Vol. 5: May 2025 Edit page

27 May 2025

Dear Neighbors,

Before I begin the newsletter in earnest and in the proper sequential order, I need to share some important information regarding the current board nominations. The most significant news is listed directly below, and the rest of what you need to know is fleshed out in the “Other News” section of this newsletter. 

Here is the most timely information: THE DEADLINE TO DECLARE YOUR CANDIDACY ORTO NOMINATE SOMEONE ELSE TO A POSITION ON THE BOARD IS TONIGHT! 

However, if we don't have a full slate of candidates who are willing to run received by this evening, then THE DEADLINE TO NOMINATE YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE WILL BE EXTENDED TO MAY 30.

Unfortunately, many people didn’t notice the email that was sent regarding the “board nomination timeline” because it was included an email dated May 13, with the subject line that read, “A few updates to our meeting next week May 13th,” a meeting that concerned the by-laws. So basically, it’s time to rectify this situation. We need five people to fill the upcoming vacant seats on the board. Please step up to help by nominating yourself or someone who you think would do a good job serving. Directions to nominate yourself or someone else can be found below. (I am rushing to get this newsletter out the door, so please forgive me if it doesn’t read well, or if it contains typos.)

Now, on to the rest of the newsletter.

Here’s hoping this missive finds everyone happy and healthy!

Alison Berman is our Featured Neighbor of the month. She came to our home last week and was  interviewed by my husband, Mark Funkhouser. Funk loves learning the life stories of our neighbors and listening to their hopes and dreams for our community. 

On another note. Please reach out via this email if you’d like to be featured in our next newsletter. Funk is willing to interview you in your home, or have you come to our home or via a phone conversation—whatever is easiest for you. Or, if you’d prefer, you can respond to the questions and email them to me at the email address below. 

I edit each “featured neighbor” piece and then send it back for your approval before publishing it in the newsletter. I don’t want to take any chances that I miscommunicated something in your personal story.

ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE

I grew up in Bethpage and most of my friends still live on the island. We’ve been together for 50+ years. I’ve known them since I was 12, so, like going on 3 years now. Kidding aside, we get together often, typically rotating who hosts a party. Such was the case that Funk and I had everyone over for our annual Memorial Day Party this past weekend. The weather wasn’t as great as usual, so we sat around the bonfire all day eating and drinking instead of sitting at the tables I set up. All that work for nothing! As always, Doug helped me get the yard looking great. It’s so nice to have real neighbors again.

OTHER NEWS

a. Very Important! Five Board Nominations Needed

The current board is stepping down and we are electing five new board members: President, Vice President, At-Large, Secretary and Treasurer. 

A call for candidates in currently in progress. 

Eligibility: Member in good standing

Deadline to declare candidacy: TONIGHT, UNLESS WE DON’T RECEIVE A FULL SLATE OF CANDIDATES, THEN THE DEADLINE TO NOMINATE YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE WILL BE EXTENDED TO MAY 30.

To nominate yourself, email [email protected] with a brief statement of interest. OR, FILL OUT THE NOMINATION FORM BY CLICKING HERE: https://www.culrossdrive.org/p/Board-nominations

All candidate statements will be shared with members and posted online.

May 27 – Candidate Deadline: UNLESS WE DON’T HAVE A FULL SLATE OF CANDIDATES, THEN THE DEADLINE TO NOMINATE YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE WILL BE EXTENDED TO MAY 30.

Nominations close.

Confirm candidate eligibility.

Share final candidate list and statements with the community.

May 27 (OR MAY 30TH IF THE CANDIDATE DEADLINE IS EXTENDED) to June 6 – Voting Period

Electronic and proxy voting opens, per new bylaws.

Only members in good standing may vote.

Reminders will be sent via email and posted on CulrossDrive.org.

Saturday, 7 June – Annual Meeting & Vote Count

10:00 AM at the Culross Circle.

All votes (including verified proxies) will be counted.

Results will be certified and announced by the close of the meeting.

Additional news.

b. On May 13 we met as a community via Zoom to vote in the new by-laws. I called roll and then wrote down each person’s response regarding passing the proposed, updated by-laws: yay or nay. I was shocked at how many neighbors were on the Zoom! It was good to have strong involvement. 

The new by-laws passed by an overwhelming margin. I believe this is the first ratification of the by-laws since 1985.

c. A continued big thank you goes to Doug and Greg for keeping the ravine safe and easy to navigate for all of us.

To reply to this newsletter, please email: [email protected]

To receive my personal author newsletter: A humorous look at life, love, spirits & naked politics—Real talk, told from the point of view of an anxious mind, please click here: www.gloriasquitiro.com/subscribe

FEATURED NEIGHBOR

Alison Berman.

Where Do I Come From, About Me

I was the first child born to permanent residents on Culross. I felt it, too. There were no other kids to play with and all of the surrounding families always treated me like their own. I belonged to Culross and I suppose I still do. I wandered all over the place, but there were always eyes on me.

I grew up in house number 19 on Culross and stayed there until I left for college. As a little girl, I felt a lot of necessary group-family love, so to speak, from the neighbors when they were "out". In the summers, I spent a lot of time at #15 bleeding from my toe or my knees because I wasn't looking where I was going and was so excited to go to the "Minelli's" that I never looked and always hurt myself - I was a tomboy.  When I had to go home to "make" Gene would ask me if I was making coffee or tea. Warm memories of him and Mary and Vinny and Lenora. The small road we live on was, and always will be, the "dirt" road in my heart. I learned to ride my bike there, I caught many bugs there, and it was where I took my dogs to play every day. I developed a love of insects, particularly butterflies.

For undergraduate school I went to the university of Maryland where I earned a BS in molecular biology and genetics. I also worked in an entomology lab for two years studying caterpillars of moths and butterflies. Alas, I returned to the area after graduation, moved around locally for a while and eventually moved into number 17 Culross in 2011 as my forever home.

In 2012, I earned my master’s degree in forensic investigation simply because I love that field. For my day job, I am a microbiologist at a pharmaceutical company. I manage a laboratory and a team of 14 people. I suppose I like it because I’m still there after 16 years! I find the people you work with are sometimes more influential in how you feel about your job than the actual work that you do.

I’m an avid gardener and an animal lover. I live with three cats in my tiny little house (in fur, nonetheless). Every one of our pets (almost 50 years now) is buried on the property, whether at 17 or 19. It is, technically, a small pet cemetery with a lot of love. We even have a few close friends' beloved fur-babies and a random mystery cat which we buried in kindness for the neighbor... and then their cat came home. Do the math on that one.

I do enjoy a lot of television and movies.  It is a lot of work tending to my many gardens (individually there are over 12, at least - some small, some large). The past few years I have been greatly disappointed as the family of deer that love my yard have made a happy home, and happy meals! 

I have a video that my sister took of my gardens one year - she walked around my property and played music to it. I’d love to share that video in this newsletter, if possible. Many of the hobbies I used to enjoy are no longer physically possible, for one reason or another, and I don't go down to the beach as much as I should out of sheer exhaustion. I believe all the years of hunting for beach glass was essential to my cervical spine issues, but I digress.

I can be a sarcastic person and I tend to think I’m witty. I am very intelligent - both IQ and EQ. Being a manager of people, I have a special skillset. My staff are like children, but because they’re not my children, I can’t get rid of them!

I used to write a lot, mostly journaling in story form and poetry. Now, it's more likely that I'm simply talking to myself what it was that I formally wrote... but I make myself laugh because I can say really stupid things. That said, I can also be serious, but I try not to. I have a sister but no children other than those at work. They’re enough!

Why did I choose Culross?

My grandfather father bought number 17 in the early 70s and used it as a weekend hang out because my grandparents lived in the Bronx. Like many other residents, they came out on weekends but used to spend more time once retired fully. My grandfather loved the water, gardening, and bird watching - stuff you can do here but not as much in the Bronx. This is where I got my love of gardening and wildlife and photography. My father bought 19 (next to his parents) and after that he and my mother got married, I came along in 1977.

What do I love about Culross?

The environment. The wildlife. The BEACH GLASS!! - I have spent many hours collecting 100s of pounds of fully tossed genuine beach glass. In addition to that, I have a small collection of the special pieces of every color you'd never even think would turn up on a beach. Thank you, carnival glass of yore.

I like the water and that I’m far away from the street. It’s so quiet here that I can hear the birds. I can even hear the waves when I am inside my house! It’s a little tranquil piece of heaven. I had no year-round easterly neighbors for quite some time because they rarely came out. Most of the houses sat empty during the winters and beginning of spring on what we called the dirt road. When I was very young I learned a bad habit from grandma - pick everyone's daffodils and tulips and hyacinths in the spring... because no one was there to enjoy them and they'd all be dead by the time the neighbors would come out.  Plus, no one cared about a little blond 6-year-old child picking their flowers. I promise I don't do that anymore, but I sure as hell think about it. HAHA

There are a lot more permanent residents now, but back when I was growing up, it was only older people who could afford to buy a summer home here. That’s why everyone was about the same age and nowhere near mine! I have lots of old 2-minute black and white polavision videos from our days on the beach and the yard. Back then it was what we did.

What I’d like to see changed.

I’m not a fan of speeding on our road - I’m always afraid that someone’s pet will get run over. I also have never witnessed the tension that is currently on this block in the 48 yrs I've lived here. I don’t know what happened, but it doesn’t feel good and I’d prefer to see everyone getting along.

I’d also love to build a second story on my house so that I can watch the sunset and sunrise. By the time the 4th of July rolls around, I can’t see anything from the house because the trees block my view on both sides. 

What has changed

There are only some houses here (in my specific area) that haven’t been added onto or redone in some way. My home is one of them and also my neighbors Lenora and Bill at number 15. We are still in the quaint little log cabins that were original to the area - I even still sport the terrible looking brown log siding that really... has to go?

Over the years, due to tree removals for property improvement or safety, it is a lot more bare and sunny than it used to be, but all the trees that I climbed as a kid are gone now. Where Angelo lives, there was a huge tree right in the center of the lawn that we used to play on. There was a tire swing on a tree at number 15 that we also played on. There were no fences back then, each property flowed into another property. Who knows where the property lines really are!

In summary. I have a single-story tiny house and a much bigger two-story property. I tend it all with my own hands except that I pay someone to mow the lawn once a week and a spring clean up once a year. I really do want a second story on my house. It’s just never the right time.

But on Culross what's not to love, there's no place like home. FACTS.

The Photo: Pretty little Alison on our gorgeous private beach.