Floral Park Board of Trustee reports – June 21

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Floral Park Board of Trustee reports – June 21
  Trustee Lynn Pombonyo

Fire DepartmentThis evening, our Board approved the acquisition of a new fire engine through the issuance of bonds, the fire engine to be utilized by Reliance Company on the north side. The current engine and its equipment and technology are twenty-five years old. Many of the new truck’s features will focus on safety and more efficient fire fighting. The bid process will begin shortly, to be followed by moving the order for the new engine forward in July.

Training is an ongoing priority for our fire department and, by ongoing, we mean every week. The Department now has a unique opportunity, on the evening of June 22nd, to practice important skills that accompany effective fire fighting. Theater smoke (without fire) will be used in an empty, soon-to-be-demolished house on Fuller Avenue for practice in ladder positioning, search and rescues for victims as well as fellow firefighters, escape from darkened, smoke-filled rooms and other. Thanks to all in the Fire Department, Village Hall and the homeowner for making this valuable training experience possible.

Our Fire Department says, “Let’s save lives,” and they do that in many ways. One way is the Department’s traditional Blood Drives. The next one is Friday, June 24th, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Fire Department Headquarters. For information, you may email [email protected]. Let’s all save lives by donating blood!

Department of Public WorksRoad projects are underway with the Spooner Street reconstruction beginning the last week of June and Marshall Avenue, in early to mid-July.

Another forthcoming project will be National Grid’s Gas Main and Home Service Replacements. Starting around July 1st, this replacement work will be done on Carnation Avenue from Raff to Birch; Birch Street to Willow and all of Willow; Cypress Street from Raff to Floral Parkway; East Poplar; and Floral Parkway from Cypress to Oak Street. Notices will be going out to all affected residents. Questions may be referred to DPW at 516-326-6320.

Admire summer in Floral Park with the colorful hanging baskets of flowers that DPW has placed on Tulip and Covert Avenues and Jericho Turnpike and, when traveling on Jericho, you’ll see it’s now brightened by flower boxes in the medians.

On Plainfield Avenue, you can admire the large number of brand new trees that line the street. As they continue to grow and blossom, they’ll bring beauty to this busy street.

Conservation Society (FPCS)Thanks to many including FPCS volunteer extraordinaire Ann Moynagh, president Dennis McEnery, dedicated FPCS and neighborhood volunteers, Superintendent Kurt Meyfohrt and the Parks Department, and the Department of Public Works for an amazing evening outdoors in the sunshine and flowery spectacle of Centennial Gardens. It was a great gathering of friends and a successful fundraiser for FPCS which uses these funds to maintain and enhance our gardens, especially all the unique flower beds.

Guests to our Gardens are reminded that you may not pick the flowers or remove any flowers, plants or bushes from the Gardens. Nor should you plant anything new in the Gardens without the formal approval of the FPCS leadership. We all share in keeping Centennial Gardens alive, vibrant and beautiful.

Chambers of Commerce and Our BusinessesSummertime means sunshine and daylight hours into the evening. Enjoy strolling through our Floral Park and Stewart Manor shopping districts to see all that our businesses have to offer. And it’s the perfect time to grab a bite at one of our inviting eateries. SHOP AND DINE LOCAL – INSIDE AND OUTDOORS this summer!

Our GraduatesThe graduation season will come to an end this month. As our public elementary and high school students graduate this week, please honor them and all our private school and university graduates who have created their own futures and unique success stories. They have made us proud, and we congratulate them all!

Trustee Frank Chiara

Police DepartmentOn Saturday, June 11th the Belmont Stakes Race ran at Belmont Racetrack. This event is always shared and enjoyed by our community, especially the West End of the Village. This year, as in years past, the Mayfair Gate in the West End was open for patrons to enter the track. Our Floral Park Police were on duty to ensure the safety of our community while residents were enjoying this event.

The Police did a great job moving the additional traffic from the crowds leaving the races. The Police moved the traffic quickly and without incident through our streets. I would like to thank DPW for putting out all the street barricades which assisted with the traffic flow. Our Police reported issuing a minimal amount of summonses without encountering any major issues. There was no arrest. It was a great day in the Village and the entire Police Dept. along with DPW did a fantastic job!

Our Police have also initiated a safe measure program for our schools by conducting “random school visits”. This initiation has our Officers, during many of their tours, make random stops at the schools. The Officers enter the schools, walk the halls to show their presence and make note of any safety concerns. The program has been well received by both the students and faculty. Our Officers enjoy being in the schools. This initiative is in addition to our Officers having a presence at schools during children drop off in the mornings and in the afternoon at schools’ dismissal. I would like to express my thanks to our Police Dept. for showing this special attention to our most valuable treasure, our children. I’m sure it is much appreciated by all the parents and our school faculty. THANK YOU!

Building DepartmentAs a reminder, with the summer season upon us, all ductless split air conditioning units require a permit from our Building Dept. Residents who have questions regarding these air conditioning units or on any other building projects should contact the Building Dept. It is always advisable to have any building project concerns or questions answered before starting any projects.

The ARB and BZA agendas along with supporting documents are posted on the Village website on the Friday before each meeting. Email blasts are also being sent out with this information. Both of these meetings can be attended by the public. As of this afternoon, there is no decision from the BZA on the Centennial Hall project.

Trustee Jennifer Stewart

LIRR/3TCThe Village Board, along with Village Administrator Gerry Bambrick, continues to work to mitigate residents’ concerns regarding track work. We want the MTA/LIRR to be the best neighbors they can be.

Recreation CenterIt feels like every board meeting I am saying that this is the best time at our Recreation Center. And that is certainly true at the start of the summer. Tennis tournaments are happening, in fact, general play happens around the clock with players lining up outside the Recreation Center just before 8AM daily, adult basketball and volleyball league play has begun, and the fields are busy with Little League play. In fact, a resident reached out to me on Friday and said, ‘The Park was alive last night, 3 Little League tournament games, volleyball on three courts, two basketball games, Floral Park at its best!”

Thursday night the annual Michael Davidson Little League Tournament kicked off and we were all happy to be present at the Opening Ceremony on Saturday morning. It was an honor to listen to the inspiring words of Mrs. Davidson and Michael’s brother Erick as they spoke about the valuable work they do for FDNY families facing adversity. Thanks to Karen and Gerard McCarren, tournament directors for a weekend well done!

Floral Park PoolThe pool has been busy thanks in part to the wonderful weather we have had to begin the season. Friday night saw more than 400 pre-teen residents turn out for the annual luau!! Big thanks to Pool Director Tom Dillon and Superintendent Kurt Meyfohrt as well as Gena King for all they did to bring this great event to our 11–15 year-olds. We are looking forward to other specialty days such as a senior citizens morning, a day at the pool for our fabulous local heroes, the FPFD, as well as family nights and other kids’ events. Monday, 6/27 the pool opens for its summer hours with all programs kicking off including swim team. If you have a chance, stop by the pool and cheer on our Pirates during one of their swim meets.

Trustee Michael Longobardi

Floral Park LibraryThe bidding process will begin shortly for the new entrance to the front of the Library building. This will include a new ramp and entry doors enhancing the Library entrance to be fully ADA compliant and accessible. Construction is targeted to begin in early October.

The summer lawn concerts are back and planned for July 7, July 21 and August 11 with alternate rain dates listed. All concerts start at 7 pm.

Reminder, this Sunday, June 26 from 2 pm -3 pm, the Library will host a Summer Reading Launch BBQ on the lawn. Adults, teens, tweens and children should bring picnic blankets or chairs, sign up for summer reading and enjoy the delicious BBQ.

If you are looking to go out on a day trip with the kids this summer a great education opportunity is available with museum passes. A library card holder, 18 or older, can reserve one pass from a list of museums across Long Island for the day you pick subject to availability. It is a great opportunity to get out and see some interesting educational places.

These and many other events are listed on the library website: www.floralparklibrary.org.

Four Village Studio (4VS)4VS is a fully operational TV studio and production center. There is a great opportunity for teenagers and those who are thinking about a career in TV and media production to learn about the industry by volunteering at the studio. Jim Green is the operations manager of the studio for 24 years and has a vast knowledge of the industry and how things work from his prior industry experience before managing 4VS. Jim taught many volunteers over the years and has pointed them in the right direction for their college education; who then moved onto successful careers in the media field.

New shows are currently in the works and will be announced soon. A new upgraded computer will be installed in July to be followed by another new one to replace the two current outdated models. As always, please visit www.4VS.org for dates and times and a complete list of shows.

Mayor Kevin FitzgeraldAs Trustee Longobardi reported, 4VS is a great resource to find out what is happening in our Village and local communities. The 4VS Bulletin Board lists meetings, volunteer organizations and events in the Village and we can see what is going on all while listening to some very soothing music.

I was happy to attend a local Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony in St. Anne’s in Garden City to honor a number of Eagle Scouts, some who waited a long time for this moment due to the pandemic delaying it. It is inspiring to congratulate so many of our young scouts who earn this highest achievement in Scouting that develops life and leadership skills. I would like to recognize and thank the leaders of these troops who dedicate years of service to help all scouts achieve at every level. I know they enjoy it and thank them for their contributions.

Deputy Mayor Pombonyo and I attended the 100th Anniversary Picnic of the Floral Park Knights of Columbus at Centennial Gardens this past Saturday and it was a great event. That same day was the Belmont Stakes and the Mayfair Gate was open for this one time in the year. Thanks to the Floral Park Police Department and the DPW crews and their coordinated efforts to manage the Mayfair entrance. It was highly traversed and costly and it is not sustainable to keep the Mayfair Gate open all the time, so I thank our Village staff for the extraordinary efforts to continue to make the Belmont Stakes tradition a safe day and a success locally for our residents.

I would like to thank Brandon Duffy from Blank Slate Media and Felix Procaccia’s son from Just the Facts Media for attending. Thank you.

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