A regular meeting of the Board of Trustees was held on Aug. 16, 2011 at 8 p.m.
Building Department
Trustee Rhatigan reported that during the month of July the Building Department issued 18 building permits totaling an estimated $386,900 in construction costs. There were also 11 plumbing permits, 11 electrical permits, five fence permits and 18 miscellaneous permits issued.
The Architectural Review Board heard six new cases and revisited five old cases at the July meeting.
The Zoning Board of Appeal is not meeting in August.
The Building Department has started their fire inspections. These inspections are required by the State and run in conjunction with the Fire Department inspections.
Department of Public Works
Trustee Longobardi reported that the Department of Public Works has been spending the summer months sprucing up the Village making outdoor repairs and improvement that can only be done during good weather. The Village faired quite well during the storms of the past few weeks. Drainage issues were at a minimum and only one tree was lost. The Department of Public Works recently received a new 2011 sanitation truck to upgrade their current fleet. Public Works is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of all Village vehicles. This is accomplished through the village’s full-service maintenance garage staffed with trained personnel. Maintenance personnel perform various repairs and routine maintenance on a variety of on-road and off-road vehicles from lawn mowers to sanitation trucks to hook and ladder fire apparatus. As is the case of the new sanitation truck, once it is determined that a vehicle is beyond its useful life, the department will handle the bidding and purchasing of the replacement vehicle and the disposition of the old one. The department also handles our inter-municipal agreements with other villages and our local school district regarding the purchasing and dispensing of fuel for all of the vehicles and buses in our area. This type of inter-municipal cooperation helps residents save money by consolidating the operations and using bulk-buying power to get great prices on gasoline products.
Covert Avenue Chamber of Commerce
Trustee Longobardi reported that the annual Covert Avenue Chamber of Commerce Street Fair will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011. This year’s street fair will offer a carnival atmosphere with many fun activities for all ages, especially the kids. As always, given the great restaurants located on Covert Avenue and other fine food establishments that join them for the day, good food items will be available for all to enjoy. Local merchants will be out in force to offer great deals and show off their wares. Local bands and choral groups will be providing entertainment throughout the day. The Floral Park Fire Department is bringing their smoke house and will offer fire prevention information and demonstrations. The Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter will be there again for anyone who is looking to give one of our four-legged friends a new home. Trustee Longobardi urged everyone to come down and spend some time getting to know the local storeowners and enjoy the day. If you are a local merchant and wish to participate by selling goods at the street fair, information can be found at www.covertavechamber.com.
Floral Park Public Library
Trustee Fitzgerald reported that on the evening of Monday, Aug. 1, a tree by the Library was struck by lightning. Trustee Fitzgerald thanked Librarian Jeannette Newman and Assistant to the Library Director Linda Sartini for ensuring that the building was safely evacuated in a timely manner once a decision was made to close the library. In addition, special care was taken by the library staff assisting all children in calling their parents and waiting until the last child was picked up. On a related note, the library director and board are currently working with the Department of Public Works to have additional trees of an ornamental nature planted where the previous tree stood.
As the summer starts to wind down and families look for short day trips or something to do during their staycation, the staff at the Library would like to remind residents of the numerous free passes that are available at the Library for area museums. Some of the museums include Westbury Gardens, the Long Island Children’s Museum, the New York Botanical Gardens and the newest addition to the collection of free passes, the Museum of Moving Image whose current exhibit features Jim Henson and the Muppets.
Four Village Studios
Trustee Fitzgerald said he had the honor of attending, along with Mayor Tweedy, the Four Village Studios annual staff party where they met with the staff and volunteers who continue to produce for our residents award-winning quality public access shows week after week. We continue to hear from various guests how professional the staff is and how at ease they make it for first-time guests to feel comfortable while filming a television show.
On motion by Trustee Rhatigan, seconded by Trustee Fitzgerald, and carried unanimously, Mayor Tweedy recessed the meeting at 8:20 p.m.
