Letters To The Editor

Special District

To The Editor:

An editorial in the New York Times on Sunday, March 18, 2007 stated that Nassau County Executive, Thomas Suozzi, is ready to tackle an old suburban complaint, "The proliferation of special districts."

These bodies have the power to tax and collect fees and to hire relatives from uncles to sons-in-law.

According to Mr. Suozzi, they are wasteful and unnecessary and a leading cause of soaring tax bills. It is his purpose to subdue or stamp them out.

According to the editorial, these districts, in charge of sewers, fire protection, garbage collection, parks and libraries are notoriously costly and inefficient and difficult to uproot.

Mr. Olivo has advised me that these districts do not have as large a monetary effect on the Village of Garden City as other towns and villages. Nevertheless, if Mr. Suozzi is correct, they must be stamped out.

However, it is indicated in the editorial that this will not occur until government and the people get serious about it.

It is recommended that our POA's 'get the ball rolling" with respect to a strengthened code of ethics and our Special District. What do you think?

Joseph A. Calamari

Kudos To Class

Of 2007

To The Editor:

On March 9, the GCHS 12th grade dance was held, with special performances by enthusiastic parents. Thank you to all involved.

Despite what has been recently noted in various mediums about high school students, the Class of 2007 was very well behaved. The dance was well attended and a Good Time was had by all. Due to the continued support and generosity of GC parents and the community, over 40 fabulous door prizes were given out to students.

Once again thanks to all involved, especially to the young men and young women of the GC Class of 2007 for such a successful and enjoyable evening.

12th Grade Reps:

Mary Ellen Terracciano,

Gerri Balestrieri,

Mary Bachowski,

Molly Reilly,

Janet Volpe,

Diane Musso,

Nancy Leone,

Mary Wall

Saving St. Paul's

To the Editor,

The Committee to Save St. Paul's (CSSP) and our development partner, Canus Corporation, would like to acknowledge the Village of Garden City's nomination of St. Paul's for funding under Nassau County's 2006 Open Space, Clean Water Environmental Program. The Board of Trustees approved the nomination at its March 15 meeting. This $100 million County program, established following a 77% margin of voter approval last November, focuses on benefits to the long-term quality of life in Nassau County. And while St. Paul's is located in the heart of our Village, its designation on the National and State Registers of Historic Places and its listing on the State of New York Preservation League's "Seven to Save" make it an integral part of Nassau County's heritage.

Since October when the Committee to Save St. Paul's responded to the Village RFP, our Executive Committee and our development partner have been monitoring government funding opportunities, and it came to our attention that Nassau County was accepting nominations for Environmental bond funds. We were glad to play a part by offering the Village encouragement and support, sprinkled with a little technical assistance. The result is a credible nomination since it calls for preservation of the wonderful character of the building and abatement of environmental hazards, which could cause harm to the seniors and children who utilize parts of the property for recreation. The nomination maintains the essence of the property's public trust and parkland designations.

We understand that the nomination calls for a grant under the "remediation of brownfields" criteria to clean up the abundant asbestos and mold in the vacant Ellis Hall Building, a prerequisite for demolition under any scenario, and in the basement of St. Paul's. Under the "improvement of parkland" criteria, the nomination requests funds to restore the clock tower and clock face-icons in our Village and a thoughtful and attractive way to allocate County bond funds.

The Committee to Save St. Paul's and Canus Corporation believe that the Village nomination dovetails with several of the County's objectives: providing opportunities for children and improving the site as a public resource (an objective that mirrors the CSSP/Canus community center at St. Paul's theme), enhancing community character and improving environmental quality.

We think that the cooperation between the Committee to Save St. Paul's and the Village is indicative of the forward-thinking results that can be achieved when the administration and the residents work together to find positive solutions to the vexing problems that have hounded the St. Paul's site for so many years.

Finally, the Committee to Save St. Paul's wants to announce that we have scheduled a date to hold a community event where residents can meet our developer, Paul Rabinovitch of Canus Corporation, and celebrate the efforts of our grassroots citizens' committee, which has proposed a viable and cost effective solution for St. Paul's that maintains public ownership of the property, and includes 14,000 square feet of public space in prime areas of the historic building. We urge residents to save the date, Wednesday, May 16, for this informative and social event to be held at The Casino. More details to follow.

Maureen Traxler

Administrative and

Communications Director

Committee to Save

St. Paul's/St. Paul's

Conservancy Corp.