Friday, October 14, 2016
Vol. 93, No.6
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
GCFD Open House PAGE 14 n Sponsor a Family PAGE 3
More lead contamination confirmed in GC Schools
SWEET VICTORY
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
The Garden City Girls Varsity Swimming & Diving team defeated longtime rival Manhasset last week by a score of 97-78. Above, the team celebrates its win. See page 37 for more coverage.
GC Police Commissioner advises schools on creepy clowns
By Rikki N. Massand
While Garden City school board’s Wednesday, October 5 work session focused on safety, procedures and new initiatives in the district, it was the national news topic of “Scary Clowns” that unhinged a comprehensive, strategic planning discussion and prompted Police Commissioner Kenneth Jackson to present updates to the four board trustees, school administration and PTA Director Michelle Kaiserman. At the high school library
Jackson stood up to speak about swift police efforts hours earlier, when a 14-yearold left Malverne High School and was chased by a person dressed as a clown wielding a kitchen knife. Reports on Wednesday night described the clown costume as purple with a white mask and red wig. The ‘creepy clown’ incidents crept further east in the first days of fall as the previous week in Suffolk County. As September ended CBS2 New
York reported on a person dressed as a clown in North Babylon and a group of people dressed as clowns jumping in front of cars in Brentwood. According to CBS2 reporter Ali Bauman’s reporting on Friday, September 30, “Suffolk County school districts are not taking any chances” as one of the anonymous Long Island clowns threatened Lindenhurst Schools on Twitter. The first precaution taken was keeping See page 48
In the past month scrutiny over levels of lead found in drinking water and other sinks and faucets in the school district has prompted administrators to disable some fountains and put the community on alert as items have been reported back from laboratory tests. Garden City Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Feirsen presented the latest round of information on “the spread of lead” in district facilities as part of the school board’s work session October 5, during a comprehensive look at “School District Safety Planning and Safety Initiatives.” He transitioned during that presentation to lead testing and some bad results as it is “related to student safety” with new developments as of the October 6 work session to report to the school board. Three PDF slides at the end of the presentation were dedicated to lead contamination issues. In summer each school building was tested. As September began the New York State requirements, signed by Governor Cuomo, became a game-changer for lead contamination levels, lowering the acceptable threshold and falling to under 15 parts per billion. Previously the standard to meet was less than 20 parts per billion, and that has caused lab results to indicate lead presence that was not anticipated by the school district. “We had started this process in spring when we asked the Village of Garden City to provide us with its latest lead testing report. We got that See page 48
Third down? Turf field talk and the $500K question BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
At its Thursday, October 6 meeting the Village Board of Trustees and Garden City administration welcomed back Kevin McAndrew of Cameron Engineering to present the potential of a mixed-use athletic field for Community Park atop the current soccer field’s footprint, possibly up to a length of 360 feet on new synthetic turf just like the new Fields 3 and 4, which were finished and opened for play at the start of September.
Finances, Investments and Field Sizes Mapped Out
The costs – both financial and involving available park space – of installing a third turf field leaves the Village Board with two distinct options, which McAndrew outlined on October 6. One proposal would be $1.997 million with a field regulation size for soccer of all grade levels up until high school varsity, but not meeting high school or college lacrosse See page 47
The significance of the National Historic Register PAGE 18 School Superintendent presents new safety program PAGE 7