repaired, playgrounds renovated, and fencing at parks and ball fields replaced. He re-wrote service contracts and procurement specs for everything from plumbing supplies to grass seed saving the taxpayers thousands of dollars.
Above all, he was a family man who proudly brought his wife and daughters to park grand openings and town events. I'll never forget seng him working along side parks employees planting beach grass and trees and picking up litter. Due to his fairness and work ethic, he earned thr respect and support and they in turn worked hard for him and the taxpayers.
The list of Bob Chartuk's accomplishments goes on for many pages and I challenge any municipality on Long Island to match it. The District Attorney did a good job weeding out corruption in town government, but with Commissioner Chartuk, he went too far and I'm glad his case was discharged. To paraphrase a famous quote: Where does he go now to get his reputation back?"
Sincerely,
Paul Fnberg
South Setauket
Now that the criminal charges have been dropped against former Brookhaven Parks Commissioner Bob Chartuk, it's time to say a few words about a man whose reputation has been unfairly attacked and whose many accomplishments swept under the rug.
As a retired public school counselor and administrator I focused some of my attention over the last few years on our local government, particularly the condition of our parks system. Projects never got off the drawing board, department morale was extremely low, and several of the most basic of repairs were never accomplished.
When I went looking for answers, Commissioner Chartuk was one of a few at town hall who found the time to meet with me and start turning things around. Bob showed up with a clipboard and took notes. He had that rare quality that I respect from our elected officials-He listened to what I had to say and shared my vision of how the town's parks should be.
After years of neglect, he made one of my favorite parks, West Meadow Beach, a priority and soon, the buildings were painted, bathrooms fixed, roofs repaired, and the sand piles, litter, and weeds in the parking lot removed. He saw to it that the rusted fences were replaced, sprinklers in the kiddie park fixed, benches and picnic tables cleaned and the parking lot repaired. We had hot water in the bathrooms for the first time in years. He took my suggestion on how to stop people from speeding through the parking lot and installed speed bumps. He even had the pulley fixed on the flagpole so we could finally raise the red, white, and blue.
Spending time with Commissioner Chartuk, we experienced what it takes to get something done in a bureaucracy and I saw first hand how much effort, skill, and integrity he put into the job. His results over four years were outstanding. He created a union-management partnership that put needed equipment, materials, and tools in the hands of the parks employees and they responded by dramatically increasing production. Morale turned around and the staff took great pride in thr work.
He used town employees, instead of expensive contractors, to do much of the work in building the 18-acre Heritage Park in Mt. Sinai, a project that would cost ten times the amount if attempted today.
He built new parks at Osprey Park in Mastic and Pine Lake in Middle Island and practically re-constructed the entire Mt. Sinai Marina, three environmental restoration projects that dramatically improved water quality. He was a commissioner that led massive environmental cleanups removing tons of garbage and debris from the town's open space holdings such the Orchard Neck Preserve in Center Moriches and he dredged the muck out of Senix Creek, not to mention a complete renovation of Neville Park in Center Moriches after decades of decay.
He managed the renovation of Great Gun Beach, Shirley Beach, and Kaler’s Pond Park in Moriches and remodeled the Mastic Recreation Center. He also tackled much-needed improvements at the Sweezey Avey House inYaphank.
He focused much-needed attention on the Longwood Estate, the town's historic cemeteries, Lake Grove Church, and even the Firemen's Memorial Park in Ridge which showed off its improvements by hosting one of the most successful fire tournaments in state history.
Across the town, parking lots were repaired, playgrounds renovated, and fencing at parks and ball fields replaced. He re-wrote service contracts and procurement specs for everything from plumbing supplies to grass seed saving the taxpayers thousands of dollars.
Above all, he was a family man who proudly brought his wife and daughters to park grand openings and town events. I'll never forget seng him working along side parks employees planting beach grass and trees and picking up litter. Due to his fairness and work ethic, he earned thr respect and support and they in turn worked hard for him and the taxpayers.
The list of Bob Chartuk's accomplishments goes on for many pages and I challenge any municipality on Long Island to match it. The District Attorney did a good job weeding out corruption in town government, but with Commissioner Chartuk, he went too far and I'm glad his case was discharged. To paraphrase a famous quote: Where does he go now to get his reputation back?"
Sincerely,
Paul Fnberg
South Setauket