Friday, July 28, 2017
Vol. 93, No.45
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
"The Keith" PAGE 20 n Barb's Beer PAGE 18
Board looks at new plan for St. Paul’s main building
SWIMMING TO VICTORY
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Garden City's "A" swim team continued its winning streak by beating Long Beach and Valley Stream in meets last week. The team has two dual meets left before it heads to Division I championships on August 13th to defend its title. Above, 13 & over girls get ready for their freestyle relay race.
Board approves police operations study BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
The Board of Trustees approved a contract of up to $60,000 for the Center for Public Safety Management, a Washington, D.C. firm, to perform a study “to identify the actual workload” of the Garden City Police Department. The Board said the study will be a data-driven forensic analysis of the department. The allocation included a transfer of funds from the Village’s contingent budget account into the Consultants’ Fees account. Mayor Brian Daughney was quick to dispel the notion that the Board of Trustees intends to
cut the number of police officers or GCPD staff. “Because the rumors will start, this has nothing to do with reducing the number of police officers. We are looking at expanding the number of officers. We want to make sure, legally and between our police union contract and everything else, that we do things the right way. So we brought in some outside help,” Mayor Daughney said. The original C.P.S.M. proposal responding to the village’s RFP for services was dated May 31. Trustee John Delany said there is nothing wrong with the
GCPD as it operates today. He clarified village processes at last week’s meeting. “The outside consultant we’re hiring has nothing to do with the view of the village trustees that there is anything wrong. We have taken a look at all village departments including fire and Public Works. This is just an ongoing step to look at each department to see if anything can be improved or changed, and determine what help the outside consultant can be to the village, and more importantly to give help to our police commissioner (Kenneth Jackson). See page 38
The Garden City Board of Trustees is considering hiring an architecture firm to study a new plan for the St. Paul’s main building which would keep the historic building’s facade but remove the interior and sides. As envisioned by Mayor Brian C. Daughney St. Paul’s would undergo a transformation to create new athletic fields where the interior and sides of the building stand now, leaving just the front façade facing Stewart Avenue and Rockaway for passers-by to notice. The subject was discussed briefly at the Board of Trustees’ July 20 session. Brian Pinnola, past president of the Garden City Historical Society, asked about the proposed schedule as nothing related to St. Paul’s was on the trustees’ agenda. “In light of the announcement that the Village Board made regarding St. Paul’s, the proposal to create the athletic fields and engaging an architect by July 15, has that been done yet?” he asked. Mayor Daughney says the Board and administration have begun speaking with a handful of firms, and “we will get them over there (to St. Paul’s) and see what they think and start that process.” Daughney answered another question from Pinnola and said these firms have experience working on preservation projects. Pinnola asked the mayor if it would be okay for the Garden City Historical Society to put forth a list of some historic preservation architecture firms, professionals who may be best tuned-in to the status of St. Paul’s on the National Register of Historic Places and with its visibility to historians and related associations from all over the country. Mayor Daughney told him yes the contact information would be accepted, and Pinnola and the GCHS could forward their document to Village Clerk Karen Altman, but there is a caveat: “as long as those firms are in accordance with the description of the project.” Mayor Daughney told Pinnola to refer to the Board of Trustees 2017-2018 Village Priorities’ List, where the St. Paul’s proposal is listed first. Pinnola was joined last Thursday by the former WPOA president and active Historical Society treasurer Maureen Dellacona. Pinnola completed his public comments by reading the Board See page 33
Senior transportation talk heats up at meeting PAGE 3 Village to review downtown street-scapes PAGE 6