The Garden City News (3/21/25)

N ASSAU C OUNTY C HAMPIONS

The Garden City Girls’ Indoor Track and Field team clinched the 2025 Nassau County Class B Championship on February 5, at St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington. This is the first time the team clinched the title in over 10 years. See page 52

Questions on finances dominate special meeting on St. Paul’s

BY RIKKI MASSAND

Conflicts and concerns over the costs, tax impacts, and operating expenses tied to the historic St. Paul’s main building were raised two weeks ago during a special Board of Trustees meeting on March 8. The Saturday meeting lasted over three hours and covered every aspect of the project lead-

ing up to the release of the St. Paul’s Survey, which residents will receive in the mail soon.

In his opening presentation, Trustee Vinny Muldoon noted that regardless of the specific project ultimately set for St. Paul’s – following the residents’ input and most likely, a referendum – the building would have to be kept heated, kept lit, and well-maintained,

and that translates to ongoing maintenance expenses for the building For project cost estimations, the village’s team has researched much of the potential operating costs involved.

Financial overview

Garden City Treasurer Irene Woo followed Capital Markets Advisors Richard Tortora’s

See page 36

Village considers financing options for St. Paul’s

BY RIKKI MASSAND

The second St. Paul’s Town Hall, hosted by the village trustees on Saturday, March 8, at the Garden City Senior Center, featured information from professional services firms, including the village’s bond counsel and financial advisors. The discussion focused on the potential cost impacts of a project involving the historic St. Paul’s main building. Richard Tortora from Capital Markets Advisors shared details about the financial implications of placing a project exceeding $50 million on the village’s accounts.

From bond counsel Hawkins Delafield & Wood LLP, attorney Bob Smith discussed conditions around the requirements for issuance of general obligation bonds (once a project is decided on) such as a bond resolution, holding a referendum, and approval of the bond sale.

“Two major types of bonds are issued by governments – general obligations (of the issuer, pledged against faith in credit of the Village of Garden City). There is a Constitutional mandate to pay down debt service; mostly municipal revenue comes from property taxes but that does not have to be property taxes – it

See page 37

Village Election Results

The Garden City Village Election was held Tuesday, March 18, at the St. Paul’s Field House. The following results include absentee and early mail ballots: Mayor – Two-Year Term: Edward T. Finneran 824 votes

Trustee – Two-Year Term: Michele Beach Harrington 789 votes

Trustee – Two-Year Term: Richard Catalano 799 votes

Trustee – Two-Year Term: Yvonne Varano 783 votes

Village Justice – Four-Year Term: Allen S. Mathers 762 votes

Congratulations to the members of the Garden City Board of Trustees who were re-elected on Tuesday. Although the candidates ran unopposed, they made an effort to reach out to residents before the election so that residents could make their views on the issues known.

Although the trustee positions on the village and school boards are unpaid (to satisfy state law the Village Justice gets paid a nominal sum - last we heard it was a dollar). But all of these positions require as much work as a full time job, on top of the trustees’ real jobs and family commitments.

On top of that, since the jobs are in the public eye, the trustees are subject

to public comments and criticism, along with accolades when things go well.

So we’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the men and women who work to make the village and schools great. We may not always agree with you, but we do respect your hard work and dedication to making Garden City better.

And to those who came out to the polls to vote, thank you too. Participation in local government—whether through voting or running for office—helps ensure that decisions are made by those with a genuine stake in the community’s future.

Now let’s see if we can get St. Paul’s resolved in the next year!

A reversal of fortune

To the Editor:

Wednesday’s village election saw a stunning turnaround: the POA’s CAP candidates had roughly 3000 votes; FABGC had no candidates listed on the ballot, but did receive 55 write-in votes. Amazing, you say? Incredible. Just a few years ago, the POA’s candidates were reviled as manipulative, self-serving, not transparent and not reflective of the wishes of the people of Garden City, since they achieved their position on the BOT by rotation (the mayor) and back-room politics. FABGC, under the leadership of Don MacLeod, was the bold and welcome antidote to the antiquated “Gentlemen’s Agreement”. Cosmo Veneziale, the first FABGC mayoral candidate, promised change, was elected in a landslide and proved to be one of the finest leaders GC has ever had - taking a no-nonsense approach to addressing (among many important topics) the question of “What to do with St. Paul’s?”

What happened? MacLeod, who views himself as a kingmaker, had his vision for St. Paul’s (facadism, with a steel and glass carbuncle on the backside of the National Register of Historic Places treasure that is St. Paul’s). Anyone who disagrees is banished and reviled. Mayor Veneziale is his own man and did what he promised he’d do; he listened to the residents, formed The Mayor’s Committee on St. Paul’s, and was attacked relentlessly by the FABGC machine. The next FABGC mayor, who will be leaving office to make way for Ed Finneran, was nothing but MacLeod’s mouthpiece.

All the while, the POA’s were taking stock, understanding there had been a sea change in the village. CAP candidates got out and campaigned, knocking on doors and staging many, many conversations to share goals and LISTEN. They are a diverse lot, with really impressive credentials. Their enthusiasm for actually wanting to get important things done in the village is

palpable.

Garden City, we are lucky to have all eight of what will be the new BOT. Francine Ryan

Reality check (Part 2)

To the Editor:

In thinking about the letter last week written by a resident who has spent 37 years in COMMERCIAL construction and who has managed complicated UNION projects, (a different animal than non-union projects), and his prediction that the St Paul’s projects could/would cost at least 100% more than Trustee Muldoon’s undocumented “ballpark” numbers, I thought I’d describe how badly a project like this can go. https://www.gcnews.com/ articles/reality-check/ $90,000,000 and still not halfway finished. The 12-24 month project that the Alliance Leader repeatedly boasted of is in its fourth year. The Village finds structural damage that could not be foreseen before construction started. Change orders are a daily event. Somedays dozens. They need to be paid or work stops. Other unpredictable events happen. President Trump raises tariffs to 100% on Chinese steel. A different strain of Covid returns, but is quickly suppressed so construction is only halted for 9 months, but interest payment on the bonds still need to be made during this period, or any other period of delay. The solar panel efficiency is only 8% due to the Chinese solar panels being of poor quality so the payoff period stretches from 10 years to forever. Bob Catell, now in Florida, suggests geothermal from Miami. A well-intentioned personal “guarantee”, repeatedly stated on film by a particular BOT member, “guaranteeing” to get the project done on time and on budget is out the window in the face of Covid, union problems, unexpected tariffs and daily picketing by Bob Wolff, Bob Orosz and George Salem. Residents wonder why that Trustee’s “guarantee” is not covering the overages.

Garden City celebrates milestone with POA event

The Garden City POAs (Property Owner’s Associations) continued their continued commitment to sharing the incredible history of our Village with a recent event celebrating the 150th anniversary of the GC Hotel.  The Senior Center was abuzz with activity as residents gathered to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Hotel, known for its historical significance and timeless charm.  The event continued to celebrate the deep-rooted heritage of Garden City through another successful POA event, with almost 200 in attendance.

The evening was a delightful blend of historical reflections and culinary tales. The event featured a visual display that chronicled the fascinating history of Garden City's four hotels. Attendees were treated to a journey through time, observing the evolution of the four Hotels across the years. A highlight of the evening were some actual outfits worn during various eras, including an actual GC Hotel Bellhop uniform lent to the POAs by the Historical Society.

A definite highlight was the presentation by the renowned hotel chef David Burke. His presence added a touch of distinction to the event, as he shared stories and insights from his illustrious career in the hospitality industry. Chef Burke ’ s presentation was met with enthusiasm and admiration, further elevating the evening ’ s festivities.

The POA event not only celebrated

the 150th anniversary of the Garden City Hotel but also reinforced the POAs commitment to preserving and honoring the Village’s rich history.

Recent POA events have included a celebration of Olive Tjaden (architect of GC), a history of Aviation in the

Village and “Horses and Courses”, sharing the stories of horse racing and golfing in the Village. Each event has reflected the POAs commitment as the oldest civic organization in the Village, dedicated to sharing the stories and history of the Village with all residents.

A special part of the evening (which was free to all residents) were the wonderful contributions from local restaurants. As always, Garden City is lucky to have a strong Chamber and local businesses who believe in supporting our Village. Those who donated to this event include Garden City Pizza, Key Food Marketplace, Garden City Bistro, Town Meat Market, Seventh Street Gourmet , Tony’s Tacos, Seventh Street Café, Kinha Sushi, Pantanos Doz Bagels, Iavarone Brothers, PRIME Fine Catering, and Orchid.

The POA event  proved to be a resounding success, offering a perfect blend of historical commemoration and culinary tales. The celebration of the Garden City Hotel's 150th anniversary was a reminder of our storied past and bright future, leaving everyone looking forward to the next milestone.

How Much Is My Home Worth?

Our Custom Home Value Report provides you with the information you need to get a better idea of what your home might be worth given current market conditions. Your report will supply details on: Buyer Demand | Statistical Data | Nearby Homes for Sale

Scan the QR code and enter an address to get up to three estimates of your home’s value today.

Chef David Burke shared stories about food and the Garden City Hotel.

Home Happens Here

4 Main Avenue

Open House Sunday, March 23rd 1-3pm

Discover the perfect blend of classic charm and modern convenience in this 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath Colonial home, situated in the Estates section of the village. Step into a warm and inviting family room with fireplace that seamlessly connects to a spacious eat-in kitchen, designed for effortless entertaining and daily living. The home features generously sized bedrooms, including a primary suite with a private bath. Nearby train access and two parks just moments away.

Offered at $1,219,000

Dana Eaton Kate Crofton Denise Donlon

Patricia Aprigliano Susan Bashian Andrea Bharucha Suzanne Blair Liz Breslin Barbara Chmil Deirdre Albertson

Arlene Conigliaro Roberta Clark Colleen Ciullo

Cheryl Adams McAuliffe

Maribeth Quinn

Sean R. McCoyd Jayne McGratty Armstrong Roseanne McMahon Barbara Moore

Patricia O'Grady

Julie O’Neill

Rita Paiewonsky Louisa Pironi Jill Palmeri

Tony Leondis

Bill Eckel

Sharon Redmond

Anny Ko

Howard Hanna|Coach Realtors’

Theanne

GCHS names top students of Class of 2025

Seniors Jeffrey Li and Hunter Maguire were named valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, for the Garden City High School Class of 2025. These two outstanding students have demonstrated academic excellence while actively participating in numerous clubs, activities and the greater school community.

Throughout his time at Garden City High School, Jeffrey, who has a 102.83 GPA, has taken nine AP classes in addition to self-studying two more. Jeffrey was a national finalist for the United States Earth Science Olympiad and qualified for their training camp, earned medals through the Long Island Math Fair and was recognized with a gold medal from the National Spanish Exam. He is the president of the Aviation Club, president and founder of the Geography Club, vice president of the math team and vice president of the Science Olympiad, where he has competed for almost six years. Additionally, Jeffrey has played the piano for 11 years, competing in numerous related competitions while attending music school on the weekends and playing at his church.

Jeffrey will be attending Carnegie Mellon University in the fall to pursue engineering.

“I’m grateful to be named the valedictorian of Garden City High School and I am even more thankful to have had the opportunities, friends and teachers supporting me for the last four years,” said Jeffrey. “I will look forward to the next four years of college and beyond and I am proud to have had four years surrounded by the best people I know.”

Jeffrey advises others to take the time in high school to develop their ideas and discover their path at their own pace, and to stay true to themselves rather than conforming to others’ expectations.

Salutatorian Hunter Maguire, who has a GPA of 102.72, has taken 13 AP classes while at Garden City High School. He is the editor-in-chief of the school’s literary magazine, Inkspots, and co-editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, ECHO. He has earned three gold keys, four silver keys and eight honorable mentions for his poetry through the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Hunter is the co-president of the Science Olympiad, student researcher for the Garcia Summer Scholars Program and the president of Envirothon, where he worked alongside Jeffrey to place second twice in the Long Island Regional. He has earned awards from the school’s English and science departments for the past three years, was a presenter at the 2024 Materials Research Society fall meeting and exhibit and earned first class distinction for the NCTE 2024 Achievement Awards in Writing. Hunter plans to double major in English and science next fall.

“I’m incredibly honored to be named the salutatorian of Garden City High School,” said Hunter. “This honor is a real validation of my hard work over the last four years which have been challenging and amazing in equal measure. This is an honor I will take throughout my life, and I am excited to represent our community at graduation and beyond.”

Garden City High School valedictorian Jeffrey Li and salutatorian Hunter Maguire

Photo courtesy of the Garden City School District

Sponsors sought for Easter Vintage Car Parade

For the 70th year, the Chamber of Commerce Annual Easter Sunday Vintage Car Parade kicks off on Sunday, April 20, at the new start time of 12:00 p.m.

The parade will step off on Franklin Avenue at Tenth Street with antique, classic and special interest cars throughout the metropolitan area expected to participate in the lineup.

Spectators are welcome to preview the hundreds of magnificent vintage car vehicles at the staging area in Parking Field 9E on Franklin Avenue between Ninth and Tenth Streets from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. when the parade begins. The procession of cars will head south on Franklin and west on Seventh Street to Hilton Avenue where it will disperse.

Various sponsorships providing many benefits are available. The Chamber gratefully acknowledges our past sponsors and encourages anyone who would like to participate as

a sponsor to contact the Chamber of Commerce at 516-746-7724 or visit www. GardenCityChamber.com. This is a great opportunity for a block, a local team, a Cub, Boy or Girl Scout Troop, a school or any group to get together a support this nostalgic Garden City tradition! Please include any logo you’d like the Chamber to use on the website!

The Chamer asks that you to patronize its sponsors, without whom the Chamber of Commerce would not be able to offer the programs it does to the business community and the general public. Special thanks this past week to:  TCBY, Lou Fernandez: Allstate Insurance, Landscaping By Lutz, Combined Resources Consulting & Design, Inc., Barnwell House of Tires, The French Workshop, Paul’s Auto Collision, The Law Office of Marc A. Paz, P.C., Ethan Allen, Tap Room and, opening soon at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Seventh Street, Dog Club.

• Personal and professional service.

• Regular updates on the status of your case.

• No upfront fees.

• No chance of increased taxes based on filing.

• No home inspection required.

9 GCHS students named Natl. Merit Finalists

Nine Garden City High School students have been named among the 15,000 National Merit Scholarship finalists for the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program. These students are Soham Bera, Mannat Jain, Jeffrey Li, Hunter Maguire, Simone Oustatcher, Daniel Shohdy, Amy Xiao, Lynn Yang and Alicia Zhang.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is a prestigious competition that recognizes students based on their academic achievement demonstrated through the Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The finalists will compete for 6,870 National Merit Scholarships totaling nearly $26 mil-

lion.

“We are so proud of our students who have been named National Merit Scholarship Finalists,” said Dr. Kusum Sinha, superintendent of the Garden City School District. “This is an incredible achievement that speaks to their hard work, dedication and love of learning. Their success reflects not only their own efforts but also the support of their families, teachers and our school community. We celebrate this well-earned recognition and look forward to seeing all they accomplish in the future.”

The National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced during the spring and summer of this year.

EPOA scholarship 2025

The Eastern Property Owners’ Association has announced that it will once again award a $1000 scholarship for 2025 to a graduating high school senior who resides in the Eastern section.

The candidates, or their family, must be dues paying members of the EPOA.  They must be currently attending public or private high school and plan to attend college full time in the fall.  The focus of this scholarship is community

service.

Candidates need to submit an application which can be accessed from the EPOA website at www.gcepoa.org or obtained from the Garden City High School Guidance Department.  Should you have a question, you can call Barbara Garry at 516-248-1486. All interested, eligible seniors are encouraged to apply.  The deadline for applications is April 16, 2025.

Nine Garden City High School students were named finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program. Photo courtesy of the Garden City School District

Town holds STOP program

Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin assisted Chris Albert of Garden City as he participated in the Town of Hempstead Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (S.T.O.P.) Program on March 8, 2025 at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow. This program allows residents to dispose of harmful pollutants — such as antifreeze, drain cleaners and pesticides — in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY SPECIALS

Dine-in only! Available in the dining room and at the bar.

GRIMALDI’S PARTY PACKAGES

$32/person • 3-hour package

Coffee • Tea • Soda

Mixed Green Salad/Caesar Salad Antipasto/Tomato & Mozzarella Assorted Pinwheels

One Large Calzone per Table Unlimited Pizza w/ Toppings

$35/person - +Pasta Course

$40/person - +Chicken/Eggplant Entrée

$24/person - Beer/Wine Package

$34/person - Open Bar Package

11:30AM–4PM. Starting at $32/person. Call for details. Holidays excluded.

HAPPY HOUR Mon–Thu, 11:30 AM–4 PM At the Bar Only

Garden City Real Estate Market Information

138 Chestnut Street

RECENT REAL ESTATE SALES IN GARDEN CITY

The information about the homes and the photos were obtained through the Multiple Listing Services of Long Island. The homes presented were selected based solely on the fact that they were recently sold.

Date: 03/12/2025

Sold price: $1,460,000

5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 1 half bath

Architectural Style: Split level

Property Size: .17 acres

Annual taxes: $20,447

MLS number: 810796

The Seller’s Team: Jennifer Sullivan, Compass Greater NY

The Buyer’s Team: Mairead Garry, Compass Greater NY

This beautifully expanded 5 bedroom and 3.5 bath Split style home boasts a generous 3040 square feet of living space on a 60x125 lot, making it the perfect canvas for your family’s dreams. The layout of this home flows wonderfully. The main level features a living room with gas fireplace, a spacious dining room with oversized bay window and high ceilings, open kitchen with center island and separate eating area, an enormous 32’x18’ family room with sliders to patio, a powder room and a 1st floor bedroom with full bathroom. Upstairs, discover the exceptional master bedroom suite complete with renovated bathroom with glass shower, tub, water closet, separate sun-lit sitting room to relax and beautiful bedroom with vaulted ceiling and 3 double closets. 3 additional bedrooms and 1 additional full bathroom complete this level. Additional highlights include: attached 1 car garage, basement with laundry, utility area & excellent storage, 5 zones of heat, 2 zones of CAC, new hot water heater, new whole house water purification system & close proximity to school and neighborhood park. The size, the property and the sought after location of beautiful Chestnut Street truly make this a special place to call home!

Date: 03/07/2025

Sold price: $1,180,000

3 bedrooms, 3 full bath Architectural Style: Ranch Property size: .21 acres Annual taxes: $19,026

MLS number: 805255

The Seller’s Team: Long Yinn Liau, Selected First Realty Corp.

The Buyer’s Team: Yu Ruth Yin, Selected First Realty Corp.

This is a stunning opportunity to live well inside one of the more sought after locations in Garden City. A stones throw to the Garden City country club and inside one of the more dynamic school districts in the area. The home is a single family detached ranch style, oversized 90x100 property. New kitchen and new bath and more.

This informational page is sponsored by Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Houses featured on this page were sold by various real estate agencies

108 Tanners Pond Road

We bring a unique perspective to the table, blending traditional values with modern expertise. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or a seasoned investor, we are dedicated to providing personalized service tailored to your needs. When you choose our Mother/Son team, you gain a partner who truly understands the importance of long-term success and building a legacy for generations to come.

Pink Floyd tribute band to perform under the moon

c.516.972.8389

Matthew Minardi Real Estate Salesperson Gold Circle of Excellence matthewminardi@danielgale.com

c.516.456.3091

Garden City Office 102 7th Street, Garden City, NY 516.248.6655 | danielgale.com

The Pink Floyd tribute band "Us and Floyd" will perform under the Museum of the Moon sculpture in the Cathedral.

A unique fusion of music, art, and craft beer will transform the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City into an unforgettable experience for one night only.

On Saturday, April 26, “ Us and Floyd, ” Long Island ’ s premiere Pink Floyd tribute band, will perform beneath artist Luke Jerram ’ s stunning 20-foot illuminated Museum of the Moon sculpture, which will hang high in the cathedral. Doors open at 7 p.m..

“ This event represents a truly special convergence of art, music, and community, ” said Dean Michael Sniffen of the Cathedral. “ Having the Museum of the Moon installation coincide with an unbelievable live music experience creates a magical atmosphere that celebrates both the spiritual and artistic heritage of our cathedral. ”

The evening will also feature craft beers from six celebrated Long Island breweries, including Somerset Brewing Company, Barrier Brewing

Company, Lunchbox Brewing Company, South Shore Craft Brewery, Jones Beach Brewing Company, and Small Craft Brewery as the inaugural “Cathedral Local Brewery Festival.” Tickets are $50 and include both the show and libations. The link for tickets can be found on our Moon as Sacred Mirror program website www. incarnationgc.org/moon or by email ing connect@incarnationgc.org “ with the community in such a distinc tive setting, Somerset Brewing Company in West Hempstead.

get to enjoy locally brewed beer while listening to Pink Floyd under a giant moon in a historic cathedral.

This event is part of the larger “ Moon as Sacred Mirror which includes a gala dinner/dance on May 2, yoga sessions, guided tours, and family activities. Please visit the Cathedral website for more informa tion.

The Knights of Columbus #15809 at St Joseph’s Church in Garden City is pleased to offer the community the AAA Driver Defensive Driving Course. The course will be held on Saturday April 5, 2025 - 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the St. Joseph’s Church, LL St Agnes Room, Garden City. Call for directions. Upon completion of this course, Participants are eligible

for 10% off their motor vehicle insur ance for three years and/or a reduc tion of points from their driver’s license. The fee for the course is $55 per person and advance registration is required. To register and for more information, please contact: Louie Malave 631-398-8922 or John Russo 516-384-4552

Photo by Jennie Gibson

THANK YOU, GARDEN CITY!

Thank you to everyone who donated, volunteered, poll watched, made calls, sent texts or emails, but most of all.....thank you to EVERYONE who voted. We will work hard for all of you.

We encourage everyone to get involved in your POA. Attend or Zoom the Board of Trustee Meetings. Join a committee. Do wnload MyGardenCity. Please become involved!

We invite you all to our installation at the BoT Meeting on Monday, April 7th at 7:30PM.

Mayor-elect Finneran, Trustee Harrington and Trustees-elect Catalano and Varanno

Garden City real estate, reimagined.

Laura Baymack

Lauren Grima Lic. RE Salesperson Principal Agent

Pedro “Pete” Diaz

Athena Menoudakos

RE Salesperson Founding Agent Alexander G. Olivieri Lic. RE Salesperson Founding Agent

Patrick M. McCooey

Maureen Lagarde

Alexandra Parisi Lic. Assoc. RE Broker Founding Agent

Lauren Canner Lic. RE Salesperson Laura Carroll Team

Catherine Anatra

Demetrios Arnidis

Kathy Thornton

Jennifer Sullivan

Danielle Nero Lic. RE Salesperson Laura Carroll Team

Daniel Niebler Lic. RE Salesperson Baymack Team

Kate Russo Lic. RE Salesperson Laura Carroll Team

Julie Whicher Lic. RE Salesperson Baymack Team

Christina M. Hirschfield

Team

Susan Gillin Lic. RE Salesperson Jen Sullivan Team

Adrienne McDougal

Team

Ryan Mullins Lic. RE Salesperson Jen Sullivan Team

Frank Morabito

RE Salesperson Pete Diaz Team

Amanda Keller

Kerry Flynn

Denice Giacometti Lic. RE Salesperson McCooey Olivieri Team

Mairead Garry Lic. RE Salesperson McCooey Olivieri Team

Carolyn Fowler

Alyson B. Esposito

Team

Chelsea Costello Lic. RE Salesperson Laura Carroll Team

Matthew Heaney

5

List this spring with the #1 brokerage in Garden City.* Reach out to connect to a Garden City agent.

Women’s Health Care of Garden City committed to personalized care

By John L. Gomes, MD

John L. Gomes, MD, founded Women’s Health Care of Garden City in 1995. It has remained an independent private practice, providing personalized obstetrical and gynecological services.

He employs the technical advances of conventional medicine with an integrative approach to navigate women through difficult pregnancies into the menopausal years. He treats a wide variety of OB/GYN conditions and is dedicated to providing the highest quality of care.

All tests are conveniently done on the premises, and a dedicated, compassionate staff is on call 24/7.

He is committed to excellence in patient communication, education and support, as many patients come with anxiety associated with past experiences and future concerns.

Dr. Gomes received his undergraduate degree from Brown University, and his Doctor of Medicine from Columbia University.

He is both Board Certified and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Women’s Health Care of Garden City is located at 1000 Franklin Avenue, Suite 200, Garden City.

On Being Irish American

BY BOB MORGAN, JR.

On Monday, I marched in the St. Patrick's Day parade in Manhattan as a member of the Irish Business Organization of New York, a group that promotes business and social ties among Irish and Irish American business people in the metropolitan area. Earlier in the day I went to the morning mass celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan at St. Patrick's Cathedral. And, following the parade march was a party with Irish music and dance, all of the traditional Irish food offerings like corned beef and shepherd's pie, and, yes, traditional Irish libations like Guiness and Jameson's whiskey.

All of this Irish celebration this week reminded me that I have only infrequently discussed my IrishAmerican background in the 30 years that I've written this column.  Still, that heritage is an important part of my life and my outlook over the years.  I guess it is also relevant that my longtime lady friend, Regina, was born in County West Meath, Ireland, and she, too has become very important to me.  So, at the risk of being self-indulgent, a few thoughts about being Irish American and how it has affected my life.

To be clear, I am not 100% of Irish descent. Of my eight great grandparents, five were born in Ireland, two in Germany, and one in Scotland. Accordingly, I guess I could be considered 5/8 Irish.

My mother's Irish parents, however, played a disproportionate role in my early life. My father worked extremely hard in the newspaper business, and my mother absolutely needed help in raising our growing family. So five days a week at least one of her parents, and frequently both, came over to our place to help.

My grandmother was born in County Tipperary.  She mostly did domestic work in Ireland and England, but decided to come here in 1912; she tried to get tickets for the Titanic maiden voyage, but was (briefly) disappointed when it sold out. My grandfather came here from County Galway in 1906, and worked hard on a variety of blue collar

jobs like trolley driver and brewery worker.   They met here and married in 1918. My mother, the second child, came along in 1924.    Neither my grandmother nor my grandfather had much formal schooling, but they were both were avid newspaper readers, and valued education. Both of their children graduated college, including my mother, at a time that this was pretty unusual for a woman.

I had great experiences with my grandparents, who remained in good health and lived into their 80’s. My grandfather in particular used to take the kids for long walks in which he would be telling us stories about the old days, including life on the farm in Ireland. He and I watched numerous games together on television I always remember he and my grandmother  enjoying their tea during lunchtime.

At least during my lifetime, Irish Americans have been on a considerably upward socioeconomic path. While overt discrimination was pretty much a thing of the past by the 1950s, Irish Americans were still not well represented in the very top echelons of business or finance, at white shoe law firms, or at Harvard or Yale.  Many Irish-Americans, and Catholics generally, thought it prudent to educate their children in Catholic schools, sometimes all the way through college. In 1960, many Irish American Catholics, including my parents, decided to vote for John F. Kennedy for President, at least in part to break the barrier against Catholics occupying the White House. Things did get better for the Irish by the 70’s and 80’s as the community gained in wealth and social status.

Even though Ireland is a small country, Irish and Irish Americans have always punched well above their weight in cultural areas like books, poetry and the theatre.  Many Irish have a lyrical, almost poetic method of expressing themselves.

Obviously, there are many great nationalities and cultural heritages, but I do feel fortunate to be an Irish American.

NEW TO MARKET

82 WYATT ROAD

GARDEN CITY

3 BEDROOMS

1.5 BATHROOMS

$1,190,000

OPEN HOUSE

SATURDAY 3/22 & & SUNDAY 3/23, 1–3 PM

Jen Sullivan

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Founding Agent of Compass Garden City Member of Luxury Division jennifer.sullivan@compass.com M: 516.361.7190

Welcome to 82 Wyatt Road, a charming stone and brick Colonial featuring three bedrooms, one and a half baths and located in the heart of the sought after Mott section of Garden City. The main level features a welcoming vestibule, spacious living room with wood burning fireplace, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen with windows overlooking lovely backyard, den/office and powder room. Upstairs, you will find the large primary bedroom, full hallway bath and two additional guest bedrooms. The entire interior of this Colonial home has been newly painted. Other highlights include: beautiful hardwood floors, detached 2 car garage, wonderful curb appeal, close proximity to park and schools and LOW taxes! Don’t miss this opportunity to make this quintessential Mott home your own.

Annual World Language Badminton Tournament

On March 12, Garden City High School successfully hosted their third annual World Language Badminton Tournament, bringing students together for a great cause. Students from German, Italian, Latin and Spanish language classes, clubs and honor societies played in the tournament and volunteered to assist at the event. Proceeds from the fundraiser were donated to the World Central Kitchen, an organization dedicated to providing meals for people in need worldwide.

This year, the tournament had 60 competitors and over 25 additional students who contributed by managing the bake sale, set up, refereeing and volunteering. Together, their efforts raised more than $800—the highest total in the event's history.

The tournament followed GCHS’s World Language Week, which was filled with engaging activities including daily trivia, morning music and international cuisine served in the school cafeteria.

“The World Language Badminton Tournament, which began three years ago, is a great way for GCHS students to come together for a good cause,” said Mr. Mike Berg and Ms. Kathleen Durkin, Garden City High School language teachers who coordinated the event ng with ENL lead and world language teacher Toni Gutiérrez. “The GCHS World Language Department is committed to showing students that words and deeds go together in being a part of the global community.”

Photos courtesy of the Garden City School District

Garden City High School students participated in the World Language Badminton Tournament.

Garden City High School students at the World Language Badminton Tournament.

The winners of the World Language Badminton Tournament.

Garden City PTA News

Everyone enjoyed bowling at Family Fun Day.

Save the Dates!

Grab your calendar and mark down these important upcoming dates across the school district. Keep an eye on the PTA website and the GCUFSD website “Events” page for even more detail on what’s happening across all seven schools.

• March 26 - GC PTA Annual Fundraising Dinner

• March 28 - Middle School

PTA/Septa Family Bingo Night Family Fun Day!

GC Kids didn’t “spare” any smiles at AMF lanes for Family Fun Day!  Children of all ages had a blast bowling and playing fun arcade games with friends. Many thanks to the PTA Family Fun Committee for organizing this free event (and keeping the kiddos busy for a few hours on a day off)!

Nominate Yourself for the PTA Executive Board!

The PTA’s nominating committee is now accepting nominations for open positions on the PTA Executive Committee for the 2025–2026 school year.  Upcoming positions include PresidentElect, Secretary, Treasurer, School Directors for HS, Stewart, Stratford, and Hemlock.  Nominations are welcome through March 26.  Nominate yourself or someone you know who would be great at gardencitypta.org/ nominating .

PARP Pen Pal Program (Grades K–5)

The PTA PARP Committee is thrilled to reintroduce the Garden City Pen Pal Program for 2025!  Students from different Garden City schools will be

Getting ready for some strikes!

matched according to grade and will send a written letter to their assigned pen pal in the mail. This activity is completely optional (but we hope you will opt in!).  If you would like your child to participate, please complete the form sent to you through email by March 31st.  Students will receive their pen pal matches before spring break, and are asked to send their letters by April 30th.  We look forward to helping kids connect with a love of letters, language, and reading!

Get Your SPORTSWEAR !!

The spring PTA sportswear fundraiser began 3/1. Grab all new GC pride gear for grandparents, parents, students, pets and more! Scan the QR code to start shopping or go to https://gcptas25.itemorder.com/shop/sale/

Love to write?

Your Membership Matters!

Please take a minute today to visit www.gardencitypta.org if you have not yet joined the GC PTA for the 2024–25 school year. While there, click the “Get Involved” tab to see the many volunteer opportunities with the PTA overall, and with your child’s specific schools. We can’t wait to work with you!

Let’s Connect @GardenCityPTA

Website: www.gardencitypta.org

To Get Real Time InformationTurn on Notifications

Facebook: Facebook.com/ GardenCityPTA

Instagram: Instagram.com/ GardenCityPTA

Twitter: Twitter.com/ GardenCityPTA

We’re looking for writers in our community to compose ar ticles on local topics, opinions, reviews, worthy places to visit on Long Island, and even pieces of fiction. We aim to feature at least one new article and writer each week in our Discovery magazine section.

Email submissions: editor@gcnews.com

• Attach article and any photos (1MB), along with your name and contact info.

• Articles must be between 1,500 - 3,000 words. • Each writer will be reimbursed a stipend of $25.⁰⁰

Our third annual Casino Night event was a huge success!

Thank you for your continued support.

OUR MISSION IS URGENT. Join us at our upcoming events to support young children living in our most under-resourced communities.

GOLF & TENNIS OUTING

MONDAY, JUNE 2

CHERRY VALLEY CLUB

Fall Ball

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21

THE GARDEN CITY HOTEL

ALA Unit 265 brings girl scout cookies to Marines

In the interst of remembering our stateside troops and supporting our local girl scouts, Garden City’s ALA Unit 265 delivered girl scout cookies to the Stewart Avenue Marine Base.

Cookies were purchase by the unit from Ava Armieari, of Garden City’s Daisy Scout Troop #1258 and Brownie, Dakota Beltran.

Armieri, Unit vice president (grandma) with Ava Armieri and Jacqueline Eltringham, Unit president.

THI S WEEK AT ROTARY

New Ground’s Shannon Boyle, LCSW To Speak Next Tuesday

Next Tuesday, March 25, 12:15 at Mineola’s Davenport Press restaurant, Mineola-Garden City Rotary will be so pleased to welcome back Shannon Boyle, LCSW, Executive Director of New Ground, the charitable organization that provides social work and educational services that work with families and veterans to help break the cycle of homelessness on Long Island.

Shannon, who holds her MSW from Boston College has returned to Rotary several times over the years to report the current efforts and achievements of New Ground throughout the years since its founding in 1991. Rotary supports New Ground having held a successful food drive to help fulfill one of its current needs.

New Ground maintains that the key to break the cycle of homelessness is not only to provide short-time assistance to homeless families and veterans, but also to work at eliminating its root causes so those individuals can become and remain self-supporting. For those who so dearly need assistance, New Ground provides services in finances, education, employment and more, while searching and ultimately securing permanent and stable housing.

In addition to obtaining her MSW from Boston College School of Social Work, Shannon Boyle went on to receive a B.A. from Boston College as Sociology Major and Women’s Studies Minor in the Pre-Medicine Program. She had achieved honors to include Magna Cum Laude, Deans List, Senior Honors Thesis, and has maintained her designation of NY State Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 2013 and served as Executive Director of New Ground since then.

Included in Shannon’s functions are to oversee and supervise all programs and services; supervise all staff including Master Level social workers,

Shannon Boyle, Executive Director, will speak about the New Ground organization next Tuesday, March 25.

front office and development; to maintain liaison with the public and Board of Directors; to ensure and develope appropriate budgets, human resource practices, social work services, public relations, fundraising and more. And, knowing Shannon over the years, Rotary can attest to the “more!”

Please join Rotary to hear Shannon Boyle’s latest report on New Ground along with a great Davenport Press lunch of choice (fee: $40 pp, payable at the door). To reserve, please visit mineolagardencityrotaryclub@gmail. com.

Upcoming Speakers and Dates

April 8, 8am - Breakfast Meeting, Carle Place Diner. Speaker, Kevin Mann to report on peace pole commemorative monuments.

April 22, 12:15pm – Lunch meeting Davenport Press restaurant. Guest speaker, USA House of Representatives Congresswoman Laura Gillen to report. May 13, 12:15pm – Lunch meeting. Robert Hines, Manager, Community Affairs, New York Rasing Association (NYRA), guest speaker.

Dakota Beltran and J. Eltringham, Unit president

Donna

On March 11, Club Secretary Tina O’Keeffe presented an engaging account of her 2-year U.S. Peace Corps experience in the Ukraine. Pictured from left are Meg Norris Club Vice President; Tina O’Keeffe, Secretary; Althea Robinson, Publicity Chair and Diana O’Neill, Club President.

The things you love doing are more than just passions. They’re what make you “you.” This is why for 25 years at The Bristal, our expert team members dedicate their time, attention, and energy to creating personalized experiences that ensure each resident continues being the unique person they are. See for yourself. Explore all of our locations in the tri-state area. thebristal.com

Old World Quality Corp.

mcarterflanagan@gardencityny.net

With my last meeting this week as Mayor, I wish the best of luck to our new Board of Trustees and offer my support in the future. Their success will be the success of our Village, and I will always endeavor to support the Village I care deeply about and the trustees leading the Village. I was fortunate to grow up in this tight knit community, I raised my three children here, and my father, who is my number one advisor, was lucky to grow up in our wonderful Village as well. Garden City has been good to my family, and I will always look for ways to help it thrive. Keeping the Village such a special place is of upmost importance, and I like many others have never hesitated to put in the hours required by these Board positions because I realize hard working volunteers make our community so special.

and knowledge of the building that no one else in the community had. I also heard great things about his character and he lived up to those expectations. He is speaking the truth, even though it may not be what people want to hear.

Having worked with four different boards over the last four years, and having seen many talented volunteers in their efforts on behalf of the Village, I leave the Board with a few words of advice. While your talents are varied and your passion clear, the single most important trait of a Village leader is being candid and straight with residents. There is a reason we are called trustees. We need to be people residents can trust. My other advice is to focus on listening to consultants we hire. They were chosen for their expertise and our Village will benefit from listening and learning from them.

Before joining the BOT I was warned about St. Paul’s being “really bad,” and it wasn’t referring to the condition of the building. John Kordes called it a cancer in our community. John Kordes is right. How do we fix this and move forward? The answer is not clear. What I suggest as the best medicine is speaking with complete candor always, even when it isn’t easy.

Last week Walter Beal spoke the truth in his letter to the editor. Every resident should read that letter. I did not know Walter before I asked him to join my advisory committee. I asked for his help knowing he had expertise

Many great things have happened in our Village over the last four years, and I hope for great things in the future. The open elections that FABGC brought to our Village has resulted in a new accountability. Though the elections were not contested this year, we saw candidates going out to residents with promises - that would not have happened before 2021 - and I think that is a positive change. While I am disappointed that listening to residents on St. Paul’s was not a campaign promise I heard this year, the many others listed are important priorities for our Village and I applaud the candidates for broadcasting their support of capital improvements at the library and for our volunteer fire department, traffic calming, investment in water, improvements to our tree program, open space and beautification. These are issues I ran on three times and issues we are united on.

I will share in my next Mayor’s column what I learned about the Westerman Report and what I still don’t know - a cautionary tale. Before my term ends I will also share a closing report from the very talented Mayor’s Advisory Committee on St. Paul’s.

I thank the residents of Garden City for giving me the opportunity to serve the Village and have a positive impact. It’s been incredibly rewarding and an honor.

Village Election Results

Thank you to all the residents who came out to vote in our Village Election on March 18th, and congratulations to Mayor-elect Ed Finneran, Trustee Michele Beach Harrington and newly elected Trustees Richard Catalano and Yvonne Varano. These volunteer positions are extremely important for the Village, and your willingness to step into these critical

See page 43

Get Results!

Mayor Mary Carter Flanagan

Court order violation

On March 12, officers arrested a 49-year-old male for violating a court order to stay away from a family member. Police say the man was charged with Criminal Contempt in the First Degree due to a previous conviction of the stay-away order, as well as Aggravated Family Offense.

Suspended license arrest

After investigating a two-vehicle accident on Washington Avenue at Meadow Street on March 12, officers arrested one of the drivers for Aggravated Unlicensed Operation. Police say the driver had nine active license suspensions.

DWI-related offense

A Washington Avenue motorist was arrested on March 12 for allegedly driving with a DWI-related revoked license and eight additional suspensions.

Bank fraud investigation

On March 12, officers investigated a report of fraudulent activity against a victim’s bank account.

Multiple traffic violations

On March 12, a 7th Street motorist was charged with driving with a suspended license, defective lights, and an uninsured auto.

False fire alarms

GCFD and GCPD responded on March 12 to a fire alarm activated by an air freshener and another fire alarm caused by a candle.

Speeding and unlicensed driving

On March 12, a 1st Street motorist was charged with unlicensed operation and excessive speed.

Burning odor response

Officers and firefighters responded to a residence on March 12 for a report of a burning odor. Firefighters disconnected a dryer and shut down the gas supply to render the area safe.

Franklin Avenue traffic violations

On March 12, a Franklin Avenue motorist was charged with driving with a suspended license, unregistered auto, and uninsured auto.

Burglary arrests

On March 13, Garden City Detectives arrested a 34-year-old male for two attempted burglaries connected to a December burglary pattern. Four other suspects had been arrested on February 27 in connection with these cases.

Probation department investigation

A joint investigation by the Garden

City Police and Nassau County Probation Departments on March 13 resulted in the arrest of a 26-yearold Old Country Road motorist for Aggravated Unlicensed Operation in the First Degree. Police say the driver had 52 license suspensions.

Registration, license vio lations

On March 13, a New Hyde Park Road motorist was charged with driving with a suspended registration, unlicensed operation, and an uninspected auto.

Burnt food alarm

Traffic violations on Clinton

A Clinton Road motorist was charged on March 14 with driving with a suspended registration, unlicensed operation, and unregistered auto.

Vehicle damaged

A victim’s vehicle was reportedly damaged while parked in a private parking garage on March 14.

Aggressive driving

GCFD and GCPD responded to the Cherry Valley Country Club on March 13 for a fire alarm activated by burnt food.

Illegal U-turn

A 7th Street motorist was charged on March 13 with driving with a suspended license and an illegal U-turn.

Seatbelt and license violations

On March 13, a Franklin Avenue motorist was charged with driving with a suspended license and not wearing a seatbelt.

Court order violation

Garden City Detectives arrested a 70-year-old male on March 14 for Criminal Contempt after he violated a court order to stay away from another person.

Check fraud report

A business reported on March 14 that a company check was stolen, altered, and cashed. The investigation is ongoing.

Truck violations on NHP Road

On March 14, a New Hyde Park Road truck operator was charged with driving with an unsecured load. Another operator on the same road was charged with driving an overweight vehicle and defective brakes.

Lawn parking fines

Appearance tickets were issued on March 14 for two vehicles parked across a residential lawn.

Construction-related false alarms

GCFD and GCPD responded on March 14 to a fire alarm activated by construction workers and another alarm activated in error.

Minor car fire

On March 14, firefighters extinguished a minor car fire at Community Park.

On March 14, a Clinton Road motorist was charged with aggressive driving, including excessive speed and unsafe passing.

DWI arrest after accident

On March 15, officers arrested a 27-year-old male for DWI after investigating a two-vehicle accident on Merillon Avenue at Oxford Boulevard.

Speed and license violations

On March 15, a Clinton Road motorist was charged with driving with a suspended license and excessive

speed. Another Clinton Road motorist was charged with driving with a suspended registration and excessive speed.

Restaurant fire alarm

GCFD and GCPD responded to a restaurant on March 15 for a fire alarm activated by a faulty detector.

Excessive speed charge

A Rockaway Avenue motorist was charged on March 15 with unlicensed operation and excessive speed.

Construction-related alarm

On March 15, GCFD and GCPD responded to a residence for a fire alarm activated by construction workers.

No-truck zone violation

On March 15, a Clinton Road truck operator was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation and driving in a no-truck zone.

Home burglary investigation

Officers responded to a 4th Street home on March 16 after residents heard glass breaking and their alarm ringing. Police determined that two subjects broke a patio door, entered the home, and stole a vehicle key fob.

Quick

Remote

Trusted

Trusted

Dellacorte - Jankowicz engagement

Mr. and Mrs. Jerry J. Dellacorte of Garden City, NY are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Nicole to Richard J. Jankowicz, son of Antoinette Wessel and Richard V. Jankowicz. Nicole is employed by the NYC Office of Management and Budget. Rich is employed by the NYC Department of Sanitation. We couldn't be happier for them as they embark on this exciting new chapter together. They have planned an October 2025 wedding.

Legion Auxiliary assists local veteran

On Friday, February 21, members of Unit 265 dined at Frantoni’s Pizzeria, East Meadow. Under the auspices of Anthony Suppa’s Slice of Charity, a percentage of the proceeds generated through dining or take-out was donated to a Garden City Air Force veteran. He lost his wife in a tragic car accident last year. Now he finds

himself in need of support to continue his 3-year-old son’s brain cancer treatments. Thus far, these treatments have been successful, and need to be continued. In addition to enjoying lunch at Frantoni’s to continue to the cause, ALA Unit 265 members presented a check to offer further monetary assistance.

German Sprachfest competition

Garden City Middle School German students and Garden City High School German students competed in Sprachfest! Congratulations to 6th–12th grade German students who participated in Sprachfest. Garden City students swept the competition in the categories of quiz bowl, scrabble, MINT/STEM, poster contest, lip sync contest, T-shirt design contest, baking, poetry as well as musical performances in German. Congratulations all of the Sprachfest participants on a job that was, in a word, “Fantastisch”!

Richard J. Jankowicz and Nicole Dellacorte

Front row (left to right): Ann Paulson; Denise Carman, project coordinator; Back row (left to right): Anita Frey, Dorothy O’Sullivan, Donna Armieri, Jacqueline Eltringham, veteran Shawn Swift with son Hudson

Mount Sinai South Nassau is Improving Health Care on the South Shore

The new Fennessy Family Emergency Department at Mount Sinai South Nassau doubles the size of our previous emergency department, o ering 54 private exam rooms with clear lines of sight for physicians, nurses, and support sta . Our new emergency department also o ers a separate triage area, dedicated areas for children and behavioral health patients, and has been designed to reduce wait times and improve patient outcomes.

The Fennessy Family Emergency Department is located within the new Feil Family Pavilion, opening later this year, which will have 40 new critical care suites and nine new operating rooms, designed to support the most complex surgeries on the South Shore.

To learn more visit www.mountsinai.org/feilpavilion

Resurrection opens enrollment for Time for Twos program

Building with blocks in the Two-Year-Old Class.

Over the last number of years, the “Time for Twos” program at Resurrection Lutheran Church has grown in popularity and success. Preschool Director Jean Dietterick credits the growth to the school’s focus. “We foster a positive approach to separating from the home routine and environment,” she explains.

Each of the two-year-old classrooms has a lead teacher and three assistants.

The classes are comprised of no more than 12 students. Mrs. Dietterick notes, “Each day, the teachers warmly welcome the children and walk them to their brightly colored classroom. A large variety of toys are displayed and waiting for the children to enjoy.”

The teachers, while playing with the children, encourage socialization, sharing, making friends, talking and playing together. Every day an art project

Two-year-olds enjoy “Reading Time on the Carpet.”

is completed with the support of the teachers.  Gym time and outdoor recess are part of their daily schedule. The children also look forward to enjoying a snack, while listening to a story.

Parents can choose either a twoday or a three-day per week schedule. Sessions are from 9:15 a.m. until 11:15am. In February, the class time increases by 30 minutes to prepare for longer sessions the following year as

three-year-olds.

Mrs. Dietterick adds, “In our program, the children learn, play, and share Jesus’ love through kindness and consideration for one another.”  To schedule a visit, tour, or for further information, contact Mrs. Dietterick's office at 516-741-6447 or email jean@ resgc.org.

German Club enjoys hands on learning through food

The German club students got to make their own German own Spaetzle. The students learned about the history of the Spaetzle, a German egg noodle which translates to “little sparrow. They loved learning about its history and making the food themselves. They worked together and individually to prepare their dishes.  Of course, they loved getting to try the food after their hard work. At the end of their experience many students said they want to cook more German foods on their own.

The students worked individually and together to learn the dish.

German Club students learned to make spaetzle, a German egg noodle.

It’s What’s Happening for Young Adults Through the Library

The chick incubation project will begin on April 15.

Take a Practice PSAT/SAT/ACT Exam with C2 Education!

Take the practice PSAT/SAT/ACT with C2 Education on Tuesday, April 15, at 10 a.m.. This program is for tweens and teens in Grades 8–12. Digital PSAT/ SAT students will need a laptop or tablet with a charger. Students may use their own calculators for both the P/SAT and the ACT. To participate and take the exam, please register online beginning Tuesday, April 1, at 10 a.m. You are

automatically registered to attend the Results Review if you are registered for the exam. The Results Review will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15. If you cannot attend the Results Session, please contact C2 Education at greenvale@c2education.com.

Chick

Incubation

Project Begins Tuesday, April 15!

The Library’s Annual Chick Incubation program is returning this

Help name the chicks! Enter your name in the Name the Chick contest for your chance to name one.

year! Eggs will arrive on Tuesday, April 15 and are scheduled to begin hatching Monday, May 5. Chicks will be returned one week after they hatch. Eggs are picked up from Cornell Cooperative Extension at Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank, NY and chicks are returned back to Cornell Cooperative Extension at Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank, NY. Before they hatch, make sure to enter a name into our annual Name the Chick contest for your chance to name one of our chicks!

Upcoming and Ongoing Library Programs for Tweens and Teens

These programs are for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12 unless otherwise noted. Registration is required for these programs on LibCal at https://gardencitypl.libcal.com.

Teens who complete an online survey after specific programs can receive community service for participating.

Registration is live online at https:// gardencitypl.libcal.com for the following programs:

• Monday, March 24, at 7 p.m.: Jumpstart College Admissions in Today's Challenging Environment with Michael Binder (Grades 9–11 and Their Parents)

• Tuesday, March 18–Thursday, March 27: Egg Scavenger Hunt Project for Community Service (Grades 6–12)

• Tuesday, March 25, at 4 p.m.: Tween Tuesdays: Bracelet Making (Grades 4–7)

• Thursday, March 27, at 7 p.m.: Friendship Bracelets for Community Service (Grades 6–12)

Registration begins Tuesday, March 25, at 10 a.m. online at https://gardencitypl.libcal.com for the following programs:

• Tuesday, April 1, at 7 p.m.: Teen Paint Night (Grades 6–12)

• Monday, April 7, at 3:30 p.m.: Inclusive Storytime Adventure Volunteering (Grades 9–12)

• Tuesday, April 15, at 10 a.m.: Practice PSAT/SAT/ACT

It’s What’s Happening for Young Adults Through the Library

with C2 Education (Grades 8–12)

• Tuesday, April 15, at 7 p.m.: Results Session with C2 Education. If you cannot attend the Results Session, please contact C2 Education at greenvale@c2education.com.

Registration begins Tuesday, April 1, at 10 a.m. online at https://gardencitypl. libcal.com for the following programs:

• Tuesday, April 8, at 4 p.m.: Teen Advisory Board (Grades 6–12)

• Wednesday, April 9, at 5:30 p.m.: Perler Bead Art for Community Service (Grades 6–12)

• Thursday, April 10, at 4 p.m.: Tweens and Teens Yarn Group (Grades 4–12)

• Friday, April 11, at 3:30 p.m.: Teen Crafternoon: Egg Painting for Community Service (Grades 6–12)

• Saturday, April 12, at 3 p.m.: Teen STEAM Workshop: Recycle Challenge with Chris Buchman (Grades 6–12)

Registration begins Tuesday, April 8, at 10 a.m. online at https://gardencitypl. libcal.com for the following programs:

• Tuesday, April 8–Thursday, April 17: Ornaments for Community Service (Grades 6–12)

• Wednesday, April 16, at 7 p.m.: Teen Craft Night (Grades 6–12)

• Thursday, April 17, at 4 p.m.: Teen Creative Hour (Grades 6–12)

• Friday, April 18, at 3:30 p.m.: Teen Gamers (Grades 6–12)

Registration begins Tuesday, April 15, at 10 a.m. online at https://gardencitypl.libcal.com for the following programs:

• Tuesday, April 22, at 3:30 p.m.: LEGO Club Volunteering (Grades 6–12)

• Thursday, April 23, at 4 p.m.: Dungeons and Dragons (Grades 6–12)

• Thursday, April 23, at 7 p.m.: ABCS of Student Loans with Welcome to RealLife (Grades 11–12)

Registration begins Tuesday, April 22, at 10 a.m. online at https://gardencitypl.libcal.com for the following programs:

• Tuesday, April 29, at 4 p.m.: Tween Thursdays: Drama Workshop (Grades 4–7)

• Tuesday, April 29, at 7 p.m.: Friendship Bracelets for Community Service (Grades 6–12)

• Wednesday, April 30, at 5:30 p.m.: Teen LEGO Club (Grades 6–12)

Ongoing Take-Home Community Service Opportunities

Looking to volunteer? Check out some of our ongoing take-home community service opportunities for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12. Please check at the Library for more information on

each of these opportunities; all volunteer projects should be submitted at the Library with a Volunteer Form, which can be found outside the Tweens and Teens Room.

• Ongoing: Kindness Cards for Community Service - No registration required. Up to 10 cards can be submitted per volunteer monthly.

• Ongoing to Wednesday, April 23: Tweens & Teens Art & Poetry Showcase for Community Service - No registration required. Up to three pieces of art and three poems can be submitted per volunteer.

• Ongoing to Wednesday, April 30: Poetry for Community Service - No registration required. Up to five poems can be submitted per volunteer.

• Ongoing to Monday, May 5:

Around the World Recipe Cards for Community Service - No registration required. Up to five recipe cards can be submitted per volunteer.

Teens Get Creative with Air Dry Clay During Teen Crafternoon Teens used their creativity to design with Model Magic Air Dry Clay during Teen Crafternoon, which was held Friday, March 14, at the Library. This program is for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12. The next Teen Crafternoon will be held Friday, April 11, at 3:30 p.m. and will have teens earning community service by painting foam eggs for the Library’s annual Spring Egg Scavenger Hunt. Registration will begin Tuesday, April 1, at 10 a.m. online at https://gardencitypl.libcal.com.

Join the Teen Crafternoon project to design with Model Air Dry Clay.

Adult Services at the Garden City Public Library

The film “Wicked” will be shown at the Garden City Public Library on Monday, March 24.

Monday Movies

Monday Movies presented by the Friends of the Garden City Library at 1:30 p.m.: March 2025

3/24/25 - “Wicked”, 160 mins, 2024 3/31/25 - “Enchanted April”, 90 mins, 1992

Encore Presentation of the Movie “Conclave”!

Thursday, April 3, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. “Conclave”, 120 Minutes, 2024 Programs

Below is our schedule for Adult Services. More programs and information will be available soon.

Mah-Jongg

Thursday, March 27, Saturday, March 29 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Large Meeting Room

To register, please register online at LibCal at https://gardencitypl.libcal.com/ . For additional information contact Adult Services at (516) 742-8405 ext. 5236 or email speakingofbooks@gardencitypl.org.

Yoga with Kimberly Tuesdays, March 25, April 1, April 8; 7 p.m.–8 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room

Kimberly Mercadante is back with her popular Yoga Series! Join her for a Yoga Class for beginners and more. All are welcome! This is a series of eight classes continuing through April..

To register, please register online at gardencitypl.org.   For additional information contact Adult Services at (516) 742-8405 ext. 5236 or email speakingofbooks@gardencitypl.org.

This program is funded  by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Town of Hempstead Narcan Training Presented by Former U.S. Congressman Anthony D’Esposito

Wednesday, March 26, from 6:30–8:30 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room

Training includes:

• How to identify an overdose victim, administer the Narcan Kit, and contact emergency officials.

• Obtain a Narcan certification and a Narcan Kit.

Registration is required online through the Town of Hempstead at toh311.net/narcan-signup.

Spring Bingo Friday, March 28, from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. in the Small Meeting Room

To register, please register online at LibCal at https://gardencitypl.libcal. com/. For additional information contact Adult Services at (516)742-8405 ext. 5236 or email speakingofbooks@gardencitypl.org.

April 2025

Mary Maguire Presents “The Hermitage” Wednesday, April 2 - Part One Wednesday, April 16 - Part Two Wednesday, April 30 - Part Three 2 p.m.–3 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room: Come along with us as we wander through the majestic halls of that jewel of Russia, located in St. Petersburg - the Hermitage Museum. It is unfortunate that for the foreseeable future, we will not be able to view these treasures in person, but that makes this virtual tour all the more relevant. The collection includes artwork by Leonardo Da Vinci,

Rembrandt, Ruben, Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Gauguin and Cezanns.  In Part 3, a special visit will be made to the Carl Faberge Memorial room to explore the gorgeous collection of jeweled Easter eggs — each one valued at millions of dollars.

Defensive Driving Course with The Empire Safety Council

Saturday, April 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room

Join us on Saturday, April 12, 2025,  10 a.m.–4 p.m., for a Defensive Driving Course with the Empire Safety Council. Receive 10% reduction on automobile/ liability insurance and qualify for a license point reduction. Register In person at the Garden City Public Library. Space is limited, so check with the Reference Department for availability. Register separately for each person. Proper ID is required when registering an absentee party. You must bring a $33 check made payable to Empire Safety Council and current Library card with you to register. Bring your valid New York State driver’s license and a pen to class.

Mah-Jongg (Register for each one separately)

Italian Part 1 left off. Patrons who did not take Part 1, but have a limited background in Italian, are welcome to join.

Friday April 4

Friday April 11

Friday April 18 11 am - noon May dates to be announced soon! To register, please register online at LibCal at https://gardencitypl. libcal.com/. For additional information contact Adult Services at (516)742-8405 ext. 5236 or email speakingofbooks@ gardencitypl.org.

Museum Pass Information

Print From Home for Some Passes!

Through the generosity of the Friends of the Garden City Public Library, the Library offers free passes to select museums and cultural institutions. You can make a reservation to borrow a Museum Pass from one of the member institutions in our Museum Pass Program.

Some museum passes are now available to print from home.  If you do not have access to a printer, the library will be happy to print the pass for you. These passes will be good for one day only.

Thursday, April 10, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room Thursday, April 10, 4 p.m.–6 p.m.        Saturday,  April 19, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room  Thursday, April 24, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.         Thursday, April 24, 4 p.m.–6 p.m.   Please register online at LibCal at https://gardencitypl.libcal.com/. For additional information contact Adult Services at (516)742-8405 ext. 5236 or email speakingofbooks@gardencitypl. org.

April Book Discussion - Featuring Long Island Read’s 2025 Book - “On Fire Island” By Long Island Author Jane L. Rosen

Tuesday, April 15, from 7–8 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room

To register, please register online at LibCal at https://gardencitypl.libcal.com/. For additional information, contact Adult Services at (516)742-8405 ext. 5236 or email speakingofbooks@ gardencitypl.org.

Italian - Part 2

Taught by Mrs. Lea Brunetti. This program will pick up where

See what's happening at your library!

Please note that not all museums participate. Passes for the following museums still need to be picked up at the Library: 9/11 Memorial & Museum, NYC (2 adults & 2 children); Empire Pass, Long Island Children’s Museum, Garden City (2 adults & 2 children); MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art), NYC (5 visitors) and Old Bethpage Village Restoration, Old Bethpage.

The following Library Museum Pass rules remain in effect.

• Museum passes are available only to Garden City Public Library cardholders in good standing who have signed the Museum Pass User Agreement. Museum passes may be reserved in advance and must be checked out by an adult (18 years and older) family member.

• Reservations will be taken up to one month in advance of the desired date, subject to availability on a firstcome, first-served basis. Reservations can be done in person at the Reference Desk or over the phone at 516-742-8405 x5236.

Additional rules and information are available at the library.

From classes to lectures and concerts to movie screenings, there's never a dull day at your local library! Check this paper each week for fun and informative all-ages activities, all for free or cheap!

News from the Children’s Room

On Wednesday, March 26, at 4:00 p.m. The STEAM Club will meet.

Upcoming  March Library Programs for Children

These programs are for children ages birth through Grade 5. Registration is required. Visit https://www.gardencitypl.org to view our Events on LIBCAL for registration forms for the month of March 2025.

• Saturday, March 22, at 10:00 a.m.: Play Hooray

• Monday, March 24, at 10:30 a.m.: Toddler Storytime (18 Months to 3 Years)

• Monday, March 24, at 1:30 p.m.: Little Listeners Storytime (Ages 3–5)

• Monday, March 24, at 3:30 p.m.: Mixed-Age Storytime

• Tuesday, March 25, at 10:30 a.m.: Mother Goose Storytime (Birth to 17 Months, Non-Walkers)

• Tuesday, March 25, at 11:30 a.m.: Preschool Storytime (3 Years to 5, Not in Kindergarten)

• Tuesday, March 25, at 4:00 p.m.: Tween Tuesdays Bracelet Making

• Wednesday, March 26, at 4:00 p.m.: STEAM Club (Grades K–2)

• Thursday, March 27, at 7:00 p.m.: Pajama Storytime

• Monday, March 31, at 10:30 a.m.: Toddler Storytime (18 Months to 3 Years)

• Monday, March 31, at 1:30 p.m.: Little Listeners Storytime (Ages 3–5)

Unattended Child Policy

It is Library policy that all children under age 11 must be accompanied by a parent or designated responsible person while in the Library. Also, if the young child is attending a Library program, we require the parent or designated responsible person to remain in the Library throughout the program and meet the child upon completion of the program.

On Thursday, March 13, preschool children enjoyed making a Saint Patrick’s Day craft.

FOR SENIORS fyi

Garden City’s Senior Center is open. Please visit the Senior Center Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for further information on activities and events!

NYS Div. of Consumer Protection to Offer Tips on Scams

Tuesday, April 1, 11:00, at the Senior Center

The New York State Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection will be offering tips to help you recognize and avoid scams and fraud. To register, please stop by the Senior Center front desk or call (516) 385-8006.

AAA Offers Help with Real ID/ Enhanced Licenses

Tuesday, April 8

Alice from AAA will be at the Senior Center from 11:00-1:00 to tell you all you need to know about the Real ID/ Enhanced License process. She will have the forms you will need, and let you know what you need to do to obtain one. No reservations necessary.

Complimentary Oral Cancer Screenings

Friday, April 11

Dr Fitzgerald and Dr DiVanna from the Garden City Center for Dental Excellence will be at the Senior Center at 11:00 to perform complimentary oral cancer screenings. Refreshments will be offered as well, reservations are necessary, please call the Senior Center at (516) 385-8006.

Trip to Raynham Hall Museum

Wednesday, April 23

Trip to Raynham Hall Museum in Oyster Bay. Recreation bus leaves at 10:30, guided tour begins at 11:30, lunch will be on your own at one of the many nearby restaurants, all within walking distance. Fee: $8.00, make checks payable to “Raynham Hall Museum”, register at the Senior Center front desk.

Trip to See “Fiddler on the Roof”

Sunday, May 4

Trip to see “Fiddler on the Roof” at the Argyle Theatre in Babylon, and lunch at La Famiglia. Cost is $67 for the show ticket, check made payable to the “Argyle Theatre” and $50.00 cash for lunch, paid at time of regis-

tration. Register at the Senior Center front desk. Registration deadline is April 4.

Mobility and Flexibility Maintenance

Tuesday, March 25, at 11:00

PT Timothy Caputo from Spear Physical Therapy will be at the Senior Center, giving a presentation about Mobility and Flexibility Maintenance. To register, please stop by the Senior Center front desk or call (516) 385-8006.

Chair Yoga

New Chair Yoga schedule for Tania at the senior center. Beginning TUESDAY, March 4, 9:15–9:45 Meditation, 9:45–10:45 Chair Yoga class.

Trip to West Point

Tuesday, June 10

Trip to West Point for a tour and lunch at the Thayer Hotel. Tuesday, June 10, charter bus leaves from across the street from the Senior Center at 8:00 am, and it will depart West Point to return home at 3:00. To register visit the Senior Center, $153.oo check made payable to “Amazing Destinations”. DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO APRIL 4TH. We are now opening up this trip to non-residents.

Save the Dates for Future Trips:

Sunday May 4: “Fiddler On the Roof” (Argyle Theatre)

Sunday, June 8: “Legally Blonde” (Madison Theatre at Molloy University) Sunday, August 3: “The Music Man” (Argyle Theatre)

Chess 4 Community

Join us for Chess 4 Community’s Play and Learn at the Senior Center, every other Friday 3:00–4:00. This program will resume in the fall, dates to be announced. All ages and levels are welcome. No registration is required, just stop by and play!

Senior Center Lunch Group

Join our Senior Center Lunch Group at 12:30–3:30 on Wednesdays, or, if you miss your pool friends, join the Garden City Pool Chat Group at the center, on Thursdays beginning at 1:00–3:30. For both groups, coffee and tea will be served, just bring your lunch and chat!!

Garden City Jewish Center celebrates Purim

A family ready in their Purim costumes.

During this past week, the holiday of Purim was celebrated with a carnival, hamantaschen baking, and a costume pizza party and service at the Garden City Jewish Center.

Purim celebrates Mordechai and his cousin, Queen Esther, defeating an evil advisor to the foolish Persian King Ahashverosh, while saving themselves and the other Jews in the country.  Each year on the 14th of the Jewish month of Adar, this happy holiday is marked by reading the scroll of Esther, dressing in crazy costumes, using noisemakers

to drown out the name of the villain, Haman, eating delicious triangle-shaped cookies, sending food gifts to others, and holding carnivals for the children.

The carnival was put on by the school’s parents and teachers for the students, and any money raised went to tzedakah (charity).  This is everyone’s favorite day of school!   After the fun, games, and prizes, Gail Feldman, Amanda Feldman and some of the GCJC Sisterhood members, hosted 49 adults and kids in a wonderful hamantaschen baking session. These cookies are in the shape of either Haman’s

Rabbi Luisa Sinecore welcoming congregants into the Sancturary.

Hamantaschen bakers in training.

Some serious hamantaschen baking underway.

Rabbi Stephen Goodman bopping people over the head.

Garden City Jewish Center celebrates Purim

tri-corner hat, ears, or pockets, and are filled with fruit jelly filling, almond paste, prune, poppy seed or Nutella!

Finally, on Thursday, March 13, about 70 people gathered in the social hall to eat some delicious pizza and salad (from Rustica in Garden City South), nosh on hamantaschen, win some raffles provided by Sisterhood, and of course, to make

noise during the reading of the Megillah (Esther’s scroll)!

The Garden City Jewish Center is a Reform congregation where everyone is welcome — Jews of all denominations, dual-faith families, singles, and students. Please go to www.gardencityjewishcenter.org for more information.

Preparing the ingredients for hamantaschen.

Some low-tech knock hockey.

Rabbi Stephen Goodman reading the Megillah.

The Sisterhood gift basket team.

Questions on finances dominate special meeting on St. Paul’s

portion of the March 8, 2025 presentation with information on assessed home values vs. the property tax rate in the village.

“We don’t want that puzzle piece missing, so in addition to debt service there will be an annual maintenance expense. You heard in detail Trustee Muldoon’s explanation on the ballpark figures and the work that I did with bond counsel NCMA to come up with the years. We did an estimate based on 15 years, which is what we (the municipality) can issue its debt for today. Also, for the 30 years in the event that we were approved by the legislation to extend our probate period of usefulness and be able to bond over 30 years. On the St. Paul’s Survey residents will see those two options. We have also looked at, for everyone’s ease, “if my property is within these values, what would I be paying at a maximum level?

She broke down a few other details, in order for residents to gain some insight into the projected impacts for taxpayers the village has outlined in the survey.

“We started with what the assessed value for your home is on the village assessment roll; we also take into account the equalization rate when we’re allocating taxes. The equalization rate is provided by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance every year; it’s the rate they come up with for every municipality. It’s different for every municipality and it’s intended to equalize or normalize property values. That will increase full market value slightly. For last year it was 1.22%....At the end we arrive at a total taxable value for your property. If you were to take the full market value times equalization rate that gets you that number. For a $1 million home, the total taxable value is $12,200 just as a standard,” she shared.

To get total taxable values the Finance team takes all the total taxable values for all of the taxable properties in the village. That number for last year was $106,711,000.

Treasurer Woo noted, “When we determine the amount raised by taxes we will need to fund our annual (municipal) budget we take that number and we allocate it to all the assessed values of the properties equally – that’s how a resident’s taxes go up, by their assessed value.”

The Finance team shared that the total costs can not be allocated equally, as some residents have suggested. Again, the determining factor is the assessment – looking at the assessed property values.

Trustee Judy Courtney read the first question from the chat (names of people who typed in questions were not aired).

“If financing is done by municipal bonds by the village, are they (the village) able to accept donation pledges

e.t.c. to bring down the cost? Also, how about if it is an LDC?

Mr. Smith from Hawkins Delafield and Wood LLP took a turn responding: “The answer to that question is YES. As I mentioned earlier, the Constitutional requirement is that the village issue its debt, pay its debt from real property taxes or any other available sources including donations. And I know you have a lot of that going on in this village. So what you would do is factor that into the financial plan. You would authorize the amount of debt that you thought you needed to accomplish the project, and use any other source of funds that may be donated is not a problem with that.”

He continued, “This is also true with an LDC. There’s no circumstances under which the donated funds could not be contributed to pay part of the cost of the project.”

Tortora then added, with a financing of this size with a long construction period, it’s often the case that you just don’t go right into the bond market and issue one set of bonds and you are done. Very often, you’d issue a set of short-term bond anticipation notes (BANs) with a typical term of 12 months. Maybe you would do that for the soft cost. Maybe it’s three, five, ten million dollars. Then when those notes come down, then perhaps depending on where you are in the construction process, you might issue another set of notes, add new money to it. Now when those notes come due 24 months later, now you have to start paying back the debt. At that point depending on market conditions you could go into the bond market and lock it up in fixed rate bonds or if we think interest rates are on their way down, maybe we’d say let’s stay a note for another year. You can stay in notes for as long as five years.”

“In this scenario, I bring it up because if indeed there’s a public campaign to raise funds, any funds that are raised you could use to pay down those notes so that you’re ultimately going to bonds with a much smaller PAR amount, to reduce your interest expense for the life of the loan,” Tortora said.

Mayor expresses concerns

Mayor Mary Carter Flangan interjected, though she said the presentation on potential St. Paul’s project financing was “clear and beneficial” for residents viewing the Town Hall. She used the opportunity on March 8 to make it clear why she was looking to have the backup for project cost estimates.

“Residents have requested backup; there are residents who are in the construction field. I do think they have the right to take a look at what it is and see if they are comfortable with it or uncomfortable with it. It’s transparency, and St. Paul’s is something that we cannot be too transparent on. As I have mentioned at the last Town

Hall meeting, I will mention it to the audience again. I had cautioned the board about the use of the Westerman Report which is the first thing mentioned there on that cost estimate (the March 30, 2023 report). I have advised them of what I came to learn, as I was new as the mayor when that was hastily finalized. I did know as of the last meeting that there had been perhaps some interference with the finalization of that report. You would think that we would hire a cost estimator because we wanted their professional opinion – that we would let them do their professional work and provide us with that opinion. Regrettably it did not go that way. I have further information that it wasn’t just one, there was a series of attempts at interference. It’s regrettable but it is the truth and it’s something everyone should know.,” the mayor explained at the Town Hall meeting.

The mayor also said she had not received a response if any numbers from the Westerman Report were being used. “It would be very helpful to know where it’s being used and what numbers, so we could see if it’s valid as far as to the extent it was used.”

She then stated though she’s asked the Board, she hadn’t gotten any response and said it was not an attempt to turn the meeting into a “back and forth.”

With a first look at some of the questions for the Town Hall, the mayor tried addressing the inquiries.

“I know Pratt Bros. was mentioned (the company was not on the list of contractors consulted, presented by Trustee Muldoon) and I think that there’s a reason people asked. Residents would like to know who these companies are, and do they do government projects? Do they do projects of this scope? That’s something people are entitled to know as far as where the numbers came from,” she said.

“I know Ettore Christopher Botti (Botti Studio of Architectural Arts) is fantastic, as I dealt with him on the stained glass windows. I mentioned to Vinnie to get the numbers from him. He would be happy to send us an email with the numbers if he didn’t already. That’s an easy bit for back up so we don’t have to be concerned about whether we have the right costs,” the mayor noted.

“There’s a long history here and I know Mr. Tortora is a lover of old buildings, which is wonderful, but he may not be familiar with the backstory on St. Paul’s and the challenges we’ve had and why I think it’s so important that we go above and beyond and be completely transparent in everything we do. It’s not meant as an attack on anyone’s integrity – let’s just show it all,” Mayor Carter Flanagan said.

Moments after the mayor punctuated her comments, Trustee Courtney read the next question, “What rights of the

municipality might be given up or what restrictions might be imposed by an Albany approved 30 year bond?

Smith answered, “Presumably none”.He said anything could happen with the State Legislature in Albany. “I suppose none, but the only ask to Albany would be a discreet amendment to the local finance law. I think there are either 109 or 110 different periods of probable usefulness listed in the law right now. One is for sidewalks, one is for roads, one is for buildings, one is for everything you can think of and that’s the legislative intent to. It would cover every type of project there is. What would happen is the task would be to take a subdivision 11A, 12A which says ‘a period of probable usefulness for a building with some wood in it is 15 years.’ We’d just put an asterisk after that and say except in the event, except in this case the St. Paul’s project in Garden City the period of probable usefulness shall be 30 years. That’s the only legislative task, and that’s the only way that the law would be changed. I don’t think there might be any other impact in terms of something in return or anything like that. Now it’s possible legislators might say however and I have seen this and might not apply in this case but in similar circumstances the caveats thrown in, ‘however, the amount of debt issued shall not exceed X number of dollars.’ And in this case it would be 70 or 80 or 90 or whatever you think it should be. That’s possible though, that question would come up or something like that. Something that I think probably just needs to be fleshed out,” Bob Smith shared.

Tortora had an optimistic view of requesting the 30-year finance and debt repayment period from the State.

“What’s the likelihood you would get an extension to 30 years? In my experience – and Bob probably has more experience in this than I do – I think you would get it. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for the State Legislature, once they hear the history to say OK in this instance. It’s a big expense but it’s a relatively small village of like 7,200 households. I think you would get it,” he said, before turning to Smith, and checking, “Do you concur with that?”

According to Smith, there’s a case to be made on several levels. “The importance of this building to the community has been demonstrated over the last 30 plus years. The very large dollar amount, and the small number of parcels (properties) in the village. So I think it’s a good case to be made,” he said.

Trustee Courtney then asked her own question for the professionals: “When in the process would you apply for that 30-year extension?” Tortora immediately answered “right now.” He shared, “It has to happen before you really start making plans. You can

Questions on finances dominate special meeting on St. Paul’s

do whatever you like but you can’t issue debt until you have the 30-year in place. If you want to use the 30 years it would not be wrong to wait but I think the only logical thing to do is do it immediately. It might take a year to do. You are dealing with when the legislature is in session and when they are interested in hearing a bill like this e.t.c.”

Trustee Harrington and others were able to suggest that Garden City would be willing to “start right away” once there was a consensus for a future project at St. Paul’s.

Another question addressed was, ‘What is the intended use of the repaired building? Do these functions/amenities exist nearby and how will these compete with nearby amenities?’

The trustees noted how an intended use will be ascertained from the village residents’ input on the completed and returned St. Paul’s Survey. It ranges the gamut from art studios and dance

space to potentially indoor tracks or swimming pools.

Trustee Courtney read, and helped answer, the next inquiry, “What will be the percentage increase in real estate taxes to repair the building or to maintain the building? To repair the building is in the survey. That talks about what the potential tax increases based on the selection that you make. The potential tax increase would be different for each particular option,” she said.

“That is in there and that is outlined for your particular market value of your home. The tax increase to maintain the building would be based on the operating cost which is ballpark right between a million and two million which is what we have heard as we have talked this through a bit either with BCI (Brandstetter Carroll Inc.)”

Trustee Courtney reminded residents that the potential real estate tax to maintain the facility would depend on

what the village will do with the building. Next, Trustee Muldoon stepped in to speak about the objectives and cost-saving opportunities.

He explained, “We have talked about this extensively with the new St. Paul’s Advisory Committee and they are looking at every possible angle of thinking outside the box, and there are different ways to do this to help cover these costs. In their final report, they are going to come up with some ideas so the taxpayer is not on the hook for all the operating and maintenance costs of the building. That’s number 1. Number 2 – when I talked about the geothermal system and solar energy, the whole idea is to make those energy bills the lowest they possibly can be and that is part of the cost (to build in). Initially, to invest in the building, to make those bills substantially less if we do this properly and the solar can run the pumps for geothermal which is the big cost. Those pumps

run constantly. They are pumping the water up from the ground. We can keep the energy bills in that building which is a huge part of running the building like that, one part of it to a very little amount.”

The other way is also depending on the programs to achieve a return on investment is through the revenue-generating programs the village can offer.

Muldoon said, “depending on the programs that we run there will be revenue generated from the building. There’s no question about that. The question is how much, and what those programs will be. So those to me are three main sources of how those operating and maintenance costs would be covered. Also, there is certainly no guarantee whatsoever. But I have talked to a couple of people and there are situations where some donations maybe or could be attributed to the operating and maintenance cost. We are looking at every angle.”

Village considers financing options for St. Paul’s

From page 1

could be whatever revenues are available to the village to pay down debt service,” Smith noted.

As an experienced legal advisor to the Village of Garden City and other municipalities, he spoke about general obligation debt as the “best debt a local government can do” because it can carry the lowest interest rate. He deferred the details to financial advisor Tortora, as Smith’s team at Hawkins Delafield & Wood work closely with CMA for Garden City and other municipalities.

Exploring different bond periods

Another option that has been discussed for years is seeking special state legislation that would provide Garden City with relief from the mandate of a 15-year bond period. The law would need to be approved in State Legislature.

“The bill could state anything that you’d like it to say, with what’s been discussed it is a 30-year repayment but that could be 25, 40, anything else. The discussion centered around getting to the 30-year period to spread the debt service out and make it more amenable to people’s budgets, and frankly spread out the cost. For a local government, the real concept of issuing debt is that the cost would be spread over the next generation or so that will benefit from the improvements to the building – that’s a possibility, and we see special NYS legislation for a lot of different reasons in different years. It would be unusual to have a law like this, but there are a lot of arguments to be made starting with historic preservation and history –maybe a health and safety issue too, and

there is the difficulty of the community paying back a huge amount of debt over a relatively short 15-year period,” he noted.

Smith told the Town Hall audience the procedure would involve have the bill sponsored by a local legislator and put it in front of the New York State Senate’s Finance Committee and the Local Government Committee of the NYS Assembly.

“It would need to be moved by both houses, then voted on and approved and signed by the governor to make it law. The process does not happen overnight, but I was asked to discuss that as it was one of the issues that was discussed at great length in the village,” he said.

Not-for-profit model faces challenges

Besides the 15-year general obligation debt and parameters that would allow a 30-year debt period, as he outlined, the third option he presented to Garden City’s audience on March 8 was “doing something outside of local finance law – probably by establishing a separate entity.”

While he cited the example of a Local Development Corporation (LDC), the most-relayed concept for St. Paul’s has been investigating the nonprofit conservancy route.

Attorney Smith said there is a section in the Not-for-profit Corporations Law of New York State that authorizes a local government, through its own motion and vote, to establish its own not-for-profit corporation for certain purposes. He explained how the use of LDC models for project work has expanded over the years, though they were unusual years ago. “There is more interest and a lot of accept-

ability in financial markets to do LDC financing – there would be no 15-year finance for a bond because it is outside of local finance law. There are a lot of benefits to that in theory, but the one problem with anything outside of local finance law is that you do not establish that ‘faith and credit’ which a banker/ underwriter would value tremendously,” he explained.

Without the faith and credit, the qualification is “subject to appropriation debt” which would mean the board would allocate enough funds to pay the debt service every year.

Since this would be separate from municipal finance the interest rates would be much higher than with general obligation bonds.

His concern, relayed on March 8, is that it would be too difficult for Garden City to pursue a plan outside of local finance law.

“With an LDC or nonprofit issuance, without the faith and credit the banker wants to know where the money would come from. What we normally see with an LDC is that something being built has a revenue stream attached to it –

we see it with parking garages in cities upstate with revenues coming in, or in places where toll bridges are built – that is different than local taxes being raised to pay debt, as there is no general pledge from the village,” Smith noted.

He said the question returns to what return on the investment would be and what revenue stream could be put into St. Paul’s. “If you were putting something in that was a revenue generator of some kind, as there have been many proposals to put something in there, if there was a revenue-generating entity then the village would have an agreement with someone to at least have the revenues that will pay the debt service,” Smith explained.

He left that portion of the March 8th presentation and Town Hall with the optimistic view that village officials can speak with bankers who might develop a creative proposal.

“We would review something formal between Richart Tortora’s firm and my firm, and look at the concept to see if it can or can’t be done,” Smith said.

IN MEMORIAM

Juliet Moringiello

Nov. 7, 1962 – Feb. 27, 2025Juliet Moringiello, eldest daughter of Sheila Clark and Thomas (dec) Moringiello, Jr.,

Joseph W. Senkiewicz

Joseph William Senkiewicz, 84, passed away on March 15, 2025. He was born on January 6, 1941, in New York City to Daniel and Sophia Senkiewicz. His parents came to this country as immigrants and raised their three sons, Joe, Daniel and Michael in the New York city area known as “Hell’s Kitchen.” Joe grew up in a very loving family, and through his parents, saw and appreciated the value of their hard work to make a good life for him and his brothers.

Joe met his wife Meridee, who was working at WINS radio, while he was employed with a record distributor. Joe and Meridee were born on the same day, so that first birthday celebration dinner was the beginning of 54 wonderful years of marriage. They later moved to Garden City, where their four boys grew up.  Joe was a beloved husband to Meridee and a devoted father to his four

passed away on February 27th, 2025 at the age of 62. Juliet was a distinguished commercial law scholar and a member of GCHS Class of ’80. Juliet graduated Georgetown School of Foreign Service ‘84 and Fordham University Law School ’87 and received her LLM from Temple University School of Law in 1993.

Juliet was a resident of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania where she taught at Widener University Commonwealth Law School for 32 years and most recently held the title of Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. Juliet had a keen intellect and was recognized as one of the foremost scholars on bankruptcy. She was an elected member of the American Law Institute, Uniform Law Commissioner for Pennsylvania, among other important committees. Juliet held several leadership positions in the American Bar Association Business Law Section and served as Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Business Law Section in 2017-2018. She also served on the Board of Regents of

the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers.

Juliet was recently appointed by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to the Federal Judicial Center’s Bankruptcy Judge Education Advisory Committee. Juliet was widely published and gave countless volunteer hours to educating and mentoring students and other lawyers. In January 2025, she received the Association of American Law Schools mentorship award, recognizing her exceptional commitment to guiding and inspiring the next generation of legal professionals, while advancing the field of commercial and consumer law.

Juliet enjoyed travelling and the outdoors with the same vigor as teaching law. She was an avid skier, hiker and biker of the local Pennsylvania trails and used her fluency in French to negotiate travel along the vast reaches of Mont Tremblant, Canada. She was a certified grade 1 ski instructor and served the community as the Co-Chair

IN MEMORIAM

sons, Todd, Troy, Tim and Travis.

Joe loved fishing, golfing, camping and going on family trips or trips just with his sons. For many years he coached Little League, was involved with the scouts, and loved taking them to Rangers and Yankees games.

Joe really enjoyed his job with Columbia and Sony Music. The hours could be long and late into the morning but never dull. Joe retired almost 30 years ago. He often said that he had almost been retired as long as he had worked in the music industry. He travelled the world and loved every minute.

Joe will be deeply missed by his loving wife, Meridee Senkiewicz and their children; Todd Senkiewicz and his wife Suzanne, of Alpharetta, GA; Troy Senkiewicz of Brentwood, LA; Tim Senkiewicz and his wife, Lorie, of Garden City; and Travis Senkiewicz of Suwanee, GA.  Also, a brother, Michael Senkiewicz, of NYC, NY; Grandchildren; Holly Senkiewicz, Ty Senkiewicz

and Chase Senkiewicz of Alpharetta, GA; Hadley Senkiewicz and Ethan Senkiewicz of Garden City; sister-inlaw Helen Senkiewicz,FL; sister-in-law

Karen Martin, of Forest Hills, NY; niece, Karen Maloy and her children, Mathew and Lexie of Greenville, DE; niece, Amy Salerno (Al Salerno) and their children, Nicolas and Lucas of Glen Head, NY; nephew Drew Martin (Cassie Martin) and children Ellery and Spencer of Severna Park, MD; and cousin, Walter Swenson (Kathy) of Cumming, GA. Joe was preceded in death by his parents; Daniel H. Senkiewicz and Sophia Senkiewicz along with his twin brother, Daniel M. Senkiewicz.

His services will be on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.Friends and family may call from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Ballard-Durand Funeral Home at 21 W Stevens Ave, Hawthorne, NY 10532. A brief service will follow at Gate of Heaven Chapel at 10 W Stevens Ave, Hawthorne, NY 10532.

of the Camp Hill Democrats.

Above all, Juliet was a happy, generous, interesting, dedicated daughter and friend. She loved being an aunt and enjoyed telling stories about her adventures, travels and visits with her nephews and nieces.

Juliet is survived by her mother Sheila, sisters Rosemarie (Bob Cooper), Gabrielle (Kevin Morrison), and Alexandra (Glen Rettinger), and her nieces and nephews: JJ Colao, Corinne (Cody) Shoemaker, Michael Colao, Darrah, Megan, Kevin and Patrick Morrison, and Matthew and Brendan Rettinger. She was predeceased by her father Thomas Moringiello, Jr. and her brother Thomas Moringiello, III

A memorial service will be held in the near future. If you would like to remember Juliet with a donation, she asked that you consider giving to one of the following organizations: firstdescents.org, imnotdoneyetfoundation. org or leadthewayfund.org. Each held a special place in Juliet’s heart.

Have you lost someone?

If you would like to post an obituary for a loved one, simply send a short biography of them with (if desired) their photo, details of their funeral/visitation services, and/or any donation requests to editor@gcnews.com, or call our office at 516-294-8900 to inquire.

Juliet M. Moringiello

Joseph William Senkiewicz

IN MEMORIAM

Elizabeth (Betty) Seibold Ricciardi

October 9, 1933–March 14, 2025

Elizabeth (Betty) Seibold Ricciardi passed away on March 14, 2025.

She was the daughter of Vincent and Ethel Siebold, and Bayside Queens; Eldest sister to Loretta, Vincent and Ethel.

She was a Honors high school and college student, proud RN, most loving wife of Dr. Riccardo Ricciardi, mother of Riccardo, Jr, Mark, Patricia and Lisa and matriarch of the extended Ricciardi family.

Devout Catholic, avid tennis player, skier, traveler, cook, NYT crossword puzzler and Jeopardy watcher. Remembered now by her survivors and friends as the single most giving and forgiving soul, capable of boundless love. She spent her last days with her children, grandchildren, and great

Elizabeth (Betty) Seibold Ricciardi

grandchildren displaying her incredible humor and wit, keeping them all feeling loved til the end.

IN MEMORIAM

Grace Constance McGlynn (“Connie”)

December 11, 1944 – March 10, 2025

With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Grace Constance McGlynn, lovingly known as Connie, who left us surrounded by the love of her family and friends. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on December 11, 1944, Connie later made Garden City, New York and Vero Beach, Florida her home, where she built a life filled with love, community, and creativity.

Connie was the beloved daughter of Grace and Francis Guthrie and the cherished sister of Jimmy and Buddy. She found the love of her life in Ron McGlynn, whom she married in 1966, and together they created a warm and welcoming home in Garden City. Connie was a devoted mother to Peter and Scott, mother-in-law to Amy and Alexis, and the proud and adoring Nana of Guthrie, Maisie, Grace, Lila, Cecil, Freddie, and Henry McGlynn.

A graduate of Garden City High School (Class of 1962), Green Mountain College (Class of 1964), and the TobeCoburn School for Fashion Design, Connie had an impeccable eye for interior design. She pursued her passion for aesthetics and functionality with McGlynn Sadlier Design, offering exceptional services that left a lasting impact. She generously shared her gift of design with many of her communities, placing her mark on John's Island Club and Lawrence Beach Club facilities and interiors over the years.

Beyond her professional work, Connie was a dedicated leader and volunteer, pouring her heart into the communities she loved. She made an indelible mark through her service. Most recently, she served as the Chair of the Board of the Vero Beach Museum of Art and along with her husband, Ron, chaired the 2024-25 VBMA Capital Campaign, after many years of service on the Board of Trustees. Connie served on the John’s Island Property Owners Association (JIPOA) Architectural Committee and JIPOA Board of Governors.  She was instrumental in the modern design of John’s Island, serving on the club’s Board Facilities Committee where she created and oversaw the transformation of the major facilities at the club. She was involved as a member of Riverside Theater’s Friendship Committee and Gala Chair. Connie was also a member of the John’s Island Community Service League Gala Design Committee for many years. In New York, she was

responsible for founding and revitalizing signature charitable events, including the Golden Goose Gala and the Yuletide Ball for Winthrop Hospital’s Child Life Program. Her generous spirit extended to the Garden City chapter of the American Cancer Society, where she served as president in 1988-89.

Whether in Garden City, Vero Beach, or on the North Fork, Connie’s presence was felt through her ability to bring people together, create beautiful spaces, and make life’s moments memorable. Connie was an avid golfer, tennis player and Masterspoint bridge player. Connie’s kindness, generosity, and vibrant spirit were infectious. She had a rare gift for making every gathering an experience filled with warmth and joy. Her legacy will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her. She will be deeply missed but forever remembered for the love, light, and joy she brought to the world.

A celebration of Connie’s life will be held at the Vero Beach Museum of Art on Sunday, April 13, 2025 at 4pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the John’s Island Community Service League or the Vero Beach Museum of Art. Johns Island Community Service League Link

By check: Johns Island Community Service League, 4445 N Hwy A1A, Suite 234, Vero Beach FL, 32963

Vero Beach Museum of Art Donation Link

By check: Vero Beach Museum of Art, 3001 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, FL 32963

at

to inquire.

Grace Constance McGlynn

NASSAU COUNTY

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING IN RELATION TO TENTATIVE BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR JUNE 1, 2025 TO MAY 31, 2026

VILLAGE OF GARDEN CITY

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Section 5-508 of the Village Law of the State of New York, a Tentative Budget showing the revenue and expenditures for the fiscal year of the Village of Garden City, New York, commencing June 1, 2025 was filed with the Village Clerk of said Village.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a public hearing will be held by the Board of Trustees of said Village on the 7th day of April 2025, at 7:30 p.m. at the Village Hall, 351 Stewart Avenue, in said Village as well as via Zoom for the purpose of considering and discussing such Tentative Budget.  A copy of such Tentative Budget is available on the Village’s website (www.gardencityny.net), as well as in the office of the Village Clerk located at 351 Stewart Avenue, where it may be inspected by any interested person during office hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The tentative budget does not provide for any compensation to any member of the Board of Trustees, as the Mayor and Trustees of said Village serve without remuneration.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

INC. VILLAGE OF GARDEN CITY, NY

KELLY GALANEK

VILLAGE CLERK

Dated: March 17, 2025

NASSAU COUNTY

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Notice of Formation of Blueverb LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/02/2025. Office location: Nassau County. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to SSNY: 15 Crestline Avenue, Bethpage, NY 11714. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

NASSAU COUNTY

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Notice of Formation of Apressea LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/07/2025. Office location: Nassau County. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Apressea LLC: 89 4th Street, Garden City, New York 11530. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

NASSAU COUNTY

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

NASSAU COUNTY

NOTICE OF HEARING ON PROPOSED LOCAL LAW

VILLAGE OF GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Garden City, New York will hold a public hearing at the Village Hall, 351 Stewart Avenue, in said Village as well as via Zoom at 7:30 p.m. on the 7th day of April 2025 upon the following:  A Proposed Local Law to Amend Section 178 of the Village Code in Relation to Street and Sidewalks.

LOCAL LAW NO. 4 OF 2025

BE IT ENACTED BY THE VILLAGE OF GARDEN CITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES AS FOLLOWS:

The Code of the Village of Garden City Chapter 178. “Street and Sidewalks” shall be amended as follows:

Section 1.  Section 178-9 “Permit required” shall be amended to read:

“Permit required; Qualifications; Availability of permit at site” and the existing paragraph shall be designated as paragraph “A.”

Section 2.  Section 178-9 shall be amended to add the following:

B.    Qualifications. No person not recognized by the Department of Public Works as a duly qualified sidewalk contractor shall be authorized to construct any sidewalk, curb or curb cut on or adjacent to any street, highway, public place or other Village properties; and such persons before engaging upon such work must first obtain from the Department of Public Works a permit authorizing such construction.

C.    Each permit issued in pursuance of this article shall at all times be in the personal possession of the parties actually prosecuting the work, and available for inspection.

Section 3.  Section 178-10.B. shall be amended to read as follows:

B.   No permit shall be issued for an opening on any roadway which has been newly constructed or repaved by the Village during a period of five calendar years previous to the date of submission of the application, except for permits for emergency openings as defined in § 178-10.B.(2) below. This subsection does not include any excavation on the right-of-way abutting said newly constructed highway. The Superintendent of Public Works may waive or modify the requirements of this subsection for the installation of new gas connections to residential properties.

Section 4.  Section 178-10 shall be amended to read as follows:

Defensive Driving Course

The Knights of Columbus #15809 at St Joseph’s Church in Garden City is pleased to offer the community the AAA Driver Defensive Driving Course. The course will be held on Saturday April 5, 2025 - 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the St. Joseph’s Church, LL St Agnes Room, Garden City. Call for directions. Upon completion of this course, Participants are eligible for 10% off their motor vehicle insurance for three years and/or a reduction of points from their driver’s license. The fee for the course is $55 per person and advance registration is required. To register and for more information, please contact: Louie Malave 631-398-8922 or John Russo 516-384-4552

Are you a professional? Our Professional Guide is sure to bring results. Call 294-8900 for rates and information.

Notice of Formation of XOXROBINXOX LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/05/2025. Office location: Nassau County. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to ROBIN SOHN: 156 Woodmere Blvd. South Woodmere NY 11598. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

C.   Restoration Required. When a permittee, or any person acting on its behalf, does any work in or affecting any public rights-of-way or Village property, it shall, at its own expense, restore such ways or property to good order and condition as determined by the Superintendent of Public Works or his authorized representative

1.    All restorations shall be made from curb to curb as necessary to avoid ragged edges on the restored area. The area to be restored shall be increased as necessary to avoid residual strips of existing pavement either direction.

2.    Where multiple disturbances, cuts or trenches have been made in the same roadway within 150 feet of each other, the whole roadway shall be replaced, from intersection to intersection.

Section 5.  Section 178-10.C. shall be re-lettered 178-10.D. and shall be entitled “Failure to restore.”

Section 6.  Section 178-10.D. shall be re-lettered 178-10.E.

Section 7.  Effective date

One ad can go so far...

NASSAU COUNTY

Advertise your services in our Professional Guide or Service Directory today and be seen in these five newspapers:

The Incorporated Village of Garden City does not discriminate on the basis of disability for admission to, access to, or participation in its programs, activities or public meetings, and has designated Kelly Galanek, Village Clerk, as Disability Compliance Coordinator.  Persons in need of any special accommodation with a disability who wish to attend a meeting should contact the Village Clerk at least 24 hours in advance of meeting at: 351 Stewart Avenue

Garden City, New York 11530 (516) 465-4051

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Notice of Formation of Notilt,LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/06/2024. Office location: Nassau County. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Kenneth Molloy: 67 Hilton Ave. D24 Garden City, NY 11530. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

This Local Law shall take effect immediately upon filing in the office of the New York Secretary of State in accordance with the Municipal Home Rule Law.

An annual subscription to one of our papers costs less than buying a copy each week. Call 516-294-8900 to subscribe!

From thought-provoking editorials and current events coverage to restaurant reviews, puzzles and more, we deliver the quality reporting that keeps you informed and the playful features that keep you entertained.

Subscribe Today with our most fetching offer yet!

AmaWaterways’

Mekong Luxury Cruise through Vietnam

and Cambodia: Ho Chi Minh City and the Vietnamese Mekong

BY GERI BAIN

FOR TRAVEL FEATURES SYNDICATE GOINGPLACESFARANDNEAR.COM

Silently, our rowboat glides through waters thick with lotus flowers, water lilies, and vegetation and along narrow passageways lined by towering evergreen cajuput (melaleuca) trees whose outstretched branches host hundreds of nesting birds. Later, we hike to an observatory tower for panoramic views of the 2100-acre Tra Su Cajuput Forest and Bird Sanctuary, which shelters over 70 bird species.

We are in Vietnam, and this is one of many amazing tours my 30-yearold-daughter and I enjoy on a weeklong AmaWaterways Mekong River cruise. We are traveling on the fivestar AmaDara. Our cruise begins in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and ends in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Here, in the first of a three-part story, we share highlights from our journey through southern Vietnam.

Our trip begins with two precruise nights at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. The hotel is within walking distance of almost everything we want to see, and its rooftop pool and Bremiere spa are great for unwinding after our 26-hour journey from New York City.

The Sofitel reflects the city’s blend of French Colonial and traditional and modern Vietnamese influences in its decor, service and dining. The lobby has a croissant/pastry cart as well as an area displaying and selling fine local lacquerware and other crafts. It has both French and Vietnamese restaurants, and

an extensive breakfast buffet that features Pho (soup) made to order, a croissant and pastry station and extensive selections of foods from around the world.

Our favorite meal in Ho Chi Minh City is at ST25 by KOTO, our hotel’s tony Vietnamese restaurant. It is popular with locals and guests for its ambience and its creative twist on traditional dishes like spiced Barramundi (fish) roasted in banana leaves with mam tôm sauce (fermented shrimp paste). It takes its name from the acclaimed Vietnamese rice variety, ST25.

One of the wonderful things about this restaurant is that it trains, hires and supports at-risk and disadvantaged youth, and the training is in life-skills, not just hospitality. Everyone working there has come through the program, including our personable maitre d. The service is impeccable and every dish is an artfully presented unique treat, from the yellowtail kingfish in avocado

puree and black sesame appetizer to the Barramundi, a delicious fish roasted in banana leaves with chili, turmeric, spring onion and a mam tôm sauce (fermented shrimp paste).

A friend had advised us to pack lightly and bring an empty suitcase because Vietnam prices warranted buying a whole new wardrobe. The values are definitely there; two shopping experiences stand out.

The first is Phuong Giang, a small shop that came highly recommended, where we page through style books, select a fabric and get measured; the dress is delivered to our hotel the next day for a follow-up fitting at the time we request. The cost is under $75.

Also memorable is Ben Thanh Market, a bustling, clean and orderly indoor market that sells everything from running track suits to suitcases at jaw-droppingly low prices. For example, Nike shirts and shorts are about $5. I buy a chic pleated maxi dress for $18 USD that is similar to ones I’d seen for more than $100 in the

U.S. Note: bargaining is expected. Happily, the museums in Ho Chi Minh City we visit have excellent English signage. We start out at Independence Palace, a.k.a. Reunification Palace, the opulent former seat of French Colonial and South Vietnamese governments, where we see the stately meeting rooms where diplomats and heads of state were greeted, held important meetings and were entertained, and the War Remnants Museum, where news clippings, photos, munitions and other artifacts reveal the ravages of the “American War.”

Since we’re especially interested in learning more about the cultural and historic roots of Vietnam, we visit two other excellent museums: the Museum of South Vietnamese Women, which focuses on women’s roles in farming, family and war during more than 1,000 years of foreign invasions, and the History Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, whose exhibits start with prehistoric times. We spend about two to three hours in each and they provide great context for the sights we will see during our cruise.

On our third morning, we meet up with our AmaWaterways group in the hotel lobby and board buses for a lively, informative ride to our home for the next seven nights, the AmaDara. Built in Vietnam, the fivestar, 62-cabin river cruise ship reflects the Mekong’s French Colonial and Asian aesthetic in its hardwood floors, wood furnishings, and colorful artwork depicting local life.

Exploring the ship, we find a small air-conditioned workout space,

Continued on next page

AmaWaterways’ Mekong River cruise takes us deep into the cultures of southern Vietnam and Cambodia (Photo courtesy of AmaWaterways)

GOING PLACES, NEAR & FAR....

AmaWaterways’ Mekong Luxury Cruise through Vietnam & Cambodia

Continued from previous page

three spa treatment rooms, a plunge pool, large indoor and outdoor cocktail/ coffee lounges and a large dining room. Before dinner, Huy, our energetic and knowledgeable cruise manager, provides the first of our daily talks about the destinations we’ll visit. We begin getting to know some of our crew members, who are almost all from the region.

We appreciate that the dining room always serves a choice of several regional foods like sweet and salty pork bowl and fish “amok”, cooked in a rich, spiced coconut milk sauce, as well as international dishes. And we love that menu items are plated and displayed with a list of ingredients as we enter the dining room—especially helpful for some less familiar dishes.

After dinner, a group of folk musicians comes aboard to perform. The music is unlike Western music and each musician demonstrates their instrument before performing. Then, after the performance, we are invited to chat with the musicians and if we like, try out their instruments.

The next morning, I join a prebreakfast stretch class on the sundeck with Hanna, the ship’s wellness coach. She offers a surprising number of daily yoga, qigong and other classes, and I can still hear her gentle reminders to breathe deeply and take in the healthy air of the Mekong.

Our next two days in Vietnam are packed with adventure and our days take on a rhythm of morning excursions, a refreshing midday break and lunch on board the ship in air-conditioned comfort, and then a second set of activities in the afternoon. We opt for the active excursions which have more walking or add a second site to the standard tour.

After breakfast, we head out in sampans (traditional small boats) to a

candy and rice-paper workshop in Cai Be, where we watch and sample each step of the candy process, see rice paper being made by hand, and visit their small local crafts shop. We taste some local liquors, but on the advice of our guide, we skip the snake wine.

Active travelers continue on for a guided walk through Dong Hoa Hiep, an ancient village of fruit tree groves and ornate historic homes. The highlight is Mr. Kiet’s Ancient House, a faithfully restored upper-class 1838 home with intricately carved wooden archways and doors and a fine collection of antique furnishings, many with luminescent inlaid nacre. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site, the home is still occupied by the widow of Mr Kiet, who operates a small restaurant in the orchard garden.

Our afternoon tour takes us to the wet market in Sa Dec, where we see live eels, snake fish, snails and duck embryos, still in the shell, which are a local delicacy. From there, we board sampans and boat over to the Cao Dai Temple, where brilliant paintings and sculptures illustrate the beliefs of this home-grown Vietnamese monotheistic religion. Combining elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Vietnamese folk religions and other practices, the Cao Dai religion is now the third largest religion in Vietnam.

On our last morning in Vietnam,

NUTRITION NEWS

BY CHARLYN FARGO

We explore the watery Tra Su Cajuput Forest by traditional rowboat and on foot.

©Geri Bain

we have two options: a trishaw tour of a village, stopping at silk and rattan workshops and a home visit, or an excursion to the Tra Su Cajuput Forest and Bird Sanctuary. Based on conversations with fellow passengers over dinner that evening, there was no wrong choice. We opt for nature, and are thrilled to have the chance to see this pristine eco-system.

This afternoon, we are required to remain on-board as the boat clears customs into Cambodia. AmaWaterways has collected our passports, arranges our visas and takes care of all the details. We take the opportunity to experience the region’s special deep-tissue massage spa treatments and join a cooking class.

It’s only been three days since we set out on AmaWaterways’ AmaDara, but it feels like much longer because of all we’ve seen and done. We are excited for tomorrow, when we will wake up in Cambodia’s exotic capital, Phnom Penh.

The basics:

In 2025, AmaWaterways offers oneweek Mekong River trips, except during May, June, and July, traveling between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Siem Reap, Cambodia. Prices start at around $2,320 and include transfers between the ship and Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap and all sightseeing, wi-fi, meals, and onboard programs. Extra charges include airfare (discounted fares are available), visa fees, bar drinks (alcoholic beverages

Celebrate a World of Flavors

That’s the theme of National Nutrition Month this March. Highlighting March as National Nutrition Month started back in 1980. The goal is to stress the importance of a balanced diet and exercise.

The idea behind the theme is to embrace global cultures, cuisines and inclusion. Enjoying different flavors of the world is a chance to learn more about your own food culture as well as those that may not be so familiar. Familiar ingredients can be presented in new ways and new foods may remind you of things you already know and love. You may also come across ingredients and flavors you’ve never ex-

perienced before.

Trying foods and recipes from various cultures in one way to incorporate different flavors into your healthy eating routine. And trying new flavors and foods from various cultures can also help you increase the variety of foods you eat.

That’s the premise of healthy eating: variety, moderation and balance.

Looking to global cuisines also is a smart alternative for those who get bored eating the same thing over and over.

That’s especially important because the way foods taste is a major factor in what kids and adults do -- or don’t -- eat.

Try an international breakfast to break the monotony and expand your world.

with meals are included), port charges (about $210 p.p.) and suggested tips ($80 per passenger for the crew and $20-$25 for the cruise manager). AmaWaterways also offers a choice of all-inclusive pre- and post-cruise options. The most comprehensive is eight nights, including stays in Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap/ Angkor Wat,, and Ha Long Bay, and all transportation, priced at $2,779 per person.

Flights from the U.S. can take well over 20 hours. As with all cruises, it’s important to arrive at least a day early in case of flight delays. Considering the time change and potential for jet lag, I’d suggest a minimum two-night pre-cruise cushion—more if you have time.

Be sure to check with your doctor or a travel medicine specialist for recommendations on vaccinations and other health precautions, and the U.S. Department of State, CIA.gov and the CIA World Factbook for helpful country information.

Note when filling out visa applications, flight and hotel reservations that dates in Vietnam and Cambodia are written day/ month/year. I almost booked my flight for the wrong date. (April 1, 2025 would be written 01/04/2025).

Get the required visa at Vietnam’s website, evisa.gov.vn, where the fee is $25 (if you use a visa service it costs something like $197), and at Cambodia’s website (evisa.gov.kh), where the fee is $30, but give yourself enough time to get the confirmation.

Next: AmaWaterways Cruises to Cambodia

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear. com

Here are a few examples:

--Mexico -- It’s not uncommon to eat tortillas with beans and shredded beef or chicken for breakfast, providing protein and fiber (from the beans).

--Israel -- An Israeli breakfast includes both vegetables and fruit as well as healthy fats. A typical breakfast consists of olives, cheese, vegetables, bread and fresh juices. Try threading chunks of cheese and vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and pitted olives on wooden skewers. Yep, it’s breakfast food.

--Kenya -- A traditional Kenyan breakfast includes porridge, made from corn,

Continued on page 5

On purely chaste, pristine, and random thoughts

BY LOU THEODORE

Here we go again. There are 24 of my random, scattered thoughts below about nothing in particular. These “random” articles come when I am at a loss; they actually lift my spirits during those times.

• Our favorite resort in Florida –The Sandcastle in Sarasota – got flooded out permanently with Helene. The end of an era for our family.

• I vowed to dedicate part of my life to helping students professionally; I just loved it.

• Planning another presentation of Winning at Casinos in the near future.

• The most underrated movie of all time is Random Harvest, starring Greer Garson (a true beauty) and Ronald Coleman.

• My dining favorites are:

Soup – avgolemono

Salad – Ceasar’s

Meat – Lamb (naturally) followed by ribeye steak followed by short ribs.

Fish – Pick it

• Ribeyes are unquestionably the tastiest of the steak cuts.

• Swing the Teapot in Floral Park (at the Queens/Nassau border) is a gem of a restaurant in the middle of nowhere.

• I’m on borrowed time at 90+.

• Harry’s Hilltop deli in Williston Park does a nice job on Greek food.

Mary used him for parts of her menu for my 90th birthday party.

• It has become more painful to bury a dear friend or close relative. Just lost former classmate Neophitos Ganiaris, a fellow Greek.

• 2024 was truly an exciting baseball season. The Mets really put a show on in late September and the playoffs.

• I have made every attempt to stop patronizing businesses (particularly restaurants) that charge for using a credit card.

• Astoria is still your best bet for Greek food.

• School taxes are really getting out of hand.

• More and more streets in Queens and Nassau County are in dire need of repair.

• Did I call it with Rodgers? I’m a Jet fan but he was 2 years older, and lost his desire, mobility, and running capability.

• Dining out – with the sales tax and increased tipping – has become overly expensive.

• The Hambones has become one of our favorite go-to music groups; John Kouri is a great entertainer, and his lead guitarist is just super. Same for Hell or High Water with Tom Wiff.

• Could it possibly be true that somewhere between 10-20 million undocumented (or is it illegals) are now in our country?

• Dinner out with entertainment is turning out to be no more expensive than just dining out.

• I love D’Angelo’s (Williston Park) grandma pizza.

• Getting a Ph.D. today is almost like getting a bachelor’s degree when I was growing up.

• When I’m at a loss, I start writing; it lifts my burden(s) or solves a problem.

• The last half of the last century passed into the sunset a quarter of a century ago. I was on top of the world: horses, the Queen, Killeen’s, Astoria, Rockaway Beach, Ph.D., great students. Those were the days.

Visit the author at: www.theodorenewsletter.com and / or Basketball Coaching 101 on Facebook

BY TOM MARGENAU

Military Myths and Social Security

Not a week goes by when I don’t get emails from veterans who have been led to believe that they are missing out on some extra Social Security benefits allegedly payable to people who served in the military.

As is often the case with these misleading internet come-ons, there is a tiny kernel of truth to the rumor. But then exaggerated claims and false information take over and things get blown way out of proportion.

Here are the facts in a nutshell: If you were in the military anytime up until 2001, the government may add a small amount of additional earnings to your Social Security record. And note that I am NOT talking about extra money added to your Social Security check. These are simply extra earnings incorporated into your Social Security earnings record -- the record upon which your Social Security monthly benefit is based.

The good news is you get these extra earnings on your Social Security account. But the bad news is these extra credits are relatively minimal and usually will have little or no effect on the eventual amount of your Social Security check.

You also need to know that these extra earnings are automatically added to your Social Security account. There is nothing you need to do to get the extra credits.

Now let’s back up and give a little more information about military service and Social Security. If you served on active duty or active-duty training in the military service anytime after 1956, you paid Social Security taxes on your earnings just like anyone else working at a job covered by Social Security. Since 1988, inactive duty in the armed forces reserves, such as weekend drills, has also been covered by Social Security. That’s the simple part.

What leads to all the confusion is that Congress decided to add extra earnings credits to the Social Security records of military personnel. And the amount of those credits varies depending on the time served.

If you were in the military between 1957 and 1977, the government adds $300 to your Social Security record for each calendar quarter in which you received active-duty basic pay.

From 1978 through 2001, the government added an extra $100 to your Social Security account for each $300 you earned in basic pay, up to a maximum of $1,200 per year. There are times when these extra credits aren’t granted. For example, if you enlisted after Sept. 7, 1980, and didn’t complete your full tour of duty, you won’t get the extra credits. Check with the Social Security Administration for more exceptions.

Beginning in 2002, the government stopped adding extra credits to Social Security records for military service.

As I said above, if you are due extra

credits, you usually don’t need to do anything to get them added to your record. If you served from 1968 through 2001, those credits are automatically added to your Social Security account. If you served from 1957 through 1967, the credits will be added at the time you file for benefits. In some cases, you may be asked to provide your DD-214 (discharge papers) to verify your military service.

The story is a little different for older vets reading this. If you served in the armed forces between 1940 and 1956, Social Security taxes were not deducted from your military paychecks. But in most cases, the government did add $160 per month in earnings to your Social Security account for the time you served. These credits were automatically added at the time you applied for Social Security benefits.

So that’s the story. There are no big Social Security bonuses for vets. You don’t need to go to your Social Security office waving your DD-214 and expect to get a big pile of cash. (Although, as I pointed out above, folks who served between 1957 and 1967 may need to show their discharge papers at the time they file for benefits to get those extra earnings added to their Social Security account.)

And finally, I must repeat this message: Those extra earnings you get for your military service aren’t going to make you rich. Because Social Security retirement benefits are figured using a 35-year base of earnings, a few hundred dollars sprinkled here and there into your Social Security account will have little if any effect on your eventual Social Security benefit.

Another common myth involving Social Security and people who were in the military concerns the relationship between Veterans Administration benefits and Social Security disability benefits.

I hear from vets all the time who say something like this: “The VA says I’m disabled. Yet when I tried to get Social Security disability benefits, they turned me down. How can one federal agency say I’m disabled, and another federal agency says I’m not?”

The reason one government department says you’re disabled and another says you’re not is that each agency has its own laws and rules about what constitutes a disability.

For example, the VA makes disability payments to vets based on degrees of disability. They might say you are 10% disabled, or maybe 50% disabled.

But to get Social Security disability benefits, the law says you must be 100% disabled. Or to be more precise, the rules say you must have a physical or mental condition that is so severe it will keep you from doing any kind of work for at least a year. Or you must have a terminal condition.

If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has two books with all the

answers. One is called “Social Security -Simple and Smart: 10 Easy-to-Understand Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security.” The other is “Social Security: 100 Myths and 100

Facts.” You can find the books at Amazon. com or other book outlets. Or you can send him an email at thomas.margenau@comcast.net.

COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Saving and keeping our NYS population from leaving

Somehow my link to our hilarious belly laugh video of my instructor, David Lauster’s story of his Chinese couple was incorrect from last week. So here is the correct link: https:// www.facebook.com/philipraices/ videos/10209707276180032/

The last 14 years, NYS has been losing its’ primary population, GenZs, GenX and Millennials and even our baby boomers too. (Governor Cuomo’s failed 207 million dollar advertising plan/Pressconnects.com). You’d have to have your head in the sand or never read or watch the news to not know why. It’s obvious that the price of homes, real estate taxes and the cost of living are the three main reasons, right? Well, you guessed it! It seems extremely doubtful, that anyone, including our local, state and federal governments can do anything about the price of homes, but maybe they can. Moreover, there is a way to cut our real estate taxes, by methodically creating a plan of action to ascertain and determine where monies can be saved in running our local, state and federal governments. I do not suggest or believe a swift sword slicing to every department “willy-nilly” that runs our local, state, and Federal governments without a plan in determining who needs to be on the “chopping block” in a fair and equitable fashion. What is happening today is not the most prudent, logical and pragmatic plan of action. However, if we fail to plan then we will plan to fail, similarly to what is currently occurring today. When you try to save, you must plan and figure out how to do it with the least amount of damage and pushback to the governing aspect of everyday life as well as to the people that are employed.

There should always be a consistent log and a record of reviews on a quarterly basis to create a history of timeliness, actual quality and quantity of work being completed and being accountable, whether working remotely, hybrid or full-time in an office. Laying people off as a cost savings method is one thing; but what is hap-

pening today, is suddenly just firing or offering them buyouts without cause or proof of failure to perform without actual and factual reasons is another thing and surely isn’t the most advantageous and smart path to pursue. Go to CNBC. com for more information on the extent of the firings and layoffs.

BY PHILIP A. RAICES

This will have some consequences to those who are homeowners, as well as those who planned to become homeowners as their jobs are eliminated. How will this help our economy and minimize our future inflation? My professional opinion is, it will not. There are enough economists that have come out and said that inflation is here to stay and will be increasing once again as it had during the Covid-19 Pandemic. As the DOGE contingent continues to layoff federal workers, the future may not be as bright as they may be planning.

I do apologize for digressing into the political arena, but this explanation will make many realize and understand how we can keep more of our younger population who want to stay in NYS, and it has become next to impossible under the current home pricing crisis.

To me, one of the answers is to construct much smaller homes for singles, couples and families with children. In my town, studios are currently prices from$150,000-$339,000; and the approximate square footage ranges from 250400 sq. ft. This might work for singles and couples but not for families.

The time has arrived for greater emphasis on factory, pre-built modular homes. This must now be considered one of the solutions and an avenue to pursue to keep our population from exiting NYS. There are companies, one in particular that I am working with where prices can range from $110,000$450,000 depending on the size, finishes and extras. The cost savings can be monumental; and these are facto-

ry built modular homes are assembled on sight in a very expeditious and simple fashion. However, this will provide the benefits of true ownership as opposed to being under the control of a landlord, who receives all the benefits and gains of income, appreciation, tax writeoffs, building their future wealth and the tenant’s zero. it’s all about enabling tenants to become homeowners, experience the “American Dream” and building their future wealth. This in turn will continue to aid and boost our local and state economies. The issue is finding suitable land that economically priced to build upon in development styled locations where nimbyism (not in my backyard) is less of an issue and can be tolerated by local homeowners, understanding the ramifications of losing our populations to other less costly states. Suffolk Country and many areas of the five boroughs of NYC and upstate have sufficient land to provide reasonable housing at cost effective prices.

Local, State and Federal Governments need to take a stand as they have the power to create first time assistance programs to provide grant money that you wouldn’t have to pay back if you reside in the home for at least 10 years. We are losing our middle class in NY as well as other high cost states. We need to be innovators and government needs to have an entrepreneurial spirit to keep our local and state economy from falling behind and losing our workers. Modular factory-built homes are now a necessity and are one of the solutions to consider to keeping our younger generation from leaving.

Just curious, I would like to know who among you would consider staying if the price of purchasing a studio sized, small to midsized single family or attached home from 350-1200 sq. ft was affordable. Email me at the address below. If we have a sufficient response,

I will report on it in a future column.

Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has 43+ years experience in the Real Estate industry and has earned 3 significant designations:

(What I consider a Master’s degree in real estate) expert in consulting and completing international transactions, eco-friendly low carbon footprint construction with 3-D printed foundations, Solar panels, Geo-thermal HVAC/Heat Pumps).

He will also provide a copy of “Unlocking the Secrets of Real Estate’s New Market Reality, and his Seller’s and Buyer’s Guides for “Things to Consider when Selling, investing or Purchasing your Home.

He will provide you with “free” regular updates of what has gone under contract (pending), been sold (closed) and those homes that have been withdrawn/ released or expired (W/R) and all new listings of homes, HOA, Townhomes, Condos, and Coops in your town or go to: https://WWW.Li-RealEstate.Com and you can “do it yourself (DYI) and search on your own. For a “FREE” no obligation 15 minute consultation, as well as a “FREE printout or digital value analysis of what your home might sell for in today’s market without any obligation or “strings” attached call him at (516) 647-4289 or email: Phil@ TurnKeyRealEstate.com

You can now search at your leisure for properties at: WWW.Li-RealEstate. com

Continued from page 2

sorghum, or millet. It’s often served with peanuts, fish or boiled sweet potatoes or cassava.

--India -- Indian breakfasts often are vegetarian. A favorite is vegetable upma, a hot breakfast made from farina and vegetables including onions, carrots and green beans and spiced with ginger, cur-

ry leaves, mustard seeds and cumin. The warm morning meal provides plenty of iron from fortified grains and dietary fiber from vegetables.

--Peru -- A typical Peruvian breakfast often is a corn or quinoa tamale with papaya and white cheese known as queso fresco. A weekend favorite is stir-fried steak with tomatoes and onions served with bread.

Q and A

Q: Is a slow metabolism to blame for my weight?

A: Only in rare cases do people gain an excessive amount of weight from a medical issue that slows the metabolism, such as Cushing’s syndrome or having an underactive thyroid gland. Weight gain is a complicated process, a combination of genetic makeup, hormonal controls,

diet composition and other lifestyle factors such as sleep, physical activity and stress. To be at the right weight, choose a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise. Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois, and the current president of the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

BY MARY HUNT

I’m sure my supermarket is not the only grocery store with an area in the back I call “My Bargain Bin.” It’s refrigerated and features some dandy bargains, especially on perishable items approaching that “sell by” date. There are no limits on the number of items I can load into my cart -- all of them with ridiculously low, rock-bottom prices.

You may be asking, but Mary, what can we do with all of these perishables to make sure they don’t, well, perish! The answer, of course, is to freeze them. Yes, even the eggs, milk and cheese.

BUTTER

Freeze margarine or butter in the packaging and containers they come in for up to six months. Thaw to return to their original texture and quality.

CREAM, WHIPPED

Once whipped and sweetened, cream freezes well for one to two months. Note: Freezing cream in its liquid state is not recommended because it affects the quality of the product. In most cases, freezing causes changes to the fat, which can lead to poor texture.

How to Freeze Eggs, Dairy Products and More Who Needs Balance?

BY MARY HUNT

Dear Mary: What does it mean to “balance” my bank account? How do I do that? Why should I? I really appreciate you answering my question. I’m sure I should know this, but honestly, I don’t. -- Josey

Dear Josey: This is a great question, and I’m sure you’d be surprised to know just how many of your fellow readers want to know the same thing!

To balance, or “reconcile,” your account means you agree with the amount of money the bank says you have in your account at any given time -- that it is exactly the same amount that your records say you have. If the amount you show you have in the account does not match what the bank says you have, you’re out of balance. Someone has made a mistake, and you need to find it.

There are four reasons you need to balance your account at least once a month:

No. 1: To catch the bank’s mistakes (they make ‘em!).

No. 2: To catch your mistakes (so do you).

EGGNOG

Unopened eggnog may be frozen for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator, and shake well before serving, as there may be some ingredient separation during freezing.

EGGS

You can freeze eggs, provided you remove them from the shell first. Do not freeze whole eggs in the shell. Raw eggs can be frozen for up to one year. Thaw in the refrigerator. Hint: Separate the whites from the yolks, and freeze in small portions for easy use.

MILK

Milk may be frozen for as long as three months, provided the sealed container is frozen prior to the “best before” date. Skim and low-fat milk freeze better than whole milk. Thaw frozen milk in the refrigerator. The milk will still have the same nutrients, but it may separate. If it does, shake well, and consume as soon as possible.

CHEESE

Hard cheese freezes well, but it changes the texture, making it nearly impossible to slice. Frozen cheese is great for cooking and to grate. Hint: Grate first, then freeze

FRESH MEAT

Fresh beef roasts and steaks can be frozen for up to one year if wrapped well to retard freezer burn; pork and lamb up to six months.

PROCESSED MEATS

You can freeze bacon, hot dogs, cooked ham, luncheon meats and sausage for up to two months before these items begin to lose quality and taste.

FRESH POULTRY

Whole turkey, chicken, duck and goose can be frozen for up to one year. Poultry pieces, however, should be used within nine months.

FLOUR

All-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cornmeal and other baking staples, including baking powder and baking soda, stay fresh and bug-free indefinitely in the freezer. You will experience no change of texture or taste. Even better? You can ignore the expiration dates.

COFFEE AND TEA

Storing coffee beans in the freezer has long been the method of choice to preserve freshness. But die-hard coffee lovers tell us to never freeze coffee beans or grinds because it changes the flavor from fresh to “freezer-stale.” However, no one

argues that freezing leftover brewed coffee in ice cube trays to make blended coffee drinks or iced coffee is a great idea. Freeze leftover tea in the same manner and you’ll have “ice” for your iced tea that will not dilute the drink.

Mary invites you to visit her at EverydayCheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions and comments at https://www.everydaycheapskate.com/contact/, “Ask Mary.” This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a frugal living blog, and the author of the book “DebtProof Living.”

COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM

No. 3: To avoid really expensive bounce fees.

No. 4: To feel like a genius.

When you go for long periods of time without settling up to make sure the bank and you agree on how much you have in your account, you’re handing over your power to whatever the bank says you have. They’re not perfect. Banks are run by humans, and humans make errors.

You make errors, too -- not only with math but also with things like forgetting to write down an ATM withdrawal, a forgotten debit card swipe or other transaction.

OK, enough with the lecture. The next time you get your statement, allow that to be your new starting point. Accept the balance the bank says you have, and then reconcile your account every month going forward. You’ll find simple fill-in-the-blank instructions with a form on the back of your statement, or you can find something similar online.

Another option is to download an app that will effectively balance your account for you. There are some great

apps out there for balancing your checkbook, such as Mint, WalletWhiz, PocketMoney, QuickBank Checkbook and ClearCheckbook.

Dear Mary: I hardly ever carry cash and rarely use credit. I use only a debit card. But still, there are times I feel out of control. How can I get some control over my spending? -- Cindy

Dear Cindy: Merchant research groups have proven it over and again: Customers who shop with plastic spend about 30% more than those paying with cash.

I believe that’s because credit and debit cards (paper checks as well) are stand-ins for our money. They’re not the real thing, but more like “play money.”

I know for myself that swiping a card or writing a check for a purchase doesn’t require the same kind of mental consideration as paying with cash.

I suggest you put yourself on a cash-only diet for the next 30 days. Don’t carry a checkbook or plastic. Except for payments you must send through the mail, force yourself to pay with cash.

Then determine to keep a written record of how you spend the cash.

While making the switch to cash will be quite an adjustment in the beginning, I predict your mindless spending will disappear.

Tip: If you are concerned about being caught short in case of an emergency, keep a large denomination ($50 or $100) prepaid debit card, such as a MasterCard or Visa gift card, tucked away in the back of your wallet. I’ll bet you’ll have a tough time cashing them, but you’ll know you are prepared if you get stuck.

Mary invites you to visit her at EverydayCheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions and comments at https://www.everydaycheapskate.com/contact/, “Ask Mary.” This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of EverydayCheapskate.com, a frugal living blog, and the author of the book “Debt-Proof Living.”

COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.

STARGAZERS

Seeing the ‘Unseeable’ with Averted Vision

BY DENNIS MAMMANA

Week of March 23-29, 2025

The human eye is a remarkable device. Most of what we know about the world and universe around us we owe to this 1-inch diameter gelatinous globe.

As much as the eye can show us around our daily world, it requires plenty of light to work properly. It’s not made for viewing in low-light situations and, as you can imagine, it’s quite limited when it comes to astronomical observing.

For example, go out to a dark site some night and just try to see colors around you. Sure, it’s easy to see colors of taillights or flashlights, or even distant city lights, but these are relatively bright. Check out the colors of your car or someone’s shirt without shining a light on them, and you’ll see only shades of gray.

This is because the color receptors near the center of the retina -- the “cones” -- are triggered only by relatively bright light. The shades of gray we see come courtesy of the sensors known as “rods”; these surround the cones and work pretty well under dim lighting. We can improve the ability of our eyes to see in darkness by a process known as dark adaptation. You’ll get a great demonstration of dark adaptation if you try to find a seat in a dark movie theater after entering from a bright

sunlit street. By the time you’re ready to head out to the refreshment stand or restroom, you’ll discover that navigating inside the theater is no longer a problem. That’s because our pupils dilate in the darkness to allow in more light. This process takes time -- at least 30 minutes -- but it does eventually occur.

To have a chance to see the stars most effectively, we must allow dark adaptation to take place, and that requires at least 30 minutes without looking into a bright white light. Astronomers always allow plenty of time for this process to occur before we begin our observations, and once we do, we protect our night vision by using only red light to find our way around or to use star maps or logbooks.

Even so, there’s another challenge our eyes face when peering at the night sky. After you’re dark-adapted, choose something faint in the sky and stare directly at it. A good subject for this experiment is the Pleiades star cluster, midway up in the western sky after dark this week.

If you stare directly at it, you may be surprised to watch it disappear! Why should this be? Because when you stare directly at a faint object, you’re focusing its light onto the center of the retina, where the color-sensing cones reside, and they don’t work with faint light. So whatever you’re staring at will vanish.

Now suppose you avert your gaze a tiny bit up or down or to the side. You’ll be focusing its light onto the rods; they work pretty well under such conditions, and the Pleiades will pop sharply back into view.

This “averted vision” technique helps overcome some of the limitations

of our amazing eyes. It also works when peering through a telescope or binoculars, and even while walking or driving after dark.

Visit Dennis Mammana at dennismammana.com.

COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM

BY TRACY BECKERMAN

“Hello, hello,” I said when I saw my husband’s number come up on my phone.

Nothing.

“Hellllloooooooooo?” I said louder.

“Can I have a tall decaf skim mocha Frappuccino?” I heard my husband say. It sounded like he wasn’t talking directly into his phone but rather from a galaxy far, far away.

“HELLLLOOOOOO!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. “HONEY, YOUR PHONE IS CALLING ME AGAIN!!”

This, unfortunately, was not a new scenario. There are times when my husband calls me on his cellphone, then there are times when his cellphone calls me all on its own. My husband keeps his phone in his rear pocket, and sometimes he will use his phone and then slip it into his pocket, and he will sit on it, and it will call me. The problem is, while his phone knows it called me, my husband doesn’t.

“PICK UP YOUR PHONE!” I yelled again. “PICK IT UP!”

I imagined people waiting in line behind him wondering why there was a tiny voice coming from my husband’s butt.

I waited, but alas, nothing happened. He didn’t hear me. No one heard me. This must be what’s it like to be a Who in Whoville.

I hung up, then I picked up the phone again. Because he didn’t hang up on his end, we were still connected. Now I couldn’t use my phone until his phone decided to hang up. I was trapped in cellphone purgatory.

“Your phone called me again today,” I told him in a huff later that night.

He laughed. “Come on. It did not.”

“You went to Starbucks today and got a grande decaf skim mocha Frappuccino,” I said.

He paused. “You’re wrong! It was a tall. I knew you made this up.”

“I DIDN’T MAKE IT UP!!! I KNOW WHAT YOU DID AND I KNOW WHERE

YOU WERE BECAUSE YOUR STUPID PHONE CALLED ME!!!!” I yelled. I couldn’t help it. I was at the end of my rope. His phone was calling me three or four times a day. I was being harassed by a rogue cellphone.

“I think you’re overreacting,” he said in the calm, soothing tone people use to talk to their mothers and other irrational people.

“Please put the phone in your front pocket or something because it’s driving me nuts,” I pleaded. Clearly he didn’t understand how much this was bothering me. I thought, maybe I should take matters into my own hands. Yes, I suppose the phone could “accidentally” end up in the wash. Or in the garbage disposal. Or under the wheel of my car. Even for me, psycho housewife, that all seemed a little extreme. Well, maybe not the wash.

I realized the only way to deal with this was to change tactics.

“You know, maybe this isn’t a bad thing,” I told him. “This phone can help

me keep track of you when you’re not around. Every time you sit down and your phone calls me, I can hear where you are and what you’re doing,” I said thoughtfully.

He frowned. I could hear the wheels turning. “Well, I don’t want it to keep interrupting your day,” he said.

“Maybe I’ll find another place to keep the phone.”

“Great.” I replied. Victory was mine.

The next day, my husband didn’t accidentally call me once. But then my phone rang, and I saw my brother’s number come up on the screen.

“Hello?”

I heard my brother in the background, a bit muffled. “Turkey on rye with mustard, please.”

Tracy Beckerman is the author of the Amazon Bestseller, “Barking at the Moon: A Story of Life, Love, and Kibble,” available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online! You can visit her at www. tracybeckerman.com.

COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM

To most effectively view the night sky, astronomers allow dark adaptation of the eyes to occur before beginning their observations.

CLASSIFIEDS ...a sure way to get results. Call 294.8900

ONE CALL TO 516-294-8900 AND YOUR AD WILL APPEAR IN 6 LOCAL NEWSPAPERS. CALL TODAY FOR OUR VERY LOW RATES. www.gcnews.com

Garden City News • Mid Island Times Bethpage Newsgram • Syosset Advance Jericho News Journal • Floral Park Villager

DEADLINE FOR CLASSIFIED ADS IS TUESDAY AT 1:00PM.

2 EASY WAYS TO PLACE ADS:

1) Directly on website: gcnews.com & click on “Classified Order”

2) Email Nancy@gcnews.com

Please include your name, daytime phone number, address and ad copy.

Visa and MasterCard Accepted

EMPLOYMENT

SITUATION WANTED

A HOME AIDE/CAREGIVER

Caring, Honest & Reliable woman with 10 years experience available to care for your elderly loved one. Personal grooming, dispense medications, cooking, cleaning. Checkable references. Licensed driver with own transportation. Please call 516-383-7150

CNA/ HOME HEALTH AIDE

Available Compassionate and experienced Caregiver interested in Companionship and Home Health Assistance for seniors. Excellent references. Please call: 516-406-6812 or 516-523-0697

COMPANION HHA PCA

Seeking position Monday through Friday/weekends. 29 years experience with Parkinsons, Alzheimers, Dementia, Cancer Patients. References available upon request. Call Miss Browne 516-3027564

ELDER CARE AVAILABLE

Need a Caregiver for your loved one?

Offering compassionate, personalized care to the elderly. As a retired Certified Home Health Aide (HHA), I bring years of experience, reliability, trustworthiness and a genuine passion for enhancing the lives of seniors. References available. Call Olive: 917-714-7789

Our Professional Guide will get you business from all across Long Island! Call 294-8900 for rates and information.

MARKETPLACE

Antique & Vintage Items

Jewelry-Crystal-Silver Furniture-Mirrors-Tabletop Artwork-Lamps

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ATTENTION OXYGEN THERAPY USERS!

Discover Oxygen Therapy That Moves with You with Inogen Portable Oxygen Concentrators. FREE information kit. Call 1-855-399-2719

DIRECTV- All your entertainment. Nothing on your roof! Sign up for Direct and get your first free months of Max, Paramount+, Showtime, Starz, MGM+ and Cinemax included. Choice package $84.99 /mo. Some restrictions apply. Call DIRECTV 1-888-5346918

GET BOOST INFINITE! Unlimited Talk, Text and Data For Just $25/mo! The Power Of 3 5G Networks, One Low Price! Call Today and Get The Latest iPhone Every Year On Us! 844-329-9391

HEARING AIDS!! High-quality rechargeable, powerful Audien hearing aids priced 90% less than competitors. Tiny and NEARLY INVISIBLE! 45day money back guarantee! 855-819-7060

WE BUY HOUSES FOR CASH AS IS! No repairs. No fuss. Any condition. Easy three step process: Call, get cash offer and get paid. Get your fair cash offer today by calling Liz Buys Houses: 1-888-704-5670

Love to write?

We’re looking for writers in our community to compose articles on local topics, opinions, reviews, worthy places to visit on Long Island, and even pieces of fiction. We aim to feature at least one new article and writer each week in our Discovery magazine section.

Email submissions: editor@gcnews.com

• Attach article and any photos (1MB), along with your name and contact info.

• Articles must be between 1,500 – 3,000 words.

• Each writer will be reimbursed a stipend of $25.⁰⁰

Consign, Shop or Visit the Yellow House 109 Eleventh Street Garden City

516-746-8900

Mon-Fri 10-4 (Wed to 6pm) Saturday 12-4 (entrance & parking in back)

Consignments by appointment atstewartexchange@tgchs.org All proceeds benefit The Garden City Historical Society

INVITED SALES BY TRACY JORDAN

Transform your space, maximize your value: Are you looking to add value to your property and enhance its appeal? Look no further!

At Invited Sales, we offer a comprehensive range of services tailored to meet your needs: Personal Property Appraisals and Evaluations: Get expert insights into the true value of your personal property.

Estate and Tag Sales: Simplify the process of selling estate items with our professional online and in-person tag sale services.

Home Updates: From carpet removal to one-day floor refinishing and contractor services, we handle it all to refresh your home effortlessly.

Staging Services: Elevate your space with our curated selection of furniture, accessories, lighting, and decorative items for a stunning transformation. Explore our captivating before and after photos showcasing homes where we’ve added significant value, making them stand out in the market:

Visit: InvitedSales.com today to discover how we can help you achieve your property goals!

Please Call: 516-279-6378 Or Text Tracy Jordan: 516-567-2960

MARKETPLACE

WANTED TO BUY

LOOKING TO BUY!

Estates, Oriental items, Gold, Silver, Costume Jewelry, Dishes, Flatware, Watches, Clothing, Old Photos, Coins, Stamps, Records, Sports Cards, Pokemon Cards, Comics and Art. Immediate Cash Paid

Call George 917-775-3048

TAG SALE

INVITED ESTATE SALES BY TRACY JORDAN

Thursday, March 27, 2025

9:30 a.m.

232 Stewart Ave Garden City, NY 11530

Public sale selling vintage furniture, antique collectibles, rugs, quilts, kitchen items, silver items and garage. Visit www.invitedsales.com for pictures & details!!

AUTOMOTIVE

AUTOS WANTED

***AAA*** AUTO BUYERS

$Highest$ Ca$h Paid$ All Years /Conditions! WE VISIT YOU! Or Donate, Tax Deduct Ca$h.

DMV ID#1303199

Call LUKE 516-VAN-CARS 516-297-2277

GOT AN UNWANTED

CAR??? Your car donation to Patriotic Hearts helps veterans find work or start their own business. Fast free pick. Running or not! Call 24/7: 1-888-251-3135.

WE BUY 8,000 CARS A WEEK

Sell your old, busted or junk car with no hoops, haggles or headaches. Sell your car to Peddle. Easy three step process. Instant offer. Free pickup. Fast payment. Call 1-855-403-3374

REAL ESTATE FOR RENT

HOMES FOR RENT

HOUSE FOR RENT GARDEN CITY

Pristine 3 BR Ranch with hardwood floors, 2 updated Baths and a partially fenced yard. Close to park & K-1 School. High ceiling unfinished Basement w/laundry great for play, exercise or storage. One car garage. Dogs case by case. Tenant pay 1month fee. NTN screening required.

38 Maxwell Rd, Garden City MLS #831521

$6,500/month

Contact me for a showing!

Irene “Rene” Blair

Real Estate Salesperson

Certified Buyers Representative

516-248-6655 ext 2205

cell: 516-721-9185

ireneblair@danielgale.com

SERVICES

AGING ROOF?

NEW HOMEOWNER?

STORM DAMAGE?

You need a local expert provider that proudly stands behind their work. Fast, free estimate. Financing available. Call 1-888-920-9937

CONSUMER CELLULAR

the same reliable, nationwide coverage as the largest carriers. No long-term contract, no hidden fees and activation is free. All plans feature unlimited talk and text, starting at just $20 / month. For more information, call 1-844-919-1682

INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT?

Don’t Accept the insurance company’s first offer. Many injured parties are entitled to major cash settlements. Get a free evaluation to see what your case is really worth. 100% Free Evaluation. Call Now: 1-888-454-4717. Be ready with your zip code to connect with the closest provider

JACK’S CUSTOM FRAMING

We can frame anything! Quality Care & Workmanship

Thousands of frames to choose from!!

Over 30 years in business! 92 Covert Ave, Stewart Manor 516-775-9495

SAVE ON YOUR TRAVEL PLANS! Up to 75% More than 500 AIRLINES and 300,000 HOTELS across the world. Let us do the research for you for FREE! Call: 877 988 7277

SERVICES

ATTORNEY

STEPHANIE A.

D’ANGELO, ESQ.

Elder Law, Wills & Trusts Asset Preservation, Estate Planning, Probate & Estate Administration/Litigation 901 Stewart Ave, Ste 230 Garden City, NY 11530 516-222-1122 www.dangelolawassociates. com

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

BEAUTIFUL BATH UPDATES

in as little as ONE DAY! Superior quality bath and shower systems at AFFORDABLE PRICES! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Call Now! 1-855-399-2076

DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S IN YOUR WATER? Leaf Home

Water Solutions offers FREE water testing and whole home water treatment systems that can be installed in as little one day. 15% off your entire purchase. Plus 10% senior & military discounts. Restrictions apply. Schedule your FREE test today. Call 1-866-247-5728

MADE IN THE SHADE CUSTOM WINDOW TREATMENTS

Blinds, Shades, Shutters, Draperies

Top Brands at Discount Prices! Family owned & operated www.madeintheshadensli. com 516-426-2890

SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

MASONRY

All types of stonework Pavers, Retaining Walls, Belgium Block Patios, Foundations, Seal coating, Concrete and Asphalt driveways, Sidewalks, Steps. Free Estimates Fully Licensed & Insured #H2219010000

Boceski Masonry Louie 516-850-4886

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

PREPARE FOR POWER OUTAGES with Briggs & StrattonPowerProtect(TM) standby generators the most powerful home standby generators available. Industry-leading comprehensive warranty 7 years ($849 value.) Proudly made in the U.S.A. Call Briggs & Stratton 1-888-605-1496

WIREMAN/CABLEMAN

TVs Mounted. Phone, TV, Computer Wires, HD Antennas, Starlink Dishes, Stereos Installed And Serviced. FREE Estimates.

Lic#54264-RE and Ins.

Call Dave 631-667-9473 (WIRE), 516-353-1118 (TEXT)

FAMILY CARE CONNECTIONS, LLC

Dr. Ann Marie D’Angelo

PMHCNS-BC

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Advanced Practice Nurse Care Manager Assistance with Aging at Home /Care Coordintion

Nursing Home & Assisted Living Placement

PRI / Screens / Mini Mental Status Exams

Medicaid Eligibility and Apllications

516-248-9323

www.familycareconnections.com

901 Stewart Ave, Ste 230 Garden City, NY 11530

FLORAL PSYCHIATRY

MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC

Adult Psychiatrist & Nutritionist

Focus on Women’s Mental Health Therapy & Nutrition Psychiatry Medication Management

A multilingual practice Parthy Shah, MD

516-666-2693

Virtual Clinic online at: urjapsychiatry.com

SERVICES

PAINTING & PAPERHANGING

INTERIOR & EXTERIOR PAINTING

Plastering, Taping, Sheetrock Skim Cutting, Old Wood Refinish, Staining, Wallpaper Removal & Hanging, Paint Removal, Power Washing, Wood Replacement

JOHN MIGLIACCIO

Licensed & Insured #80422100000

Call John anytime: 516-901-9398 (Cell) 516-483-3669 (Office)

SERVICES

SERVICES

AFFORDABLE TV & INTER-

NET. If you are overpaying for your service, call now for a free quote and see how much you can save! 1-855-399-2803

PEST CONTROL: PROTECT

YOUR HOME from pests safely and affordably. Roaches, Bed Bugs, Rodent, Termite, Spiders and other pests. Locally owned and affordable. Call for service or an inspection today! 1-866-448-8311

Have zip code of property ready when calling!

CLASSIFIEDS Call 294.8900

Serve up springtime flavor with beetroot soup

Beetroot Soup with Mixed Seeds

Makes 4 servings

Certain foods tend to hit the spot a little more convincingly during particular times of year.

For instance, it’s hard to resist a hearty comfort food when the weather outside is cold and the winter winds are howling.

For the soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion

1 finely chopped garlic clove

3 chopped celeries

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1⁄2 teaspoon dried dill

5 cups vegetable stock, plus

To serve:

4 tablespoons plain yogurt

2 tablespoons chopped pistachio nuts, shelled

2 tablespoons black chia seeds

1) For the soup: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat until hot.

2) Add the onion, garlic, celery, and a generous pinch of salt, cooking for 6 to 7 minutes until softened.

3) Stir in the dried herbs and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer before stirring in the beets.

4) Simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes until the beetroot is very tender to the tip of a knife.

5) Purée with an immersion blender, adding in some of the reserved beetroot juice to thin

Come springtime, lighter fare regains its place in the spotlight. As spring blooms return, foodies looking for something that won’t bust their belts can try this recipe for “Beetroot Soup with Mixed Seeds” courtesy of Lines+Angles.

extra as needed

1 1⁄4 lb. pickled beets, cubed, juice reserved

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

Salt

Freshly ground black peppercorns

2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds 2 tablespoons golden linseeds or linseeds

1 handful mint leaves

out the consistency to your liking; you can also thin it out with more stock or some water.

6) Return the soup to a simmer and stir in the yogurt and some salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm over a very low heat, making sure the soup does not boil.

7) To serve: When ready to serve, ladle into warm bowls and top with some yogurt.

8) Garnish with a scattering of chopped pistachios, mixed seeds and some mint leaves before serving.

Last Hope Part of the Chewy.com Rescue Program

If you haven’t tried Chewy.com yet for your pet food and supply purchases, this is a great time to check them out. Last Hope is part of their rescue program. For each new customer that makes a purchase, Last Hope will receive a $20 donation. Go to Last Hope’s Chewy page at https://www.chewy. com/g/last-hope-animal-rescue_b100553681 for info on Last Hope and to shop for items and necessities on the shelter’s wish list.

Hilton Capital supports Runner in Red

The Runner in Red 5K continued to expand its efforts to raise awareness for lung cancer as 400 runners stepped to the starting line for the fifth annual Runner in Red 5K at Eisenhower Park March 15 thanks to leadership support from sponsors, led by Hilton Capital Management.

Team Breidgeen fielded 56 participants on its Garden City-based team and captured first place in the team category.

Rebecca Barry, a high school member of the Marylou’s Mates team, sang an inspired rendition of the Star Spangled Banner to kick off the event.

The 5K race/walk has been offered since 2020 by the Runner in Red Foundation, which supports a cure for lung cancer in memory of Barb Murphy, a member of the Garden City Murphy family. Barb was a lifelong marathon runner who developed non smoker’s lung cancer and passed away in 2013 after a six year battle with the disease.

She remained active during that period and thus her resiliency has inspired the race and a Runner in Red resiliency workshop that teaches teens how to tap their strengths from sports to meet the challenges of adolescence.  Runner in Red and

Members of Garden City-based, TEAM BREIDGEEN, which fielded 56 participants, shown here, won the team trophy at the fifth annual Runner in Red 5K at Eisenhower Park March 15. The event, sponsored by Hilton Capital Management, raises funds to support a cure for lung cancer. See full details at RunnerinRed.com.

National Charity League partnered to introduce that resiliency program at Garden City Library on March 13 as a basis for expanding the workshop series in the fall to schools throughout Long Island.

Hilton Capital Management has

Full details on the Foundation and its various “racing to the cure” projects can be found at RunnerinRed. com.

been a founding sponsor of the Runner in Red race since 2020. Other sponsors include Katten, a national law firm where Mike Murphy, another member of the Murphy family, is a partner and Family and Children’s Association of Long Island. Northwell Health Cancer Institute provides guidance and support for the Foundation.

roles makes our unique volunteer form of government work. At the same time, I would like to extend sincere thanks to Deputy Mayor Bruce Chester for his contributions to the Village.

Here are the official, certified Election results. This tally includes absentee and early mail ballots:

• Mayor, Two-Year Term: Edward T. Finneran 824 votes

• Trustee, Two-Year Term: Michele Beach Harrington 789 votes

• Trustee, Two-Year Term: Richard Catalano 799 votes

• Trustee, Two-Year Term: Yvonne Varano 783 votes

• Village Justice, Four-Year Term: Allen S. Mathers 762 votes

Budget Sessions

The Board of Trustees is conducting work sessions to review the Tentative 2025-26 Operating and Capital Budgets in person in the Village Hall Board Room and via Zoom. Here is the remaining schedule (Budget Session #1 took place March 19):

Budget Work Session 2 Tuesday, March 25, 2025: 7:30 p.m.9:30 p.m.

• Recreation, Pool and Tennis

• Library

• Police Department

Budget Work Session 3 Thursday, March 27, 2025: 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

• Finance Department / Other Unallocated Expenses & Revenues / Insurance Reserve

• Building Department

Surveillance showed the subjects fled the scene after the alarm was activated. This incident is similar to a North Shore pattern, where subjects break into a home, steal a key fob, and then steal the corresponding vehicle. Evidence was collected, and the investigation is ongoing.

Bank fraud investigation

A business reported multiple unauthorized transactions against its bank account on March 16.

Utility pole removal

On March 16, an officer responded to Kilburn Road for a fallen utility pole blocking a sidewalk. The pole was moved away from the sidewalk, and DPW was notified.

Traffic violations on Stewart

Two Stewart Avenue motorists were charged on March 16 with driving with a suspended registration and additional violations.

mcarterflanagan@gardencityny.net

• Administration

• Summary of Budget Changes Public Hearing Monday, April 7, 2025: 7:30 p.m.

• Public Hearing and Adoption of Budget

Stay Connected - Download MyGardenCity App

More than 100 residents have already downloaded the new Village App, MyGardenCity. Have you? Stay informed by downloading it today to receive important notifications and easily access all the latest from Village Hall, the Garden City Library, Recreation and the Senior Center!

Vehicle Theft Protection

As theft from vehicle incidents continue to challenge our community and communities throughout Nassau County, some individuals are taking advantage of unlocked cars, particularly during those quiet overnight hours. Thieves are checking for unlocked vehicles, and, unfortunately, when they find one, they’re making off with everything from loose change to personal belongings. In some cases, the subject was able to steal a vehicle when they located a key or smart key/fob. In light of this, the Police Department wants to remind everyone to take a few simple precautions:

• Always lock your vehicle, even if you’re running into the house for a minute.

• Don’t leave valuables in plain sight; even an old gym bag can look like treasure to a thief.

• Never leave or hide a key, smart key/key fob, valet key, or spare key in your vehicle.

• Never leave your car running, unattended, or unlocked.

• If possible, park your vehicle in a locked garage.

• Park your vehicle in well-lit areas.

• Keep the exterior of homes and driveways well-illuminated.

• Close all your vehicle windows completely when parked.

• Consider installing a GPS system, a visible anti-theft device, or an audible alarm.

• Never leave valuable personal property in your vehicle.

• Also, secure your garage door opener to prevent access to your home.

• Install surveillance cameras.

• If you see anything suspicious— whether it’s someone loitering near cars or trying door handles—don’t hesitate to report it.

Commissioner Jackson reminds everyone that thefts involving unoccupied vehicles are often just crimes of opportunity. When simple precautions are taken to reduce that opportunity, the likelihood of someone entering your vehicle is drastically reduced. In addition, alert residents are often instrumental in the apprehension of criminals, particularly subjects who commit larcenies involving vehicles. Residents are encouraged to promptly call 911 and report suspicious activities, people, noises, or vehicles, including license plate numbers, to the Police Department. In addition, residents and property own-

ers with video surveillance footage of a crime on their property or a neighbor’s property are encouraged to contact the Detective Division at 465-4108.

Happening in Garden City

Monday, March 24th

1:30 p.m. Monday Movie Matinée: Wicked at the Library

1:30 p.m. Little Listeners Storytime at the Library. Must register.

7:30 p.m. Adult basketball at the Field House. Nominal fee.

Tuesday, March 25th

4:00 p.m. Tween Tuesdays: Bracelet Making at the Library. Must register.

7:00 p.m. Yoga With Kimberly at the Library. Must register.

7:30 p.m. Budget Work Session #2 at Village Hall

Wednesday, March 26th

4:00 p.m. STEAM Club for K-2nd Grade. Must register.

6:30 p.m. Narcan training at the Library. Registration required at toh311.net/narcan-signup.

Thursday, March 27th

10:00 a.m. Mah-Jongg at the Library. Must register.

7:30 p.m. Adult volleyball and soccer at the Field House. Nominal fee.

Friday, March 28th

11:00 a.m. Spring BINGO at the Library. Must register.

Tuesday, April 1st

7:00 p.m. Teen Paint Night at the Library. Must register.

Saturday, April 26th

9:00 a.m. Flea Market at the Bird Sanctuary. Entry is free.

Oven smoke alarm

On March 16, GCFD and GCPD responded to a restaurant for a fire alarm activated by oven smoke.

Fraudulent transactions

On March 17, a business reported multiple attempted fraudulent transactions against its bank account.

Truck violations on Clinton Road

A Clinton Road truck operator was charged on March 17 with driving an overweight vehicle in a non-commercial vehicle zone.

Identity theft report

On March 17, a victim reported that their identity was used to open a fraudulent credit card account.

No-truck zone violation

On March 17, a Clinton Road truck operator was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation and driving in a no-truck zone.

Suspicious open door

Officers responded to a residence on March 17 for an alarm and found an open door. After an investigation, all appeared to be in order.

9th Street violations

On March 17, a 9th Street motorist was charged with driving with a suspended license and a suspended registration.

Air freshener fire alarm

GCFD and GCPD responded on March 17 to a business for a fire alarm activated by air freshener spray.

DWI-related suspension

On March 18, a Franklin Avenue motorist was arrested for allegedly driving with a license suspended for a prior DWI, driving through a private area to avoid a traffic light, and having an uninsured auto.

Vehicle damage report

A vehicle was reportedly damaged on March 18 while parked unoccupied in a

private parking garage.

Truck violations on Clinton

On March 18, a Clinton Road truck operator was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, driving an overweight vehicle, and having an unsecured load.

Suspicious unlocked door

Officers responded to a residence on March 18 for an alarm and found an unlocked door. After investigation, all appeared to be in order.

Meadow Street traffic violations

On March 18, a Meadow Street motorist was charged with driving with a suspended license, unregistered auto, and uninspected auto.

Restricted license violation

A Rockaway Avenue motorist was charged on March 18 with driving in violation of a restricted license and excessive speed.

From page 24

From page 25

From page 2

The

Treasurer Irene Woo informs the BOT that another $50,000,000 needs to be raised. She reminds the BOT that large unique union projects are not like kitchen renovations and these projects are frequently 50%, 100%, 200% or even 500% over budget. She reminds the Trustees that she warned them that government projects rarely, if ever, come in on time, as did resident construction expert Walter Beal. Irene Woo points to the Nassau Family and Matrimonial Court Complex right in the Village with its massive overruns. Originally budgeted at $60,500,000 and for completion in 2019 it is now north of $200,000,000 and still not completed.

Newly elected trustees say “screw it, we didn’t cause this problem”. Trustee Courtney, in her 7th year on the BOT, convinces the BOT to double down and raise an additional $50,000,000 even as she grumbles that “I was never really for this stupid Adaptive Reuse”. Eastern POA members wonder how a supporter of demo for decades is now in the position of lobbying to raise more money for the St Paul’s building. The new trustees swear this is the last bond raise. Our credit gets downgraded again. Nine months later Irene Woo, high on Tums, breaks the news that the Village needs another $70,000,000, some to pay interest on the first loan and because costs continue significantly over budget. The demand for Union Laborers has skyrocketed as laborers can look forward to 5 years of solid work building the Sands Casino, causing further delays. The Village has no money to hire extra police to deal with the Sands Casino gamblers as the St Paul’s project sucks all the Village’s funds and focus. Monica Kiely and the Krugs are threatening seppuku if a single slot machine pays off. A Trustee unfamiliar with union rules, desperate because the Village is already $50,000,000 and two years over budget, tries to sneak non-union labor onto the site for one small project on a weekend. He videos it all, celebrating his 10,000th video. A Garden City union employee sees the post, reports the trustee, and the union files a grievance. The Village now has to pay fines and has the large, blow-up union rat on 7th street in front of Dunkin Donuts. One Alliance member urges the BOT to borrow $170,000,000, rather than $70,000,000, because “it’s our history”.

The Board of Trustees has no choice. Residents are already paying $1200 to $3600 per household for 3 years and have zero uses in sight. No one has the fortitude to abandon the sunk costs. Many of the Alliance members no longer live in the Village or are retired in Florida. One in particular is rumored to be living on North Sentinel Island under the assumed name of Rednaxela Trawets. The additional bond raise

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

is approved at a rate 600 basis points higher than the first bond as the federal deficit drives interest rates higher and to reflect our new lower bond ratings. Treasurer Irene Woo updates her linkedin.com profile.

The BOT bites the bullet. All capital projects are cancelled. Spring cleaning on 7th Street is canceled. The Village asks for tulip bulb donations for the annual spring planting. Chamber of Commerce President Wilton delivers 27 bulbs of unknow color. The library is told to cut their senior programs in half and no new books will be ordered till further notice. Chairperson Foley refuses and demands the Friends of the Library actually start forwarding the resident’s donated funds for a change. The new pool slide is cancelled for the fifth year. Grumbling is heard as the Vollies point out that in the 14th year, the Western Firehouse has still not been renovated. The Village parks continue to receive no maintenance.

The Village learns what “crowding out” of debt really means in the worst possible way as total debt which was at roughly zero twenty-five years ago, $20,000,000 in 2016, $50,000,000 in 2024, skyrockets to $260,000,000. Property values are off, the credit rating is downgraded again, and the school budget has been voted down twice as the tax burden spills over to the BOE. Newsday gleefully writes an editorial about how GC, once a conservatively managed Village, rolled the dice and lost. They editorialize “who was watching the finances?”. John Kordes comes out of retirement and writes a “guest column” in the GC News that is titled “I Told You So”. He ridicules those that thought of St Paul’s as a “romantic notion” rather than taking a cold, hard analytical look at one of the most difficult re-positonings of a derelict building ever undertaken in NY State. He reminds the residents of how he warned them that the Save Every Brickers were living in their own bubble and misleading the residents on costs. https://www.gcnews.com/articles/the-kordes-korner-298/

The chain linked fence surrounds St Paul’s for the 14th year. The St Paul’s Conservancy still has only $4,000 in their bank account. The promised “millions and millions” of contributions have failed to materialize. Residents are still not allowed in the building.

Donald MacLeod

Deception

To the Editor:

Appearing on the village’s current St. Paul’s survey, Trustee Muldoon uses $68 million for adaptive reuse, $83 million for partial replacement, and $35 million for mothballing. Information from the village website which was posted by CMA shows the interest on these amounts as $24,127,794 for adaptive reuse, $29,490,496 for partial replace-

ment, and $12,508,543 for mothballing on a 15-year bond. A 30-year bond has $58,589,942 in interest for adaptive reuse, $71,615,309 for partial replacement, and $30,383,470 for mothballing. The ballpark figures that appear in the survey only show the principle for both 15 and 30 year bonds and how those numbers might affect your taxes. This survey however does not include the prevailing interest rates which appear in the CMA report. The survey numbers also do not include costs of construction contingencies, all possible software costs, maintenance, and overhead of about $1.5 million to $2,000,000 or more annually depending upon building configuration in their final totals. The inclusion of interest alone will definitely increase the numbers as follows which are more realistic while the total of additional expenses are still to be calculated.

For a 15-year bond the numbers with interest go from $68M to $91,627,794 for (adaptive reuse), $83M to $111,990,496 for (Partial replacement), and $35M to $47,508,543 for (mothballing) at an interest rate of 4.1%.

For a 30-year bond the numbers with interest go from $68M to $126,089,942 for (adaptive reuse), $83M to $154,115,309 for (partial replacement), and $35M to $65,383,470 for (mothballing) at an interest rate of 4.66%.

Bob Orosz

How will new BOT pay for St. Paul’s?

To the Editor:

“The Mayor’s Update” column on page 22 of the February 21, 2025 edition of the Garden City News provided a summary of the efforts of our village to resolve the St. Paul’s issue over the past 35 years. Two events are important for a critical understanding of the limited financing options which now constrain our Village citizens/taxpayers. First, the Village acquired the 48 acre site and buildings thereon two years after it was decommissioned by the Episcopal Diocese in 1991. The Village then invited various interests which the Village could partner/collaborate with to use the main building. Only one expressed any interest, due to the high cost of rehabilitating the building. That possible use, as an assisted living facility, was halted in 1995, due to a lawsuit by two Garden City families challenging that use on the grounds that the proposed use was for a “private, profit-making purpose”.  Second, in 2004 - 2005 our Board of Trustees designated the site as “parkland”, which further restricted alternative potential uses of the building without prior N.Y.S. legislative approval. The Garden City News in its January 14, 2005 edition reported that “Garden City Mayor Barbara K. Miller said her purpose for proposing the parkland designation was to get the Board of Trustees to support public use of the property”.  In its February

11, 2005 edition, the same newspaper reported that Trustee John Mauk was “against the [parkland] designation since he claims there are no plans for the building and no solution for paying for it without taxing residents. Mauk said the only option will be to tear down the building.”

Ah . . . for those good old days, when thoughtful, evidence-based, prudent, conservative fiscal policies were the hallmark of our fine Village.  Those good old days, when Village leaders were loath to impose additional taxes on ordinary citizens, not the radical “tax and spend” proposals we hear from the current crop of Trustees today.  Some Trustees even claimed to be “fiscally conservative” while shamelessly supporting a 75 to 100 million dollar, plus interest thereon for twenty years tax increase! Incredible! Are there any Trustees who oppose massive tax increases upon the ordinary citizens of our Village? Are there any Trustees who are not devoted to the “tax and spend” cabal?  If you are one, please speak up!

Now imagine that the Village leaders, since 2005, all fully aware that the St. Paul’s building could not be used for any commercial/collaborational purpose and was naturally deteriorating daily, decided that a reasonable way to preserve the building would be to set aside 1 million dollars every year (less than 1% of the budget) in a dedicated savings account in an effort to avoid a massive tax increase on residents until a viable plan for the building presented itself.  That savings account, with a conservative interest rate of 5% annually, compounded every six months, would be worth $35,970,275.46 today, twenty years later, ready for the Village to use.  Some may respond: “Well that’s great hindsight.” That is true, but it is also true that it highlights the historical opposition to spending/wasting money on a building with little to no actual benefit to the Villagers combined with the reluctance of Village leaders to be “that person” who voted to “pull the plug” and demolish it (consistently the least costly and most reasonable option for ordinary taxpayers), thus leading to the “kick the can down the road” attitude by the Village in dealing with the St. Paul’s building.

So today we find ourselves with just three remaining sources to pay for a rehabilitated building. The first source: imposing the entire financial burden of rehabilitation upon the citizens/taxpayers of Garden City through a massive tax increase for at least the next twenty years.  Note that a massive tax increase, proposed to last between twenty years, is a classic case of “intergenerational theft”.  For those of you not familiar with that term, it is a phrase used by the author Daniel Anthony Harrison in a book of the same name. The author

provides evidence that: our younger generations have all progressively experienced a continuously falling standard of living compared to the baby boomer generation. He demonstrates that the inequality that exists between baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) and the younger generations X, Y, and Z is a result of biased governmental policies, including taxation. Our choice now for a massive tax increase lasting for decades will financially hamstring our future Village from responding to the real needs of our current and future young homeowners. When they propose a future project for a real Village wide need the response from the Village Treasurer will be: “Sorry. There is no room in the budget. Your grandparents and parents made that choice for you. You must continue to pay for the St. Paul’s fiasco.”

Before we contemplate imposing a massive tax hike upon the citizens/taxpayers we should ask those proponents of a 75 to 100 million dollar tax hike to provide us with examples of successful building rehabilitation programs which meet the parameters of Garden City’s current predicament.  So please, “save every brick” advocates: provide the citizen/taxpayers of Garden City with your examples of municipalities which meet the following criteria: 1) a population under 25,000, 2) whose annual budget was at least 80% based upon residential, not commercial or industrial, property taxes, 3) which did not receive funding from any other source (such as private, town, county, state or federal funds), 4) which raised at least 75 million dollars using municipal bonds, 5) which rehabilitated a building which was at least 100 years old and 75,000 square feet, and 6) the building, after rehabilitation, was used exclusively for public, not commercial or mixed use, purposes. Note that the above criteria are not random, rather they match precisely the circumstances here in our lovely Village.

Additionally, I understand that the historical opposition, since the acquisition of the site, to spending/wasting money on St. Paul’s by approximately 45% of our Village citizens/taxpayers is the fact that a rehabilitated St. Paul’s will not provide the Village with any discernible benefit, that is, it will not add value to the experience of living in our Village.  Indeed, save for a handful of officials and experts, no one in our Village has even been permitted to enter the building due to its unsafe, decrepit condition. No one has used the building for 35 years. Yet, somehow people in our Village have managed not only to survive but thrive without St. Paul’s! This fact is a tribute to the ability of our past Village leaders to provide for the real tangible needs of our citizens in a fiscally conservative manner. Under the careful fiscal guidance of generations of Village leaders Garden City has pro-

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

vided its citizens, young and old, with a foundation for safe and comfortable lives, as a limited municipal government should.

Finally, I surmise that the historical opposition to spending/wasting money on St. Paul’s by approximately 45% of our Village citizens is based upon a utilitarian political mindset, i. e. municipal government should be limited to providing essential services (clean water, sanitation, fire department, police department, good roads and sewers, education, indoor and outdoor recreation spaces, library). The current plan by the “save every brick” advocates reinforces the arguments of those who oppose spending/wasting money on St. Paul’s.  The current plan contemplates the rehabilitation of the building to render 75% of the building as an unused empty monument* (once again kicking the can down the road) and 25% of the building to serve as a museum** to highlight the south entrance and the “historic interior elements” (the grand entrance staircase, the chapel and its inoperable organ pipes, the stained glass windows, as well as various artifacts scattered throughout the building). Their claim that the purpose for rehabilitating the building is the Village’s “need” for a “community center” with “meeting spaces” is belied by the facts. There has been no historical groundswell for a “community center” (whatever that nebulous term means), and the advocates for costly rehabilitation have self-identified their movement as one to “save” the St. Paul’s building, not to provide some much needed Village wide facility or service that has historically remained unsatisfied. Clearly the plan to rehabilitate 100% of the building while leaving 75% of it empty and useless to the residents of the Village confirms that 75% of the building will NEVER be used for any activities which benefit our citizens/taxpayers. This admission unambiguously supports the demolition of the 75% portion of the building which, under the “save every brick” advocates plan, will continue to remain unoccupied and unused.  Why would any rational and “fiscally conservative” Trustee agree to spend $75 to $100 million of taxpayers money to rehabilitate an entire building and then proceed to “mothball” 75% of that building with absolutely no plan to use it for the benefit of the public?

*monument defined: a structure to commemorate a notable person or event; a structure that is of historical importance or interest.

**museum defined: a building in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited.

The fact that the current “save every brick” advocates try to disguise their true motive (save the building to be used as a museum/monument and mis-

labeling it as a community center) by offering to fill it with ridiculous uses which the building could never support (e.g. swimming pool, ice rink) and duplicative uses (e.g. meeting spaces, basketball and pickleball courts) further demonstrates their desperation to save the St. Paul’s building with little connection to meeting the genuine current or future needs (if any) of our Village.

So, will the new BOT impose the entire financial burden of 100% rehabilitation upon the citizens/taxpayers of Garden City through a massive tax increase for at least the next twenty years?

Let us now shift our focus to the second available source to pay for a rehabilitated building. Will the new BOT actively seek collaborations with private individual, business and NGO donors to relieve all or some of the tax burden upon Garden City taxpayers?

After the death of Alexander T. Stewart in 1876, his wife, Cornelia C. Stewart, used a portion of her inherited fortune to pay for, on her own, the construction of the landmark Cathedral of the Incarnation, Bishop’s Residence, and two church schools (one of which was St. Paul’s) in memory of her late husband. She paid for the construction of these buildings without taxing the citizens of the Town of Hempstead (founded in 1644) or the citizens of Queens County (Nassau County did not exist until its separation from Queens County in 1898).  If you are a person of means, a business with ties to Garden City, or an NGO, which supports saving the building known as St. Paul’s and you desire to cherish the legacy of Cornelia Stewart, then there is no better way for you to honor her legacy than by duplicating her philanthropic spirit and behavior.  Now is the time and here is your opportunity to step up and “put your money where your mouth is” by donating a part of your fortune to a fund dedicated to the rehabilitation of St. Paul’s. By doing so you may: help to save St. Paul’s the building, obtain a IRS Section 501(c)(3) charitable deduction, and reduce the tax burden upon the ordinary citizens of Garden City who do not enjoy the financial advantages which you possess.

The Village of Garden City should, if it truly desires to benefit its citizens/taxpayers, be intimately involved in the formation of a “Friends of St. Paul’s” style not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to rehabilitate and maintain the public structure known as the St. Paul’s building as well as educate the public about the Stewart family and the former St. Paul’s school. Donations and legally binding pledges should be posted on a GoFundMe style website or webpage (except for, of course, those donors who may desire to remain anonymous). The Village of Garden City should designate/hire at

least one “Director of Development and Marketing” assigned to seek out and contact all potential sources of funding. This person should also use social media to maximize the development and marketing efforts. The Village of Garden City should send members of a “Development Task Force” to personally visit “high value potential donors” to solicit their donations and their influence on other “high value potential donors”. Actual donors should seek to influence their friends and business associates to join in the effort to save the St. Paul’s building. You may ask: “What about the St. Paul’s Alliance and the St. Paul’s Conservancy? What are they up to?”  We should let the representatives of those organizations answer that question, but the Village should not wait for them to begin the above described development and marketing efforts. The Director of Development and Marketing and the BOT should also seek advice from the various Officers and members of the Boards of Directors of successful not-for-profit museums in Nassau County (see below).

Who are the “high value potential donors”? Some suggestions, in no particular order and not meant to be exhaustive: private and public grants from organizations which support “heritage” and “cultural” projects; the new BOT (here is your photo opportunity to display your authentic self as you hand over your check to the Fund and inspire others to follow suit; foundations and other organizations which support the preservation of historic buildings; the landlords and tenants of the businesses along Franklin Avenue and Seventh Street; the members of the various country clubs located in Garden City; the alumni of the Cathedral Schools of St. Paul and St. Anne; President Donald Trump (why not? If you get the opportunity, remind him that his father donated money to St. Paul’s School which then renamed the soccer field as Trump Field in his honor); Kashyap P. V. Patel (a Garden City native and graduate of Garden City High School).

So will the new BOT actively seek collaborations with private individual, business and NGO donors to relieve all or some of the tax burden upon Garden City taxpayers?

Finally, consider the third available source to pay for a rehabilitated building. Will the new BOT actively seek collaborations with the Town of Hempstead and/or the County of Nassau and/or the State of New York to relieve all or some of the tax burden upon Garden City taxpayers? Reflect upon the following examples of historic buildings which have been successfully rehabilitated and now serve the public here in Nassau County as museums and gardens.

The

Friday, March 21, 2025

The Nassau County Museum of Art is located at an estate formerly owned by William Cullen Bryant and Henry Clay Frick.  In 1969 the estate was purchased by Nassau County to establish the Nassau County Museum of Fine Art. In 1989, the Museum became a private not-for-profit institution, governed and funded by a board of trustees.

Rock Hall Museum is a farm formerly owned by Josiah Martin and Thomas Hewlett. Given to the Town of Hempstead in 1948, it became a museum in 1953.  The Friends of Rock Hall, Inc. is a 501(3)(c) not for profit organization which operates it and  works to sponsor programs of interest.

Cedarmere, the home of prominent 19th-century poet, newspaper editor, and civic leader William Cullen Bryant, and William Hicks was bequeathed to Nassau County in in 1976 and receives support from The Friends of Cedarmere (a charitable not for profit corporation), the Roslyn Landmark Society, the Hagedorn Foundation, the Robert Gardiner Foundation, the New York Community and Roslyn Savings Banks, the Jeanne Lane Foundation, ProHEALTH Dental, the Gerry Charitable Trust, as well as New York State.

Sands Point Preserve, a Gold Coast estate formerly owned by Howard Gould and Harry Guggenheim was acquired by Nassau County in 1971. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization was formed in 2003 and since 2008 manages the site. The Preserve is supported by multiple foundations, corporations and individuals including Adelphi University.

The Village of Garden City should send members of it’s “Development Task Force” to personally visit our representatives in the Town, County and State governments to solicit support for rehabilitating the St. Paul’s building. The Town of Hempstead has a population 34 times that of Garden City’s. The Town of Hempstead and Nassau County each have populations greater than the states of Wyoming and Vermont.  It is far easier to spread the cost of rehabilitating St. Paul’s among a population of 1,395,774 than among a population of 23,272.

All of the above described historic buildings and many more have been preserved and developed to serve the public through collaborations of individuals, businesses, government entities with large tax bases, grants, foundations, societies, universities, and other NGOs using a IRS 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizational structure. Our Village BOT would be well advised to heed and learn from those examples.

Experience informs us that with many stakeholders any collaborative effort will require negotiation and compromise on multiple issues. To that end

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

the “save every brick” advocates should consider dropping the mundane, non-descriptive title of “community center” for this project and instead replace it with a more descriptive title which will motivate those with a desire to honor our history and heritage.  Perhaps the St. Paul’s Heritage Museum or the St. Paul’s Museum of History and Culture.  Additionally, the “save every brick” advocates may be obliged, no matter what the source(s) of funding, to make difficult concessions, such as demolishing the east and west wings of the building (the 75% unused portion), in order to realize sufficient support to rehabilitate its central core.  The old saying that “half a loaf is better than none” is worthy of consideration under these circumstances.

So, how and who will the new BOT seek to pay the massive costs to rehabilitate, manage and operate St. Paul’s? Vamos a ver.

Joseph A. Brown

Fighting for the students

To the Editor:

As a parent, education attorney, and former Nassau County Assistant District Attorney, I’ve spent my time and career fighting for fairness, accountability, and policies that protect our children and community. I’m running for the Garden City Board of Education because we have an incredible school district that has unfortunately fallen behind in key areas and can use some improvement in others. I have a unique perspective and skillset to help the Board of Education strengthen our special education, boost our literacy program, allocate resources and monies appropriately, and hold leadership accountable.

Our special education system should support students early, effectively, and collaboratively—not push families into frustrating and costly legal and other battles while students wait for what they need. As an attorney specializing in special education, I have firsthand insight into how early intervention and structured literacy programs significantly improve student outcomes while controlling costs. Promptly addressing learning difficulties reduces the need for expensive tutoring, private school placements, and litigation, ultimately saving taxpayer dollars and, most importantly, ensuring better long-term educational outcomes.

To ensure full transparency and avoid any conflict of interest, I want to be clear: As a board member, I will not handle any legal cases related to Garden City clients nor take any compensation from my firm for any case involving Garden City. In the relatively rare event that my firm has business before the board, I will recuse myself to prevent conflicts or even the appearance of conflicts. As has been the case in all my volunteer efforts, my focus will be on

serving the best interests of all students and taxpayers, not any personal or outside interest.

I’m not just an education lawyer—I’m a parent with children in the district. I know what’s at stake and I’m invested. I’ve seen the challenges firsthand, and I share the concerns of parents who want their kids to get the education they deserve without costly conflict and outof-pocket tutoring expenses for basic skill acquisition.

Education runs in my family. My wife is a teacher, my sister is a retired teacher, and my mother was a school bus driver and former union president. My other sister is severely disabled and had an IEP growing up. I understand the struggles educators face in serving all their students, and I know that supporting teachers and holding leadership responsible go hand-in-hand.

As a former Nassau County Assistant District Attorney, I learned the importance of transparency, fairness, and rigorous, fact-based decision-making. Later, as chief counsel and business director for a startup recovering millions in unclaimed property for residents and taxpayers across the nation, I developed skills surrounding government contracting, responsible fiscal management, and shareholder accountability—experience directly relevant to overseeing our district’s budget wisely and ethically.

Beyond my professional experience, I’ve already volunteered to fight for Garden City. As President and co-founder of REVAMP, I and other neighbors took on the MTA and helped spark the FABGC reform movement. I later served on the Village’s Governance and LIRR Third Track Committees and was appointed Chairman of Garden City’s Board of Ethics. I am a member of St. Joseph’s Parish, the Garden City Schools Literacy Committee, and a volunteer assistant coach for GCAA baseball. My family is involved in local baseball, Thunder football, flag football, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, and National Charity leagues.

My Priorities for the Board of Education

• Reform Special Education:Prioritize early and effective interventions to reduce costly disputes and better serve our students.

• Raise Academic Standards:Adopt structured literacy programs and move away from ineffective, outdated methods to reverse declining literacy rates.

• Reduce Class Sizes:Address overcrowding, especially in the middle school, ensuring proactive and data-driven management of facilities and staffing needs.

• Hold Leadership Accountable:Ensure transparency and fiscal responsibility from the Superintendent and legal counsel, with

a clear focus on student outcomes.

• Wise Resource Allocation:Eliminate any wasteful spending and invest resources directly into classrooms, qualified teachers, and proven educational strategies, not bureaucracy, inefficient consultancy and agency hires, lawsuits, and unscientific programming.

• Prudent Hiring: Several key positions, including Superintendent, will be open for consideration over the next term. Navigating this process will require thoughtful and forward-looking leadership.

• Maintain & Enhance Our Amazing Sports, Music, Arts, and Extracurricular programming. These programs are critical to whole child growth and enrichment.

This election is about prioritizing solutions over excuses and students over bureaucracy. School boards need leaders who are tough, results-driven, and committed to putting Students First. With my background in law, education, and government, I have the experience to hold the system accountable and achieve even greater outcomes for our kids.

I, along with fellow candidate Dr. Dinorah DellaCamera, am ready to fight for our schools and make Garden City number one. I hope you’ll join me.

Richard F. Corrao, Esq.

Candidate for BOE

To the Editor: I am thrilled to announce my candidacy for the Garden City Board of Education. As a mother, veterinarian, educator, and longtime supporter of education reform, I deeply understand the critical importance of providing students with a solid academic foundation. A rigorous education empowers students to achieve personal, academic, and professional success, and I am committed to ensuring all Garden City children have that opportunity. My own children have also greatly benefited from our district’s exceptional athletics, music, and art programs, which are essential elements of a comprehensive education.

The cornerstone of all learning is literacy. Unfortunately, over the past few years, our district has experienced a concerning decline in reading and writing proficiency. This trend has left many students struggling to achieve basic academic standards, placing them at risk of not being prepared for college and career success. Reversing this decline will be my top priority.

Beyond literacy, I am committed to collaborating closely with parents, teachers, and community members to address key educational issues, including:

• Providing accredited, high-quality, evidence-based professional devel-

opment and resources for teachers, enabling them to excel professionally and elevate student performance.

• Strengthening our K-5 math curriculum to solidify foundational numeracy skills.

• Carefully evaluating the district’s increasing reliance on Chromebooks for instruction and homework assignments.

• Ensuring decisions are data-driven, practical, and consistently focused on improving outcomes for all students.

• Addressing community concerns about class size, seeking viable solutions for class-size reduction.

• Implementing evidence-based, norm-referenced screening tools to identify struggling students in reading and math early, enabling timely and cost-effective interventions and reducing unnecessary special education referrals.

• Maintaining our district’s high-quality sports, music, art, and extracurricular programs.

• Promoting transparency by actively encouraging stakeholder input, ensuring that community voices are genuinely heard and valued in district decision-making.

A personal and professional commitment to education is a deeply personal mission for me. As the daughter of two educators, I carry forward their lifelong dedication to teaching and learning. Beyond my veterinary career, I have passionately advocated for evidence-based literacy instruction and education reform for years. My current roles include serving as a Legislative Expert and Board Director for Teach My Kid To Read, a founding member of the Long Island Literacy Coalition, and an ambassador for The Reading League in New York. Additionally, my appointment by NYSED to the Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Task Force allowed me to contribute directly to shaping state-level literacy policies.

Through my ongoing volunteer efforts, including membership on the Garden City UFSD Literacy Committee, PTA, and SEPTA, I have worked closely with families, educators, and policymakers, advocating for instructional practices proven to boost student success.

My experience also extends to higher education, having served on the admissions committee at my alma mater, Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine. In this role, I gained valuable insight into the essential academic skills and character traits necessary for success at higher educational levels, including at the time of college admission. Professionally, I frequently mentor aspiring veterinarians and veterinary students, underscoring my dedication to nurturing the next generation of learners.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

In Garden City, my experience teaching religious education at St. Joseph’s Parish for over five years at multiple grade levels has further solidified my understanding of instructional challenges teachers face and the critical need for effective, structured teaching methods.

Garden City is fortunate to have dedicated educators, engaged families, and talented students. However, our district must continuously strive for improvement to provide every student with a strong academic foundation. Proven solutions exist, and I am committed to implementing them. If elected as your Board member, I will focus relentlessly on improving student achievement, investing strategically in teacher support, and ensuring our district uses proven, research-based methods that deliver exceptional results.

This election is about ensuring Garden City Schools are among the very best in New York. We need leadership committed to academic rigor, transparency, accountability, and student-centered decisions. Alongside my fellow candidate, Richard Corrao, I am dedicated to revitalizing our district and delivering the exceptional education our children deserve.

I look forward to earning your support and working together to make Garden City Schools truly outstanding by putting Students First.

Dr. Dinorah Dellacamera

My fond farewell

To the Editor:

As many of you know I didn’t run for re-election as a Trustee. I will have completed four years of working hard for the Village.

I got involved after the railroad put up monster poles and cut all the trees on my block. After negotiating with the LIRR for months, I am proud of the fact that we were able to get extra landscaping to put along Strawberry Field and along the Merillon Avenue train station. My neighbor Paul Rothenbiller was a big help in selecting the trees that were planted. We both put a ton of hours into this project. To select the trees, we traveled out to the nurseries in Eastport three times. We wanted to pick trees that we felt would be best for the areas affected by the Third Track project. I believe we accomplished that. By redesigning the islands with numerous trees we were able to block the bright lights coming from the train station.

After the 2023 election Mayor Flanagan appointed me Fire Commissioner. I have to say this has been the most enjoyable part of my four years as a Trustee. As we know, the Edgemere Firehouse is in deplorable shape. It has been allowed to deteriorate for at least ten years. I attended four meetings with the Fire Chiefs and the architects and engineers tasked

with renovating the firehouse. There always seems to be something that slows the process down. To me this is more than frustrating. I’m hopeful that the Board going forward will push this along and will bring this project to its completion. Our excellent Volunteer Fire Department deserves nothing less.

The proposed Sands Casino at the Nassau Hub site would be devastating to Garden City. I have attended nearly every rally against the casino. Three times I have appeared before the Nassau County Legislature speaking about the negative effects it will have on our community.

That is why I was one of the four Trustees that voted to file an Article 78 against the Sands Casino and the Nassau County Legislature. In addition I initiated the idea to hire lobbyists to aid us in our fight against the Casino.

In my view renovating the Edge mere Firehouse and fighting the Sands Casino are more important than trying to renovate a 150 year old building. Early on in my tenure, we were able to save the Garden City Tennis Casino with a long term licensing agreement.

I would like to thank FABGC for allowing me to run and for bringing contested elections to the Village. I believe it is good for the strength of the Village to have contested elections.

In closing I wish the new incoming Mayor and new Trustees and the Board good luck. It has been an honor to serve this Village for four years. Bruce Chester, Deputy Mayor

Elect more political parties

To the Editor:

With the Democrat Party in total disarray--most likely not recovering anytime soon--and the Republican Party with only a small majority in the House, there is great difficulty to govern and make legislative decisions. A call for one or more parties should become louder and louder.

I would like to reiterate excerpts from my letter published in the Garden City News on August 4, 2022. Therein, I stressed this and other necessary changes to be made in Washington as well as our 50 states to have more responsive and effective government:

1) Establishing More Than Two Political Parties

Look at Europe. There is hardly any country which is run by two parties only. At election time, none of their major parties obtains the absolute majority vote. Therefore, the one with the most votes is forced to team up with one or more minority party(ies). Those parties have to compromise and come up with a government program.

Our two parties constantly fight each other at our expense!

2) Federal Term Limits

Unlike the Supreme Court Justices,

all members of the Congress should only be permitted to rerun for election once. This would prevent members from using all kinds of tricks to stay in power until they retire. This would be the end of a sophisticated party club of members helping big corporations and each other—disregarding their duty to first serve us. They only need us at election time!

This change would infuse Congress with new blood, which ultimately would lead to more doers than talkers!

3) Limited Campaign Contributions

An election should not be a money game! The candidate who collects the most money is not necessarily the best choice! It should not be up to corporations and Big Tech to select the new member! There has to be an upper dollar limit for everyone who wants to contribute to a campaign.

Whoever violates this rule needs to be punished: maybe even by going to prison.

This reform would help the voices of small donors. The elected candidates would be less indebted to a small set of big donors and more accountable to all their voters.

Heinz Mayer St. Joseph Spiritual Adoption Novena To the Editor:

The Church of St. Joseph’s Respect Life Ministry and Knights of Columbus St. Joseph-Bishop Baldwin Council No.15809 announce the launch of the parish’s 34th Annual Spiritual Adoption Novena on the Feast of The Annunciation - Wednesday, March 25. Parishioners, village residents, and friends are invited to participate in this prayer Novena which celebrates and honors the dignity and joy we all share – the gift of life.

It is probably safe to say that we all have experienced at one time in our lives, or more likely many times, the benefit of someone’s prayers.

Whether it be prayers for parents, spouses, children, siblings, relatives, friends, etc., we have all been blessed by the prayers of others. Those prayers gave us comfort, support, hope, and an assurance that we were not forgotten.

With that said, there is, unfortunately, one group in our human family that is often overlooked and in need of our urgent daily prayers. That group is the innocent pre-born babies.

The purpose of the Spiritual Adoption Novena, a most-worthy, ninemonth prayer commitment, is to pray for pre-born babies to protect them from abortion.

A “spiritual adoption” is not an actual adoption of a child. To clarify, the babies are adopted “in spirit.” We may never know the babies for whom we pray, but it is firmly believed that our

See page 48

Photos from the Village Archives Garden

City Hotel #3

A view of the third Garden City Hotel from the spire of the Cathedral c1907. It was designed by McKim, Meade & White, who had also designed the previous version which was destroyed by fire in 1899. The new building opened in May 1901, and had 126 guest rooms, 82 of which had en suite baths. In 1912 additions were made to each end, designed by Ford, Butler & Oliver, which increased the guest room count to 206. In 1929 the entire building was extensively renovated, but by 1961 it had again deteriorated, and the then owner Knott Hotel Corporation requested a zoning change to add apartments at the site. In 1966 Michael Forte acquired the property. The upper floors were closed off in May 1971, since the building did not have a sprinkler system. The remainder of the building was closed in July 1971 and demolished in 1973.

Also shown is the Garden City Company office building, lower right next to the RR station, which would be destroyed by fire in 1912, an Apostle house on Hilton Ave. , extreme right, demolished for the Hilton Hall apartments, and in the far distance the Water Works with chimney and Courthouse with dome, left, and the Mineola Fairgrounds grandstand, center right. The casino roof is at bottom. Of note is the tree coverage. Archives identifier: gchd01. A floor plan can be seen at gchd24 and gchd25

A selection from the extensive Village Archives. Others can be seen at www.NYHeritage.org - click on Organizations, G, and Garden City Public Library. Comments/questions: email Historian@gardencityny.net

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Email: Editor@GCNews.com

From page 47

prayerful efforts will help save these babies’ lives. The Novena also includes a special prayer for expectant mothers. A unique element of the prayer Novena is the ability of the Novena participants to name the child whom they “spiritually adopt.” Participants are urged to name their “spiritually adopted” babies after a favorite saint or a loved one – perhaps a lost child, spouse, relative or friend. Many have found this feature to be special to them. They have commented that the naming of their “spiritually adopted” baby serves as a reminder of the humanity of the pre-born baby and provides them with an opportunity to fondly recall

someone they love.

The first Spiritual Adoption Novena was launched at the Church of St. Joseph in 1992 with 900 babies being “spiritually adopted.” The Novena has become a cherished, annual event ever since. Over these ensuing years, the devotion has spread throughout the United States and overseas as well. Its popularity may be explained by its simplicity and its spiritual intimacy, requiring nothing more of the participant than a sincere faith in God and a compassionate heart for innocent, vulnerable babies.

On the weekend of March 29 and 30, after all Masses celebrated at St. Joseph Church, special Spiritual Adoption Novena Prayer Cards will be distribut-

ed at the doors of the church and auditorium. Prayer cards will also be available in the weeks ahead in the bookrack in the main entrance of the church. We invite you to pick up a prayer card at St. Joseph’s Church and join the Novena. One need not be a member of St. Joseph’s to join and there is no cost to participate.

The two prayers recited each day from March 25 to December 25 are these:

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I love you very much. I beg you to spare the life of the unborn child that I have spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion. (Authored by Venerable Bishop Fulton J. Sheen)

“Precious blood of Jesus and Mary,

inseparable in the Divine Pregnancy, nourishing the Sacred Heart of Jesus forming in her womb; connecting link between the divine and natural order; bless the pregnant women of the world, and help them to see the importance of their role in forming a new creation for God and an heir of heaven.”

God bless you for joining our growing family that prays for each other.

Art O’Brien, St. Joseph Church Respect Life Ministry and Knights of Columbus St. JosephBishop Baldwin Council No.15809

Healthy habits for healthy smiles

Dr. Denise Emma poses with primary school children.

Garden City orthodontist Dr. Denise Emma recently went to visit the Garden City Schools (Hemlock, Homestead, & Locust) to discuss dental health with the children. She discussed and highlighted the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene habits from an early age and that taking care of children’s dental health sets the foundation for a lifetime of healthy smiles. Dr. Emma went over which snacks were healthy snacks with a game of “thumbs up” for healthy snacks & “thumbs down” for unhealthy snacks.

GCAA Travel Baseball players give back

In anticipation of the upcoming GCAA Little League season, players from the Ghosts 10U travel team gave back to the Garden City community by helping assemble equipment bags last Sunday. GCAA supplies batting tees, helmets and catchers gear to over 50 intramural little league

teams. Checking the equipment to ensure it is safe and suitable for play is an important part of the season’s coordination, which was not taken lightly by these interim equipment managers. GCAA thanked them for their efforts with pizza and community service credit.

The Hidden Reasons Behind Your Strength Imbalances

BY AHMED AHMED

You lift your grandkid up from the ground as he cackles…

He settles into your arms and the warmth from his body seeps into you…

You feel a strong sense of peace and smile.

Now, what if you couldn’t do this because you lost the strength for it or it hurt your back to even try?

Here’s the thing…

Strength is tough to measure, because it depends on the task at hand.

So, if someone can lift a 30 pound tray from the oven with their right arm, but can’t with their left…

This doesn’t mean that their right arm is stronger overall…

It just means that for that specific task it is!

Equally balanced strength levels, for as many tasks as possible, can save you from aches and pains so that you can move with freedom and rejoice in sweet moments that turn into memories.

Now, did you ever feel that you weren’t as strong on one side of your body?

Here’s how that happens…

Your brain is always taking inventory of what’s going on within you.

Sensation, history, and use or lack of it, can affect your strength.

Think about it like this…

Your brain has the ability to turn your strength up or down like a dimmer switch!

If you feel pain, tightness, or discomfort…

Your brain will lower your strength–turning down the dimmer switch.

Old injuries, physical traumas, or

Conversational, opinionated, wordsmith?

surgeries can also turn down the switch. And this is what leaves you feeling weaker on that one side!

Remember, to enjoy the activities you love, with the people you love... You’ll need that dimmer switch to be on high for as many muscles as possible. Exercise is the number one way to do this, so get started today!

Remember exercise is key to lifelong strength and independence. Try these tips today!Ahmed Ahmed is the owner of Lotus Fitness. Contact him at (646)415-2349 or ahmed@lotusfitnessny. com https://lotusfitnessny.com/

We are looking for writers in our community to compose news articles on local topics, opinions, reviews, worthy places to visit on Long Island, and even fiction. We aim to feature at least one new article and writer each week in our Discovery magazine section. E-mail submissions: editor@gcnews.com

• Attach article and any photos (1MB), along with your name and contact info.

• Articles must be between 1,500 - 3,000 words. • Each writer will be reimbursed a stipend of $25.⁰⁰

GCAA Ghosts assembling little league equipment bags.

Ahmed Ahmed

Adult Evening Programs at the Field House

The Recreation Adult Programs in the Field House begin on Wednesday, October 16 according to the following schedule:

Mondays - Mens’ Basketbal l 7:30–10 p.m.

Wednesdays - Mens’ Basketball -   7:30–10 p.m.

Thursdays - Adult Volleyball  7:30 – 10 p.m.

These programs are open to residents of the Inc. Village of Garden City who have graduated high school OR adults who can show proof of graduating Garden City high school (diploma, student ID card). A picture ID is required to sign in to any program.  For further information, please contact the Recreation Office at 465-4075.

A fee schedule will be place for any resident adult interested in participating in Adult Activities in St. Paul’s Fieldhouse.  The fee schedule is as follows:

10 Play Pass – good for any Fieldhouse sport for 10 visits, $50 5 Play Pass – good for any Fieldhouse sport for 5 visits,  $25

A participant may also “pay as you go” but payment will only be accepted by check or credit card only, NO CASH ACCEPTED. “Pay as you go” prices will be $6.  Passes may be purchased at the fieldhouse when arriving for your sport.

Please note - A resident participant may bring in 1 non- resident guest. This rule will be strictly enforced.  These guest must arrive and leave with the resident.  There are no passes for nonresidents.  The daily fee for the non-resident guest is $8.

To purchase one of the passes, please fill out the attached application and mail to or visit the Recreation Office at 108 Rockaway Ave. You will also be able to purchase a pass from our St. Paul’s staff.  All payments must be made by either a check made payable to the “Inc. Village of Garden City” or credit card only, no cash will be accepted.

St. Paul's Fieldhouse Adult Pickleball Program

Pickleball will begin again in St. Paul’s Fieldhouse on Tuesday, September 17th.  This program is open to Garden City residents only, Tuesdays through Fridays, 9:30 to noon.

Each session will consist of open play with everyone attending round robining in to play.  If you attend the first session you must pay again to stay for the second session.  There will be no reserving of courts for individual play.  A monitor will be available for any person wishing to learn the game.  The fee schedule to attend is as follows:

10 Play Pass – good for any Fieldhouse sport for 10 visits, $50

5 Play Pass – good for any Fieldhouse sport for 5 visits,  $25

A participant may also “pay as you go”. “Pay as you go” prices will be $6.

To purchase one of the passes, please visit the Recreation Office at 108 Rockaway Ave. You will also be able to purchase a pass from our St. Paul’s staff at the time of attendance.  Check or credit card payment is preferred.

Kids Pickleball Program at St. Paul’s

GC Rec is announcing a Pickleball program for the kids from March 4 through May 1.  It will be 90 minutes of play on all four courts in the field house with a basic intro to the game and rules. We will provide the equipment, and the cost is $100 for 8 sessions.  We will need a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 24 sign ups to run the program per day.

Indoor Track Hours at Cluett Hall

Mondays: 1 p.m.–8 p.m.

Tuesdays: 9 a.m.–12 p.m. and  5 p.m.–

9 p.m.

Wednesdays: 9 a.m.–12 p.m.; 1 p.m.–

4 p.m. and 5 p.m.-9 p.m.

Thursdays:  9 a.m.–12 p.m. and

1 p.m.–8 p.m.

Fridays:  9 a.m.–12 p.m.; 2 p.m.–

4 p.m. and 5 p.m.–8 p.m.

Saturdays: 1 p.m.–5 p.m.

*Walk at your own risk. Hours are subject to change. Please do not open the windows on the track.

Trip to Yankee Game

Attention!!

Tickets must be purchased by 3/20/25 or we cannot book the trip!

Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays @ Yankee Stadium on July 31st: $90 gets you ticket, food, soft drinks, & ride to game. There are only 40 spots available for 4th–8th graders. We will leave from St. Paul’s parking lot at 10am. We will return at the end of the game. Pleas sign up at the Recreation Office at 108 Rockaway Avenue. Cash or checks(made out to the Village of Garden City) only. These tickets will go quickly, sign up as soon as possible!!

The Upcycle Acadamy Fashion Summer Camp

www.FutureFashionStars.com

Color Illustration - Flat Sketching

Silhouette / Shape / Proportion

Sustainability - Trend Spotting DesignUpcycling - Styling & More!  Look Book Photoshoot & Fashion Show on the last day of camp!! Keep the designs you create. All apparel and upcycle materials provided.

Garden City Recreation CenterThe Cottages, Weekly Monday–Friday, 12:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.,

July 7 – 11: Behind the Seams - Intro to Fashion

July 14 – 18: Love Story - Pastel and Pretty

July 21 – 25: Pop Star - Stage Worthy

Style

July 28 – August 1: The Good Vibe Club - Sweats with Graphic Messaging & Sun Bleached Denim

AGE 8–11 // FEE: $395 per week

2025 Men’s Spring Softball League Team applications are now online at: www.gardencityrecreation.org, or stop by the Recreation office for forms: 108 rockaway avenue

• Rosters and fees are due by Tuesday, April 1

• The league will begin play the week of April 20

• Fees– $650 for 8 game season plus playoffs for eligible teams

• Space is limited and teams must meet eligibility requirements

For more info, please contact the Recreation Department at 516 465-4075 Pioneer Sports Volleyball Clinic

Volleyball Clinic: Tuesdays, March 4 to April 8, 6:30–7:30 p.m. This program is a learn and play clinic for grades 3-5 at The St. Paul’s Fieldhouse. The cost of the program is $150 per child.

Stay Up to Date On All Things Recreation!

Follow our new Instagram and Facebook “GardenCityRecreation” for all Recreation content! Any questions regarding programs or facilities can be directed to our new Recreation email, GCRec@gardencityny.net .

Family Fun Times on Sundays

St. Paul’s Field House will be open for “Family Fun” for Village of Garden City families. This open time provides the opportunity for families to enjoy various gym activities in an indoor environment.  The gym will be available for use from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on all below dates.

This time is designated for family time only.  No organized practices or workouts will be allowed.  Although there will be staff to monitor activity, this is not a drop off program.   We ask that all elementary and middle school aged children must be accompanied by an adult/guardian.   For the safety of our users, sports involving paddle, stick,

USA Sport Group and Pulse Sports are Gearing Up for Summer!

USA Sports Group, a longtime partner of the Recreation and Parks Department of the Village of Garden City, will be running Summer Camps from children ages 5–12.  It will be a multi-sport program with an adapted curriculum running from June through August.  For more information, please go to Pulsecamps.com

Attention: Tennis Players

Beat the winter DOLDRUMS and get some exercise while having fun!

Prime tennis court time is available: all days and all times.

Get ready for your spring and summer leagues with a contract for the remaining weeks of the indoor season.

Daily reservation times are also available!

We have Women’s League openings! Looking for 2.5 to 3.0 players for our women’s Monday doubles league: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Please call the Recreation office to book a seasonal court or for more information: 516 465-4075

For daily reservations, call the Tennis Center Office: 516 483-2525

Chess Wizards Spring Session

Garden City Recreation and Parks has again partnered with the very popular “Chess Wizards” to offer after school programs for Garden City children ages 6 through 12 who want to learn the game of chess!

Chess Wizards is a fun way to have kids experience the excitement of chess. Kids will play in mini tournaments, have interactive lessons with chess pros and play cool chess variants like bug house. It is proven that chess enhances cognitive development in children, improves both verbal and mathematical skills, and increases all levels of academic performance! Playing chess stimulates the mind and helps children strengthen skills such as focusing, visualizing goals, abstract thinking, and forming concrete opinions.

Instructors (who are called “Wizards”) provide all the materials necessary for your child to participate in the class and no additional purchase is required to attend. All students will receive a trophy, puzzle folder and wizards t-shirt. Come join the fun!!!

This program is a 10-week session. Class will be held on Tuesday’s from 4 to 5 pm in St. Paul’s Center (108 Rockaway Avenue) beginning April 1. To register please visit www.chesswizards.com.

Spring Session of Youth Tennis Lessons

Registration begins on Monday, March 24

The Spring Session of Youth Tennis Lessons will begin play on Monday, April 21st with the registration for these lessons beginning on Monday, March 24th. The Spring Session will be 8 weeks long, with the lessons occurring Monday through Thursday — which would put the Spring Session ending around the second week of June. Once registration opens, you will be able to sign up on the Recreation website, gardencityrecreation.org, or in person at the Tennis Clubhouse and at the Recreation Office located at 108 Rockaway Avenue.

Please visit the recreation website for fees, and meeting dates.

For further information, call the Community Park Tennis Office at 516 483-2525

Youth Summer Tennis Camp

Be on the lookout for upcoming information on our Summer Youth Tennis Program as we are currently developing plans for the Summer Tennis Camps.

The Harlem Wizards are coming to town. Buy your tickets now!

The WIZ KIDS warm up with the Harlem Wizards before the big game begins.

Don’t miss out on the family fun and get your tickets now! On Friday, April 4, at 6pm in the Garden City High School gym, the GC teachers & staff will take on the world-famous Harlem Wizards in an exciting game of basketball! Sponsored by the Garden City Scholarship Fund (GCSF), the event promises a night of laughs with trick hoops and alley oops! Tickets are available for $25 each on the GCSF website, www.gcscholarship.org, or by scanning the QR code. Doors open at 5pm. (Note that tickets will be $30 each at the door, if available.)

The GCSF is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to the Garden City High School students. GCSF is not funded by the school district and relies exclusively on community fundraising and endowments. The annual Wizards basketball event is the GCSF’s primary fundraiser. The GCSF awards over $30,000 annually to Garden City High School seniors. These awards include: the Julia Maloney Scholarship, the Unsung Hero Award, the Joseph L. Prusan Kindness Award, and the Helping Hand Award as well as school club awards. Please visit www.gcscholarship.org to learn more.

There is never a shortage of laughter and active audience participation.

Can you guess how many candies are in the jar? The GC High School student volunteers help with managing the guessing games and selling raffles for fantastic prizes, including NY Islanders tickets.

The Wizards and the faculty teams take a dance break on the court for some extra fun.

Girls’ Indoor Track & Field Nassau County Class B Champions!

The Garden City Girls’ Indoor Track and Field team had an incredible season!  On February 5, 2025, at St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington, NY they clinched the title for 2025 Nassau County Class B Champions!  This is the first time the team clinched the title in over 10 years, the last time the team won was in the 2012-2013 Indoor Track Season. There were several thrilling event highlights in that meet as well as throughout the season!  The following athletes earned All County Honors:

• Kyra Lekanides (Captain): 600m County Champion

• Catalina Suau: 3000m County Champion

• Roisin Pfaff (Captain): 1500 Race Walk County Champion

• Ella Williams: 1500 Race Walk 3rd Place

• Grace Berkery, Kyra Lekanides, Ashley Ryker, & Eva Vitale (Captain): 4x400m County Champions

• Abigail Tedesco: 1500m 4th Place

• Taylor Maguire, Catalina Suau, Abigail Tedesco, & Amanda Tedesco: 4x800m 3rd Place

• Amanda Tedesco: Pole Vault 2nd Place

Several team members earned AllConference Honors including:

• Kyra Lekanides: 300m and 600m Conference Champion

• Taylor Maguire: 1500m Conference Champion

• Catalina Suau: 3000m 2nd Place

• Roisin Pfaff: 1500m Race Walk 2nd Place

• Ella Williams: 1500m Race Walk 3rd Place

• Grace Berkery, Ella Clarke, Kyra Lekanides, & Eva Vitale: 4x400 Conference Champions

• Taylor Maguire, Catalina Suau, Abigail Tedesco, & Amanda Tedesco: 4x800 Conference Champions

• Saige Scala (Captain): Pole

Vault Conference Champion

• Amanda Tedesco: Pole Vault 2nd Place

County Champions!

Women’s Track & Field County Champions

Catalina Suau - 3000 County Champion

Team picture at County Championships.

Kyra Lekanides is the 600M County Champion.

Roisin Pfaff in 1st and Ella Williams in 3rd place in the Race Walk.

Girls’ Indoor Track & Field

Nassau County Class B Champions!

Notably, junior Kyra Lekanides earned first place in the 600m at State Qualifiers. Kyra also ran the 400m at the New Balance Nationals in Boston, MA.

Freshman Amanda Tedesco tied the school Girls Indoor Pole Vault record, jumping 8ft.

The team was guided by Coach Tom Skrivanek and Coach Artie Johnson. It was exciting to witness the team’s dedication and remarkable team spirit throughout the Indoor Track season. Congratulations to all the athletes, coaches, and supporters!

GC Tornadoes finish successful season

Islanders continue their push for playoffs

Islanders captain Anders Lee congratulating his teammates after a great win this week!

BY TONY SENA

The New York Islanders this week won two very exciting come from behind victories against the current Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and also the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Islanders trailed their opponents in both games by 2-0 in the third period but quickly turned things around and won each game with remarkable resilience and brilliant goaltending which has characterized their gritty and determined play all season. Coach Patrick Roy commented to the media

that “these were two must win games for us and proud how the guys came through for each other.”

The Islanders will now open up a four game home stand which will be crucial in deciding the final wild card playoff berth which they are desperately hoping to attain. These next four home games will have a huge impact on the standings and fans will have a chance to see some great hockey action up close in the nearby UBS arena. Let’s get out there and cheer for our team as they make a run for this years Stanley Cup Playoffs. Let’s Go Islanders!

Back

Front row: Joey Sileo, Wyatt Acquavito, Teddy Delaney, Jack Joelson

Middle row: James Schrubbe, Luke Haskell, Leo Nero, Liam Maher, Felix Ehrig, Henry Crain, Rohan Hurley, Jake Serafino

row: Coaches Mike Joelson, Marc Serafino, Joe Sileo, Nick Acquavito

GCHS Varsity Fencing salutes graduating seniors

The Garden City High School Varsity Fencing teams salute their graduating seniors:

• Emily Cook, épée captain

• Eva Mangal, foil co-captain

• Margaret Narula, foil co-captain

• Maddie O’Brien, épèe fencer

• Trey Plastaras, foil captain

• Matteo Schettino, sabre captain Emily Cook, Èpèe Captain

Emily joined the varsity fencing team in 9th grade as a Sabre alongside her twin sister. In 10th grade, Emily trained as an épée, learning through both the GC team and the fencing club LIFC. As a sophomore, Emily became one of the three épée starters. In her junior year, Emily became épée team

captain, training and coaching eight new fencers in the épée discipline. Now Emily enjoys her second year as épée captain, helping other fencers learn this weapon and improve their skills. She thanks Coach Blackford for all her help this past year and all the parents for their continual support of the entire GC Fencing Team. Emily will be attending Brown University in the fall studying classics. She looks forward to keeping in touch with the team and hearing about all their future success.

Eva Mangal, Foil Co-Captain

Eva joined the fencing team as a freshman in High School. She started her training at 5T Fencers Club in

Mineola, where she studied under Olympian and club founder Jonathan Tiomkin. She qualified for the Nassau County Individual Championships as a sub during her junior year. Eva attained the rank of co-captain and in that capacity she has enjoyed helping rookies become an integral part of the team while perfecting her fencing skills and motivating her fellow teammates during practices and competitions throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Academically, she was inducted into the National Honor Society in May of 2024. Eva is also student director at the Garden City Marching Band, president of the Puerta del Sole Honorary Spanish Society and member of the Tri-M

Music Honor Society, since 2023. In the fall of 2025 she will attend the College of Arts & Sciences at Boston University to pursue a degree in biology.

Margaret Narula, Foil Co-Captain

Margaret joined the GC Varsity Fencing team as a sophomore after encouragement from fellow teammate Eva Mangal. She also trained at 5T Fencers Club in Mineola to become a foil fencer.

She was elected captain of the Girls Foil Fencing team in her senior year and enjoyed teaching her fellow teammates. Being a part of the fencing team allowed her to form lasting friendships, as well as learn team -

Matteo Schettino, sabre captain

Maddie O’Brien, épée fencer

Eva Mangal, foil co-captain

Emily Cook, épèe captain

Trey Plastaras, foil captain

Margaret Narula, foil co-captain

GCHS Varsity Fencing salutes graduating seniors

work and leadership skills.

Margaret will attend Lafayette College in the fall to study psychology and hopes to become a psychiatrist. She will continue to fence at the club level.

Maddie O’Brien, Épée Fencer

Maddie joined the fencing team as a junior at Garden City High School as an épée fencer. Though she has only been on the team for two years, Maddie became very close with her teammates and built great friendships. She quickly learned the basics of the sport junior year and she continued building her skills throughout this season with increased time on the strip against very skilled competitors in our division. She loved the team camaraderie of teaching the younger fencers and helping cheer during the meets, as well as all the team-building events. As a senior, Maddie had the privilege of competing in the 2024 Brentwood Holiday Invitational Tournament. Most of all, she is grateful to her fellow teammates for making the fencing team such a special and memorable experience for her during her junior and senior years. Maddie plans to study studio art in college, hopes to fence at the club level next year, and looks forward to visiting the team when she is home on breaks during the 2026 season!

Trey Plastaras, Foil Captain

Trey is a nationally ranked and

highly rated foil fencer with USA Fencing who joined the Boys’ Varsity Fencing team in 9th grade. Trey was a four year starter on the team and a three-year captain, first as co-captain in 10th grade and then continuing to lead the Foil squad for the remainder of High School. Leaving baseball, lacrosse, soccer and then ice hockey behind, he began devoting himself to the sport of fencing at age 10 and training at 5T Fencers Club in Mineola under Jonathan Tiomkin OLY. By age 11, he started competing with USA Fencing, competing at the local, regional and national levels. He’s qualified for seven National Championships and three Junior Olympics. To date, he is a three time USA Fencing All-Academic First Team and three time USA Fencing All-American Team recipient. At Garden City High School Trey completed his freshman year earning All County Second Team Honors, finishing 5th in the county based on his percentage of in-season winning bouts. In 10th grade he achieved an undefeated season, going 29-0, earning both All County First Team and coveted All Long Island status. As a junior and senior, he again earned the designation of All County First Team. He’s medaled at four Brentwood Holiday Invitationals, earning silver twice. He qualified for Nassau County Individual Championships all four years of High School finishing 6th

Town offers safe boating classes

Boating season may be several months away, but with a New York State law now in effect that requires all operators to be certified in safe boating, the Town of Hempstead is now offering safety certification classes.

The Town’s Bay Constables will lead a Boater Safety Course for adults (ages 18 years and older) in three sessions – Tuesday, April 29, from 7–10 p.m., Tuesday, May 6, from 7-10 p.m., and Tuesday, May 13, from 7-10 p.m. – at the Department of Conservation and Waterways (1401 Lido Boulevard, Point Lookout). Participants must attend all three sessions to receive their boating safety certificate.

“New York State law now requires that ALL operators of watercraft be certified in safe boating, and Hempstead Town is offering many classes to help local residents comply with the law ahead of the coming boat -

and 4th place in his first two championships and then winning the silver and bronze medals his junior and senior years. He was named one of Newsday’s “Top 10 Boys Fencers” in both the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 seasons. Having never missed a high school meet, he’s achieved over 100 in-season wins, and graduates the program with a High School record of 103-10.

In addition to the High School Fencing team Trey was on the Boys’ Varsity Spring Track team, is a member of National Honor Society and was inducted into Tri-M Honor Society as an alto sax player. His community service includes working with youth fencers and a selective program at Nassau University Medical Center.

As both a competitor and student coach, Trey has striven to guide the fencers to reach their full potential in training and on the strip. Working with his Trojan teammates has taught him immeasurable lessons that he hopes to bring to his future endeavors.

Trey will be entering the Thomas More Honors Program at Sacred Heart University in the fall where he will be fencing for their Men’s Division 1 Fencing Team.

Matteo Schettino, Sabre Captain Matteo joined the GCHS Fencing Team in 2021 as a freshman. The 1st time he tried fencing was at a summer camp when he was 12. The following Spring he signed up for an afterschool class in Foil fencing at Hofstra University, but after 3 sessions the class was canceled due to the Covid lockdown. In 9th grade, it was “suggested” he switch to sabre, due to the large group of sabre fencers graduating that year. Matteo has found his weapon in sabre, which is the fastest of the weapons and forces quick responses. Since sophomore year, Matteo has been a starter on the Varsity Team and participated in the Nassau County Individual Championships twice, earning 6th place in 2023 and 11th place in 2025. He participated in the Brentwood Invitational Holiday Tournament in 2022, 2023, and 2024 with his highest result in 2024, where he placed 18th out of 55 sabre fencers. Having been accepted into many business schools for college, Matteo is still weighing his offers on where to attend. He hopes to continue fencing on a club fencing team once he commits.

ing season,” said Town Supervisor Don Clavin. “We in America’s largest township want to ensure that all local mariners practice safe boating, and we encourage them to sign up for the Town’s upcoming safe boating course.”

The New York State law governing these new boating safety requirements is known as Brianna’s Law, named after 11-year-old Long Island resident Brianna Lieneck, who was killed in a boating accident in 2005. Additional safe boating courses for youth and adults will be announced in the near future. To register for an upcoming Boater Safety Class, please call the Bay Constables at (516) 897-4100. Residents who are already certified but cannot locate their card can obtain new documentation at https://www.ilostmycard. com/records?state_cd=NY&cert_ type=Boating

Sports Events

Portraits

Stewart Manor, NY 3-bedroom, 1.5-bath. MLS# 826839. $925,000.

Garden City, NY

5-bedroom, 3.55-bath. MLS# L3575933. $2,888,000.

Wyndham West, #PH2 Garden City, NY

3-bedroom, 3.5-bath. MLS# L3579709. $2,500,000.

Happy Spring

Garden City, NY 4-bedroom, 2.55-bath. MLS# 831833. $1,899,000.

Garden City, NY 0-bedroom, 1-bath. MLS# 825577. $279,999.

Mineola, NY 1-bedroom, 1-bath. MLS# 822005. $350,000.

Garden City, NY 4-bedroom, 3-bath. MLS# 810062. $1,899,000.

Floral Park, NY 5-bedroom, 2-bath. MLS# 831776. $995,000.

Mineola, NY 1-bedroom, 1-bath. MLS# 825817. $385,000.

Garden City, NY 5-bedroom, 4.55-bath. MLS# 828069. $2,399,000.

Rockville Centre, NY 4-bedroom, 4.555-bath. MLS# 835215. $1,798,000.

Garden City, NY 3-bedroom, 2-bath. MLS# 831521. $6,500/mo.

Garden City, NY 4-bedroom, 3.55-bath. MLS# 834097. $2,549,000.

Centre, NY 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath. MLS# L3561270. $1,468,000.

Garden City, NY 4-bedroom, 3-bath. MLS# 805421. $8,500/mo.

Mary Krener

Fortune Heaney Lisa Heaney

Lynn Puccio Cheryl Trimboli Scott Wallace

Arthur Anderson Jessica Brantuk Ann Collins

Claudia Galvin Rene Blair

Christine Cudahy Manager

Linda Mulrooney Eileen O’Hara Diane Piscopo

Daureen Hausser

Stephanie Marchan

Aimee Escher

Patrick Gibbons

Matthew Minardi

Kathy Lucchesi Susan MacDonald

Brigid Marmorowski

Patricia Dickson

Kathleen Lichtman

Rockville

Marianne Imperial

Alesya Busel