The following are trustee reports from the Sept.21 Floral Park Village Board meeting:
Department of Public Works
Trustee Tweedy reported that he, Mayor Greene, Village Clerk Yvonne Blaber, Deputy Village Clerk Susan Walsh, Superintendent of Public Works Steve Siwinski, General Supervisor Richard Albertson, Highway Supervisor Mike Naylor, Chris Clements from Dvirka and Bartilucci consulting engineers, Camraj Ramgulam from Verizon, Bruce Machen from the Water Authority of Western Nassau County and John Valente from Valente Contracting met on September 21 for a pre-construction meeting regarding the Landau Avenue Project. Landau Avenue is being reconstructed in the village’s continuing effort to maintain our village streets. Landau Avenue will be reconstructed from Tulip Avenue to Webster Street with work commencing in about two weeks when final mark-outs by National Grid are completed. Work will begin on Webster Street going north to Tulip Avenue on the western side of the street. The project is scheduled to be completed by December 31, 2010. The Whittier Avenue overlay project is scheduled to be completed by the end of September. All castings have been raised and concrete work and storm drains are being completed.
The Violet Avenue overlay project from Clarence Street to Rose Avenue is in its initial phase of construction.
Nine tons of asphalt have been poured in order to repair both Cypress Street and Aspen Street.
New street signs throughout the village will be required by 2012. New signage must have 6 inch reflective letters. Pricing and phasing of this work is being explored.
Tree removal work is currently under way throughout the village and will continue in the coming weeks.
In-house repairs to village buildings include the painting of exterior trim at the library and the painting of the interior offices and public spaces at the recreation center.
Building Department
Trustee Tweedy reported that during the month of August the building department issued 16 building permits totaling an estimated $551,865 in construction costs. The building department also issued 16 plumbing permits, 16 electrical permits, six fence permits and nine miscellaneous permits.
The Architectural Review Board and Zoning Board of Appeals both heard two new cases in August.
Absentee landlord registrations have been mailed and of the 460 forms mailed, 327 were returned. The deadline for the return of these forms was Sept. 13. A $50 fee will now be charged for forms received after the deadline. The procedure for registering absentee landlords was put in place for emergency notification purposes by the board of trustees.
Fire Department
Trustee Rhatigan reported that Floral Park Fire Department 2nd Assistant chief Robert Hayes has elected to resign his position, although it is believed he will continue to serve the village in his capacity as a member of rescue company and retain his former rank of former captain. Trustee Rhatigan thanked ex-Chief Hayes for his service to the fire department and to the village and for his anticipated continued service to the village.
Recreation Department
Trustee Tomecki reported that as recreation commissioner she is pleased to support the passage of Local Law No. 7 of 2010 which will prohibit smoking within our beautiful village pool, park and recreation facility. Every year thousands of residents of all ages utilize our recreational facilities for a multitude of purposes. Depending on the season, some might choose to shoot hoops on one of our basketball courts, engage in a heated game of tennis, play in our adult softball or volleyball leagues, enjoy the slides and the swings, swim in our world-class pool or perhaps enjoy a picnic lunch with family and friends in one of our shaded rest areas. And this, of course, is only a sampling of the activities that a resident can enjoy when he or she visits the Floral Park Recreation Center where there is something for everyone if you enjoy clean, healthy outdoor fun. It follows then that secondhand smoke, which the U.S. Environmental protection Agency has classified as a Class A carcinogen, placing it in the same category as radon, benzene and asbestos, has absolutely no place at our recreation center. In fact, an even stronger argument in opposition to authorizing the continued presence of secondhand smoke at the Floral Park Recreation Center is the little known fact that smoke emitted from cigarettes and cigars contains more than 4,000 substances, over 40 of which are known to cause cancer in humans and many of which are strong irritants.
In light of these harsh scientific realities, it is no surprise that over 145 municipalities in New York State alone have passed regulations restricting tobacco use in outdoor recreational areas. On Long Island, the neighboring villages of Garden City and New Hyde Park have already instituted a smoking ban for their parks. The Town of Oyster Bay has restricted smoking to designated areas for all town beaches and parks, while the Town of Huntington has passed a town-wide playground ban to disallow smoking in all of its 23 playgrounds. So by supporting the passage of this law, in many respects, the mayor and the village board are simply joining with other communities in acknowledging the irrefutable health dangers posed by secondhand smoke to children and adults who are forced to breathe it in.
Finally, Trustee Tomecki said that while she, along with the recreation and pool committees, initially proposed to ban smoking at the park and pool, with the exception of designated areas, it did not garner universal support. One of the primary functions of any level of government is to preserve and protect the welfare of the public. The mayor and village board of trustees represents the most localized form of government in Floral Park and, consequently, it functions as the level of government closest to the people who call Floral Park home. Consequently, Trustee Tomecki said that we have a moral obligation set forth by the oath of office that each of the members of the board has taken to support the passage of Local Law No. 7, which ultimately serves the health and welfare of our current and future generations of residents.
On motion by Trustee Tweedy, seconded by Trustee Rhatigan, and carried unanimously, Mayor Greene recessed the meeting at 8:35 p.m.
