Deputy Mayor Lynn Pombonyo
Police Department
The winter weather is a challenge for all of our Village Departments. Driving and parking legally and safely take on even greater importance when roads and sidewalks become snow-covered and slick. Motorists need to be mindful of pedestrians and slow down. Parking may become more difficult in areas where snow has been piled, making streets narrower. For our Police, Fire Department and Public Works vehicles, turning corners can be highly difficult and is impossible when the corners are blocked.
In winter weather conditions, please drive below the speed limits and as safely as conditions warrant. On Village main roads, park only in designated parking spaces and never even stop in the crosshatched emergency zones.
We are all responsible for keeping our Village, fellow citizens and, especially, our children safe. Thank you to our Floral Park Police, Firefighters, Emergency Medical Personnel, and Public Works Department for their important work 24/7/365.
Conservation Society (FPCS)
This past weekend’s Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) at Centennial Gardens and Bird Sanctuary was a most enjoyable success. During the shortened weekend, given Sunday’s rain-out, approximately 45 enthusiasts showed up to gather and share fun facts and stories about the birds, much of it being about the Village’s recent grackle visits to our trees and lawns, by the thousands!
In all, our Recreation Department and Conservation Society counted 2083 birds from 23 different species, and admired FPCS Volunteer and Photographer Doug Cioffi’s magnificent series of books, The Birds of Centennial Gardens (now available at the Floral Park Library and Recreation Center); listened to Recreation staff member Don Haug’s bird descriptions and stories, and GBBC’s global history; checked out Recreation Superintendent Kurt Meyfohrt’s collection of interesting and colorful ornithology literature; and learned about the Gardens and its history from FPCS President Dennis McEnery.
Following GBBC 2025, Superintendent Meyfohrt forwarded our local GBBC data to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for inclusion in the global research on bird habitats, migration, patterns and trends.
Chambers of Commerce and Our Businesses
At a very informative February meeting with Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce President Frank Camarano, the Floral Park Chamber of Commerce learned about many County services, featuring an upcoming Small Business Resource, Training and Development Center at Nassau Community College, available to all of the Nassau County Chambers. Mr. Camarano also announced new, exciting grant opportunities for Chambers in the Town of North Hempstead (which includes Floral Park).
The next Floral Park Chamber meeting will be held on Thursday, March 6th at 6:00 PM at the Swing the Teapot Restaurant on Verbena Avenue. For details, registration and membership, contact: floralparkchamber.org
To reach the Covert Avenue Chamber of Commerce, it’s: covertavenuechamber.org
Always remember, SHOPPING AND DINING LOCAL, it’s the best!
Celebrating FPM!
Our very own Floral Park Memorial High School celebrated our history of great athletes, coaches and teams at the February 8th Inaugural Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Acknowledged were sixteen championship players, coaches and teams, dating back decades, with many residing in the Village of Floral Park to this day. Included were the Girls Varsity Basketball Teams of 1987-88 and 2015-16, and the Girls Varsity Softball Team of 2008-09. Special congratulations also go to our Floral Park Fire Department EMT Lynn Wille for her record-setting All State, All County, All Conference, All League and All Division Honors in Girl’s Varsity Soccer, Basketball and Softball, and Floral Park Library staff member, Bob Chalmers, Assistant Coach of the 2015-16 Girls Varsity Basketball Champions. Filling our hearts with pride, all so very impressive!
And so are our current Varsity Basketball Teams with the Boys Team holding an astounding 16-4 record and heading to the Nassau County Championship Quarterfinals against Seaford at home on Thursday at noon, and the Girls Team also holding an astounding record of 17-4 and heading to the Nassau County Championship Quarterfinals against Seaford at Seaford on Thursday afternoon.
We salute and cheer on all of our amazing Floral Park athletes!
Trustee Frank Chiara
Library
The month of February is halfway through and there are lots of planned activities and events taking place at the Floral Park Library:
- The library is holding a winter vacation mini art camp this week for children off from school for the winter break on Wed. 2/19, Thurs. 2/20 and Fri. 2/21, from 10:30AM to 12:30 PM.
- On Wed. 2/19 from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM children Grades 6 to 12 can partake in a mini comic book event by creating and coloring a mini comic book.
Check the Library’s website at www.floralparklibrary.org for upcoming programs. Please remember that they fill up fast so register if you’re interested.
Fire Department
For the month of January, the Active Company responded to 29 calls, Alert Company to 296 Calls, Reliance Company 29 Calls and Rescue Fire Company responded to a total of 46 calls, the Rescue Company responded to 17 ambulance calls and 29 fire calls, NYU Langone responded to 95 calls, for a total number of 129 calls.
I would like to thank all our volunteers for their continual service to our community.
Trustee Jennifer Stewart
Four Village Studio
With many people being off this week, here are some highlights of the on-air schedule for the remainder of the week. Bill Corbett Jr. presents Inspiring Stories featuring Richard Kellner, Founder of Polycystic Kidney Disease Outreach; We Houston Presents “The Mike Frost Band”, a Jazz Quartet featuring vocalist Lauren Meccia and FPFD; Red Alert with Larry King, AEMT featuring “Firefighting Techniques” – with Ex. Captain Joe Petrucci and 2nd Lt. Andrew Kosinski.
DPW
As this is a holiday week, there will be no bulk pick up this week. Please refer to the sanitation schedule for more information. As the weather reports come in, our Superintendent of Public Works, Kevin Ginnane is preparing for foul weather by scheduling crews to arrive in advance of impeding storms. Additionally, he is re-routing teams from other jobs to clear streets and sidewalks of snow and ice so residents can go about their days safely. We would like to thank the DPW crews for their hard work during all type of inclement weather.
Cultural Arts Committee
As we all deal with the cold and winds of the winter, planning has already begun for our Summer Concert Series. One new concert we are planning for is a High School/College Band Showcase. If anyone of High School or College age is interested in performing, please reach out to me at jstewart@FPVillage.org. We are hoping to have a variety of talent to showcase this summer!
Trustee Michael Longobardi
Building Department
We are seeing a significant increase in the installation of ductless AC systems without proper permits or review. There have been numerous violations sent out on properties where the owners widened their driveway or installed mechanical units that do not meet the village code and subsequently will have to be removed or altered to comply. Please remember that all driveways and ductless split air conditioning units require permits prior to install. Please call the Building Department if you have any questions regarding sizes and placement.
Construction Updates:
- Construction work for the proposed restaurant at 99 Covert Avenue is ongoing; completion is expected by late spring.
- The first phase, shoring and foundations, of the Covert Avenue Fire property is nearly finished. The full building is expected to be completed within a year.
- The fire property at 266 Jericho Turnpike re-construction and interior improvement work is ongoing; construction is expected to be complete by this summer.
- The construction is nearly complete at 1 Carnation Avenue (Centennial Hall); occupancy is expected this spring.
- Construction on 2 Whitney Avenue has started for the new Auto Zone.
- There are no upcoming meetings scheduled at this time for the proposed large-scale mixed-use development project located at 144-162 Jericho Turnpike, formerly Stella’s. Dates will be announced when the meetings are scheduled.
- Permits have been issued for a full renovation at 212 Jericho Turnpike, formally Firestone. The new owner will operate an auto repair shop in the rear portion of the first floor and have retail/business in the rest of the building.
Recreation and Pool
There is limited activity around the park this time of year but Spring is only weeks away. Recreation Session II programs are ongoing. The recreation committee and pool committee have been meeting to discuss the coming year. Once the weather clears, work will continue in prepping the fields for the season. Park hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM; weather permitting.
Town-Village Aircraft Safety & Noise Abatement Committee (TVASNAC)
The next meeting will be on Monday, February 24, 2025, at the Hempstead Town Hall, One Washington Street, Hempstead. 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.
