Friday, August 10, 2018
Vol. 94, No.47
FOUNDED 1923
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F O R
I T ’ S T I M E E L L I M A N
LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Patrick McCooey
Lic . Ass oc. R. E. Bro ker
Branch Manager, Garden City Office 130 Seventh Street | O: 516.307.9406 See our ad on Page 13
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Firefighters field questions on work rules, petition
UNDEFEATED SWIMMERS
BY MEG MORGAN NORRIS
Garden City “A” Team swimmers from the Junior Boys Team are excited for their last dual meet of the season. The team went on to win, which makes the team undefeated for the last five consecutive seasons. See page
Village sued for ADA non-compliance BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
A new lawsuit brought against the Village of Garden City alleges that the village knowingly continued with a violation of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) by not installing any public, on-street handicapped parking spaces on Seventh Street, Garden City’s downtown, after residents unsuccessfully lobbied the Traffic
Commission to consider adding three handicapped spots last year. The plaintiff, Gerry Kelly, the Western Property Owners’ Association president and chair of the Mobility Impaired Committee in the village, is seeking injunctive relief for the creation of three handicapped spaces on Seventh Street, plus the costs he’s incurred for hiring counsel, Covington & Burling LLP of Eighth Avenue in
Manhattan. In a court filing with the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, Kelly states that like other residents and visitors in Garden City, the lack of availability of parking spaces reserved for the disabled on Seventh Street severely limits his and others’ access to “public programs, serSee page 38
Garden City's career firefighters held a public information meeting at the Stewart Manor Country Club on August 6th to answer questions about their attempt to reverse a decision by the Garden City Board of Trustees that will eliminate the paid firefighters' jobs. The firefighters are currently circulating petitions to challenge a July 25th decision by the Board to terminate their jobs. Under New York State law, the decision was subject to a "permissive referendum" meaning that if those opposed can collect enough signatures the matter will be voted upon by residents, instead of decided by the Board. According to the firefighters' attorney, Richard Corenthal, they will have to collect signatures from at least 20% of the registered voters in Garden City for a referendum to be held, and must do so within 30 days of the action. TJ Michon, who is president of the firefighters union, said that his group intends to collect many more than the minimum number of signatures. "The village has the right to challenge signatures on the petition," he said. Corenthal commented that it will be a difficult task at this time of year. Residents at the well attended meeting asked the firefighters to clarify some questions that have arisen on social media and elsewhere.
What does petition mean?
Michon noted that signing the petition does not necessarily mean that the firefighters jobs would be preserved. Instead, he said, "It takes the decision out of a small group of people's hands." He said misinformation has been spread claiming that if the petitions are successful then the firefighters would automatically get to keep their jobs and that the size of the department will have to be doubled. Instead, he said, residents would get to decide what kind of fire department they would like to have. He noted that there is no requirement that the Village would have to hire additional firefighters. Asked to explain the Village's combination volunteer/ See page 42
GC High School breaks new records on AP Exams PAGE 30 Summer construction across school district PAGE 46