Conservation Society – Trustee Lynn Pombonyo
On Saturday, our Board attended the Eagle Court of Honor for two distinguished Floral Park high school seniors: Andrew Pavlovic and James LaBrec. Like many Girl Scouts who do creative and beneficial Bronze, Silver and Gold Award projects in the Gardens and Eagle candidates who do the same, James repaired and improved the main Bridge Walk path by replacing the damaged rope and staves on the edges of the path; laying down wood chips on the entire walkway to eliminate puddling; and building a split-rail fence in front of the large spill wall to prevent children from climbing it. We thank James and all the other scouting volunteers and their families for their work enhancing the Gardens’ beauty and safety.
Save the dates: Friday, February 18th through Sunday, February 20th for the 25th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count. We celebrate this national event with bird watching activities in the Gardens, local bird counts, and a photo contest for our students. See the flyers on our Recreation website and Centennial Gardens and Recreation facebook pages. More to follow!
Four Village Studio – Trustee Lynn Pombonyo
4VS recently celebrated its first 23 years as a community organization. Director Jim Green shared the Studio’s impressive accomplishments including: 39 different shows produced in 2021, with 1552 different shows produced throughout 4VS’ history (The most watched show of 2021 was Floral Park’s very own, award winning “FPFD: Red Alert.” “The Evolution of the Fire Truck,” the story of changes in fire fighting apparatus over the past century, was produced and hosted by Larry King, Robert Wisniewski and Leigh Tyrrel.); an astounding 590 Community Billboard events posted in 2021, evidence of the importance that 4VS plays in publicizing community news; and 48 talented and dedicated staff members, mostly volunteers, who make 4VS run smoothly and successfully.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of a “Lifetime Friend of the Studio Award” to former Floral Park Mayor Thomas Tweedy for his ongoing “Community Spotlight” Mayor’s shows and longstanding 4VS advocacy.
Congratulations go to 4VS Director Jim Green and his awesome staff for 23 years of valuable, local public television, and to former Mayor Tom Tweedy for his significant contributions. More 4VS success stories to follow!
Chambers of Commerce and Our Businesses – Trustee Lynn Pombonyo
On Covert Avenue, contractors have completed most of the above ground demolition of the businesses that were destroyed in the 2020 fire. Any reconstruction will likely begin in the spring when weather and temperatures permit. It is possible that the property ownership may change as there is interest, and it is also possible that a two story structure may replace the former one story structure, as two story is permissible in the Village’s business areas. All building projects will be closely scrutinized and guided by Building Department Superintendent Renee Marcus, the Board of Zoning Appeals (in cases where there are variance applications), and the Architectural Review Board (ARB) that must review and grant approval to the exterior features. Watch for further updates and notices on the Village website.
Department of Public Works – Trustee Lynn Pombonyo
DPW continues to be busy clearing our storm drains, filling the potholes, and preparing for the next snowfall. Thanks to DPW for the prompt and thorough Friday, January 7th snow clean-up.
Recreation Department – Trustee Lynn Pombonyo
Check out our December 2021 Village Items either online or mailed to residents’ homes. Amongst the interesting features is Recreation’s Winter/Spring list of programs for Youth, Adults and Seniors. Enroll your children in Kids Zumba with high energy dancing to kids’ favorite tunes, or experience outdoor Interval Fitness Training for adults. Seniors have a selection of enjoyable fitness activities. Register at your choice of times on Tuesday, January 25th through Thursday, January 27th at the recreation/pool building.
If you don’t have a 2021 pool pass, you’ll need a 2022-2023 leisure pass. Applications are included at the back of the Village Items.
Come to the rec center for Winter/Spring fun and fitness!
Third Track Project – Trustee Archie Cheng
The work at the Denton Avenue Bridge has started. The Denton Avenue Bridge is now closed. The nearest north-south detour routes are New Hyde Park Road and Nassau Boulevard. Hopefully, this project will still be completed on time.
Fire Department – Trustee Archie Cheng
I am certain that we all have heard about the deadly fire in the Bronx. Despite the heroic efforts of the NYFD, 17 people died including 8 children. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and for the survivors. The initial cause of the fire is known to be a faulty space heater and investigations are continuing to determine the reasons for the spread of toxic smoke.
We want to remind all of our residents to check and make sure that their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are operational and that they have a meeting place outside of their homes in the event of a fire.
We all are extremely fortunate to have our highly trained and professional Floral Park Fire Department who respond to fire calls 24 hours a day. They will do their job upon arrival but the Chiefs and members of the FPFD want to remind our residents of what they can do to prevent this from happening in our Village.
First, residents should make sure that fire hydrants are cleared from snow and ice by at least a three (3) foot radius. Valuable time can be lost in stopping a fire if our volunteers have to take time in locating and then clearing a hydrant. Second, if you are using a space heater, wood stove or fireplace, keep flammable material at least three (3) feet away from them and never leave them unattended. As to space heaters, do not use extension cords, make sure that the heater is UL listed and has a knock over switch that shuts the heater down if knocked over. Third, if a fire breaks out and you can escape, shut doors behind you as you leave. If you can’t escape, close doors and seal door openings with wet towels or clothes.
Our department was activated and present at the building fire in Mineola on 2nd Street for several hours Sunday morning in the blistering cold. Our Fire Department responded to 1350 calls in 2021 versus 1188 alarms in 2020. That’s an increase of 162 calls year over year.
We had 11 new members join our ranks in 2021. Please consider joining our Fire Department. If you have any questions, please contact any of our members. I am sure that they will tell you how rewarding it is to serve your neighbors.
Calls for the month of December: Rescue Calls – 111; Rest of Department – 29.
Thank you.
Police Department – Trustee Frank Chiara
Tonight I am honored to announce and accept the retirement of one of our esteemed sergeants, Sgt. Mark Wiegand. Sgt. Wiegand protected and served our community for nearly 32 years.
Mark started his career as a Police Officer in September 1990. He was promoted to the rank of Sgt. in October 2007 where he honorably served until his announced retirement.
Mark is a consummate professional police supervisor, always extremely attentive to his work and that of his fellow officers. His dedication and loyalty to the Floral Park Police Department will be greatly missed.
Mark, on behalf of the entire Village of Floral Park, we thank you for your outstanding service to our community. Thank you for keeping us safe during your 32 years of service. We wish you happiness in your retirement. All the best!! Enjoy!!
Floral Park Pool – Trustee Jennifer Stewart
Meetings will begin next week regarding the 2022 season. Veteran staff are stating their intent to return so we can make determinations regarding staffing. We are looking forward to an exciting 2022 season.
Floral Park Library – Trustee Jennifer Stewart
Teens really enjoyed their first chess session last Friday with the “Long Island Chess Nuts”, there are still some openings for the session this Friday, January 21 from 4:30-5:30. Also this past Friday a fun time was had by all at the Funkytown Playground at our FPPL. Little ones aged 18 months through pre-school ages had a wonderful time with movement, yoga, and music.
Upcoming programing includes AARP Tax Assistance beginning Feb 1 through April 12, registration is necessary and can be completed by calling the reference desk at 516-326-6330. Additionally, Storytime for 3 and 4 year olds continues tomorrow, including a cute winter craft pom pom hat.
The FPPL reminds you that if you read just 15 minutes a day, in one year you will have read over one million words!! Keep reading and keep visiting the FPPL!
Mayor’s Report – Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald
Good evening. There are two items I’d like to report on tonight:
1. Following up on the Belmont – UBS Arena matter from our last board meeting, we discussed a proposed State law that would allow the Village of Floral Park to be able to designate a residential parking district for evenings when UBS Arena events take place. After the board meeting, we were contacted by Senator Kaplan’s office that the proposed legislation only covers towns, not necessarily villages. We are still working with Senator Kaplan to propose a separate law to include villages. There will be more to follow.
2. One of the rewarding aspects of being Mayor is to attend many local organization events. I along with Board members recently attended the Eagle Scout Award ceremony, Dr. Pombonyo and I attended the Annual Four Village Studio (4VS) Awards Night with Jim Green and now, we have tonight’s CREW presentation. The common theme here is that all of the organizations have really heavy participation by teen-agers. It is great to see these teen-agers taking an active role in the Village and in their communities. As was recognized at the Eagle Scout ceremony, that no matter where they go in Floral Park and beyond in 20 years, they will always take that sense of community with them. It is wonderful to see that they are not only home playing video games; they are actively giving back to their communities.
Thank you.
