Friday, April 28, 2017
Vol. 93, No.32
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
GCAA skills clinic PAGE 55 n Demonstration gardens PAGE 27
3rd track plans, usage fees discussed by board
BIKE RIDE FOR CHARITY
BY GARY SIMEONE
On Saturday, April 29th join Episcopalians from across Long Island for fun and fundraising for Habitat for Humanity at the Fifth Annual Episcopalian Bike Ride from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Cathedral of the Incarnation will serve as the kickoff location, offering cyclists facilities and refreshments, as well as guided tours. A leisurely paced 22-mile bike ride will stop at Episcopal Churches throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. The ride will conclude with a barbecue lunch at Christ Church Babylon at 1 p.m.
New leadership announced at WPOA meeting BY GARY SIMEONE A new list of officers and directors was announced at the April meeting of the Garden City Western Property Owner’s Association. Gerry Kelly was announced as President, Roseann Vernice as Vice President and Arnold Finamore as treasurer at the meeting which was held last Tuesday night. The new list of Directors for the 2017-18 year included Gloria Weinrich, Lauren Grima, Maureen Tracker, Nick Vernice, Tom Rivera, Joan O’Sullivan, Joe Licari, Terry McCarthy, TJ Michon and Tom Nastasi.
At the meeting Deputy Superintendent of the Department of Public Works, Domenick Stanco, gave an overview of how is Department functions and a list of some of the upcoming spring projects planned for the village. “I am involved with the day to day operations of the Department and reinforcing safety practices in the field is one of my main priorities,” said Stanco. He said that the key responsibilities of the Department of Public Works include maintaining the quality of life for residents of the village, establishing safe construction practices and upgrading and maintaining criti-
cal village infrastructure. Stanco was one of the lead people in the village’s response to hurricane sandy in 2012. He worked with FEMA representatives on a weekly basis during the height of the storm. “We had forty to fifty men out there during the heart of the storm and we saw old oak trees dropping like toothpicks. Thankfully nobody was injured,” said Stanco. Upcoming projects include road and parking lot improvements in and around the village. Road resurfacing projects on the west side of the village include resurfacing of Lincoln See page 50
Two of the main topics at the village Board meeting last Thursday night included an update on the Long Island Railroad’s proposed Third Track project and comments from village residents about the increased fees for local charities including the Andy Foundation and Mollie Biggane Melanoma Foundation. Village trustee, Stephen Makrinos updated the public on the status of the LIRR 3rd Track project and the impact it will have on the village. “We want to keep an open dialogue with the MTA and LIRR about this project and try to be helpful if the project moves forward,” said Makrinos. “Our main goal is to minimize the negative impact for the residents of Garden City. Doing nothing is not an option.” On April 12th, the MTA and LIRR released their Final Environmental Impact Statement related to the plan which can be found in a link on the village website. Makrinos listed some modifications in the project that would help protect village residents if the plan to build the third track goes through. Modifications include sound walls installed near the Nassau Haven field to help protect nearby residents from noise from approaching trains. The walls would be built at a certain height to lessen the sound of the traveling trains and reduce their visual impact to people in the area. Another step would be aesthetically improved designs at the Merillon Avenue station including not having an oversized elevated crossover for people to cross from one platform to the other. “We wanted to have assurance from the MTA/LIRR that there would not be an increase in truck traffic on Nassau Blvd as a result of this project,” said Makrinos. “This is one of the aspects of the plan we worked with them on.” As part of this agreement the LIRR will not widen the underpass at Nassau Blvd to accommodate more truck traffic nor will they change the grade under the bridge. The station at Stewart Manor is also expected to undergo a complete renovation including a repaving of the parking lots at the expense of the LIRR.
Increase in fees to use St. Paul’s
Members of local charitable organizations were at the meeting to air their concerns about rising fees to host events at the St Paul’s fieldhouse. The newly renovated fieldhouse See page 50
Do Garden City school days start too early? PAGE 8 Boys varsity lacrosse hits a bump in the road PAGES 64-65