Fourth of July Parade
The Williston Park Fire Department once sponsored a celebratory parade through the village. The streets were lined with folks who were on hand to give thanks to this valued group of individuals as they passed by. Their worth to this village is immeasurable.
It’s been a short week due to the Fourth of July celebrations. I was glad to march in this year’s parade sponsored by the Williston Park Fire Department. The Grand Marshal of the parade was Park Avenue’s own Phil O’Donnell, a fifty year member of the department. Phil appeared quite proud of the honor and was cheered loudly by his “groupies” as they followed him through the course of the parade route. Congratulations to Phil and his lovely wife Diane.
This parade is one of the few that is still conducted in the area commemorating the independence of the USA. It is a shame that this is not more widely celebrated as it seems to have developed into more of a sale day for many of the retail stores rather than a holiday honoring America.
Beautification:
As many of our residents have noticed, this small army of volunteers has been out working on Sunday mornings to help beautify the village, most notably along Hillside Ave. In conjunction with our village staff, the whole village has taken on a magnificent look with flowers in bloom. This group relies on donations to secure much of the plantings. They thank all those who have contributed to this worthwhile cause. However, additional funds would be appreciated to help them continue on their path of beautification.
A special thanks to Larry Kane and Angela Williams, of the Village Gift Shop along with their spouses John and Patty for their hard work in adopting and beautifying the first island on Hillside Ave as you cross the LIRR tracks. Also a thanks to Larry’s and Patty’s sons, Brian and Patrick for their contribution to this effort.
William Street Water Project:
On behalf of the Williston Park Village Board, I’d like to thank all those residents who live in the vicinity of the water tank painting project located on William Street, for their patience throughout the needed work. At time that you read this article, the majority of the work should be completed. The nosiest part should have come to an end.
The painting crew will not be working from Friday, July 1 until July 6. It should be a peaceful 4th of July weekend for all. When the crew returns on July 6th, their hours should be curtailed, as they expect to work from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. The only equipment that will create unusual noise will be a low powered generator, run during working hours.
Road Project:
As noted previously, the village board awarded the contract to Pratt Brothers for the work to be done south of Hillside Ave. The contact and related paper work is to be signed on June 30th. Work is expected to begin shortly thereafter.
Storm Response:
This past week, as we all are aware, a dangerous and powerful storm passed through the village. A number of limbs fell as did partial and full trees. The most heavily hit area was Leigh Street with three trees coming down and one landing on a resident’s home. Our village employees responded to a call to arms.
With the temperature in the low 90’s this group of men worked nonstop to clean up the village as quickly as possible. Within hours the majority of the village was cleared of most of the debris. The following day clean up was successfully completed.
The one major area of difficulty was the house on Leigh with a tree dangerously perched on the roof. Due to its size and contact with power lines, village staff was unable to remove the tree. That day and the next morning calls were made to LIPA, National Grid and any other individual or agency who could possibly help. With all the damage north of Williston Park, we were told we would have to wait for aid. However, one of the calls reached someone as LIPA crews appeared and spent the majority of Friday removing most of the tree. Village workers removed what LIPA didn’t and by late Friday the tree was gone.
Again, Thanks to a hardworking crew who came through big time for the village. Thankfully damage was at a minimum compared to elsewhere. No major injuries were reported.
Traffic Control:
Please Slow Down and Stop at our Stop Signs!!!
On behalf of the Village Board and Village staff we hope you had a great Fourth of July weekend.
A special thanks to all our current and past military personnel who have, throughout our long history, answered the call to duty, sacrificing personal goals on behalf of this great country. Say a prayer for all those currently serving throughout the world and are in harm’s way.
The Williston Park Roger Fay Pool saw a busy weekend as temperatures soared. Our staff is to be commended for their efforts during this busy weekend.
During my campaign I indicated a desire to be available on a regular basis.
While I have been at the Village Hall daily and accessible, I have not yet been able to establish a regular schedule. I am hopeful to do so mid August or early September. In the meantime, as I have indicated in past articles I can be reached on my cell phone (319-8331) and will be more than happy to set up an appointment. If an individual has a concern or wants to talk call to see if I’m at Village hall. If not, an appointment will be arranged.
A short note on our refuse collection: This past month we received a check in the amount of $159.00 from Omni of Babylon, our waste disposal facility, for newspapers and recyclables. Not a large sum, but none the less a payment for our refuse.
While this will not make much of a dent in our waste fees it is positive news and
I believe a first for the village…
