Floral Park Board of Trustees reports Nov. 17, 2020

The Island Now

Department of Public Works – Deputy Mayor Fitzgerald
Deputy Mayor Fitzgerald reported that the Floral Boulevard Road Project is moving along as scheduled. It is leaf pick-up season and residents with landscapers should not sweep leaves into the street as the landscaper is responsible to pick-up the leaves. It is flu season and citizens can take advantage of free flu shot options through the Town of Hempstead as well as at local pharmacies.

Let us give thanks as the holidays approach, especially after a rough year. Thank you.

Recreation Department – Trustee Pombonyo
Effective this week, our Village Park is open 8am to 4:30pm. All are welcome to continue enjoying the park during the daytime hours. Our Screaming Eagles roller hockey teams compete at the park both day and night, so come one and all to cheer for our own hockey superstars!

Conservation Society – Trustee Pombonyo
Thanks go to Floral Park Boy Scout Troop 4 and the Theodore Roosevelt Council, Shelter Rock District of the Boy Scouts of America for spending Saturday, November 14th doing a fall clean-up and weeding at Centennial Gardens, while collecting eighteen crates of donated food and funds for the Our Lady of Victory Food Pantry. Over 200 Boy Scouts came to volunteer their time and talents, rotating in and out of the Gardens in groups of less than fifty, to prepare the Gardens for winter. The volunteers wore masks and practiced social distancing throughout their one hour shifts. It took many collaborative partnerships to make this successful event happen and included Marina Pavlovic, Troop 4 Leader; Brian Gorman, Senior District Executive of the Theodore Roosevelt Council of BSA; Joe Serra, Ed Geraghty, Patrick Sexton, and Sal Trentacoste, Conservation Society volunteers who led the scout groups through a very busy, productive day of gardening work; Maureen and Therese Russell at the OLV Food Pantry; Floral Park’s Parks Department and Department of Public Works; all our generous community members with their important food and monetary donations as Thanksgiving approaches; Trustee Chiara and, of course, Mayor Longobardi.

And now, as Thanksgiving arrives, we get ready to close Centennial Gardens. The current hours are 11am to 4pm and, a surprise, 11am to 2pm on Thanksgiving Day! The Gardens will close for the winter on Sunday, November 29th at 4pm. But, don’t forget, the outer brick path and benches remain open throughout the year for enjoyable walks and outdoor activity in our beautiful fall and wintry Gardens setting.

Covert Avenue Chamber of Commerce and Our Businesses – Trustee Pombonyo
Thanks to all who came out on a bright and beautiful Saturday for LIGHTS ON COVERT AVENUE. Shoppers visited our businesses and supported COVERT STRONG by purchasing masks and t-shirts to benefit the businesses affected by the September 27th fire. You can still stop at designated Covert Avenue shops for your masks and t-shirts, and show your support.

Architects are now working with the property owners and Building Department on the complex tasks of considering options and formulating plans for the future of the properties following the destructive fire.

We continue to encourage all to visit Covert Avenue often for your regular and holiday shopping and dining. Saturday, November 28th (that’s Thanksgiving weekend) will be SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY when the parking meters in both Floral Park and Stewart Manor are suspended so that you may enjoy your day at our Village businesses on Covert, Tulip Avenue and Jericho Turnpike. On SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY, and throughout the holiday season, please SHOP, EAT, SPEND AND ENJOY LOCAL!

Happy Thanksgiving! – Trustee Pombonyo
Best Wishes to all for a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for our many blessings, and to all of you for supporting Floral Park and making our Village beautiful.

Fire Department – Trustee Cheng
Last week our Fire Department was again called to a working fire, this time on Jericho Turnpike. Upon arrival, the Department encountered a fire in a 3rd floor apartment. All occupants of the building were quickly evacuated. The fire was knocked done and fire damage was limited to one room. More importantly, no injuries were sustained. Several other departments were called in for mutual aid and we thank them for responding. Again, our department did an outstanding job in containing and extinguishing this fire.

The Chiefs reminded me this week that in the past 6 weeks, the Department has responded to a multiple alarm taxpayer building fire, a motor vehicle accident with a fatality, and now this top floor fire in a multi-use building. Thankfully, this many serious alarms are a rarity. However, the excellence of our Fire Department and comprehensiveness of their training was very transparent in each of these incidents. On behalf of the Village Board and all of our residents, I wish to commend and thank the Department.

Third Track- Trustee Cheng
The concrete barriers on Atlantic Avenue and Caroline Place have been removed. Paving of Atlantic Avenue between Vernon and Carlton as well as most of Caroline Place was also completed. Also, a portion of Terrace Avenue has been repaved and sidewalks have been installed. Finally, a small portion of Plainfield Avenue underneath the Main line bridge was also repaved. Even though Plainfield Avenue is a County road, in my opinion, 3TC should be repaving more of Plainfield Avenue and we will be having discussions with them regarding that.

My best wishes to all for a Happy Thanksgiving.

Floral Park Library – Trustee Chiara
The Library continues to offer virtual chair yoga, family pre-school hours and “babystart” programs. For our teens, the Library is offering a Teen “Caturday” Community Service event. Teens can create a “cat friendly” toy to donate to shelter cats or pets of people in our community. The teens will be asked to include 3 facts they’ve learned about caring for animals to earn them their community service credits.

The Library continues to collect non-perishable foods in the lobby to be donated to the OLV food pantry throughout the Thanksgiving season. Thank You! to all our patrons who have already so very generously donated.

Please continue to check the Library website and Facebook page for updates on upcoming events.

Building Department – Trustee Chiara
On Veterans Day, the Building Department once again responded on their day off to the fire that took place on Jericho Turnpike. Renee Marcus and Kevin Bove assisted with determining the safety of the structure and ensuring all was well. Thank you both for always being available, helping our community during these unfortunate events. As for the recent Covert Avenue fire, the Building Department is waiting more information on the affected area but informed us that an architect is now reviewing the information that they have already received.

Police Department – Trustee Chiara
Recently our Police Department Motor Carrier unit conducted carrier inspections on large vehicles coming through the Village of Floral Park. A total of 75 summonses were issued. Four trucks were placed out of service and one was actually towed from the inspection site. Great job and THANKS to our Police Department for keeping our streets safe from these unsafe vehicles coming through our community!

As a reminder, please be cautious while traveling on Floral Boulevard while construction is taking place there.

I would like to wish all a very Happy and Safe Thanksgiving. Enjoy, Stay Safe and Be Well!!

Mayor’s Report- Mayor Dominick Longobardi
As I am sure you are aware, the Coronavirus continues to be on everyone’s mind. As a result of the recent spike in positive COVID-19 cases throughout the State and the nation, last week Governor Cuomo issued updated executive orders to continue a variety of plans designed to help stem the spread of the Coronavirus. These plans still include limits on social gatherings and requiring health protective measures such as wearing masks and social distancing. We must remain steadfast to prevent the spread of this virus. The Board of Trustees and I are reaching out to let you know that we are paying close attention to all of the updates from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the NYS and Nassau County Departments of Health officials concerning Coronavirus. At the same time, we are ensuring full compliance with the guidelines while maintaining a safe and secure environment for our employees, our residents and our partners.

The Village Police and Fire Departments are working to maintain full services and provide the safety and security everyone deserves. Please remember, our Fire Department is made up of volunteers who are your neighbors and friends. In this time, we ask that you only call the Fire Department in times of emergency. If you are experiencing a non-life threatening event, please consider seeking medical attention and/or transportation to a health care facility through other means. Our Public Works Department and Building Department will continue to provide services and remain available to you. A hierarchy was established putting services such as garbage and recycling collection in order of priority and many building permit procedures online.

Out of an abundance of caution, the Building, Public Works, and Administrative Buildings are temporarily closed to the public through November 27, 2020. We ask that you PLEASE use our website, fpvillage.org, for forms and applications rather than coming to the Village. If you have any questions please call 326-6300 and someone will help you. The Village Hall, Library and Recreation Center remain open. Thankfully, modern technology can give us the ability to continue our daily lives as best we can. Where possible, a number of our Village staff, like many of you, may be working remotely from home. Our staff is working to make certain that the necessary essential services needed by our residents are provided. We are doing our best to protect our staff from the virus, while minimizing the disruption to our operations. I just want to take this opportunity to thank each and every member of the Village staff for doing their part to make sure our residents and businesses have what they need.

Please remain vigilant in protecting each other during this pandemic year. The best thing you can do to protect everyone and stay healthy is to continue to stay informed and follow the guidelines as to how to minimize the Coronavirus’ spread. The following is a link to the information on this topic by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/ and the Nassau County Department of Health (DOH) https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/1652/Health-Department. You should frequently check these sites as the CDC and County DOH regularly update the information provided. In addition, the Nassau County DOH has established a Coronavirus Hotline: 516 227-9570. Please check as to any cancellation of Village related meetings, events or activities, as such notices will be posted on the Village website (fpvillage.org), on the Village’s Facebook Page and by email notification. If you are not already on the Village’s email notification list but wish to be added, please click here and follow the instructions to sign up. I urge you to follow the precautions established by the CDC to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. By following guidelines and respecting each other, we will all get through this together.

As we gather in smaller groups at our Thanksgiving tables this year, I hope we can reflect upon all of the wonderful blessings in our lives and be thankful for each other here in Floral Park, the greatest place to live. Please call the Village if you need anything. We are here for you. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, thank you for your cooperation and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

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