Village of Munsey Park Deputy Mayor Sean Haggerty announced at the village’s board of trustees meeting last Wednesday that the name of deceased Army Ranger and Munsey Park native James Regan would be added to the war memorial in Waldmann Park.
Haggerty said that Regan, who grew up on Park Avenue and was killed in action in northern Iraq in February 2006 after serving four full tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, would receive a small plaque bearing his name that will be added to the memorial statue.
Haggerty, who led the meeting because Village of Munsey Park Mayor Frank DeMento was out of state, said that in addition to Regan he was looking for any other Munsey Park veterans who might be missing from the monument. The last name to be entered was Thomas Dowd, who was killed in Vietnam in 1967.
“I’ve spoken to Veterans Affairs a few times and it’s a very, very serious thing,” Haggerty said. “We take it seriously that we don’t want to miss anyone’s name.”
Haggerty said that the village would also add the name of Marine Robert Munday to the memorial.
Munday, who was killed in action in Korea in May of 1951, has a small memorial dedicated to him in front of the flagpole at the intersection of Park Avenue and Manhasset Woods Road.
Haggerty said the village plans on paying for the plaque, as well as clean-up costs for he memorial, with part of the $25,000 payment Warner Bros. studios gave the village for beautification purposes in preparation of the upcoming film, “This is Where I Leave You,” which will be filmed in Munsey Park.
Haggerty said the village is looking into a clean-up effort along the edge of Copley Pond, as its walkway is falling apart.
Trustee Susan Auriemma said that ducks and geese walking in and out of the pond are causing most of the erosion. Some nearby towns, she said, have put a strip of natural grass in place to centralize where the birds walk in order to curtail erosion.
Haggerty said that before accepting any proposals to install a grass strip, he will work with the Munsey Park Women’s Club on fundraising ideas for the project.
Joe and Maria Tarsio, who live at 499 Hunt Lane next to Munsey Park Elementary School, said that people have been illegally parking cars in front of their house during school hours.
Maria Tarsio said people are ignoring the “No Parking” sign located in front of her home, making it difficult to see the street used by children walking home.
The board agreed that they could fix the placement of the sign and possibly change it to a stricter “No Stopping,” but Haggerty said that would only be a short-term solution.
“The reality is we’re just making it someone else’s problem. We need to come up with a comprehensive solution,” he said.
Haggerty stressed the importance of working with the school to find a solution. Auriemma added that people need to be encouraged to use the school lot at the end of the block.
Village Clerk Barbara Miller announced in her Court Report that the village received $10,065 in fines from April, a 50 percent increase from March.
She said it was likely the result of the village’s new local law which set a maximum fine of $750 on parking tickets and enables people to bargain moving violations to lesser penalties that would result in higher fines but without the cost of accruing points on their licenses.
