COVID-19 related expenditures have surpassed $300,000 since the onset of this pandemic in March. Village Treasurer Irene Woo and her staff have been working with FEMA and the Town of Hempstead in applying for reimbursements of these expenditures. Representatives from the Town of Hempstead recently notified Woo that the Hempstead Town Board approved a reimbursement grant to the village in the amount of $221,000 via the CARES Act to help offset COVID-19 related expenditures.
“It is a significant amount of money,” Mayor Theresa Trouvé said. “I’d like to thank Town Supervisor Don Clavin for his efforts. It is satisfying to know this came through our weekly Zoom meetings, where he listens to the needs of the various villages within his township.”
The village has had to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) not only for its employees, but for visitors to village facilities as well. Additionally, the village has had to hire outside companies to spray down village facilities and heavily used vehicles with disinfectants, especially police cars. The village also submitted a $40,000 reimbursement request to FEMA, but to date has not received any monies.
Woo will continue working with FEMA and the Town of Hempstead in submitting applications and all required documentation to continue applying for cost reimbursements associated with COVID-19 incurred through Dec. 31, when the time frame to make such requests ends.
“I am happy to report that the town approved our first grant request,” Woo said. “Since early August we’ve been working with the Town of Hempstead. We’ve submitted applications and hundreds of pages of supporting documents. We anticipate receiving the reimbursement funds within this fiscal year.”
Committee On New York State Police Reform
Back in May, the governor’s Executive Order No. 203, the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, directed each local government entity with a police agency operating with police officers to perform a comprehensive review of current police force deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices, and develop a plan to improve such deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices for the purposes of addressing the particular needs of the communities serviced, promoting community engagement to foster trust, fairness and legitimacy and addressing any racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color.
“It’s been a great success so far,” Mayor Trouvé said. “We’ve had four meetings. We’ve been thinking carefully about going through our codes and making sure they are where they should be. It’s good to take a look at yourself once in a while.”
Mayor Trouvé formed the committee to assist the village in the development and implementation of this process. Members include:
Mayor Trouvé; District Attorney Deputy Bureau Chief Ali Ajamu; Village of Garden City Trustee Mark Hyer; Garden City PD Commissioner Kenneth Jackson; GCPD Inspector Steven Braun; Garden City Village Administrator Ralph Suozzi ; Donald Brudie, Central POA; Nancy Minett, Estates POA; Lauren Scarantino, East POA; Nicholas Vernice, West POA; Rev. Earl Y. Thorpe Jr., pastor, Church-in-the-Garden; Alan Schwartz, Law Offices of Alan J. Schwartz
—Submitted by the Village of Garden City
