Plainview Chamber Kicks Off its Year

The Plainview-Old Bethpage held their kick-off luncheon Wednesday, laying out an ambitious program for its new year of activities.

Chamber membership continues to grow, said President Gary Epstein to about 50 people assembled Wednesday at restaurant in Plainview. The current number of members is 127, a big jump from recent years when the chamber's growth was stagnant, Epstein said.

The chamber's theme for the year might have been best summarized by past President Francesca Carlow, the owner of Plainview landmark

"We want to know what we can do better," she told the group.

Doing better means community activism, continuing to promote Plainview businesses and creating networking opportunities, chamber officials said.

The Chamber's immediate plans call for sponsoring a candidate's forum in October, a networking event to promote new businesses and re-acquaint old ones, and a holiday party in early December designed for fun as well as networking.

One of the candidates likely to be at the forum next month is John Venditto, supervisor of the who served as the luncheon's keynote speaker.

Venditto, speaking without notes, said the biggest strength of the area is its people and expressed a committment to maintaining the "quality of life," residents enjoy here. The supervisor said he supports reasonable growth in the town so long as it does not conflict with the residential nature of the region.

It is likely that the town will face a contentious issue this fall in Plainview when a proposal to develop a portion of the expansive off Old Country Road is revived before town planners. Previous efforts to have faced strong opposition.

Venditto said the town is ready to assist chamber members and others when town officials are called upon, he said.

The chamber meetings are held at various locations around the Plainview community on the third Wednesday of the month. The next meeting is a breakfast session on Oct. 19 at 7:45 a.m. at the