Friday, January 1, 2021
Vol. 98, No.19
FOUNDED 1923
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There’s No P lace Like Home
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Christina Ric cobono
LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Lic. R. E. Sales person
M 516.524.159 7 christina.ricc obono@ellim an.com
Garden City Office O 516.307.940 6 | elliman.co m
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Blood drive
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STOP program PAGE 24
A SNOWMAN FOR THE TIMES
© 2021 DOUGLAS 110 WALT WHITMAELLIMAN REAL ESTATE. EQUAL HOU SING N ROAD, HUNTING TON STATION, NY OPPORTUNITY. 11746. 631.549.740 1.
Garden City is ‘Project Central’ for 2021 BY RIKKI N. MASSAND The Village of Garden City enters 2021 with multiple capital projects and big-ticket construction planning items on the table, ranging from public use facilities to water system infrastructure, potential improvements for recreational opportunities and enhancing the functionality and appearance of village properties.
St. Paul’s main building
Visitors to Garden City’s gazebo on after the first snowfall of the season made a snowman for the times, including a mask for its face.
With Village backing, Cathedral Ave. traffic solutions to be presented to county BY RIKKI N. MASSAND Traffic and pedestrian safety on Cathedral Avenue will be a priority for the Village heading into the new year. At the November 19th Village of Garden City Traffic Commission meeting, some Central section residents discussed efforts to improve a dangerous roadway. Residents said they have seen far too many ‘close calls’ and frightening
accidents near their homes. The Village’s Traffic Commission, which consists of members of the Board of Trustees, Police Commissioner Kenneth Jackson and the Department of Public Works has instructed the municipal staff to procure an engineering study to address traffic accidents on Cathedral Avenue, and to approach Nassau County Public Works officials to seek solutions.
The County offices were to be presented with the full study supporting the neighborhood’s concerns and possible solutions, such as new lane markings. The Very Reverend Dr. Michael T. Sniffen, Dean of the Cathedral of the Incarnation, commented before the Traffic Commission November 19: “On behalf of the Episcopal See page 41
The future of the St. Paul’s project remains an albatross for the Village Board as the stabilization and abatement of contamination/ hazardous materials continues. There has been no decision on the building’s ultimate fate as discussions about a new use were largely on hold during 2020. As reported in October in The Garden City News, stabilization of the building involves addressing the mansard roofs including missing shingles and gutters, stormwater management and some structural work. Meanwhile environmental protection and ivy removal have already been done. Consultants to the village, VHB Engineering, will conduct a Phase II environmental assessment and then a bid package can be formalized for cleanup (abatement) work. The Phase I study completed by VHB consisted of a visual inspection and investigation of property/site records and that identified the likelihood of contaminants in the building. VHB’s Phase II environmental assessment of St. Paul’s was set to examine conditions and the scope of work, including what contractors must ultimately clean out from the building.
Garden City Casino
Another historic building and ‘centerpiece’ in Garden City, that still has an uncertain future is the Garden City Casino at 51 Cathedral Avenue, which has housed what the village’s Mayor Theresa Trouvé calls an ‘extraordinary tennis and social club’ for the past 125 years. Unlike St. Paul’s, the Stanford White-designed Casino built in 1895 is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But the parcel is village-owned and at some Board meetings during 2019 and 2020, trustees were openly contemplating plans See page 26
GCRE Foundation raises funds for kids PAGE 8 Elementary students honored for art PAGE 43