Friday, December 1, 2017
Vol. 94, No.11
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Turkey Trot PAGES 62-64 n Sweats for Vets PAGE 14
Officials questioned on 555 Stewart Ave plan
LONG ISLAND CHAMPIONS
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
At a Central Property Owners Association meeting on November 14th, which drew residents from throughout the Village, Mayor Brian Daughney discussed details of a 150 unit apartment complex that has been proposed for 555 Stewart Avenue. As a resident asked about what is now being considered for 555 Stewart Avenue, former deputy mayor and village trustee, now CPOA Director Richard Silver spoke about the 150 units, one, two and three bedrooms and not any age-restricted units. “The units will be market rate and the last time I asked, about one year ago, the rents will be steep,” Silver said. Village Trustee Louis Minuto said the range would start at $3,800 and go as high as $5,500 to $6,000 a month for the largest units. On November 14 EPOA President Tom Hogan said he understands the village’s review process ahead, but with the mayor’s line of See page 47
For the second consecutive year and for the seventh time in the school’s history, Garden City High School’s Trojan football team won the Class II Long Island Championship with a 24-6 win over the Suffolk County Champions, North Babylon. See pages 70-71.
Unions claim slow progress on contracts BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Garden City School District employees packed the November 14th meeting of the school board to highlight a lack of progress on contract negotiations between the board and the GCTA (Garden City Teachers’ Association) and the paraprofessionals unit. Katie Colavito, president of the Garden City Paraprofessional Teachers’ Association spoke at the meeting which was Locust School. Also attending the meeting were hundreds of teachers, paraprofessionals and many
parents who were attending following reports of bullying in Garden City’s schools. Colavito told the board despite 18 months of discussion, negotiations for a new contract remain at an impasse. Colavito said, “What we do not accept or remain silent any longer on is the lack of appreciation and respect given to the district paraprofessionals, particularly by your negotiators. When we attempt to discuss issues that are important to our members, the response of your negotiators is shocking…. A case-in-point is the toileting of students and I’d like to
believe it is due to misunderstandings by the part of the district, but in each negotiation session that goes by shows there is a lack of respect for this position. When the union raised the toileting issue with the district and asked for proactive measures to be instituted for toileting a student, we were denied. If a paraprofessional is unable to assist in this task, the school district’s response was that the paraprofessional would be fired -‘get a job elsewhere or they can quit.’ When a recent hire (paraprofessional) resigned See page 48
Trustees ponder St. Paul’s future at CPOA meeting BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Garden City Mayor Brian Daughney, Deputy Mayor Theresa Trouvé and Trustee Louis Minuto fielded questions about the future of St. Paul’s during the November 14 Central Property Owners’ Association meeting. The mayor answered several questions about the St. Paul’s recreational concept plan and was asked about his vision for St. Paul’s. He described the well-publicized hiring of three Manhattan firms, Eight Inc. Thornton Thomasetti and Beyer, Blinder, Belle for a $100,000 sum to come up with concept plans for a “recreation-based center or community center.” The mayor declared for the audience that “there will not be housing at St. Paul’s.” “A few weeks ago we hired the firms to help us come up with some ideas. Other than that I can’t describe yet whether it would have two athletic (turf) fields, a running track or hockey rink – we’re waiting to see what they come back with for conceptual ideas, and it will be recreation-based but it will incorporate some other things. That’s what we are exploring,” Daughney said. CPOA Director Stephen John Gaffney asked about a concept that first circulated 15 to 18 years ago and was shot down at the time, for See page 47
St. Joseph's "Sponsor A Family" for Christmas PAGE 12 Are leaf blowers dangerous to your health? PAGE 20