The following are trustee reports from the Feb. 2 Floral Park village board meeting.
On motion by Trustee Rhatigan, seconded by Trustee Longobardi and carried unanimously, the board approved the request of the Floral Park Fire Department to use the Pool and Recreation Center for its annual department picnic on Saturday, Aug. 7 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
On motion by Trustee Tweedy, seconded by Trustee Longobardi, and carried unanimously, the board approved the request of Reverend T. Abigail Murphy of St. Elisabeth’s Episcopal Church to allow cars to park on the south side of Magnolia Avenue and the west side of Harvard Street on Monday, Feb. 8 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the blood drive, held in conjunction with Long Island Blood Services. This allows for Blood Services personnel to park five or six vehicles in the metered parking field west of the church without paying for parking.
On motion by Trustee Rhatigan, seconded by Trustee Tweedy, and carried unanimously, the board certified the list of firefighters who had achieved 50 points or more during the 2009 Service Award Program year and authorized the Village Administrator to return the list to the Fire Chief for posting in each company for a period of 30 days.
On motion by Trustee Longobardi, seconded by Trustee Tomecki, and carried unanimously, the board approved the request of The Friends of the Floral Park Library to use Centennial Hall for its annual book sale on Saturday, June 5 through Monday evening, June 7 with access to the building on Monday, May 17 through Friday, June 18 to set up and clean up before and after sale.
Department of Public Works
Trustee Tweedy reported that federal, New York State and Village of Floral Park regulations prohibit illegal or “illicit discharges” to storm sewer systems and are punishable by fine and/or imprisonment. Bagged or unbagged pet waste thrown in storm sewer grates, openings, drains or manholes is an example of an illicit discharge, which is a major cause of water pollution.
Storm sewers are not connected to wastewater treatment plants or septic systems like the drains in your home. When pet waste is tossed into a storm drain or left on the sidewalk, street or yard, it is carried by rainwater through the storm sewer system directly into our local water bodies without any treatment. Pet waste is a threat to human and environmental health because it contains harmful bacteria and pathogens, some of which can cause serious disease in humans. Pet waste also contains many other nutrient pollutants, which contribute to excessive algae growth in a water body upsetting the delicate balance of the natural habitat.
Being a responsible pet owner means picking up after your pet. In order to properly dispose of our pet’s waste and prevent local water pollution, the best way to dispose of pet waste is to flush it down the toilet. Just remember to remove the waste from the bag or litter before putting it in the toilet. You may also bag the waste and put it in the trash. Landfills and incinerators are designed to safely handle substances such as dog waste and cat litter.
There are an estimated 74.8 million dogs owned in the United States which create 72.5 billion pounds of dog waste every year. Just one gram of pet waste contains an average of 23 million fecal coliform bacteria. Some of these bacteria can cause serious gastrointestinal infections as well as infections to the ear, eye and throat in humans. As pet waste decomposes, it demands a high level of oxygen available to them.
On motion by Trustee Tweedy, seconded by Trustee Rhatigan and carried unanimously, Mayor Greene recessed the meeting at 9:20 p.m.
