Friday, July 6, 2018
Vol. 94, No.41
FOUNDED 1923
n
n
$1
LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Dino-mite PAGE 52 n Rotary Awards PAGE 46
Raises approved for Village executive staff
A BLAST FROM THE PAST
BY RIKKI MASSAND
Seventh Street Promenade returned with a blast from the past recently. Celebrating the songs, sights, and fun of the 1980s. Fabulous music filled the street as friends and neighbors got together for dinner and laughs. Pictured are friends Clare, Katherine, Emma, and Amelia, who donned some vintage duds for the occasion!
Additional spending approved for water well monitoring system BY RIKKI MASSAND
At the Thursday, June 21 Village Board meeting the trustees approved increased spending for a system that will monitor and control the Village's water wells. The Board approved an increase of $296,586 for the budget of the SCADA system (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System) project, bumping it up to close to $700,000.
The contractor for the SCADA system) and computer-based well control project, Eagle Control Corp. of Yaphank, was approved as its bid for service at $534,000 was accepted in late June, with the contract running from this July 1 through June 30, 2019. Village Administrator Ralph Suozzi said that since there was a delay in the preparation stages and building of a new $8 million water
tank for Garden City, approved by the Board of Trustees last December, the communications systems the village has in place which are run through Cablevision connection. The Board approved $80,755 for Altice -- Optimum/Cablevision -- for the installation of communication lines at water well service sites. “Our water system works with See page 47
During its meeting on June 21, the Board of Trustees approved a raise of $15,000 a year for Department of Public Works Superintendent Joseph DiFrancisco, who began working in Village Hall as the Secretary to the Board of Trustees and soon after, the Deputy Village Administrator. DiFrancisco's new salary will be $150,000 annually. The Board had to approve two transfers of funds from the contingency account into “Street Administration – Regular Salary” for the change, which was approved as “effective March 3, 2018.” First was $6,130 moved in the account allocated from the 2017-2018 fiscal year which concluded on May 31. Then another $25,000 was moved from contingency into Street Administration from the 2018-2019 budget. A raise of close to $6,000 a year was also approved for Police Commissioner Kenneth Jackson, who previously earned $231,915 annually. Before the Board approved each raise, Village Administrator Suozzi offered praise for both Jackson and DiFrancisco, saying that Commissioner Jackson does the job of protecting the Village of Garden City and training and preparing the GCPD nonstop. On July 10 DiFrancisco is expected to be at the Board’s meeting, but on June 21 his “boss” and colleague Suozzi offered some comments on his performance in the few years he’s been in the village. “Joe is an outstanding executive, and he inherited a village here with many capital needs both in maintenance and critical infrastructure. He has taken a fresh look at everything and upgraded our systems, and Joe has taken control of DPW buildings, facilities, processes and plans. From scheduling and resources to coordination with other village departments and management, Joe has also backed me up as the deputy village administrator. I cannot tell you how proud I am of the Board of Trustees’ support, recognition and salary increase for him,” Suozzi said.
DAR sends school supplies to Appalachia PAGE 6 Cathedral Nursery School celebrates 50 years
PAGE 42