The Board of Trustees and I urge you to continue following all CDC and Health Department social distancing directives. If you don’t feel well, contact your doctor immediately. If you need immediate medical assistance, call 911. We have a Village email: mayor@gardencityny.net and a telephone number: 516-465-4000. Let us know if we can help you.
PROPOSED 2020-21 VILLAGE BUDGET
The Garden City Board of Trustees adopted a $66.2 million operating budget for 2020-21 following an April 28, 2020 public hearing via Zoom. Careful review of proposed Department spending plans and major capital projects led to revisions following six budget work sessions held in March and April. The result is a spending plan that includes a tax levy revenue increase, 1.78 percent, well below the legal tax cap. The adopted budget is relatively flat over last year with only an $82,000 increase year over year. This budget also includes a $16.2 million capital plan. The vast majority of these projects fall within investment in infrastructure, equipment and building improvements.
To read more about the Village’s adopted 2020-21 General Fund operating budget, visit www.gardencityny.net and click on the “Finance” tab on the left side of the homepage.
VIRTUAL RECREATION WEBSITE
During the quarantine, Garden City Recreation and Parks hopes to continue to connect our residents with a variety of activities. As a result, we are excited to release our Virtual Recreation Center, where residents can find a variety of activities for all ages. Make homemade ice cream, create lunch doodles with Mo Willems, grow a garden from scraps, make paper bag puppets with the kids, quiz yourself with logic puzzles and riddles or spend the afternoon with Sid the Science Kid. Take virtual trips to national parks, watch operas from the Met or visit the Cincinnati Zoo via a live stream. Stay mentally active with card games and printable Sudoku too.
“Our Staff was so excited by the response to our virtual Easter Scavenger Hunt, that we decided to explore other possible online activities to keep our residents engaged and involved during this difficult time,” Paul Blake, chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Cultural and Recreational Affairs, said. “The Virtual Recreation Department will offer many similar programs and activities to the ones we do in person, but these can be accessed from the comfort and safety of your home. Please let us know what you think of this new site, and please pass along any suggestions you may have regarding activities or content.”
The Virtual Recreation Center, https://gardencityrecreation.org/virtual-recreation-center, is growing daily so be sure to check back each week for added activities
WATER SHED UV REACTOR AND CONTROL STATIONS
The Board of Trustees recently approved an increase to the cost of some equipment purchased for the Emerging Contaminant Capital project. This technology is a new form of filtration, and, as such, has required modifications and changes to our existing equipment as it is installed in order for it function up to standards. In this request the Board approved modifications to the structures that will be housing the new filtration systems as it was discovered that additional conduits and connectors were needed in the structure to accommodate the new AOP filtration system.
Garden City was awarded a grant of approximately $9 million to fund two of its Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) system projects, which have an estimated cost of $16.5 million. The Environmental Facilities Corporation awarded the grant money through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act and the Inter-municipal Water Infrastructure Grant Program to numerous Long Island municipalities to help offset the cost of projects that protect public health and improve water quality.
To assist with the cost of installing the systems to address emerging contaminants like 1,4-Dioxane, grants for these projects will no longer be capped at $3 million but will now instead cover 60 percent of total capital project costs, the governor further announced. To date, a total of $36 million in bonds have been authorized by the Board of Trustees to treat this issue. Since October 2019, the Board of Trustees has authorized the purchase of remediation-related equipment to remove emerging contaminants from the water supply for Well Nos. 7 and 8, and 10 through 16. These approvals include the Trojanuflex Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) systems, Oxidant storage tanks, which are required for use with the system, along with water shed UV reactor and control stations to house the systems.
FIRE DEPARTMENT HOSTING PPE DRIVE MAY 2
Please join Nassau County Legislator Laura Schaefer, Hempstead Town Councilman Thomas Muscarella, the Garden City Fire Department, the Garden City School District and Mad Men Barber Shop as they host a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) drive on Saturday, May 2, 12-2 p.m. at Garden City High School. They will be collecting any packaged, unopened bulk quantities of gloves, masks, sanitizer, shoe covers, face shields and other personal protective equipment to give to frontline workers, healthcare workers, firefighters and first responders on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak.
STAND PIPE TEST
On Monday evening, May 4, 2020, at 8:00 p.m. the newly constructed Marriott Residence Inn will be conducting a test of its fire sprinkler system. This may cause discolored water and/or pressure fluctuations during testing, mostly on the East side of the Village.
A REMINDER ABOUT YOUR WATER
As a reminder to residents, anytime there is disruption to the water system such as the shut-offs that have been required for the Pine Street water main replacement or if there is a fire call in your area that requires the Garden City Fire Department to open a hydrant, there is the possibility of sediment being stirred up in the system. This could cause residents to experience cloudy or discolored water. The best way to clear the discoloration is to run the COLD water, preferably from a faucet that is closest to where the water service enters the house. It could take a while; it might have to run for 30-40 minutes but it will clear up. The Garden City Water Department, in turn, will do everything it can to minimize it by opening hydrants in the area to draw the sediment away from the houses. One additional note, if you notice discolored water, don’t run your hot water until it clears. Running the hot water will draw sediment into your hot water heater and it could take a few days for that to clear.
WESTERN NASSAU TRANSMISSION PROJECT
The Western Nassau Transmission Project consists of the construction, operation and maintenance of a proposed new 138 kilovolt underground transmission line primarily within the public roadway rights-of-way for a total distance of approximately seven miles between the East Garden City substation (located in Uniondale) and the Valley Stream substation (located in Lynbrook).
The project is expected to reinforce LIPA’s electric transmission system in the southwest
Nassau area and ensure continued reliable service. The underground transmission line will be located wholly within the Town of Hempstead and will traverse the Villages of Garden City, Malverne and Lynbrook, and will be constructed primarily underground. The project is on schedule for a December 2020 completion. The two-week construction schedule in Garden City entails:
- Painting and striping of Hempstead Avenue, Rockaway and Cherry Valley Avenues will occur, weather permitting.
- Test hole digging, survey and other preparatory work will begin on Stewart Avenue, between Village Hall and Clinton Road, for the Horizontal Directional Drilling activities (HDD). Crews will be present and working. Video review of sanitary sewers will occur on Cherry Valley Avenue and Stewart Avenue.
- Timber matting and drilling equipment will be stationed on the “mall” area of Stewart Avenue near Westbury Road.
- Travelers are advised of temporary closures of the Westbury Road/Butler Place crossover of Stewart Avenue during these activities.
Residents can call the hotline at 780-0665, email info@westernnassautransmission.com or visit the website, www.westernnassautransmission.com, for more information.
