Garden city news 08052016 by Litmor Publishing

Friday, August 5, 2016

Vol. 92, No. 50

FOUNDED 1923

LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED

A team dominates PAGE 56 n Scholarship bridge PAGE 25

Coach files complaint of age discrimination after firing

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

BY RIKKI N. MASSAND An attorney for Rich Smith, the 44-year head high school baseball coach in Garden City who was fired unceremoniously recently, said the coach has filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the EEOC) claiming his civil rights were violated on the basis of age discrimination by the school district. Smith’s complaint, which he signed on July 29, states that age discrimination against him occurred during this past high school baseball season, starting April 22 and lasting until the day of his last meeting with Athletics Director Dawn Cerrone, June 29. He wrote “throughout the course of 44 years of continuous service, I added substantial value to the Garden City Union Free District Operations until my illegal, age-based termination on June 29, 2016.” Several school board meetings have been held with comments on Smith’s “not coming back” and the board’s Wednesday, July 6 re-organization meeting turned into a tumultuous evening of probing into Smith’s last season and the district’s handling of him by 40 distraught community members, including current and former players and GCHS alumni seeking justice for a coach they adore. Stated in Smith’s complaint is his outlook now “at age 74, having no chance to ever coach again.” Schools have been and will be looking See page 14

On August 2nd, the Garden City Police Department along with staff from the Garden City Pool conducted a community program called “National Night Out” at which the police department shared safety tips. Above, Det. Richard Pedone greets pool patrons. See page XX

Parks Dept. to review pool memberships BY RIKKI N. MASSAND With year one of Garden City Recreation and Parks Department’s five-year Strategic Plan under way, scrutiny of plans, investments and upgrades such as the pool bathhouse and new alcohol sales at the pool created many ways for the village to consider dividends and any needed adjustments. At the Board of Trustees’ meeting on Thursday, July 21, Kevin Ocker, the village’s department head of

Recreation and Parks, spoke about preliminary totals for a hot topic: 2016 pool memberships. “We generally like to start by comparing the family category of memberships as it makes up 70 percent of our revenues at the pool. We have many categories of memberships but we currently have 1,500 family memberships, including regular prices and those that signed up taking advantages of discounts, easy-pay plans

Despite efforts, Stewart-era home demolished BY RIKKI N. MASSAND

or school district families. We are 20 family memberships ahead of last year (as of mid-July). For the 2016-‘17 budget, we had an aggressive revenue projection of 1,550 family memberships to challenge ourselves through all our marketing efforts. That translates to revenues, year over year, that are ahead by $61,000 but current, actual revenue in just memberships now is $77,000 below what our aggressive budget esti-

The historic home at 104 Sixth Street in Garden City, built in 1883 and one of more than three dozen homes in the village listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was unable to be saved, despite an effort by Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano to preserve the structure and move it less than three miles to the Mitchel Field athletic complex. It was demolished and plans for a new home to replace it were approved by the village’s Architectural Design Review Board (ADRB) two months ago, are in full swing. The Boychuk family which purchased the property last November for $1 million, will continue to rent a home in Garden City while their new home will be built. In an interview with The Garden City News this week the Boychuks’ architect, T.J. Costello of Manhasset-based Hierarchy Architecture + Design, PLLC, described Mangano as almost “a white knight” coming to the house’s rescue although plans eventually fell through. The house’s last

See page 45

See page 18

Swim Team B does it again PAGES 48-49 Sort of roughing it with Mark Twain PAGE 36-37

Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Saving historic buildings

It is indeed unfortunate that one of the historic Stewart-era homes was torn down this week, but we don’t blame the buyers or their architect who appear to have been blindsided by the furor that the demolition caused. From all accounts, the home was in dire need of renovation. And while some think that the Village should have somehow come forward and “done something” that, too, is mistaken thinking. The Village only has powers that are enumerated by law. There were no laws on the books to stop the demolition of a home for historic preservation reasons. The Architectural Design Review Board’s mandate is only to approve or deny applications for new homes based on specific factors, such as

aesthetics. It wasn’t in their purview to stop the demolition. Where we could do better as a community is to identify historic buildings that may in the future be in the wrecking ball’s path, such as buildings that are slipping into disrepair. The owners of those buildings could be offered inducements, public (partial tax exemptions) and private (fundraising) to keep the buildings in habitable and comfortable conditions. While we’re at it, how about taking yet another shot at solving the St. Paul’s conundrum? If there was this much furor about the loss of a single home, imagine the hand-wringing when St. Paul’s is demolished… which is seeming more and more inevitable.

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Get angry, get involved To the Editor: As a 30+ year resident of Garden City, and a member of the Preservation Committee of The Garden City Historical Society, I am outraged by the demolition of 104 Sixth Street this week! Garden City contains the most National Register of Historic Places buildings of any community on Long Island. This should be a source of pride for everyone who lives here because it assuredly contributes to the beauty, value and quality of our lives. I urge everyone who cares about preserving the history and uniqueness of our village to join the Historical Society to urge our Board of Trustees to craft a reasonable historic preservation law to prevent this kind of rape to our Village from happening ever again. Get angry and get involved!” Francine Ryan

Gone forever To the Editor: On Monday, August 1, 104 Sixth Street, one of the A.T. Stewart Era Buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was demolished. The irreparable loss of this landmark house was caused in part by the greed and insensitivity of the broker, owners and architect involved in this crime against the historic legacy of our village. The lack of respect for this particular house and our community by the persons involved is reprehensible and will not be soon forgotten! Unfortunately, the destruction of 104 Sixth Street could have been avoided with legislation and regulations imposed by our trustees and governing boards. 104 Sixth Street is now gone forever because we, as a community, have failed to act to protect our historic legacy. Every citizen of Garden City should be informed as to the issues regarding preservation of our historic legacy and be concerned with what has just happened!

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THE GARDEN CITY NEWS

Published every Friday by Litmor Publishing Corp. Entered as Periodical Matter in the Post Office at Garden City, N.Y. 11530 - USPS 213-580

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• Robert L. Morgan Jr. Chairman • Meg Morgan Norris, Publisher and Editor • Edward O. Norris, General Manager GARDEN CITY NEWS PHONE 294-8900 821 FRANKLIN AVE., GARDEN CITY, N.Y. 11530 Postmaster: Send Address Change to Garden City News 821 Franklin Ave., Garden City, N.Y. 11530

The historic fabric of our community is under attack by other prospective owners and developers whose only intent is maximizing their return on investment at the expense of our village. This onslaught will go unabated if the trustees of our village do not confront the issue of historic preservation of the building and houses of historic significance which truly make Garden City a special place. There are no other areas of Long Island with more historically significant structures than Garden City. We, as a community, must take immediate action to stop the slow erosion of A.T. Stewart’s vision of a planned community before it is gone forever. We need to educate and be educated as to how historic preservation can benefit individual owners and our entire community. There are thousands of historic preservation districts throughout the country. Historic preservation legislation must be a priority for Garden City in light of the destruction of 104 Sixth Street and other potential historic buildings. The Board of Trustees must take immediate action to protect our great historic legacy before it is gone forever. Cosmo Veneziale, Architect

Recapture Stewart’s vision To the Editor, As an advocate of historic preservation, I was saddened to see the home at 104 Sixth Street, purchased by a New York Islanders defenseman, demolished this week. For many generations, people have moved to Garden City because of its charm, its history and its uniqueness. If the Garden City community continues to see homes and structures, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, demolished, we all, as that community, will lose the distinctive character and quality that distinguishes Garden City. Let’s turn a discerning eye to instances that are eroding our sense of place. Let’s re-capture

Continued on page 20

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Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER

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Police Commissioner Kenneth Jackson and the Garden City Police Department announce that during the afternoon, and evening hours of August 2, 2016 the Department, along with staff of the Garden City Recreation Department, conducted a community program titled “National Night Out” at the Garden City Community Park. “National Night Out” is a program conducted in communities throughout the country where local Police Departments and their communities form a partnership to make their Town/Village a safer place to live by encouraging the community to: • report crime or suspicious activity as soon as it happens, • take necessary steps to prevent crime, • join and/or support local community organizations that address crime and quality of life issues, • discuss with your family what to do in case of emergencies, • help make children aware of the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and • advise them what to do when approached by strangers. During this program Detective Pedone, the Department’s Youth Officer, greeted numerous residents at various locations within the park and

Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

“National Night Out” at the Garden City Pool

Talking about crime with Garden City kids. discussed issues that affect the safety and welfare of the community. Police Commissioner Jackson stated this

event is an effective way for citizens to interact with the Police Department in a positive environment where they

can discuss their security and safety concerns, as well as other quality of life issues.

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The Garden City News Friday, August 5, 2016

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Friday, August 5, 2016..The Garden City News

Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

MOMs sell MUMs

Saint Anne’s MOMs will continue their annual tradition of selling mums at Spirit Day on September 17th to support the parish. These gorgeous blossoms are the perfect way to decorate your autumn garden and all are encouraged to show their support by buying one, or maybe two, beautiful plants at the MOMs booth. The hardy 9-inch mums come in a variety of beautiful colors and arrive fresh from the Stakey Nursery in Suffolk County. “The MOMs look forward to supporting Spirit Day and the parish with our plant sale,” explains president Amy Doggendorf. “Our booth not only sells mums, but also is an opportunity for new families to meet mothers of young children and find out more about our MOMs group.” Saint Anne’s MOMs group welcomes new mothers within the parish as well as moms looking to join Saint Anne’s Church. Spirit Day is just one of many ways in which the Saint Anne’s MOMs participate in the good works of the parish. Through the MOMs ministries, members can make meals for other moms with new babies and support members going through challenging times. In add ition to collecting food and necessary items for various Loaves and Fishes initiatives throughout the year,

o ery t Deliv City, en Gard e Park & d y H re New lin Squa k n a r F

the MOMs also sponsor families in Wyandanch for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Faith & Friendship group encourages members to pray together and coordinates the Church Discovery program where mothers and young children explore the beautiful church once a month. “Our group utilizes both the school and parish facilities for our meetings and events,” continues Doggendorf. “We, like so many other groups in the parish, benefit directly from the fundraising efforts of Spirit Day and are happy to lend our support.” For membership information regarding Saint Anne’s MOMs, please contact the MOMs directly at stannesmoms@ gmail.com The Church of St. Anne is hosting its 14th annual Spirit Day on Saturday, September 17, 2016 from 1-10pm with rides, games and music all day and evening. The day is highlighted with a beautiful celebration of Mass outdoors at 5pm and the exciting Big Bucks Raffle drawing at 10pm. Additional Big Bucks tickets are always available at the parish office or you may call and we will be happy to mail one to you. Please call the Saint Anne’s Parish Office at (516) 352-5904 or visit www.stannesgc.org for more information.

Awarded scholarship

Margaret White Margaret White of Garden City was recently awarded a college scholarship by OneBeacon Insurance Group. White is a 2016 Sacred Heart Academy graduate, where she was class

salutatorian and a member of the National Honor Society, cross country and track teams. She will attend Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in the fall.

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MAKE A DONATION THIS AUgUST Drop off new school supplies or cash/check Donations at any astoria Bank Branch this august. Plus, we’ll match up to $10,000 in donations! And 100% of all donations go directly to purchase school supplies. For more information, call 1-800-ASTORIA, visit AstoriaBank.com or stop by any Astoria Bank branch. Program Sponsors:

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Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

ASTORIA BANK’S 17TH ANNUAL

8 Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

New Garden City Police Officer sworn in COAL BRICK-OVEN PIZZERIA Grimaldi’s prides itself as being the #1 ZAGAT rated pizza restaurant specializing in coal fired thin crust pizza perfected with its light crisp crust, fresh toppings, and handmade mozzarella. The experience coupled with the warm ambiance of our dining room and full service bar has become the perfect spot to be enjoyed by family and friends every day of the week.

On July 21st new Garden City Police Officer Matthew Baard was sworn in at the Village Board of Trustees meeting. Officer Baard was born in Oceanside and he grew up in Merrick, attending Calhoun High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in counseling at nearby Hofstra University. At the Trustees’ meeting, Commissioner Jackson said Baard’s studies in these fields “will probably help him in today’s world of policing.”

Baard has municipal experience too, having previously worked for Nassau County Department of Public Works and County Recreation. Baard worked for the GCPD as a police dispatcher since 2013, and Jackson said he did a great job in that role. Prompted by a question from Trustee John Delany, Jackson later added that he expects Baard to start in the department in late October or very early November after training and attending the police academy.

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New Garden City Police Officer Matthew Baard posed with his family before being sworn in at the Village Board of Trustees’ meeting on Thursday, July 21. (Left to Right, standing): Garden City Police Commissioner Kenneth O. Jackson; Gwen Rosenberg, Baard’s aunt; his mother Alana Baard, Officer Matthew Baard, his father Mike Baard; (front row) Baard’s cousins Bria and Glenna Rubin and aunt Faith Rubin

GC resident’s play to be performed Local resident Lana Mae Noone, co-author of the new, acclaimed play “Children of the April Rain”, is pleased to announce that the Play will be presented at the East Williston Community Church Theater, East Williston, NY, September 25, at 3 PM. Noted director Louis Fucilo will direct the Play and a talented cast from the NYC and LI area is being assembled

for the staged reading. The play tells the true story of nine unsung heroes of “Operation Babylift”, the extraordinary effort that saved the lives of over 2,500 War orphans during the Fall of Saigon. There is no fee to attend and tickets are not required. Please contact lananoone@yahoo. com for complete details.

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GOT FUN? Check out our Camp and School Directory for summer camps and other fun activities.

BY GABBY TABBY

MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM: THE POLICE REPORT Stolen car: A 2010 Lexus was reported stolen from the parking field of a Franklin Avenue business on July 27th. DWI arrest: On July 18th Garden City Police Officer Graber and the Nassau County Probation Department conducted a joint investigation on County Seat Drive resulting in the arrest of a 32 year old woman from Uniondale for allegedly driving while her license was revoked for DWI. Shoplifting incident: On July 28th Walgreens reported the theft of $147 in merchandise by a female subject. Bumper cars: On July 28th the bumper to a vehicle parked on Kellum Lane was reported to be damaged by unknown means. Car damaged: On July 29th a vehicle was damaged while parked in Garden City Parking Field 5. Another stolen car: On July 30th a 2010 Hyundai was reported stolen from the parking field of a Franklin Avenue business. Bicycle caper: On July 30th Garden

City detectives conducted an investigation on Meadow Street which led to the arrest of a juvenile for allegedly stealing a bicycle.

Bike taken, returned: On July 30th a Garden City youth was approached by 6-7 other youths on Brook Street who stole the Garden City youth’s bicycle. The bicycle was later returned. Petit larceny: On August 1st an unknown subject stole $6.99 worth of merchandise from CVS on Franklin Avenue. An inside job? On August 1st Garden City Detectives arrested a 23 year old male employee of Sears for allegedly stealing $1689.94 of merchandise from the store. Window damaged: On August 1st the rear passenger window of a vehicle parked on Main Avenue was damaged by unknown means. Cars were hot last week: On August 2nd yet another vehicle was reported stolen. This one was a 1992 Isuzu which was reported stolen from Garden City Parking Field 2S.

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Andy Fund provides grant to foundation that helps the autistic Spectrum Designs Foundation was awarded a grant from the Andy Foundation of Garden City to purchase a new embroidery machine. Patrick Bardsley, President and co-founder said: “this grant will enable us to increase production and create new vocational and employment opportunities for individuals on the Autism Spectrum.” Stella Spanakos, co-founder echoed those sentiments and added: “Both charities were created from tragic events but have evolved into cornerstones in their respective communities changing lives and helping others. I am very grateful to the Andy Foundation for this grant and even prouder to say I am a GC alum!” The Andy Foundation was formed

in 2004 to honor the memory of Andrew Patrick Palmeri, who died in September 2003 at age 11. Andy’s family, young friends and their parents came together with the mission of helping less fortunate children. The foundation, operating under the motto “by kids – for kids,” holds tag sales and other events throughout the year to raise funds for child-based organizations. Spectrum Designs is decorative apparel business located in Port Washington since 2011. Spectrum Designs is a nonprofit social enterprise that offers training and employment to individuals with autism in their t-shirt imprinting and embroidery business.

Love to write?

We are looking for articles on local topics, opinions, ideas, nice places to visit on Long Island, and even fiction. In our Discover magazine section, we will try to feature one new article and writer each week. Each writer will be reimbursed a stipend of $25.00, and articles should be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. If you want to be published and be part of an issue of Discovery, you may submit your article to: editor@gcnews.com

Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

THE OFFICE CAT

Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

Boy Scout Troop 55 Summer Camp

THE VIEW FROM HERE

The Democratic Convention: A Retrospective BY BOB MORGAN, JR.

Boy Scouts from Troop 55 in Garden City again spent one week at Camp Yawgoog in Rhode Island. Scouts enjoyed swimming, canoing, sailing, shooting, and many more activities at summer camp. Also, 93 merit badges were earned and 3 BSA lifeguard awards were received. Everybody enjoyed the week as they also learned many new skills and cannot wait to go back to camp next year. Troop 55 would like to thank their sponsor, Cathedral of the Incarnation for their continued support. For information contact Scout Master, John O’Hare, at 516-724-7713.

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“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” —Wilma Rudolph

Last week we analyzed the Republican convention in Cleveland. This week we will turn to the just completed Democratic gathering in Philadelphia. Most analysts looking to the conventions were expecting the Democrats to be more unified in their gathering than the Donald Trump-led Republicans. However, while the situation basically stayed under control, the Democrats had no shortage of intraparty bickering. After hacked emails were disclosed showing favoritism toward Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, had to be sacked. On the first night there was frequent heckling of speakers by supporters of Bernie Sanders, and this continued intermittently all the way to the acceptance speech three days later. The convention did have its moments, and a few misses. Obviously, Ms. Clinton made history as the first woman to be nominated for President by a major party. Michelle Obama’s speech was a very effective combining of personal and political themes and President Obama made a ringing defense of his presidency, often appealing to patriotic sentiments in a manner reminiscent of Ronald Reagan. This may have been the best speech of his tenure in the White House. Because of the Democrats’ overwhelming popularity in the entertainment industry, they were able to showcase A-list talent like Alicia Keys and Katy Perry, which created an aura of excitement. The repeated attacks on Mr. Trump did help make the case that he is unqualified for the presidency. On the negative side, the speech by vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine was at best serviceable (he should lose his effort to impersonate Mr. Trump). Bill Clinton’s lengthy recounting of his marital relationship left many obvious questions unanswered and was not a particularly effective defense of his spouse. The main event of the convention, Ms. Clinton’s acceptance speech, which followed an unvarnished but sincere tribute by Chelsea Clinton, was a bit of an

anticlimax. While slightly shorter than Mr. Trump’s speech, the address was largely a laundry list of standard issue Democratic policy proposals aimed at various interest groups coupled with barbs (some of which were effective) at Mr. Trump. There was no overarching theme, no particular explanation of why, beyond her long resume, this was the moment for her to become president. Of course, Ms. Clinton was trapped in the classic problem of the nominee of the party that has been in office for eight years; historically, few of these nominees have been elected. The candidate both has to defend the record of the current administration, warts and all, and also advocate new initiatives that somehow have not been addressed by the incumbent president. Did the convention work from the Democrats’ point of view? You have to give it decent grades, at least based on post-event polls. Ms. Clinton, like Mr. Trump, got a bounce in the days immediately after the convention, although the size of the rise differs significantly among pollsters. At one extreme, the CNN-ORC poll showed the race moving from a 3-point Trump lead from July 22-24 to a 9-point Clinton advantage from July 29-31, a 12-point swing. At the other end of the spectrum, the Los Angeles Times/ USC poll, which uses a 7-day rolling average, moved just 5 points, from a 7-point Trump advantage from July 20-26 to a 2-point Trump lead from July 25- August 1. `While Mr. Trump has had a rough few days after the convention (and has to learn to get out of his own way on subjects like the family of a deceased Muslim soldier), much or all of Ms. Clinton’s bounce will likely fade as the event get further away, the dog days of summer come, and the convention is overtaken by other events like the Olympics and in some measure the uncertain economy and the perilous international situation. Still, it is probably fair to say that Ms. Clinton and the Democrats regained their momentum in the race with their convention in Philadelphia and improved their overall chances of victory.

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ED E N O PH

Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

Coach files complaint of age discrimination after firing From page 1 to have faculty and staff in place for 2016-’17, and what transpired surrounding his exit from Garden City leave Smith in a conundrum. Attorney Robert Sullivan, whose firm Sullivan, Papain, Block, McGrath & Cannavo, P.C., is based on Franklin Avenue, spoke to The Garden City News on Smith’s behalf on Tuesday, August 2. He says in the wake of losing his leading role as the head varsity baseball coach, the veteran Smith now faces a daunting, uncertain life ahead of him. “Let’s assume a school district has a baseball coach job open – are they going to hire a 74-year-old coach about whom an athletic director and school superintendent said ‘we had to let him go for extreme, unusual circumstances which we are keeping confidential? Not in a million years,” Sullivan said. He says his client Coach Smith is now crushed and disappointed, but the man is a fighter and he “will not take this bullying lying down.” “For him (Coach Smith) it’s been 50 solid years for Garden City, a lifetime of service. He was the Middle School’s coach for six years prior to becoming the varsity GCHS baseball coach. Smith was crushed when this happened. He went home and said he’s done. Then, all the players, proof positive, went to his home and convinced their coach to come back and finish the year – everybody in Garden City wants Richie Smith, assistants Charlie Menges and Mike Sweeney as the baseball coaches except for of Athletic Director Dawn Cerrone, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Feirsen and a few disgruntled parents. And on any team you are always going to have a few disgruntled parents,” Sullivan said in a telephone interview. He touched on a concept explained by Dr. Feirsen at the July 6 board meeting, that coaching, teaching and hiring decisions are never to be made on the basis of who is popular or who the district receives a few complaints about. But as the months evolved, comments the district collected about Coach Smith have evolved into piece of Smith’s recent EEOC complaint. Action taken in July leaves room for more information to surface about the reasons Coach Smith, along with his assistants, has been informed that he won’t be returning for the 2017 GCHS baseball season. “The filing of the EEOC is a preliminary step to a federal court lawsuit that has to be taken. We are going to have to see the anonymous letters that were written pursuant to the schools request and testimony from those involved, and that is what the proof would be – that is what Rich Smith believes. Depositions will be taken to get the answer to a basis of age discrimination. The admin-

istration pressured and cajoled those students into trying to accomplish their own purposes, specifically Athletic Director Cerrone’s purposes – that is exactly what happened,” he said. For now, the EEOC investigation looms and community concerns over Smith, the future of the baseball program and Garden City Schools’ leadership are all intertwined. “What will happen is there will be an EEOC investigation as the EEOC has the right to conduct its investigation. If it conducts its investigation and no satisfactory solution is reached then a lawsuit proceeds where we will be permitted to take depositions of Cerrone and Dr. Feirsen and get to the truth of the matter. I want to get to that stage, and through the discovery process of the lawsuit I can get those anonymous letters. If nobody else will bring out the truth then Richie Smith and I will get it done,” Sullivan said. He believes that Garden City Public Schools has kept the anonymous letters written by players on this year’s baseball team with Smith’s personnel file, and the EEOC can obtain those records. “The school says that’s what they did, right? I don’t believe for a minute that they ripped them up and threw them away, so the school obtained the letters and they have the letters. The EEOC will investigate the matter or we will proceed to a lawsuit, in which case I will get to investigate the matter. One way or another we are going to get to the truth of whether or not age discrimination was involved – it comes down to what is in those letters, what prompted those letters and what Cerrone and Dr. Feirsen have to say,” he explains. The aspect of a legal challenge to the district, at its discretion, having the GCHS baseball players write the anonymous letters about playing for Coach Smith will not be explored. Sullivan says he doesn’t think it was “right” but for a case, he isn’t taking that as an interest. From Smith’s and Sullivan’s perspective, the district’s defense of confidentiality when speaking about personnel matters – as explained to the community at several school board meetings but detailed on July 6 -- should be thrown out of the window. Smith had signed the EEOC complaint with his statement waiving confidentiality from the district, and it is notarized. Sullivan’s expectation was that GCUFSD wanted to stand behind confidentiality and never say a word on the specifics of Smith’s not being brought back, believing “eventually the whole thing would die,” as he phrased it. “If they (GCUFSD) want to keep it confidential to protect their own wrongSee page 27

15 Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

16 Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

Friday Night Promenade – The Big Pineapple Circus

On Friday Night thousands of people descended on Seventh Street to attend the Promenade. Last week’s theme the “Big Pineapple Circus” was enjoyed by everyone in attendance. Jugglers, unicycle artists, aerialists, tightrope walkers and clowns dotted the street. The band, “From Blue’s to Blackstreet” entertained the crowed with jazz and blues classics. Face

painters and balloon artists provided their services for free to the public. Attendees were given giant sunglasses, glow necklaces and bracelets, themed drinking cups, large yoyos and other circus-related giveaways. The event also featured free popcorn and cotton candy. Garden City restaurants and shops provided attendees with everything

from fine dining to pizza delivery at tables set up along the street. The Promenades, every Friday night in the summer, are a joint venture between the Chamber of Commerce and the Village of Garden City. The program is supported by numerous sponsors including Leo’s, Walk Street, The Burger Spot, Go Greek, TCBY, Tarr’s Home Improvements, SMPL

Technologies and any more. The Chamber is grateful to all our sponsors! Next week is our “Luau Garden City Style.” We will feature “Aloha Hula NYC” and “The Moonlighters with Bliss”. There will be dance lessons, a limbo contest, face painters, balloon artists and tropical giveaways. Festivities begin at 6pm.

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17 Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

18 Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

Despite efforts, Stewart-era home demolished

From page 1

chance came weeks after Costello appeared in front of the Village Board of Trustees at their June 16 meeting and before that, with consideration and the ideas of Historical Society member Terence Kenny, at the Garden City Public Library Board of Trustees’ June 13 meeting. No action was taken by either the Village Board or GCPL Board to consider an option of keeping the house in Garden City on village property, next to or in front of the library, and investing in its move or an alternative use such as an annex to the GCPL building. Despite those attempts, Costello found himself sat at County Executive Mangano’s conference table at one point in early July. “The plans to move it were long and lengthy and at the last minute it was determined infeasible due to power and energy transmission lines that are impossible to move. It went pretty high up the county’s ladder chain to see if it could still be moved before it was determined it could not be. The house was going to be given to a veteran and Habitat for Humanity was going to be involved with some of the labor. Executive Mangano had told us it’s a good story and good project so he tried to find a way to do it,” Costello said in an interview August 3. Nassau County Housing Official Michael Raab specified that transmissions for Verizon, PSE &G and Cablevision created a series of difficulties, as shutting them off would result in several days – at least five days, 24 hours a day – without power for residents and businesses. The lines were and are depended on heavily for use this summer as Costello explains the traffic necessities and use of air conditioning and power in August. Nassau County was prepared to

spend $100,000 to move the house, with a route starting down Sixth Street to Hempstead Turnpike and passing through Hofstra University’s parking lot, eventually to the adjacent Mitchel Field. Costello said Stewart Avenue would have been another alternative to start the move, but traffic issues there would have been more involved and potentially hazardous. Costello told the News that a historian from Oyster Bay was able to preserve a couple of items from the old house at 104 Sixth Street. The historian owns a 100-year-old house in Oyster Bay that was once Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter’s. “He was renovating it with parts and reclaimed pieces from older homes all over Long Island. He called me and asked for doors and frames, and he got in there and salvaged a few. There are some gingerbread pieces that were salvaged but nothing else was really salvage-able,” says Costello.

Historical Society Joins Calls for New Law, Guidelines

The following statement was submitted on Wednesday, August 3, by the Preservation Committee of The Garden City Historical Society: “The New York State Education Department Charter of The Garden City Historical Society states the purposes for which the Society was formed as “to preserve for posterity places, buildings, landmarks and objects of historical interest in Garden City, and to concern itself with historical, antiquarian, literary, artistic and scientific matters relating generally to the development of Garden City.” “Garden City contains more National Register of Historic Places properties than any other community on Long Island. In light of the demolition of 104 Sixth

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Street, which was built in 1883 and was part of the A. T. Stewart-era Thematic Group listed on the National Register, the Society strongly advocates for the creation of a reasonable historic preservation law to avert further demolition of National Register-listed houses, preserve the quality of life in Garden City, and prevent it from developing into ‘Anytown, USA.’ The ideas of the Historical Society in the statement had been mentioned leading up to the house’s demolition and ever since the 41 Hilton Avenue application before the ADRB last December. In a Letter to the Editor published on July 15, Francis X. Sweeney lamented the destruction of historic homes and older structures. “In 1978, shortly after the Federal Government enacted laws about historic properties, a group of some 50 Garden City properties were placed on the National Register of Historic Properties, as the “Thematic Group of the A.T. Stewart Era Buildings.” Garden City homeowners have been pretty good stewards, unknowingly perhaps, of these properties. Some have been enlarged, or remodeled, but their original Victorian, Italiante style still shines through… Now in 2016, we see that people, who work in New York or Brooklyn, who want to come and live in Garden City as A.T. Stewart intended. Some, it seems, in even larger numbers, want to buy a home and tear it down, and build something “bigger.” Not a particularly low-cost enterprise, but well within the means of many possible purchasers.” “The Village is not, any time soon, going to impose zoning power on property owners. But it does have taxing power. Perhaps some legal genius can combine that with the Federal - State tax benefits of preserving See page 28

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Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

Present

Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Email: Editor@GCNews.com Continued from page 2 the vision of Alexander Stewart and create for ourselves a community that is aware of its historic structures and all that they bring to strengthening our sense of community and maintaining our property values. In this year when our nation celebrates the 50th anniversary of the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, let’s be reminded that the preservation of our heritage is in our public interest, and collectively, we benefit from living in a village with such a significant history. Maureen Traxler Dellacona

Protect historic buildings To the Editor: Families, trees and structures THAT STAY are what make Garden City the place it is. Our Village is recognized as a “tree city” and it is also recognized for its many historic buildings. We have rules in place to save the trees and limit what can be removed and when. We certainly have the obligation and right to do so with historically designated areas and structures.

I urge every resident - every family - the many cousins and in-laws - those who reach down over the generations to stand up and say our traditions and our history matter. Our Village is beautiful and the envy of many other towns and we must empower our local lawmakers to protect what is rightfully ours. I believe the Mayor and Board of Trustees who enjoy the privilege of serving this wonderful Village realize the threat that is upon us. We welcome new families and enjoy new neighbors who come to Garden City because it does not look like, act like or provide services like many other nice communities here on Long Island. But, I ask each of you what happens when someone moves into town, knocks down an old house or an old tree, and then moves on (or perhaps gets traded to Philadelphia Flyers)? Certainly they don’t mean to steal our Village, have no intention of leaving when they come, but if we don’t act we will be left with a barren and souless community. I offer my voice and support to the Historical Society and to the local lawmakers to preserve our Village! Kathleen M. Sweeney Resident since 1972 President GCHS Class of 1980

Preserve this special Village To the Editor: My husband and I are residents of Garden City for over 30 years and love living in the Village with all of its history, beautiful homes, tree lined streets, good schools and amenities. However, we are so upset and thoroughly dismayed by the demolition of another Stewart era home on 104 Sixth Street this week. It was a beautiful home set in the middle of all the other historic homes, just as Stewart had planned it. If the new owners had wanted a new structure, they could have purchased a home which was not on the National Register of Historic Places. How can our real estate organizations help to raise the level of sensitivity to potential buyers of the value of our Historic homes when showing houses to potential buyers who clearly want a larger piece of property to put up a structure of their own design? And most importantly, we ask the Board of Trustees to work with other concerned organizations of the Village like the Architectural Review Board, the Garden City Historical Society, the Zoning Board to do something to protect one of the greatest assets Garden City has and that distinguishes us from other towns. This is our history. It is an

important part of what has made and still makes Garden City special for all of us and slowly, but surely, the Stewart era homes are being demolished one by one. Can we please come together as a community, including owners of the Stewart era homes, residents, the Board of Trustees and real estate agents, to address this issue at all levels by stopping the demolition immediately and spending that time to look at the best methods of preservation for this very special Village of ours? Thousands of communities in the US have done it and so can we! Catherine and Karl Schmidt

Explanation needed To the Editor: Over the past three months, many of Richie Smith’s current and former players and parents have repeatedly contacted Dr. Feirson, Dawn Cerrone and the board of education, through email and two board of education meetings searching for answers for Coach Smith’s dismissal. During this time we’ve learned how the student athletes were taken against their will (those that were on the team, and either quit or cut as well), by the AD and Dr. Feirson. The question has been asked, simply, ‘why?’ During this time the administration

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Email: Editor@GCNews.com and the Board of Ed hid behind their hiring policies with contractual and legal language and up until recently, rather cryptic and robotic answers explaining their part or view on the situation. After half a century as an educator, coach and mentor to the youth of Garden City, Dr. Feirson has stated that there were ‘extraordinary circumstances’ which led to both he and the athletic directors conduct obtaining anonymous letters be written by the students who they chose to have removed from class. Interestingly, not only did they remove players from the current team, but also kids who had quit or who did not make the team as well (perhaps to influence the data one way or the other). At first, when I contacted the school, Dr. Feirson stated to me via email that this was a ‘rumor’, but at the recent BoE meeting admitted that he had in fact gave the athletic director the go ahead to remove the kids from class, and gather this bogus data. Coach Smith has waived all confidentiality and has served the school district and the village a lawsuit. Now the school board, athletic director, principle and superintendent can collectively show their cards. They can also answer to the parents and taxpayers of the community that will be footing the bills on the legal fees during this time. Some

questions which are pertinent to the situations; ‘why after 44 years was Richie’s integrity in question? Why if the athletic director wanted to remove the coaching staff was this not done in a more civil manor? Why were the kids on the team used without consent from their parents? How could Richie Smith have been evaluated by the athletic director on his post season evaluation as having the lowest possible grade on sportsmanship, than be selected by his peers to win the Nassau County Sportsmanship Award? Answer me that! The more research that I keep gathering about this Athletic Director, the more I conclude that it is she who should be fighting to keep her job, and not Coach Smith. These are the people that you want representing our athletic department? The Board of Ed, Dr Feirson, and Dawn Cerrone have had months to rectify this but continue to hold court with their policies. I hope Coach Smith gets his day in court and those responsible or that sat idly during this time have as many sleepless nights as he did over the past three months. Dawn Cerrone and Dr. Feirson wouldn’t listen to the alumni, the players or the hundreds of residents. Now they can deal with Bob Sullivan, good luck with that. John Maloney - Class of 2000

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Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Garden City News Friday, August 5, 2016

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“Bigger than Jesus?” BY JOHN ELLIS KORDES It was 50 years ago, in August 1966, that a world-wide controversy nearly destroyed the Beatles. By the mid1960’s the Beatles were the biggest entertainment act ever. International fame on an unprecedented scale with every move they made making news and they were considered the most photographed human beings on the planet. In April 1966, an interview with John Lennon by a reporter and friend Maureen Cleave appeared in the London Evening Standard. John was the most outspoken of the Beatles and in the interview he covered a wide range of subjects including religion. The article appeared in England with no problems. However, when an American magazine “Datebook” reproduced excerpts in late July a firestorm of controversy spread around the country and then around the world. Lennon had suggested in the interview that kids were more interested in music and the Beatles than going to church. He stated Christianity was shrinking around the world. Many other comments were taken out of context and it should be pointed out that all four of the Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) were raised in Christian households (yes, even Ringo). The timing of all this could not have been worse. The Beatles were scheduled to begin their third tour of the U.S. in August. Things got so out of hand that the Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, came to America ahead of the tour to get a sense of how bad things had gotten. He even inquired as to how much it would cost to cancel the tour. Meanwhile, 22 radio stations in the U.S. “Bible Belt” banned Beatle music from the airwaves and countries such as Spain, South Africa and the Philippines did the same. Even the Vatican chimed in, saying “there is some truth to his claim that Christianity’s strong influence on Mankind has weakened.” When the Beatles left England on August 11, 1966, for the United States, fans at the airport screamed and begged them not to go. “John, they will kill you,” they shouted. The next day, the Beatles were in Chicago to kick off their US tour. A press conference was arranged at their hotel and press from around

the world packed the room. The four Beatles sat at the table facing the press and a 25 year old John Lennon made his first public statement on the controversy. “...Originally I pointed out that fact in reference to England that we meant more to kids than Jesus did or religion at that time. I wasn’t knocking it or putting it down. I was just saying it. It was a fact. It is true, especially more for England than here. I am not saying that we’re better or greater or comparing us with Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing or whatever it is. You know, I just said what I said and it was wrong or was taken wrong and now it is all this.” Despite the efforts to diffuse the situation the story followed them on their U.S. tour. They received various death threats and the Ku Klux Klan promised to disrupt the Beatles performances in southern cities (they failed). In Birmingham, Alabama, radio stations encouraged kids to turn in their “Beatle trash” and lit bonfires to destroy albums and memorabilia. In Memphis, an anonymous assassination threat was made and during the Beatles performance there someone threw a firecracker on stage and each Beatle looked at the other to see who was shot! The tour finally ended at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966. It also turned out to be the Beatles last concert forever. After over 1,400 performances (going back to the Liverpool and Hamburg days of the early 1960’s) the Beatles would never tour again. As 1966 came to a close, the Beatles retreated to Abbey Road Studios where they would create some of the most outstanding music of the 20th Century over the next several years before breaking up in 1970. However, Lennon’s comments, that he thought he had put behind him in 1966, would eventually come back to him in the most tragic of ways. You see, in 1966 an impressionable eleven year old devoted Beatle fan living in Atlanta , Georgia, heard the uproar about Lennon’s comments on Christianity. In 1969, the boy ran away form home and a year later he became a born again Christian. He carried a Bible everywhere, wore a cross around his neck and quoted scriptures constantly. He eventually became a YMCA counselor in Arkansas. Then

he enrolled at Covenant College (a Presbyterian school of higher education in Tennessee), but he flunked out. A series of broken relationships led to a mental breakdown. Although still a Beatles fan, he alternately identified himself with John Lennon (including eventually marrying a Japanese woman) and with a messenger from God whose duty it was to wreak the Lord’s vengeance on John for his 1966 comments. At age 25, married and now living in Hawaii, he boarded a plane for New York City in November 1980 to seek out John Lennon. Lennon had just turned 40 and had a new album out for the first time in over five years. Things were going well and he had a five year old son, Sean. For a couple of weeks the 25 year old stalked Lennon and on the evening of December 8, 1980, he waited outside Lennon’s Dakota apartment building on the upper west side of Manhattan. After getting an autograph from Lennon earlier in the evening, he waited for Lennon and his

wife, Yoko Ono to return. Sometime after 10 p.m., they came home and just before entering the building, this man (whose name is not worth remembering) stepped out of the shadows holding a .38 caliber revolver in his hand and said “Mr. Lennon.” As John began to turn around five bullets were fired into his chest as Yoko screamed. The gunman then put the gun down and sat on the sidewalk pulling out a copy of “The Catcher in the Rye” and silently read to himself. The police arrived in minutes and Lennon was taken to St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, but was dead before arriving. The Dakota doorman yelled at the young man sitting on the sidewalk “Do you know what you just did?!” The man replied calmly “I just shot John Lennon.” He is currently in prison serving a life sentence. All these years later still as senseless an act as the day it happened and all too familiar to us today on the evening news.

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Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

WHAT’S UP G.C. ?!

Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

24 FROM THE MAYOR’S OFFICE

Update on LIRR Main Line third track proposal

Although the LIRR has issued the Scoping Document and the public comment period is over, we continue to focus on this project. Recently, Trustee Bolebruch and I met with residents of Greenridge Avenue in the Western section of our Village. The homes on this street have backyards adjacent to the LIRR Main Line tracks. Understandably, these residents are very upset about the almost total lack of information coming from Governor Cuomo’s representatives and the LIRR about their plans for construction of the third track. We listened carefully to the residents who then sent us emails listing their questions and legitimate concerns. Subsequently, most of the Board of Trustees and I, along with Michael Murphy from the law firm of Beveridge & Diamond, P.C. and Village Counsel Peter Bee, attended a meeting with Governor Cuomo’s representatives, Lisa Black and John McCarthy, himself a Garden City resident. Trustee Bolebruch and I presented the Greenridge Avenue residents’ lists of questions and concerns to Ms. Black and Mr. McCarthy who offered no definitive responses at that time but said they would do so in the future. They also said that a Final Scoping Document is being prepared to answer questions raised by people during the initial public comment period. We certainly hope so. Ms. Black and Mr. McCarthy also told us that the Draft Environmental Impact Study - which will not be finished until the end of 2016 at the earliest - would cover all the details of the Third Track Project and address items such as train delays, staging areas for construction equipment, local road closings and the construction schedule. Nonetheless, the consensus among your Board of Trustees is that to date the information from the Governors’ representatives and the LIRR has been woefully inadequate concerning the details of this extremely massive project, its cost and the source of funds to pay for it. As I have done many times before, at our meeting with Ms. Black and Mr. McCarthy, I firmly stated again, and they acknowledged, that everyone - including the LIRR President - agrees that the major problem with the LIRR is the antiquated switching system outside of Jamaica Station. Just recently, switching system breakdowns caused several very serious massive delays. Although Ms. Black indicated that $500 million is being allocated to fix this problem, she presented absolutely no details about the

By: Nicholas P. Episcopia

specific replacement plans or when this critical project would start. In my opinion, this is only one more reason why the so-called “planning” for a third track with no real analysis of the factors justifying the effort, while leaving repair of the overall switching problem up in the air, makes no sense and is not acceptable. As stated in the past, Garden City and Floral Park have retained the firm of Beveridge & Diamond, P.C. to review and critique the Scoping Document for the Third Track Project. Their very thorough report is on our Village website. Other Main Line Villages, including Westbury and New Hyde Park, have also retained attorneys to critique this document. Your Board of Trustees will continue to communicate with other affected Villages, monitor this project and report on any new developments.

Intersection of Rockway and Merillon Avenues

On Thursday, July 28, I, along with Trustees Theresa Trouvé and Richard Silver and Village Administrator Ralph Suozzi, met with Nassau County Legislator Laura Schaefer, Nassau County Traffic Engineer Aryeh Lemberger and other County officials to discuss the intersection of Rockaway and Merillon Avenues. As you know, the configuration of this intersection has been a problem and matter of serious concern for many years because of the dangerous turns and approaches, coupled with speeding. This is of utmost concern since Garden City High School is located at this intersection. Mr. Lemberger stated that all suggested options for improvement are “on the table,” including what we assume is a reconfiguration of the intersection. We made it clear to the County personnel, whose main goal appears to be efficient traffic movement, that our bottom-line concern is public safety and that the speed of traffic flow is secondary. The meeting concluded cordially with Mr. Lemberger agreeing to get back to us as soon as the County arrived at some feasible alternatives to the existing configuration of the intersection.

Blood drive at the Garden City Public Library

Long Island Blood Services will hold a blood drive in their Blood Mobile

in front of the Garden City Public Library located at 60 Seventh Street, Garden City on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. All donors will receive an electronic voucher for two tickets to see the New York Mets at Citi Field. Area hospitals are in need of local residents’ help. Each donation can help to save up to three lives. Eligible donors must be between 16 and 75 years of age, with a minimum weight of 110 lbs. and no tattoos within the past 12 months. Sixteen year olds must have parental permission and donors age 76 and over must present a doctor’s note. All donors must have valid ID with signature or photo. Donors are encouraged to eat well (low fat) and drink fluids. For medical questions concerning blood donations, call 1-800-688-0900. Call the Library at 742-8405 x210 to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome.

National Grid gas main upgrades

On or about Monday, August 8, 2016, National Grid will begin the installation of a new gas main. The streets that will receive the new main will be Plattsdale Road, Vassar Street (from New Hyde Park Road to Edgemere Road) and Edgemere Road (from Vassar Street to Stewart Avenue). Small sections of new gas main will be installed and connected to existing mains on streets off of Dartmouth Street. This project is expected to take three to four months to complete.

Friday Night Promenades

Every Friday during the summer Seventh Street will be closed for the popular “Friday Night Promenades” from 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. I encourage residents and visitors to make it a point to come down to Seventh Street to enjoy outdoor dining, restaurant specials with added food options this year, live entertainment, face painting, balloon animals and much more. Shops will remain open during the evening for your convenience. Remaining promenade dates (and themes) are as follows: Aug 5: Aloha Luau Aug 12: Country Western Aug 19: Swing Into Seventh (Big Band) Aug 26: Sock Hop and Doo-Wop Sept. 2: Peace, Love & Music (Woodstock Revisited) Sept 9: The 80s Sept 16: Garden City Spirit Please be sure to check out this

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column each week to see what other fun activities are added to this exciting event.

Concert at Gazebo

Once again, compliments are due to the Recreation Department for arranging the 2016 season’s outstanding Concert Series at the Village Gazebo, located on the Village Green at the corner of Stewart and Hilton Avenues. Next week’s program is scheduled for Thursday, August 11, and will feature North Shore Pops. From Gershwin to Broadway with patriotic themed songs in between, this group is sure to delight. The program will begin at 7:15 p.m. and admission is free. Please bring your lawn chair or blanket and enjoy a very pleasant evening. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be held at the Cultural and Performing Arts Center at Cluett Hall at St. Paul’s School. Please call the Recreation Office at 465-4075 if you have any questions pertaining to the concert.

Garden City seeking new members for the Special Police

The Garden City Special Police are comprised of residents who choose to give of their free time and energy by volunteering to help maintain the quality of life in Garden City. Their commitment to excellence and dedication to the community helps to give our Village a higher level of safety and security to its residents. The Special Police help the community by providing crowd control at parades, traffic control at fairs and assisting pedestrians at crossings. They also assist the Police Department during special events by providing extra patrols. Please consider becoming a member of the Garden City Special Police force. If you are a Village resident, 18 years of age or older and interested in giving a little back to our community that provides for us and our children, call (516) 742-9603.

Board of Trustees Summer Meeting Schedule

During the summer the Board of Trustees will meet only one time each month. The date for the Board Meeting in August is Thursday, August 18th at 8:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Board Room at Village Hall. I hope that you will be able to attend the meeting in August and future meetings so that you can become involved with your Village.

On June 6the The Community Club of Garden City and Hempstead held its annual scholarship luncheon and bridge at the Orchid Restaurant, in Garden City. The ladies all seemed to enjoy playing the card or board game of their choice. This event is held each year to raise funds for the scholarship given by The Community Club

to a deserving student, selected by the Winthrop University Hospital volunteer committee. The student must be planning on achieving a degree in the medical field. The recipient this year was Nirupama Angira who received a $1,000 scholarship. Nirupama graduated from Sacred Heart Academy and will enter Fordham University in the

Ann Heinzelmann and Ann Paulson, Co-Chairladies of Bridge

Ann Paulson and Friends

Carol Culkin delivering prizes to Winners

fall. The club members wish her well in her future endeavors. They Club also thanks the wonderful Chairladies of this event, Anne Heinzelmann and Ann Paulson who co-chaired this great afternoon. They put so much effort into making sure that the day was successful. The bridge completed the 2015-2016 season for the club.

Ladies enjoying the day out

Lee Amrhein and Friends

Lillian LaPlac and Friends

Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

Community Club holds successful scholarship bridge

The Community Club will be holding its opening event for the 2016-2017 season on September 15th . The Friendship luncheon is open to one and all. It will be held at The Westbury Manor and the cost is $50.00. If you are interested in attending please contact the club office at 516-746-0488.

Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

The “Community Agreement” 1919-2019 BY JOHN ELLIS KORDES

In less than three years, in 2019, Garden City will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding and the 100th anniversary of its incorporation. It should be a year full of celebrations. To understand the incorporation of Garden City under the “Community Agreement” one has to understand the events leading up to incorporation. A.T. Stewart founded Garden City in 1869 when he purchased almost 10,000 acres of the treeless Hempstead Plains stretching from Floral Park to Bethpage. However, he developed a relatively small portion as Garden City. Mainly it was the blocks surrounding the hotel. Today, we know this as the “Central” section of Garden City. After his death in 1876, his wife, Cornelia, continued the development including an elaborate memorial to her husband (The Cathedral of the Incarnation, St. Paul’s School and St. Mary’s School). After Cornelia died in 1886, her heirs formed the Garden City Company in 1893 to continue the orderly development of Garden City. In 1906, the Garden City Company sold a one square mile parcel of land just west of St. Paul’s School to a group of developers. This became the Garden City Estates Corporation. They quickly began building beautiful houses on streets that were all given names from England. In 1910, the Garden City Company began developing the section east of Franklin Avenue that became known as Garden City East. Part of the new development was inspired by Garden City Estates. Namely, Stewart Avenue East’s grassy center was taken from the layout of Nassau Boulevard (although much larger) and the 1910 Clinton Road Railroad Station brick plaza design just to the north was taken directly from the 1907 Nassau Boulevard Railroad Station. By 1918, these three sections were growing nicely with Garden City Estates growing the fastest. Here’s where things changed. The residents of the separate community of Garden City Estates were notified by the corporation which began the development in 1906 that it was cutting back services. It was now clear that the Estates residents would have to begin to govern themselves. A move toward incorporation began.

A Move Toward Incorporation

However, could the Estates section incorporate as “Garden City”... alone? They were considering it. Meanwhile, the Central and East sections were content with the Garden City Company’s management. They were resisting any talk of widespread incorporation. There was a fear in an increase in the tax burden and why should Central and East shoulder the problems the Estates section was having with municipal services. On the other hand, who had the right to the name “Garden City”? All of these areas, plus land to the west, were part of School District #18. One alternative was to incorporate everything within the school district as one incorporated Village - but many were against it. However, groups of concerned residents began meeting and by March of 1919 the Garden City Company threw its support around the idea of total incorporation of the school district. By April, papers were drawn up and it looked as though incorporation was a done deal. It wasn’t.

Opposition Forms

A group of men (women did not vote back then) formed a strong opposition group from the Central Section. They opposed incorporation with the Estates

section and had a petition to incorporate the Central section as the one and only Village of Garden City. This was a tense time and the future of Garden City (as we know it today) was hanging in the balance. The Garden City Company even withdrew its endorsement for school district wide incorporation. Many meetings were held between sides and tensions grew as both sides threatened to incorporate independently and more legal papers were drawn up. Finally, at one of the last meetings to be held on the subject, when all hope of an agreement seemed futile, something happened. It was on May 15, 1919, that a lawyer named C. Walter Randall, after pondering both sides of the issue, drew up a compromise he called the “Community Agreement.” It was not a legally binding document but rather a “Gentlemen’s Agreement.” Mr. Randall’s original draft hangs in Village Hall to this day, just outside the Board Room. The Community Agreement assured distribution of representation in the Village Government in such a manner that the three sections would be able to select their own representatives on the Board of Trustees without interference from the other sections. In this way, no one section could have all the trustees. All sides agreed and the Garden City Company once again endorsed incorporation of the school district. In July 1919, the first Village Trustees and a president (years later referred to as mayor) were selected. The first president (mayor) was George Hubbell from the Central Section who had been manager of the Garden City Company. It was agreed that the term of the mayor would be one year (later changed to two), would rotate from section to section and the mayor and trustees were to serve without compensation.

Representation of Sections

In 1919, Garden City Central contained about 160 houses and had two trustees. Garden City Estates had 160 houses and had two trustees. Garden City East had about 50 houses and one trustee. Garden City West only had about 10 houses and was represented by Garden City Estates. By 1931, Garden City West was given one trustee and Garden City East now had two. In 1965, Garden City West was given another trustee and now the Village had four sections each with two trustees. Of these eight trustees, one serves as mayor for two years. The rotation is Garden City West, Garden City East, Garden City Estates and Garden City Central. Whoever is the senior trustee (in time served) in a given section becomes mayor when that section’s turn comes up. This has kept politics (in the traditional sense) out of Village affairs. Like four independent states in a union bound together under a document created to be fair and timeless with each section deciding for themselves who would represent them like U.S. senators from a state. Since 1919, we have come a long way as an incorporated Village with just over 2,000 residents and less than 400 houses. We have grown to over 22,000 residents and over 6,500 houses all the while, the “Community Agreement” has loomed large in this Village’s destiny. Vision, compromise and a deep, passionate desire for the overall good of the community drove those men way back in 1919. It was their ability to look beyond their time and generation to children yet unborn. What would Garden City be like for them? The consequences were enormous and they succeeded in building a strong community, admired by many, that matured around this document - the “Community Agreement.”

The Agreement’s Future

As Garden City moves towards this momentous anniversary it might be a good time to look at the Community Agreement in its present form. I have heard many people question it over the years. For example, do we still need the artificial divisions West, Estates, Central and East? Could we be one united Village where everyone votes for a slate of trustees regardless of what neighborhood they are from? What about a Village-wide election of a mayor and if he or she is competent, being able to reelect them? Should it be a paid position? Many feel this current system is as if Garden City is like a beautiful cruise ship where every two miles a different passenger gets to drive the ship! Also, is it fair that the East that has a much larger population than Central has two trustees just like Central? Does the Agreement work on large issues like the hotel/Wyndham site in the 1970’s or the St. Paul’s building over the last two decades? The answer appears to be “no”. On the other hand, this unique form of government overall has been quite successful over the past 100 years. So is it the system or the people in the system? There seems to be a disconnect between the taxpayer and their representatives. Most residents cannot even name one of the current eight trustees. Is government in general failing taxpayers from Nassau County to New York State to the federal government creatng the cynical times in which we live? I am not advocating any changes in the Community Agreement but I am suggesting it might be prudent for an independent committee (not invested in the current system) to review the agreement and maybe change nothing or perhaps a few changes may be recommended. It’s worth looking at to ensure the Community Agreement’s effectiveness continues for another 100 years.

2019 Garden City’s Sesquicentennial 150 years

1869-2019 gh

Garden City’s Incorporation and Community Agreement Centennial 100 years

1919-2019

See page 14 doing that’s their business. But don’t go saying you are keeping it confidential to spare the dignity of Richie Smith due to extreme and unusual circumstances. Richie Smith is an icon around here, and for parents of Garden City students he is the kind of guy you want around your kids,” Sullivan says. In the EEOC complaint Smith stated he was “a premier coach, known and respected for my warmth, kindness and proficiency.” His encounter with Dawn Cerrone on May 3, the date on which Smith claims he was told he was not to return for 2017, was detailed in the complaint as well. Smith says Cerrone stated the reason behind this was the letters written by GCHS players. “She stated that she hoped the letters would help me, but there was too much negativity in the letters. First the letter-writing campaign was orchestrated by Athletic Director Cerrone when she improperly, without notice to any parents, took the students on the baseball team out of their classes, into an assembly, and instructed them to write letters about the varsity coaches that could be left as anonymous. She started off the session by stating ‘if you think your coaches are too old? Write that.’ This was all done without parental consent. Second, upon being informed of what turned out to be falsehoods I immediately, at that meeting, told Athletic Director Cerrone that I was finished. She had notice. Assistant Coach Charles Menges ran the practices and the game. Immediately the student players wanted to know why I wasn’t there and when they were told what had happened to me, the student players emailed and texted me asking me to come back. Athletic Director Cerrone also asked Assistant

Coach Menges to convince me to return. Cerrone had advance knowledge and knew that I would not be there, and her statement that she did not is untrue. Eventually 15 of the student players showed up at my home and in an emotional night I agreed with the players and to finish the season, returning on May 9, only four to five days later,” Smith described in his complaint. What Dr. Feirsen repeatedly explained to 40 residents who attended the July 6 board meeting was that there is no continuing basis of employment by the school district for athletic coaches; all appointments are done so as a single-year, seasonal basis. Smith’s 44-year tenure as head varsity baseball coach and total of 50 years in Garden City Schools’ athletics, including being the Middle School coach, did not guarantee anything for the 2016-2017 school year. But Sullivan says that was discredited for one reason written in the complaint as on May 3, Smith was brought into Cerrone’s office and told “you will not be coming back.” Some elaboration on it at school board meetings has exacerbated the situation, according to Sullivan. “The disgraceful thing is when the school administration said there are extreme and unusual circumstances (as Dr. Feirsen commented on July 6) and we are not releasing the details because we want to spare the dignity of Coach Smith, and everything is confidential. That’s nonsense and that’s why Richie Smith waived all confidentiality. That’s the way GCUFSD is burying this so that it just goes away, they are implying Coach Smith did something wrong here, and it’s absurd. To read Dawn Cerrone’s low evaluation on Richie Smith’s sportsmanship – the lowest evaluation she could give him – and then we see that the team gets the 2016 Sportsmanship Award from

Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

Coach files complaint of age discrimination after firing

the Nassau County Umpires’ Association (for the fourth time under Smith). How do you justify that?” Sullivan asked. He says the comments Cerrone had about Smith were “disgraceful” and given the greater social context of long-time coaches being dismissed or let go from their visible positions due to scandals, he believes Cerrone “should have been sensitive enough to know that she was implying something bad had happened.” “What she did to this man is a disgrace. For her to make those kind of statements, to just throw them out there, is just wrong. The Garden City Schools teach their students not to bully. Apparently, Athletic Director Cerrone and Dr. Feirsen didn’t read the lesson plan,” says Sullivan. With the 2016-2017 year and falls sports about a month away, Smith’s EEOC complaint ends with a note of awkwardness that’s been created. He writes “in addition I am still currently the football coach for the middle school and am severely concerned about the possibility of retaliatory action by the school district against me for filing this claim.” John Maloney, a leader on the Garden City baseball New York State championship team in 2000, was eager to support Smith; he wrote a Letter to the Editor in this week’s edition of the News. On Wednesday evening, August 3, Maloney along with several other former GCHS players, many of whom are residents of the village, made plans to have a casual dinner and conversation with Coach Smith and Assistant Coaches Menges and Sweeney. Other residents of Garden City who stand behind them and oppose the decision of the district were set to attend too. One outspoken resident See page 45

Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

Despite efforts, Stewart-era home demolished From page 18

historic properties. More awareness through education in this area can surely help. Every real estate shop should provide its sales people, most of whom have lived in Garden City for years, or have grown up here, with Mrs. M. Smith’s book Garden City, Long Island, in Early Photographs, 1869 – 1919,” Sweeney wrote. In a collaborative letter published in the News the same day, July 15, the Village of Garden City ADRB called for a Historic Preservation law and conveyed the following message: “Historic districts and buildings usually have real estate valuations that are higher than non-historic buildings in the same geographic location. Moreover, historic districts and buildings tend to increase the value of surrounding non-historic structures. We recognize and appreciate the concerns of some current historic home owners who feel that their rights would be restricted with this local law. However, most of them carefully restored these homes and in purchasing these homes they bear a responsibility and should acknowledge that the greater community has some rights as well to preserve the valuable historic nature of this Village. A historic overlay of certain areas of the Village, if properly planned, should result in financial benefits to everyone within the overlay zone.” “We respectfully request the Board of Trustees begin the process of developing reasonable historic preservation legislation and put into effect a moratorium to stop the demolition of the A.T. Stewart Buildings so as to provide adequate study of this issue. Educating members of the Board and all stakeholders to develop acceptable legislation will be paramount

in our proposed study. If nothing is done, the historic legacy of Garden City will slowly be eroded and then you will witness the irrevocable loss to our community when all of the A.T. Stewart-era buildings are gone forever.”

Architect Agrees on Preservation, Disagrees on House Conditions

Costello agrees that Garden City should have at least historic homes and preservation of them as “a guideline” is a good thing to have for all parties – the village, the Historical Society and its supporters, homeowners, prospective buyers, realtors, architects, builders, and anyone else. “Frankly those guidelines should have already been there. The prior owner and seller of this house (last year) should have known and been more forthcoming. The lawyers should have known, the real estate agent should have known and the village’s building department itself should have known. There could have even been a plaque on the building so there was no question,” Costello said. He rebuffed the notion that this particular demolition was avoidable given the conditions inside the house. In his practice of architecture Costello does not specialize in historic preservation but rather adaptive re-use and sensitive, seamless additions to more modern homes, built from the 1930s onward. “That was never the brief for this particular project (104 Sixth Street). The owners were very upfront in wanting to build a new home and looking for properties where they could build a new home. Reclamation and restoration of the property was not why they

WHY IS THERE ONE SUBJECT NO ONE EVER WANTS TO TALK ABOUT?

bought this property,” Costello said. He noted that the antique historian reconstructing the Roosevelt heir’s house called 104 Sixth Street “unremarkable and not so great of a house inside” when he came there for the doors and frames. At the May 17 ADRB meeting where demolition and her new home’s construction was approved, Sheena Boychuk said the couple “would have never gone near the house” in terms of the purchase if they were aware it was historic or was on the National Register of Historic Places, and that night the Boychuks offered to donate the house to any willing takers who would pay for its move. Costello said this week that the house’s curved interior staircase could not fit more than a queen mattress up the stairs. All three bedrooms led to a small hallway bathroom, and the master bedroom did not have a separate bedroom. “Nobody who worked on that house or owned it before did not bring this to the table, and then it sat as a rental house for the better part of a decade and a half. No one wanted to have to or spend the money to fix the house because it would have taken that kind of time, effort and care that no one felt was worth it. Not one person who had stepped inside the home, and I talked with maybe 20 people who did, not one (except for ADRB member Cosmo Veneziale) said this wasn’t too small and deceptively small inside, verbatim. They would always view the three rooms and say ‘this is it?’ – The biggest room was 13 feet wide and every room connected to another room. There was no flow, nothing. It makes you wonder how history happened and it just shocks you how people used to live and anything functioned with the antiquated systems that existed in this house and some other things from that era,” he said.

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29 Friday, August 5, 2016 The Garden City News

SOCIALLY SPEAKING

School is almost here With ATHENA August is here and you all know what that means. It does seem that time is passing faster and faster and school will soon be open, vacations will be a wonderful memory and life will just go on. Yes, we still have August and then a Labor Day weekend and then it’s back to school. However, that is life and time has always gone like this. However, with luck we will all have good thoughts of vacation time to carry us over to the Christmas holidays. The ladies at the Garden City Pool are doing their water exercises faithfully led by Cynthia Klemenger and they all stay in time with the instructor. They have a circle of about ten or twelve ladies following Cynthia’s instructions and keeping in time with the instructor and each other. Good for you ladies. There is a wonderful Art Show at the Barnes Gallery just at the edge of Garden City’s Nassau Boulevard. A number of artists are Garden City ladies and their work is truly excellent. Go for a look and you just might come home with a prize. Another article also caught my attention but it was in last week’s New York Times. It seems that the world famous Waldorf Astoria will close in the spring, as it was bought by a Chinese insurance company and will be converting to a number of luxury condominiums but will still have the usual hotel rooms - just less of them. A number of years ago we had the privilege of touring the kitchens of the Waldorf and yes there were several of them., all handling a variety of their restaurants as well as room service. I am so happy that we had that experience and I must admit we took a number of cooking classes with the Executive Chef. How about that and I still have the recopies. I would like you to know that I did turn in my column for last week’s issue, but it got lost somewhere sorry about that. [Editor’s note: We

also apologize for the omission, which was our fault!] If you are looking for something a bit different in music on Sunday, August 14th at 7 p.m. the Long Island Choral Society will be presenting the Mozart: Requiem at St. Anthony’s High School Chapel (air conditioned) on Wolf Hill Road, South Huntington. Since my column went missing this past Friday I would like to say a Happy Birthday to Laurie Hazlet, who did her celebrating on August 4th. There are birthdays and then there are special birthdays. For those of you who know Ed Palkot - he will be celebrating a very, very special birthday on August 20th. Ed will be 103 on that day. That should bring a whole slew of birthday cards to him. He still comes out to the Retired Men’s Club and I hope that each member sends him a birthday card on his special - and it truly is special - day. We should all live so long and be so spry. On Friday, August 19th the musical program at Planting Fields Arboretum will feature the HooDoo Loungers at 7 p.m. Tickets are required and can be obtained by calling Jennifer Lavella at 516-922-8678. The price is $20 for members and $30 for non-members. Many folks at the Garden City Pool also seem to be having a very good time reading. They seem to be sharing tips on what is a good book and where to get it. They also have a selection of donated books that you can read in case you forgot your book at home. There are also a few tables of bridge players. That is also very popular and the “dummy” gets to get wet in the pool. A number of bridge players are looking forward to the Lunch Bridge that will start in the early fall at the Casino. For me - it’s swimming time. See you at the pool.

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The Garden City News Friday, August 5, 2016

Garden City 730 Franklin Avenue Garden City, NY 11530 Office: (516) 741-4333

Patrick McCooey Partner

OPEN HOUSE

Floral Park 142 Plainfield Avenue Floral Park, NY 11001 Office: (516) 492-3210

OPEN HOUSE

Dutchgate at Valley Stream 1461 Dutch Broadway Valley Stream, NY 11580 Office: (516) 280-3664 OPEN HOUSE

OPEN HOUSE

Garden City South 315 Nassau Blvd. S. Garden City, NY 11530 Office: (516) 279-4433

OPEN HOUSE

Ryan Donnelly

Broker & Managing Partner

UNDER CONTRACT

Alexandra Abbott

Robert Kuefner

Edith Akagha

Marge Leder

96 Washington Ave. Garden City Sunday 2pm- 3:30pm 5Br, 3.5Ba Cent. Hall Col. On Oversized Property! $1,396,000

Maria Battista

15 Euston Rd. Garden City Sunday 12pm-2pm 5Br, 3Ba Sprawling Estates CH Col! Almost 2,500 Sqft! New Price!! $965,000

48 Bayview Pl. Massapequa Sunday 1pm- 3pm 3Br, 2Ba Well-Maintained Split W/ Updated Kit. W/ Granite. $574,999

18 Hemlock Ln. Glen Cove Sunday 2pm- 3:30pm GlenCove,3Br,2BaNewlyRenovated Ranch W/ Open Fl. Plan. $519,000

18 Parkside Rd. W Hempstead Saturday 2pm- 4pm 6Br, 3Ba Brand New Construction W/ E.I.K. & Lrg Private Yard. $429,000

5 Schenck Ave. Unit#2O, Great Neck Sunday 2pm- 4pm Great Location. Bright & Spacious Apartment. Newly Updated! $380,000

200 Hilton Ave. Unit #1 Hempstead Saturday 11am- 12:30pm 3Fl, 2Br, 2.5Ba, All Updated, Lg Closets & New Granite E.I.K. & Pdrm. $369,000

UNDER CONTRACT

Manhasset, 3Br, 1.5Ba Updated Col. W/ Chefs Kit. & More. $1,499,000 UNDER CONTRACT

Marjorie Battisti

Laraine Magdits

Pat Mangan

Anthony Carnabuci

3Br, 3Ba Brick Col W/ Lrg Mstr Suite, Lr W/ Wet Bar, & Gas Fp. $869,000

4Br, 2.5Ba Spacious Col. In Estates Sec. W/ Plenty of Updates. $1,365,000

6Br, 3Ba Cent. Hall Farm Ranch on Over-sized Property. $1,299,000

UNDER CONTRACT

4Br, 2.5Ba Brick Georgian Col. W/Lg Master Suite ‘Wing.’$1,195,000

4Br, 3.5Ba Tudor, W/ Lrg Prop & Magnificent Architectural Details! $1,145,000

Bayside, 3Br, 2.5Ba Chic Contemp 5 Level Split W/ Poo.l $1,100,000

5Br, 4.5Ba Majestic Windham Timber Frame Home on 5 Acres. $1,050,000

4Br, 3Ba Exp. Ranch, Well Maintained Lrg Prop & Overlooks Golf Course. $939,000

Charlene Mayers

UNDER CONTRACT

Sarah McGarr-Charney

Michelle McArdle

Brandi D’Amico

Sean McCoyd

4Br, 2.5Ba Cent. Hall Col In Prime Estates, Completely Updated. New Price!! $899,000 Diane DeSantis

3Br, 2Ba Cape, Lrg Prop. W/ Brick Patio, Lr W/ Fp & Lg Granite E.I.K. $829,000

3Br, 1.5Ba Col. In Mott Section Of Village. Backs Up To A Park. $769,000

3Br, 1.5Ba Stone CH Col. On Oversized Lot In Prime Location!! $749,000

Hempstead, 3Br, 2.5Ba, New & Professionally Designed Interiors. $725,000

UNDER CONTRACT

4Br, 4.5Ba Col. In Adelphi Estates W/ Potential To Customize. $715,000

Hempstead, 5Br, 3.5Ba Col. Lg Prop. In Country Club Estates. $699,000

3Br, 1.5Ba Col. W/ Lrg Lr W/ Fp, E.I.K. Fam Rm W/ Pella Windows. $675,000 Susan McManus

Theresa Desposito

Marisa DeSimone

Nancy Morin

Bellerose, 3Br, 1.5Ba, Lr W/ Fp, Lg Fdr, Eik, & Screened-In Porch. $649,000

3Br, 1.5 Ba Mint West End Col. on Park-like Prop. New Price!! $599,000

Floral Park, 4Br, 2Ba Col. W/ Mstr Br on 1st Fl. HandicapAccessible. $599,000

3Br, 1.5 Ba Cape On Quiet Cul De Sac W/ Rm to Expand & Hot Tub! $575,000

Floral Park, 3Br, 1Ba Col. W/ New Kit, Newly Painted & Hw Floors. $569,000

3Br, 1.5Ba Col. In Western Section, Awaits Personal Touches. $569,000

Hempstead, 3 Houses & Consists Of 4 Legal Apartments. $559,000

Floral Park, 3Br, 1.5Ba Col. In Heart of Village W/ Private Yard. $519,000

Jack Mundy

UNDER CONTRACT

Pat Dickey

Linda Murray

Fran Falco

Rita Nash

2Br, 2Ba Lrgest Model In Complex W/ SpaciousKit,Closets&More.$499,000

Garden City S. 2 Br Col. W/ New Roof, Driveway, & Garage Door. $489,000

Floral Park, 3Br, 2Ba Split On Beautiful Property & Quiet Street. $449,000

Colin Fitzgerald

Kim Flanagan

Medford, 5Br, 3Ba Spacious Col. W/ In Ground Pool $419,000

3Br, 2Ba Co-Op W/ Private Entrance, Courtyard & Mstr Wing. $392,500

E. Rockaway, Charming Bungalow Style Home, Near The Beach. $269,000

Pristine 1st Fl Unit W/ Renovated Kit & Ba. Close to LIRR & Pool. $239,000

Alex Olivieri

WWW.THEDONNELLYGROUP.COM VISIT US ON FACEBOOK: THE DONNELLY GROUP - GARDEN CITY LIVING Mike Gallagher

Geoff Gaspari

Helly Gholami

John Giugliano

Marie Grant

Jeanne Herman

Trina Koretz

Steven Korzeniowski

Little Neck, Spacious Coop W/ Pool, Gym, Laundry & More! $169,000

Keisha Wilson

Julie Whicher Chris Vecchiarelli Denise Stropkay

Annette Stasi

Maria Scarpati Jane Romanowski Christine Pignatatro Erin Palumbo