By Stephanie Mariel Petrellese

The Garden City Board of Trustees will most certainly debate new issues this coming year, but it looks like they will also be facing at least one old controversial topic: the installation of an ornamental fence along Stewart Avenue on the St. Paul's property.

Trustee Robert Rothschild, who also serves as Board liaison to Cultural and Recreational Affairs, said that even though the Board voted against the fence in 2006, the matter should be reconsidered. Residents seem to like a recently installed fence along the Middle School property, which is located a few hundred yards away on the other side of the street, and realize it won't make the area look like a cemetery. The school district plans to also plant some vegetation.

Kevin E. Ocker, chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Cultural and Recreational Affairs, estimates that the black, estate-style fence will cost approximately $75,000. The height has been reduced to four feet and will stretch 1,000 feet westerly from the field entrance along Stewart Avenue. Although it will go out to bid, Ocker estimates that it will cost $74 per square foot. The money will be included in his department's budget.

Originally, the Village had planned to take advantage of a grant procured by Senator Kemp Hannon to install the fence. The money was made available to legislators to distribute as part of the Community Capital Assistance Program. It was a reimbursement grant, so the Village would have had to lay out the money for the fence and then submit the appropriate forms to receive up to $90,000.

However, Rothschild said he does not think it is available now. As of press time, the Village was still waiting for a response from Senator Hannon's office, according to Village Clerk Brian Ridgway.

Rothschild said he would also like to see some vegetation planted as long as the view of the fields is not obscured. "People like seeing the fields, and I agree with that," he said. He said three of the property owners' associations have approved the fence.

The issue actually dates back to 2004 when the project, which at the time also consisted of a walking/jogging path, was scheduled to go out to bid. Over the next year, the Board met overwhelming opposition to the path from residents and eventually decided to drop consideration of the issue.

The need for a fence was also debated at the time, with some residents calling for shrubs. The fence style also caused some controversy as some residents claimed the black, 4 1/2-foot high estate-style fence originally recommended by the Board of Commissioners of Cultural and Recreational Affairs looked like a cemetery.

The Recreation Commission sought input from the public and POAs before making their recommendation. The commission contended that the fence was needed for safety reasons to prevent children from running into the street and to serve as a hindrance to vehicles that may accidentally veer off the busy avenue.