Friday, December 18, 2020
Vol. 98, No.17
FOUNDED 1923
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Garden City Office Agent of the Month November
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
2020 | Most Co ntracts
Michelle McA rdle
Lic. R. E. Sale
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son O 516.307.9406 | michelle.mca M 516.306.4134 rdle@elliman.co elliman.com m
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Gap year
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Holiday market PAGE 38
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Board moves toward litigation on monster utility poles
COUNTING THE DAYS
Split vote requires mayor to break tie BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
2020 with a formal presentation from Carter Jones, a Stratford Elementary School student. Carter Jones’ plans, laid out during the Commission’s January 16 meeting suggested a potential dog park near St. Paul’s School. Chairman of the Rec. Commission and
In a rare split vote, at its December 10th meeting the Garden City Board of Trustees voted to hire a law firm “to pursue litigation against such parties as are recommended by counsel, for the purpose of removing certain utility poles placed alongside the LIRR right-of-way within Garden City.” The Board authorized hiring Garden City-based law firm Berkman Henoch Peterson Peddy & Fenchel, P.C. -- with a $100,000 retainer. Garden City’s Mayor Theresa Trouvé cast the deciding vote for a tally of 5 to 4, with her support ballasting that of Trustee Minuto, Trustee Mark Hyer from the East and Deputy Mayor Robert Bolebruch from the West POA. Trustee Hyer commented, ““For what it’s worth, if we do nothing then nothing is going to happen. If we at least do something and take them to court, maybe we can get something to happen out of this. I am in favor of moving ahead with the lawsuit,” he said. Mayor Trouvé said that after this year’s series of events with the first poles going up unannounced and in a location never specified before, and then the communication fails and lack of compliance with original plans for the Third Track Project, “the time has come for the Village to go and discuss this in a court of law.” “It (putting up the poles where they stand) represents a violation of people’s rights. I do not think it is wise to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars of village residents’ money and I am conservative about when we go to litigation. I DO THINK we’ll have the right to stop all of it wherever we want to pull out. We’ve made this clear with the attorney. To say that we’re ending up costing and committing ourselves to hundreds of thousands of dollars -- no we are not. I honestly do not think that will come out of this legal action,” the mayor said. Seconds later, the motion to approve the village hiring Berkman Henoch Peterson Peddy & Fenchel, P.C. was made by Trustee Minuto and seconded by Trustee Hyer. Corresponding to this action, an agenda item for the Transfer of Surplus funds of $100,000
See page 28
See page 28
Garden City Recreation and Parks has a special mailbox for Santa letters. Children may drop off the letters and Santa will send them a personalized reply. While they are there, the children can take a chance at guessing the number of candy pieces in our holiday jar. Stella Obeck was the winner of last week’s contest, shown here with her candy jar! The mailbox is open until December 22 at the Recreation Administration Office at 108 Rockaway Avenue. Pease wear a mask when entering the building.
2021 may be a year for the dogs BY RIKKI MASSAND There’s been a lot to bark about in Garden City in 2020, but planning for a municipal dog park has been on the back burner throughout almost 10 months of the pandemic But dogs and their owners may have something to look forward to for the village’s 2021-
2022 fiscal year as the dog park project is included in the coming fiscal year’s budget (which begins in June 2021). During its meeting on December 9, the village’s Board of Commissioners of Recreation & Cultural Affairs (Rec. Commission) discussed the idea, which was originally brought up at the start of
Should GC regulate leaf blowers? Timed tickets at GC Library PAGE 12
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