Friday March 29, 2019
Vol. 95, No.27
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Broadway duets PAGE 22 n Bloom & grow PAGE 16
Public security: Are guards needed at GC Library?
A NEW SEASON
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Garden City High School’s boys lacrosse team began its 2019 season with two wins, over Smithtown West and Massapequa. The team’s league home opener takes place on April 3rd at 4:30 pm. against Southside HS.
Town supervisor offers ideas on St. Paul’s BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen was in attendance at the Wednesday, March 13 joint POA meeting on St. Paul’s held at Cluett Hall and discussed recreation programs in nearby communities. Town Supervisor Gillen is a native of Baldwin and has lived in Rockville Centre with her husband and children since 2003. During the March meeting on St. Paul’s Gillen considered community uses and facility plans that can offer a sub-
stantial return on investment, but she also noted taht she is in favor of preserving as much as possible of the historic main building. As Gillen addressed the Garden City community, she shared fond memories of passing by St. Paul’s when she was in school at Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead. As a teen she would attend events with fellow high school students at Chaminade, passing through the heart of Garden City. St. Paul’s was an obvious sight to see along the way. “This is not my project, it’s a vil-
lage project and it isn’t my place to say what should go in there. But I really wanted to be here tonight to listen to residents and to offer my support. I am so glad that Garden City is doing something to move forward to save this beautiful and historical building. I would look out the window while we drove by St. Paul’s every day. It is such a beautiful structure,” she said. Supervisor Gillen said that as the discussion on March 13 unfolded and residents commented on potential uses, facility planning See page 44
At the third work session on the Village of Garden City budget for 2019-2020, held Thursday March 21, scrutiny over security planning for the Garden City Public Library turned into a debate over armed vs. unarmed guards and the hours in which the public will be protected by additional, outside security company’s staff. Conversations on security at GCPL between the Village Board of Trustees and the Library Board of Trustees were expanded during budget presentations a year ago, which occurred a month after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting tragedy in Parkland, Florida. This year’s library budget presentation (for fiscal year 2019-2020) happened in the same week as mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. The discussion on protection for the public at GCPL, which is open to anyone, turned into a consideration of the security contractual services as proposed -- a $53,000 cost -- which is part of a projected increase in GCPL expenses of $104,000, 3% over the forecast and $56,000 from the 2018-2019 adopted budget. The library currently has 16 full-time and 24 part-time staff members (two positions are currently open). Out of the 38 current employees, 23 have worked at GCPL nine or more years and 15 employees are Garden City residents. In the past year GCPL has had 173,000 visits from patrons and 218,000 items were checked out. Over 100 community meetings were attended; 21,000 computer-use sessions were recorded and 14,000 people attended 500 GCPL programs. The proposed budget for GCPL in 2019-2020 is $3.324 million, of which $1.550 million would be allocated towards library salaries and related expenses.
Armed Guards?
GCPL Director Marianne Malagon explained that with the planned $53,000 in the budget, one security guard at a time would be present at GCPL from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. She said these represent hours not currently covered by two regular library monitors (staff) who serve in a security role, See page 45
Book excerpt: “History of Garden City” by M.H. Smith PAGE 26 Recycling bikes and sewing machines for charity PAGE 50