The Commack Community Association was started 13 years ago to enhance the quality of life for Commack residents.
Normally a town falls under the jurisdiction of one township, however Commack falls under the jurisdictions of the Smithtown Township (approximately 70% of the population) and Huntington Township (approximately 30% of the population) . The latest population statistics indicate that Commack has a population of 36,903 residents.
Governance is divided between two townships creating a challenge because it duplicates our efforts when dealing with the various levels of government and their departments. Some of those offices/departments are Town Supervisor Office, Highway Department, Public Safety, Parks and Recreation, Traffic and Lighting, etc. Fortunately, we have forged good relationships with all the aforementioned offices and have been very successful in addressing the concerns of our residents.
We also work with Suffolk County and the New York State Department of Transportatioin (DOT). When necessary , our Suffolk County legislators ( Leslie Kennedy and Robert Trotta) have always made themselves available to get things done. We enjoy working with them as our goal once again is to improve the quality of life for all Commack residents.
School Zone Safety
In the past, we have tried to remove all 18 wheeler trucks off of Townline Road, as they are a danger to the Commack High School and North Ridge Elementary school zones. Although Townline Road is now identified as a Suffolk County road it does NOT meet the criteria set my Suffolk County. An effort was made years ago to fix that problem. The Smithtown Township agreed to re-route these trucks to Indian Head Road, then Kings Park Road to their place of business. But at the time, the Huntington Supervisor and some Town board members (who no longer hold those positions )frowned upon the change resulting in the trucks still traveling Townline rd . We will revisit that issue soon.
Every year we contact Supervisors of Highways to discuss roads that need repaving in Commack that need to be repaved or repaired in the fiscal year. The current Supervisors of Highways are Robert Murphy of Smithtown and Andre Sorrentino of Huntington . Both townships have a similar budget of approximately 5 million dollars.. In Smithtown.that sum of money also includes doing necessary cement work for sidewalks.
Our belief is that the sum of money allocated each year toward roads and sidewalks is far from enough and will take years to catch up if that's even possible.
The historic Marion Carll Farm located on the north side of Commack Road (along the Hamlet Development),has been there since the year 1701. It was willed to the Commack school district by Marion Carll who was a former school board member with a stipulation that it be used for educational purposes. It includes a farmhouse built in 1860 and is now on the National Register. Commack fourth grade classes used to take a field trip to visit the farmhouse until the early 2000s. In 2010, the school board was negotiating to sell the farm to the Hamlet developers. They were literally going to bulldoze the farm house and use the new barn to store golf carts.
Since the Commack Union Free School district is required to hold a public referendum on the sale of any property, CCA lobbied Commack residents to deny the sale of the property for 38 condos at a sale price of $750,000. Commack residents voted in June 2010 to keep the farm.
In the 1990s, Boces Animal Husbandry program used the property but Boces dropped the program thus leaving the property idle for almost 20 years. The farm is now being used by Long Island University for their new veterinary program. The Marion Carll home is fenced off awaiting repairs. However there is a school bee keeping program on the property in conjunction with CW Post.
The historic farm house has been damaged by neglect and storms, however is still owned and managed by the school district. The rent from the LIU lease is pledged for rebuilding the house according to historical codes which means you cannot pick up lumber at Home Depot. This is one of CCA's greatest accomplishments, because we saved our most historic farm in Commack.
Flower Pots
Commack will never be a village , but there are things that can be done to make it look like one. Perhaps you have noticed the wine barrel flower pots located on Jericho Turnpike east of Commack Road. The flower pots were placed on the side/front of White Castle and along the frontage of the Commack Motor Inn and adjacent to the bank next door. The flower pots are also located across the street in front/side of the Commack Corners Shopping area and the Commack Florist. These flower pots were provided by Smithtown Supervisor Ed Weirheim and are maintained by the Smithtown Parks and Recreation Department. The flower pots are usually placed in late April or early May and removed in October.
Suffolk County Police
-Recent meetings have been held regarding the bicycle packs organized by our young people to deliberately disturb traffic on major roads creating a dangerous environment for our residents. Ove the Summer, there have been several reports regarding this activity including approximately 100 plus bicyclers blocking Jericho Turnpike for 2 miles. Please have a conversation with your children to the dangers of being part of this activity as changes in the law are possibly coming soon.
We are not a political organization! We are volunteers trying to make a difference in our community. A membership campaign is underway. Our yearly membership is $20 . We do have guest speakers at our meetings. Although we are not political as previously mentioned, we do have politicians who have been invited to speak. However, both parties have to be present to do so. We do not favor any political party.