In stark contrast to last month's explosive Board of Trustees meeting where some trustees and residents fought to keep their emotions in check on the issue of St. Paul's, this month's meeting was relatively tame, with the majority of residents speaking in favor of a public use for the Historic Main Building.

Mayor Gerard Lundquist said the Board is trying to get input from all residents on this issue, not just the ones who attend board meetings. According to the mayor, the entire board would like to see the building saved.

That was also the sentiment expressed by residents who chose to speak at the August 17th meeting. Some offered possible public uses, including a community center, theater and a public institute.

Pat DiMattia, a member of Families for St. Paul's, a subgroup of the Committee to Save St. Paul's, said she heard that the Garden City Public Library will be converting meeting rooms into computer labs so the need for community space at St. Paul's is crucial. Trustees Nicholas Episcopia and Thomas Lamberti disagreed, saying no existing meeting space at the library will be lost.

Alan Roeckel, director of the Garden City Public Library, told the Garden City News the meeting rooms were never in jeopardy. "There are no plans to do anything with the meeting rooms," he said. "They are going to be left exactly the way they are."

Another topic discussed was the construction at Adelphi University. A resident complained about the large parking lot being built on the campus' South Avenue side. He is disturbed by the "sea of automobiles" he sees every day and is shocked that the greenery was removed.

Mayor Lundquist said that the lot is a temporary staging area during construction. Trustee Robert Rothschild supported Adelphi and its president, Dr. Robert Scott, saying that he has been very up front with the village and the university has strived to be environmentally conscious neighbors. Superintendent of Buildings Michael Filippon said the Adelphi project was reviewed by many of the village's boards before approval was granted. He reminded residents that they are currently seeing construction and not the final project.