Friday, July 7, 2017
Vol. 93, No.42
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Scouting first PAGE 8 n Ghana benefit PAGE 6
Box lacrosse considered for Garden City roller rink
FLORISTS FOR A DAY
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
start any other kind of transportation programming. Back at the Board of Trustees’ annual re-organization meeting in early April, Leto voiced his thoughts to the mayor. “You (the Board) just approved our village budget of about $60 million and the school budget is going to come out around $110 million, and then we will have $170 million for the operation of the village. According to statistics 20 percent of Garden City is made up of seniors. That represents roughly $34 million of a tax con-
With a few weeks to go in July until Garden City christens its new $2 million, 100-yard synthetic turf “Multi-Use Field,” a new and unconventional usage for another Recreation facility was proposed – lacrosse for the roller rink at Community Park. At the village Recreation Commission’s June 29 meeting a Garden City native and current resident, Carlos Cabana, spoke about his 24 Lacrosse program and its unique facilities needs. He called the Community Park roller rink “a very special piece of property.” Cabana spoke at the meeting and offered ideas in line with the 2016-2020 Recreation and Parks’ Strategic Plan for facility investments, which recommends “increasing revenue potential based on demand.” Mr. Cabana’s proposal is for his five-team league to play over 13 weeks this fall, until the Thanksgiving break, with play lasting for one hour per team at the roller rink. Cabana says the lacrosse program is comprised of youth players (all boys at this point) from across Nassau County. Having a centrally-located base for play is the best option, which attracts many athletics groups to Garden City facilities. Cabana’s parents have lived in Garden City since 1972. He said he is familiar with the community support as the hub for lacrosse and also for the village’s facilities. Cabana graduated from Garden City High School twenty years ago, and he told the Rec. Commission it would be natural for 24 Lacrosse to join the many locally-based programs that utilize and pay for use of Garden City facilities “whenever possible, such as use of Stewart Field or the fields at St. Paul’s.” “It has worked out very well and I’ve seen athletics programs from other towns appreciating what we have in Garden City. The village obviously has several strong lacrosse programs but even in the last year the growth has been substantial. Garden City’s fields have certainly helped and allowed me to grow the 24 Lacrosse program. Many kids here start lacrosse as early as second grade and play all the way through graduating high school, and they play in both scholastic teams and club teams,” he said last week. The discussion turned to specifics of use of the roller rink for box lacrosse versus the full-field lacrosse equipment and facility usage. Cabana said the demand for box lacrosse was very high, and indoor facilities were sought frequently. He explained the eight-on-eight player action for box lacrosse and the Commission has to consider if the rink could handle that capacity. Kevin Ocker, chairman of the Rec. Commission and department head for Recreation and Parks, asked Cabana for a more visual description of how the box lacrosse game or practice would be set up. He was a bit concerned about safety on the hard surface and basher boards” or the safety surround-
See page 32
See page 32
Daisy Troop 1400 from St. Joseph School were recently Florists of the Day at Hengstenberg’s Florist. Andrea Cooperman, brought her troop of Daisies over to Hengstenbergs Florist, where Dorothy Christofides gave the young girls a tour of the flower shop. The girls proudly displayed the floral baskets they created with the help of the Hengstenberg’s Staff. “It was a lot of fun working with these girls”, said Ms. Christofides, “and I am glad we were able to give something back to the Garden City community, and it reminds me of when I was Girl Scout”.
Village looking at senior transportation options BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
The Village of Garden City may be considering asking Adelphi University about collaborating to provide transportation to senior citizens around town. Adelphi presently runs a shuttle service for students that includes routes in Garden City’s downtown area. After mini-rallies were held in front of the Garden City Board of Trustees several times this year, Garden City resident Joseph Leto attended the Recreation Commission’s June 29 at the Pool dining facility. He learned of a suggestion
that Adelphi’s bus fleet which includes routes to downtown Garden City, could conceivably be expanded to accommodate senior citizens who need assistance to get to Garden City destinations. Specifically a handicapped-accessible van or small bus is and a licensed professional driver is is being considered. At 98 years young, last Thursday Joe Leto jokingly told Kevin Ocker, department head for Recreation and Parks, that he may not have another 100 years ahead to wait for the village to coordinate a senior bus system with Adelphi or to
Congresswoman Rice speaks at Chamber luncheon PAGE 20 Community Church Nursery graduation, concert PAGES 48-49