Board of Trustees Works to Maintain
Quality of Life, Security in ‘Pleasantville’
At the Stewart Manor Board of Trustees meeting held on Tuesday, June 7, At the Stewart Manor Board of Trustees meeting held on Tuesday, June 7, Deputy Mayor Robert C. Fabio reminded residents to attend the Stewart Manor Pool’s “first ever” preview weekend on June 11 and 12. All residents, regardless of their pool membership status, were invited to take a dip on those days, before the pool opens for its regular season on Friday, June 17, at 4 p.m. On Sunday at 1 p.m., village officials were set to honor the five women who worked tirelessly 40 years ago to save the pool from being demolished by a developer, thus enabling future generations to enjoy the pool as it exists today.
For many, it’s the pool as well as the overall quality of life in Stewart Manor that draws residents to the village. “We found this place that looked like Pleasantville and we said we wanted to raise our children here,” said Trustee James Lynch, who credits the village with giving youngsters who grow up here a solid foundation. He gave this year’s high school graduates and their parents a nod at the meeting and said, “We hope that [this year’s college-bound residents] will come back and join us and maybe even help us out in the years ahead.”
Indeed, various clubs and committees within the village work harmoniously to better the community. Mayor James J. Kelly reported that the Lions Club has recently taken the initiative to put together information packets for new residents. “I think it’s a wonderful thing to let new residents know more about the village when they move in,” he said.
On a more serious note, however, Stewart Manor officials are working to prevent future breaches in security within the village. Trustee John Egan reported several burglaries that took place in April, including two rear-door break-ins along Covert Avenue, at O’Dowd’s Public House and Pellegrini Prime Meats, as well as an attempted burglary at Rosie’s Bakery and Café. Additionally, three flower urns set up on Covert Avenue by the Stewart Manor Beautification Committee were stolen.
Resident Darlene Federbush, who heads up the Beautification Committee, commented, “I was originally going to say how disheartened I am that three of the urns from the avenue have been stolen [but after hearing about the other burglaries] we might need to start to reconsider some of the security and safety that’s going on in the village … this becoming an important factor that we have to think about.”
Mayor Kelly agreed, saying that a state-of-the art camera security system has just been installed at the Village Hall building, located on Covert Avenue, and its surrounding property. The bid was awarded last month, he said, adding that it was funded entirely by a security grant. Federbush cited the advanced security system at the Stewart Manor Pool, and Mayor Kelly indicated that the village is looking to activate similar systems throughout the village.
