Trustee Lynn Pombonyo
Fire Department
We thank the Fire Department for the extraordinary volunteerism and service of our Chiefs, officers and members. The month of September included 125 calls for service, 99 rescue calls, and 12 mutual aids to emergencies, mostly fires in other communities.
In addition to many hours of direct service to the public, our Floral Park Fire Department spends a great deal of time on important, ongoing training for both the leaders and membership. In recent months, this has included: Strategies and Tactics for Large Scale Incidents, Shaping Today’s Fire Departments for Today’s Expectations, Introduction to Fire Officer (a sixteen week series), Carbon Monoxide and Air Monitoring, Fire Behavior and Arson Awareness, and an upcoming December department drill on responding to gas emergencies, conducted jointly with National Grid.
Our Chief staff is also investigating the latest equipment and methods used to extinguish electric vehicle fires including special blankets and hose positioning which can extinguish fires from underneath EVs. FPFD will continue to work with other departments and agencies, including the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s office, to stay in front of the rapidly changing best practices in attacking EV fires.
Department of Public Works
The paving of Spooner Street has been completed, as has the Spooner parking lot. There are several punch list items for adjustments in the parking lot.
Beautiful, new trees, selected by homeowners from lists for street sides with power lines and those without power lines, are currently being planted, adding the greenery we all love. Additional new trees will be planted in early December. For yours, please call 516-326-6320.
Conservation Society (FPCS)
Autumn has been the time for enjoyable Gardens activities, especially for our children. Our Gardening for Kids program, under the loving direction of FPCS volunteer Mrs. Laura Trentacoste, has flourished with nature experiences including leaf experiments.
On a sunny Saturday, over forty family members delighted in a Gardens Family Tour, led by our very talented FPCS volunteer Mrs. Trentacoste and children’s librarian Mrs. Kathy Guidal. Stops at the Sensory Garden, Giving Garden (which produces vegetables for local food pantries), Strawberry and Blueberry Gardens, the magnificent “Colorful Bird Town” mural (designed and painted by artist Dilianny Espinoza), and many other fall attractions were featured. A fun afternoon ended as the families used colorful recyclables to create bird feeders, then filled them with seed. Remember to keep feeding the birds who visit your neighborhood throughout the cold winter months.
And now, our Centennial Gardens season is coming to an end. The Gardens will close for the winter at the end of Thanksgiving weekend, Sunday, November 27th at dusk. Thanks to so many of you for perfect spring, summer and fall seasons at our Gardens this year. We’ll spotlight our Gardens 2022 highlights and heroes in future Village Board Reports.
Chambers of Commerce and Our Businesses
The holiday season is here. Please celebrate with us in our Floral Park and Stewart Manor business districts.
You can begin your window shopping and gift purchases on Small Business Saturday, two days after Thanksgiving, on November 26th. Remember, there are no Village parking meter fees when you SHOP & DINE LOCAL in our business districts on Small Business Saturday.
Then, join the holiday celebrations at the Floral Park Chamber of Commerce, Floral Park Junior Woman’s Club, Our Lady of Victory and Village of Floral Park tree lighting, festival and shopping village. The fun begins at 5pm, tree lighting at 6pm, on Friday, December 2nd.
And, do it again at the Covert Avenue Chamber of Commerce and Village of Stewart Manor tree lighting and festival, complete with horse and buggy rides, music and tasty treats. It all happens on Saturday afternoon, December 10th, starting at 4pm.
Floral Park Memorial Musicians!
Let’s give a shout-out to the Floral Park Memorial High School Marching Band who won third place in the New York State Marching Band Competition held in Syracuse. Our marching band broke the school and district records for competitive marching band scores, and received a resounding, late night welcome back to Floral Park from their families, fans, and our police and fire chief.
LET’S HEAR IT FOR FPM, and a Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Trustee Frank Chiara
Building Department
There presently are two construction projects underway. The first is the hockey/multi-purpose rink which has been demolished and is now getting prepared for reconstruction. Expect to see cement trucks next week to start the rink structure. The completion of this project will be early spring. The other project is the construction of a new library entrance ramp making it more handicap accessible. This has started with the removal of some landscaping and then will move into full construction next week. During the construction the front entrance door will be closed. All entry and exiting must take place via the back entrance door. The completion of this project is also expected to be complete by early next spring.
Police Department
Tonight, Nov. 15, 2022, four police officers were sworn in, starting their career here in the Village of Floral Park. Showing support for their appointments by their presence at the swearing in were their proud families, friends and current members of the Police Department. The Mayor along with the entire Board of Trustee congratulated the new Officers, wishing them good luck and a safe career. The new Police Officers are James Incantalupo, Thomas Monahan, Michael Piccione and Rocco Sollecito.
As a reminder, with daylight saving time upon us days are getting shorter and nighttime is coming earlier, so please drive safely and keep an attentive eye out for our children and fellow residents who are traveling throughout our Village. Consider wearing reflective clothing when running or walking during the absence of daylight.
At many of our Civics meetings we often hear that speeding, failure to stop at stop signs and other various traffic violations are problematic in many areas of the Village. When enforcement occurs often some of the offenders are residents. So once again, to avoid any unfortunate incidents, PLEASE obey the traffic regulations and drive safely.
Thank You and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!
Trustee Jennifer Stewart
Good evening, thank you all for coming. I would like to start by offering my condolences to the Franki family, Jean Franki was on the board of the North End Civic Association when I joined in 1998 and it was an honor to serve on that board with her for many years. It is people like Jean Franki that are the heart and soul of many organizations here in the Village of Floral Park.
Recreation Center
Residents are enjoying their new Pickleball courts on Volleyball courts A and C. It is so wonderful to see so many people out there enjoying themselves. Why, why are people playing Pickleball court on volleyball courts? – because the multipurpose rink reconstruction is in full swing. We are expecting to see concrete trucks pouring there next week with completion expected for early spring. Fields remain open, please be aware of your surroundings and do not go beyond the construction fencing.
Beginning yesterday, 11/14, the lights at the Recreation Center are off, the fields will remain open until Sunday December 4th. Due to the construction, there will be no Recreation Center Tree Lighting this year, I am looking forward to seeing all of you at the Village Tree Lighting on 12/2 and the Covert Ave Tree Lighting on 12/10.
LIRR/3TC
This past weekend, the Hempstead line was inoperable due to a planned outage so the LIRR could install a switch which will allow trains to move on and off the Hempstead Branch to the Main Line. Last week, much maintenance work could be seen underneath the station, as well as under the tracks as the LIRR reinforced their pigeon netting under the trestles.
For the Tunnel Street tunnel, the MTA maintains that they must have vehicular access at that site. The 3rd Track Project is what is called a design/build, meaning that as things come up, they design for them, often leaving the communities along their corridor struggling to mitigate concerns of both residents and the village.
Village officials are meeting with representatives from the LIRR Thursday morning to discuss some upcoming repair work at the Floral Park Station. We are hoping to hear some very positive news about fixes coming to our station at this early morning meeting.
As always, residents are encouraged to reach out directly to the MTA with questions and concerns, as we have found this the most effective way of residents communicating with them. The MTA can be reached at contact.mta.info/customer-feedback or by phone at 516-203-4955 – this is an automated response, but you can ask for “more options” and then ask for “Comments and concerns” to speak to a person.
Trustee Michael Longobardi
Floral Park Library
Construction upgrades have started on the new ADA ramp and front entrance and shortly on a new roof. Please pay attention to signs and directions as we work to upgrade access to the Library. Visitors will need to enter through the rear entrance located in the parking lot during this time. When the ramp is completed the bike racks and bushes will return to finish off the front.
November is Food for Fines Month. The Library will wave fines up to $5.00 in exchange for non-perishable foods to be donated to the food pantry. It is great way to clear your account and help another great service in our Village.
Some upcoming events and classes include Empire Council Defensive Driving December 8th, English Language Learner Class November 26th, Boy Scout Troop 482 Wreath Fundraiser is November 26th on the Library Lawn. Tuesday, November 29th at 7PM, a representative from SCORE, counselors to small businesses, will offer ideas and information for small businesses on how to utilize social media to grow a small business. Wednesday, November 30th the Hempstead Town Clerk mobile passport van will be at the Library from 10AM -2PM. This is a convenient way to apply/renew your passport. This is by appointment only; please call 516-812-3100 to set up a time. Details for these and many other events are listed on the library website: www.floralparklibrary.org.
The Library is closed Thursday November 24th for Thanksgiving.
Four Village Studio (4VS)
We have wonderful Breaking News from Four Village Studios (4VS): At the 2022 Alliance for Community Media Northeast Regional Video Festival, 4VS won four awards. Congratulations to all the award recipients and our winners are: 1st place – Historical Documentary: The Antique Road Test #23, Producers Walter Gosden and John Salemmo, 1st Place – General Talk Show: Uncorked #25 “Wine and Ave Maria”, Producer Rex Whicker, 2nd Place – Municipal/Government Programming: FPFD Red Alert #6 Emergency Medical Technology Producers Larry King, AEMT and Bob Wisniewski, Firefighter, 3rd Place Community Impact – FPPD Behind the Badge #1 -Surviving An Active Shooter – Producer: Lt Will Doherty. The Alliance for Community Media covers community TV studios through the northeast New England region. Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to all our producers and our Operations Manager Jim Green for making 4VS the great studio it is. To watch this year’s award winners and see a list of all our shows, please visit www.4vs.org or watch your local provider station.
I would like to wish all our neighbors and friends a Very Happy Healthy and Safe Thanksgiving. It is a great time to be with family and friends and to give thanks for all our blessings. Speaking of safe, for those of you deep frying your turkey next week, please be careful and make sure the turkey is defrosted and dry, the deep fryer is on a safe outdoor level surface away from the house, and the oil is at the proper level and not over filled. Mishaps can lead to fires and serious burns. These are delicious and a great way to make the turkey but can be very dangerous if you do not follow the directions and prepare it properly. Buon Appetito!
Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald
Good evening. I have a couple of items to report.
With regards to the Fire Department, the Chief’s office recently approached the Village Board to explore with them the possibility of having a contracted ambulance service for the Village. We are at the beginning investigative stage. There have been no decisions made and there are a number of questions along with requisite significant due diligence that needs to be performed by various parties including the Village Board. We will endeavor to keep all up to date with regards to the need for and details on how it may work if it is determined to move forward.
Trustee Chiara and I had the opportunity to attend the Floral Park Bellerose School Board meeting at the John Lewis Childs School last evening. We presented an overview of the Village’s operations and services as part of a series of Civic presentations being hosted by the School Board these past few months. I am delighted to report that there were many questions and great discussion with the students and residents in attendance. Civic interest is alive and well in Floral Park. There are two Civic Association meetings (Hillcrest and North End) scheduled this Thursday, November 17th. I encourage everyone to attend – they are very informative and a great way to get involved locally.
Thank you to Felix Procaccia, ‘Just the Facts Media’ for being here tonight and to Brandon Duffy, Blank Slate Media. It is appreciated.
On behalf of my family and the Board of Trustees, I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.
