Friday, September 23, 2016
Vol. 93, No.4
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Cyber security PAGE 26 n Dead end? PAGE 22
More Garden City school sites contaminated with lead
GCHS HOMECOMING 2016
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND Following the announcement of lead contamination of drinking and faucet water at two Garden City Schools, the Middle School and Homestead School, at the Board of Education’s meeting on September 13, the school district has learned that multiple locations in the schools have tested positive for lead levels above state environmental standards. The announcement was made by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Feirsen at a meeting of the Western Property Owners Association on Tuesday at Homestead school. Two drinking fountains at Homestead had been previously identified as being contaminated with lead. At the WPOA meeting, School Board Vice President Tom Pinou told the audience that a second email has come back to the school district from the laboratory testing the water indicating the presence of lead at potable water locations in all schools except for Locust Elementary. He told residents these emails “indicated preliminary results.” “At Hemlock a faucet in the nurses’ office. Stratford also a faucet in the nurses’ office, plus one first-floor faculty room and one second-floor faculty room. At Stewart School we have a faucet in the nurses’ office and a faucet in teachers’ office. At the Middle School, a health office and a spigot that feeds into the outdoor facility for students that are practicing or playing on athletic fields. At Garden City High School it’s the See page 46
Sparks fly as committee Schools, Village fuel agreements approved presents building code ideas
Garden City High School held its annual Homecoming Parade enjoyed lovely late summer weather on September 17th. This year’s Homecoming King and Queen were Stephen Halvatzis and Jessie Harrison. See pages 66 and 67 for complete coverage.
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND At its meeting on Thursday, September 8 the Garden City Village Board of Trustees amended a resolution and voted in favor of fuel (gas and diesel) buying agreements with the Garden City Union Free School District, the Village of Mineola and the Village of Floral Park for municipal vehicles including police cars and fire chiefs’ SUVs. The moves comes as Garden City anticipates construction of its new Village
Yard gas pumps, a 2016-2017 budget capital project, to take place over the next six weeks as a start date of Monday September 12 was announced. Some past instances of fuel service agreements with neighboring municipalities lingered for discussion before the trustees came to this decision. Village Administrator Ralph Suozzi requested that one of the trustees make a motion to suspend the meeting rules and amend the agreement so that Floral
Park was not the primary fuel source, but also not excluded as a business partner. Trustee John DeMaro did so and his motion put plans in motion to cover fueling while the pumps are down. “We reached out to all three entities but received late word from the Village of Mineola and the Garden City school district late today (Thursday September 8) so it is not on the agenda. The motion to change the resolution will See page 46
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
As the year progresses into fall, work done by a special Mayor’s Committee on Building Code Changes appears to have reached a turning point. Ideas were set forth in a public presentation on Thursday, September 8, with committee Chairman James Bauer of Huntington Road taking the lead and delivering a PowerPoint to the Village Board of Trustees’ and a room of over 60 residents. Although no changes are determined to take effect yet, there’s much in terms of rebuttals, objections and discord from continuing from meetings at the start of 2016, when a moratorium on demolitions was rumored after several A.T. Stewart-era homes on the National Register of Historic Places were suggested to be replaced. The most glaring casualty remains 104 Sixth Street after the ADRB gave approval to demolish in May, and efforts to save the house structure from demolition fell short in July and August 1 saw it torn down. See page 47
St. Joseph’s School kicks off new year PAGES 52-53 Garden City remembers 9/11 victims PAGE 42