While business-as-usual has come to a standstill and those services that remain open are operating at partial capacity, village governments are working to fill the needs of residents without risking the spread of COVID-19.
Lawrence J. Montreuil, mayor of New Hyde Park, declared a state of emergency on Sunday, March 15.
“This underscores the gravity of the situation that we are experiencing,” Montreuil tweeted following the announcement. “We all have a responsibility to change our behavior and take action to deprive this virus the ability to spread.”
The New Hyde Park village hall is closed until further notice. The clerk’s office will remain open, with staff reduced by 50 percent.
All essential building department services, such as village building inspection, will continue, as will sanitation and department of public works services.
Parks will remain open, although playground equipment will not be accessible, and basketball courts will be closed.
New Hyde Park residents can attend village board meetings via conference call.
All programs and classes at the Floral Park recreation center, pool building and library are canceled through Saturday, March 28.
The village hall, building department, public works department, recreation department and village assessor will continue to be accessible to the community and are reachable via phone and email.
“The Village is always prepared for events like this,” Floral Park Mayor Dominick Longobardi said in a statement on March 13. “The Village staff. . .adapts quickly to changes in protocols as new information is released.”
The village asks that residents call before visiting village facilities to see if the request can be addressed without in-person contact.
The Floral Park Library is open for pick-up and drop-off only. Materials may be requested via requestlibraryitems@gmail.com and retrieved in the library lobby between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, and returned in the bins outside of the library.
Residents will not be fined for late returns during this time, the library announced via Twitter on Friday.
Village elections in Floral Park, originally slated for Thursday, March 19, are now scheduled for Thursday, April 28, in accordance with an order from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“Public health officials have been clear that reducing density is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread,” Cuomo said, “and delaying village elections will help ensure poll workers and voters are not potentially exposed to the virus and at the same time remain integrity in our election system.”
The Village of North Hills building department has suspended all non-emergency construction services as of March 23, in accordance with Cuomo’s “New York State on PAUSE” executive order.
Public hearings regarding the Buckley Country Day School application and the RXR bond release application, originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 25, are now scheduled to be held at 7:30 on Wednesday, April 15 at the North Hills village hall. All court sessions are cancelled through Thursday, April 30.
“We hope we all get through the current situation and we ask you to use common sense and take care of yourselves,” said North Hills Mayor Marvin Natiss. “The health and safety of everyone is of utmost importance during this unprecedented time.”
As of Monday, the village shuttle service is suspended until further notice.
