Village of Garden City’s Mayor Report

THE MAYOR’S UPDATE

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.

BOARD ENGAGES SPECIAL COUNSEL REGARDING LIRR POLES

During a special meeting of the Board of Trustees—held Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020 at St. Paul’s Cluett Hall—trustees engaged the law firm of Berkman, Henoch, Peterson, Peddy & Fenchel, P.C. (Joseph E. Macy, partner) as special counsel to the Board for the purpose of preparing a written legal opinion and proposal which reviews the major relevant facts; outlines possible causes of action against the MTA/LIRR (and/or other appropriate defendants); assesses the likelihood of success of such causes of action; and estimates the timeline and costs for litigating such causes of action all in relation to the goal of the Village to have the utility poles recently installed on the north and south sides of the LIRR tracks—between the New Hyde Park station and Garden City High School—removed, re-located, and/or reduced in height. The Board agreed that such legal opinion be prepared at a cost not to exceed $10,000.

“It’s not really just an Estates issue, it’s a Village issue,” Mayor Trouvé said. “This is a delicate issue. We are all inclined to be concerned about it. It is a difficult thing for the residents in the Estates area to live with this realization. I think, as a Village, we owe it to the people in the Estates area to litigate.”

The measure passed by a 5-2 vote. Mayor Theresa Trouvé and Trustees Louis Minuto, Robert Bolebruch, Mark Hyer and Colleen Foley voted in favor of the motion while Trustees John Delany and Stephen Makrinos voted against it. Trustee Brian Daughney was absent.

The Village also retained the nationally recognized environmental law firm of Beveridge and Diamond, PC as its special counsel to advise it in connection with the same issue. Efforts have also been made by representatives of the Village to persuade the MTA/LIRR to remove and/or re-locate the poles. Unfortunately, efforts to date have been unsuccessful.

In April, the Village’s Third Track Committee of the Board of Trustees sent a letter to the MTA/LIRR raising several grievances with respect to many project-related issues, including the fact that the Village was “never asked or consulted with respect to the placement of the 4-5 metal 120-foot high utility poles between the bridge at Nassau Boulevard and Weyford Terrace” and its understanding based on prior MTA/LIRR representations that “all poles west of Nassau Boulevard to New Hyde Park Road would be on the north side of the Main Line.” The Village asserted that the installation of the poles is in direct conflict with prior discussions and the EIS for the Third Track Project.

Earlier this month, the Board of Trustees met with REVAMP (Resident Voters Against Monster Poles), a group of concerned residents speaking out against the poles, during a public meeting at Cluett Hall. On October 19, the Board met with Supervisor Clavin, members of his staff, and several attorneys, including Mr. Macy, during an executive session at Town Hall. “It was a lively meeting. We received a wealth of information,” Mayor Trouvé said.

FORMER SEARS BUILDING

A renovation proposal seeks to transform the former Sears department store building into an NYU Langone Health ambulatory care center at 1111 Franklin Avenue.

More specifically, the proposed project consists of the interior renovation of a four-story building into a multispecialty outpatient care center. As part of NYU Langone’s continued growth strategy to enhance access to integrated care on Long Island, the new center will bring together multiple practices from the area into one centralized location. Planned clinical services include cardiology, in-vitro fertilization (IVF), women’s health, women’s imaging, pediatric, radiology and internal medicine primary care services.

The proposed project would also include modifications to the exterior of the existing building, replacing approximately 35 percent of the existing concrete panel exterior with a glass curtain wall. Other site improvements would include repairs to the existing multi-level, concrete parking structure; upgrades to parking structure lighting; and various landscaping improvements.

The proposed project does not include any new ground disturbance or alterations to existing site access. The building and existing parking structure are expected to be leased for an initial period of 35 years.

EARLY VOTING AT THE FIELD HOUSE

Early voting in the 2020 General Election began on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020 at the St. Paul’s Field House. Any eligible voter in Nassau County may vote at the location through Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020 at the times listed below. On General Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020, go to your designated polling place, which can be found at www.nassauvotes.org. Please note that you can only vote once. If you vote during early voting, you will NOT be permitted to vote on a subsequent day of early voting or on General Election Day. The Nassau County Board of Elections is sponsoring the event. Please call 571-8683 with questions.

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 30, 2020: 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

BRICK PRESERVATION AT NASSAU BLVD. TRAIN STATION

Reconstruction of the Nassau Boulevard train station parking lot is expected to be complete by mid-November. The Village has been able to use 85 to 90 percent of the original bricks, which are being laid out in a Herringbone pattern to match the original design of the lot. The bricks are original to the station, which was built in 1907, according to Village Historian William Bellmer. In order to maintain the aesthetics, the Village was able to find reclaimed bricks of a similar design from a company in Jamestown, NY and is using those as the border.

“This beautiful parking lot is going to look as much as possible as the original,” Mayor Theresa Trouvé said. “It was always a beautiful place in our Village. The posts are going to be repointed, and we are going to have the missing urns re-cast exactly as the originals. We are fortunate that one has survived. This parking lot will become one of our Village landmarks. We will be able to change the flowers and plants in the urns to greet each new season.”

The much-anticipated project began in late July. The lot remains closed to vehicular traffic, including the entrance off of Nassau Blvd. The surrounding lot to the west is available for parking during construction; it can be accessed from Stewart Avenue via Euston Road and Wellington Road. Pedestrian access to the station building remains available, though we ask that you exercise caution when walking near the construction site.

DUTCH BROADWAY PROJECT UPDATE

National Grid is modernizing existing natural gas infrastructure in the Stewart Avenue median, from Franklin Avenue to Clinton Road. This project upgrades and modernizes existing infrastructure to increase reliability, safety and service for Long Island. Project completion is expected in winter 2020, weather permitting. Here are project updates for the weeks of Oct. 26 and Nov. 2:

Week of Oct. 26:

Thursday, Oct. 29, we will be welding Charging Point 16 (Franklin and Stewart Avenues)
Friday, Oct. 30, we will be welding Stopple 6 (Emmet Place and Stewart Avenue). This work may carry over to Saturday, Oct. 31, and possibly Sunday, Nov. 1, if necessary. If we were to work on Saturday and Sunday, the hours would be 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Week of November 2:

Monday, Nov. 2, we will begin welding Charging Point 17 (between Butler Place and Washington Avenue on Stewart Avenue)

AAA PLATINUM AWARD

The Village of Garden City has earned the prestigious Platinum Award in AAA Northeast’s Community Traffic Safety Awards Program. Director of Public & Government Affairs, John Corlett announced Garden City was one of six Platinum Award winners in AAA’s annual awards program. This program recognizes outstanding communities for their efforts to make the region’s roadways safer for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.

“We are pleased to honor our award-winning communities that are doing such vital work to ensure that all road users can reach their destinations safely,” Mr. Corlett said.

The Village was cited for its many traffic safety efforts for 2019—including numerous targeted enforcement encouraging safer driving in pedestrian heavy areas, significant new signage prohibiting U-turns and other safety measures including increased enforcement of speeding violations, all resulting in a eight percent reduction in auto crashes village-wide including a 10 percent reduction on Cathedral Avenue, a 19 percent reduction in injury-related crashes, a 30 percent reduction in pedestrian injuries, and a 50 percent reduction in motorcycle crashes. The Village also continues to participate in a wide variety of enforcement programs such as passed school bus enforcement, school speed zone enforcement, and truck safety details, as well as educational programs and media efforts to reach the local community.

“These achievements are a direct result of the excellent cooperation and coordination between the Police Department, Village Board, Garden City Traffic Commission, and Department of Public Works,” Garden City Police Commissioner Kenneth Jackson said.

TRICK-OR-TREATING DURING A PANDEMIC

Halloween is supposed to be a time of wholesome fun. However, this year not everyone may feel comfortable with trick-or-treating due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Police Department has made green and red signs for residents to place in their windows, or visible areas, for trick-or-treaters to identify whether you are welcoming them or not. For families who will be participating in trick-or-treating this year, the Garden City Police Department recommends the following:

Those interested in participating in trick-or-treating may place the green “Trick-or-Treaters Welcome” sign on your window or door. Those who are not interested may place the red “No Trick-or-Treaters, Please” sign on your window or door.

Trick-or-treaters are asked to please take note of trick-or-treating signs posted throughout the Village and not approach houses with the red “Please, No Trick-or-Treaters” signs displayed. Please be respectful of others and their decisions to participate/not participate in trick-or-treating this year.
Families going door-to-door are reminded to wear face coverings at all times.
Trick-or-treating groups should be kept small. Groups of trick-or-treaters from more than one household are discouraged.
Maintain a safe distance from other groups and wait to approach a house until the previous group has left.
Do not consume any candy until an adult has inspected it and you have thoroughly washed your hands.

Individuals choosing to pass out candy are reminded to wear face coverings and gloves at all times.
Pass out candy individually with gloved hands instead of inviting children to take a treat from a communal bowl.

Consider making candy goody bags and place them in your yard or driveway for children to pick up themselves.
Per the CDC, a Halloween costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask or face covering. Costume masks can be used if it is made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that covers the mouth and nose.
If face coverings are worn under costume masks, please make sure it does not create breathing problems. If it does, discard the costume mask.

2020 TURKEY TROT IS GOING VIRTUAL

The Garden City Turkey Trot has been cancelled this year. Instead, the event is going virtual for 2020. Anyone interested in making a donation to charity can run the same distance whenever and wherever they want any time between Nov. 21 and Nov. 29, 2020. There will be no road closures, no set course and no specific date or time to run. Online registration is now open for this year’s virtual run. Once registered, participants will be mailed a Turkey Trot race bib with their name on it and a “Garden City Turkey Trot” neck gaiter. For more information, please visit www.gcturkey.com.

-Submitted by The Village of Garden City