The Garden City News (3/17/23)

GC School Board examines instructional program spending

BY KASSARA MCELROY

The first of a two-part presentation to the Garden City Board Education, covering the proposed instructional portion of next year’s school budget, took place this on March 14th. It followed two prior presentations covering the capital and administrative costs projected by the District for 2023-2024.

The overall proposed budget for the 2023-2024 school year totals $130,282,491. That’s

a budget-to-budget increase of 4.58%, or $5,703,042. It falls within the allowable tax cap levy of 2.32%. The portion of the budget covered this week (and next) makeup 75.19% of the overall budget, or $97,962,256.

Instructional priorities

The meeting began with a review of progress made on instructional priorities previously set for the District last year. Topline items reviewed include the continuation of

developmental resources and interventions for Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), curriculum articulation work, a heightened focus on mental health wellness and more. Those priorities are then broken down by building and grade level, all of which can be found on the Garden City Public School’s website. A “statute of priorities” video is also available online for those interested

See page 46

BY RIKKI MASSAND AND MEG MORGAN NORRIS

One week before the Village of Garden City election, the village held a presentation by the St. Paul’s Committee to present cost estimates for different scenarios for the building’s future.

Lloyd Westerman, the president of Westerman Construction Co., the construction cost estimator hired by the village to examine the St. Paul’s main building, addressed an audience of residents on Monday March 13.

According to the report by Westerman’s firm to the village, the costs for three scenarios would be:

Demolition - $17,678,312

Adaptive reuse (first phase) - $49,526,287

Façadism - $46,444,836 to save the south facade and build a one story building behind it.

The cost estimates were based on the following parameters:

See page 61

BOT continues to debate purchase of 3 engines

BY RIKKI MASSAND

In what may be regarded as the most unorthodox start to the village’s annual budget deliberations, during the first Board of Trustees’ Village Budget work session held on Thursday night, March 9, members of the board veered into some political positioning as funding for one new fire engine was formally approved.

Trustee Bruce Chester started the meeting with a motion to suspend the rules, and essentially pick up where he and the majority of the board had left off at the March 2 meeting. At the time, a proposal for bonding over $3 million to purchase three new fire trucks was defeated as Chester and four other trustees

See page 45

The GCAA Lakers were the winners of the 4th through 6th Grade Girls Basketball championship during playoffs this year. See the brackets and all the champions on pages 64-65

We sometimes joke that our role in small town news is to make sure every kid gets his or her name in the paper at least once while growing up in Garden City.

We need to add to that description of our role - every adult living here should also get his or her letter to the editor in the paper at least once. And this week we’re sure living up to that role.

We want to be the place where everyone can have their opinion printed and discussed, so we really do love to get letters. (We try to print nearly all of them, as long as they’re signed and reasonably civil.)

This week’s mailbag was particularly heavy, with a whopping 48 letters to the editor, mostly about next Tuesday’s

village election. The letters begin on pages two and three and then run to a in a nine page section that begins on page 26, interspersed with candidate advertising.

One problem with running so many letters at once is that while four or five writers will be happy about getting good placement, while the other forty will be mad that their letters are not more prominent.

However, until someone invents a fold in the space-time continuum that allows all pages to be above average, we just have to do the best we can. We tried to intermix the points of view in the letters to form an interesting conversation. We hope that we have succeeded.

The Baymack Team

Email: Editor@GCNews.com

Splitting the ticket

To the Editor:

In the mayoral and trustee election on Tuesday, March 21st at the St Paul’s Field House there are two candidates running for mayor and six contenders seeking three trustee positions. We are splitting our ticket and voting for the best candidates regardless of party affiliation.

For mayor, both candidates are smart, strong leaders and have long histories of community service. Having worked with them, we are partial to Trustee Mary Carter Flanagan from the For A Better Garden City Party (FABGC). She has a gift for bringing residents together around common initiatives because she always listens carefully, communicates with all interested parties, and works hard to see projects through to completion. Look at her leadership of the Environmental Advisory Board. She shepherded the passage of the summer ban on gas-powered leaf blowers and worked hard to address and resolve lead in our drinking water. As trustee she has been forthright about the financial challenges facing St Paul’s School and, if elected mayor, Trustee Carter Flanagan promises a community vote on the St Paul’s building.

Our votes for the three trustee positions are: (1) for the reelection of FABGC Trustee Bruce Chester, (2) for the Community Agreement Party candidate Michele Harrington who is President

of the Estates Property Owners Association and (3) for Independent candidate Ed Finneran. All four of these candidates—from three different parties—have the best record of listening to the community, building consensus and being transparent in everything our village undertakes.

Leo and Kathleen Stimmler

Voting for Flanagan

To the Editor:

I have grown up in Garden City. And because of that history, I chose Garden City as the place I wanted to raise my family. So over 30 years ago, my husband and I moved back here and raised our 4 children. One of the undeniable characteristics of our community is the strong sense of volunteerism and commitment to maintaining this haven as one of the best places to live on Long Island.

I have served this community as a School Trustee and Village Trustee for 16 years. My most recent service was 4 years as the Estates POA Village Trustee. This was a unique experience.

It was the first Board in recent Garden City history that was not solely represented by one platform. The Board was comprised of 5 FABGC Trustees and 3 CAP Trustees.

This is where I first met Mary Carter Flanagan. As we both got to know each other, it was easy for us to become col-

See page 26

Unity and Common Sense

SUBMITTED BY ED FINNERAN, CANDIDATE FOR TRUSTEE, UNITY AND COMMON SENSE PARTY

As we enter the last weekend of the campaign, I want to express my gratitude for the warm and enthusiastic response I have received across the Village. The response has been not only from old friends, made over the past 36 years as Mary and I raised our boys, but from the hundreds of people I have

met who have inspired and encouraged me on my two month door to door listening tour. A tour which has taken me from Jefferson Street to Grove Street and from Old Country Road to Meadow Street.

I entered the race as an independent candidate for Trustee with the strong belief that as a trained lawyer and experienced consensus builder, I could bring

See page 25

Setting the record straight

SUBMITTED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, FOR A BETTER GARDEN CITY PARTY

How interesting to read last week’s GC News where current Mayor and POA trustee candidate Cosmo Veneziale “disavowed FABGC.” The truth is, FABGC walked away from Cosmo, not the other way around, and that order of things and the reasons behind them are important to know.

Cosmo implied that our parting ways was an exertion of “undue influence,” rather than what it was: a signal that, unlike the POAs, FABGC will hold leaders accountable for breaking promises once in office.

Cosmo’s March 9 letter complained that FABGC has an agenda and that it is “inconsistent with all the issues facing the Village.” Well, FABGC 100% has its own agenda, posted prominently on our Website (FABGC.org). It’s an agenda Cosmo once told voters he would uphold, but then started abandoning as he began, among other things, acting unilaterally without notice to or input from fellow Board members, repeatedly pushing to receive a six-figure salary, and trying to muzzle a fellow trustee from speaking her mind at meetings.

Cosmo curiously writes about FAB’s “relentless attacks aimed to impact and disenfranchise the various Property

Owner’s Associations [POAs].” FABGC has openly criticized POA leadership and their undemocratic election system, which prevented resident voter participation in Village elections in all but ceremonial fashion for decades until FABGC opened the process to everyone. Cosmo claimed agreement with FAB’s view until recently when he needed POA help to get on the current ballot after we left. What’s hypocritical is that he himself just attempted to disenfranchise and electorally cripple FABGC’s Mayoral candidate Mary Carter Flanagan by mailing a letter on Village letterhead without Board approval, and against the advice of Village counsel, to her place of work, falsely implying she had potentially fatal conflicts of interest.

Cosmo also alleges FABGC is stifling his efforts to “broaden the inclusion of all residents” in governance, failing to recall it was FABGC that “broadened” voting from about 200 people up to about 4000 plus, insisted on bringing back broad resident committees, and introduced more open BOT meetings and Governance Committee Meet & Greets where residents can speak directly with trustees at length about anything.

Cosmo claimed that FABGC “has

See page 25

Guiding Principles

SUBMITTED BY JUDY COURTNEY, CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR, COMMUNITY AGREEMENT PARTY

I’ve been thinking about what I would do if I were fortunate enough to be elected Mayor of our Village. There is much work to be done, but I believe how we operate, together, will dictate our success. Here are my own “guiding principles”- how I would operate as Mayor.

• I will attend all resident group meetings, regardless of “party”, that I am invited to.

• I will engage with and listen to all residents, no matter what “group” they belong to.

• I will not schedule important meetings or presentations that conflict with other Trustee events, ensuring that all Trustees can participate.

• I will not participate in any secret meetings. If there are problems among Trustees, I will only have those conversations openly and honestly.

• I will not tolerate Village staff being harassed, threatened for their jobs, or otherwise intimidated by anyone, including any leaders of political parties.

• I will not text with political leaders or other residents during Trustee meetings to hear their comments. If residents have comments, they are wel-

See page 25

Election Information

The General Village Election for 2023 will be held on Tuesday, March 21. The polls will be open from 12 Noon to 9:00 p.m. in the evening and will be held at the St. Paul’s Field House.

The following candidates will be on the ballot:

Unity and Common Sense Party

Trustee - Edward Finneran

Community Agreement Party

Mayor Two- Judy Courtney

Trustee - Michele Harrington

Trustee - Cosmo Veneziale

For A Better Garden City Party

Mayor - Mary Carter Flanagan

Trustee - Richard A. Williams

Trustee - Bruce J. Chester

Trustee - Michael J. Sullivan

gas, water. Please call for an appointment.

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A bright and open Aspen Model 2 bedroom/2 bathroom remodeled largest end unit condo featuring 1-level living w/generous-size living room/dining room for entertaining, updated custom eat-in kitchen. Sitting room that has vaulted ceiling & access to the patio. The primary bedroom has walk-in closet and updated bathroom w/large shower & linen closet. There is a 2nd bedroom and hall bathroom with tub/shower. Access to attic storage & 1 car garage. Some updates include, new roof, new HVAC/heat-pump unit.

$485,000 w/low monthly HOA $355 includes basic cable, Wi-Fi, water, landscaping, garbage & snow removal. There is also a clubhouse w/community room and activities inside and out. Pool, bocce court, shuffle board, pool table, ping pong. Located near shopping, dining, parks & beach. It's not just a home, it's a lifestyle!

City South Colonial, Completely Renovated Throughout, 4 BR, 2.5 Bath on Quiet

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It’s not just a home, it’s a lifestyle! Updated 2 BR 2 BA condo w/garage & patio in vibrant 55+ Stony Brook community. $485,000

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Estates 3 BR, 2.5 bath charming Colonial w/updated EIK & baths on 60 x 110 prop won’t last $1,199,000

Beautifully Renovated 4BR 3Bath Colonial in Prime Mott Section $1,249,000

Updated 4/5 BR, 3 New Bath Estate Sect. Colonial features custom “chef’s” kit & impeccable finishes throughout. $1,729,000

Children’s Room renovation project headed for finish line

Vibrant furniture was delivered and installed this week. Next week, March 20-24, staff will begin moving Library materials back into the Children’s Department space and technology equipment will be installed.

The Library is planning to open

at 1:00 p.m. Monday-Friday, March 20-24. The Library will open sooner if able to do so. These changes are subject to change based on circumstances. Please watch for further announcements on the Library website, www.gardencitypl.org, or call the Library, 516-742-8405.

Room

toddlers and young readers. Parents can watch the

through glass walls covered in a frosted polyester film with a "beach grass" pattern.

The Toddler Area, which will include brand new soft seating, and windows to the new Story Room with varied textures, bright paint colors and new carpeting.

109 Roxbury Road, Garden City, NY Shown by appointment

Exquisitely Updated Classic Brick Colonial

This beautiful home features impeccable nishes throughout, from beautiful hardwood oors to elegant crown molding, arched doorways. 4/5 bedrooms w/ tted closets and 3 new full bathrooms w/radiant heat. Boasting light- lled living and entertaining spaces that ow outside to a covered patio overlooking the manicured and private back yard.

Main level has a spacious living room centered by a gas replace and a formal dining room. Preparing meals is a delight in the new custom chef’s kitchen with radiant heat, quartz counters, premium appliances & pantry. Boasting an over-sized island that includes unique storage features and counter seating. The adjoining breakfast nook has sliding glass doors opening to the patio as well as access to the mud room and garage. O the kitchen is a sunny den or o ce that could be used as a rst- oor bedroom, along with a full bathroom. The second oor encompasses a private primary bedroom suite complete with two walk-in closets and a spa-like bathroom. 3 additional bedrooms, beautiful hall bathroom, convenient laundry, ample closets and staircase to attic storage. The lower level has a large recreation room that o ers plenty of space for media, game tables, exercise, and more.

Boasting many updates & custom nishes throughout including new roof, CAC, EV charging, buried power lines, Pella windows, smart thermostats & more. Nestled on 80 x 100 property. Taxes $23,367 O ered at $1,729,000. A truly wonderful place to call “home”!

Licensed Real Estate Associate Broker

CHMS, LHMS, CBR, SRES, CNE, CREI

516.660.8516

Email: cwhelan@coachrealtors.com

Nancy

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson CBR, CNE, CRS, CMS, ABR 516.865.2448

7 Friday, March 17, 2023 The Garden City News

Cathleen Whelan

Are you thinking of selling your home?

Let Jen Sullivan Guide you.

Major updates at the Garden City Casino

A new drywell was installed at the Casino.

The Garden City Casino is currently embarking on a long-term capital plan to maintain and upgrade its building and tennis facilities. The Casino recently completed its initial project, a new water drainage mitigation and drywell system, and is breaking ground on a patio beautification project.

The Casino is very happy to continue its tradition of running a top notch outdoor tennis facility and indoor social gathering place that is

open to all Garden City residents. The Casino is also busy planning its annual schedule of social events, bridge programs, and tennis programs. If you are interested in joining the Garden City Casino, please contact Bernadette Barresi at GCCasino.membership@ gmail.com. And/or if you have any interest in renting the facility for a special occasion — please call (516) 742-8184.

The Garden City Casino has embarked on a capital plan to upgrade its building, which is owned by the Village of Garden City.

Jen Sullivan is an individual real estate agent affiliated with Compass. Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by equal housing opportunity laws. Garden City Office. 516.408.2231

Whether you are downsizing, or searching for your dream home, allow Jen’s experience, passion, and results to work for you. Reach out any time. 516.361.7190

Morgan Stanley is proud to congratulate

The George Group

Named one of Forbes’ Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams

Being named to the inaugural Forbes’ 2023 Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams list is a testament to your experience, focus, and dedication to your client’s financial future.

Thank you for the work you do each day and for carrying forward the standard of excellence at our firm.

The George Group at Morgan Stanley Raymond George, CRPC®

Managing Director, Wealth Management

Financial Advisor

Cody George, CDFA®

Portfolio Manager

Financial Advisor

Michael Jonas Financial Advisor

Taylor George Financial Advisor

1300 Franklin Avenue Garden City, NY 11530 516-683-3282 advisor.morganstanley.com/the-george-group

L-R STANDING: Michael Jones, Vivian Gioia, Client Service Associate; Amy Curley, Portfolio Management Associate; Gregory Slator, Client Service Associate; SEATED: Cody George, Raymond George, Taylor George

The use of the CDFA designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney. The CDFA designation is not intended to imply that either Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors are acting as experts in this field. Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams.

Source: Forbes.com (Awarded Jan 2023) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based on time period from 3/31/21-3/31/22. For more information on award methodology and criteria, scan QR code.

Stewart Manor Real Estate Market Information

157 Elton Road, Stewart Manor

RECENT REAL ESTATE SALES IN STEWART MANOR

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.

Mortgage Rates this week from www.nerdwallet.com

Long Island Sales Data From One Key MLS

237 Dover Parkway, Stewart Manor

Date: 3/3/2023

Date: 3/14/2023

Sold price: $829,000

3 beds, 2 full baths

Style: Colonial

Total taxes:$16,837

Lot size: .11 acre

MLS number: 3437898

The Seller’s Team: Nancy Giannone and Barbara Chmil, Coach Realtors Fennessy Associates

The Buyer’s Team: Clifford Packingham, Compass Greater NY

This beautifully updated and lovingly maintained 3 bedroom, 2 full bath colonial is perfectly situated, mid-block on a gracefully landscaped 50 x 100 lot.Step in to the welcoming entry foyer adjacent to the quaint study/office that leads to the formal living room with a cozy wood-burning fireplace. The living room continues to the formal dining room open to the kitchen with sliding doors to the backyard’s Trex deck ideal for outdoor dining. The back half of the first floor offers an over-sized family room with newly updated full bath. This space can easily be used as a first floor bedroom as well. The Second floor offers a gracious primary and 2 additional bedrooms and full hall bath. The finished basement provides a laundry room, additional TV/recreation room, utilites and storage The backyard is an entertainer’s delight. In addition to the deck off the kitchen there is a cozy covered porch area for easy relaxing space to read a book, catch a nap or for added entertainment

12 Covert Avenue, Stewart Manor

Date: 3/14/2023

Sold price: $649,000

4 bedrooms, 2 full baths

Style: Cape

Total Taxes: $17,190

MLS number: 3444927

The Seller’s Team: Eileen O’Hara, Daniel Gale Sothebys Realty

The Buyer’s Team: Carol Giordano, Coach Realtors of Willistons

Attractive and expansive Cape Cod style home in the charming Village of Stewart Manor with incredible potential and a rare .3 acre lot. Bring your imagination to create the home of your dreams! This home has spacious rooms, a bright family room with access to the incredible back yard as well as four true bedrooms - two on the first floor and two on the second floor. A full ceiling heigh basement with utilities, laundry and plentiful storage is another area with great potential. Don’t worry about parking with a rare 2 car garage and parking for multiple cars in the driveway. A few short blocks to Covert Avenue shopping district, the LIRR. and the Stewart Manor pool. Move in and make this home your own!

Sold price: $549,000

3 bedrooms, 1 full baths

Architectural Style: Cape

Total taxes: $11,317

Lot size: .09 acre

MLS number: 3448945

The Seller’s Team: Francesca Morrocu Blass, Daniel Gale Sothebys Intl Realty

The Buyer’s Team: Kimberly Rex and Kenneth Olson, HomeSmart Premier Living Realty

Wonderful opportunity to own a starter or downsize home in the quaint incorporated Village of Stewart Manor. This adorable home has two bedrooms on the first floor and a very large bedroom upstairs which can be split into two bedrooms with just a wall, windows and closets are on both sides. Features include Harwood floors, open layout on the first floor and a very large basement that can be easily finised for extra living space. This home is very centrally located, minutes to shops, and the LIRR which goes to Manhatten on peak times in just 37 minutes. Low taxes makes this starter very affordable.

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

Long Island’s #1 Real Estate Company*

This informational page is sponsored by Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Garden City | 99 7th Street, Unit 3F | $909,000

3 BR, 2 BA Condo | Web# 3431257

Laura Mulligan: M 516.729.6885

New Hyde Park | 1402 Lincoln Avenue | $849,000

4 BR, 3 BA | Web# 3440899

Michelle McArdle: M 516.306.4134

Garden City Park | 112 2nd Street | $629,000

3 BR, 2 BA | Web# 3463651

Catherine Gerspach: M 516.238.2771

Katarzyna “Katrina” Kamer: M 917.548.7106

Under Contract | Garden City | $1,300,000

4 BR, 3 BA, 1 Half BA | Web# 3456659

Garden City Office: 516.307.9406

Under Contract | Garden City | $470,000

2 BR, 1 BA Co-Op | Web# 3454804

Erin Fleischmann: M 516.864.1977

Rosemary Bruno: M 516.383.9922

Rented | Garden City | Rented at $3,400/month

1 BR, 1 BA Condo | Web# 3458589

Linda Brunning: M 516.728.4800

Douglas Elliman would like to congratulate Michelle McArdle for being the top producer in the Garden City Office for 2022 and her incredible year.

Maryann Milovcic Gold Award

The McSherry Team Gold Award

Laura Baymack

Lic. RE Salesperson Baymack Team

M: 516.537.3050

Lauren

Lic. RE Salesperson

M: 917.642.5036

Chelsea

Laura Carroll Team

M: 516.509.7961

Kerry

Laura Carroll Team

M: 914.772.6169

McCooey Olivieri Team

M: 516.375.8434

M: 516.398.7468

Jen Sullivan Team

M: 516.655.5662

Christina

Lic. RE Salesperson

Laura Carroll Team

M: 516.805.0703

Adrienne McDougal Lic. RE Salesperson

Laura Carroll Team M: 516.662.3872

The Pete Diaz Team M: 917.207.7782

Danielle

Laura Carroll Team

M: 516.205.6501

Julie

Lic. RE Salesperson

Laura Carroll Team

M: 516.698.3975

Alexander Olivieri Lic. RE Salesperson McCooey Olivieri Team M: 516.306.7738

Patrick McCooey Lic. Assoc. RE Broker McCooey Olivieri Team M: 516.236.4287

Athena Menoudakos Lic. RE Salesperson M: 516.316.4955

Michael Meule Lic. RE Salesperson Michael Meule Team M: 516.713.8177

Maureen Lagarde Lic. RE Salesperson M: 516.850.7812

Jennifer Sullivan Lic. RE Salesperson Jen Sullivan Team M: 516.361.7190

Salvatore Sica Lic. Assoc. RE Broker The Sica Team M: 347.922.8947

Lauren Canner Lic. RE Salesperson Laura Carroll Team M: 516.650.7474

Patricia Ottati Lic. Assoc. RE Broker M: 347.392.0381

Alexandra Parisi Lic. Assoc. RE Broker M: 516.427.6878

Stephen Baymack Lic. Assoc. RE Broker Baymack Team M: 516.216.0244

Pete Diaz Lic. RE Salesperson Licensed as Pedro Diaz M: 516.642.9881

Laura Carroll Lic. RE Salesperson Laura Carroll Team M: 917.370.5354

Grima

Costello Lic. RE Salesperson

Hirschfield

Susan Gillin Lic. RE Salesperson

Flynn Lic. RE Salesperson

Mairead Garry Lic. RE Salesperson

Denice Giacometti Lic. RE Salesperson McCooey Olivieri Team

Frank Morabito Lic. RE Salesperson

Nero Lic. RE Salesperson

Whicher

The A.T. Stewart Exchange Consignment & Gift Shop

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! And Erin go Braugh! Is an Irish language phrase, used to express allegiance to Ireland. Translated, it means Ireland Forever! Why do we eat corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day? And why wear green items? The original Irish “go-to” meal was bacon, served with cabbage. After the 1800’s, when many Irish people emigrated to the U.S., they were forced to substitute bacon with corned beef brisket (pickled and fermented). They were able to purchase corned beef, an affordable alternative, from Jewish butchers on the Lower East side. I don’t know why we only seem to eat it but once a year. This year, however, I’m eating it all week long, along with Irish soda bread.

Leprechauns – yes! You heard me right – leprechauns are one reason you're supposed to wear green on St. Patrick's Day! Folklore has it that leprechauns like to pinch anyone they can see. Wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns. The legend further says that if you catch a leprechaun, you can force him to tell you where he hid his pot of gold. Supposedly, this pot of gold is hidden at the end of a rainbow. Because you can never find the “end” of a rainbow, you can't get the pot of gold.

So, go and eat your corned beef and cabbage. Get ready to transition from

leprechauns and four-leafed clovers to bunnies and Easter eggs … Come into the Exchange to check out our Easter decorations for your home. We have a nice selection of bunny baby socks, paper mâché bunnies, and brightly colored Capiz eggs.

About Us:

The Exchange Consignment Shop is housed in The Garden City Historical Society (TGCHS) Museum on 109 Eleventh Street (in the basement of the building).

All the proceeds from the Shop sales directly benefit TGCHS.

Shop 24/7 online at atstewartexchange.org and pick up your purchases at the Exchange.

Follow and Like Us on the AT Stewart Exchange Facebook and on the AT Stewart Exchange Instagram pages. We sure do get around!

Consigning:

Our best sellers – jewelry (costume and fine), lamps, mirrors, and crystal (Waterford, Baccarat, Tiffany)

We take/accept silver, pocketbooks, china, furniture, artwork, and collectibles. All items are in new or nearly new condition.

Sorry – no clothing, except for furs during the cold months, or shoes. And

Work with Garden City’s Market Maker, the

no appliances.

Consignments are done Wednesday through Friday 11:00am – 2:00pm by appointment ONLY. Appointments keep down the numbers of people in the Shop and reduce wait-times to consign.

Please call (516)746-8900 to set up an appointment.

Unsure if your items are appropriate to consign? Email photos to store@ atstewartexchange.org and be sure to include sizing info. You will generally receive a response the same day.

Can I donate? YES! We love donations! PLEASE don’t leave donated items outside the shop when we are closed. We want your items, but we don’t want them to get ruined, especially during inclement weather. Email me at store@atstewartexchange.org and I will work with you to arrange a drop-off time. I check the email every day, even

New water

The Village of Garden City has appointed Stanley Carey as its new superintendent of water and sewer operations

Mr. Carey has 35 years experience working for public water suppliers and has been serving as a senior water plant consultant for H2M. Prior to that, he served as superintendent of the Massapequa Water District. He also sits on the New York State Drinking Water Quality Council. The superintendent position has been vacant since Frank Koch left Village service in 2015.

when we’re closed.

Remember: Shop 24/7 online at www.atstewartexchange.org and pick up your purchases at the Exchange. Follow and Like Us on the AT Stewart Exchange Facebook and on the AT Stewart Exchange Instagram pages. We sure do get around!

Check out our new paint job! Thanks to your generous support, Old World Quality is working to repair and re-paint the back of the Museum and will soon start working on the last side of the house! We remain open throughout this process and precautions are taken to protect customers entering the Shop.

The shop is located at 109 Eleventh Street. Shop hours: Monday - Friday 10 am – 4 pm; Wednesday til 6 pm; Saturday noon – 4 pm. For more information please call (516) 746-8900.

Some beautiful bunnies are looking for new homes.

15 Kilburn Road, Garden City

Unique and stylish four bedroom and two and half bathroom colonial in the Estates section of Garden City set on a large 80x100 lot. This spacious home offers nine rooms, all recently renovated with an open floor plan, perfect for entertaining. The first floor offers modern oversized principal rooms with high ceilings blended with original architectural details. An expansive living room and family room lead to a banquet sized formal dining room. The large updated chef’s kitchen features bespoke cabinetry, granite counters, high end appliances, breakfast bar, additional dining area and powder room. The spacious, bright and sunny home office is located steps from the kitchen and overlooks the incredible and lushly landscaped rear yard. Upstairs you will find four large bedrooms. The primary suite boasts an updated spa-like bath, walk-in closet, vaulted ceiling and access to a large private balcony overlooking the English Garden. Three additional bedrooms, renovated hall bath, and access to the pull down attic complete the second floor. The partially finished lower level offers an entertainment area, new laundry and recently updated components. New paver patios and a one car detached garage complete this unique and stunning offering.

The McCooey Olivieri Team is a team of real estate agents affi liated with Compass, a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. Photos may be

The McCooey Olivieri Team Members of the Luxury Division Founding Agents of Compass

cveneziale@gardencityny.net

Governor Hochul’s Plan Change

This past Tuesday, Senator Kevin Thomas called me from his Albany budget meeting to inform me of Governor Hochul’s latest housing initiative. Senator Thomas advised me of the concerted effort of the Mayors and his office have moved the Governor’s housing plan to potentially provide incentives to those Villages and Towns who seek to develop housing. Senator Thomas explained he is hopeful a modified plan from Governor Hochul will be made that will offer incentives to Towns and Villages who seek to build housing. I continue to follow-up on this very important issue as it develops further. We remain vigilant.

Lead Levels in Drinking Water

Elevated levels of lead in the drinking water were reported in some homes/buildings and has exceeded the action level for lead. Specifically, this action level was exceeded in 30 first draw samples of 63 homes tested in required compliance samples in the second six-month monitoring period ending on December 31, 2022. Under the Authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA set the action level for lead in drinking water at 15 parts per billion. This means public water suppliers must ensure that water from the customer’s tap does not exceed this level in at least 90 percent of the homes in required compliance samples (90th percentile value). The action level is the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow. The Village implemented additional corrosion control treatment in November 2022 in order to reduce the concentration of lead in the drinking water. H2M continues to perform biweekly sampling at entry points for lead and other corrosion parameters. Initial lead service line investigation and analysis of Village plumbing permits and house ages is complete. The mobile reporting app development is complete and the self-reporting survey has been deployed for residents. As orthophosphate is being injected into the system, the District is taking entry point and distribution sampling to monitor the treatment.

If lead-containing plumbing materials are identified in your home,

consider testing your water for lead to determine how much lead is in your drinking water. Call (516) 4654017 or email gardencitysampling@h2m. com. Please provide your name, address, and phone number so that we can contact you. For more information regarding what has occurred and what actions the Village has taken/is taking, visit the Water Department’s page.

St. Paul’s Cost

Estimator

Westerman Construction, Co. submitted preliminary cost estimates associated with demolition, adaptive reuse and façadism based on the scope of work and experience with similar projects. Westerman presented its report to Trustees at the March 16 Board meeting. The full report will be available on the Village website, www.gardencityny.net.

2023 Village Election: What You Need to Know

The General Village Election for 2023 will be held on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. The polls will be open from 12 Noon to 9:00 p.m. in the evening and will be held at the St. Paul’s Field House. The names of all those who are running for Village office is as follows:

Unity and Common Sense Party

Trustee 2 Years Edward Finneran

Community Agreement Party

Mayor Two-Year Term

Judy Courtney

Trustee Two-Year Term

Michele Harrington

Trustee Two-Year Term

Cosmo Veneziale

For A Better Garden City Party

Mayor Two-Year Term

Mary Carter Flanagan

Trustee Two-Year Term

Richard A. Williams

Trustee Two-Year Term

Bruce J. Chester

Trustee Two-Year Term

Michael J. Sullivan

Absentee Ballots

Residents are reminded that absentee ballot applications are available on the Village website and at Village Hall for those residents who will be out of the Village or are unable to vote in person due to a disability or illness. Please note that

See page 48

Mayor Cosmo Veneziale

Domestic incident arrest

As a result of a domestic incident investigation involving a couple and their young child, on March 8th Garden City Police arrested a 31-yearold male for Unlawful Imprisonment, Acting in a Manner Injurious to a Child, Harassment, and Criminal Mischief.

Unlocked door

Officers responded to a bank for an alarm on March 8th and found an unsecured door. Officers searched the interior of the bank, and all appeared to be in order. Bank management was advised of the incident.

Scofflaw impounded

On March 8th Garden City Police impounded a vehicle from Parking Field 12 for being a Garden City Court Scofflaw due to unpaid tickets.

Permit missing

A handicap parking permit was reported lost or stolen from a resident’s vehicle on March 8th.

Stolen checks

On March 9th a Garden City Plaza business reported that a check sent in the mail was stolen, altered, and cashed by an unknown person.

Overweight check

On March 9th a company was charged with the operation of a commercial vehicle on Clinton Road while 24,000 pounds over weight.

Suspended license

A Meadow Street motorist was charged with driving with a suspended license and non-transparent windows on March 9th.

Lights out

Police personnel were assigned to a lengthy traffic light malfunction on Franklin Avenue at 11th Street on March 9th.

Internet scam

On March 9th a victim reported that he was involved in an ongoing internet scam resulting in a $500 loss.

Smoke alarm

Garden City Police and Firefighters responded to a Hamilton Place apartment on March 9th for an odor of smoke and determined the cause to be burnt food.

PSEG scam

On March 10th a victim received a phone call from a person claiming to be from PSEG who stated her payments were overdue and she needed to send money via a cash app to avoid her power being shut off. The victim complied and later determined it was a scam.

Fraudulent payment

On March 10th a victim told police he lent money to a person via an online site and when he received payment, it was determined to be fraudulent.

Suspended registration

A motorist on 11th street on March 10th was charged with driving with a suspended registration and starting a vehicle in an unsafe manner.

Fuel leak

Police and firefighters responded to Willow Street on March 10th for fuel leaking from a vehicle. Firefighters rendered the area safe.

Smoke condition

GCFD and GCPD responded to a smoke condition at a Grove Street residence. Firefighters rendered the area safe after determining the cause to be a faulty water heater.

Unregistered vehicle

A Cathedral Avenue motorist was charged with driving with a suspended registration and unregistered vehicle on March 10th.

Fire alarm test

An Garden City Police Officer patrolling Franklin Avenue observed a building’s exterior strobe lights activated indicating a possible fire on March 10th. The Garden City Fire Department was notified, responded to the scene, and determined workers were testing the fire alarm system.

Graffiti found

Spray painted graffiti was found inside a St. Paul’s Field House restroom on March 11th.

Unregistered vehicle

A Barnes Lane motorist was charged with driving with a suspended registration and unregistered vehicle

See page 48

Suzanne Weis is an astute, diligent and hard-working real estate agent. She helped my family sell our parent’s Garden City home in January 2023, for $51,000 above the asking price. Throughout the process Suzanne guided us with suggestions of where to distribute the 60 years worth of items my parents had accumulated. She then, adroitly advised on the necessary repairs to enhance the presentation of the home, while giving advice on what to leave untouched, which saved us time and money. Suzanne visited our home several times a week to assess our progress and deliver further advice.

Suzanne has a vast knowledge of the real estate market, local contractors and the legal folks vital to steering our sale to conclusion. I found Suzanne to be both charming and delightfully conversational, yet, she was neither intrusive nor pushy. I recommend Suzanne without reservation to anyone looking to sell or buy a property. She is a gem!

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As this is written, the news is dominated by the financial collapse of at least two midsize banks. This situation very much needs to play out, so I’m turning to a different subject in this piece..

Vinny Muldoon - Owner and Garden City Resident

Vinny Muldoon - Owner and Garden City Resident

This week’s theme is that we finally have a March in which COVID is not, at least for most people, a major concern. But it has been a tough

Most of us remember the almost spooky weekend when it became clear that COVID was going to be a very big deal. Closures and cancellations that you never imagined actually occurred, from Broadway plays to the St. Patrick’s Day parade, to entire school systems, to all but a few businesses. We were suddenly urged to stay home, and much business becoming remote. I had never even heard of a Zoom call, but we learned to work remotely and became thoroughly familiar with this technology.

Early on, President Donald Trump, who never quite got the tone right in his briefings on the virus, declared that we needed “15 days to slow the spread” and then stated that he wanted the country “opened up and rarin’ to go by Easter”, April 12. To put it mildly, these statements

New York State unfortunately became the epicenter of the disease in those early months. The state reported 799 deaths in a single day

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there were 3,200 U.S. hospitalizations of COVID patients in the week ending March 2, compared with 6,700 in early January and 21,000 early last year. The average daily death toll is about 383. Nevertheless, there is a widespread feeling that we have to put the virus behind us.

One issue that has arisen from the pandemic is a broad lack of trust of public health information and directives. I would respectfully suggest that this was largely the product of an official COVID response that consistently played down facts or reasonable theories that did not fit in with the prevailing public health narrative. As it turned out, states like Florida, who adopted relatively loose remedial measures, pretty much did as well (on an age-adjusted basis) as states with more stringent measures.

For example, it was pretty clear early on that the disease was much more contagious and spreadable indoors rather than outdoors. However, for a long time health officials frequently took an overly cautious attitude. Beaches and golf courses remained closed; I even remember Governor Andrew Cuomo criticizing kids who played basketball outdoors in playgrounds.

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Another example is that authorities would rarely admit that natural immunity provided significant protection from the virus, always insisting either that this protection was unknown and that people needed to be vaccinated. In fact, vaccinations did help in preventing severe infections, but people had the right to get accurate information in making personal health decisions.

Another example was that the disease was generally less severe among children, but this was downplayed in many places amid long school closures and ineffective remote learning.

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The pandemic went on for more than two years, through peaks and lulls, hitting one part of the country after another, with a successions of new variants, amid lockdowns and school closings of varying severity depending on where you lived, social distancing and masking requirements, again regional in nature. There were numerous federal stimulus programs. By 2021, vaccines were developed, which did not really prevent the disease, but pretty clearly did help to lessen its severity, especially in combination with newly developed therapeutics.

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Now, after three years, and over a million deaths, the epidemic is largely over, although not completely so. The Wall Street Journal reports that

Obviously, the hope is that we will never see another pandemic like COVID, and we can all feel a sense of relief for having gotten through this difficult time. One hopes that the public health authorities will have learned some lessons about keeping the public trust.

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Girl Scouts to hold Gold Awards Showcase

Local author writes book about sensory challenges

In her debut children’s book, “Noah’s Intense Day,” Neha Bajaj highlights the intense experiences faced by kids who have sensory challenges, often associated with autism and ADHD. Told from the perspective of a young boy, Noah, the story follows his journey through different sensory experiences.

Neha says she wrote the book so people could understand that children with sensory challenges are no different from anyone else. They just take the world in differently.

“In writing the book, I wanted people to notice when they are extra sensitive to the world around them. We all have those days when we are feeling tired or perhaps under the weather. I wanted readers to put them-

Girl Scout Troop 1322 and the Garden City Association of Girl Scouts is hosting a Gold Award Showcase on Sunday, March 19, from 1–4 p.m. at the Recreation Department cottages.The Garden City community is invited to come and learn about the different Gold Award projects taking place within the Association and support the girls working on their projects. Various projects will be on display. All are welcome to visit the different tables and learn about the Take Action projects educating and benefiting the Garden City community.

selves in the shoes of my characters and think about how it would feel if each day was filled with these sensory challenges.”

Neha says she hopes her book helps readers lead with empathy, rather than fear or judgement. If you see a child having a hard time with their environment, consider what the child might be going through.

The book comes out of Neha’s experience as the mom of a child with autism and the launch is aligned with Autism Awareness Month. To celebrate the launch, Neha Bajaj will be holding a book release event for the community on March 23 from 6:30–8:30 p.m. at the Garden City Casino. This will be a kid-friendly event.

Professor Raverty at the Community Club

The Community Club of Garden City and Hempstead is pleased to present a lecture by Professor Dennis Raverty next Thursday, March 23, at 1:30 at the Garden City Casino.

The topic he will present is “The Humanist ‘Academia’ — In the Garden of Lorenzo: The Magnificent.” Wealthy banker and patron of the arts Lorenzo de’Medici gathered around him the foremost scholars, poets and artists of his day, formulating the first theories of artistic creation since ancient times, reviving the aesthetics of Plato. But this pagan aesthetic was given a new interpretation through the incarnational theology of Christianity.

So, all you lovers of art, lovers of philosophy, lovers of poetry, lovers of the Renaissance and lovers of just a good afternoon out, please join us at the Casino on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Guests are invited to attend for a $10 fee.

About to hit a milestone?

FOR SENIORS fyi

Please Note – The Senior Center will be closed until further noticed due to a burst water pipe in the Center. All programs have been moved to St. Paul’s campus.

Chi Kung Exercise and Meditation

Please join Andrea Albergo for chi kung, which is considered a beautiful, peaceful path for body, mind and spirit. Andrea will show how to create a peaceful body by combining movement, breathing and meditation. This class is geared for seniors or the beginner adult. This eight-week session will begin Thursday, March 16, and will be held at 1:30 p.m. in St. Paul’s Cottages, 108 Rockaway Avenue. The price for the session is $ 50.

To register this class, please visit the Recreation Office at 108 Rockaway Avenue.

Trip to See “Mama Mia” at Elmont Library

Garden City Recreation and Parks will take a trip to Elmont Library’s Theatre on Thursday, May 25 to see Plaza Theatrical Productions’ performance of “Mamma Mia.” The recreation bus will leave from the parking lot across the street from the senior center at 1 p.m. to arrive at the library for a 2 p.m. show. This trip is open to any senior who is a resident of the Village of Garden City.

Tickets can be reserved by visiting the Recreation and Parks Administrative Office at 108 Rockaway Avenue. The cost is $40, checks only made payable to “Plaza Theatrical Productions”.

Senior Activity Schedule During Senior Center Cleanup

The following classes will take place at St. Paul’s Cottages (108 Rockaway Avenue) while the cleanup of the Senior Center is taking place:

Monday

10:00: Exercise with Felicia in the Cluett Hall

12:00: Retired Men’s Club in the North Cottage

2:00: Knitting & Crochet Club in the North Cottage

2:15: Chair Yoga with Samantha in Cottage #110

Tuesday

2:30: Chair Dancing on even numbered days/ Line Dancing on odd in Cottage #110

Wednesday

9:45: Exercise with Felicia in Cluett Hall

11:15: Senior Dance Performance

Group with Felicia in Cottage #110*

12:00: Lunch Group in North Cottage

3:00: Chess Club in North Cottage

Thursday

11:15: Yoga with Samantha in Cottage #110

12:00: Retired Men’s Club in the North Cottage

1:30: Chi Kung with Andrea in Cottage #110*

3:15: Zumba Gold with Felicia in Cottage #110*

Friday

Noon: Senior Women’s Bridge

12:30: Resistance Bands with Samantha in Cottage #110

1:00: Aerobics with Samantha in Cottage #110

St. Paul’s Cottages are located behind the St Paul’s building. There will be two entrances, Cottage #110 and the North Cottage. Both face Rockaway Avenue. All game playing and meeting will take place in the North Cottage. All exercise/ dance related classes will take place in Cottage #110.

North Cottage Parking: please park in the lot to the North of the complex by the soccer field.

Cottage #110 Parking: You can park the same as the North Cottage Parking or, if there are spots available, park by the Recreation Office.

Classes marked with an * denotes that it is a ”pay to go” class. To join, please visit

We have plenty of tables for playing games, but it is, as always, “first come, first serve”.

Professor Dennis Raverty

“The Sounds and Songs of Ireland” at GC Historical Society

BY MELISSA JAEGER

You didn’t need to be Irish to enjoy the performance of “The Sounds and Songs of Ireland” this past weekend at The Garden City Historical Society (TGCHS) Museum. The sell-out performance by Mary O’Dowd, accompanied by Bob Castro on fiddle and Ron D’Addario on guitar, was a tremendous hit. When the show started, the audience didn’t wait for Mary to welcome audience participation. People were singing and tapping their toes -- myself included - for the entire performance. All were just so happy to amongst friends and enjoying some good old fashioned music.

Mary O’Dowd and fellow musicians Ron and Bob regaled the audience with rousing and sentimental ballads. Whiskey in the Jar, The Rose, Those Were the Days, When NY Was Irish, Irish Rover, and Dublin in the Rare Old Times were a few of the favorites played. They even snuck in a Joan Baez hit song and a Beatles tune. They played for almost an hour and a half, but the time flew. After the Show, Mary was presented with flowers and light refreshments were offered to the attendees. All in all, it was a wonderful Sunday afternoon.

Mary O’Dowd has a large fol lowing, having graced the stages of

Carnegie Hall, New York’s Town Hall, Westbury Music Fair and Joseph Pap’s Public Theater, as well as clubs in Ireland and America. Mary has more than 30 years of singing in the Irish American folk circle and has released three albums (CDs). She and her husband, Tony Pope, owned Mary O’s Restaurant on East 57th Street in Manhattan, where Mary performed nightly. Mary is Executive Director and founder of the Francis Pope Memorial Foundation.

This program is part of our ongoing “Songs for a Sunday Afternoon” series. In years past, we have had cabaret singers, jazz performances, and Broadway and operatic performances. This year’s program was sponsored by Inis Fragrances of Ireland and Clancy & Clancy Brokerage and dedicated to the memory of Maureen Clancy. Maureen, who passed away in 2021, was a past president of The Garden City Historical Society and an avid supporter of its music programs. She was also an extremely active and respected member of the of the GC community, both in private and professional circles.

The concert was three years in the making, but worth the wait! Those of you who regularly come to our performances may recall that it was

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almost exactly three years ago that we had to cancel Mary’s performance in 2020 when the State of New York suspended all public events for a three-month period at the height of Covid.

Please follow The Garden City Historical Society on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about this and other upcoming programs: @ gardencityhistoricalsociety.

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Bob Castro (fiddle), Mary O’Dowd (vocals) and Ron D’Addario (guitar) performed a program of Irish music at the Garden City Historical Society.

Guiding Principles

Setting the record straight

From page 2

• I will not add agenda items without informing all Trustees beforehand, so they can be prepared and understand the meeting agendas.

If I do not win, I would hope that Mary Carter Flanagan would agree to similar Guiding Principles for her term. The Board of Trustees needs to move forward, for the Village and its residents.

From page 2 come to state them publicly.

Unity and Common Sense

From page 2

a willingness for healthy debate and respectful discussion. I named my party, Unity and Common Sense, in the hopes that together, we can move beyond the discord that has sometimes bedeviled the Board of Trustees, frustrated our neighbors, and most importantly distracted us from what’s at stake.

And there is a lot at stake . . . the looming potential development of the Las Vegas Sands Casino, Governor Hochul’s efforts to exert control over

our affairs, bringing a Village wide vote on St. Paul’s, ensuring we manage our traffic, and making sure our water is clean. These are the issues we all care about. If elected, I will draw upon my 20 years of involvement in the Village and work closely with my fellow Board members to find the solutions that work best for Garden City as we look with confidence to the future.

So on Tuesday, I ask for your vote - Finneran for Trustee: Unity and Common Sense, ROW A on the ballot.

The Kordes K orner

John Ellis Kordes

morphed into an organization that wants total control over the operation of the Village and will not tolerate any dissent or deviation to their agenda” while simultaneously joining the only (POA) political party in town that for 101 years before FABGC actually exercised and continues to desire such total operational control. The time for Cosmo to “dissent or deviate” from our agenda would have been before agreeing to and being elected on it, not afterwards like he’s done.

What’s more, FABGC has watched Cosmo and his running mates remain silent or chant “enough is enough” at FABGC as their own surrogates accused our members of misogyny, racism, Naziism, ballot harvesting, student masking advocacy, censorship, subservience, resident intimidation, shadow democratic party operations, puppet-mastery, and made-up conflicts of interest. Some of us have even been made to feel unsafe and had our integrity questioned for the first time in our lives. The POA’s silence and willingness to run with Cosmo after all the above, speaks to their poor judgement and will-

ingness to forsake integrity for a greater chance at returning to their monopolistic glory days. And sure, the current political climate in our Village may be more annoyingly raucous than ever, but that’s because we now have regularly contested elections that challenge the status-quo and keep us accountable to one another.

Ultimately, Cosmo supported FABGC’s “political agenda” when it suited him, and now he claims to disavow FABGC, kicking us on the way out after we rightly criticized his deplorable behavior and “personal agenda.”

It’s fine, but we wish he would tell you the truth about how FABGC walked away from him long before the political calculations and flimsy counter-narratives he’s had to make in response. Voters can decide what it means that Judy Courtney and Michelle Harrington have embraced him on their POA slate even knowing the above.

For the type of leadership that won’t compromise on its principles, no matter the cost, please Vote Row C, FABGC, on March 21st.

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This is a drawing of the Franklin Simon building which was built in the 1940s. It was located on the NE corner of Franklin Avenue and Ninth Street. This was a time when Franklin Avenue was evolving into an upscale shopping destination. Later the avenue became known as the “Fifth Avenue of Long Island.” The Franklin Simon building became W & J Slone’s Furniture store. Today, the building still exists with various occupants in recent decades, but retail has not returned as Franklin Avenue today no longer has any department stores.

FABGC Executive Committee

leagues. Mary has the qualities that I admire and look for in a Village Trustee. She is passionate, motivated, and open minded. Her ability to reach out to others, reach across the aisle to a fellow trustee, foster communication and focus on a goal that will improve our village is inspiring.

The office of Mayor should have someone with strong convictions, strong communication strategies and a laser focus on issues that will confront our village. Mary has experience as a sitting Trustee in taking on a task and understanding what residents’ want. She understands the village’s infrastructure needs, development concerns, and budget process.

I have worked with over 20 different Trustees and multiple boards in my years of service. I have read and heard all the debate, rhetoric, and commentary on our election process. I know what I want and expect from my elected officials. I am choosing to look forward. Mary has served on several village commissions and committees. As the Chair of the Environmental Advisory Board, Mary has consistently focused on what is needed to protect our water infrastructure. As a member of the Traffic Commission, she has helped foster and supported a village wide traffic analysis and traffic calming study. As a member of the Communication Committee, she advocated and assisted with the implantation of a new website, Facebook page, and Instagram account to enhance communication with residents. As a functioning Village Trustee, she spearheaded the agenda item to condemn the proposition of a Casino at the Nassau Hub and recently hosted an informational meeting for community leaders to oppose the housing plans proposed by NYS Governor Kathy Hochul.

Mary Carter Flanagan as Mayor will be able to lead the village as we face the future and look forward. I am voting for experience, honest, integrity and shear grit. I am voting for stable leadership with an ability to adapt to change.

I am voting for Mary Carter Flanagan as Mayor.

Colleen Foley

Fanned the flames

To the Editor:

So there has been a lot to unpack the past two weeks. Of course election fever has fanned the flames of partisanship. The current mayor, running belatedly as a POA candidate and his minions have sought to politicize the St. Paul’s debate at the Westerman cost presentation by labeling suggested general concepts offered by Trustees Carter Flanagan and Chester and treated them as actual solution proposals and discussed them estimated costs without any presentation detailing the Committee’s

conclusions. In addition the Mayoral Committee delayed posting the lengthy and detailed Westerman/Vakota report (made available to Mayor’s Committee members last week) until after the poorly lit Cluett Hall Westerman Co. presentation this past Monday! Perhaps if they think it is their report is it not reasonable that perhaps the Mayor/POA candidate and Committee should pay Westerman for it not Village residents deprived of the opportunity to read it before the meeting.

Honest debate and differences of opinion can lead to productive change, Statements based on facts create food for thought. But where is the schemes such as the above -Mayor Committee contrivance - or in a letter by a POA nominating member in last week’s Garden City News(GCN) that insinuated without any basis whatsoever that two present Trustees are not running for reelection because they have had enough of FABGC’s “us vs them” mentality, such goes beyond the pale. This is the kind of unseemly politics that the POAs now spew. Does it occur to that writer of the letter that there are many legitimate reasons why a trustee may not or simply could not again serve because of family matters or financial business concerns. ( It is well known that Tom O’Brien was unable to run because of his employment work related constraints (see his letter, GCN, 2/10/23) and Trustee Terry Digan endorsed the FAB candidates in the current election. (see his letter in 2/3/23 GCN, p.2). Then this cheap shot letter goes on to denigrate the two FABGC replacement candidates, Sullivan and Williams as inexperienced when in fact the POA candidate for mayor and one of the other POA two trustee hopefuls (Harrington) have never even been trustees either. And to top it off, out of quiet eleventh hour desperation, this time the POAs picked discarded FABGC member, the current mayor who had to apologize ( see GCN 2/17/23, p. 2) for his improper conduct towards Trustee Carter Flanagan and fails to recognize the importance of merit raises for Garden City employees. All POAs candidates were selected by a magical or perhaps mythical POA process of nominating no one and promising a primary that never occurred while whining about the FAB process which has produced election sweeps over POA candidates in the past two elections. Why did this occur? Well FAB had better candidates and a recognition that the so called Community Agreement is an unenforceable relic created so long ago. At the WPOA meeting on Nov. 22, 2022 Vice President Maureen (Traxler) Delacona announced this non-enforcibilty fact to members including this writer.

So let your yes be yes and your no be no. Vote yes for hard working, diligent FABGC mayoral candidate and

current Trustee, Mary Carter Flanagan, as well as Trustee Bruce Chester and the two other qualified Trustee candidates. Each running because they want to serve, not because they have been picked out of the depleted, antiquated POA system with its pretensions of being a shadow government on the basis of outmoded and failed so called traditions.

Steve Gorray

Row C for Choice

To the Editor:

FABGC is the reason there is a contested election on Tuesday. It is altogether fitting that FABGC occupies Row C as the group that brought the Village Choice, Change, Calming of roads and Conservative fiscal management.

When FABGC sees a surplus, they see it as a chance to reduce all the debt the Village built up during its one party rule. FABGC does not see a surplus as a license to spend but a reason to freeze taxes and reduce spending. That’s conservative fiscal management. Change is what FABGC brought to village government with its fabulous Meet & Greets where residents can pose any question to a group of village trustees and get responses. That’s change. That’s transparency.

Calming traffic is a signature initiative of Mary Carter Flanagan. Extending it now to a new proposal to do a road diet of Stewart Avenue is the work of Trustee Flanagan. Bringing in residents thru Citizen Advocacy Committees has been the work of Trustee Flanagan. If you want the path of calming roads through speed humps and chokers to combat the Mott Section being a cut through zone, to protect roads with school bus stops, to stop the speeding traffic on Tanners Pond Road, to reduce the lanes on Cathedral Avenue and Stewart Avenue, you want to continue with the Current Traffic Commission. You want Trustee Flanagan for Mayor.

If you want to continue with Change, Choice, Conservatism and Calming, vote for the great candidates on Row C and remember, Choice is not just in village elections but in the Community Vote on St Paul’s. It’s long past time for a vote. While I was out voted in my attempt to have a community vote last November on St. Paul’s, vote Row C so we can finally have a vote this November.

Choice. Change. Calming. Conservatism. It’s what FABGC and Row C is all about.

Charles P. Kelly

Clear choice

To the Editor:

On this past Saturday I received an expensive, glossy, color brochure from FABGC. The flyer touted Don MacLeod’s picks for Mayor and trustees

this election cycle.

In addition it highlighted FABGC priorities: Building Consequence, Engagement, Advocacy, Transparency, Integrity, Local Control, Fair Elections and Community Engagement.

I find it ironic that all of that word salad of buzz words are what FABGC is NOT about. In the last two years FABGC trustees have brought consensus if you agreed with their agenda; engagement with their acolytes not the residents; Advocacy for their pet projects; Transparency when they constantly held executive meetings in private; Integrity while making secret deals; Local Control by having the Mayor hand pick all personnel replacements to the Zoning Board, ARDB, Planning board, replacing the committee on vacancy which screened candidates for open positions; Fair elections i.e. ballot harvesting; and Community Engagement if you are in their community.

After two years of Don MacLeod’s government ending with internal bickering and embarrassing chaos.

The team of Judy Courtney and Michelle Harrington along with Independent candidate Ed Finneran will restore civility, experience, common decency and true transparency to our village government.

I have known Judy Courtney for over 30 years she is my neighbor and friend. Judy’s accomplishments are many, she is intelligent, knowledgeable, patient and always ready to listen. Judy possesses an innate ability to see both sides of an issue.

In my six years as a village trustee Judy attended almost all trustee meetings and budget sessions. Judy was always ready to press the trustees with pertinent and challenging questions on point and reasonably presented.

Although we didn’t always agree Judy presented her position openly and sometimes pointedly she had the respect of all the trustees for her integrity and honesty.

It is time to restore village government to something all residents can be proud of.

Please vote for Judy Courtney for Mayor and Michele Harrington and Ed Finneran for trustees.

We would then have a board who will not dictate policy but will work to develop consensus on issues.

Dennis Donnelly

FABGC opposes casino

To the Editor:

I recognize how devastating a Las Vegas Sands Casino at the Nassau Hub would be to our Village.

I was very pleased to see that the Board of Trustees, led by FABGC Trustee and Mayoral candidate Mary Carter Flanagan, voted unanimously on a resolution opposing the Sands Casino. Richard Williams, the FABGC

candidate from the East, had already been leading this critical opposition and speaking up at public meetings filled with union workers. I applaud his efforts and look forward to seeing him as a Village Trustee.

What I cannot understand is how the mayoral candidate, Judy Courtney, from the East, which is likely the most impacted by a Casino, has failed to come out as strongly in opposition. Judy Courtney says she is against the Casino “like everyone else” yet she writes: “But I also believe we need to be a part of the conversation as decisions are made. We can’t just say no….” Of course, we could say “No” to Sands.

Then at the POA meeting at Stewart School, it was disturbing to see a resident working with Sands Casino handing out the question cards. This was the Bruce Blakeman meeting, where this politician touted Sands and ignored overburdening our roads, introducing crime, prostitution, gambling addiction, DWI fatalities, and destroying our precious water supply. That strikes me as vague and very soft on the Sands Casino issue. The FABGC position is clear: they oppose the Sands without reservation.

That’s not the only sign that we don’t really know Ms. Courtney’s position. One purpose for reviewing the nominating petitions is that it helps to understand what interests and groups may be behind a campaign or a candidate. Perhaps Ms. Courtney’s previous irritation at our review of the petitions was because Ms. Courtney knew we had uncovered that a POA/CAP nominating petition was witnessed by the GC resident hired to promote the Sands Casino and didn’t want her association to be discovered.

I will vote Row C for the FABGC candidates on March 21, 2023. Their positions are clear and I trust them to always represent the best interests of the Village. They will never be influenced by people promoting interests at odds with our Village.

John Cantwell Executive Committee Member, FABGC

Support Comm. Agreement candidates

To the Editor:

I am writing this note to lend my support to the candidates representing the Community Agreement Party in our upcoming Village elections for Mayor and Trustees ; Judy Coutney (East), Cosmo Veneziale (West),and Michele Harrington (Estates). I am a former President of the Eastern Property Owners Association and have a deep respect and appreciation of the time and effort that the POA’s and the members put in to ensure that our Village is a wonderful place to live. The members of the POA’s and these candidates that represent the Community Agreement Party do not have any special agen-

da other than to do their best, as volunteers, to deal with the multitude of issues that our Village faces each and every day.

In regard to Cosmo Veneziale; I have known Cosmo on both a professional and personal level for nearly 25 years. We first met as volunteer members of the GC School District’s Citizens’ Advisory Committee in 1998 where we shepherded a $38MM Bond issue and oversaw the project from start to finish. We again joined up as Citizen Volunteers in the Mayor’s Committee on St Paul’s where we conducted a deep examination of the utilization of the St Paul’s property. Professionally, I have worked with Cosmo and his firm on multiple projects in my capacity as Director of Engineering of the ABC Television Network and as a member the Board of the Cherry Valley Club in GC. He is an accomplished architect with a deep understanding of buildings, interior and exterior restoration means and methods. His talents and experience in this field would be an invaluable resource for the Board in evaluating the multiple paths that the St Paul’s building may take.

I know of no one in the Village that has the experience and credentials to take us on the St Paul’s journey that Cosmo Veneziale has. I also know that Cosmo will professionally challenge all options presented to the Board and make the decision that is best for our Village, not one based on emotions. He has already demonstrated to me that he can make tough decisions as a Trustee; whether it pertains to Fire safety in the Village, our water supply, our workforce, creating a structure to finally deal with St Paul’s and other infrastructure improvements. I urge you to support all the Community Agreement candidates, but also let’s support Cosmo in his candidacy for Trustee to have him on our Board to “finish the job”

Jim Carney

Need strong leadership

To the Editor:

On Tuesday I hope all residents go out to vote, and for the future of Garden City I hope you all vote ROW C.

Why Row C : Much has been said about FABGC in the last couple of weeks, and I hope you don’t fall for the campaign rhetoric. If you know me, Mike Sullivan, Bruce Chester or Richard Williams, you know the passion we have for the village and that we will work tirelessly to protect the quality of life and strong sense of community that make Garden City so special. You know we are honest and straight forward, and that we are all our own people and not controlled by any party or person. We will always listen to residents and act in the best interests of the village. Our village needs strong advocates now more than ever as we face the threats

of a Las Vegas Sands Casino just a mile from our border and an unprecedented attempt to take over our local zoning. We also need strong leadership committed to complete transparency to bring to a community vote the issue of the St. Paul’s Main Building. If these things matter to you, vote ROW C. As others have said, governing isn’t easy, and I have learned this first hand. But I have also learned how important local government is to communities, and how critical it is to have leaders committed to serving the community.

Changes over Last Two Years: Two years ago we heard residents angry with how leaders spoke to residents at meetings. We have worked to change that. We heard residents upset over a lack of transparency about BOT decisions whether it was the Edgemere Firehouse or the Garden City Casino. We have worked hard to be more transparent with residents and to support community organizations like the Garden City Casino which received the long term license agreement after we were elected. We heard complaints that the BOT was pushing organizations out of town in an attempt to raise revenue, and not recognizing the value these organizations bring to our community. That has not happened since FABGC leaders were elected. We heard residents upset with the practice of no bid contracts. We have opposed that and when we saw Cosmo Veneziale falling into the same bad practice, we have spoken up. We heard residents frustrated with the Village’s handling of traffic complaints. Residents often had no idea where to go with traffic complaints, and the response seemed to depend on which POA you were in and how they felt about your particular request. As other villages were hiring experts and studying traffic village-wide, we had a broken system where band aids were being put on problems and complete and accurate information on traffic was not making its way to many residents. Through efforts of the FABGC trustees, we are moving towards finally addressing traffic village-wide and with expert advice.

Working Together for GC: I have always recognized the importance of working with my colleagues on the Board of Trustees and it has never mattered to me whether someone ran as a FACGC candidate or a POA candidate. I know that we are better working together. During my first year as a trustee, when Cosmo Veneziale attempted to delay the vote on the Village’s opt out from the marijuana sales law, I joined with Trustee John Delaney (not a FABGC member) to move the matter towards a vote. We both knew this issue was important to residents, and we worked together for the Village.

When Veneziale suggested that the Village Treasurer be added to the audit

committee, I listened to the objections of Trustee Colleen Foley (not a FABGC member), and I joined with her and other POA candidates to vote the measure down. I have always recognized that what matters most is making decisions that are in the best interests of the Village.

I don’t just talk about transparency, I am living up to that promise, even when it is difficult. Opposing Cosmo Veneziale’s secretive style of governing has not been easy, but for the future of our great village it must be done.

It has been an honor to serve as your trustee over the last two years, and I hope you vote for me for Mayor on Tuesday.

Mary Carter Flanagan

Exposing FABGC

To the Editor:

Garden City embraced FABGC two years ago because they told us what we wanted to hear. But let’s look behind the curtain and see what the FABGC actually is.

FABGC is run by a a mercurial, petulant, temperamental founder whose mission in life is to destroy the property owner associations and demonize anyone who deviates from his party line. In trying to destroy the property owners associations, he is taking away your voice, the property owners owners’ voice, in local government. Do you need proof? Try getting a stop sign put up on your corner. You can’t. Why not? Residents are no longer part of the traffic commission.

The FABGC founder has set his sights now on our current mayor. Acknowledging that Cosmo has shown poor judgment recently, Cosmo has done more to move us forward on the seminal issue of St. Paul’s than anyone else since we bought the property thirty years ago.

The FABGC founder is the antithesis of choice. It is his way or the high way. All you need to do is look at his social media posts and you can see he is a nightmare of a boss. What has he done? He heads a government committee which has not met in almost over a year. How’s that for accountability?

FABGC strategy is to ride Mary’s popularity and hope you vote along her row. But who else is on her row? Respectfully, Bruce Chester is likable enough, but he is a single issue candidate whose issue has long left the station. Who are the other candidates? They’re probably nice guys, but they’re smart enough to keep their mouths shut and let their FABGC boss do their talking. And if they are elected, will their FABGC boss tell them how to vote?

Judy Courtney, Michele Harrington, Ed Finneran, and Cosmo Veneziale have done more for our village individually than the current slate of FABGC

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candidates have done combined. If you like one-man rule, vote for FABGC. If you are looking for candidates who will actually meet you and listen to you, candidates who have the right temperament, vote rows A and B on 3/21. Thank you.

Jeff Minett

Good fortune

To the Editor:

Good fortune – I am sure this phrase holds a variety of meanings for each of us ranging from success and prosperity to having good health, family and friends. At this time, I’d like to share one of my family’s good fortunes since she happens to be running for Mayor of Garden City.

For the past 25 years, we have had the extreme good fortune of having Mary Carter Flanagan as our back door neighbor. My first recollection of Mary was her warmth, friendliness and genuine interest in getting to know me and my family. As the years passed, I witnessed and experienced first-hand, Mary’s calm, empathetic, kind and confident demeanor when interacting with others. In addition, she possesses a unique ability to listen to and truly understand others’ perspectives, on any given topic while making that individual feel valued and accepted even if she has a different view.

Throughout these 25 years, my family has also had the good fortune of celebrating many birthdays, communions, graduations and holidays alongside Mary and her family all of which have created heartwarming life long memories for us. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out Mary’s unrelenting loyalty during the challenging times we faced - always there to lend a hand and support us in any way possible. Her loyalty and strong character are quite simply, second to none.

Trustworthy, honest, loyal, intelligent, calm, focused, respectful, confident and humble just begin to capture the true essence of the Mary Carter Flanagan we have had the absolute good fortune of having as our neighbor. So, of course, it is our sincere hope that our Village will also experience the incredible GOOD FORTUNE of having Mary Carter Flanagan serve as the next Mayor of Garden City.

Nancy Trotter Trabulsi

Why I left FABGC

To the Editor:

When FABGC emerged, I was inspired to be a part of a grassroots movement - neighbors getting together to improve the lives of GC residents and not vote the party line. The search began for independent like-minds who had previously served the village in their respective POAs as well as those without requisite voluntary experience

to run for the BOT positions. In the first few months following the 2021 election, things went smoothly and amicably; the trustees made their own decisions and the POAs became more effective and inclusive. Most know the position of a POA director, trustee and mayor takes a considerable amount of dedication and time. While they did not always agree, it worked, for a short while. What did not work was my perception of one man’s incessant intrusion in every aspect of Village government.

Disillusioned and disgusted I could no longer support FABGC as an organization. During the first election FABGC was accused of being aligned with the Nassau County Democratic Party because of outside help received for the election regarding ballots. At the time I thought it was an absurd accusation, at that time FABGC was not a “political party” however, now FABGC is an IRS registered 527 Political Organization, accepting and soliciting political donations. A far cry from its grassroots start.

It is for many reasons I will vote for, and encourage you to vote for, Michele Harrington, Judy Courtney, Cosmo Veneziale and even Ed Finneran. They are all independent, hardworking, smart, effective volunteers with extensive knowledge of the Village - and they will NOT be bullied into submission.

I hope whoever wins this election will forge their own path and trust their own instincts and listen to the residents, ALL the residents. It would be sad for GC if our elected officials continue to promote the ambitions of one man’s obstructionist agenda.

Betsy Andromidas

The case for FABGC

To the Editor: Why do we change course? There are many answers, but generally because we don’t have good enough reason to stay on our path. I was dispirited reading several letters to the editor in last week’s Garden City News that championed the need for such a course change. Until I dug deeper.

One writer assailed FABGC for under-delivering on promises, another claimed that changes to Village leadership are needed because otherwise residents will continue to be “left out.” That same writer complained contrary to fact that FABGC trustees do not share information with the POAs. And on and on it went in like fashion.

Curiously, most of the writers failed to identify themselves to readers as CAP/POA party members, officers, and “Class A” or “Class B” POA Directors, falsely implying they were simply and only concerned residents versus party campaigners. That’s not transparency.

What’s worse and perhaps more telling, is that they all seemed most upset that their Property Owners Associations (POAs) were no longer

perceived or treated as the royal gatekeepers standing between residents and their trustees that they once were. To them, residents are “left out” if they’re not exchanging information with trustees at a POA meeting. So even though FABGC has introduced more open BOT meetings without citizen comment time limits and ushered in regular “Meet & Greets” where any resident can directly exchange information with their Trustees 1:1, the POA letter writers simply bury or leave out these significant open government reforms. That’s not candor. That’s self-serving.

Of course, none of this provides a reason to change course, but rather reminds us all of why we should remain on our current path: FABGC, whether our opponents admit it or not, has set the current Village agenda and it is a good one (https://www.fabgc.org/ platform). Nobody has more at stake or more motivation to see these matters through to fruition proficiently than FABGC because we have led and risked our electoral future on them.

FABGC has already maintained a flat budget with no property tax increases; tamed the LIRR/MTA; reinstituted citizen advisory committees; introduced open BOT and direct trustee access events; initiated a Village-wide traffic study to decrease traffic and improve safety; prepared a lead water service line inventory for safer water; tackled the Ash tree epidemic and planted 100s of new trees; introduced discounted off-peak railroad parking passes; preserved the Garden City Casino tennis club; rectified the Raymond Court and Franklin Mews messes left by prior Boards; cleaned up the 7th Street promenades; stopped wasteful work on the Edgemere Firehouse to do a needs assessment thru a committee of citizens and firefighters; invited charitable events like the Andy Foundation back to our Village; advanced Environmental Committee proposals to address work from home, beautification, pollution, and water issues; and led efforts to involve volunteer citizens and related outside advisors to solve the St. Paul’s question once and for all.

Looking ahead, strong leadership is needed to address Governor Hochul’s Housing Compact that threatens to strip us of local zoning rights and the looming danger of a Sands Casino sandwiched between Nassau Community College and Hofstra University right on our eastern doorstep.

While our opponents adopt our agenda, bemoan fewer people at their POA meetings, and struggle to tout the actual achievements of their candidates, more citizens are voting and mixing it up with trustees thanks to FABGC, and we will continue, despite POA whisper campaigns and online mudslinging, to set and execute a positive agenda for the Village. While our opponents desper-

ately continue the false and insulting narrative that FABGC’s officers, candidates, and supporters are controlled by one man “behind the curtain,” we are proud of and will continue to focus on our ideas and all our candidates, determined men of significant accomplishment in Bruce Chester, Mike Sullivan, and Richard Williams and a Mayoral Candidate in current Trustee Mary Carter Flanagan who has achieved and earned the respect of so many during her time as Village Trustee, even including former political opponents. That’s leadership.

Now is not the time to change direction. The reasons to stay the course are many and significant.

Please VOTE ROW C --For a Better Garden City-- on March 21st at St. Paul’s Fieldhouse, 12pm to 9pm.

Richard F. Corrao, Jr., Executive Committee Member, FABGC

Experience matters

To the Editor:

We are supporting Cosmo Veneziale for Trustee. Experience matters, especially when we are faced with serious challenges, and Mayor Veneziale has a wealth of experience as a result of his two years as Mayor of the Village along with his decades long career as an architect and owner / principal of his own firm. His business skills have been vitally important to the positive resolution and cost savings of many Village issues.

Mayor Veneziale has a very successful track record over the last two years as our Mayor. He not only saved the Edgemere Fire House, but he saved the residents millions of taxpayer dollars with his plan for the firehouse vs the prior plan. He negotiated $6 million from the LIRR for enhanced landscaping for the Merrilon Ave train station. He established a group of highly professional residents,, all volunteer, to form the Committee on the Future of St Paul’s Main Building in order to bring this 30 year issue to a resident vote for restoration or demolition.

Currently, Cosmo is working diligently with Mayor’s of neighboring communities to form a consolidated effort against the Sands Casino proposal and the NYS Governor’s housing proposal, both of which threaten to change the Village dramatically! Just a few of his achievements.

Cosmo has the best interest of the Village residents foremost in his decisions. He is independent in his decision making and will not delegate his decision making to anyone else, a party platform or agenda. Cosmo has agreed to lend his valuable expertise for another two years on the BOT and we are happy to support him as Trustee and hope that you will as well!

Kate and Karl Schmidt

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From

Highest professionalism

To the Editor:

I wholeheartedly endorse Michele Harrington for Village Trustee. While the Village governance is growing more divisive, Michele brings the highest level of professionalism and respect for our neighbors which is sorely in need as Garden City faces a myriad of challenges including the proposed Sands Casino, the resolution of St. Paul’s, Governor Hochul’s Housing Proposals, the future of the Cathedral Property, and lead contamination in residential water.

Michele is a life-long resident who raised her family here and cares deeply about the future of our Village. She has been a leader and a dedicated neighbor over the years through coaching Centennials, teaching religious education at St. Joseph’s, and devoting countless hours volunteering for civic organizations like Twigs, the American Cancer Society, and the Estates Property Owners Association. At the same time, she has had a highly successful career as a Managing Director in credit sales.

Most recently, Michele arranged a discussion with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and residents on the future development within the Nassau County Hub. She has been instrumental as a member of the Mayor’s Committee on St Paul’s as well as serving admirably on the Village’s Economic Governance Committee. This is exactly the kind of experience, leadership and character we need to represent our Village. I urge my fellow neighbors to vote for Michele Harrington for Trustee on March 21.

John Reilly

Give residents a voice

To the Editor:

Frankly, I was not surprised to see Mayor Cosmo Veneziale’s letter in the Garden City News stating that he has not been “associated with FABGC since late 2021” given his questionable actions with other elected trustees this past year. However, it was in September 2022, a year after Veneziale says he broke from FABGC, that Cosmo Veneziale gave his final pitch to the FABGC Executive Board and several others to endorse him for Mayor, and that he should receive a $100,000 salary during his second term. Veneziale even argued that the Village Governance Committee should recommend it to the Board of Trustees. To make matters more personally uncomfortable, the Village Governance Committee is a committee that I chair. The Village Governance Committee unanimously and repeatedly refused this overture. I believe Cosmo’s repeated lobbying for a salary in a role that has traditionally been a volunteer role, combined with several other well-known actions of his,

were not consistent with the promises FABGC made to Garden City residents, nor our basic principles regarding integrity and transparency.

However, on a personal note, I need to take some responsibility for Veneziale. I have known and was a friend of his for 20 years. We once collaborated on an historical rehabilitation project in Manhattan. He was an excellent coach to one of my sons on a premier soccer team for many years. His actions, and mine, trying to keep him true to the FABGC platform have unfortunately destroyed a friendship. It has been particularly trying to have a friend say he was open-minded on the fate of St. Paul’s, help him run for Mayor on that basis, only to see him form what has turned out to be a biased and highly politicized 38-member “Save St. Paul’s” Committee---not what it was ever meant to or should be. The St Paul’s Committee was to be a Committee to present unbiased data and options to the residents for a vote. Not be an advocacy committee to save the building. Additionally, we have seen him ignoring procedures, ignoring other Trustees’ input, and most egregious, writing a secret letter to Trustee Mary Flanagan’s place of employment without Board approval or input, risking her livelihood after Village Counsel advised him not to and that it was inappropriate. While I can safely say I was unaware of his apparently pervasive autocratic tendencies, his current POA running mates, longtime POA insiders Judy Courtney and Michelle Harrington, have seen this same behavior and joined forces with him as a fellow Board of Trustee candidate. That is Judy and Michelle’s first indication on how the BOT will be run under a Mayor Courtney.

While I have a deep-felt philosophical belief that no group, POAs or otherwise, should be able to run the Village via sham elections, elect a Mayor with 119 votes while simultaneously bragging about open elections, I am rightfully proud of the thousands that vote now thanks to FABGC. I am proud we helped the independent Ed Finneran, after the POAs rejected his request to run on the CAP/POA ticket, get thru the paperwork, administrative issues, and timeline to run outside the POAs he once supported. (We do not support Ed, but we are for opening up the election process to anyone that wants to run). However, it has been at a personal cost. Veneziale and I have not spoken since Sept 2022 when I would not agree as the head of the Village Governance Committee to recommend a $100,000 salary to the Board of Trustees (not the end of 2021 as Veneziale claims).

Many know of the letters received at my house attacking my families’ ethnicity and a time-consuming effort to reform our government portrayed as a mad “power grab” to forever “con-

trol the Village” as a particular Estates POA Director and his surrogates like to post every 45 minutes or so on social media, unfairly depicting strong trustees as puppets controlled by a Wizard of Oz “man behind the curtain”. POA supporters have even begun sharing my confidential conversations and texts with Veneziale out of context to harm not just myself, but all FABGC. Please stop and consider just how desperate, truly dishonorable, and deceptive that is. Sharing personal texts out of context.

I sincerely felt Cosmo’s self-centered actions, pushing a salary and forsaking his campaign commitment on St. Paul’s, risked two years of hard work by many wonderful people, including myself. Make no mistake, the fights to have Cosmo uphold the FABGC principles he once ran on were extreme and nasty. His repeated belittling of Mary Flanagan, including telling her to “never speak at another meeting without his permission” again, were infuriating to me. So, I made very clear his behavior would “destroy FABGC” and everything we tried to achieve for the Village, and that I would do everything in my power to expose what had transpired.

This is an important election. I certainly do not want to be a distraction from four excellent candidates. If the CAP/POAs had strong and experienced candidates, they would be running on their credentials and the issues. Moreover, if the Village wants to return to four groups of unelected POA officials insisting they are the god-chosen gatekeepers of every single volunteer in the Village, then I urge you to vote for the non-FABGC candidates. Make no mistake, it will be a vote for a return to the days of selling off parkland vs. seeking more of it, a vote to cower and hide from fighting outside forces like the MTA that do not have our best interests at heart, a vote to fight handicapped parking and sue handicapped residents for daring to seek lawful accommodation, a vote to try to sell the beautiful GC Casino (Judy Courtney has made her opinion quite clear on that (https://www.gcnews.com/articles/trustees-have-difficult-jobs/ ), a vote to end the Andy Foundations and the Cathedral Nursery Schools of our Village, and for so many other threats that the CAP/POA Trustees regularly brought us as little as two years ago.

Some of us feel we have a right to deal with our government as taxpayers without being forced to go thru an unelected POA. If the beginning process of letting voters pick their leaders is a direction the Village wants to continue, then vote FABGC. I’m happy, and proud, that I have helped give residents choice and voice when it looked impossible to take on four POAs, the JCC, the Village Administration, and most challenging, the long-ensconced Village

legal counsel. Think about this, unlike any other Village, we have had decades of elections with less than 1% of the residents voting, while the POAs ironically sponsor Student Ambassadors to “teach our children civics.” In fact, someone should look at the percentage of POA Presidents’ and Trustees’ offspring that are awarded such scholarships with resident’s POA dues. While I’m sure each child was well deserving, does this not inform you on the strained character of such POA leadership? But, thru the POAs’ months and months of intentional misinformation, they have again purposefully attempted to make this election about one individual, Donald MacLeod, and not the four great candidates who have set the agenda that has been copied and adopted by all the other candidates involved, including standing up to Hochul’s illegal land grab, the development of the Cathedral, the Sands Casino, traffic calming, St. Paul’s, and others.

If the POAs had strong and experienced candidates, we would see them publicly campaigning together. Lacking in substance and qualifications, they have instead chosen a strategy of making it all about someone else. As for me, I could not be prouder of the FABGC founders and supporters that fought to give residents choice and voice against the longest of odds and opposition from a one-party POA monopoly that held total and sometimes vicious control over Village government for decades while masquerading as an apple pie civic organization.

Vote Row C, FABGC, on March 21st to preserve and further these and other incredible accomplishments to come.

Donald MacLeod, Co-Founder and Executive Committee Member, FABGC

Why you should vote

To the Editor:

The election for Mayor and three Trustee positions is this Tuesday, March 21. The stakes for Garden City residents have never been higher. Only 1 in 6 residents voted in last year’s election. It’s imperative to spell out all the reasons why you and your neighbors should vote.

• You should vote because it’s our right, gifted to us through the bravery and service of countless men and women.

• You should vote because low voter turnout means that important village issues are determined by just a small subset of the village’s population, and a single vote is statistically meaningful.

• You should vote because a vote is an expression of free speech.

• You should vote because a vote is a condemnation of cancel culture.

• You should vote because while

No Sideshows. No Petty Politics.

Too much time is being spent in village government bickering with each other rather than working together to solve problems.

We have a lot of issues ahead of us and I plan to devote all of my experience, expertise and energy to work collaboratively and do what’s best for our village.

I am currently a Managing Director at Imperial Capital. Over the years I’ve served on many village government committees and now serve as President of the Estates POA. I’m also involved in the Economic Governance and Future of St. Paul’s Committees.

We need to prepare for threats to our lifestyle and financial viability. Whether it’s the negative effect of the Sands Casino, Affordable Housing urbanizing our village or our eroding commercial tax base, these are serious issues and I plan to treat them that way.

H Michele Harrington/Trustee H Elect

The

From page 30

Community Agreement Party (CAP) candidates strive to be the voice of Garden City residents, FABGC is working to silence residents with differing opinions.

• You should vote because you can see that censorship on social media platforms by FABGC executives like Effie Campbell is blatant and wrong.

• You should vote because FABGC executives conduct ballot harvesting to drown out your voice and swing village elections to their favor. It is an undemocratic practice.

• You should vote because FABGC bullies business owners, village administrators, and residents – both in person and online – and you don’t want to be next.

• You should vote because you can see through the shiny, expensive print materials sent to thousands of homes and know that they are the work of a self-interested political party.

• You should vote because you can choose a Mayor with an extensive history and commitment to service (Judy Courtney) or a Mayor who is a pawn of a political party (Mary Carter Flanagan).

• You should vote because no matter the outcome of this election, Don MacLeod, the leader of the FABGC political party, will continue to exert power over the village through his acolytes Larry Marciano, Charlie Kelly, and Mary Carter Flanagan (who will still retain her trustee position for another year if not elected mayor). It’s dangerous for one unelected person to continue dictating policy for a village of over 23,000 residents.

• You should vote because your tax dollars are at stake, foremost with the St. Paul’s development. Proposed measures threaten to raise every resident’s village taxes by a double-digit percentage. When the decision about how high our taxes go is made, do you want a mayor that wants the residents to decide (Judy Courtney) or wants the FABGC political party leaders to decide (Mary Carter Flanagan)?

• You should vote because Governor Hochul’s proposal to give the State ownership of local zoning and the Sands Casino/Nassau Coliseum development could bring sweeping changes to Garden City. To protect our village’s interests, do you want to choose Community Agreement Party (CAP) candidates who rallied to inform residents of what’s happening and brought Country Executive Bruce Blakeman to speak with residents, or do you want FABGC candidates, who spend their time infighting and squandering valuable political capital?

• You should vote because you want to see transparency and ethics return to the village.

• You should vote because you can

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

see the quality of life here in Garden City is at risk.

• You should vote because you care.

The village election is this Tuesday, March 21 from 12pm to 9pm at the St. Paul’s Fieldhouse. Mark your calendar, make time in your schedule, and make the effort to vote.

You – and Garden City – deserve better.

Paul Dircks

Enthusiastic support

To the Editor:

We are writing to enthusiastically support our friend and candidate, Ed Finneran for Trustee.

Ed is running as an “Independent” candidate and his platform is clear:

• He believes the people of Garden City should ultimately decide what happens with St. Paul’s through a village wide vote;

• Ed is against the idea of putting a casino at the Nassau Coliseum site; and

• He believes the citizens of our village, rather than Albany politicians, should decide how our open property should be developed and where multi-family housing might belong in our town.

Ed is a trained attorney having served as a prosecutor in the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office and as a litigator in the private sector before transitioning to a successful career in finance.

Ed is Independent, he is retired and ALL IN on serving our community just as he has been in his career, numerous charitable causes and with his wife Mary of 39 years and their four sons Jake (GC volunteer FD), Jimmy, Emmet and Patrick.

Please vote for Ed on March 21 at St. Paul’s on the Unity and Common Sense line, Row “A” on the ballot.

John and Suzanne Blair

“Rock

To the Editor:

solid” leader

Mary Flanagan for Mayor is one of the reasons I wanted to join her as a GC Trustee.

She possesses a complete set of special traits and two of the most important are integrity and leadership.

She will be the kind of Mayor that inspires everyone who interacts with her and provide leadership to the BOT that has been sorely lacking, Mary approaches issues without a bias, has a clear handle on complex matters and knows how to achieve a goal.

On the issue of integrity, she is above reproach. Anyone who knows her, even in the slightest, knows she regards ‘doing what’s right’ as paramount. The attempt to impugn her by the outgoing mayor (not renominated for good and sufficient reasons) and his acolytes was purely partisan and vindictive. Their goal was solely to remove her as an

opponent. Didn’t work. Never could!

As for leadership, Mary Flanagan is what my mother would call ‘rock solid’. Never flashy, never self-serving, just getting it done with the best available information, fostered with a steady hand. Mary is the type to tackle hard, complex issues and come out with a common sense solution. Unlike her opponent, Mary addresses problems before they become crises, brings people together, and gets it done. While others have done little but wring their hands and talk, Mary has been in front on every important issue like the Hochul High Rise plan, the Sands Casino, the Environment to name just a few.

Integrity and Leadership are just two of the reasons, I am proud to be on a ticket for Trustee where Mary Flanagan is running for Mayor.

Richard Williams

Would be ideal Trustee

To the Editor:

I am writing my first ever letter to the editor to support Ed Finneran as an Independent Candidate for Garden City Village Trustee. My wife Marybeth and I have lived in town for over 50 years, raised our four children here and feel that Ed would be the ideal Trustee to tackle the critical issues that we are facing.

His platform theme of Unity and Common Sense comes at the perfect time as we are confronted with substantive issues such as bringing a Village wide vote on the future of St. Paul’s, potential pressure from the Governor on multi-family property/housing development and the Las Vegas Sands proposal for a mega-casino complex at the Nassau Coliseum site.

Ed and his wife Mary are long standing residents of Garden City and raised four sons here. His contributions to the community are extensive in serving on POA’s and village wide committees to benefit all residents of Garden City. Ed has all of the attributes (knowledge of the issues, experience and thoughtfulness) to work across party lines and do what is in the best interests of Garden City now and in the future. I wholeheartedly support Ed for Trustee as an Independent for the Village and hope you do too.

Kevin McCarthy

Fractured CAP ticket

To the Editor:

While Judy Courtney claims she will bring unity to the Board of Trustees, the fracture in the Community Agreement Party (“CAP”) ticket is already evident.

Members of Judy Courtney’s EPOA, while supporting Judy Courtney and Michele Harrington, are refusing to support their running mate, Cosmo Veneziale. It appears the candidates are not even willing to pose for a picture with Veneziale, and one EPOA director

stated in a Facebook comment that they are looking to distance themselves from Veneziale.

Less than a year ago, in this paper, Trustee Bruce Torino called out Judy Courtney for her “clearly partisan” criticism of Trustees for not engaging with the POAs. See https://www.gcnews. com/articles/represents-all-residents/. He referred to her complaints as “petty” and “disingenuous in the extreme,” and mocked her suggestion that “the Village has a separate and distinct class of POA residents.” He concluded his letter by stating “the lady doth protest too much.” How could Judy Courtney forget Torino’s very public and insulting letter, which one reader referred to as “pompous, obnoxious, belittling and sexist.” Does anyone really think that these two will be able to get along if Judy Courtney is mayor?

Judy, who has never even served on the Board of Trustees, would become easy prey for the deceitful and manipulative Veneziale and Torino. It’s just a matter of time before they send a letter to her employer.

Kevin Kiely

Dedicated leader

To the Editor:

Michele Harrington is a highly accomplished and dedicated community leader with extensive experience in public service. As a Garden City resident, she has been actively involved in various community initiatives and has demonstrated a deep commitment in improving the quality of life for all residents. Her professional background in business, combined with her passion for community service, make her an excellent candidate for the position of Village Trustee.

Michele’s strong leadership skills coupled with her ability to collaborate and engage with diverse groups of people, make her an ideal candidate to represent the needs and interests of the residents of Garden City. Her vision for a vibrant and sustainable community, coupled with her proven track record of delivering results, make her a standout candidate for this role. I strongly recommend Michele Harrington for the position of Village Trustee of the Village of Garden City.

Gary Limoncelli

Experience vital

To the Editor:

I have read with interest the data points I have seen about Judy Courtney’s commitment to her local Property Owners’ Association and the Village, and I commend her volunteer commitments to Garden City over the years.

I am concerned, however, that she is seeking the Board of Trustees leadership role as Mayor even though she

See page 34

FINNERAN FOR TRUSTEE

Unity and Common Sense

Where?

St. Paul’s Field House

When? March 21, 2023 Noon - 9pm

ROW A

on the ballot!

✓ Experience

✓ Passion

✓ Integrity

● Say NO to the Casino

● GC govern prop/devel always

● Village vote on St. Paul’s

● Address village traffic issues

● Ensure safe water for all

From

has never held a seat on the Board of Trustees. We should not overlook that we are currently experiencing the consequences of a similar situation.

Governor Hochul’s proposed Housing Compact poses an existential threat to our Village and many other villages and towns on Long Island. It needs to be addressed immediately and carefully. But at the same time, other important issues that we are relying on the Board and the incoming Mayor to help address for us will not be placed on pause.

Mary Carter Flanagan has already been serving on the Board for two years, and as this paper noted recently, “has, by all accounts, been working hard and doing a great job.” https://www. gcnews.com/articles/dont-attack-volunteers/.

With all due respect for what Ms. Courtney may bring to the role, we should not risk, at this very critical moment for the Village, electing a Mayor without proven village governance experience, and with a not-insignificant learning curve ahead.

Jennifer DiClerico

A choice and a voice

To the Editor:

For A Better Garden City (FABGC) was formed in 2020 to give the residents of Garden City a choice and a voice in their Village Board representation. At that time, it was clear to many that this was not being provided by POA trustees. From the beginning, FABGC has stood for and demanded trustee transparency and integrity. We search for the best people to represent the entire Village. We ask for open dialogue and for all the candidates on the FABGC platform to stay true to and deliver on the promises made on the important issues facing our Village. St. Paul’s continues to be one of these issues.

Trustee Bruce Torino and his fellow FABGC candidates promised to give the residents a voice in the decision of the future of St. Paul’s. All the candidates agreed to follow the results of a Villagewide vote on the fate of St. Paul’s, with this being the final decision after 30 years of POA indecision, inaction, and neglect.

Mr. Torino decided at the beginning of his tenure as trustee, however, that he was not going to honor what he and the other FABGC candidates had promised to the residents of Garden City: an open, fair, and transparent process and resident vote regarding St. Paul’s. In the August 25, 2022 edition of the Garden City News, Trustee Torino wrote the following regarding St. Paul’s:

“None of us are prescient, and thus only when an item is on the Board’s agenda will I consider the options offered. My vote on the agenda item will

be solely on what in my judgment is the best option for the village. This vote will be not only for this generation but also for those generations who may live here in the future.”

In doing so, Mr. Torino signaled that he was no longer going to adhere to what he and the other FABGC trustees had promised residents.

Additionally, Trustee Torino has failed to meaningfully respond to questions over his possible involvement in the letter written by Mayor Veneziale to Trustee Mary Carter Flanagan’s employer suggesting she may have significant conflicts of interest. Instead, Mr. Torino stated that the community “could remain curious” about his potential role in that shameful letter’s drafting. His behavior at the BOT meeting where this letter was discussed was rather telling as he sat uncharacteristically silent in his seat with his head down.

Mr. Torino’s actions have been concerning to FABGC so it’s not with any great surprise to see that he now endorses the POA party that once passed over him to represent their platform. Contrary to what Trustee Torino stated, “Since the Trustee from CPOA was running for re-election I agreed to stand for election as a FABGC candidate in 2022,” we understand the Central POA did not have an incumbent candidate but instead simply chose to run a candidate other than Mr. Torino.

FABGC continues to support quality candidates who want to volunteer to serve our beautiful Village, regardless of POA or any other membership. We seek honest, hard-working people who are good communicators and only want the best for our Village and its residents. Please join us in supporting Mary Carter Flanagan for Mayor, Bruce Chester, Mike Sullivan, and Richard Williams for Trustees on Tuesday, March 21st at St. Paul’s Fieldhouse.

VOTE Row C for FABGC!

“Let’s Get Things Done!”, and I’m confident that they will help carry on the distinguished legacy of Garden City.

Brian A. Pinnola

Expertise matters

To the Editor:

Thank you to all the candidates for Village office. You have given us something we lacked for too long: a choice.

As we approach the Village elections, it is important that voters consider what each candidate “brings to the table” in terms education, professional experience and expertise.

The Village and county face a series of proposals that would irrevocably change both if they become reality. The future of St Paul’s is a minor one, by comparison. The Governor’s housing plan, for example, involves a myriad of legal issues ranging from constitutional to zoning, the Casino raises issues from environmental to zoning.

Trustees must demonstrate that they have the education and expertise to deal with these issues, to know what questions to ask, what tactics to employ, and to understand the complex legal and regulatory framework in which these issues will undoubtedly be litigated and ultimately resolved. The four FABGC candidates have published detailed bios that demonstrate that they have the professional and educational background needed on the BOT at this time.

Most notably, the FABGC candidate for Mayor, Mary Carter Flanagan, as an attorney and judge, is uniquely qualified for that crucial role. Elections must be more than popularity contests. Winning a seat on the BOT should not be based on a record of volunteerism alone. I urge residents to take a few minutes and compare what each candidate brings to the Trustee table before voting. And for the record, I know none of the FABGC candidates personally.

Linda Ryan

Someone who listens

youth sports programs in the Village is demonstrated by the long hours he has put in over the years. I know that he is committed to putting that same level of effort into fighting to help keep Garden City the Village that my wife and I fell in love with and chose as the town to raise our family.

I support Mike Sullivan for Village Trustee and would encourage my friends and the broader community to support him as well. Since I have known Mike, he has shown himself to be someone who listens to and respects the opinions of others, and would collaborate with the other trustees to tackle these challenging issues that threaten our Village.

Keith Cooper

Smart, inclusive, transparent

To the Editor:

I have known Michele Harrington as a life-long Garden City neighbor, fellow college alum, and dear friend.

She is one of the most kind, ethical, and productive women I know. Her devotion to her family, friends, career, school communities and our Estates POA over the years has been truly impressive. She manages all of these commitments with integrity, a high energy level and an optimistic, positive outlook.

Michele will bring a deep love of Garden City, strong business acumen, an open mind and a generous heart to our Village Board. I strongly urge everyone who desires smart, effective, inclusive, transparent Village government to come out on March 21st and vote for Michelle Harrington!

Rachel Cashwell

Return BOT to all residents

To the Editor:

Vote C-H-V

To the Editor:

Kevin

Kieley, FABGC Executive Committee

I encourage my friends, neighbors, and the residents of our beautiful village to vote for Judy Courtney for Mayor, and Michelle Harrington and our current Mayor Cosmo Veneziale for Trustees. Both Judy and Michelle have vast experience working with the Village on numerous issues, and Mayor Veneziale as a licensed architect has saved our Village hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result of his oversight on several Village construction and capital projects.

As I’ve said numerous times over many years before different Village Boards, we don’t want our unique Village to turn into “Anytown USA”.

The theme of the three candidates is

To the Editor:

With all of the important issues that are facing the Village these days - Gov. Hochul’s mandate to put “high density” housing within one-half mile of local train stations, LV Sands trying to build a casino on the Nassau Hub property, and reaching a resolution on the future of St. Paul’s - it’s critical to have people involved who have demonstrated a commitment to volunteerism AND who take a broad perspective on finding solutions that serve a majority. When it is so hard these days to find qualified volunteers to step-up and get involved, Garden City is fortunate to have someone like Mike Sullivan as a candidate for Village Trustee.

My wife and I have known Mike and his family since we moved to Garden City 11 years ago. His passion for volunteering, particularly in the various

A vote for Judy Courtney for Mayor would bring to that job two highly important qualities: a wealth of experience and knowledge gained through many years volunteering her services in the interest of GC residents, and a willingness to work with all residents for the benefit of the village. This openness and non-partisanship are sorely needed on the current Board of Trustees.

Mary Carter Flanagan will remain on the BOT even if she loses her race for mayor. That’s because she has one year left to serve as a trustee. She did not resign that position when she decided to run for mayor.

On Tuesday, March 21, vote Judy Courtney for Mayor on the Community Agreement Party (CAP) line. Return the BOT to all the residents.

Christine Mullaney

Williams is best candidate

To the Editor:

See page 36

THANK YOU

Thank you to the selfless group of concerned residents that have formed to volunteer your professional skills and countless hours while asking for nothing in return except good governance.

Thank you for generous donations, all coming from individual Garden City residents.

Thank you to the current and former Village Trustees, Mayors and POA directors, from all over the village for coming out in support of choice.

We are overwhelmed by the enormous support we have received from so many of our fellow residents that have indicated they will be voting Row C on March 21. We appreciate your confidence in us and our efforts to achieve good governance for the Village of Garden City and look forward to serving.

Richard Williams Trustee

Mary Carter Flanagan Mayor

Mike Sullivan Trustee

Bruce Chester Trustee

From page 34

endorsement of our father for Trustee of Garden City. We know our father better than anyone else, and we can confidently say that he is the best candidate for this important role.

Our family has a long history in Garden City. All five of us - Jeanne, John, Dennis, Kimberly, and Kaitlynwere raised here, and we now raise our own families here too. Garden City is our home, and we care deeply about its future.

Our father is a dedicated and passionate candidate whose extensive business experience and management has always been centered on putting his family and community first. He has 17 grandchildren, and his hope is to provide them with a better community. We know that he will work tirelessly to achieve this goal.

We are proud of our father’s stance against the Sands casino and his opposition to the reckless overdevelopment plans for Nassau County. He understands the importance of preserving the character and integrity of Garden City, which is what makes this community so special.

Furthermore, we support your father’s focus on revenue and business development to reduce resident tax pressures. He knows how important it is to find creative solutions that benefit the community as a whole, while ensuring that Garden City remains an affordable place to live for families.

We ask that you join us in supporting Richard Williams for Trustee of Garden City. He is a dedicated and passionate candidate who will work faithfully to make Garden City a stronger and more sustainable community for all current and future residents.

Jeanne Williams, John Williams, Dennis Williams, Kimberly Pellish, Kaitlyn Ienna

Hochul’s plans may change

To the Editor:

This past Tuesday, Senator Kevin Thomas called me from his Albany budget meeting to inform me of Governor Hochul’s latest housing initiative. Senator Thomas advised me of the concerted effort of the Mayors and his office have moved the Governor’s housing plan to potentially provide incentives to those villages and towns who seek to develop housing. Senator Thomas explained he is hopeful a modified plan from Governor Hochul will be made that will offer incentives to Towns and Villages who seek to build housing. I continue to follow-up on this very important issue as it develops further. We remain vigilant.

Cosmo Veneziale Mayor, Village of Garden City

Support Mary Flanagan

To the Editor:

I have known Mary Carter Flanagan for decades. As a librarian at the library, I met thousands of residents. I got to know Mary and her wonderful children as she worked to help them to learn. By my observations of her interactions with both her children and many residents, I came to regard her as a person of unmatched kindness and generosity to all. Her caring nature obviously springs from a place deep within her and is part of who she is. I am happy to support her for Mayor on Tuesday. Trustee Flanagan has done great work over the past two years as a Trustee of the Village. Her work on improving the environment in the village and on structuring a remedy for the lead in water problem has been transformational for residents. Her openness to resident input and transparency on all issues has helped to move village government in a direction that is a wonderful change for all residents.

Please support Trustee Flanagan for Mayor on Tuesday.

Margaret Kelly

Vote to Ed Finneran

To the Editor:

I have known Ed for over thirty years. My daughter, Bridget babysat for the Finneran children. Ed has always been a great citizen of our beautiful Village and he will be a wonderful custodian of its traditions and a protector of the future preservation of the place we call home.

It is my honor to endorse Ed for Trustee in the upcoming election on March 21 at Saint Paul’s Field House.

Ed’s background in Law and Finance will make him a great asset to the village as our newest Trustee.

Please vote on March 21st.

Richard Hay

Vote Row C

To the Editor:

I am writing in support of Trustees Mary Carter Flanagan and Bruce Chester running on Row C. As the father of three young boys, having seen the progress brought to the village by the hard work of these two village trustees, I am happy to lend my support to their candidacies. I hope everyone will join me in voting Row C on Tuesday. Thank you.

Ray Salinas

Invaluable resource

To the Editor:

I write to enthusiastically voice my support for Ed Finneran, who is an Independent Candidate for Trustee in the March 21st Village Election. Ed and his wife, Mary, are 36 year residents of Garden City where they raised their four incredible sons. Ed has a long history of involvement in community affairs, hav-

ing served on his POA for over 20 years. Ed’s background in law and finance will be an invaluable resource for our Village. Please give Ed your support this upcoming Election Day.

John Gibbons

Gets the job done

To the Editor:

To get the LIRR out of town, we must re-elect Bruce Chester. Bruce has worked tirelessly with a group of residents to ensure that the LIRR finishes the job on the Merillon Avenue station and other projects in a way that reduces its impact on the neighborhood. Prior to his election, the Board of Trustees composed of CAP members were literally “railroaded” by the LIRR. The monster poles are the lasting monument to their ineptitude. Bruce ran on the issue and lead the charge to get the job done. We need him now more than ever to make sure that the LIRR lives up to its promises to complete the plantings and to force the LIRR to add the baffles to reduce the light pollution it caused. As fiscal conservative, Bruce will work to keep the LIRR from charging the village for fixing its mistakes. Let’s give Bruce two more years to get the job done!

Peter J. Tomao

Major disappointment

To the Editor:

I ran two years ago on the FABGC ticket with Cosmo Veneziale. The first seven months we worked together on the third track project. We got the contractor 3TC to stop his workers from parking on the grass along Main Ave.. We had a number of difficult meetings with the LIRR, but it finally culminated in a meeting with the LIRR President and from that came the agreement to get the trees that were eventually planted along Main Ave., Strawberry Field, and Greenridge Ave.

In June, Sweet Hollow Nurseries who were assigned by the LIRR to do the planting, started working. I along with my neighbor, Paul Rothenbiller supervised the work from the start. It continued throughout the summer until early fall. We made sure the planting was done with the best trees we could get. At that time Cosmo’s focus was on the Denton Ave. Bridge and the design he provided for the railroad.

As time went on it seemed that Cosmo resented the fact that Paul and I were so involved in supervising the planting. He actually told the head of the MTA/LIRR part of the project not to talk to me. This was my first taste of Cosmo’s dictatorial style that had upset most of the other Trustees. I’m the Chairman of the 3rd Track Committee and he does this? That didn’t stop me from continuing to monitor the plantings.

The Main Ave. project was the next hurdle I had to climb with Cosmo. The project was designed by Paul and Village

Engineer John Borroni. The purpose was to put the two islands together at Euston Road and extend the road out further down to block the station lights. Cosmo resisted letting the project go through even though the Board had approved it. In addition, the LIRR project head said this was the perfect project to be reimbursed by the Community Benefit Fund. After six months, I finally forced it to go through. The project has come along very well.

The St. Paul’s committee was put together by Cosmo. This shouldn’t have been a secret committee but yet it was for the first seven months. Cosmo didn’t allow any Trustees other than Bruce Torino to any of the meetings. It took the rest of the Board to finally say we all want to be involved in the committee. On January 20th Westerman Construction met with the whole Board, which was recorded on the Village website. Mr. Westerman was hired to do a Cost Estimator for St. Paul’s. It was an informative meeting in which Adaptive Re-Use, Facadism, and Demolition were discussed. When the meeting was concluded I spoke to some of the other Trustees and decided to go into the Executive Room to get a bottle of water. To my surprise sitting in the room were Cosmo, Bruce Torino, Lloyd Westerman, and Village employees Ralph Suozzi and Giuseppe Giovaniello. Why was there a need for a private meeting? What were they discussing that the rest of the Trustees couldn’t hear? How many other secret meetings have been over the past two years? A meeting like this, which was clearly at Cosmo’s direction makes it difficult to trust what is coming out of the St. Paul’s committee.

The final straw that has led me to write this letter was what happened to Trustee Mary Carter-Flanagan. Cosmo used expired Village stationery to send a letter to Trustee Flanagan’s employer. The letter questioned whether she should be able to run for Mayor or to actually be a Trustee. He did this letter without the other Trustees knowledge. The letterhead had Trustees names on it who were no longer on the Board. Ms. Flanagan’s employer was the NY State Workers Compensation Board where she is a judge. The letter could have cost Mary her job.

These incidents clearly make Cosmo Veneziale untrustworthy. I thought he would be a good Mayor. He hasn’t been. He’s been a major disappointment.

Bruce

Chester,

Trustee, Village of Garden City Election deep thoughts

To the Editor:

In a village where elections routinely averaged as few as 100-400 votes, things have certainly changed since 2021.

See page 38

experience yields results

In his two years as Mayor, Cosmo Veneziale has brought his experience as an Architect to his work for the village. As the Principal of his own firm, he has years of experience negotiating with various government agencies and major developers.

He has also brought his expertise in design and cost savings to all the infrastructure projects in the village. As a resident of the village for 30 years, he brings his understanding of the character, values and quality of life of all our residents.

Saved Edgemere Fire House

H

Formed Mayor’s Committee on St Paul’s, Village Governance Committee and Business Development Committee

H

Negotiated $6 Million Enhanced Landscaping for Merillon Avenue Station with LIRR

H

Negotiated Long Term Licensing Agreement for Garden City Casino

H

Oversight of Multiple Infrastructue Improvements

H

Instituted Increased Traffic Enforcement

H

Organized Master Plan for Fire Safety

H cosmo Veneziale / trustee H Re-Elect

Let’s Get Things Done!

Village Hall

Denton Avenue Bridge

Previously, the Community Agreement Party was the only game in town with largely uncontested elections merely ratifying the candidates offered up by each Property Owners Association (POA). Re-election was virtually a guarantee, regardless of the actual Board decisions made in sparsely attended meetings. When there are no choices, there is no reason to run a campaign, to write letters to the editor explaining positions, or to speak publicly. As a result, Garden City residents as a whole were consistently kept in the dark about the Board’s priorities or policy alternatives or external threats to the village unless they dutifully showed up at 7 PM or 8 PM POA meetings.

That changed in 2021, when the For a Better Garden City (FABGC) Party emerged following a particularly odious four years of BOT decisions. Contrary to the portrayals of certain letter writers or candidates for various elections, FABGC was not created by some shadowy figure. It was organized by many Garden City residents across the village who were sick and tired of BOT representatives and POA leadership that made imperious decisions with predictable, as well as unintended, consequences to broad swaths of the village without allowing for public debate.

The MTA’s monster poles debacle represented perhaps the most ignominious and permanently damaging example of the 2020 Board’s pallid and limp representation of its constituents. The Estates POA had routinely renominated a trustee whose ill-considered private email exchanges with Third Track representatives (obtained only via Freedom of Information Law requests) had opened the door for those variances in utility pole placement, which now stand as 120’ long steel middle fingers aimed at Garden City residents. The Estates POA leadership neglected to support Estates property owners (!) in protesting the clear violation of the MTA’s own commitments laid out in the 2017 Final Environmental Impact Statement and, instead, opted to publish on its own website the offensive and arrogant Newsday interview given by Janno Lieber in June 2020. The 2020 BOT consisted entirely of POA-endorsed trustees and decided not to reflect village interests for fear of crossing Andrew Cuomo. Needless to say, hundreds of homeowners and thousands of residents across the Estates were baffled and furious at the Board’s inaction.

Some other of the former POAdominated BOT’s greatest hits included the same aforementioned trustee’s diatribe against the historic and self-funded Garden City Casino (which predates the village by 24 years) and his threats to sell the same to the Garden City Hotel; the elimination of paid firefight-

ers on short-notice with little to no public debate; the expenditure of $100,000 in fighting handicapped parking on Seventh Street; the dubious expenditure of $400,000 in creating a third parking lot at Stewart Field, undermining the quality-of-life for Raymond Court residents; the proposed demolition and rebuilding of the Edgemere Firehouse; the summary cessation of a lease for the Cathedral Nursery School.

In the past two village elections in 2021 and 2022, voters clearly voiced their preferences as all FABGC-endorsed candidates outpolled POA-endorsed candidates for each seat on the Board.

Village issues have been prominently discussed and debated in GC News and online. Most importantly, voter turnout has been impressively high for these two elections, which is a testament to democracy over mere formalities.

Contrary to the myth of uniformity, the trustees from FABGC have had healthy and, occasionally, loud debates about various village issues. Unlike prior POA-dominated Boards, the public has been given extended time to voice their concerns, opinions, and pleadings during BOT meetings without the need for police escorts out. (Yes, that was an actual thing in 2020 under the POAdominated Board.) Trustees and the Village Administrator have made themselves available at various Meet-andGreet events open to all villagers, not just sectional POA meetings.

Indeed, there have been some clear wins for the village over the past two years: the re-greening of impacted areas along the Third Track; a long-term lease for the Garden City Casino, with requirements for repairs and maintenance; improved and timely cleanup after the Friday Night Promenades; adaptive roadwork and landscaping to reduce the noise and sound pollution emanating from the Third Track; investments to improve Village water quality after many years of concerns about 1,4-Dioxane and other contaminants; resident-responsive changes to restore quality-of-life to Raymond Court; and highly transparent and open hearings for the Environmental Advisory and Traffic Boards.

Of course, there remain some prominent and ongoing issues: what to do with St. Paul’s; how best to respond to Gov. Hochul’s ill-advised and colossally tone-deaf Housing Compact; how best to challenge the proposed gambling development at the site of the Nassau Coliseum.

Most FABGC trustees and nominees have committed to adhere to whatever the voters decide on St. Paul’s future. Each option—demolition, extensive renovation/repurposing, and façade/ new structure—has meaningful costs to implement, but after thirty years of inaction, we are finally arriving at a decision point for the Village to move

forward. Resident voters and taxpayers deserve to have their choice respected and honored.

Mayoral candidate and Trustee Mary Carter Flanagan organized a meeting with various community and civic leaders to discuss how best to address the outrageous Hochul housing plan. As noted in a recent Newsday article (Hochul’s Dense Housing Plan, March 7), this “transit-oriented” development plan could have a NYS Board override local zoning decisions for suburbs within 15 miles of NYC borders to mandate permits allowing at least 50 housing units per acre within a ½ mile radius of an MTA transit stop. Given that there are five such stops in Garden City, this presents a tremendous threat to neighborhoods, greenspace, quality-of-life, and tax burdens. Remember that there are 640 acres in a square mile. Do the math and see if these numbers—multiples in excess of the population density of Queens County today—would be appropriate for village-funded water, road, fire department, police department, and school infrastructure.

Remember how the POA-nominated trustee (and former mayor) and the Estates POA caved to a former Governor and MTA leader on the Third Track? Who represents the Village on such issues matters a lot.

In stark contrast to his POA predecessor, FABGC-endorsed Trustee Bruce Chester has been a forceful advocate for property owners and residents in re-greening impacted areas in the Estates and Western section and for fiscal responsibility.

Mayoral candidate and FABGCendorsed Mary Carter Flanagan has been a highly accessible and engaged representative on a multitude of issues, including for those residents dealing with potential quality-of-life issues near the Country Life Press station.

FABGC-endorsed candidates Richard Williams and Michael Sullivan are longtime residents who are committed to the transparency and quality-of-life issues that have been hallmarks of the BOT since 2021.

For voters who value process over results, POA appearances over village-wide Meet-and-Greets, rotation of Mayors over contested elections, and genuflection to NYS governors, presumably the old guard of the Community Agreement Party will appeal to you.

For voters who value voter participation, responsiveness to quality-of-life issues, fiscal conservatism, and forceful advocacy for our Village against bureaucratic encroachment, the choice is clear. On March 21, 2023, vote Row C for the FABGC-endorsed candidates for the BOT: Mary Carter Flanagan for Mayor and Bruce Chester, Richard Williams, and Michael Sullivan for Trustee.

James Kumpel

Disappointing non-response

To the Editor:

I see that not one candidate for Trustee/Mayor unequivocally stated his or her position on St. Paul’s demolition.

Each one essentially said that he or she will wait for the referendum of the village, which is nothing more than, again, kicking the can down the road; not only because we have to wait for the referendum, we don’t even know what alternatives the residents will have to vote on in the referendum.

The last “referendum” a number of years ago, showed favoritism towards demolition if read properly, but I guess some people didn’t like it.

Can someone or some group at least explain in detail the proposed referendum, the alternatives, and how the votes will be allocated, i.e. complete demolition, partial demolition with façade, no demolition with improvements, etc.

Again, God bless all.

Ray McRory

Streamlined process

To the Editor:

The Traffic Process in the Village of Garden City has certainly not been hijacked as Mr. Ilardi claims. In fact, it has been vastly improved in addressing traffic for the entire Village. In the current process, the BOT has given the residents direct access to the Traffic Commission. It is no longer necessary for residents to go through the POAs to have traffic issues addressed. A civic organization should not be deciding if residents’ traffic concerns are important enough to be brought to the Traffic Commission.

The Traffic Commission is empowered by the BOT to address all matters of traffic safety affecting the Village. We meet on a regular basis, in meetings open to all Garden City residents to address any concerns regarding the state of Village traffic. We work directly with the Police Commissioner, the head of the DPW, and other village staff to best meet the Village’s traffic needs. As part of the BOT, we have a responsibility to the Village residents to act in their best interest. Hence, we are studying traffic in all areas of the Village instead of just focusing on one section.

Currently, the Traffic Commission is working on a Traffic Calming Study for the entire village. We have engaged the engineering firm Creighton Manning and have formed Community Action Committees for each section. We have reached out directly to the residents to seek their input and include them in the process. The Traffic Calming Study meetings are in person and on Zoom and all residents are invited to participate.

Let’s also be clear that we actively work with Commissioner Jackson and

See page 40

We Can’t Afford Waffling and Obstruction

Haven’t we seen what happens when Trustees won’t work together for a common purpose?

We’re now witnesses to a village government that has been hijacked by one party.

They serve one man’s agenda and the result has been paralysis and frustration.

It’s time for Decisive, Independent Leadership.

I’ve been a member of the Eastern Property Owner’s Association (EPOA) for many years, having served as a Director for nine years, Vice-President and President.

During my time as President, I emphasized openness and inclusivity, increasing the number of public meetings and revising the by-laws to allow for greater participation in choosing candidates.

If we’re going to succeed in fighting the Sands Casino development, the loss of control over local zoning, as well as the continuing erosion of our commercial tax base, we need to put aside the politics.

We have many talented people in our village and of one thing I’m certain. We are strongest when we work together and, as Mayor, I will dedicate myself to make that happen.

Past President, Eastern Property Owners Association Member, Recreation Commission Member of GC Mobility Impaired Committee Chief Human Resources Officer, New York Interconnect

the Police Department when making any decision on changing traffic controls. Regarding the traffic light at Clinton Road and Garden Street, Commissioner Jackson has been directly involved and has advised on traffic patterns and speed. This proposal was not made in isolation as Mr. Ilardi alleges.

Lastly, during the recent meeting with Nassau County we learned that the Village has the authority to regulate truck traffic on Clinton Road along with any other roads in the Village. I don’t think that this law has changed within the last two years. There have been complaints from residents on Clinton Road dating back almost 10 years. Why was this issue not handled by the EPOA and better yet the EPOA Traffic Commission and raised to the BOT over that time? Did the EPOA Traffic Commission ignore the requests from the residents? Did the EPOA Traffic Commission not do their due diligence? The bottom line is the EPOA underserved the people they are supposed to represent and allowed an identified situation to persist. Now that we have clarity of what can be done we are going to review the rest of the roads in the area to assess the impact on all of them before making any changes.

Yes, the Traffic Process has changed. It has been streamlined with the residents of the Village being able to attend open meetings with decision makers who can affect change.

Larry Marciano, Trustee, Village of Garden City

Report amounts “adjusted”

To the Editor:

Westerman Construction, the Village’s appointed estimator for providing cost estimates for the St Paul’s building, provided a report dated March 8, 2023 to the Village’s administrators. Unfortunately, the report was not posted on the Village’s website and was only made available to selected members of the St Paul’s Committee (“Committee”). The report which provided cost estimates for demolition, rehabilitation and façadism was then largely ignored by the Committee in its Town Hall meeting held on March 13th (and, if I may say so, poorly communicated to residents).

Westerman’s report provided cost estimates of $17 million for demolition, $49 million for rehabilitation and $46 million (or $106 million with an attached building) for façadism. For all three options, the report provides more opportunity for questioning than solid information. For example the demolition estimate apparently includes a substantial amount for saving “key architectural details” without defining what is being saved and how much additional cost is to be incurred. (How about telling us what simple demolition with a

wrecking ball would cost?) Regarding rehabilitation, the $49 million price apparently only provides for stabilizing the building and updating its mechanical (plumbing, electric, heating etc.) systems. (How about telling us what use can the structure provide?)

At the Town Hall, Westerman’s estimates were adjusted to show $33 million for demolition ($16 million for a park), $106 million for rehabilitation (apparently to include all of the Use Committee’s proposals to fit out the building) and $126 million for façadism (unclear how $106 million grew to $126 million).

The good news is that residents will soon have the opportunity to replace the Village’s officials who may have the good sense to demolish the building as efficiently as possible.

George Kane

St. Paul’s cost analysis

To the Editor:

The Mayor and Mr McDonough have stated that they want to have an affordable cost for this project. They have never defined “affordable.” At last nights “show & tell” one of the examples had a cost of $106,445,000 which did not include many costs yet to be determined.

Mr. Mulrooney did calculations and determined that the annual debt service would be $7,732,000 and indicated this would be an annual cost of $1,105 for the average taxpayer. Are you an average taxpayer? I prefer to be more specific. If your GC tax bill shows the the full market value of $1,000,000 your taxes would be $6,900. The tax levy f/y/e 5/31/2023 was $53,274,000. An increase of $7,732,000 in taxes would increase the tax levy to $61,006,000. This would be an increase 14.5% Your new taxes would now be $7,900. An increase of $1,000.

Does this seem affordable to you? I suggest that you prepare a list of better ways to spend a $1,000.

Robert Wolff

Not unrelated events

To the Editor:

How does a political action in Albany have any connection whatsoever with a strictly local matter in Garden City?What we have here is the undesirable possibility of being forced to allow our local zoning laws to be steamrolled by the Albany Leviathan.

That being bad enough, we a have a local group attempting to execute St.Pauls, one of the last historical structures remaining to remind us of why we are special. At the same time we are eliminating St. Pauls, Albany will be seeking a place to erect new high rise low and middle income housing within half a mile from a railroad station. Is the picture starting to form now? We could be providing Albany with ideal sites for their Queens Blvd. style housing. All of

you tear it down advocates, just imagine a little bit of Queens Blvd. on the corner of Stewart Ave and you all can take all of the credit.

Not possible? Think again. Now you know why these two seemingly unrelated events could change our community forever.

Richard Dolan

St. Paul’s: An enigma

To the Editor:

Please inform me if anyone knows whether or not the first phase pertaining to St. Paul’s, which is stabilization, was ever completed. I asked about that last year’s BOT meeting and I was told by Mr. Suozzi that the stabilization phase has stopped due to a lack of funds. He explained that additional funds were necessary to repair the roof which depleted resources in continuing that phase of the project.

Now during Monday’s meeting, 3/13/2023, Westerman predicted that the cost of adaptive reuse is $49,526287 (phase 1). When I asked what was phase 2 and its potential costs I was never given a straight answer. Now according to this adaptive analysis report, it states that adaptive use can only be achieved when the building had been fully restored before adaptive reuse can begin. So where will the $49,526,287 be directed, fully restore the building, or adaptive reuse, it just doesn’t seem that it could be for both since there doesn’t seem to be a plan for overall reuse.

When the village had first set up the timeline for St. Paul’s, the second phase was supposed to be abatement, which I assume has never been started. Abatement is defined as the process of safely removing hazardous materials from a structure or encapsulating it in such a way that it no longer poses a threat to public safety and health.

These evaluations, observations, and recommendations are all part and parcel of an environmental impact study (EIS) which should be performed before the abatement begins. After all, that’s what the environmental impact study does, it identifies and recommends ways of proper removal and disposal of all hazardous materials as required by the EPA, State and local health codes. I believe that it would be good to know what needs to be abated according to and complying with the (EIS) study before the village pays for abatement which might not prove to be adequate and would need to be done over requiring additional village funds to the overall cost.

Bob Orosz

Protest Hochul’s policies

To the Editor:

Trustee Carter Flanagan (GC News, March 10) “[says] residents can call or email Village of Garden City officials to voice their opposition to Gov.

Hochul’s [housing] proposal.” I would further suggest that the governor’s office be flooded with letters (yes, paper, signature, envelopes,) from All those opposing this proposed degradation. On February 11, I took such action. Herewith the letter I sent the governor, while copying GC’s assemblyman, state senator, the county executive, and The TOH Supervisor. Is taking the time for such an endeavor worth it? Every citizen has an obligation to judge and respond for himself.

Governor Hochul:

“The criminal-coddling bail “reform” laws, which you have in no meaningful way addressed, have greatly contributed to New York emerging as a “top exodus” state. According to the USPS, in 2021, only California (no surprises here) surpassed New York in families fleeing from their former homes.

“Now, the rot that is New York City and the state’s other urban areas, you wish to carry to the state’s suburbs, none of which gave you a majority vote in last year’s election. How? All through your ‘urbanization’ plan. Where would this lead? It would lead to, in no uncertain terms, the rapid (and rabid) deterioration of the suburbs resulting in a further flight of the state’s tax base. That’s some social justice!

“It is my sincere desire that this destructive and capricious plan be stopped in its tracks. Stopped dead in its tracks. And from the “buzz,” vibe, and outrage I hear expressed in listening to fellow homeowners, it must be. This assiduous indulging of the left just has to stop.

“Not In My Back Yard? You can bet on it. And bet on it big time.

And you can, with certitude, stake your personal political future on it, too.”

Anthony Parks

Thanks for support

To the Editor:

There are so many people to thank for the success of Hoops for Hope this year that I am afraid to write this letter because I will leave people out. But I am going to try. It was an incredible afternoon that came together for so many reasons.

As soon as I reached out to anyone to ask for help they said yes. All of the schools are so supportive. Principal Steingreubner made sure we had everything we needed. Athletic Director Ramirez jumped on board to help. Mr. Samuelson at GCMS sent a bus of students to the event and asked that everyone wear Garden City colors that day. Mrs. Madden organized a crew of volunteers and brought a huge indoor basketball hoop game. Stewart and Stratford students made posters that lined the gym. Primary principals helped to promote it. The fact that everyone through-

See page 44

On

Why Row C

Much has been said about FABGC in the last couple of weeks, and I hope you don’t fall for the campaign rhetoric. If you know me, Mike Sullivan, Bruce Chester or Richard Williams, you know the passion we have for the village and that we will work tirelessly to protect the quality of life and strong sense of community that make Garden City so special. You know we are honest and straight forward, and that we are all our own people and not controlled by any party or person. We will always listen to residents and act in the best interests of the village. Our village needs strong advocates now more than ever as we face the threats of a Las Vegas Sands Casino just a mile from our border and an unprecedented attempt to take over our local zoning. We also need strong leadership committed to complete transparency to bring to a community vote the issue of the St. Paul’s Main Building. If these things matter to you, vote ROW C.

As others have said, governing isn’t easy, and I have learned this first hand. But I have also learned how important local government is to communities, and how critical it is to have leaders committed to serving the community.

Changes over Last Two Years

Two years ago we heard residents angry with how leaders spoke to residents at meetings. We have worked to change that. We heard residents upset over a lack of transparency about BOT decisions whether it was the Edgemere Firehouse or the Garden City Casino. We have worked hard to be more transparent with residents and to support community organizations like the Garden City Casino which received the long term license agreement after we were elected. We heard complaints that the BOT was pushing organizations out of town in an attempt to raise revenue, and not recognizing the value these organizations bring to our community. That has not happened since FABGC leaders were elected. We heard residents upset with the practice of no bid contracts. We have opposed that and when we saw Cosmo Veneziale falling into the same bad practice, we have spoken up. We heard residents frustrated with the Village’s handling of traffic complaints. Residents often had no idea where to go with traffic complaints, and the response seemed to depend on which POA you were in and how they felt about your particular request. As other villages were hiring experts and studying traffic village-wide, we had a broken system where band aids were being put on problems and complete and accurate information on traffic was not making its way to many residents. Through efforts of the FABGC trustees, we are moving towards finally addressing traffic village-wide and with expert advice.

Working Together for GC

I have always recognized the importance of working with my colleagues on the Board of Trustees and it has never mattered to me whether someone ran as a FABGC candidate or a POA candidate. I know that we are better working together. During my first year as a trustee, when Cosmo Veneziale attempted to delay the vote on the Village’s opt out from the marijuana sales law, I joined with Trustee John Delaney (not a FABGC member) to move the matter towards a vote. We both knew this issue was important to residents, and we worked together for the Village.

When Veneziale suggested that the Village Treasurer be added to the audit committee, I listened to the objections of Trustee Colleen Foley (not a FABGC member), and I joined with her and other POA candidates to vote the measure down. I have always recognized that what matters most is making decisions that are in the best interests of the Village.

I don’t just talk about transparency, I am living up to that promise, even when it is difficult. Opposing Cosmo Veneziale’s secretive style of governing has not been easy, but for the future of our great village it must be done.

It has been an honor to serve as your trustee over the last two years, and I hope you vote for me for Mayor on Tuesday.

Mary Carter Flanagan

Tuesday I hope all residents go out to vote, and for the future of Garden City I hope you all vote ROW C.

Hempstead Town Councilman

Tom Muscarella to report on March 28

Mineola-Garden City Rotary will be honored to welcome as guest speaker Town of Hempstead Councilman Thomas Muscarella to report on current activities of the Township which includes Garden City, Garden City South, Hempstead along with numerous other districts.

Members and guests can look forward to Councilman Muscarella’s report on Hempstead Town’s 2023 budget—how it has frozen taxes at the 2022 level while continuing to enhance services to Town residents. Town residents

The Hempstead Town Council is the legislative body for the city government in Hempstead. The Council sets policy for the city government, adopts capital budgets and sets Hempstead tax rates. It also authorizes borrowing, adopts ordinances and resolutions, and approves contracts.

A resident of Garden City, Tom Muscarella represents the Second Councilmanic District bringing a wealth of local business experience and outstanding community involvement to Hempstead Town. Councilman Muscarella has been in the insurance business for 40 years and is currently a sales executive at Assured Partners Northeast, LLC. Prior to this posi-

tion, Councilman muscarella was the owner/partner of Archer A. Associates Insurance Agency of Franklin Square.

Having grown up in Elmont, Councilman Muscarella has been actively involved in community organizations throughout the district for

decades. He has been a member of the Sons of Italy American Lodge since 1978; served as Elmont Little League manager; was Garden City Little League; is a past Grand Knight of Franklin Square Twelve Apostles Council of the Knights of Columbus and has been president of the Franklin Square Lions Club since

2001.

Councilman Muscarella’s extensive volunteer work has earned him the title of Grand Marshal of the Franklin Square Memorial Day Parade and as Franklin Square Historical Society Citizen of the Year in 2013.

Continued on page 44

minimum balance is required to receive the advertised rate. Certain fees, minimum balance requirements and restrictions may apply. Fees may reduce earnings on these accounts. A checking account is not required for IRA accounts. 3) The Customer Value Program bonus is limited to one (1) account credit per new Complete Checking customer. New money only. Existing checking account customers are not eligible. A new checking account is defined as any new checking account that does not have any authorized signatures in common with any other existing Flushing Bank checking account(s). An existing checking customer is defined as anyone who currently has or has had a Flushing Bank checking account within the last 24 months. New money is defined as money not currently on deposit with Flushing Bank. The Customer Value Program bonus will be based on the three-month average account balance of the first three (3) full calendar months after the month of account opening. The Customer Value Program bonus will be posted to the account on or about the end of the subsequent month following the account’s three (3) month anniversary. A 1099 will be issued in the amount of the account bonus. The new Complete Checking account must remain open, active, and in good standing for six months. The bonus will be forfeited if the account is closed prior to six months. Other fees and restrictions may apply. The minimum three-month average balance to qualify for the Customer Value Program is $10,000. A minimum deposit of $25 is required to open the Complete Checking account. The offer is subject to change or termination without prior notice at any time. Speak with a branch representative for details.

Follow us on ®

Flushing Bank is a registered trademark

From left: Rotarian Althea Robinson, publicity/Speakers Bureau chair; Gianni Bileddo, VP, Bileddo’s Key Food Marketplace, guest speaker; and Meg Norris, Club president. Town of Hempstead Councilman Thomas Muscarella.

Small enough to know you. Large enough to help you.®

Continued from page 42

All are welcome to attend the Club’s lunch meeting on March 28 (Fee: $35, payable at the door). To reserve, please email Meg Norris, Club president at editor@gcnews.com.

Rotarians learn about backend inflation within the marketplace

Last Tuesday, on March 14, we welcomed Gianni Bileddo, VP, of Bileddo’s Key Food Marketplace on Seventh St., Garden City as guest speaker.

THI S WEEK AT ROTARY

While we are all dealing with inflationary food costs, Gianni told Club members and guests of the backend inflationary costs his store continually deals with that we customers don’t see.

Gianni said that due to the shortage of help, rise in wages, service contracts like refrigeration, maintenance, etc. have gone up over 20 percent. Cost of inventory, wages, delivery and gas fees plus utilities such as electricity continue to be problems. However, he reported that Bileddo’s Key Food Marketplace,

Funding needed for Eagle Scout project

Jackson Friedman, a Life Scout in Troop 243, which is sponsored by St. Joseph's Parish, is working on an Eagle Scout project to provide nesting boxes for several bird species on the Hempstead Plains. Jackson plans to build eight boxes to help the birds.

The Hempstead Plains is a local nature preserve that educates youth about conservation, ecology, and Long Island’s unique geology. The boxes will

be dual functioning; they will allow the birds a place to nest and will serve as an educational piece to inform the public about Long Island’s birds and their nesting habits.

If you would like to donate to help Jackson's project, all proceeds will go towards materials and supplies. Checks can be made payable to Troop 243 and sent to Jackson Friedman at 14 Kenwood Rd, Garden City, New York, 11530.

operating on Seventh Street for 22 years (formerly Grand Union) continues to regard their store as Garden City’s hometown market—stocked to meet the needs of his customers.

Upcoming Speakers & Events

March 19 – “Ragtime, The Musical” –Cultural Arts Playhouse, Syosset to benefit the Rotary Foundation

March 28 – Hempstead Town Councilman Thomas Muscarella, guest speaker – Davenport Press

Restaurant, Mineola, NY, 12:15 (fee: $35).

To reserve, email editor@gcnews.com

April 20 – Caregivers Ball, to benefit RotaCare (free health care for those in need) - New Hyde Park Inn, 6:30 p.m. To attend, become an underwriter/sponsor or purchase 50/50 raffle tickets or 2 Jet Blue plane tickets; or for more information, visit: give.rotacareny.org/caregiversball

May 16 – Food drive to benefit Faith Mission Charity – Kings Supermarket, rear entrance

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Email: Editor@GCNews.com

From page 40

out the district cares enough to support the event is awesome.

The TMA Booster Club, Students Helping Students and Cheer and Kickline teams at GCHS, the National Charity League, Girl Scout Troop 1355, were all a huge help. And of course, Liz Menges with the I’m Not Done Yet Foundation (INDY) was instrumental in helping with so many details. All of the money raised from Hoops for Hopes goes to that foundation which was set up in memory of her son Bobby who

passed away from Cancer. INDY supports programs for teens who are battling cancer. People can feel good knowing their donations are going to a foundation run by such a special woman and her family.

And most importantly. If you are reading this letter and you were at GCHS that day: THANK YOU! You took time out of your day to come and cheer for the Challengers. You did something kind. You helped fill that gym. It would not have been such a great afternoon without YOU.

Michael O’Hanlon

BOT continues to debate purchase of 3 engines

From page 1

opposed the plan.

The fire department had wanted to purchase all three trucks at once so that there would be “standardization” between the three fire houses in the village. Proponents suggested that this would make it easier to train firefighters to drive the rigs. The board had previously approved funds for one engine.

However, at the March 2nd meeting the majority of trustees did not want the village to take on the additional bond debt.

If any new set of engines were to be considered, as Trustee Terry Digan (Board commissioner of Finance) suggested that decision should be made following the March 21 election and beyond, as new trustees will be seated on the board.

During the March 9th meeting, Trustee Chester and mayoral candidate Trustee Mary Carter Flanagan led the way for the Board to allocate $141,400 through a transfer of funds from the Village’s Contingent fund into the “Fire Apparatus/Equipment” budget account. That will supplement existing budget funds of $979,000 to enable the purchase of a new pumper fire truck.

With a second motion Trustee Chester proposed the award of the con-

tract for the new pumper to Marion Body Works Inc. for the purchase of the inside-mount engine pumper, “equipped as set forth in the specifications submitted by GCFD.” Village Administrator Ralph Suozzi confirmed that Garden City’s proposal was sent from vendor Marion Body Works for $999,421, but that did not represent a contract with Garden City. All board members received that proposal.

“The issue was that in our prior (2022-2023) budget we allocated $979,020 for the truck but the price in the proposal exceeded that ($999,421) so there’s a shortfall of $20,401 which would be part of the $141,400 from the previous transfer of funds. The $120,000 remaining from that would be for all equipment that needs to go on the truck,” Suozzi told the trustees.

Trustee Bruce Torino asked for itemizations with regards to the equipment for the new truck. He also asked for documentation regarding the conditions of a purchase order, or “hold harmless” and insurance statements for the GCFD with the purchase. Torino, an experienced attorney, said he finds it insufficient to have just two pages for the trustees to approve issuance of a purchase order for the truck right away.

His suggestion was to take one week, until the March 16 Board meeting, for

administration and GCFD to have all the documentation he deemed necessary for the Board to review and then act upon the new truck’s purchase. Chester asked the fire chiefs for additional information during the March 9 meeting. Chief Pearn said the budget presentation delivered to the trustees did itemize all the equipment for the new fire apparatus and what particular vendors would be in place.

“This is not to cut a check tonight but to give the Board an estimate as to what the costs of equipment to put on the new rig when it comes in would be,” Pearn stated. Administrator Suozzi noted a February 14 memo with the equipment listed, tools needed and the cost estimates for even the three new trucks, and an attachment from the Floral Park Fire Department showing price escalations.

Trustee Torino said in order for the Board of Trustees to approve an expenditure a written contract with the vendor including costs should be provided, and that’s not yet been provided. Chester said the timeline for ordering the truck was urgent, but the contract could not be such a quick turnaround for March 16. Chief Pearn said once the funding for the purchase of the truck was finalized the members of GCFD’s Committee would be meeting with the

manufacturer to finalize the contract and go over the points before bringing it back to the village “to be signed off on.”

The contractor must also be on NY State contract and quotes from the contractor must be provided, for the purchase order to be furnished. Pearn said the urgent matter was the funding portion, as “the funds need to be assigned to the account for even the purchase order to be cut.” The transfer of funds achieved that.

The process to get the transfer of funds approval for the truck was not at all smooth. As he had previously advocated, Deputy Mayor Tom O’Brien, who served as Board fire commissioner last year, again reiterated the consensus of the Fire Safety Committee was to recommend the purchase of three new fire trucks for standardization and training regimens.

He said that there are also savings to be achieved in the budget that would allow the purchase all three of the fire trucks, which he stated that were “needed” by the fire department.

Last Thursday O’Brien strongly objected to the inference by Trustee Chester that just one new fire engine was going to suffice for the GCFD, because there is a long lead time for the

See page 47

LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Notice of Formation of SAGE AND CLOVER SALON COLLECTIVE. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 2022-10-28. 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 United States Corporation Agents, Inc.: 7014 13th Avenue Suite 202 Brooklyn NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose

NASSAU COUNTY FORECLOSURE NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT. NASSAU COUNTY. L & L ASSOCIATES HOLDING CORP., Pltf. vs. DANIELLE MOSER BALAN, et al, Defts. Index #15-009836. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale dated April 8, 2019, I will sell at public auction on the north front steps of Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on April 3, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. prem. k/a Section 34, Block 44, Lot 40. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Foreclosure auction will be held “rain or shine.” If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will cancel the auction.

MICHAEL

EHRENREICH, Referee. LEVY & LEVY, Attys. for Pltf., 12 Tulip Dr., Great Neck, NY. #100089

School Board examines instructional program spending

From page 1

in a more visual update.

NASSAU COUNTY

BID NOTICE

Sealed bids MUST be  RECEIVED BY AND DELIVERED TO: PURCHASING DIVISION

Inc. Village of Garden City    351 Stewart Avenue Garden City, NY 11530    between the hours of 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM,

UNTIL 11:00 AM EDT

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 at which time they will be publicly opened and read aloud, for furnishing the following:

MASONRY RESTORATION & ROOF REPLACEMENT AT THE GARDEN CITY LIBRARY

Specifications, Form of Bid, and other information may be obtained from the office of the Purchasing Division at the above address or you may download the bid specifications from the New York State Contract Reporter website at the following web address:    https://www.nyscr.ny.gov/ contracts.cfm

This bid specification will be listed under the Agency Name of:    Inc. Village of Garden City

Rosemary Monahan

Purchasing Agent

Dated:03/17/23

Board President Joseph Sileo began by asking, “In terms of the writing curriculum, do you have an idea of the timeline? Also, what about the QUEST program? What’s the timing there, to give parents a better idea?” Administrators said that more information on each item will be presented at the next public work session in early April.

Board members were curious about recent student feedback’s role in next year’s plans. “We have a financial literacy course coming together at the high school, requested by the students themselves,” said Kevin Steingrubner, Garden City High School’s principal. “Think, adulting 101. It’s just one area where student feedback has been prioritized and implemented into our plans.”

As for establishing next year’s district-wide priorities, many recommendations may look like continuations of those set a year prior. “It takes time to reach the goals and targets we’ve previously set,” said Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Kusum Sinha. Some of these include the continuation of curriculum articulation, professional learning related to new learning spaces, the devel-

opment of the District’s comprehensive approach to literacy including assessments, and its MTSS focus, along with new data management system training and a new science coordinator, who will complete an entry plan and assess department needs.

On the K-5 level, next year’s budget priorities cover speech support in K-1 classrooms, the implementation of the new primary math program in grades 3-5 (Illustrative Mathematics), an enhanced elementary library media curriculum for the newly updated library, the of purchase resources and training for K-5 writing programs (with recommendation to come at an early-April board meeting) and a new Hemlock principal, entry plan and assessment of building needs.

On the middle school level, next year’s budget priorities look like the continuation of the student spaceflight program, morning math support, the development of exploratory program through 6th grade teaming model, the addition of a makerspace and news production club and the purchase of resources and training for grades 6-8 writing.

At the high school level, next year’s budget priorities tackle the continuation of morning

math and writing support, the addition of an art honor society club, the purchase of new textbooks for AP American History and a program to train teachers for additional Project Lead the Way (PLTW) courses.

Dr. Sinha then shared that when looking at per pupil budget allocation compared to neighboring Districts, Garden City falls on the lower end of the spectrum (at $21,118). North Shore has the highest, at $32,808, and Herricks has the lowest, at $20,914. This information comes from state calculations of approved operating expenses divided by the weighted pupil count. “We don’t typically focus on this, but we do quite a bit with what we do have,” she said.

There were no citizen questions.

This budget, along with the election to fill an empty seat on the Board of Education, will be on the ballot for the community to vote on this May. The continuation of the instructional component of the budget, intended to cover special education, technology and athletics, will be presented to the Board on Tuesday, March 21 at 8:15 p.m. at the Garden City High School.

BOT debates purchase of fire engines

From page 45

custom pieces of machinery to be built.

Trustee Chester reminded his colleagues that among the current fleet of GCFD pumpers, only the 2004 model should be considered in need of replacement soon as the rest of the village’s firefighting apparatus represents “a very good fleet.”

“This proposed transfer of funds would be made so the Fire Department can purchase the one pumper, of which $979,000 is already in our (FY 2022-2023) budget,” Chester explained. Mayor Veneziale immediately noted that the proposed FY 2023-2024 budget from the GCFD, which was later presented by Fire Chief

Matt Pearn, included “the recommendation to buy three trucks, not one.”

Deputy Mayor O’Brien again asserted that the three new trucks are the unanimous recommendation based on the Fire Safety Committee’s research from last year. He said for GCFD capital plans, there are “Two must’s – one was the fire training facility to be built.”

Trustee Carter Flanagan supported the move and said there was going to be no drawback to the transfer of funds moved last Thursday, as another GCFD pumper is needed in the community. She commented, “The transfer will allow them to place the order for the first one, and we can discuss the others along with

the other item (the training facility).”

O’Brien calmed the situation as he said he does not have a problem to move forward with the one pumper truck when the other two can be addressed as soon as the March 16 regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. He planned to deliver information on the financial outlook for the purchase of all three necessary trucks, as he reviewed the Committee proposal, “that would not impact the village’s go-forward budget.” He resolved to present his new information on March 16.

“I want to share with the board what I believe we can accomplish,” he said.

Recreation and Parks Annual Egg Hunt

Garden City’s Department of Recreation and Parks is once again sponsoring the annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8, on St. Paul’s fields. This year, three hunts will be held beginning at 10:00 a.m. with three age divisions:

• Preschool to Kindergarten

• Grades 1 and 2

• Grades 3 to 5

Special eggs will be stuffed and hidden for all divisions. Each hunt will also feature a grand prize (an Easter basket filled with goodies) which will go to the youngster who finds the egg marked “#1 Lucky Egg”.

For further information about the Hunt, please call the Recreation Dept. at 465-4075.

Family Show Sunday“The Cat in the Hat”

Garden City Recreation and Parks will sponsor a performance of “The Cat in the Hat” on Sunday, April 2, at 1 p.m. at St. Paul’s Cluett Hall. Plaza Theatrical Productions will delight us with their rendition of this wonderful show. Admission is $5.00, and reservations are necessary by calling the Recreation and Parks Office at 516-465-4075.

Lacrosse Clinic Sponsored by NY Riptide and GC Rec!

Join us this spring for a 6-week Lacrosse Clinic sponsored by the New York Riptide and Pioneer Sports in partnership with Garden City Recreation and Parks. This special program introduces girls and boys, kindergarten through 5th grade, to the game of lacrosse in a non-competitive, instructional clinic.

This clinic will be held on Wednesdays on St. Paul’s Fields from April 5 through May 17 according to the following schedule:

• Grades K-2: 5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.

• Grades 3-5: 6:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.

The cost of this program will be $175, which includes the clinic, 2 tickets to the Riptide home opener at the Nassau Coliseum and a Riptide swag bag. Space is limited. Register online for this program at https://GFSports.formstack. com/forms/gcclinic.

No registrations will be taken at the Recreation Office.

GARDEN CITY RECREATION AND PARK NEWS

Please note: Players must bring their own stick.

Spring Session of Mad Science Announced

Garden City Department of Recreation and Parks will again hold a Mad Science After School Enrichment Program on Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:00 pm beginning Thursday, March 30. Possible session topics include Magnetic Magic, Optical Illusions, and Watts Up! This six-week program is open to GC residents in grades K to 5.

The cost of this weekly program is $170 per student which Includes all materials & take-homes. To register, please visit the Recreation and Parks Office at 108 Rockaway Avenue - checks only please, made payable to “LI Steam Group”. Space is limited.

Imagine Arts Academy After School Program

Recreation and Parks has joined with Mad Science to offer the following after school program in art in the cottages at St. Paul’s. This program is open to Garden City residents in grades K to 5.

Crayola® Wild World! is a program where the wonder and beauty of the animal kingdom will inspire the participants creativity through the world of art. They will experiment with different techniques and use Crayola® art materials to express their ideas. They design a unique, artist inspired creation in each class.

This six-week class will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. on Mondays beginning Monday, March 27. The fee for this six week program will be $170, checks only made payable to LI Steam Group. To register, please visit the Recreation and Parks Office at 108 Rockaway Avenue.

Middle School Pickleball Program Announced

Garden City Recreation and Parks will offer an eight week session of beginner pickleball lessons to children in grade 6–8 who are residents of the Village of Garden City.

This program will provide an opporunity to learn every aspect of this fast growing sport. Explanation of the court, game rules, and court etiquette will be taught while playing. This program will be administered by Jackie Flynn, recreation leader and phys. ed. teacher.

The eight-week session will begin on Wednesday, March 29 and run from

3:45 to 4:45 p.m. Paddles will be provided. The cost of this program will be $80. Please visit our Recreation and Parks office at 108 Rockaway Avenue to register or, if you have a password you can register online at www.gcreconline. gardencityny.net.

Preschool Sports Sampler for 4 and 5-Year-Olds

The Garden City Recreation Department will offer a Pee-Wee Sports Sampler program this spring for preschool children ages 4 & 5 who are residents of the Inc. Village of Garden City. This six-week program has been designed to provide an opportunity to try a wide variety of sports with basic instruction.

This program will take place in St. Paul’s Fieldhouse on Tuesdays beginning on Tuesday, March 28. Class will begin at 1 p.m. and will run for 55 minutes. Our Sampler will incorporate new skills and free play in a non-competitive atmosphere. A different sport will be offered each week.The cost of this program is $60.

To register for this class, please visit the Recreation and Parks Office at 108 Rockaway Avenue or, if you have a password, you can register online at www.gcreconline.gardencityny.net.

Join Us for US Sports “Squirts” Programs this Spring

Garden City Recreation and Parks has teamed with US Sports to again offer our seasonal “Squirts” sports programs for Village residents ages 2 to 5 years olds on Saturdays and Sundays at St. Paul’s.

Weekly “Parent and Me” classes at ages 2 and 3 include Soccer and Multisport. If your child is ready to work without a parent, various sports are also offered for the 3 to 5 year old child.

Please visit www.usasportgroup. com or www.pulsecamps.com to see the classes offered in Garden City and to register. Classes will begin the week of April 22 and run for eight weeks.

Get a Jump on the Summer

US Sports and Garden City Recreation have again joined up to run our very popular summer sports programs at Community Park and St. Paul’s. Weekly summer programs include soccer, multisport, flag football, field hockey, lacrosse, and golf. They also offer Parent and Me classes as well

Love to write?

as 3 to 5-year-old Squirt programs! These programs are open to Village residents ages 2 to 11 years. To see what is offered and to register, please visit US Sports website at www.usasportgroup. com and look for Garden City.

Toddler Storytime and Arts and Crafts

Our 8-week spring session of Toddler Story Time and Arts and Crafts will be held on Thursday mornings at 10:00 a.m.–10:45 a.m. at Cottage #110. Each 45 minute class will cover a theme with short stories and crafts. Themes covered will be Spring, Teddy Bears, Birds, Insects, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and more! Class will be taught by Recreation Supervisor, Andrea Genna.

This class is open to Garden City residents ages 2 and 3 years of age and a caregiver. This eight-week session will begin Thursday, April 20, and run until June 8. The price for the session is $66.

*Please Note- The participant must be the age by the start of the class.

To register for this class, please visit the Recreation and Parks Office at 108 Rockaway Avenue or, if you have a password you can register online at www.gcreconline.gardencityny.net.

“Chess Wizards” Afterschool Program Spring Session

Garden City Recreation and Parks has again partnered with the very popular “Chess Wizards” to offer a spring session after school program for Garden City children in grades 1 to 5 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.

This eight week class will be held from 4 to 5 pm on Tuesdays beginning Tuesday, April 4 and will cost $193. Instructors (who are called "Wizards") provide all the materials necessary for your child to participate in the class. Come join the fun!!!

To register for this class, please visit Chess Wizards’ website at www.chesswizards.com.

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

From page 18

the Village has been advised that fear of contracting COVID is no longer a valid reason to get an absentee ballot.

New Water Superintendent begins March 21st

We are pleased to announce that Stanley Carey officially begins his appointment as superintendent of Water and Sewer Operations for the Village on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, for the balance of the official year ending on April 3, 2023. Mr. Carey has 35 years experience working for public water suppliers and has been serving as a senior Water Plant consultant for H2M. Prior to that, he served as superintendent of the Massapequa Water District. He also sits on the New York State Drinking Water Quality Council. The superintendent position has been vacant since Frank Koch left Village service in 2015.

Tree City USA

The Village of Garden City has earned recognition as a 2022 Tree City USA. The Arbor Day Foundation’s program highlights a community’s commitment to planting and caring for trees.

From page 19

on March 11th

Phishing attack

Garden City Police are investigating a report of an association member receiving an email stating it was from a board officer who requested funds be sent to a website to complete a transaction. The action was terminated when it was discovered the board officer did not send the email. There is no financial loss at this time.

Incense alarm

On March 11th the GCFD and GCPD responded to a residence for a fire alarm and determined it was activated by incense smoke.

Suspended registration

A 1st Street motorist was charged with driving with a suspended registration and unregistered vehicle on March 11th.

Faulty dishwasher

Garden City Police and Firefighters responded to a residence on March 11th for a smoke condition and determined the cause to be a faulty dishwasher. Firefighters rendered the area safe.

Power outage

A power outage in the Central portion of the Village resulted in multiple

cveneziale@gardencityny.net

Garden City is part of a network of more than 3,600 Tree City USAs with a combined total population of 155 million. This is the 32nd year Garden City has been designated as a ‘Tree City.” This is great news. I congratulate Commissioner Paul Blake and the Recreation and Parks Department. In April 2022, the Village celebrated Arbor Day with a tree planting ceremony near the Rainbow Monument. Members of the Village’s Civic Beautification Committee, Recreation Commission and Environmental Advisory Board joined Recreation Commissioner Paul Blake and Recreation Assistant Superintendent Sandy Young in planting a sugar maple tree on the empty green space on the west side of Rainbow Plaza off Clinton Road. A tree planting ceremony on the Village Green is being planned for April, to celebrate Arbor Day 2023. The Arbor Day observance is one of four requirements Garden City must achieve in order to be designated a “Tree City USA” by the National Arbor Day Foundation, in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service with the National Association of State Foresters. The award recognizes communities that meet detailed, objective standards

applied to trees on public property. Garden City also met the other three requirements: a tree board or department; a tree care ordinance; and an annual community forestry budget of a minimum expenditure per capita.

Tree Plantings This Spring

The Recreation and Parks Department plants two trees for each tree removed in the Village. This policy is important, particularly in light of the fact that more than 400 Ash trees will have to be removed due to a beetle infestation affecting the U.S. According to Paul Blake, chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Cultural and Recreational Affairs, crews are starting to plant 122 new trees and will plant an additional 85-100 trees later in the spring.

Village Budget Sessions Continue

Work sessions to discuss the proposed $69.194 million Operating Budget kicked off March 9. Four budget work sessions are scheduled this month, followed by a budget hearing on April 3. Work sessions take place in person in the Village Hall Board Room and via Zoom, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Remaining sessions include:

THE OFFICE CAT

traffic light malfunctions in the area on March 11th.

Leaking fire hydrant

Garden City Police were alerted to a leaking fire hydrant on Salisbury Avenue on March 11th. Upon confirmation, the Water Department was dispatched to the scene to correct the condition.

Home burglarized

Officers responded to a 2nd Street residence for a burglary report on March 12th. Officers determined entry was apparently made through a second floor window which was found damaged. Various rooms were ransacked, and multiple items were taken. Evidence was identified at the scene and processed by the NCPD Crime Scene Division. The investigation is ongoing.

Suspended license

A Stewart Avenue motorist was charged with driving with a suspended license and passing a red traffic light at Washington Avenue on March 12th.

Burnt food

Garden City Police and Firefighters responded to a residence for a fire alarm on March 12th and determined the cause was burnt food.

Unlicensed operation

A Stewart Avenue motorist was

charged with unlicensed operation and operating a cell phone while driving on March 12th.

Restricted license

A Rockaway Avenue motorist was charged with driving in violation of a restricted license and passing a red traffic light at Stewart Avenue on March 13th.

Truck driver cited

A Clinch Avenue truck driver was charged with driving in a no truck zone and missing/inadequate safety equipment on March 13th.

Suspended license

A Cathedral Avenue motorist was charged with driving with a suspended license, a suspended registration, and improper plates on March 13th.

Damaged lamp post

Officers investigated a report of a damaged lamp post on the Garden City RR Station platform on March 14th.

Work Session II - Tuesday, March 14

• Department of Public Works and Water Fund

• Administration

• Finance Department

• Other Unallocated Expenses and Revenues

Work Session III - Thursday, March 23

• Police Department

• Recreation, Pool and Tennis Funds

Work Session IV - Thursday, March 30

• Presentation of Changes/Final

Budget

Budget Hearing - Monday, April 3

• Budget Hearing and Adoption

Book Donations

Donations of gently used books will be gratefully accepted at the Garden City Library on Saturday, April 1, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The Friends of the Library requests items be in saleable condition. Once again, they ask that no magazines or textbooks be included. Also, books that are soiled, have evidence of mold, or have pages that are underlined, mildewed or written on should not be sent. All of the donated items become the property of the Friends of the Garden City Library.

Power lines struck Garden City Police responded to the Garden City Golf Club where a truck struck power lines on March 14th. Firefighters and PSEG personnel responded to the scene and rendered the area safe.

Overcooked food

Garden City Police and Firefighters responded to a 7th Street store for a fire alarm. Firefighters determined the cause to be overcooked food.

Unsafe driving

A Clinton Road motorist was charged with driving unsafely from lane to lane and operating a cell phone while driving on March 14th.

Suspended registration

A Cambridge Road motorist was charged with driving with a suspended registration and violating driver license restrictions on March 14th.

Share Your Talents with the PTA

The PTA’s Nominating Committee is now accepting nominations for open positions on the PTA Executive Committee for the 2023–24 school year. Upcoming open positions include:

• President-Elect

• VP of Communications

• Secretary

• Treasurer

• School Directors for HS, MS, Stewart, Stratford, Hemlock and Locust

All nominations are welcome through March 20! To nominate yourself or someone you know, visit www.gardencitypta. org/nominating-form today. Questions? Reach out to Danielle Atteritano, PTA Executive Vice President, at executivevp@ gardencitypta.org.

Make a Difference @ the PTA Dinner!

Garden City PTA will hold our Annual Fundraising Dinner on Wednesday, March 29, at the Garden City Hotel — and tickets are now on sale and going fast! This year’s dinner theme is “Making a Difference.” Every educator, parent and member of our school community can truly make a difference for our students!

Grab your friends and buy a ticket or book an entire table! Scan the QR code below or visit https://gardencitypta.org/ dinner for all the info you need to order

Garden City PTA News

your tickets before we sell out. With your help, we are Making a Difference!

Calling All GC Artists!

The PTA Arts in Education Committee invites all K–5 art-lovers to join us for a special night of at-home art making with educators from the world-renowned The Whitney museum. On Monday, March 27, at 7:00 p.m., The Whitney will host a virtual family art-making event exclusively for GC families, bringing the magic of the museum into your home. Children will be introduced to the art of The Whitney collection artist Candida Alvarez, best known for her innovative, experimental paintings full of vibrant and complex colors and forms. Children will use their own art supplies at home to create landscapes inspired by their physical, mental, and emotional experiences. To register for the event, scan the QR code below!

School Supply Fundraiser is Underway

The PTA's annual school supply fundraiser -- providing access to pre-packed, teacher-selected supplies for the coming school year—is now underway. Orders will be taken until April 14. In 2022, this annual fundraiser generated nearly $10,000 for the PTA, all of which passes on to the schools and children of Garden City. And it all happened while taking school supply shopping OFF your to-do list this summer! To place

your order, visit www.educationalproducts.com and use code GAR054.

Mark Your Calendars!

Get your pencils ready to mark these important upcoming dates for the PTA and your schools. Registration for all online events is available at gardencitypta.org

• March 20: Final Day for 2023-24 Executive Committee Nominations

• March 27: The Whitney Virtual Art Event for K–5

• March 29: GCPTA Dinner at the Garden City Hotel

• April 3: District-wide Reflections Ceremony

• April 14: Final day for School

Supply Fundraiser Orders

• April 19: Middle School PTA meeting

• April 20: Joint Elementary Schools PTA meeting

• May 23: All Schools PTA meeting

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

Estates POA announces 2023 scholarship

The Property Owners’ Association of the Garden City Estates announces that it will be awarding the 2023 YuterNewman Estates POA Scholarship and that applications are now available. The scholarship is named in honor of Mort Yuter and Jerie Newman, past presidents of the Estates POA, both of whom exemplified the very best in civic spirit and dedication. Over the course of fifty years, Mort and Jerie were very involved in many Garden City organizations.

This merit-based scholarship will be awarded to one or more 12th grade students (from any public or private high school) that reside in the Garden City Estates section and whose family have paid membership dues to the Estates

POA for the current year. The applicants must be accepted to, and planning to attend, a four-year college full-time in the fall.

The selection of the winners will be by the Estates POA Scholarship Committee and will be based on academic excellence and the level of involvement in local civic causes and community service. The Scholarship Committee of the Estates POA will review all applications and make the final determination of the winners. Please see the application for further requirements. To obtain an application, visit the POA’s website at www.gcestates.org. Applications must be received by Friday, April 21, 2023 to be eligible.

Andrew Del Vecchio

Andrew Del Vecchio of Garden City passed away peacefully on March 12, 2023. Born on October 9, 1930 Andy grew up in Williston Park NY.

Devoted Father of Andrea, Donna, Maura, Kathryn and Christopher. Loving Father-in Law of Brad, Rupen, Jack and Kimberly.

Cherished Grandfather of Sean, Ariane, Elise, Rohan, Emily, Gavin, Lauren, Kaylin, Nicholas and Great-Grandfather of Lukas, Andy, Cami and Sylvia.

Andy served his country proudly in the Korean War from 1953 to 1955 in the Army’s 40th infantry division with the rank of sergeant, he was an active member VFW post 1688 and American Legion post 144 where he participated in Veterans Day events, marching in Memorial Day parades, and was very honored to be part of the Color Guard at other veterans funeral services. He was also an usher at St Joseph R.C. Church and loved playing cards with friends at the Senior Center in Garden City.

He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends whether watching his favorite teams play or spending an afternoon at a local outdoor concert.

Visitation will be held at Weigand Brothers Funeral Home Sunday, March 19 1-4pm and 6-8pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday March 20, 11am at St Josephs in Garden City.

Our doctors are raising health by pioneering innovative approaches to cancer from novel chemotherapy techniques to first-in- the-nation robotic mastectomies with minimal scarring. Because when it comes to cancer, there’s no status quo. There’s only “how far can we go?”

Andrew Del Vecchio

John Morrissey

John Kennedy Morrissey, 59, of Tappan, New York, passed away suddenly while on a ski weekend with his beloved family on Sunday, March 5, 2023. He was surrounded by his girls, his friends, fresh snow, and a blessed life.

John was born in Queens, New York to Elaine and Thomas Morrissey on December 2, 1963. Only days after President John F. Kennedy

was assassinated, his parents were inspired to name him after the first Irish Catholic president. He entered a large and loving family as the seventh child of ten. With his larger than life persona, he was the backbone, funny bone and master of ceremonies for the family.

John attended Garden City public schools where he played baseball and football, had tons of friends, and was always the well-loved class clown. He graduated from Garden City High School in 1982, and from SUNY Plattsburgh in 1986, including a semester at McGill University in Montreal to round out his International Business major. He initially worked in the shipping and logistics business for Cargonaut and then Maersk, living in New York, Hong Kong, and California. He joined Point East Ltd. as Director of Sales in the mid 1990’s where he traveled across the states and the world managing the sales and production of toys and collectibles.

John married the love of his life Nancy in June 2004 when they both lived in New York City. They moved in 2005 to Tappan where they settled into a beautiful neighborhood and community. In 2006 and 2008 their family was enriched with the births

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of their daughters, Anna, 16, and Grace, 14.

John had many passions in life including golf, skiing, and music and often traveled with friends and groups all around the world, living the dream, as he would often say. There was no bigger passion for John than his family, friends, and his faith.

John’s dedication to and love of family was immeasurable. He oversaw the care of his parents in their senior years. He helped each and every sibling with life challenges but also shared in their joyous occasions. His love of his wife and girls was also paramount in John’s life as they shared many activities and trips, including to mountains, lakes, and beaches.

John was blessed with numerous treasured friends throughout his life, including life-long friends from his early days, college, living in Asia, and in his current community. His humor, kindness, gregariousness, and passion for life made him unforgettable to whoever he met.

John is survived by his beloved wife Nancy, and his two daughters, Anna and Grace, as well as nine siblings and their families: Dr. Thomas Morrissey (children Thomas, Eric, Ryan and Sarah), William Morrissey (children Luke, Erin, Nathaniel,

Daniel and Ethan), Patricia Repko and husband David, (children Caroline, Melissa and Neal), Gerard and wife Mary Jo (children Michael, Meghan, Matthew and Timothy), Elaine Tynan and husband Kieran (children Charles and Meghan), Kevin (children Jenna and Maddie), Beth McVicar and husband Alastair (children Colin and Deirdre), Robert Morrissey, and Joseph Morrissey. He is predeceased by his parents Thomas and Elaine, and his Uncle Robert O’Keeffe.

The wake will be held Thursday 3/8 3pm-8pm at Moritz Funeral Home, 98 Route 303 South, Tappan, NY.

The funeral mass will be on Friday 3/9 at 11:30 at St. John the Baptist Church, 895 Piermont Ave, Piermont, NY. The mass will be livestreamed at http://stjohnspiermont.org/ livesteaming-mass

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be sent to: Mary Haven Center of Hope, 51 Terryville Rd, Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776 or make a donation to Anna and Grace's college fund.

Make checks payable to "N.Y.'s 529 Advisor Guided Program" and mail them to: Elaine Tynan, 59 Elmwood Terrace, West Caldwell, NJ 07006

John Morrissey

News from the Children’s Room

ble garden. Registration began Monday, March 6.

Reading Pals

(Ages 4–Second Grade)

(All program registrations always start at 10 a.m.)

Tuesday, Mar. 28, from 4:00–4:30 p.m.

Registration begins March 21

Tuesday, April 18, 4–4:30 p.m.

Registration begins April 4

Monthly LEGO Club

Wednesday, April 19, 4:00–4:45 p.m.

A Crafty Wednesday at the Garden City Public Library.

Construction and the Children’s Room

Construction continues! The Children’s Room has relocated temporarily near the Periodical Room with materials on the first floor and the second floor. Come by to say hello and scope out the new location!

March is Women’s History Month

Come in and check out the many biographies of women that contributed to history such as Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks and more.

Winter/Spring Programs

Tot’s Night Out with A Time for Kids

Monday, March 20, from 7:00-p.m.–7:45 p.m.

This program is for children ages 2–5 (no kindergarten), and an adult caregiver. This fun program is a combination of movement, music, literacy and art. Children and their caregivers will work on a Pete the Cat craft together. Registration began Tuesday, March 14.

How to Get a Jump Start on Your Vegetable Garden

Saturday, March 25, from 11:00 a.m.–-12 p.m.

A multi-generational program for children (grades K–5) and their parents/grandparents that will help to get a Jump Start on growing your vegeta-

Library Teen Advisory Board meets

This fun STEM program is for children in Grades K–5 only. No registration is necessary. Seating is on a firstcome, first-served basis.

Jump for Joy

Saturday, April 22, 11:00–11:45 a.m.

Registration begins Tuesday April 11, at 10 a.m.

This fun movement and music program is for children ages birth–12 months and their adult caregivers..

Family Lightsaber

Saturday, April 22, 1–1:45 p.m.

Saber Guild: Endor Temple will train adult and child participants in the ways of the Force, some basic lightsaber techniques, and a blocking drill, so parents can build their own lightsaber battles with their children. For ages 4 to Grade 5 plus a parent or an adult caregiver.

Registration begins Tuesday April 11, at 10 a.m.

Crafty Wednesday

Wednesday, April 26, 4:00–4:45 p.m.

Registration begins Tuesday April 18, at 10 a.m.

This fun program is for children in Grades K–5. Meet-up at the library with your friends and make a sunflower wreath.

Additional winter/spring programming information will be coming soon. Please check Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org) for registration information.

Garden City Library Board to meet

There will be a Regular Meeting of the Board of Library Trustees on Monday, March 20, at 7:30 p.m. at the Garden City Public Library in the small meeting room on the lower level.

Further details about the meeting will be posted when available on the Library’s website, www.gardencitypl.org.

Young Adult Librarian Laura Giunta gathers ideas from teen volunteers at the March meeting of the Teen Advisory Board, which was held on Tuesday, March 7, at the Library.

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

Chick Incubation Project

The Library’s Annual Chick Incubation program is returning this year! Eggs will arrive on Tuesday, April 4, and are scheduled to begin hatching Monday, April 24. Chicks will be returned 1–2 weeks 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!

Teen Crafternoon: Free Paint and Craft

Paint and craft at a special Teen Crafternoon: Free Paint and Craft on Thursday, April 13, at 3 p.m. We ’ ll have a variety of art supplies you can use to paint and craft, leftover from previous Crafternoon programs. Please note there's a limited amount of each craft supply, so registrants may not be able to do every craft project. This program is for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12. Registration begins Tuesday, April 4, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org). Space is limited, so check Eventkeeper for availability. Teens who complete an online survey after the program can receive community service for participating in this program. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Tree Ornaments for Community Service: Flower Ornaments

Earn community service by painting ornaments for the Garden City Public Library’s Tweens and Teens Department’s Ornament Tree! Each volunteer will receive three ornaments and a set of paint pens to decorate their ornaments at home. Paint pens must be returned to the Library. These ornaments will be used to decorate our new ornament tree each month!

For the month of March, ornaments will be eggs, which will be used to decorate the Tweens and Teens Ornament Tree in April. Registration begins Tuesday, April 18, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org). Completed ornaments must be returned by Thursday, April 27 to the Library.

Registrants will be asked to pick up their ornaments at the Library in order to participate in this community service program. Volunteers must return three decorated orna -

ments and their set of paint pens in order to receive community service. Volunteers will receive two hours for every three ornaments they submit, at the discretion of the Tweens and Teens Department. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Tweens and Teens Dungeons and Dragons

Join us for Tweens and Teens Dungeons and Dragons and learn how to play the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons by participating in one of our monthly Dungeons and Dragons Meet-Ups! Beginners are welcome! Each meetup will feature a new self-contained, one-shot adventure and players will be assigned premade characters to play. Please register via Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org) to participate in this program. The April session will be held Thursday, April 20, at 4 p.m. Registration begins Tuesday, April 11, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper. Space is limited, so check Eventkeeper for availability. Teens who complete an online survey after the program can receive community service for participating in this program.

Bookmarks for Community Service

Earn community service by creating bookmarks for Garden City Public Library patrons! Each volunteer will receive 10 bookmarks to color, decorate, and write positive or library/book themed messages. These bookmarks will be placed in books throughout the Library in order to brighten the day of the patrons who check them out. Bookmarks will be placed in books in all three departments, including Children’s, Tweens and Teens, and Adult Reference.

Space is limited, so check Eventkeeper for availability. The Winter-Spring Session of the program will run for 10 weeks. While the first two weeks of the program is over, the remaining nine weeks will be as follows:

• Registration Week Three:

Monday, March 20, at 10 a.m. to Friday, March 24 at 4 p.m.

• Registration Week Four:

Monday, March 27, at 10 a.m. to Friday, March 31 at 4 p.m.

• Registration Week Five:

Monday, April 3, at 10 a.m. to Friday, April 7 at 4 p.m.

• Registration Week Six: Monday, April 10, at 10 a.m. to Friday, April 14 at 4 p.m.

• Registration Week Seven:

Monday, April 17, at 10 a.m. to Friday,

April 21 at 4 p.m.

• Registration Week Eight: Monday, April 24, at 10 a.m. to Friday, April 28 at 4 p.m.

• Registration Week Nine: Monday, May 1, at 10 a.m. to Friday, May 5 at 4 p.m.

• Registration Week Ten: Monday, May 8 at 10 a.m. to Friday, May 12 at 4 p.m.

Bookmarks should be returned no later than Wednesday, May 31.

Registrants will be asked to pick up their bookmarks at the Library in order to participate in this community service program. Volunteers must return 10 completed bookmarks in order to receive community service. Volunteers will receive two hours for every 10 bookmarks they submit, at the discretion of the Tweens and Teens Department. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Books and Brownies

Talk about your favorite mystery books while eating brownies during Books and Brownies, which will be held on Tuesday, March 21, at the Library! This program will be led by a Girl Scout and Teen Volunteer. Brownies will be served. Please note registrants will be eating baked goods, which will be baked by a teen volunteer. All registrants should indicate if they have any food allergies. This program is for tweens in Grades 4–7 only and is a joint program with the Children’s Department and Young Adult Department. Registration began Tuesday, March 14, online via Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org). Space is limited, so check

Eventkeeper for availability. Tweens in Grades 6–7 who complete an online survey after the program can receive community service for participating in this program.

Tween Thursdays: Mini Canvas Painting

Paint a mini canvas on Thursday, March 23, at 4 p.m. during Tween Thursdays: Mini Canvas Painting. This program is for tweens in Grades 4–7 only and is a joint program with the Children’s Department and Young Adult Department. Registration began Tuesday, March 14, online via Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org). Space is limited, so check Eventkeeper for availability. Tweens in Grades 6–7 who complete an online survey after the program can receive community service for participating in this program. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Teen Gamers

Kick off the weekend with our new Teen Gamers program! We will have our Nintendo Switch consoles for teens to use as well as tabletop board games and Magic: The Gathering cards for teens to play with. This program is for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12. The March session will be held Friday, March 24, at 3:30 p.m. Registration began Tuesday, March 14, online via Eventkeeper (www. gardencitypl.org). Space is limited, so check Eventkeeper for availability. Teens who complete an online survey after the program can receive community service for participating in this program. This program has

Learn to knit or crochet with the Teens Yarn Group at the Garden City Public Library.

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

been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Volunteers Needed: Reading Pals

Volunteer to read to and then do a craft with children ages PreK–Grade 2 during the program Reading Pals! The March session will be held on Tuesday, March 28. Registration begins Tuesday, March 21, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper (www. gardencitypl.org). Space is limited, so check Eventkeeper for availability. The Reading Pals program runs from 4 p.m.–4:30 p.m. Volunteers are asked to arrive at 3:30 p.m. to review the material before the start of the program and stay until 5 p.m. to help clean up. Volunteers must be in Grades 6–12 only. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Intro to Safe Babysitting

Join us for this Babysitting Workshop program, Intro to Safe Babysitting, on Thursday, March 30, at 4 p.m. This program is for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12. We will be using the Intro to Safe Babysitting curriculum from Safe Sitter®. Registrants must bring a doll to practice diapering. Registration is required and begins Tuesday, March 21, online via Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org). Teens who complete an online survey after the program can receive community service for participating in this program. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Tweens and Teens Yarn Group

Tweens and Teens in Grades 4-12 can learn how to knit or crochet during our Tweens and Teens Yarn Group that will be held on Saturday, April 1, at 11:30 a..m. Registration begins Tuesday, March 21, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org). Space is limited, so check Eventkeeper for availability. Participants will be able to take home knitting needles or crochet hooks to continue working on their projects, but must return the knitting needles or crochet hooks they are using by Saturday, April 15.

Tweens and teens in Grades 6–12 who know how to knit or crochet can volunteer at this program! Please contact Laura Giunta at laurag@gardencitypl.org if you are interested in volunteering.

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

Teen Crafternoon: Egg Painting for Community Service

Join us on Saturday, April 1 at

3PM for Teen Crafternoon: Egg Painting for Community Service! This program is for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12 only. Registration is required and begins Tuesday, March 21, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl. org). Participants will be painting foam eggs at the program. In order to earn community service, at least one of the eggs the participant paints must be given to the Library to be used for the Library's Egg Scavenger Hunt that will be held April 17–May 1. Afterward, participants can pick up their egg until May 12. Eggs will be held no longer than May 12. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Paint An Egg for our Egg Scavenger Hunt for Community Service

Earn community service by painting a foam egg at home for the Garden City Public Library’s Egg Scavenger Hunt Project! Registration begins Tuesday, April 4, at 10 a.m. Each volunteer will receive 1 egg and a set of paint pens to decorate their egg at home. Egg and paint pens must be picked up at the Library. Paint pens must be returned to the library. Volunteers’ eggs will be used in the Library’s Egg Scavenger Hunt! Pumpkins are due back no later than Thursday, April 13, 2023. Volunteers are also welcome to use their own supplies that they have at home. Volunteers will receive 2 hours for participating in this project, at the discretion of the Tweens and Teens Department. The eggs will be used until the end of April. Afterward, participants can pick up their eggs until May 12. Eggs will be held no longer than May 12. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Teen Advisory Board Meeting

The next meeting of the Teen Advisory Board will be held on Tuesday, April 4, at 4 p.m. Registration begins Tuesday, March 28, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org). The meeting is for Tweens and Teens in Grades 6–12. If you are interested in helping to come up with programming ideas, volunteer ideas, or social media outreach ideas for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12, consider joining the Teen Advisory Board. Online applications are available at https://www.gardencitypl. org/teen-advisory-board-application/ Applicants should be in Grades 6-12.

Egg Scavenger Hunt

This year, patrons can participate in an Egg Scavenger Hunt in

the Library! Search the Library for painted eggs, painted by teen volunteers! Patrons can participate in the scavenger hunt anytime they visit the Library between April 17–May 1. When you successfully complete the Scavenger Hunt, you can submit your completed entry to be entered into a raffle to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Only one entry per person. There will be only one winner. Patrons of all ages can participate! The Scavenger Hunt sheets to participate will be available at the Library beginning April 17. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Volunteers Needed: LEGO Club

Volunteer to help children Grades K–5 during the monthly Children's program LEGO Club! The April session will be held on Wednesday, April 19. The LEGO Club program runs from 4 p.m.–4:45 p.m. Volunteers are asked to arrive at 3:30 p.m. to help setup before the start of the program and stay after to help clean up until 5:15 p.m. Volunteers must be in Grades 6–12 only. Registration to volunteer begins Tuesday, April 11, at 10 a.m. online via Eventkeeper (www. gardencitypl.org). This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

GCPL Tweens and Teens Best Books 2023 Committee: Volunteers Needed!

The Tweens and Teens Department is looking for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12 to volunteer to provide feedback on recently published Young Adult books as part of our Tweens and Teens Best Books 2023 Committee! Eligible books are those published between October 1, 2022 and December 5, 2023 and aimed at tweens and teens in Grades 6–12.

Volunteers will be asked to read books on the Tweens and Teens Department’s monthly reading lists beginning with December 2022 and then write a 300-word review. Volunteers can also nominate a book not on our lists as long as it ’s published between October 1, 2022 and December 5, 2022 and the Library owns a physical copy in the Young Adult collection. Volunteers will earn community service credit.

Credit for both reading and writing reviews on new books in the Library’s Young Adult Collection. The feedback used throughout the year will help the Young Adult Librarians compile the Best Books list for the year in December 2023.

There are no requirements on how many books a volunteer must read and volunteers can read how -

ever many new books they are able to throughout the year. Volunteers can get credit for books they do not finish, as long as they provide 300word feedback as to why they chose not to finish the book. The committee may meet throughout the year if there is interest, but volunteers are not required to attend meetings and can still participate by reading and providing feedback on recent Young Adult books.

If interested, please sign-up to join the committee by visiting Garden City Public Library’s website at https:// www.gardencitypl.org/tweensteens-best-books-2023-committee/ or for more information, please contact the Young Adult Department at https://www.gardencitypl.org/ young-adult-department/contact-theyoung-adult-tweens-teens-department/.

Follow Tweens and Teens on Facebook and Instagram

Follow Garden City Library’s Tweens and Teens on Facebook and Instagram! The Young Adult Department uses both social media platforms as a tool to post updates and announcements about upcoming Library programs and community service opportunities.

Here are the Facebook and Instagram pages for the Garden City Public Library Tweens and Teens Department: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ GCPLTweensTeens

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ GCPLTweensTeens

If you’re interested in participating and want to learn when events will be happening for tweens and teens (Grades 6–12), or if you have any questions, email Young Adult Librarian Laura Giunta at https://www. gardencitypl.org/young-adult-department/contact-the-young-adulttweens-teens-department/ .

Teen Advisory Board Applications Now Available Online

If you are interested in helping to come up with programming ideas or social media outreach ideas for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12, consider joining the Teen Advisory Board. Online applications are available at https://www.gardencitypl. org/teen-advisory-board-application/ Applicants should be in Grades 6–12. Email Young Adult Librarian Laura Giunta at https://www.gardencitypl.org/young-adult-department/contact-the-young-adulttweens-teens-department/ if you have any questions.

News from the Garden City Public Library

April (Revised)

April 3: “Gone with the Wind - Part 2” 1939 (Total time is 3 hours and 58 mins)

April 10: “The Verdict” - 1982 - 129 minn, S

April 17: “Meet Me in St. Louis” - 1944 - 113 min

April 24: “North by Northwest”1959 - 136 min

March Programs

Information about March programs is listed below. Check out our website (www.gardencitypl.org) in the coming weeks for more information about upcoming programs.

Mom’s Yoga Night Out with Kimberly Mercadante: New Dates Added!

“An American in Paris” will be screened at the Garden City Library on Monday, March 20.

Monday Movies Presented by the Friends of the Garden City Library

Mondays at 1:30 p.m.

March

March 20: “An American in Paris”1951 - 114 min

March 27: “Gone with the WindPart 1” - 1939 (Total time is 3 hours and 58 mins)

You don’t have to be a mom to join us for these one-hour beginner’s yoga classes! This program has become so popular that we have added an additional five more sessions! This class will focus on beginning yoga. Please bring your own yoga mat to each class.

Due to the popularity of this program, we have added 5 additional sessions: 7–8 p.m.

• Wednesday, March 15

• Wednesday, March 22

*Each class requires a separate registration on Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org).

These programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.

Kindness Cards

Electric Vehicles Presentation

Thursday, March 23, 2–3 p.m.

Thinking of buying or leasing an electric vehicle? Join Drive Electric LI to learn the basics about electric vehicles,with the opportunity to ask current EV owners why they chose to go electric and what it’s really like to drive an EV.

Registration with Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org) began March 6, 2023.

Contact Adult Services (516)742-8405 ext. 5236. Email: Speakingofbooks@ gardencitypl.org

Multi-Generational Program: Adults & Children: How to Jump Start Their Vegetable Garden

*Saturday, March 25, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

A multi-generational program for children (grades K–5) and their parents/grandparents that will help to get a Jump Start on growing your vegetable garden. Science teacher Chris Buchman will show how to start a successful vegetable garden!

Registration began Monday, March 6, on Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl. org). Only one member per family should register.

Contact Adult Services (516)742-8405 ext. 5236. Email: Speakingofbooks@ gardencitypl.org

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

New Beginnings with Marla Matthews

Tuesday, March 28, 7–8:30 p.m.

Find new friends and hope for a new beginning during the program “New Beginnings: Singles Discussion/Support Group.” The program will be facilitated by Marla Matthews, who is a social worker, life coach, and TV talk-show host.

This will be a supportive, compassionate discussion for those that are widowed and divorced, and is for patrons ages 45 and older.

No registration required, but seating is on a first come, first served basis.

Contact Adult Services (516)742-8405 ext. 5236. Email: Speakingofbooks@gardencitypl.org

Spring Cooking with Mary Maguire

Thursday, March 30, 1–3 p.m.

With Easter & Passover on the horizon, it’s time to add Spring to your luncheon and dinner gatherings. On the menu will be carrot vichyssoise along with individual spring frittatas. This will be followed by an elegant curried chicken salad with servings from a carrots and grape casserole on the side. Topping it off will be a blueberry cream cheese coffee cake. All totally scrumptious and personally endorsed by the Easter Bunny himself.

Registration is required and began Thursday, March 9, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. on Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org).

Contact Adult Services (516)742-8405 ext. 5236. Speakingofbooks@gardencitypl.org

Practice exams at the Library

Teens volunteer to make cards to spread kindness in the community during the program Kindness Cards for Community Service, which was held Wednesday, March 8, at the Library.

An instructor from C2 Education goes over the ACT, SAT, and PSAT before students take a practice exam. The practice exam was held on Wednesday, March 8, at the Library and participants could choose one of the three exams to take.

March 17, 2023

Utah Adventure Day 6-7: House on Fire Among Highlights Hiking Bears Ears National Monument

BY KAREN RUBIN TRAVEL FEATURES SYNDICATE GOINGPLACESFARANDNEAR.COM

What is truly special about Bears

Ears National Monument-Cedar Mesa – and what draws Laini back time and again, are the remnants, artifacts and structures left by Ancestral Puebloans – ancestors of the Hopi and Zuni - who inhabited these canyons and cliffs between 700 and 2500 years ago. Arrowheads and other artifacts dating back 10,000 years have also been found in this region. Some of these sites are at once accessible yet also feel remote – so you feel you are the first archaeologist to discover, though obviously that can’t be since the BLM Rangers have left laminated info packets in metal cases in some of the dwellings. Still, we can pretend.

Our hikes bring us to these places that seem as if the occupants only recently vacated, leaving behind painted pottery shards, tiny corn husks, stone and bone tools, even their hand-prints, pictographs and petroglyphs that speak to us through time, as if to say, “We were here. We still are.”

Because these lands are sacred, all of us must be respectful of the dwellings and the archaeological artifacts that we come upon. And these sites truly feel sacred – precisely because of the artifacts, the pictographs and petroglyphs, you feel the presence of those who lived here. And because those of us who visit do show proper respect, these mud-and-stick (jacal) constructions delicate pictographs and petroglyphs etched into sand-

stone and artifacts, though incredibly fragile, are here for us to discover, as if we are among the first.

It’s fairly miraculous these sites have survived Mother Nature, let alone humans.

After hiking to the Arch Canyon Ruins, Laini leads us to a trail to one of the outstanding highlights of the Bears Ears National Monument: the House on Fire, one of the most photographed (spectacular) sites in the region.

This site features five granaries built into overhanging Cedar Mesa Sandstone with a streaked pattern that, in the early morning light, resembles flames (photo tip: because these dwellings were built to be south-facing, the most dramatic light is around 10-11 am depending upon time of year). (https://bearsearsmonument.org/house-on-fire/)

“As you take in the view, imagine how the ancient Puebloans lived here between 700 and 2,500 years ago,”

House on Fire is one of the most photographed – and dramatic –archeological sites in Bears Ears National MonumentCedar Mesa © Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear. com

Matcha writes at the visitutah.com site. “The granaries perched high in the cliffs stored corn, a main source of food. The Puebloans also ground Indian ricegrass into meal to make bread, and they ate abundant prickly pears. The ever-present yucca was invaluable, as its leaves were spun into fiber and woven into baskets, sandals, and bags, as well as ropes that are said to have helped reach some of the higher, less accessible granaries. The Native Americans used the root of the yucca for soap, and they roasted and ate the base of the plant.” (https://www.visitutah. com/articles/exploring-mule-canyon-house-on-fire-cave-tower)

(South Fork of Mule Canyon trail is 4.3 miles one-way, and elevation gain is 250 feet. Cave Tower Site is 1-1.5 miles round trip, and elevation change is less than 200 feet. Passes are required for day hiking, check with the Bureau of Land Management for the current fee amount. Be prepared

with exact change.)

After this spectacular hike, we drive west on Hwy 95 near milepost 103, then drive onto a dirt road for half a mile. We hike in and across the way, we see The Tower Ruin – a rare, two-story structure on the other side of the canyon.

At first, it seems too steep a scramble for me, but Dave and Laini go down. Dave makes it look easy. Sure enough, he comes back to guide me to the site (so glad he did!).

This site is so secluded, remote and untouched, it feels as if we discovered it on our own (though I’m sure that’s not true, the feeling is still so exciting).

The tower construction seems to be “modern” - Laini says there is evidence of three different generations having a hand in the construction. There are fabulous pictographs and petrolyphs here. I imagine that one is a symbol for the chief.

Altogether, we have hiked about 9 to 10 miles today – so satisfying.

We drive into the town of Blanding for dinner and supplies, seeing signs along the way for Native American Crafts, Dinosaur Museum, State Edges of the Cedars Native American Museum.

Laini decides to change plans from our original itinerary and instead of leaving here for Canyonlands, we stay an extra night and day in Cedar Mesa.

So glad, because the second day’s hike is one of the best I have ever experienced.

Kane Gulch Trail

Take seriously the need to obtain

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permits in advance for certain hikes. We changed our plans in order to stay this second day in Cedar Mesa so did not get the necessary permit (limited to just 20 a day) to hike to Moon House - the only day hike that requires a permit instead of just a hiking day pass. We thought we might get away with it because we are here on Easter Sunday, but no such luck (the permit allocations fill up even months before). It is easier to get permits in summer months, which is when Laini and David found themselves the only ones at the site when they last visited (likely because of the heat; when we are here, in early spring, the weather is perfect).

Instead, at the Kane Gulch Visitor Center, the Ranger suggests we hike the Kane Gulch Trail which starts right across the road. We purchase our day hiking passes ($5 pp - my America the Beautiful pass doesn’t count). She suggests what to look for at what distances.

Dave gets out our hot-water maker and we have our breakfast at the picnic table outside the visitor center, then set out. Our plan is to go five miles, to the Stimper Arch, and five miles back.

At about a mile in, there is a short slot canyon where we see a formation to me looks like the profile of an Indian chief.

At the two-mile mark, Dave stashes our 5-gallon water jug so we have enough for the return.

It’s four miles to the Junction Ruin which has some fabulous dwellings, pottery shards, and pictographs.Dave and Laini climb up sheer rock to get to

Utah Adventure Day 6-7

an upper level (a defensive watchtower?) and could see remnants of a ladder that would have been used.

Another .7 mile and we come to a site known as Turkey Pen. Looking up from the trail, it seems the cliff dwellings are cramped and close to the edge, but when we get up here, it is surprising how much space there actually is.

Here, we see some fabulous examples of mud and stick method of construction (jacal) and some exquisite painted pottery shards, pictographs, even the remnants of the actual turkey pen formed with sticks – so it almost seems you are coming upon a dwelling just after the residents left. You feel you are the archaeologist making the discovery –except for the printed notes left by the National Park Service- but still.

We also come upon a square kiva (most kivas Laini and Dave have seen are circular, Laini notes).

You wonder about whether the site was designed to defend and who to defend from - people who would take food stored in the granary? One of the pictographs depicts sheep being killed, another of “lizard man.”

As we hike, we keep our eyes peeled on the cliffs above for evidence of dwellings, well off the trail and likely minimally visited. Laini says there were thousands of cliff dwellings here and only a fraction have been discovered (or are still intact, but when you consider they are 1000 years old, and the crumbling rock all around, it is amazing any remain). We spot one and Laini goes off to try to find a way to climb up to it.

We find a pleasant rock overhang to sit and have our picnic lunch, feeling

like this would have been exactly what the Puebloans would have done.

We hike a further .3 miles to the Stimper Arch (which is the 5-mile mark), where we turn around.

This hike has everything – it has just the right amount of physical challenge – a section where you scramble a bit and walk a narrow edge – gorgeous greenery, stunning rock formations, water features (but not too watery to hike), but best and most spectacular of all, these cliff dwellings that look like we have just discovered them, with relatively large and stunningly painted pottery shards, stone tools, stunning pictographs (I start thinking they are either indications of how many people lived in the dwelling like a census; markers of whose dwelling it is, like a family name? or just being playful, artful? graffiti?).

The trail is not specifically marked – so you have to figure your own way using the landscape and intermittently placed cairns.

Even though this is a popular trail, we come upon other people only occasionally (but it kind of reassures us we are going the right way).

The trail actually goes on for miles (days), connecting to other trails. (We meet a group of college students who are making a multi-day backpacking trip and will return on the Fish and Owl trail.)

We get back to the start at 6:30 pm (we set out around 10 am), having hiked about 11 miles. (It took us 5 hours to get 5 miles (including the time exploring the archaeological sites) and 3 ½ hours to hike back.

A GREENER VIEW

The Case for Carbohydrates

BY CHARLYN FARGO

A new study finds that we really do need carbohydrates. For years, carbs have taken a bad rap as the popularity of Atkins and keto diets soared. The truth is carbs aren’t bad: Complex carbs -- carbs with fiber -- are very much needed in a healthy diet pattern.

The study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, looked at data on food and nutrient intake and markers of metabolic syndrome from respondents in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2018. It includ-

ed 19,078 respondents who were over 20 years old, had reliable and complete data on food and nutrient intake and markers of metabolic syndrome, and were not pregnant or breastfeeding.

Researchers, led by Dakota Dustin, a doctoral Student in the Department of Human Sciences at Ohio State University, found that carbohydrate intakes below recommendations (less than 45% of calories), with a high intake of fat, were associated with higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is characterized as having three of the following conditions: elevated waist?circumference, elevated triglycerides, reduced HDL (considered good cholesterol), elevated blood pressure or elevated plasma glucose.

Over one-third of adults in the U.S. have metabolic syndrome, and dietary carbohydrate intake may modify the likelihood of developing this condition. Researchers felt there is a lack of con-

sistent evidence demonstrating the relationship between carbohydrate intake that falls below recommendations and metabolic syndrome.

Their findings showed those who had a carbohydrate intake below recommendations had 1.067 times greater odds of having metabolic syndrome compared to those who met carbohydrate recommendations. High intake of fat of any class was associated with higher odds of metabolic syndrome in those who had a carbohydrate intake below recommendations.

A healthy diet should consist of 45% to 55% carbohydrates, 20% to 35% fat and the remainder protein. Carbohydrates are present in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, nuts and seeds. The best-quality carbohydrates are those with fiber, considered complex carbohydrates.

The bottom line? We all need complex carbohydrates -- full of fiber -- in a

After this full day’s hike, we drive to Arches National Park. It’s a fairly long drive and already sunset by the time we arrive. This is the first time we have to set up camp in the dark and there is a strong wind that makes it difficult to keep the tent from blowing away (especially since I can’t find my tent stakes so we improvise, until they are ultimately found under the footprint.)

Dave makes a fire and we prepare dinner from our supplies.

If You Go....

The Moon House Ruin is one of the best archaeology sites on Cedar Mesa (the hike is 3.2-5.6 miles roundtrip). More of the best hikes in Bears Ears at http://www.hikingwalking.com/index. php/destinations/ut/ut_se/blanding

Day hiking in Bears Ears National Monument requires a day hiking pass. Day hiking passes are unlimited. Visit the permits page for more information (https://www.blm.gov/programs/ recreation/permits-and-passes/lotteries-and-permit-systems/utah/ cedarmesa).

Visitor Centers: Kane Gulch BLM Ranger Station, UT-261 36 miles west of Blanding; Monticello Visitor Center, 216 S Main St., 435-587-3401; Blanding Visitor Center, 12 North Grayson Parkway.

https://www.blm.gov/visit/ bears-ears-national-monument

© 2023 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear. com

healthy dietary pattern. Restricting or eliminating carbohydrates can lead to other health problems.

COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS

Crossword Answers

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with SIU Med School in Springfield, Illinois.

Visiting King’s Island in northern Connecticut

BY CLAIRE LYNCH

Twenty-five years ago I started driving to Enfield, Ct., to meet some friends I’d met in college at Fairfield University. I had been to other parts of Connecticut over the years but I hadn’t learned much about this northern part of the state until spending time with my old college buddies.

Bordered by Longmeadow, Mass., Enfield is 10 miles south of Springfield, Mass., in Hartford County, Ct. The town was settled in 1679 by the Pease brothers, Robert and John of the Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Today Enfield is known for its many stores along Hazard Avenue which is north of Hartford and right off I-91.

One friend, Emma, lives in Suffield, Ct., so that meant crossing the Connecticut River, a mighty river that flows roughly southward for 407 miles through four states - New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut - and empties into the Long Island Sound.

With each visit to Enfield I grew increasingly fascinated with the Connecticut River and I told my friends that I wanted to photograph it. My Enfield friend, Kelly, told me about King’s Island - a small island in the middle of the Connecticut River that is accessible only by boat - and explained how we could go to the boat launch.

Arranging to meet Emma and Judy, one day we set out with my equipment and I got some scenic shots. They knew all about King’s Island but that was the first time I’d ever heard the story of this island that measures about 120 acres and was originally owned by the Native American Indians. In 1641 a Native American woman was said to have sold the island to John Lewis of Windsor, Ct.

Over the years the island has had different owners, one of them being the King family. Connecticut Light & Power, now called Eversource, purchased it in the 1950s. The company

hoped to use the island and section of the river for hydroelectric power, but nothing came of it. Eversource kept the park as open public land and still maintains a page describing it.

King’s Island has been the site of religious gatherings, particularly in the 1800s when Dewitt Clinton Terry lived on and farmed a large portion of the island. Terry was a member of a religious sect that believed the world was going to end on specific dates.

More than once, the Millerites aka Adventists, gathered on the island for the anticipated final day, only to see it come and go without incident. There is still evidence of his farmhouse, barns and stone walls that can be found throughout the island.

Over the years many people have taken a canoe, a boat or a kayak across from Enfield or Suffield to King’s Island. Local fishermen have reported that carp, smallmouth bass, walleye, pike, catfish and striped bass can be caught in the waters of the Connecticut River all around King’s Island. It has been a hunting ground although now it is a wildlife management area.

King’s Island is uninhabited, clean, quiet and for the most part it is undisturbed. Surrounded by Enfield, Suffield and to the south, by Windsor Locks, some people access the island from the boat launch at 49 Parsons Road in Enfield.

The King’s Island Boat Launch has also been known as the Parsons Boat Launch. It has a long concrete ramp and a good-sized parking area. The launch is most popular during the shad season. Shad, which is in the herring family, is a great type of fish to eat. It’s very healthy for you.

There is a small picnic area and a bit of area to explore along the shore for fishing depending on water levels. There’s also a small brook to the right of the boat launch called Beemans Brook that made for some great pictures when we went there. Running east to west,

it’s a pretty babbling brook with lots of fish in it.

Despite its remote location, most local residents know that for years King’s Island has been a campground. Emma said that her father, Bob, used to kayak or take a small boat to King’s Island when he was in his early 20s. He and his friend, Dylan, would camp out for the weekend or for as long as they could stay. With their backpacks filled with clothes, food and other supplies, they would head off the mainland to King’s Island.

They’d spend time fishing then cook the fish they had just caught over a campfire. They very carefully got the fire going in a pre-dug fire pit which was ideal - it was sheltered from the wind.

They’d also heat up a can of beans, drink some coffee from the Thermos they’d brought in their backpack and have some homemade pound cake for dessert. The setting was rustic and their dinner was basic but they ate a solid dinner.

Their sleeping bags were comfortable enough and looking up at the night-

time stars was magical. When morning came, they took pictures of the sun’s rays bouncing off the waters of the Connecticut River. They’d hike along the mile-long walking trail and when the daylight was best, using a 35-mm camera they would take photographs of the various wildlife and nature they saw on King’s Island - the bald eagles, hawks, ducks and geese as well as the fish.

At sundown they took a lot more pictures and back home after their trip they pored over their photos, knowing they had some great mementoes.

I liked hearing Emma tell Judy, Kelly and me about her dad and Dylan’s trip to King’s Island. She was very descriptive and gave lots of details. Although they went there years ago, I doubted that the island had changed much. Seeing King’s Island and talking about it piqued my interest in going back to explore the area when the weather gets warmer. Springtime will be best - after all the snow has melted and the trees and the flowers are in full bloom.

Disability Benefits for Senior Citizens

BY TOM MARGENAU

Many older folks are asking me about getting disability benefits from Social Security. I’ll offer some tips on how to go about doing that in a minute. But first, here are some ground rules that vary depending on your age.

If you are over your full retirement age, forget about it. Once you reach that age, disability benefits are no longer payable. Or to put that another way, the retirement benefit you are getting pays the same rate as any disability benefits you might be due.

If you are under age 62 and disabled, then you should definitely file for Social Security disability. There is information about how to do that later in this column.

If you are over 62 and not yet on Social Security, then you should file for retirement and disability benefits at the same time. The Social Security Administration can start your retirement payments right away. Then if your disability claim is eventually approved, they will switch you to the higher disability rate.

But if you are between age 62 and your full retirement age, and are already getting Social Security retirement benefits, you may or may not be eligible for disability payments. Or to be more precise, the closer you are to your full retirement age, the smaller your disability boost will be -- and you may decide it’s just not worth all the hassle.

That’s because your disability rate (normally equal to your full retirement age benefit) must be reduced for every month you’ve already received a Social Security retirement check. And you will eventually reach a point where you simply gain very little by filing for Social Security disability.

Here is a quick example of that. Sam filed for retirement benefits at age 62. His benefit was reduced roughly onehalf of 1% for each month he was under his full retirement age. He is getting 75% of his FRA rate. At 65, he had a heart attack. If he files for disability benefits and if his claim is approved, his regular disability rate, again equal to his FRA benefit, must be reduced by about onehalf of 1% for each month he’s already received a retirement benefit. At age 65, he’s received 36 retirement checks, so his disability rate must be cut by about 18%. So instead of a 100% disability rate, he’d get about 82%. Sam would have to decide if it is worth all the hassle of filing for disability just to get bumped up from his current 75% rate to 82%.

I’ve used the phrase, “all the hassle,” twice already. Let me tell you what the hassle is by giving you a quick rundown of the Social Security disability application process.

First, you will fill out a bunch of papers. The primary one is a form that

asks you to describe your disability and how it prevents you from working. That latter point is the key. You don’t get disability benefits simply because you have some kind of physical or mental impairment. You get disability benefits because you have a physical or mental impairment that keeps you from working, so you must describe in detail how your disability prevents you from doing your job.

That same form also asks you to list your medical providers. The government can’t make a decision about your case without having the evidence to back up your claim, so make sure you thoroughly list the names, addresses, phone numbers and any other contact information you have for every doctor, hospital, clinic or other medical professional from whom you’ve received treatment.

The Social Security Administration contracts out disability decisions to an agency in each state that is staffed with doctors and other medically trained personnel. They are the folks who decide if you meet the legal definition of “disability” for Social Security purposes. In a nutshell, the rules say your impairment must be one that will keep you from doing any kind of work for which you are suited and one that is expected to last at least 12 months.

There is a pretty good chance you will be asked to go to a Social Security doctor for additional evaluation. Make sure you don’t miss that appointment.

Your disability claim will usually take about three months to process. If it’s approved, you’ll start getting disability checks six months after they say your disability began. (That six-month waiting period is built into the law.)

If your claim is denied, you will have to decide if it is worth it to appeal that decision. If you decide to do that, the first appeal is usually just a review of your case by the state agency that made the first decision. If your claim is denied again, then you can file for a hearing before a Social Security judge. Because of backlogs, those hearings can take about a year to set up.

By the way, the “word on the street” is that all disability claims are denied the first time and that it takes a year or more to get a final decision. That’s just not true. About 35% of all disability claims are approved the first time in that 3-month window I mentioned earlier. Another 15% or so are approved after the first appeal. It’s only those claims that end up in the hearing judge’s backlog that take a long time to process.

Do you need a lawyer to handle your disability claim? Quick answer: not right away. You certainly don’t need legal help to file a disability claim or to file for the first review if the claim is denied. But if you find yourself heading for a hearing before an SSA judge, many

folks feel more comfortable having a lawyer there to represent them. Just be aware that they are usually going to take about 25% of any back pay benefits you receive if they win the case for you.

So, to sum up, if you are a senior citizen with physical and/or mental health issues, you may or may not be eligible for Social Security disability benefits depending on the factors explained in this column.

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.

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Answers on page 2

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Reader Discovers It’s Difficult to Pay the Balance to the Penny

BY MARY HUNT

Dear Cheapskate: This is petty perhaps, but how does one ever completely pay off a credit card account?

We paid off a credit card recently (Hallelujah!) by sending a check for the exact amount of the balance due taken from the monthly statement. The following month we received a bill for $1.91 -- all of it a finance charge! Sure, it’s not much, but that was discouraging. Any suggestions?

-- Alan

Dear Alan: You have just discovered another of the credit card companies’ tricks. Because companies use the average-daily-balance method to compute interest, it is nearly impossible to pay a credit card balance off to the penny if you’ve been carrying a balance of any amount.

You could spend a lot of time and trouble calling and haranguing customer service to time your payment with their billing cycles. Or bite back: When you’re ready to make that final payment in full, add $5 to the amount you owe. When your next statement arrives with a credit balance, call customer service and request that they send you a check for the credit balance.

They probably won’t do it unless you close the account, but how nice for them to owe you for a change!

Dear Cheapskate: I ruined my credit years ago in the usual foolish way people do with nonpayment and slow

BY MARY HUNT

payments.

Even though I am much more careful and responsible now, I cannot shake the bad credit history. My bank does not offer secured credit card accounts. Do you have any suggestions to help me get a credit card? -- Discouraged in Fla.

Dear Discouraged: Negative credit items will automatically drop off your report after seven years; a bankruptcy will stop being reported to the credit bureaus after 10 years. Your report should be cleaning itself if your missteps took place that long ago.

As for getting a secured card, you can apply for this type of credit card account outside of your bank, without ruining that relationship. But first fully understand how a secured credit card account works: Secured cards are for people with bad credit and require a deposit into a savings account tied to the account, typically $300 to $500. If you were to mess up on this type of account, the funds being held as security will be applied to the outstanding balance, and the account will be closed.

I suggest you go to Bankrate.com, where you will find excellent information and a list of secured credit cards available, including each one’s terms and conditions. Read them very carefully. Make sure that you are not shooting yourself in the wallet by opting for a card that has excessive fees.

Dear Cheapskate: About six years ago, I decided to work toward becom-

ing debt-free. Not wanting to help the credit card companies get rich by paying lots of high interest, I worked up a plan.

Every six months or so, I would find a credit card company that was offering a credit card with a special six months of zero percent APR on balance transfers with low or no transfer fee, and I would transfer my balance.

In this way I was able to pay off all my credit card debt while paying little to no interest.

The problem? My husband and I now have 15 credit card accounts, with a total credit limit of approximately three times our annual income.

Currently, I am trying to close one account about every six months or so to protect my credit score.

Do you suggest that I keep this up for the next seven years, or should I just bite the bullet, close them all and let my credit rating take a hit? My score is 750. -- Juliet T.

Dear Juliet: Given the delicate nature of credit scores and credit limits these days, identify the two accounts that you’ve had the longest and target them as the accounts you want to keep active. Then just sit back and do nothing with the others.

More than likely the companies will cancel these for lack of activity -- provided the balances remain $0.00. Because you have so much open credit, losing some of that might well improve your already very

good credit score.

While I want to commend you for being so tenacious and clever in getting out of debt, I also want to caution my readers. Your method for paying down debt is a very risky proposition. Zero percent teaser rates are becoming scarce. And even if you can find and qualify for one, it’s not easy to hang onto it. If you are ever late with a payment, you’ll get socked with a big default rate.

This tactic is like playing with fire. It’s easy to get burned.

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 2023 CREATORS.COM

5 Extreme Lawn, Patio and Garden Cost-cutters

For some of us, there are few spring joys that are as soul-satisfying as a healthy, lush green lawn. Or a pristine patio with clean furniture and accessories.

You may have noticed in the past that a beautifully maintained healthy lawn does not come without considerable cost, effort and care. And outdoor living areas don’t magically remain clean and inviting.

You can cut the cost of all kinds of products you need to keep your home and garden looking great, including lawn and plant fertilizers and foods and cleaning products, too, by making your own homemade concoctions.

HEAVY-DUTY LAWN FEAST

Mix together 1 can full-strength beer, 1 can regular (not diet) soda, 1/2 cup mouthwash, 1/2 cup liquid household ammonia, 1/2 cup plain liquid soap (not detergent and not antibacterial) and 1 cup liquid plant food like Miracle-Gro.

This recipe is good for about 400 to 600 square feet of lawn and should be delivered through the use of a hose-end sprayer set at a 4-ounces-per-gallon application rate. Spray on lawn after mowing, just enough to wet the grass. Reapply every three weeks in the cool of the evening, during the hot season.

Just so you know, beer helps to promote microbial action in the lawn; the ammonia breaks down into nitrates that feed the lawn; and the soap helps to spread the solution more widely while encouraging absorption.

The alcohol in mouthwash acts as a deterrent to insects, and soap also encourages the plant material to absorb all the good stuff.

PLANT FOOD

Pour 1 gallon of tap water into a container that will hold a bit more than a gallon. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons Epsom salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon household ammonia. Measure carefully; overdoing it could be harmful to plants.

This is a complete plant food and should e used only once every four to six weeks. Too much will harm and weaken plants. Can be stored and used on both outdoor and indoor plants.

APHID ERADICATOR

Mix together 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 1/2 cups water and 2 teaspoons liquid dish soap (Murphy’s Oil Soap works especially well) and pour into a spray bottle.

Spray this homemade aphid control mixture on the aphids every few days until the pests recede. This concoction will suffocate the aphids. Treat plants in the cool of the morning or in the evening, not

when they will receive direct sunlight, as the freshly applied oil may magnify the sunlight and burn the foliage.

ARTILLERY WEED KILLER

Sometimes you want to make sure nothing will ever grow along a walkway, on a driveway, in the cracks of a sidewalk and between steppingstones and pathways. Just mix up a batch of this soil sterilizer and treat those areas where weeds are so prevalent. It’s cheap and easy. Just keep in mind that you’ll surely kill the weeds, but also every other living thing as well. Apply several times and the soil will be “sterilized,” meaning nothing will grow there for a period of time.

Mix together 1 gallon white distilled vinegar, 2 cups ordinary table salt and 8 drops liquid dish soap. Mix well to dissolve the salt. Dispense this weed killer using a spray bottle. Label the container carefully, and keep out of reach of children.

It will take several days after the first application for the vegetation to die. And you may have to apply several times for this mixture to work its way deep into the soil. But if you persist, that will happen.

VINYL SIDING CLEANER

In a bucket, mix together 2/3 cup Spic and Span powder, 1/2 cup Tide powder laundry detergent, 1 quart liquid bleach and 3 quarts hot water. Allow to stand

for four to five hours. Pour into a garden hose-end sprayer and apply to vinyl siding, vinyl chairs, patio furniture and even umbrella covers. After about five minutes, remove the hose end sprayer and rinse the items with clear water by attaching a nozzle to the hose.

Nothing works as well as this cleaner. When you spray it on you can see the dirt, film and mildew just slide off. It is important that you use the brand names stipulated.

If you are concerned about landscaping, use this recipe instead: 1 gallon of water and 1 cup oxygen bleach mixed together in a bucket. The oxygen bleach will clean the vinyl without damaging your landscaping.

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.”

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Farewell, Winter; Hello, Spring!

BY DENNIS MAMMANA

Week of March 19-25, 2023

Spring is about to... well, spring! At least in the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, anyway.

Springtime officially arrives this year in the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, Monday, March 20.

Many folks know that around the first day of spring (and, of course, the first day of autumn) the sun rises due east and sets due west. At these times, it’s wise for people who drive in those directions around dawn and dusk to be extra careful, since the rising and setting sun can make it difficult to see oncoming traffic and pedestrians along east-west roadways.

This whole change of seasons business comes about not because of our varying distance from the sun as many people mistakenly believe, but rather because our Earth’s axis is tilted relative to its orbit around the sun.

During wintertime, we in the Northern Hemisphere see the sun cross our daytime sky low in the south; in our summertime, it crosses high overhead. At some point during the year, however, the sun has to cross the equator on its way northward, and that occurs at the exact moment known as the vernal equinox, which, this year, occurs on March 20 at 2:24 p.m. PDT (5:24 p.m. EDT).

On that day our sun lies directly over the Earth’s equator and, if you were standing there, you would see the sun pass directly over your head around noontime. A few days or weeks earlier, the sun would have appeared in your southern sky, and a few days or weeks later it would appear in your northern sky. But on that day, the sun stands directly over the equator and would appear to pass directly overhead.

It is also around this time of year we may notice that our days and nights are of nearly equal length, and it is from this that we get the term “equinox,” which derives from Latin and means “equal nights”. And, as long as we don’t concern ourselves with the fine details of our sun’s position, those are both fairly true statements.

For billions of years life on our planet has become accustomed to seasonal changes, but did you ever wonder what conditions might be like if the Earth’s axis were not tilted and we had no seasons? Would life on Earth be different?

With no tilt, the Earth would have a more moderate and stable climate. Flora and fauna might have become quite specialized, creatures of different sizes and types might intermingle more, and the ecology

of our world would likely be quite different than we know today.

And if Earth’s axis were tilted even more? Seasonal changes would be more extreme; winds would blow more strongly, storms would be more powerful and common, and local temperatures would vary dramatically throughout the year.

So, as we begin to see the changes around us as springtime arrives, be sure to enjoy them all. We owe to them our very existence.

And as our temperatures gradually become more pleasant once again, I’m glad to be done with the cold and dreary days of winter, and I’m reminded how happy I am for our changing seasons!

Visit Dennis Mammana at dennismammana.com. COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM

Eye See You

BY TRACY BECKERMAN

“Honey, have you seen my eyeglasses?” yelled my husband from another room. I sighed. This was not the first time he had lost his glasses, and I knew from past experience that the hunt could take a few minutes or a few days, depending on the blendability of the glasses-to-background ratio.

“Where do you last remember seeing them?” I asked him.

“If I could see them, I wouldn’t need your help finding them,” he said.

“That’s not what I meant,” I replied. “I meant, when do you last remember wearing them?”

“Yesterday.”

“You’ve been missing them since yesterday?” I wondered.

“No. But that’s the last time I remember wearing them.”

“OK, let’s try again,” I said. “Where

were you the last time you were wearing your glasses?”

“If I knew that, I could find the glasses!”

It used to be that his shoes were the only things that went missing. But those were usually easy to find. They are big and black and were typically under the kitchen table, by the front door or in the dog’s mouth. But the glasses are another story. When he found out that he needed glasses a few months ago, he decided to get the frameless variety, aka invisible glasses. They looked great on him, but the problem with invisible glasses is when you take them off, they are invisible. This makes it nearly impossible to find them unless you have an eyeglasses GPS, or a specially trained glasses-sniffing dog, or a psychic wife.

We looked in the usual places: the bedside table, the bathroom sink, the kitchen counter. We looked in the not-

so-usual places: inside the refrigerator, ditto the microwave, on the dog. (The dog, by the way, also looked good in the invisible glasses but alas, his eyesight, as far as we could tell, was fine).

At this point I thought it might be time to pull out my secret weapon, otherwise known as “Mamavision.” Mamavision is what I had used to see my kids doing something they weren’t supposed to when I was in another room. Mamavision is also what I used when the dog did something nasty on the carpet downstairs and I wanted my husband to find it first. Mamavision is kind of like a special radar specific only to moms and fruit bats... and sometimes husbands trying to find the TV remote.

I turned my back to the room and looked at it with my mind. I could see my husband standing in front of the front hall table, which was mirrored. I turned back and strode over to the front hall table and looked down. There, right

next to my husband’s hand, were his invisible glasses.

“Honey, your glasses are right in front of you,” I said.

“Where?” he said, looking around.

I pointed, and then reached out and plucked his glasses off the table.

“Here!” I announced.

“Oh,” he said, grinning. “I couldn’t see them.”

“Why?” I said. “Because they’re invisible?”

“No,” he replied. “Because I wasn’t wearing my glasses.”

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 2023 CREATORS

This whole change of seasons business comes about not because of our varying distance from the sun as many people mistakenly believe, but rather because our Earth’s axis is tilted relative to its orbit around the sun.

EMPLOYMENT

HELP WANTED

COUNTER HELP WANTED for the Snack Bar the Parkwood Sports Complex Ice Skating rink in Great Neck. Will train.

Please call 516-826-4540

CUSTOMER SERVICE / FRONT DESK POSITION

Front Desk/Customer Service

Part Time Days Mon-Fri at NOTHING BUNDT CAKES

Help our guests choose and pick up our delicious cakes. Must be reliable, friendly, punctual and a natural smiler! Perfect for anyone returning to work force, moms, empty nesters or retirees.

Call Carole 516-352-0352

Let’s discuss!

LAW OFFICE

Administrative Assistants Clerks

Busy Hicksville Law Firm seeking detailed oriented individuals with strong interpersonal & organizational skills. Computer proficient. Comfortable and professional work environment. Full & Part-time positions available.

Reply to: awobig@marcotelaw.com

EMPLOYMENT

HELP WANTED

RECEPTIONIST/ ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Garden City trusts and estates law firm seeks full-time receptionist with administrative skills to work with attorneys, paralegals and administrative staff. Prior law firm experience desirable. Recent college graduates welcome. Competitive salary, and employee benefits, including medical insurance, 401(k) with company match.

Reply to: michael.sparacino@brosnanlaw.com

SEEKING LOCAL LADY for help with daily activities. Food shopping, medical appointments and other errands. P/T Flexible Days/Hours. Call 516-829-0542

EMPLOYMENT SITUATION

WANTED

CERTIFIED HHA / CNA / BABYSITTING FULL TIME

Over 25 years experience. Light housekeeping, shopping, activities, appointments etc. Valid driver’s license. Excellent references and fully vaccinated. Please call 516-236-1711

CERTIFIED NURSE’S AIDE

25 YEARS EXPERIENCE.

Honest, reliable. Available Fulltime, Part-time & Overnight, Weekends.

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Also available to run errands, pick up medication, etc.

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COMPANION/CAREGIVER AVAILABLE FOR AFTERNOONS

Experienced Polish Woman is available for companionship with elderly.

Honest, kind, caring, friendly & patient.

Speaks English. Has own car. Call or text 516-589-5640

ELDER CARE Experienced woman seeks position to care for the elderly live in or live out. Certified HHA. Excellent references. Please call 516-800-6442

EXCELLENT HOME

HEALTH AIDE

Striving to make elderly comfortable in their own surroundings. Seeking FT/PT position. Flexible hours. Have worked with many prominent people. Excellent references. Driver w/ car. Will do errands, doctor appts, housework, light cooking.

Call Lorna 347-425-2804

EMPLOYMENT

CAREER TRAINING

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING

PROGRAM! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details!

(844) 947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET) Computer with internet is required.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Get DIRECTV FOR $64.99 / month for 12 months with CHOICE Package. Save an additional $120 over 1st year.

First 3 months of HBO Max, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and Epix included! Directv is #1 in Customer Satisfaction (JD Power & Assoc.). Some restrictions apply. Call 1-888-534-6918

ANNOUNCEMENTS

NOVENAS/PRAYERS

NOVENA TO THE BLESSED MOTHER

Oh Most Beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven. Oh, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity.

Oh Star of the Sea, help me herein and show me here you are my Mother.

Oh Holy Mary Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succor me in my necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand your power.

Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee (say three times).

Holy Mary I place this cause in your hands (say three times). Amen.

This prayer is never known to fail and is to be said for 3 consecutive days. (M.T.F.)

MARKETPLACE

A.T. STEWART EXCHANGE CONSIGNMENT SHOP

516-746-8900

Antiques-FurnitureJewelry-Silver-MirorsLamps-Artwork

Come to Consign & Stay to Shop

Visit.... Our Shop

109 Eleventh St. Garden City

Mon-Fri 10-4 (Wed till 6)

Saturday 12-4

Shop Our Online Store ATStewartExchange.org

Items to Consign?

Email photos (with sizing info) to: store@atstewartexchange. org

All proceeds benefit The Garden City Historical Society

Like us on Facebook & Instagram

INVITED ESTATE SALES

BY TRACY JORDAN

is doing VIRTUAL TAG SALES and ONLINE AUCTIONS now! Sell the contents of an entire house or sell just a few things! You can host your own sale on invitedsales.com and Facebook and Instagram or we can do it for you. We can photograph, advertise and handle the winning pickups for you within a week! Don’t worry about your closing date, we can get your house ready on time! We are a one stop service for all your needs when you are moving or selling a property! Selling, donating, discarding and cleaning out services can be done to meet your time frame with minimal stress. Contact info@invitedsales.com for more information or call 516-279-6378 to schedule a consultation or receive more information.

Visit us at www.invitedsales. com for a listing of our upcoming Virtual Tag Sales and Weekly Auctions!

DINING ROOM SET

38” x 70” x 3/4”

Beveled Glass Top Dbl Marble Travertine Base

4 Chairs Like New

$500

516-965-4878

AUCTIONS

COOL OLD STUFF IN GLEN COVE VINTAGE SHOP. WINNER OF BEST OF NASSAU COUNTY 2021. GREAT PRICED items for Boat & Home. See ALL online at Wilsonsdrydock.com.

118 Dayton St. Sea Cliff. Call 516-662-2821

MARKETPLACE

WANTED TO BUY

LOOKING TO BUY!

Estates, Oriental items, Gold, Silver, Costume Jewelry, Dishes, Flatware, Watches, Clothing, Old Photos, Coins, Stamps, Records, Toys, Action Figures, Comics, Art and Furniture.

Immediate Cash Paid

Call George 917-775-3048 or 718-386-1104

TOP CASH PAID: ESTATE CONTENTS ALL OBJECTS OF ART JEWELRY, ETC.

Please call 718-598-3045 or 516-270-2128

www.antiqueassets.com

AUTOMOTIVE

AUTOS WANTED

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Or Donate, Tax Deduct Ca$h.

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516-297-2277

DRIVE OUT BREAST CANCER:

Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pickup 24hr response Tax deduction Easy to do! Call 24/7: 855-905-4755

WHEELS FOR WISHES benefitting Make-A-Wish Northeast New York. Your Car Donations Matter NOW More Than Ever! Free Vehicle Pick Up ANYWHERE. We Accept Most Vehicles Running or Not.

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Car Donation Foundation

d/b/a Wheels For Wishes.

www.wheelsforwishes.org

REAL ESTATE FOR RENT

APARTMENT FOR RENT

FLORAL PARK

LUXURY APARTMENT

2/3 bedrooms, Brand New Construction With State-Of-TheArt Amenities Located In The Incorporated Village Of Floral Park (Which Consistently Ranks In the Top 3 Safest Communities In New York State), 25 Minutes By Express Train To Manhattan Or Brooklyn-Penn Station, Grand Central & Atlantic Ave). 10 Minute Walk To LIRR Station. Adjacent To New Children’s Playground Which Is Attached To The Community Rec Center Which Offers

Basketball/Volleyball & Tennis Courts, Baseball Fields & 5 Year Old Olympic-Size Swimming Pool, Washer / Dryer, Flat -Screen TV Included, Huge Finished Basement, Driveway, Backyard (With Patio) Included.

$3,975 Monthly.

Call Century 21 Sewanhaka 516-328-3344

ROOM FOR RENT

ROOM FOR RENT IN MINEOLA

Includes Refrigerator, cable tv, microwave, a/c. No smoking. Private entrance. Street parking. $725/month. One month security.

Call 516-747-3463 or 516-554-4835

VACATION RENTAL

OCEAN BEACH

FIRE ISLAND RENTAL

5 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 2 Kitchen house that is just 6 houses from the beach w/all the amenities.

Weekly rentals available May-Sept $8,000/week

Monthly rentals availableMay, June, Sept $20,000/month

Rental fee does not include cleaning, taxes & utilities

Call 516-978-6842

SERVICES

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

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

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES

in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 866-393-3636

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American Residential Warranty covers ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE / $100 OFF POPULAR PLANS. 833-398-0526

HANDYMAN

Careful & Reliable Serving GARDEN CITY and surrounding area since 2003 Repairs & Installations of all types Carpentry, Moldings, Lighting and More 35-yr Nassau Resident References Lic#170101 Phone/Text Friendly Frank: 516-238-2112

Email: Frankcav@optonline. net

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WIREMAN/CABLEMAN

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631-667-WIRE (9473) or TEXT 516-353-1118

HEALTH SERVICES

FAMILY CARE CONNECTIONS, LLC

Dr. Ann Marie D’Angelo

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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

Dish up a classic comfort food this St. Paddy’s Day

Shepherd’s Pie

Everyone has “corned beef and cabbage” on the brain come St. Patrick’s Day. But another flavorful dish might appeal to a greater number of people with Irish roots.

use leftovers from a previous meal. Shepherd’s pie is commonly mistaken for cottage pie, which is very similar, yet tends to use beef as the meat of choice.

SERVICES

PAINTING & PAPERHANGING

MICHELANGELO PAINTING & WALLPAPER

Interior, Exterior, Plaster / Spackle, Light Carpentry, Decorative Moldings & Power Washing. Call: 516-328-7499

SERVICES

DISH TV

$64.99 for 190 Channels + $14.95

High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo expires 1/31/24 Call 1-866-595-6967

SERVICES SERVICES

LEAK REPAIRS

Plumbing Repairs

Bathrooms, Showers, Kitchens 24 HOUR SERVICE Call 516-668-5624

MAGNUM SECURITY SYSTEMS, INC.

Serving Garden City for 40 years.

Let Magnum Upgrade Your Existing Security System.

Burglar & Fire Alarms

Cellular Radio 3G Upgrades Remote Access

Call: 516-486-5484

PASSION FOR SENIORS

Certified HHA’s, Companions & Homemakers. 24 hour care available. Also Nassau Locations. Trained in Dementia and Alzheimer’s care. Call 718-850-3400

Yield: 8 servings

1 1⁄2 pounds russet potatoes

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 carrots, peeled and finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1⁄2 pounds ground lamb

1 3⁄4 teaspoons kosher salt

Shepherd’s pie is a savory dish made of minced lamb that originated in England but also made the jump to Ireland, where it became a popular comfort food. While shepherd’s pie can be made with freshly cooked ground meat, it also is a fine way to

Many families have their own ancestral recipes for shepherd’s pie, but for those looking to cook the dish for the first time, try “shepherd’s pie,” courtesy of Alton Brown, which appeared in Season 12 of his hit show “Good Eats.”

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1⁄4 cup half-and-half

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large egg yolk

1⁄2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen

3⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat oven to 400° F.

2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1⁄2-inch dice. Put them in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set said pan over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, drop the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Heat the oil in an 11-inch saute pan over medium-high

1⁄2 cup English peas, fresh or frozen

heat until shimmering. Add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the meat, salt and pepper, and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes.

4. Sprinkle the meat with the flour, toss to coat, and contin-

ue to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, and thyme and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to low, cover, and simmer slowly until the sauce is thickened slightly, 10 to 12 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, combine the halfand-half and butter in a microwave-safe container and nuke until warmed through, about 35 seconds.

6. Drain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes (a masher is an excellent tool for this, though a hand mixer will do), then add the hot half-and-half mixture, as well as the salt and pepper. Mash to smoothness, then stir in the egg yolk.

7. Add the corn and peas to the meat mixture and spread evenly in a 7-by11-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling over, and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Place on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooking rack and let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Creative arts workshop for breast cancer survivors

The Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Program is offering a free four-session creative arts support group—Spring into Wellness-empowering breast cancer survivors to express themselves using art. This therapeutic zoom program offers a safe place to communicate thoughts, feelings, concerns, problems, hopes and dreams. The professional staff guides participants through different exercises

and discussions helping to find ways to gain personal insight and develop new coping skills. Facilitators are Angela M. Papalia, LMSW, assistant director for the Adelphi Breast Cancer Program, and Kimberly Newman, BFA, communications and marketing coordinator for the Adelphi Breast Cancer Program.

The workshop will take place on four consecutive Thursdays—April 13, April 20, April 27 and May 4, 2023—from

10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. All four sessions start with a relaxation/breathing exercise. Then participants will complete several creative projects focusing on mindfulness and spirituality. These projects will help reduce negativity and will be self-soothing resulting in stress reduction.

There is no charge but registration is required and members must commit to attending all four sessions. Registration

ends on March 31

This group is provided by the Adelphi Breast Cancer Program and supported by grants from the Alpern Family Foundation, Marilyn Lichtman Foundation and New York State.

For information, questions and to register, call Angela M. Papalia, LMSW at (516) 877-4329 or email apapalia@ adelphi.edu

Construction estimates for St. Paul’s released

From page 1

Demolition:

The demolition estimate of $17,678,312 includes

• Removal of the main building plus the cottages;

• Asbestos abatement;

• Removal of foundations, infill with dirt, and grass planted;

• Decorative woodwork, stained glass and masonry salvaged and shipped to a temporary storage facility

The estimate does not include building a park on the site, as has been proposed. A handout given to audience members at the March 13th meeting indicated an estimated total cost of $32,678,000 to do the demolition and then build a park on the site. The handout referred to this as a proposal by FDEM, a group which has advocated demolition.

Adaptive reuse:

The adaptive reuse estimate of $49,526,287 includes:

• Restoration of the main building

• Asbestos abatement in basement

• Emergency repairs as needed

• Remove all interior finishes to studs and replacing them with gypsum board on metal studs

• Replace the roof

• Install new windows

• Sprinklers, fire protection and alarms

• New lighting throughout

• New plumbing

• New elevator as required

The report notes, “The Village of Garden City has developed a plan for the full building reuse as a multi-phased plan. This work would be achieved through various steps and phases put into place for optimal spending as well as immediate use of the building. Future work would be performed as funding becomes available and program use is approved.”

The report notes that the cost estimate is for “Phase 1.” It would renovate the first floor great halls, grand stairwell, and second floor community rooms. The entire building would have to meet building codes, and be weatherproofed and structurally stabilized.

The handout provided at the meeting referred to this scenario as the “minimal” option. It referred to this as option as being proposed by Trustee Kelly.

Façadism

The “fa ç adism” estimate of $46,444,836 includes:

• Restoration of the south façade

• Asbestos abatement in basement

• Shoring up facade

• Demolition of north sections of building

• Removal of floors 2 through 5, roof and clock tower

• Decorative woodwork, stained glass and masonry salvaged and shipped

to a temporary storage facility

• Installation of new windows for remaining façade

• Install basic HVAC, electical and fire control systems on remaining structure

• Erect a single story building in the remaining footprint of the main wing of the school;

• In the event that the village wanted to build an additional 100,000 sq. ft. five story building, the cost would be an additional $60 million.

The handout at the meeting provided two scenarios for façadism. It labeled one as “Trustee Carter Flanagan” and was for $106,445,000. That proposal would include the additional five story building.

The second scenario was labeled “Don MacLeod” and was for $126,445,000 and would be to save the facade and build a sports complex behind it.

The use of the names on the handout was disputed during the meeting, as some audience members said it politicized the discussion, which took place only a week before the village election.

Members of the St. Paul’s Committee responded that the scenarios were labeled that way just to indicate that these were ideas which were suggested by those individuals, and that the committee was just responding to those suggestions.

Westerman presentation

During the meeting Lloyd Westerman spoke about the team of five professionals, with substantial backgrounds in engineering, historic preservation and architecture, and their walkthroughs of St. Paul’s, “leaving no stone unturned.”

Strategies of structural support to salvage key architectural components of the building were included in Westerman’s team evaluation.

He spoke about potential adaptive reuse for St. Paul’s with the historic building maintained and accommodating multiple uses within a single structure. He noted that the St. Paul’s Committee informed the cost estimator’s team about creating new uses and programming that would be able to attract visitors from outside of Garden City into the village. The option of demolishing the historic building to create a new facility of a similar size on the grounds of St. Paul’s was also presented.

A disadvantage of adaptive reuse is that over time, it can become very expensive as the building would need to be fully restored before the formatting of adaptive reuse in the structure could begin. “Structurally, when you walk inside St. Paul’s building you feel pretty safe and I’ve been in many more terribly dilapidated buildings in New York City including ones that were abandoned. This building is nowhere near that but it has areas that are very challenged currently and need to be addressed –

stemming largely from the fact that it was unheated for many, many years and there are certain areas with water infiltration taking a toll. Another disadvantage with adaptive reuse of the structure is that the programming it can hold may not meet requirements for the Village of Garden City,” Westerman said.

Exploration of implementing façadism for St. Paul’s followed, with indication that the historic building would be visually maintained but structurally the building would be renovated to accommodate future use. The estimate performed by Westerman considered an additional 100,000 square feet of building space, should the façadism be implemented. Restoration processes would allow for more time to determine the next phases of work and programs at the facility, however a disadvantage noted by Westerman is that facadism can become highly expensive.

“In order to do it you would have to provide a structural support system for just the facade and the first bay. The initial cost would be very significant. The facade would be held up by steel and the first bay preserved, with a minimal shell of a building behind it – that would need to be re-fenestrated, heated, maintained and the new steel system would need to be incorporated into it and that could be potentially connected to another building brought in from behind. It’s very complicated and very involved,” Westerman said.

For demolition at St. Paul’s the historic main building and the cottages would be removed, and there would basically be no buildings behind the fieldhouse with clean fill going in the foundation holes, with grass planted once foundation is entirely removed. The other uses for the space would be left for the village to decide after the demolition. The demolition scheme

would include removal of all notable exterior and interior architectural elements of the building, and shipping those pieces to the southwest U.S. – to be in a storage facility where it’s dry and the wood and stone dating to the 1800s would be preserved.

Frank McDonough, chairman of the program and use analysis subcommittee, noted potential for adaptive reuse involving keeping the south facade, main corridor, and some other areas in the most minimal of its schemes.

A resident then asked if the bonding of any finalized project would come before residents down the road, and McDonough spoke about keeping up a schedule for the community to follow.

“We will take all the comments and incorporate them into a report the Committee will deliver this Thursday (March 16) to the Board of Trustees. They will then decide what they want to do with the report – something or nothing,” he said.

“If and when there would be a referendum, that would take place at some time only if they (the Board of Trustees) determine. Hopefully there will be some refinement. Depending on what the outcome is then there would be a process involving an official Environmental Impact Statement for a project or demolition – which could take anywhere from eight to 24 months to finalize, potentially longer, plus any possible litigation involving that which could take years depending on which path the board pursues. At that time, in somewhere between two to five years, there would then be a general obligation bond to vote on by village residents….Village residents get two opportunities to have their voices heard through a vote. One would be a referendum with the options, and second would be if you want to pay for it,” McDonough explained.

Standing room only at Hoops for Hope

The Challenger 2023 team and their buddies.

It was tough to get a seat at Hoops for Hope this year! Students and teachers from all of the schools and Garden City residents came to support the Challengers and the I’m Not Done Yet Foundation which helps adolescent and young adult patients who are fighting cancer and other serious, chronic and long-term illnesses. Teamwork and kindness made the afternoon happen.

He shoots!

Concentration.

High fives all around the court.

Photos by Shea McGovern and Ed Rotondo

Standing room only at Hoops for Hope

GCHS students win awards at engineering fair

Garden City High School junior James Nagler was awarded the Office of Naval Research’s US Navy and Marine Corps Special Award at the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair. Garden City High School sophomore Mannat Jain was also selected as a Long Island Science and Engineering Fair finalist.

The award was presented to James by Lieutenant Arthur Morales B.S. of the Office of Naval Research, who was also a judge in the competition.

According to the Naval Sciences Awards Program, the Office of Naval Research Award recognizes a select group of about 800 outstanding high school students at science fairs around the country each year. The purpose of these awards are to support STEM students in contributing to America’s science programs.

James’ project, “Project Shadow: Custom Wireless Safety Tracker for Schools,” involved designing and constructing a completely functional prototype to keep track of students during an emergency event in a school to ensure that all students are accounted for.

In the combined category of Embedded Systems, Robotics and Intellectual Machines and System

Software, James was also awarded the third-place Grand Award out of a field of 22 projects. James will continue developing his project to achieve advances in school safety and he will begin a separate mentored project at the Research Science Institute at MIT this summer.

Garden City High School sophomore Mannat Jain was selected as a Long Island Science and Engineering Fair finalist for his project, “Using Machine Learning to Conduct Real-Time Translation of Sign Language into the Spoken Word.” Mannat scored in the top five in the combined category of Embedded Systems, Robotics and Intellectual Machines and System Software with an Honorable Mention award.

Superintendent of Garden City Schools Dr. Kusum Sinha congratulated both students saying, “I am so proud of James and Mannat for their remarkable achievements. I’m continuously impressed by their aptitude for science and the hard work that has led to these tremendous recognitions. They are well-deserved.”

Photos courtesy of Garden City Public Schools

Michael O’Hanlon welcomes the crowd and thanks Liz Menges.

The crowd loves the kickline.

Anna Cooke sings the national anthem.

Athletic Director Ramirez congratulates Matt McCoy.

GC cheerleaders always add to the fun. Photos by Ed Rotondo

Long Island Science and Engineering Fair finalist Mannat Jain.

Office of Naval Research’s US Navy and Marine Corps Special Award recipient James Nagler.

GCAA Intramural Basketball Playoffs

Boys 3rd Grade Boys

Boys 4th Grade Boys 5th Grade

Boys 5th Grade

Boys 6th Grade

Boys 7th and 8th Grades

Girls Grades 4-6

GCAA Championship winners

The 2022–2023 GCAA Intramural Basketball season concluded this weekend with six championship games that included buzzer beaters, long distance three pointers, unbelievable late game comebacks, and everything else you could want from March Madness. The boys and girls displayed outstanding skills and teamwork. Everyone played hard, showed great sportsmanship, and most of all enjoyed the moment with friends and families. The GCAA would like to thank all of the participants and their families for con -

tinuing to support GCAA Intramural Basketball.

It would also like to thank grade coordinators, volunteer coaches, and clinic directors... without your enthusiasm and commitment to teaching the children how to play the game (while keeping it fun), there would have been no program. The GCAA also thank thes Recreation Department for all its support at St. Paul ’ s all year long. The GCAA hopes to see everyone back next season.

Attention students!

Graduated from school? Have an outstanding GPA?

Made the honor roll or Dean’s List? Scored an internship or study abroad opportunity?

We invite you to send details of any of these things and more, along with your name and contact info, to editor@gcnews.com for a chance to be seen in our paper!

6th Grade Boys Team.

4th Grade Boys Team.

3rd Grade Boys Team.

4th–6th Grade Girls Team.

7th and 8th Grade Boys Team.

5th Grade Boys Teams.

GC Grapplers earn All-County, All-Island honors

As the 2022–23 youth wrestling season comes to a close, recognition is due to all GC Grapplers for grinding it out weekly at our practice sessions, and to those who have shown the guts to wrestle in high-level competitions across Long Island on the weekends.

Seven of our GC Grapplers competed at the NY-USAW Nassau County Championship tournament at Long Beach H.S. on February 5,

2023. All seven took home All-County honors! Theo Ganas won his second consecutive USA Wrestling Nassau County championship. Fellow second grader and first year wrestler Owen Sampson also claimed a county title! Consistent hard work paid off for third grader Eli Kong, fifth grader Nate Kong, and fifth grader Caiden Moskowitz, who all placed second in their respective weight classes. Third grader Keegan Fitzpatrick

earned an impressive third place finish in the morning session’s deepest weight bracket. Seventh grade Grappler turned GC Middle School wrestler Ryan Bozelli also placed third, and then went on to finish second at the NY-USA Wrestling State Championship in Utica on February 18, 2023!

More recently, four of the Grapplers entered the highly-competitive NYWAY Long Island Regional

Qualifier tournament which was held at Nassau Community College on March 11, 2023. Theo Ganas and Keegan Fitzpatrick both fought through close matches en route to becoming Long Island Regional champs! First year wrestler Nate Kong battled hard to finish second behind an experienced Suffolk County bruiser. Powers Dell’Olio placed fifth in the tournament’s most loaded and competitive eight year-

GC Grapplers Director/Coach Matt Ganas with Keegan Fitzpatrick, Theo Ganas and Powers Dell’Olio at Long Island Regionals.

Owen Sampson, Eli Kong, Theo Ganas and Keegan Fitzpatrick at the NY-USAW Nassau County Championship.

GC Grapplers earn All-County, All-Island honors

old weight bracket.

The coaches, parents and local wrestling community could not be prouder of our GC Grapplers for the courage, discipline, and mental toughness displayed throughout the 2022–23 revival season!

Next up: Theo Ganas and Keegan Fitzpatrick will wrap up their seasons at the NYWAY State Championship tournament in Syracuse on March 25, 2023. Theo looks to defend his 2022 NYWAY state title. The Grapplers program will resume

in November 2023. Stay tuned and follow @gc_ grapplers on Instagram for program updates and details.

All-County (2nd) GC Grappler Caiden Moskowitz.

NYWAY L.I. Regional Champs Keegan Fitzpatrick and Theo Ganas.

Nate Kong earns Nassau All-County Honors (2nd).

NY-USA Wrestling Nassau County Champion Owen Sampson.

The Harlem Wizards are coming to town

Don’t miss out on the family fun and get your tickets now! On Friday, March 31, at 6 p.m. 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, tricks & 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 approximately $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.

GC Recreation spring tennis lessons

The Garden City Department of Recreation and Parks is pleased to announce the start of registration, beginning on Monday, March 20, for its spring children’s tennis program! Spring tennis classes are offered to Garden City residents ages 4 through 15 years old at the Community Park Tennis Facility.

To register: You may walk in to

the Recreation Office (108 Rockaway Ave), mail in your registration form, or register online on our website at www. gcreconline.gardencityny.net. You need a password to register online. If you do not have a password please go to the Recreation office to receive one.

Make checks payable to: Inc Village of Garden City

Adult tennis lesson registration begins

Registration for the spring adult tennis lessons is underway.

Lessons in all ability levels are offered, so in order to create sessions geared to the tennis levels of those participating, we are asking any adult interested in the adult lessons to fill out

the interest form and return it to the Recreation Department office, by April 3. The office is located at 108 Rockaway Avenue.

See the village website for the interest form and more information gardencityrecreation.org

Call 294-8900 for rates and information.

St. Joseph’s eighth grader wins gold medal

Empire State Winter Games on February 3 in Lake Placid, where she represented the Skating Club of New York.

Aidan Rafferty, in the eighth grade at St. Joseph School, earned a gold medal in figure skating at the 2023

She currently trains on Long Island at Iceland with Shannon Lenihan. On Saturdays, she travels to Ice House in Hackensack, NJ. There, she is coached by Tara Modlin-Maurizi, who taught Aidan how to skate back in 2015, and Craig Maurizi, fourtime Olympic coach and coach of Olympic champion Tara Lipinski. In earning this gold medal, Aidan has been invited to compete and represent NY State in the State Games of America in San Diego in 2024.

Get Results!

Place an ad in our Classifieds for reasonable rates and prompt results. Call our Garden City office at 294-8900 for more information.

Aidan Rafferty earned a gold medal in the Empire State Winter Games.

Aidan Rafferty

Looking for a Trusted Real Estate Advisor and Community Expert?

Let Maureen guide you with all of your real estate needs!

“Maureen is an excellent realtor! She staged and sold my home very quickly. She is extremely knowledgeable, very responsive, super friendly and confident. I would highly recommend her and only use her going forward for any realty needs! Her negotiation skills are way above par. I was very indecisive and ready to quickly accept an offer — she was confident in her decisions and sold my house for more then I thought possible. I also love the way she came in and staged my house — it looked amazing!”

— Susan, Seller

Local kids meet soccer legends

Maureen Lagarde

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

maureen.lagarde@compass.com

M: 516.850.7812

International superstar David Beckham with local kids.

On Saturday, over 200 boys and girls had the chance to meet two legends in the sport of soccer, US gold medal winner Carly Lloyd and international superstar David Beckham. The excitement generated can be seen on the faces of every girl and boy in attendance. The two superstars

Sports Events Portraits

spent almost 2 hours talking and signing autographs for the youngsters. Beckham even took a selfie with the entire group!

The event was sponsored by Las Vegas Sands.

Legends in the sport of soccer, US gold medal winner Carly Lloyd and international superstar David Beckham, made an appearance in Uniondale on March 11.

Photos by Ed Rotondo

Open House

210

Open

&

Located in the Estates section of Garden City, this stunning Center Hall Colonial is set upon a large 80 x 100 ft. property boasting a spacious living room with a cozy fireplace, perfect for relaxing evenings at home. The formal dining room opens to a family room, offering plenty of space for entertaining. The kitchen is complete with a breakfast room which opens to a beautiful patio and manicured backyard. The second floor features a primary suite with a full bath, 3 additional bedrooms and a additional full bath. The home is equipped with gorgeous hardwood floors, and new windows providing plenty of natural light. The 2-car garage, CAC, in ground sprinklers and gas heat adds to the convenience and comfort of this incredible property. This home is situated near transportation and Tullamore Park. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to make this stunning home your own. MLS# 3464053. $1,410,000.

Patrick Gibbons

Real Estate Salesperson

Garden City Office

516.248.6655 ext.2255, c.516.640.7470

patrickgibbons@danielgale.com

patrickgibbons.danielgale.com

danielgale.com

Arthur Anderson

Real Estate Salesperson

Garden City Office

516.248.6655 ext.2204, c.516.319.2459

arthuranderson@danielgale.com

arthuranderson.danielgale.com

Roxbury Road, Garden City, NY

Garden City and Wyndham Resale Office

Mary Krener Fortune Heaney

Peter Kerantzas Lisa Heaney Robert J. Krener

Stephen Ripp

Kathleen Higdon

Cecile Raoult Lynn Puccio

Cheryl Trimboli Scott Wallace Julia Mastromauro Rosado

Arthur Anderson Jessica Brantuk

Ann Collins Claudia Galvin

Rene Blair Alyson Bremer Christine Cudahy Manager

Patricia Costello Gregory Abruzzo

Matthew Minardi

Kathy Lucchesi

Linda Mulrooney Susan MacDonald

Patricia Dickson Brigid Marmorowski

Eileen O’Hara Diane Piscopo

Daureen Hausser Patrick Gibbons Meredith Krug Geannie Murray