Village Hall and the administrative offices are open for in-person inquiries and business, and all full-time staff has returned to the on-site workplace. Office hours are between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Visitors are required to wear a face covering, maintain social distancing of six feet and sign in to a Visitor’s Log outside of the office they are visiting. Furthermore, while multiple people can enter Village Hall, only one person will be admitted into each office space at a time and are asked to abide by employee instructions. Please don’t forget to wear a mask and to practice social distancing.
2020-21 PRELIMINARY RESURFACING ROAD LIST
EAST:
St. James Street South (Washington Avenue to Clinton Road)
Mulberry Road (Washington Avenue to Wetherill Road)
Chestnut Street (St. James Street South to Clinton Road)
John Street (Stewart Avenue to St. James Street North)
CENTRAL:
Cherry Valley Avenue (Eleventh Street to Dead End)
ESTATES:
Stratford Avenue (Nassau Boulevard to Hampton Road)
Brixton Road (south of tracks)
WEST:
Adams Street (Manor Road to Stratford Avenue)
PARKING FIELDS:
Nassau Blvd (reconstruct) (south of tracks)
SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS:
Clinton Road (Avalon Road to Pell Terrace)
Hilton Avenue (Open Space from Second Street to Village Line)
Eleventh Street (new construction) (Golf Club Lane to Cherry Valley Avenue)
EMERGENCY TREE AND STUMP REMOVAL
After declaring an emergency to forego the competitive bidding process, Trustees spent $350,725 to fund emergency tree and stump removal following Tropical Storm Isaias.
The Village lost somewhere between 100-120 trees during the storm. Dom’s Tree Service was engaged for hazardous tree removal, including the removal of trees that have fallen on homes, for nine days at $10,120 per day (total cost $91,080); Harder Services, Inc. was engaged for removal and disposal of large trees for eight days at $7,800 per day (total cost $62,400); Con-Kel Landscaping was engaged for storm damage removal in green spaces serviced weekly by Con-Kel Landscaping for six days at $6,300 per day (total cost $37,800); and Pratt Brothers, Inc. was engaged for tree stump removal for 11 days at $14,495 per day (total cost $159,445). Pratt Brothers is also removing debris, Mr. Suozzi said.
According to Village Administrator Ralph Suozzi, preliminary cost projections have been submitted to the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) as the initial step in the process for possible federal funding reimbursement. To report a downed Village tree, please call Recreation and Parks at 465-4075/76.
ORIGINAL PROPERTY FOLDER REQUESTS
The Building Department has hired a new intern to help with property folder requests. To date, 12,000 folders have been returned to residents, according to Superintendent Giuseppe Giovaniello. Unless extended by the Board of Trustees, the deadline for Village residents to request their property folders from the Building Department is December 31, 2020. After that date, only copies made from the scanned electronic copies will be available.
Residents may request “original hard copy” property folders of records maintained by the Department. Please note that this is the only “original” hard copy that the Village maintains, and (for Village record-keeping purposes) is being completely replaced by an electronic “scanned” copy. While the Department has made every effort to make its newly scanned electronic copies as clear and “readable” as the originals, we recognize there are some documents (amongst the thousands already scanned) that may be more easily read in “hard copy original” form.
As a courtesy, the Village is offering your original hard copy to you as the current homeowner. If you wish to have the “original file” you must show proof of ownership of the property requested. The Department will notify you when your request is ready for pickup. Folder requests will be held for 30 days after a call back is made. If residents do not pick up their request it will be discarded. This “folder request project” commenced June 1, 2019. For further information, please contact the Building Department at (516) 465-4040.
WATER BILL PENALTIES WAIVED FOR MARCH, APRIL
The Village Board has adopted a resolution that authorizes the Village Treasurer to waive penalties on certain water bills for the months of March and April that might have incurred a late fee/penalty under normal circumstances. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the internal administrative procedures for tracking timely payment of water bills was disrupted and “penalty” charges for late payments were not applied.
FIRE STATION NO. 2 RE-DESIGN PROJECT
The Village Board approved a $42,000 change order from PKAD (Philipp Kampf Architecture & Design) for the full re-design of Fire Station No. 2 to include adding an additional 2,500 square feet of useable space due to the increased size of apparatus. This increases the amount of the Fire Station No. 2 Plans and Specifications Project awarded at the March 19, 2020 Board meeting from $300,000 to $342,000. To view the July 16, 2020 re-design presentation, visit www.gardencityny.net and click the “Notifications and Alerts” section.
SECRETARY TO THE BOARD
Longtime Garden City resident Courtney L. Rosenblatt has been appointed secretary to the Board of Trustees effective August 14, 2020 for the balance of the official year, ending on April 5, 2021. This position is in addition to her current title, Village Auditor.
In her new role, Ms. Rosenblatt will work directly with the Board of Trustees on confidential matters as assigned by the Mayor and Board. “We are all anticipating that this additional title will allow her to take on some additional responsibilities for the Village and we look forward to her new relationship with us,” Mayor Theresa Trouvé said.
Ms. Rosenblatt was appointed to the role of Village Auditor in July 2016, utilizing her experiences and knowledge gained as a member of the Village’s Citizen’s Budget Review Advisory Committee, as well as from over 15 years of varied finance and management experience as a senior level Finance Executive, within private industry. She is well versed in all aspects of operational and accounting procedure.
The Village Auditor serves as a member of the management team conducting independent regular reviews of the Departments, through the observation of the operation of internal controls and procedures. These reviews and related reports are intended to assist the Village in assessing the effectiveness and efficiencies of the various departments and developing recommendations to improve performance.
WATER CONSERVATION
The Garden City Water Department would like to remind its customers that during summer months, the volume of water used throughout the Village increases significantly. Lawn sprinkling is permitted only from April 16 to November 30 during the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Properties with odd numbered addresses are permitted to use their sprinklers on odd numbered days and even numbered or those without a numerical address on even numbered days. We are asking that you be especially diligent with water conservation, as infrastructure improvements being done in the Water Department have put more significant demands on the system and water supply than normal.
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:
- Monday, August 17, 2020, general construction preparation began at various locations along Stewart Avenue near Butler Place. Activities include test pitting for underground utilities and for the placement of Splice Vault No. 21. Single lane closures on Stewart Avenue are possible during activities.
- Thursday, August 20, 2020, crews were expected to relocate and replace a water main associated with the new Splice Vault No. 21, located near the Butler Place crossover of Stewart Avenue.
- Monday, August 24, 2020, trenching is anticipated to begin between the two Horizontal Directional Drill locations at Butler Place in the grassy median of Stewart Avenue to interconnect the drills. The work is planned for daytime hours. Crews will excavate the grass and pavement, install conduits and use cementitious backfill (where appropriate) to aid with restoration. Closures of the crossover at Butler Place at Stewart Avenue should be expected with this activity. Traffic management signs will be placed within the Village to advise motorists.
- Friday, August 28, 2020, trenching is anticipated to begin between Splice Vault No. 18, located on Cherry Valley Avenue in the vicinity of the Garden City Schools administration building, and the Horizontal Directional Drill location, just north on Cherry Valley Avenue. The work is planned for daytime hours. Crews will excavate the grass and pavement, install conduits and use cementitious backfill (where appropriate) to aid with restoration. Single lane closures on Cherry Valley Avenue should be expected with this activity. Traffic management signs will be placed within the Village to advise motorists.
