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Letters To The Editor Need New Vote To the Editor: I would like to respond to last weeks letter entitled "The Big Lie". I have lived in the village for 48 years, and I remember the circus that we had to endure with the Garden City Hotel fiasco. The fact of the matter is that only 38% of the 7,420 surveys that were mailed, were ever returned, leaving a 62% silent majority. The fact of the matter is that the survey was executed poorly because the outside of the envelope said "Adelphi University", not "Survey About St. Paul's". The fact of the matter is that 62% of the surveys were never returned; therefore I would assume they ended up in the trash. The reason the "privatization" crowd loves to quote from the survey is because of those responding, 40% favored privatization. So 40% of the total of 38% that responded favored privatization. I hardly consider that a consensus of the community by any stretch of the imagination. If anyone is telling a Big Lie, it is the people who keep quoting this sub-par survey. What we really need is another vote. Remember back some 13 years ago when the village residents were allowed to vote regarding the bond to purchase the property, the result of the vote was approval for "public use". That was a consensus vote, and it has been upheld by a court of law since. Robert Reid Get Facts Straight To the Editor: I am writing in response to a Letter from Vincent Maroney in the Oct. 27 edition of this newspaper which he titles THE BIG LIE. There is an old saying in statistical analysis that says..."Before you distort the facts at least get them straight." Mr. Maroney does not have his facts straight. He states that Village residents do not favor the proposal for mixed private/ public use at St. Paul's and really favor private use. He cites as his evidence the Spring 2004 Public Opinion Poll sponsored by the four POAs. He states that 60% of respondents opposed public use. That total is arrived at by summing up the votes for private use which he says was 35% (the actual was 40%) and the votes for demolition of 25%. In fact, 74% of the votes for demolition were for use of the property as a village park-- clearly a PUBLIC use. Most of the remainder of the votes were for public use, i.e., 15% for a library/community center and 11% for threshold or stabilization, which are also public uses. Thus my math says that 51% of those voting in 2004 chose public use and only 40% chose private. Finally in my view Mr. Maroney has mixed "apples and oranges" by using a poll taken over two and one half years ago to "prove" that the fall 2006 plan of the Committee to Save St. Paul's will fail because it is not popular with the residents. Another FACT that Mr. Maroney has failed to grasp is that the plan was only introduced to residents about a month ago and will be heavily exposed in coming weeks. Thus instead of Mr. Maroney's calling the Committee's work a "big lie," the truth is that we are very early in the campaign to choose a plan for the St. Paul's Building (which Mr. Maroney calls the St. Paul's "schoolhouse"). Mr. Maroney, the 2004 vote is somewhat irrelevant in the present St. Paul's debate. In 2004 the public focus was on relocation of our library and there was no private/public proposal on the ballot. The new debate now begins with a mixed use outcome having an excellent chance of winning--especially if our Board of Trustees allows the choice to be made via a vote of the people. Finally, I base my opinion upon close monitoring of public commentary at Trustees meetings, Letters to the Editor and listening to friends and neighbors. George M. Salem A Breath Of Fresh Air To The Editor: The letter referring to "The Big Lie" is the big lie. I have lived in Garden City since well before we took possession of St. Paul's and let's not forget that we, the people of Garden City, voted to buy the property for the residents and future residents, not for a commercial venture. The survey that was done a few years ago was a biased and badly worded document, guaranteed to elicit a negative response as far as public use of St. Paul's was concerned. In addition, the return address on the envelope of the survey was Adelphi University. Many people I had spoken to at the time never even opened the envelope, thinking it was an Adelphi University missive, which would not have concerned them. Yet, in the "Big Lie" letter, it seems that, admittedly, forty percent of the people voted to keep St. Paul's a public entity even though the survey indicated that if one voted for public use it would be incredibly costly to the taxpayers. The proposal submitted to the village by the Committee to Save St. Paul's is like a breath of fresh air. It combines public and private use which will help pay for itself while keeping ownership in the village. The developer's expertise is in historical renovation and they would enhance the original interior as well as the exterior of the building rather than gutting it as all the private developers would do. The trustees of our village, and in particular, the St. Paul's committee, are inexplicably and adamantly married to the premise that St. Paul's must be saved, and that the only way to save it is to cede the building to entrepreneurs. Their position is both specious and a developer's dream come true. There are, indeed, very few venues available on Long Island which offer a windfall profit opportunity such as this complex in the heart of our beautiful village. Joan Hobbs
Contact Officials To The Editor, I attended a very enlightening meeting on Tuesday night, October 25th. The Committee to save St. Paul's presented a detailed account of how we can utilize public and private use for this historic building. I urge you to contact their Email (www.savestpauls.org) to be informed of this plan. Then email or write the following letter (presented to attendees at the meeting) to your trustees, mayor and senator Kemp Hannon. The St. Paul's committee has worked tirelessly since July 18th to submit this proposal to the Board of Trustees. They are to be commended for their devotion to this very important project. Thank you for your perseverance and diligence. Kristine Harder
Dear I have had an opportunity to review the proposal for redevelopment of the St. Paul's that was submitted by the Committee to Save St. Paul's to the Village of Garden City in response to the recent Request for Proposal. It is my belief that this proposal is the best option available to the residents and should be adopted by the Board of Trustees for the future development of the Historic St. Paul's Main Building. The Committee's proposal shows a great deal of thought and consideration, and it is true to many of the standards and values held by Village residents. I am in favor, too, of the mixed use set forth in this proposal, especially the inclusion of 19,000 square feet of public space for use by the community. Importantly, in the proposal by the Committee to Save St. Paul's, residential and community space is confined to the "E" footprint of the Main St. Paul's building, thereby limiting additional construction without the sale of this valuable piece of property in the center of our Village to a private developer. By keeping the property under public control, residents have greater certainly that our property values compromise plan has the best chance of gaining board community support. I strongly urge the trustees to confer with the committee to save St. Paul's and seriously consider its proposal. I also want Senator Kemp Hannon to know that I am in favor of the committee's proposal. Sincerely, Mother Nature's Cruel Blow To the Editor: Following a 27-year run without a cancellation, Mother Nature turned her back on the Chamber's Fall Festival Street Fair and Garden City High School's Homecoming Day Parade last Saturday. What we needed instead, was a little more help from "Lady Luck." Roger Eltringham, president of the Chamber, Kharla Abamont, assistant director and I were on board at 7 a.m., conferring with Garden City Community Police Officer Rich Pedone and Sergeant Bill Grimes. We were also in touch with Dr. Robert Feirsen, superintendent of schools and Nancy Kalafus, athletic director relative to the decision to cancel the parade. Tuning in to reports that the heavy rain and winds would intensify throughout mid-day, we used our best judgment. There seemed to be no choice but to break our 27-year Street Fair record without a rain-out! Add to that, the cancellation of the Homecoming Parade which came mid-morning. To make matters even worse, our phones went out until late afternoon, so the tape relating the cancellations was never heard. The one saving grace: The Garden City Trojans won the football game with Elmont 14 to 7! What a disappointment for the many shops, restaurants, eateries, businesses, community organizations, and of course the Chamber -- all who had worked so hard on exhibits and attractions that were not to be. What a disappointment for the "home-comers" and high school students whose creative parade floats were never to be seen - and the band, the cheerleaders - all the groups that contribute to the festivities of what has come to be known as "Garden City Community Day." It all began back in1978 when the Chamber and the Garden City High School decided to work together to stage this community event. It was felt that the parade spectators would be on hand to enjoy the Street Fair festivities, while the Street Fair "goers" would serve as an audience for the parade - a benefit to all! (The date for the event is determined each year by the high school's football schedule.) We all owe an enormous amount of thanks to Kharla Abamont, Chamber assistant director, for the yeoman's job she did in the assignment of spaces to the various businesses and organizational groups, and for her extraordinary efforts toward the many necessary details. Thanks to all for bearing with us. Our wish for "Community Day" '07? Sunshine and "tepid" weather! Althea Robinson, Executive Director Garden City Chamber of Commerce What Happened To EAB? To the Editor: What happened to the Environmental Advisory Board established by the Village of Garden City in 1992? I went to Village Hall on its scheduled Wednesday night in September to attend the posted meeting, and the building was closed. I had wanted to greet Trustee Brudie, Chairman of the Board since April 2006 and discuss a grant application I was preparing to the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation on behalf of the Garden City Bird Sanctuary, Inc. I appeared at Village Hall during the October 4 Trustees meeting and stated my disappointment that not only had there been no September GCEAB meeting, but my contacts with the representatives indicated that they had not met in well over a year. At least one representative had even submitted a written resignation over a year earlier, but never even received a letter acknowledging that he was no longer serving. Mr. Brudie seemed to indicate he did not know either how or who was supposed to schedule meetings. The EAB matter was reported in the local papers, and I again appeared at the Village Trustees meeting October 19 to seek a required resolution from the Trustees in order that our application as a nonprofit organization would qualify. I note the resolution was passed by the trustees 8-0, but when I tried to attend the scheduled October GCEAB meeting, received a last minute e-mail that it had not been scheduled. Why? If you have no concerns regarding environmental issues, fine, formally disband the GCEAB as unneeded, but stop publishing it in the Village of Garden City's Annual Report. If it IS a Board the Village Trustees would like to see active and productive, make more than a token effort to get it functional. Perhaps you have not received copies of the last Annual Report the GCEAB is required to submit to the Trustees as part of its charter. Please ask for it, as I am sure it might explain what they've accomplished during the last two years and would enable you to decide whether the current GCEAB function is satisfactory. Rob Alvey Vote "Yes" On Bond To the Editor: Most of our families are lifelong residents of Garden City and/or Long Island and hope our children, grandchildren and all families will enjoy the natural beauty of our land for many generations to come. We will vote YES and encourage all Nassau County residents to vote YES for the $100 Million Environmental Bond to appear on the November 7th ballot. Everyone should know that the Nassau County Legislature unanimously support this effort, which is a sequel to the highly successful $50 Million Bond Act approved by over 77% of voters only two years ago. This new Bond Act can protect drinking water, preserve open space and farmland and obtain new parks for just $16 a year per household, or $1.33 per month. Please remember to look above the candidates' names and vote YES for Proposition 1, the Nassau County Open Space, Clean Water Environmental Program on Tuesday, November 7. Marian Manning Adams & Chris Adams Mary Lou & Peter Burns Lisa & John Cullen Susan & Jim Cullen Mary & Ed Finneran Tara & Robert Griffith Cindy & Bill Manning Liz Cullen Remsen & Jay Remsen |
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