Letters To The Editor

Article Fell Short

To the Editor:

Your front page news article on the Nov.16 Board of Trustees meeting seemed to fall short on coverage of the information presented and questions raised by residents during the comment section of the meeting. The residents who spoke were far from "a handful of weary and distrustful residents," rather they were deeply concerned residents trying to understand the St. Paul's development process. While we do not have a tape recording of the meeting, we ask you to print this letter so as to avail the community of all of the resident comments that were heard at the Nov 16 Board of Trustees meeting.

-Ron Hildreth spoke about a restoration of a 75-year-old building located in Montauk, NY. He described how one woman spearheaded the Montauk Playhouse project. The playhouse supporters formed a nonprofit organization to research and apply for grants. Mr. Hildreth provided the Trustees with a contact name for further information about seeking grant funding for St. Paul's.

-Cyril Smith shared that New York State is actively seeking to preserve armories around the State for the architectural and historical significance they have. He wondered if the Village could explore this avenue to see what advice and possible monies may be available. This belated preservation effort on the State's part comes after some 40% of what was considered America's greatest collection of armories, within the Empire State, has been demolished. Many communities that still have their armories have achieved preservation or are actively seeking same and various State programs are assisting this. They realize that some of these treasures have been sacrificed to short term concerns and once gone; an important part of the community and residents' history is lost forever. Since St Paul School started as a military academy, which the storage of arms and munitions, the structure should qualify as an armory.

-Greta Besendorfer, who introduced herself as a resident and mother of a young family, noted that Mr. Mauk has said that all of the St. Paul's proposals contain some element of public-private space. While the community has been told how much space the Committee to Save St. Paul's proposal is setting aside for public use, Greta asked what percentage of public space is contained in the other proposals. The Trustees said they could not comment at this time.

-Kim Tobin introduced herself as a lifelong Garden City resident and current business owner. She expressed a desire to have her opinion heard regarding the development of St. Paul's. She asked the Trustees when and how they would be inviting public input. Furthermore, she specifically asked the Trustees at what point in the review process the public will be heard...when there are six proposals on the table? Five? Four? Three? Two? One?

-Bill Lucano noted that the Village RFP called for construction within the "E" footprint of the Historic Building. He stated that the Committee to Save St. Paul's proposal is within the "E" footprint and asked if there were any proposals that expanded outside the footprint. He was told that there are proposals that go beyond the footprint. Trustee Mauk elaborated that expanding beyond the footprint might be necessary for a developer to profit on the project.

-Tim Paisley said that he had been at a meeting three years ago regarding St. Paul's and came away discouraged by the inability of the board to come to agreement. He urged the current board to come to a "compromise" to ensure the survival and development of St. Paul's. Since we all have the best interests of the Village in mind, he suggested, perhaps with full disclosure, we may all be able to compromise.

-Rachel Cashwell opened by quoting Garden City News publisher Meg Norris's editorial, saying, "The Village is chock full of people who work in the financial sector and in real estate. In Garden City, the public is a resource - there are a lot of really smart people here." Rachel asked the Trustees how theyare taking advantage of this wealth of knowledge and experience in reviewing the proposals. The Trustees informed the audience that 4 residents are involved in the review process. This information had not previously been widelydisclosed to residents. Rachel then asked when the proposals would be disclosed. Trustee Mauk stated that confidentiality regarding the proposals is necessary in order to negotiate with a potential developer. Rachel asked how he can negotiate with a developer if there has not been public consensus about how St. Paul's should be developed. Trustee Mauk said he is not engaged in negotiations at this time, but merely "discussions" with developers.

-Andrew Cavanaugh commented that he is disappointed in the process as followed by the Trustees up until now. He saysthat because the public has not been brought into the process, it is unlikely that any decision made by the Special Committee of the Board will be able to gain the consensus needed to secure the Home Rule legislation necessary for any development to go forward.

-John Boyle remarked that the trustees should open up the process and allow the public to review the proposals.

-Rob Reid said he remembered sitting in the Junior High School and watching the wrecking ball take down the Garden City Hotel. He emphasized that the public needs to have a say on St. Paul's.

These residents and others came out on a stormy night to attend this meeting because they wanted information regarding the St. Paul's development process. It is our understanding that "Families for St. Paul's" volunteers have collected approximately 1,000 signatures so far from residents who wish to see St. Paul's developed with significant space devoted to public use. The signers also indicate that they do not wish to see the property and the building sold, but rather remain under public control. And believe it or not, they say they wouldn't mind paying a small price for such benefit.

Ron Hildreth

Greta Besendorfer

Kim Tobin

Bill Lucano

Tim Paisley

Rachel Cashwell

Andy Cavanaugh

John Boyle

Rob Reid

What Is Our School Administration Thinking?

To The Editor:

Last week I opened a letter from the Garden City School District which was conducting an Educational Census. Imagine my surprise when I saw each of my family's names listed with their corresponding dates of birth. To make matters worse the letter is addressed "To the Family Residing at...."

I would love to know who had this great idea! In an age of ever increasing use of computers and new ways every day of identity theft, our social security numbers and our date of birth are two of the most important personal information items we have. It is absolutely ridiculous to not only mail this information but to also address it "To the Family Residing at...."

I understand from my call to the Administration Office, that this policy has gone on for years.

My questions are: Isn't any one in our School Administration reviewing what is done every year? Do the words Liability and Lawsuit cross their minds? Do we just do the same things every year without review? You would think with all these additional administrators that someone, anyone would question mailing personal information. What if we moved? What if it went to the wrong address? What if the mail was stolen?

I ask that those of you who agree please contact the Administration office as I did and tell them what a ridiculous idea this is. Their number is (516) 478-1050. As I have said before, it makes you wonder.

Robert Bolebruch

Don't Miss Show

To the Editor:

This Sunday, December 10, 2006 at 10 P.M.,a special National Geographic two-hour film will be aired, titled, "In the Womb: Animals."

The program is being billed as, "The incredible and hazardous journey inside the mother's womb of three different mammals: the elephant, the dog and the dolphin. State of the art visual effects, computer graphics and real-time, moving ultra-sound pictures give us never-before-seen pictures from inside the mammalian womb."

The film promises to provide breath-taking insights into life in the womb of animals. Perhaps, we pray, it will also awaken the minds of the program's viewers to the beauty of unborn life in the human womb.

Former abortionist, Dr. Bernard Nathanson, once stated during a visit to Garden City, "If wombs had windows, abortion would end tomorrow."

Our nation would be a safer place for unborn children if those who watched this National Geographic special saw the direct parallel between life in the womb of baby animals and life in the womb of baby humans.

Respectfully,

Art and Ann O'Brien

Grateful For Help

To The Editor:

Thank you to everyone who contributed in some way to our project of delivering meals to homebound senior citizens and those in need on Thanksgiving afternoon. Through the generosity of so many, 180 hot dinners were delivered throughout Nassau County.

We are grateful to everyone who contributed in some way - by donating food, beverages, or money; cooking a turkey, making a dessert or bread. We are grateful to the Kindergarten and First grade classes of Northside Elementary School in Williston Park for their homemade breads and to all the children who made cards or baked in their CCD class, Girl Scout Troop, Youth Group, or classroom. We are grateful to Mrs. White and her Art Classes at Stewart School in Garden City for the beautiful artwork on the bags in which the meals were delivered. We are grateful to those who gave of their time on Thanksgiving Day to help us pack the meals and to those who helped us deliver them.

We are immensely grateful to those who take our simple idea and make it even more special - the 125 children who will be ongoing pen pals throughout the next year and " most especially" Carolyn and Rick Herbst, who are coordinating a day of instrumental music and song in December at a senior housing complex.

None of this would be possible without the generous support from the following organizations: the Williston Park Rotary, the Woman's Club of Garden City, the Homemakers Council of Garden City, the Kiwanis Club of County Seat, the Co-Workers of St. James, and the Garden City Special Police.

We are honored to coordinate this program, which only continues because of your generosity. Have a wonderful holiday season!

Melinda and John Alford