Village of Garden City’s Mayor Report

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.

VILLAGE ELECTION RESULTS

Here are the official results of the September 15th Village Election, which was rescheduled due to the Coronavirus:

Trustee Robert A. Bolebruch, Two-Year Term (West) 194
Trustee John M. Delany, Two-Year Term (East) 202
Trustee Colleen E. Foley, Two-Year Term (Estates) 201
Trustee Louis M. Minuto, Two-Year Term (Central) 195

RESIDENT RAILROAD PARKING PERMITS

Annual Resident Parking Permits for the railroad parking fields are on sale at Village Hall beginning at 9:00 a.m. Monday through Friday. Permit cost is $150 (payment by cash, money order, check payable to the Incorporated Village of Garden City and/or Master Card/Visa/Discover, in person only). Renewal applications were mailed on September 11. Applications returned via mail must be updated and contain a copy of a valid registration and check. For any questions, please call Garden City Village Hall at 465-4166.

GARDEN CITY LIBRARY RESUMES REGULAR HOURS

The Garden City Public Library resumed regular hours on September 8, 2020. Patrons can visit the Library Monday through Thursday between 9:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday between 9:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and Sunday between 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. Safety guidelines put in place by Library Administration during the pandemic remain in effect. Public computers are not available. Please call the Library at 742-8405, select Option 7 for the front desk and speak to a staff member if you have any questions, or check the website at www.gardencitypl.org for further updates.

NASSAU BOULEVARD RAILROAD PARKING LOT PROJECT

The Board is expected to approve a $225,952.25 change order from Pioneer Landscaping and Asphalt Paving, Inc. for additional labor and materials in the Nassau Boulevard railroad parking lot. The bid for the Nassau Boulevard railroad parking lot was awarded on May 21, 2020, in the amount of $899,000. This project has a budget of $1,200,000. This change order increases the amount of the project to $1,124,952.25. According to Public Works Superintendent Joseph DiFrancisco, the majority of this change order is attributed to the fact that during the removal of the original paving stones we discovered a layer of concrete below the sub-base that was damaged, in poor condition and needed to be removed, in addition below the concrete we discovered a layer of clay. Clay is not a suitable base for a roadway and it needed to be removed in order to establish a secure and stable base for the new parking lot. Other smaller charges in this change order that were not part of the original scope of this project include repairing the concrete base and installing recessed lighting around the flagpole, adding electrical outlets to the new lighting being installed in the lot and repairing the sidewalk along the station house in order to bring it into compliance.

PASSING A STOPPED SCHOOL BUS IS ILLEGAL

Garden City Police Officers have been assigned to monitor bus routes and bus stop locations in an effort to detect and enforce passed bus stop violations. During the first week of school, from Sept. 8-11, Officers issued tickets to four motorists for passing stopped school buses.

Motorists are reminded that while approaching a school bus either from the front or behind and its yellow lights are flashing, the bus is preparing to stop. It is illegal – and very dangerous – to pass a stopped school bus when the large red lights located on the top of the bus are flashing. These flashing lights mean the bus is either picking up or discharging students.

If the bus’s red lights are flashing, YOU MUST STOP and remain stopped until red warning lights are off. This includes school buses that are on the opposite sides of divided highways, on multiple lane roadways, in parking lots and on school grounds.

The first conviction for a person illegally passing a school bus carries a fine of $250 to $400, 5 points on your license and/or 30 days in jail. The second conviction, both of which were committed within a period of three years, carries a fine of $600 to $750, 5 points on your license and/or 180 days in jail. The third conviction or subsequent convictions, all of which were committed within a period of three years, carries a fine of $750 to $1,000, 5 points on your license and/or 180 days in jail.

THANK YOU GARDEN CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT

On behalf of the Garden City community, we wish to thank Fire Chief Thomas Strysko and members of the Garden City Volunteer Fire Department for conducting the touching 19th year anniversary ceremony of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It was a very moving experience and assisted many of us to get through that difficult day.

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:

Monday, September 14, 2020

Sawcutting and test pitting occurred on Stewart Avenue between Splice Vault No. 22, located in the eastbound lanes east of the former Chase Bank at Clinton Road, to Splice Vault No. 23, located in the parking lot of Stewart Plaza adjacent the Hurricane Wings/Goldfish Swim School building.
Trenching continued on Stewart Avenue from Splice Vault No. 22, located in the right eastbound lane to Splice Vault No. 23, located adjacent the Hurricane Wings restaurant in the Stewart Plaza parking lot. Crews are excavating the pavement, installing conduits and using cementitious backfill to aid with restoration. A second crew is performing the work in reverse from Splice Vault No. 23 to Splice Vault No. 22.
Trenching was anticipated to begin between Splice Vault No. 18, located on Cherry Valley Avenue north of the Long Island Rail Road bridge near the Garden City Schools administration building, to the horizontal directional drill pit, directly north on Cherry Valley Avenue prior to the intersection with Cathedral Avenue in the northbound lane.
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
- Trenching is anticipated between Splice Vault No. 21, located in the grassy median of Stewart Avenue near the Butler Place crossover, to the two horizontal directional drill pits, located on each side of the Butler Place crossover. Crews are excavating the pavement and soils, installing conduits and using appropriate backfill to aid with restoration.
Monday, September 21, 2020
- Crews will be pre-racking cable in the vicinity of Ninth Street, Hilton Avenue, and Stewart Avenue.
- Crews will be swabbing and cleaning the new conduits between Splice Vault No. 17, located on Rockaway Avenue near Sixth Street, to Splice Vault No. 19, located on Hilton Avenue. Single lane closures and traffic controls are expected with this activity. The work is planned for daytime hours.