Friday, March 11, 2022
Vol. 99, No.18
FOUNDED 1923
n
$1
LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Ready, Sell, Go With Bella
Blerina (Bella
) Duman
i Lic. R. E. Sales person O 516.307.940 6 | M 917.767.2 777 blerina.duman i@elliman.com Garden City Offi ce | 130 7th Str eet 516.307.9406 | elliman.com
n
Reading Room PAGE 36 n Klondike Derby PAGE 65
SUCCESSFUL SWIM SEASON
School trustee resigns; budget talks continue BY KASSARA MCELROY
The Garden City HS Boys Swimming and Diving Team finished another successful season at the Nassau County Championships. See page 66
Investigation continues into homes’ lead water pipes BY RIKKI MASSAND
Given the recent concerns about Garden City’s drinking water , Deputy Mayor Tom O’Brien called upon Village Administrator Ralph Suozzi at the Board of Trustees’ March 3rd meeting to update community members on the investigation of water system issues and the
presence of lead in drinking water in some homes. According to Suozzi, the village has been in regular communication with the Nassau County Department of Health, and the consultation has resulted in local messaging sent to residents, “about the levels of lead coming out of faucets in people’s homes.” One of the priorities
for Garden City officials remains assuring homeowners that there is not a systematic, water supply root cause of the lead presence in water as samples drawn for local homes have shown. Administrator Suozzi explained that according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency See page 54
© 2022 DOUGLAS 110 WALT WHITMA ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE. EQUAL HOUSING N ROAD, HUNTING TON STATION, NY 1174OPPORTUNIT Y. 6. 631.549.7401.
Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting kicked off with an announcement from President William C. Holub that Board Trustee Michael Cassaro had resigned, citing personal reasons for his decision to leave. In his resignation letter sent to the district, Cassaro writes, “The nature of the discourse around our schools has become dangerously vitriolic, and I hope that my resignation will cause people to pause over and temper all the anger and venom. Perhaps we will find more love and community amidst all this hate. Our children deserve it.” With Cassaro’s resignation, comes a few options for the Board district with respect to finding an appropriate replacement. The first is to fill that vacancy through Board appointment, the second through a special election, and the third is to leave the position vacant until the next regularly scheduled election on May 17. The Board will hold a public discussion with time dedicated to discussing these options to determine the best route forward during their next meeting, on Tuesday, March 22.
Budget discussion: Instruction
Then, the next of a series of budget discussions that began in February continued. The night’s presentation focused on the program portion of the budget that impacts instruction, with themes of collaborative learning spaces, social-emotional needs, and teaching and learning best practices woven throughout. The budget proposition for next school year now stands at $124,579,449, or a budget to budget increase of 1.80% or $2,197,962. Dr. Kusum Sinha detailed the changes that have been made to the plan since the last public discussion. These include an increase in BOCES communications services (to focus on the web page development and strengthen the line of communication with the community), an increase in instructional equipment for the high school’s art program, a decrease in district wide math textbook due to a more flexible, single year subscription model, an increase in science supplies for both Stewart and Stratford schools, additional tuition for two students attending the Long Island High School of the Arts See page 54
Village Election March 15th The 2022 Village Election will take place on Tuesday, March 15th. Voting will take place at the St. Paul’s Fieldhouse, 295 Stewart Avenue, between noon and 9 p.m. Residents may vote for four trustees, and the four candidates receiving the most votes will win. The candidates are:
Community Agreement Party: Judy Courtney, Michael Daab, Tracey Williams For a Better Garden City Party: Mary Carter Flanagan, Charles Kelly, Bruce Torino and Lawrence Marciano, Jr.
Boys Basketball falls in county finals PAGE 68 Mayor, trustee disagree on blower law PAGE 3