Demise Exaggerated

To the Editor:

I happened to read in GCN (5/16/08) of my recent demise. I want to inform you that this report is greatly exaggerated. I am alive and kicking here in North Carolina, close to family especially my grandchildren.

Helen Taylor

Greensboro, NC

IDA's Need Oversight

To the Editor:

We read with great interest the recent letter regarding Industrial Development Agency (IDA) financing, signed by Harvey B. Levinson, Chairman, Board of Assessors, as well as last weeks article and editorial on the same topic.

These letters show clearly that something must change in the way IDA's provide tax exempt funding for business. Residents are shouldering the tax burden for these corporations, yet they keep millions in profits. Certainly, a greater level of transparency is necessary, in order to determine how we are benefiting from these deals.

We must let our representatives, in Nassau County and Albany, know that we can no longer afford to subsidize these tax exemptions, and ask them to create greater oversight of the way IDA's provide financing to business on Long Island.

Sonja and William Slattery

Lopsided Deal

To the Editor,

This a copy of a statement read recently at an April Village Trustees meeting and not a single fact was disputed at that meeting by our Trustees: I am the owner of a small real estate development/management firm infinitely smaller than AvalonBay. Nevertheless, it is very clear to me what AvalonBay is attempting to do with St. Paul's and I understand the economics of this project. What is not so clear is why our village officials and fiduciaries, would allow them to do it? Possessing some 25 years experience in the real estate industry, I consider this to be a terribly lopsided real estate transaction that will cost the residents money and jeopardize the character of the Village forever.

I am not part of any committee, just a 34-year resident voicing my concern. It is inconceivable to me that you would allow a developer to lay claim to the most valuable piece of property in Garden City, receive an essentially rent-free ground lease for a 130,000 square foot building at a 7-8 acre site, receive $8 million in historic tax credits that AvalonBay could sell, receive a $450,000 rent payment from Village taxpayers, pay no real estate taxes, and collect rent for 99 years! What do we get? Well we hear about a $1,000,000 upfront payment, undetermined Pilot payments (payments in lieu of taxes), some vague statement about Village Profit Share & Participation in Capital Events and some possible improvements to Cluett Hall and Feringa Fieldhouse. In addition, we get additional traffic at the playing fields brimming with our children, increased financial burden on our police, fire department, water & sewer districts. Then there is the question of what do with additional students at a school district at 97% capacity? House them in trailers? Ask taxpayers to build larger schools and have them pay approximately $14,000 per student per year? Who will pay for all of these services? The tenants paying rent at AvalonBay? No, the taxpaying residents of Garden City will have to make up for these added costs and there will be many.

I am further troubled by this Board's insistence that AvalonBay is doing us a favor developing this property as an excuse for giving it to them as if it were some distressed downtown location. If this project is marginal as you all contend, why then is AvalonBay fighting so hard dedicating so many resources to sway our opinion? They have hired Garden City residents as consultants, a public relations firm, sponsored events, mailed expensive color brochures and have placed weekly full-page ads in local newspapers? I'll tell you why...it's cheaper to pay these lobbyists and marketing fees now then pay full market rent or real estate taxes for 99 years! The numerous proposals have morphed from 62 units, to 99 units, to 108 units which include a large 4-story building behind St. Paul's and we still haven't a clue as to parking for tenants, visitors and building employees. My rough and conservative estimates based upon 108 apartments now being proposed with the possibility of an additional 10% thanks to the Workforce Housing bill, would bring the number of units to 119 apartments and possibly much more. At $4,000 per month per apartment, a low estimate, the annual rent roll would be in excess of 5.7 million dollars per year not including the $450,000 Village payment to AvalonBay, plus additional fees AvalonBay charges tenants at other developments. Assuming 3% annual rent increases, the total rent roll would amount to over 2.8 billion dollars over the course of this lease. As it turns out my projections are extremely conservative as 2 bedroom apartments at Meadowbrooke Pointe in the middle of the Roosevelt Field sprawl are renting at $5,500 per month. It's reasonable to expect that 2 bedroom units in the heart of Garden City with our excellent school district would fetch similar or higher rent. In the way of historical perspective, AvalonBay has charged its Connecticut tenants between 5 to 15% in annual rent increases according the New York Times. Most recently, New York City landlords have requested a 10% rent increase from the Rent Guidelines Board citing increased insurance and fuel costs. If you re-calculate the potential rent roll based on these numbers AvalonBay's gross income could be in excess of $9 billion during the term of the 99 year lease.

The pending New York Workforce Housing bill coupled with the removal of "Parkland" designation and passage of Home Rule legislation could enlarge the scope of this project beyond anyone's imagination. A New York Times article dated February 7, 1999 stated that a typical AvalonBay strategy was to use Connecticut's housing laws as a way to overcome local opposition in upscale residential towns where rental apartments are perceived as serving an undesirable transient market.

We fully understand that you are looking for a solution for St. Pauls. While we might not agree on everything, every single person that I have spoken to without exception, want the space maintained for community use, whether the building is there or carted away.

This is an irresponsible plan that will sacrifice our quality of life and a precious piece of property in the guise of preserving a building when in reality we may only be preserving a façade. While I believe that saving buildings preserves our history; our community is much more important than a building which after all is just bricks and mortar. If it is determined once and for all that the building cannot be saved for a sensible community purpose, then I'll take open green space until such time we can think of a proper community use whether it takes 1 year, 5 years or 99 years and people in future generations will say that Garden City residents in 1993 and 2008 had the guts and foresight to keep these entire 48 acres green and for the public good.

Peter Andromidas

GCHS Not High-Performing?

To the Editor:

Fast for an hour before you read this. Then sit down, breathe deeply. Inhale. Exhale. The NYS Education Department issued a press release on May 15 recognizing 1,759 public schools, half of those eligible, "High-Performing" under the No Child Left Behind Act. (www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/accountability/high-performing/2006-2007) While Stratford School, Stewart School and Middle School are recognized, Garden City High School did not make the cut. Newsday reported that Garden City's Public Relations Officer "described her high school's omission as a technicality."

Public Relations Officer? Is this another of those $150K assistant super jobs approved by the supine board of education? Why weren't the district superintendent and school board head interviewed by Newsday for this downbeat news? This was a current analysis of the 2006-07 school year. They had to know well in advance of this press release that GCHS was being removed from the high-achieving list, and they should have been ready with an explanation, not a cliche. Aren't public relations the superintendent's personal responsibility? Residents might want to be assured, for example, that progress is being made during the

2007-08 school year to remedy deficiencies and restore GCHS to the "high-performing" list. How about explaining the ambiguous word "technicality."

The district superintendent was just awarded a 15% pay increase (five times the inflation rate). Did the superintendent fully disclose this impending negative information to the school board before the pay decision? If not, why not? Did the board know, or should it have known, the outcome of this study? If so, what reasons substantiate a pay hike?

There is no gainsaying school district standing is directly correlated to college admissions and home values. The perennial response to 'this was a tough year for admissions' has been that the applicant pool here is so much larger than, say, Wyoming, so fewer GC students are admitted to top-rated colleges. Nonsense. I recently served on a panel with a parent whose son was about to graduate from Scarsdale HS -- a high-performing school -- and enter Princeton. She spoke about that high school's remarkable college admissions record; in the prior year 12 graduates were admitted to Princeton. A challenge! Oh yeah, GC had 13 students admitted to Princeton last year! However, I couldn't say 12 graduates were admitted to Princeton in the past 12 years. What to say? GC has outstanding lacrosse and field hockey teams? GC has a 150 year old empty school building draining the village fisc, and diverting parents' attention from responsibility for their children's education and the precipitous decline in district standing? I changed the subject.

The Education Department named the following "high performing" Nassau high schools: Baldwin, Mepham, Carle Place, East Meadow, East Rockaway, Glen Cove, Great Neck South, Jericho, Macarthur, Malverne, Oyster Bay, Plainview-Old Bethpage/JFK, South Side, Roslyn, Wantagh, West Hempstead, Westbury. For the period reported, the number of "high- performing" schools increased by 100. These schools were recognized because they met all applicable State standards for English Language Arts and Math during the 2006-07 school year, and also made Adequate Yearly Progress in ELA and Math for two consecutive years. Is that a "technicality?"

J. J. Dolan

A Moral Decision

To The Editor:

It is a baby or it is not a baby.

As a matter of opinion it can not be both.

Some months ago the democratic "debate" was held and instead of a group of journalists asking questions, the viewing public was asked to present questions. Sounded like a great idea. The next day it was reported that 3,000 people had requested to be heard out of which 39 were selected. There was not one question selected that had any reference to abortion. Have we reached the point where abortion is not that important? All we do is label People Pro-choice or Pro-life. No discussion no debate. That is supposed to settle the problem.

Since the beginning of time, there have been millions an millions of conceptions of egg-sperm fetilizations and every one of them has resulted in the development and growth of a baby.

A baby is not an embryo, fetus, or anything else the pro-abortion people want to call it. I can't remember any pro-abortion people use the term baby. If it is not a baby, what is it?

I have never heard any evidence, medical or otherwise that it is not a baby.

Partial birth abortion. A few minutes more and the baby could have been born rather than see the forceps ready to crush its head. Terrible thought - how else could you describe it? How could anyone accept this as anything other than the most horrendous procedure we could imagine? The American Medical Association fully agrees with this.

This is a moral decision - not a legal one. It is not a matter of everyone entitled to an opinion.

Reflect on what Moses, Mohammed, Jesus, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, and scores of other religious leaders would say when confronted with question. Simple question - simple answer.

It's a baby or it's not a baby.

It can't be both.

John P. LoSardo

Free Concert

To the Editor:

For a most enjoyable evening attend the GCHS concert Wednesday May 28th at 7:30pm and appreciate our talented students. In addition to the fine music the other "perks" are no travel to city {no gas},and free parking. I highly recommend a wonderful evening at the high school.

Mort Yuter