Friday, October 7, 2016
Vol. 93, No.6
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Italian humorist PAGE 8 n Vinyl revolution PAGE 25
New turf field proposed for Community Park BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
All of God’s creatures whether two, four or no legged were welcome in the Cathedral of the Incarnation on Sunday, October 2, at a special service of Evensong to honor St. Francis of Assisi. Above, Barbara Wade and her daughter and son in law bring their kitty for a blessing and for healing. See page 18 for story and more photos.
St. Paul’s parking concept unveiled
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND What to do with St. Paul’s? It’s the question always brought up in Garden City at municipal and property owners’ association meetings, and from time to time when passers-by question the status of the village’s centerpiece property. A short answer is now in play, albeit for more vague long-term uses, considering the activities and athletics that the fields, fieldhouse, and Cluett Hall invigorate the grounds with on a routine
basis: the village must add some parking spots. A press release on potential parking innovations at St. Paul’s was distributed by the Village of Garden City on Monday, September 19, 10 days after the Board of Trustees’ held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Community Park turf fields and took part in a walking tour of the grounds adjacent to the fieldhouse. A vision was explained this month although the details aren’t
ironed out yet, and eventually plans would need to be approved by Board vote. The village’s website states the parking concept would increase spaces at St. Paul’s to a total number of 275. Village Administrator Ralph Suozzi provided some initial comments on this at the August Board of Trustees’ meeting and in the press release he notes the 50 additional spaces “increasing capacity at the site by 24 percent for a relaSee page 52
Plans originally proposed as a conversion to synthetic turf of the soccer field at Community Park have taken a turn towards developing a much larger regulation-size, football-friendly turf field that would cost an additional half-a-million dollars and be designated as the park’s “multi-purpose field,” as Village Administrator Ralph Suozzi has made clear in preliminary talks this year. The goals of accommodating the larger field facility were discussed by the Garden City Recreation Commission at its Wednesday, September 21 meeting at the new senior center. One night prior the village’s Department of Parks and Recreation hosted a focus group meeting on the multi-purpose field with local sports organizations on hand. Of note, leaders from the Garden City Centennials were invited but were not able to attend the focus group. The village’s consulting firm, Cameron Engineering of Hauppauge, participated on September 20 and had prepared a new alternate. Originally the existing size soccer field would have been replaced with turf, but Kevin Ocker, the village’s department head for Parks and Recreation, updated the Commission that he had asked Cameron Engineering to do a ‘footprint’ drawing of a potentially larger field to see if such a surface could fit. Discussed as “option B” since it’s a newer See page 24
Mobility Committee lends a hand to Recreation, Village BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Plans to improve the pool facility for 2017 will start small, but with big significance. The latest efforts for Garden City facilities is citizen-driven, thanks to a committee led by Gerard “Gerry” Kelly, a WPOA director and its programs, publicity & business liaison. Kevin Ocker, village department head for Parks and Recreation, spoke with members of the Recreation Commission at their meeting five days before a gathering of the Mobility Impaired Committee at the St. Paul’s Senior Center on Monday, September 26. In Ocker’s view there were a list of items to address, including four key areas that should be accommodated, all of which Kelly and others have recently brought to the Recreation Department’s attention. The first item Ocker deems a “simple one” is more handicapped parking by the adult area. Simple as it sounds, Kelly said in an interview with The Garden City News on October 5 that when it comes down See page 24
Garden City varsity football beats Elmont 49-20 PAGE 56 GCHS sets new record for AP Scholar results PAGE 22