Support Trustees

To The Editor:

The historic St. Paul’s building, looming over us and gracing our village for more than a century, epitomizes our unique heritage. It is a very precious link to our founding father, Alexander Stewart, and his wife, and many who worked to create this great village. It is Garden City’s crown jewel.

It’s beauty and grace enrich us every time we drive or walk by and gaze upon it. There is no question we have a special obligation to preserve the building. We owe his to those who came before us and to those who will come after us.

To decide how best to do this, we must consider the interests of the village as a whole, embracing all residents, and including all village interest not least of which is our financial interest. We must resist the temptation to place a narrower sectional interest over the interest of the village as a whole and we must closely examine the cost of our decision.

A major consideration is while some minor community needs for the use of the building have been cited, such as a community center, no urgent and compelling need for the use of the building has been identified.

Since the building will require more than $35 million to rehabilitate, is it fiscally prudent to spend this sum simply for a community center? Especially at this time when real property taxes are at an all-time high? When seniors, others on a fixed income and younger families struggle to pay ever-rising real property taxes?

While I too would prefer St. Paul’s for community use it depends, of course, on the cost. To spend $35 million to restore St. Paul’s and to assume the enormous annual cost of maintenance, utilities, insurance, etc. (and at the same time forego the additional tax revenue other uses would bring) is simply not wise. Nor is it fair to those who struggle to pay their bills.

A factor which has been completely overlooked, I believe, is that a restored St. Paul’s building, continuing to “sweetly echo” its past to us, fully keeps the public trust. (Especially since the fields have been set aside for public use.) It provides an essential and important benefit to the public even without our use of the inside of the building. A shining and sound St. Paul’s building for all to see and enjoy is the most important goal. This alone provides for the overall public good. Sure we would all prefer community use, but at what price? After all, the ground has shifted in the thirteen years since the village purchased the building due to sky-rocketing restoration costs and high property taxes.

Over the last century, as I understand, St. Paul’s has been operated as a boarding school with resident and some business-like functions. Thus, a conversion to a residence now would not be inconsistent with its historic use. With a below-grade parking garage, its effect on the immediate surrounding area could be reduced. After all, students, teachers and administrators have lived and worked there for more than a century. Nor would the village be abandoning the building to a developer. With restrictive covenants and other conditions, the village should be able to control its development essentially within the existing envelope and footprint.

The great fear now is that our 13 year delay will result in the loss of the St. Paul’s building. If this happens, the village will suffer an irreplaceable and profound loss. Yet, if the village supports a conversion to a residence with home rule legislation, we preserve our beautiful St. Paul’s for the public good and at no cost. This keeps the public trust and satisfies the village’s fiduciary obligation to its taxpayers to avoid unnecessary costs and waste. And we come out ahead some $50 million in future years ($35 million rehab, plus annual carrying cost with new tax revenue to the village).

I believe our hard-working trustees deserve our support and recognition for their great efforts and sacrifices and I applaud their leadership. We must press ahead. We now have a special opportunity to simultaneously preserve the St. Paul’s building and ensure fiscal responsibility. Village residents no longer have the luxury of sitting on the sidelines. Let other and village officials know your thoughts.

Peter R. Bonchonsky

Compromise

To The Editor:

After 13 years, I believe that compromise is the only way to solve the St. Paul’s issue. If we are to save this building, then all interest groups must be willing to give a little and agree on a solution acceptable by our residents.

I would like to address my ideas in two parts. First, I would like to address some observations on St. Paul’s and then share my ideas to really “Save St. Paul’s.”

Let’s first consider these points:

1. The residents who neighbor St. Paul’s must realize that this building will not stay empty forever and that regardless of the final decision, an increase of traffic will occur around St. Paul’s.

2. The Kenny Lawsuit made it clear that St. Paul’s must be used for municipal/public use. But, if we combine public use with private investment, we have a better chance of saving St. Paul’s.

3. St. Paul’s will cost us money! We only need to look at other communities to realize that St. Paul’s should be an investment in our community. This investment can benefit our children, our seniors and our property values.

4. Those who want to save all of St. Paul’s need to be realistic. The majority of residents I have spoken with find the amount prohibitive. If we do not compromise we will be forced to sell St. Paul’s or it will eventually fall down.

5. Some of our trustees need to calm down. To angrily blast residents because they choose to sue is childish. Every resident has an opinion and the right to sue. If the trustees listened to their POA’s who elected them, they might realize that there are other good ideas for St. Paul’s. These ideas have been presented to the board, but unfortunately ignored.

6. Give Home Rule a rest! Home Rule will never happen unless a majority of Garden City agrees on one idea. This has not occurred for 13 years and without a vast majority, Senator Hannon will never submit Home Rule Legislation.

7. Stop quoting the POA Survey! Every time I hear another trustee quote numbers from the POA Survey, it humors me. The trustees refused to do their own survey and even tried to stop the survey stating that they were close to a solution and that we should postpone the survey. The survey was done with the best of intentions with a lot of hard work from 16 great people (I was one of them) and all four POA’s input, but it unfortunately was not conclusive.

My Idea: I believe that we can save most of St. Paul’s, reduce the overall cost, enhance our community and offer a practical solution to most residents.

If you look at St. Paul’s it is in the shape of an “E”. My first suggestion would be to save the main structure, but to tear down the three legs of the “E” shaped building. This would accomplish a few things. First, the overall cost of the building (for example) might be reduced by 40 percent. If the trustees are saying that it would cost us $33 million to renovate the building, then subtract 40 percent of that figure ($13.2 million) and add 40 percent of the 6 million they say it would cost to demolish (2.4 million) net new number 33 - 12.5+ 2.4 - 22.9 million. I don’t know the exact amount that would be saved but it would probably be not lower than 33 million.

In addition, the area demolish could provide the space needed for additional parking and whatever needs the main building would have without reducing our playing fields for our children. This idea would also keep any additional traffic to St. Paul’s as far away for most of the neighboring homes as possible.

As for the main building, we could utilize it for a combined public/private use. We could use the larger room on the main floor as a Recreation Center especially for our children and our seniors. For the private side, rather than looking for a new partner why not approach someone who already knows our community and already supports Garden City. Why not contact someone like the Garden City owners and make part of St. Paul’s usable for meeting/conferences. Considering the location and tremendous need for space, the Garden City Hotel could arrange small conferences at St. Paul’s during the week. This would not conflict with the evening usage at Cluet Hall and the Gym and would not conflict with the heavy field usage of our fields on the weekend.

The traffic would be primarily Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5 p.m. and would not disturb the residents at night or on the weekends.

As far as the chapel goes, why not rent it out for weddings, christenings, baptisms and other such events. Have you ever seen how many wedding pictures are taken at the gazebo? Could you imagine how many people would love the décor and look of the chapel? This would involve very small groups which could easily park in the front of the building.

In short, the chapel and the conference space might provide enough money to make St. Paul’s self-sufficient and even profitable. In addition, if the Garden City Hotel were to manage this property, they might also contribute to its renovation as well.

As for Ellis Hall, I know that some people were excited at the comments of the last developer who said that Ellis Hall could be saved, but ask yourself at what price? Have you ever seen a building decay due to mold and mildew? I have. Ellis Hall might be able to be saved, but it probably could be torn down and rebuilt for a lot less money than cleaning the building and replacing the guts of the structure.

As I come to the end of my letter, I realize that I have left myself and my ideas open to tremendous criticism. I have no doubt that many of our leaders will poke huge holes in my ideas. But before you do, consider this - for 13 years we have done it your way which has accomplished Nothing! Why not explore this and other ideas, set a reasonable time table, have the community vote and make a decision once and for all. What are the trustees afraid of? To me compromise makes the most sense. I hope to hear more of you express your ideas. We are a great community, with great people and I believe great ideas. Let’s have some vision and invest in our community. As I said before…… It makes you wonder!!!

Robert Bolebruch

St. Paul's Revisited

To the Editor,

Having gauged the reaction to my previous letter on the future of the St. Paul's property, I feel that some of my points may need clarification. In particular, my reference to "an appearance of a conflict of interest" was not specifically directed toward any Trustee, but was simply an attempt to request the right and honest thing of our elected officials. When I sat for seven years on the Village Board, Trustees Jack Curry and Judith Asselta went so far as to recuse themselves from a vote on fireworks for Labor Day at the Cherry Valley Country Club because they were members and active participants there. Similarly, I recused myself from votes that might be seen to affect a local developer that was a client of my husband's accounting firm. Counsel Fishberg often told us we did not need to go to such extremes, but we did. Good old-fashioned common sense, rather than legalese, told me it was the right and fair thing to do for our constituents and our beloved Village. Rather than responding in a defensive manner to requests for them to act in this same fashion, I would hope that our current Trustees will take the high road and simply tell their fellow residents the whys and wherefores of any appearance of a conflict. We are listening, and the silence with regards to St. Paul's and developers is audible.

As for the referendum I suggested, I was incorrect, and have no problem admitting that to the entire Village. (Even former Trustees, make mistakes!) It has been pointed out to me that a referendum can only be devoted to one specific issue; legally, we cannot have several options, as I suggested. So, alternatively, let's get an informative e-newsletter out to the citizens of the Village briefing them on all the necessary information, and then let our residents, Mayor, Village Board and the extremely hard-working and competent executive staff join together to formulate what is best for us all.

In my opinion and as stated by the hired consultant in December, building condominiums and following such a course of action would lead us to sell the immediate acreage, protect it by covenants, and then have Senator Hannon help us get Home Rule legislation. The divisiveness of this issue has perhaps made it difficult for the Senator to deal with over the many years it has been at the forefront of Village debate. As his biggest and most loyal constituency, we can provide him with the clear mandate he may require to take the tough stance we need him to take.

Most importantly, I urge the residents to utilize the Freedom of Information Law to view the Report commissioned by Mayor Barbara Miller last year. Chaired by myself and overseen by a wonderful, Village-wide committee of current and former Property Owners Association presidents, directors and officers, it outlined the real need this Village has for public space, via the thoughts and advice of our fellow "everyday" residents from across Garden City. I implore anyone interested in this pressing issue to "F.O.I.L." the report, as it is representative of the needs and opinions of every part of the Village-in a sense, similar the function the elected Board of Trustees is intended to serve.

I think you residents will find it very enlightening to read that our own American Legion members-men and women who fought for our great country's freedom-have limited access to space in Garden City at the Senior Recreation Center. These heroes have never been able to sponsor a large-scale fundraiser to help our veterans living in hospitals or nursing homes because they do not have suitable space.

Another indispensable part of our fantastic Village whose need for additional space is documented in the report are the GCAA and Centennials, who literally represent thousands of our young people. They are currently using Culet Hall, but could easily and professionally run and make excellent use of a public indoor athletic complex. They are not searching for a grandiose facility-simply one that is functional and up to par with our Garden City Pool and Tennis Bubble. Perhaps this type of venue would help our public and private school students and School Board prevent another unfortunate "Winter Wonderland" situation like this year and many, many before it, providing a positive alternative to abusive and destructive behavior. If you build it, they will come!

Furthermore, I urge each resident who is even mildly interested in stopping the construction of condominiums at St Paul's, or who wants to develop ways to keep taxes to a minimum, to step up to the microphone at a Village Board meeting and speak his or her mind. Mayor Lundquist is a gentleman and a fair leader. Take your three minutes and get involved. Remember, St. Paul's truly belongs to all of us-make your voices heard!

With this in mind, I want to thank former Mayor Miller (our first and only female Village Mayor) and Trustees Segerdahl and Negri for their volunteer service to our Village throughout this debate. I have always thought we were a special community because we could agree to disagree, without the attendant politicization that poisons local government elsewhere. This is why I am a bit amazed that some of our current Trustees are advocating an unofficial boycott of the testimonial being held for these three individuals on Thursday, Feb. 16th, at the Casino. This dinner costs the taxpayers nothing, as each attendee pays for his or her own dinner. In my years of service, no matter what our differences, POA's and elected officials always came out to honor the spirit of volunteerism we love to celebrate in Garden City.

Speaking as an elementary educator and former Trustee, this boycott, led by men holding the same elected offices as those the dinner seeks to honor, is childlike, wrongheaded, and sadly shameful. Yes, former Trustee Negri is party to litigation regarding St. Paul's; if you disagree with his stance, wouldn't a silent "tennis clap" while in attendance at the testimonial be sufficient demonstration of your disapproval?

Fellow residents, if you would like to come and are active in your P.O.A., or just offended by this disgraceful not-so-secret boycott, then send your $75 to Village Administrator Robert Schoelle. That fee will cover your dinner and the small but appropriate gifts that express our thanks to these volunteers. Here in the United States of America, we have the right to make up our minds. Litigation may not be your cup of tea, but surely graver problems face us, such as why and with what intention the Trustees are spending our hard-earned dollars on a consultant that was charged with only exploring private use. We the taxpayers lost the Kenny lawsuit for very much the same reasons. As all students learn from a young age, there's no harm in changing your path when you meet with resistance. Especially when you are found to be on the wrong track.

In conclusion, I hope that we can have many healthy and open discussions on these issues soon. To that end, I'd like to ask Counsel Fishberg to review the "Sunshine Law" with our current Village Board. The only reasons our leaders can legally go into Executive Session, as far as I know, are for discussion on personnel and real estate. Please, gentlemen, be mindful of your constituents and fellow residents, as we are watching you. Our rights, and our children's futures, are not things to decide upon behind closed doors.

St.Paul's is the People's Property!

Always honored to have served our residents,

Eileen Burns Collins

The Soap Opera Continues

To the Editor:

Your headline, "Residents Sue Village To Thwart St. Paul's Privatization," brought a smile to my face yesterday when I retrieved the paper with my mail. "Thankfully," I thought, "the soap opera still has plenty of life." Things quieted down terribly after "Crazy Mayor Barbara Miller" (don't edit that out, I say it lovingly) lost her reelection bid. Your circulation must have suffered with so few angry letters-the next edition should contain some good ole seething ire.

I miss the parking lot wars. Just for the entertainment value, I went to a Town Hall meeting years ago where the issue was to be discussed. I couldn't get in; many of us listened from the hallway. When then Mayor Robert Lewis expressed support for the parking lot expansion, I over heard one gentleman say to another, "We'll get the son-of-a-b***h." He said it the way Tony Soprano would. Thank god the St. Paul's issue was ready to explode after the parking lot armistice.

So, please, Garden City residents, don't give up, fight the good fight-it makes great reading!

Thom Reilly

Mill Neck

Correction Of Misinformation

To the Editor:

Mr. Dougherty indicated in last week's edition that Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy "...again refused to meet with us..." during his visit to Washington as part of the March for Life activities on Monday, January 23rd. Mr. Dougherty and his fellow travelers should have realized that since Congress was not in session on that day, the majority of Senators and Representatives would not be in Washing but rather conducting constituent business in their home districts, as was Congresswoman McCarthy. Politics notwithstanding, it's tough to meet with anyone in DC when you're 250 miles away in New York!

Let's get the facts straight.

Dr. Thomas G. Burke

Remodel Playgrounds

To the Editor:

First of all, I'd like to thank the Town and specifically the Recreation Department for the brand new playground at Tullamore Park. It was well done. Secondly, I'd like to propose accelerating the schedule to remodel Garden City's other playgrounds and suggest posting maintenance points, at each park, for park attendants and residents to follow.

If the crowds and enthusiasm at the new Tullamore Park on a 55 degree January day were any indication, I think most people will be shocked by how many children and parents will enjoy the new playground as the weather gets warmer. This will beg the question: what were we waiting for? The condition of the park was dangerous and embarrassing over the past few years.

If you were to evaluate this and the cost of remodeling the Tullamore playground, I am sure most residents would now be convinced that it should have been done much sooner. Not only is it an outlet for residents, but it is an outward expression of what our town values (for prospective owners and guests). Hopefully, we can evaluate the satisfaction with the new playground and prioritize additional remodelings properly.

Ronald A. Tadross, CFA

Poor Reporting

To the Editor:

On or about the evening hours of 1/21/06 a rather significant event occurred in the Village of Garden City. A corpse was found on Franklin Avenue at 13th street. Upon receipt of the January 21, 2006 edition of the Garden City News, I scanned the paper in search of information on this occurrence. Page 1.........nothing; page 2..............nothing; similar results for all of the news articles on the ensuing pages. Unless one carefully perused "The Office Cat" column authored by your crack investigative reporter "Gabby Tabby", you wouldn't even know a corpse had been mysteriously discovered on a main thoroughfare in this village.

With all due respect, what is the function of the Garden City News? To report newsworthy items? To assist the police in locating witnesses to crimes/accidents? How can your managerial staff not publish an article relating to this event, particularly in light of the fact that, as according to the line and a half you dedicated to the event, police are treating the occurrence as someone who left the scene of an accident, thus leading me to the belief that law enforcement would have an interest in speaking to anyone who believes they might have relevant information and may not have realized it at the time of the event. If you are going to call yourself a newspaper, report the news.

Robert M. Hart

Soldiers Say Thanks

Printed By Request:

Dear Cub Scout Pack 55:

I am a soldier with the 82 nd Medical company (Air Ambulance). My crew transported some patients to a combat support hospital in Baghdad where I met a nurse who gave me some of the care packages your cub scout pack assembled. My company and I just wanted to thank you guys. It’s a great feeling to see that people from the states care. Not to mention the packages were GREAT!!!!

I don’t have anyway to really send you guys anything. However, I’m sending you my company's patch. Every flight unit has a patch to make them unique in their own way. Ours has a Kangaroo transporting a patient because our unit is a medevac unit that was started in Australia. We are a U.S. Army unit, but our origin is from Australia. Don’t ask me how that works.

Anyway, thanks again for the support. We appreciate all you do. Take care.

SGT Steven Mennemeyer

Printed By Request:

Dear Cub Scout 55:

Hello from Baghdad! It’s currently 3 in the morning and I had a minute so I thought I would write and thank you guys for the package you sent. We received it today and everyone was completely ecstatic.

All the time and effort you put into the bags of goodies shows. We were very excited to see all of our favorites! How’d you know we needed exactly those things? We had some extra bags, so we put them in a box and then the helicopter pilots and flight medic’s took your special gift to soldiers far away from us who needed to be cheered up. You see? You guys made tons of us so happy!

We are very busy preparing for the holidays. We have put up a tree and hung a lot of garland all over th EMT (That’s the emergency room in the Army.) and we have stockings hung waiting for Santa to come. Do you think he’ll visit us in Iraq? We have his uniform ready and carrots for the reindeers.

All of us here are touched by your kindness. We know you are busy with your family and the upcoming holidays and yet you found time to put a package together and think of us. Thank you. You have touched our lives with that simple act.

Thank you again Cub Scouts! Good luck on all your badges. Please feel free to e-mail me back when you have time. I’m very slow to answer but I’ll always answer and I’m trying to get better at that!

Take Care!

Your Soldiers in Baghdad,

1LT Kara Beattle and

the EMT crew