Deputy Mayor Lynn Pombonyo
Celebrating FPM!
Applause, Applause, Applause for our Floral Park Memorial High School Boys Varsity Soccer Team, the 2024 New York State Champions! After their victorious season, the team traveled to Middletown where they shut out Schenectady’s highly regarded Schalmont High School team, 2-0. A parade with our Police, Fire Department, Village Board and friends, complete with flashing lights, sirens and horns, escorted the team bus back to FPM, via Tulip Avenue where crowds of cheering fans also greeted the team. Very special congratulations also go to Head Coach Ahkeel Rodney, himself a graduate of Elmont Memorial High School, and Floral Park’s own Assistant Coach Christopher McKie, a very proud soccer team alumnus and graduate of FPM.
The celebrations will continue this Saturday, the 23rd, at FPM. A Village parade, with Nassau County’s participation, will start at FPM at 10 AM and march along Plainfield Avenue to Carnation Avenue to Verbena Avenue onto Tulip Avenue, then back on Plainfield Avenue to Floral Parkway and Locust Street and on to FPM. An awards ceremony, led by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, will follow at the Showmobile in the FPM parking lot. Join our community as we celebrate our awesome hometown champions!
Police Department
The Floral Park Police Department’s data for the month of October 2024 continues to reflect high levels of community engagement and law enforcement throughout our Village. In all, there were 958 incidents recorded during the month of October. Of this number, 287 were traffic stops, 88 were aided cases also involving our ambulance service and Rescue Company, 73 were suspicious person reports, 24 were for traffic accidents with damage, 33 were for citizens needing assistance, 35 for domestic incidents, and numerous other calls for Police assistance including but not limited to, parking problems, fire and other alarms, noise complaints, disputes, and the important welfare checks on those who are alone and may be experiencing problems. There are also numerous directed patrols and school visits during which our Officers increase their knowledge of the school layouts and become familiar to our students and staff.
Throughout October, our Police issued 231 traffic summonses. Some of the most frequent violations included: failure to stop at stop signs, disobeying traffic control devices, uninsured vehicles, uninspected vehicles, unlicensed operators, improper u-turns, inadequate headlights and taillights, no protective helmets or face shields on motorcyclists, and many other moving/equipment violations.
Our Detectives, often collaborating with the Nassau County Police Department, investigated October crimes involving assaults, assaults of two police officers, stolen property, stolen merchandise, and fraudulent checks. There were four arrests in October.
In part because of the increase in truck traffic on our neighborhood streets, our FPPD Motor Carrier Unit has been conducting truck stops on and in the area of Jericho Turnpike and Plainfield Avenue. This important Unit has conducted fourteen November truck stop inspections to date with fifty-three summonses issued. In total, five trucks were placed out of service for mechanical issues such as inoperable brakes, unsecured cargo and unsecured hazardous materials. One truck was placed out of service because its New York State Department of Transportation number had been revoked, and one truck was towed from the inspection site. It is expected that the NYS DOT will be joining our Motor Carrier Unit on some of its inspections in the near future.
Our FPPD’s very important reminder for the busy, upcoming holiday season is DO NOT BLOCK THE BOX. This will be a directed patrol for our Officers when they will be required to monitor our busiest intersections. Blocking The Box not only causes traffic jams at impassable intersections, it causes accidents when drivers block the right-of-way for traffic that has the green light. Fines for Blocking the Box are expensive, $150 plus a $93 NYS surcharge totaling $243. Please be courteous to your fellow drivers and pedestrians, and keep the holiday season safe for all!
Conservation Society (FPCS)
Eleven more days to enjoy the end of autumn at our Centennial Gardens and Bird Sanctuary! The hours are 11 AM to 4 PM, and we’re open daily, except for Thanksgiving Day.
Stay tuned for announcements about our brief midwinter opening for the Great Backyard Bird Count, just inside the Floral Parkway main gate, on Friday, February 14th, through Monday, February 17th.
Chambers of Commerce and Our Businesses
SHOP AND DINE LOCAL on Small Business Saturday, two days after Thanksgiving. Enjoy the surprises, sales and specials at our businesses on Covert Avenue, Tulip Avenue and Jericho Turnpike. Window shop and select the perfect gifts for family and friends. And don’t forget that the Villages of Floral Park and Stewart Manor have suspended parking meter fees to help make it a pleasant day for all in our Business Districts. Please SUPPORT OUR VILLAGES’ SMALL BUSINESSES!
And then, start celebrating the holidays with the Floral Park Junior Woman’s Club, the Floral Park Chamber of Commerce, and the Village of Floral Park at the Annual Tree Lighting and Festival on Friday evening, December 6th. The delightful shops open at 5 PM, with the Festival starting around 6 PM.
Next will be the Covert Avenue Chamber of Commerce and Village of Stewart Manor Tree Lighting on Saturday, December 14th. It starts at 4:30 PM, with the tree lighting around 5:15 PM. Enjoy the horse and buggy ride, photos with Santa, hot chocolate, cookies and candy canes.
Thanksgiving Wishes
May Thanksgiving bring bountiful blessings to all in our Village, and those near and far. Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!
Trustee Frank Chiara
Fire Department
For the Month of October, our fire companies including Rescue Company responded to 30 calls for service. Rescue Company Ambulance responded to 12 calls and NYU Langone Ambulance responded to 93 calls, with one mutual aid rescue, for a total of 135 calls.
With the recent change of our clocks, it is a good reminder for all to test any smoke and carbon dioxide detectors in your homes. It is highly recommended to check these devices monthly to ensure proper operability.
Some safety tips for anyone who will be hosting Thanksgiving:
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Keep flammables away from the stove and oven
- Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking
- Clean up greasy spills promptly
- Have a home fire escape plan
- Consider purchasing a home fire extinguisher and/or a fire blanket to safely eliminate home fires
With that being said, our Volunteer Fire Department wishes everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
Library
The Floral Park Library is still running their Annual Food for Fines program. Library card holders can have up to $5 of their overdue fines waived by donating foods items. The collected food items will be donated to the OLV Food Pantry to help those in need.
The month of November is halfway through and there are lots of planned activities and events taking place at the Floral Park Library.
- On Thursday, November 21st from 1 PM to 2:30 PM the library will host Chef Rob’s Holiday Program. Chef Rob will cook up some delicious holiday fare, including Thanksgiving chocolate cranberry scones to share with everyone. Check the Library website for further details.
- Boy Scout Troop 482 is having a Christmas wreath sale fundraiser on the library lawn on Saturday, November 30th, from 10 AM to 3 PM, with a rain date of December 1st. The wreaths come pre-decorated for only $30. Stop by to support the Boy Scout Troop 482.
- The library will be closed Thanksgiving Thursday, November 28th, and we wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
Details on these and other scheduled events can be found on the Library’s website at www.floralparklibrary.org .
My family and I would like to wish all a very happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving. Be safe and enjoy!
Trustee Jennifer Stewart
I would like to start by echoing my colleagues in congratulating the FPM Boys Varsity Soccer Team on their historic achievement as NYS Champions, and I look forward to celebrating this victory at the parade Saturday morning. Please come out and celebrate with the school, team, coaches and their families.
4VS
At the Cable Committee meeting held on November 14th, Director James Green thanked retiring Cable Committee member Steve Lowe for his 25 years of dedicated service with Four Village Studio. The Committee and the Village Board wish him and his family well in their new retirement home in Florida. Jim introduced Andrew Taylor as the incoming Floral Park representative on the 4VS Cable Committee, as you heard, the board approved his appointment earlier this evening. Andrew is a 25-year member of the studio staff with 19 years of professional television experience at AMC Networks. 4VS is thrilled to welcome Andrew. Additionally, Jim Green reported that the studio upgrades have been completed. A special thanks to Francis Brandt and Kyle Meyfohrt for their contributions to this project. Jim and Francis are working on the Veterans’ Project. Competition of this very special project is planned for this winter with the debut coming Memorial Day 2025.
MTA
Currently we are working with the MTA to improve pigeon waste mitigation under the LIRR tracks in Floral Park, as residents and commuters deserve a cleaner space. As a reminder, the dumpster at the west end of the station is for MTA use only, and parking under the tracks requires a permit Monday to Friday from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
DPW
As a reminder to all residents, there is no bulk pickup during a holiday week. Please refer to the sanitation schedule for any changes. I would like to thank DPW Superintendent Kevin Ginnane and his staff for preparing our Village for its annual Veterans Day parade and ceremony. The banners are a beautiful tribute to our local heroes, and we are so glad to have those beautiful banners displayed. A special thanks to former Village Clerk Susan Walsh for spearheading this project and current Village Clerk Joe O’Grady for maintaining it.
My family and I would like to wish all residents a very Happy Thanksgiving, I count living in Floral Park as one of my biggest blessings. Be safe and be well.
Trustee Michael Longobardi
Building Department
Construction is ongoing at the apartment building at 1 Carnation Avenue, the proposed restaurant at 99 Covert Avenue, and the re-construction of 266 Jericho Turnpike. Shoring and foundation work is ongoing at the Covert Avenue Fire property. Overall construction for that project is expected to take up to a year. Repairs and renovations have started at the old Firestone building, located at 212 Jericho Turnpike. When completed it is expected to be retail and office space. There will be a special use hearing for an auto body shop using the old repair shop in the back of the building. The ARB meeting will be tomorrow night at the pool building. Among the presentations will be the proposed new house on the subdivision located at 155 Beech Street. A proposal for a large-scale mixed-use development project located at 144-162 Jericho Turnpike was discussed for the first time at the North End Civic meeting on October 17th. There are no further meetings scheduled at this time; dates will be announced when the meetings are scheduled.
As a reminder to all property owners, all leaves must be cleared from the sidewalks, however they cannot be piled in the street. They need to be bagged and put out on your assigned garbage day for lawn waste. Perimeter shrubbery must be trimmed back so it does not overhang the sidewalks.
Recreation and Pool
The Titans season has wrapped up. Screaming Eagles Hockey is still ongoing. Current park hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM; Thanksgiving hours will be 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The fields will be closing for the winter as of Monday, December 2nd. It is almost time for the Holiday season pool membership sale. Purchase a pool membership for 2025 at 2024 pricing. They make great stocking stuffers and gifts for family and friends. They are available at the pool building December 2nd to the 23rd, Monday – Thursday 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM, and Friday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Friday, December 13th, will be the annual recreation center tree lighting. Recreation Session II registration will start Wednesday, January 8th. Senior registration for senior classes only will be 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Registration for all classes will be 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Registration will be open and ongoing after that. A current resident leisure pass or 2024 pool pass is required to register. Applications are available at the pool building, shelter house and online at fpvillage.org.
Town-Village Aircraft Safety & Noise Abatement Committee (TVASNAC)
A few months ago, I mentioned a petition that was filed by TVASNAC requesting raw data and information from various noise monitors including the monitor in Floral Park from both the FAA and the Port Authority. To date, they have not responded to this request. TVASNAC believes the current data provided for the day/night level statistics is not accurate enough but it’s an average. The raw data requested will verify actual noise levels generated by overpassing aircraft. If no information is received to their petition by the end of the year, TVASNAC will file a summons and complaint and will begin formal litigation. TVASNAC has also worked with the town of North Hempstead and the result is a new noise monitor in Tully Park (New Hyde Park) which will capture data from the same planes flying over Floral Park.
The next meeting is Monday, November 25, 2024, at 7 PM at the Hempstead Town Hall, One Washington Street. If you want to make a noise complaint regarding air traffic, you can call 1-800-225-1071. You can also go to our Village website which has the links under the TVASNAC noise complaint contact information page on our home page.
Civics
It was previously mentioned at a Board Meeting about the proposed mixed-use buildings on Jericho Turnpike from South Tyson Avenue to Van Siclen. At the last North End Civics Meeting a presentation was given outlining the project. This was just one of many examples of why Civic Associations are an important vital part of any community. Civic groups consist of residents who come together to work and discuss community issues and to help maintain and improve the quality of life in their communities. The purpose of the Civic Associations is to educate and inform the residents of issues impacting the Village as well as what is happening around town. Civic Associations act as a communication link between the residents and the local government to foster fellowship in the community. These groups provide a forum for the discussion of ideas or problems of common concern.
Our great Village is no different. There are many things going on every day and some major proposals that need the input and discussion from our residents. While Village Board Meetings have open discussion at the end, they are structured meetings that require reports and resolutions and votes in order to conduct Village business and are important parts of government. The Civic Meetings are great informal discussions and interaction between board members and our great residents. They are an informal way to discuss things as a group and address concerns. We as a board consider civic associations vital because they give us a direct avenue to hear from residents and learn as well. Floral Park currently has 4 Civic Associations: North End, Hillcrest, South Side and Westend. We encourage all residents to get involved and come down to a Civic Meeting. They are a great place to learn what is happening around town and get involved. Civics are people, not politics!
My family and I wish all our residents and families a very Happy Thanksgiving!! Thank you for all you do to make this Village the great place it is to live and raise a family. We truly have a lot to be thankful for.
Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald
Prior to the start of the meeting, I would like to congratulate the Floral Park Memorial High School Soccer team who won, not only the Nassau County Championship but also the State Championship. Winning something like that is a tremendous achievement and as many of you may have heard, we will be having a celebratory parade Saturday morning at 10:00 AM. More details to follow.
Last week Deputy Mayor Pombonyo, Village Administrator Bambrick, Building Superintendent Marcus and myself had the opportunity to meet with State Officials to go over our NY Forward Grant Application, during which they asked many questions of us which we answered positively. Hopefully they continue to review and acknowledge the application. I would like to thank the ESP and the Long Island Region Economic Development Council for taking the time to invite us in and clarify any questions they might have had.
And from my family to yours, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and hope to see you all on Saturday for the Victory Parade. I guess we can change the Floral Park moto from live, work, and raise a family to live, work, and also play.
