THE MAYOR’S UPDATE
Village Hall and the administrative offices are open for in-person inquiries and business, and all full-time staff has returned to the on-site workplace. Office hours are between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Visitors are required to wear a face covering, maintain social distancing of six feet and sign in to a Visitor’s Log outside of the office they are visiting. Furthermore, while multiple people can enter Village Hall, only one person will be admitted into each office space at a time and are asked to abide by employee instructions. Please don’t forget to wear a mask and to practice social distancing.
WATER TOWER UPDATE
Final inspections are being conducted on the welding and construction of the water tower. Once that is complete we will move into the next phase of the project – painting. The Board of Trustees, at the August 13th meeting, agreed upon a color for the tower – a light blue. We expect this work to start by the end of September/beginning of October.
EMERGING CONTAMINANTS
New York State enacted new water regulations for 1,4-Dioxane, and PFOS and PFOAs, effective August 26. These regulations were expected, although they were delayed due to the pandemic. “The Village has been working diligently to prepare for this and we are well positioned to react accordingly,” Public Works Superintendent Joseph DiFrancisco said. “We are preparing to bring three new filtration systems online and two other projects are kicking off within the month. There are still some unanswered questions surrounding the new regulations but the Water Department has been meeting with our advisors and we have formulated a plan to react and move forward accordingly.”
NASSAU BOULEVARD PARKING LOT
Work is progressing steadily in the Nassau Boulevard LIRR train station parking lot. There have been a few unexpected discoveries along the way that require changes to the plan but this should not affect the timeline or progression of this project, which is scheduled to be completed by mid-October barring any additional setbacks.
STEWART FIELD OVERFLOW PARKING
This project is also progressing steadily and is nearing completion. With all the work being done on this site, the contractor was instructed to look for any historical items related to the Old Motor Parkway. “Unfortunately, all that was found was a long strip of concrete approximately four feet wide that was part of the original Parkway,” Public Works Superintendent Joseph DiFrancisco said. “This concrete was preserved and left intact and will be able to be viewed when the lot is open.”
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY
Chief Thomas Strysko and the Officers and Members of the Garden City Volunteer Fire Department would like to invite all Village residents to join the Department for its annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Village 9/11 Memorial located at the Village Green and Gazebo at the corner of Hilton and Stewart Avenues. The remembrance service will be held Friday, September 11, 2020 at 7:00 PM. Anyone that wishes to attend the ceremony must wear a face covering and maintain six feet distancing. For those that do not wish to attend in person, they can view the ceremony live on the Garden City Fire Department Facebook page. The service pays tribute to the 23 Garden City residents that perished during the attack on the World Trade Center, the 343 members of the FDNY, 23 members of the NYPD and 37 members of the PAPD killed, as well as those who have died of 9/11-related illnesses.
VILLAGE ELECTION SEPTEMBER 15
Due to the Coronavirus, the annual Village Election originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, 2020 has been rescheduled to Tuesday, September 15, 2020 between the hours of noon and 9:00 p.m. at Village Hall. Registered Village residents will be voting for the following candidates:
- Trustee 2 Years Robert A. Bolebruch
- Trustee 2 Years John M. Delany
- Trustee 2 Years Colleen E. Foley
- Trustee 2 Years Louis M. Minuto
The Village is taking precaution by requiring everyone to wear a facial covering, maintain social distancing, providing hand sanitizer, supplying a new pen to every voter to mark their ballot and the pen will not be reused, as well as ensuring that the voting equipment is sanitized every 30 minutes.
ABSENTEE BALLOTS
Absentee Ballot applications to be used in conjunction with the General Village Election on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 are available at Village Hall, 351 Stewart Avenue. The Village Clerk has to receive applications by September 8, 2020 if the ballot is to be mailed. For personal application, the deadline is September 14, 2020.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
The Board of Trustees will hold a regular meeting on Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. via Zoom. Please email Village Clerk Karen Altman by 3:00 p.m. on September 17 at kaltman@gardencityny.net if interested in joining the meeting. Ms. Altman will provide you with the Meeting ID and password.
WESTERN NASSAU TRANSMISSION PROJECT
The Western Nassau Transmission Project consists of the construction, operation and maintenance of a proposed new 138 kilovolt underground transmission line primarily within the public roadway rights-of-way for a total distance of approximately seven miles between the East Garden City substation (located in Uniondale) and the Valley Stream substation (located in Lynbrook).
The project is expected to reinforce LIPA’s electric transmission system in the southwest Nassau area and ensure continued reliable service. The underground transmission line will be located wholly within the Town of Hempstead and will traverse the Villages of Garden City, Malverne and Lynbrook, and will be constructed primarily underground. The project is on schedule for a December 2020 completion. The two-week construction schedule in Garden City entails:
- Wednesday, September 9, 2020, trenching began on Stewart Avenue, from the horizontal directional drilling pit in the grassy sidewalk median to Splice Vault No. 22, located in the right eastbound lane of Stewart Avenue. The work is planned for nighttime hours. Crews are excavating the pavement, installing conduits and using cementitious backfill to aid with restoration.
- On Thursday, September 10, 2020, trenching began on Cherry Valley Avenue from Splice Vault No. 18, located adjacent to the Garden City Schools administration building in the northbound lane, to the horizontal directional drilling pit, located just north on Cherry Valley Avenue in the northbound lane. Work is taking place during daytime hours. Crews are excavating the pavement, installing conduits and using cementitious backfill to aid with restoration.
- On Monday, September 14, 2020 crews will be pre-racking cable in the vicinity of Ninth Street, Hilton Avenue and Stewart Avenue. Single lane closures and traffic controls are expected with this activity. The work is planned for daytime hours. Travelers should avoid the area. Traffic management signs will be placed within the area to advise motorists.
- On Thursday, September 17, 2020, trenching will continue between the two Horizontal Directional Drill locations at Butler Place in the grassy median of Stewart Avenue to interconnect the drills. The work is planned for daytime hours. Crews will excavate the grass and pavement, install conduits and use cementitious backfill (where appropriate) to aid with restoration. Closures of the crossover at Butler Place at Stewart Avenue should be expected with this activity. The work is planned for daytime hours. Traffic management signs will be placed within the Village to advise motorists.
