Geese Control

To the Editor:

I am a local Garden City resident and I own and operate K9 Geese Control LLC. Currently, I am working with the Village of Garden City Recreation Department providing Canadian geese control. It has been a goal of mine to make an impact on our community and take back our fields from the Canadian geese. The Canadian geese are no longer migrating and have been causing major havoc year after year since the 1980's.

I am all too familiar with our fields covered in geese droppings, so much that there isn't a square foot of clean grass to walk on or play in. Please ask any resident with children, any coach, or any player, and they will tell you just how poor the quality our fields are in.

The Garden City Public Schools contract is again being awarded to the same Suffolk County firm who has been doing an inadequate job. The results will remain the same.

I have been chasing geese long enough to know that you can not effectively patrol and service any area or field unless you have fast and easy access to the fields. Here are some basic facts about the Canadian geese. The geese are up early causing their damage. A typical Canadian geese flock can destroy up to 5 ft. of grass per hour. One goose can produce an average of 1 to 4 pounds of droppings per day..

It's your tax money and if you would like to help take back our fields, please contact Dr. Robert Feirsen, Superintendent, Garden City Public Schools, (516) - 478-1000 and ask for a change.

Lawrence M. Brown

K9 Geese Control LLC

Garden City, New York

Not EPOA's Views

To the Editor:

Last Monday evening June 2 at the public meeting of the Eastern Property Owners Assoc. Mr. J. Bauer made some remarks following a discussion on transportation issues as they relate to the HUB project.

The opinions expressed in Mr. Bauer's letter to the editor of the Garden City news are solely his views and do not reflect the views or opinions of the EPOA. The EPOA board has consistently opposed any mass transit options that transverse our village .Thank you for clarifying this matter

Dennis Donnelly

President EPOA

Reconsider Tax Breaks

Printed By Request:

Mr. Frederick E. Parola

Executive Director, IDA

Dear Mr. Parola

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my concerns relative to the upcoming IDA decision regarding the Garden City Hotel purchase by Mr. Allen Rosenberg and the possible tax impact to all residents of Garden City.

Since the final meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, June 10, 2008, I wanted to send you a written correspondence regarding my feelings in this matter.

Why should the Garden City taxpayer base subsidize the purchase and improvements of the hotel property by Mr. Rosenberg? If Mr. Rosenberg needs financial assistance, he should finance it through commercial entities.

From the articles that I have read, these subsidies will last for three years with slight tax increases on the hotel property for the following seven years. A lot can happen in ten years! What happens if the business fails?

Perhaps the selling price for the property is too high. If so, the current owners should consider lowering the price, much like a homeowner does today, and who cannot sell his or her property. By lowering the property price, perhaps a more financially able buyer will appear.

I ask you to consider your very important decisions and the possible serious impact to the residential taxpayer of Garden City.

William D. Gay

Opposed To Tax Benefits

Printed By Request:

Town of Hempstead IDA

Dear Members of the Board:

I am writing to express my fervent opposition to the proposed granting of IDA benefits to the contract vendee of the Garden City Hotel, whose application is scheduled for a vote by the IDA Board on June 10, 2008. As you know, I have been concerned about the repercussions of this proposed exemption ever since I became aware of it by word of mouth through a Garden City resident. Subsequently, I brought this matter to the attention of the Village of Garden City and school district and made them both aware of the significant financial impact of removing the property from the tax rolls.

While some IDA projects are worthwhile and necessary, the granting of substantial IDA benefits in this instance would serve no legitimate public purpose and should be denied. The purpose of an IDA is to create jobs and provide incentives for companies contemplating relocation within a town or the county. Neither of these situations is applicable here. The only jobs that would be created by this project would be temporary construction jobs, and no one seriously believes that the Garden City Hotel would wind up in the hands of an undesirable discount hotel chain as was suggested by Mr. Parola. Furthermore, this project does not involve the construction of a new building, but merely the renovation of an existing facility. Granting IDA benefits would result in a windfall for the prospective purchaser of the hotel and this is not what IDAs were intended to do.

Not only will the Garden City School District and other tax jurisdictions lose substantial property tax revenues in the future as a result of this proposal, but the county and state will also lose close to a million dollars in sales tax revenue during the period of the renovations. It should be noted that I previously requested information at the May 28 meeting on the projected total loss in sales tax revenue due to IDA approved projects over the last three years and that information has yet to be provided. I am also concerned that the developer will also be forgiven about $770,000 in mortgage recording fees.

It is telling, in this regard, that at the public hearing conducted on May 28, 2008, the Board freely admitted that it made no analysis whatsoever of the tax impact of the proposal which it was considering. It is also still not entirely clear what the PILOT payments will be, how they were arrived at, and what methodology, if any, was used to account for potential future increases in value. All this information should be available to the public well in advance of any public hearing which is held to allow the public an opportunity to understand what is truly being proposed. What is clear, however, is that the significant benefits proposed in this case are not justified by any pressing public purpose and consequently the Board should deny the developer's application.

Harvey B. Levinson

Chairman, Board of Assessors

Important Meeting

To the Editor:

The next formal Village Board of Trustees meeting is: Thursday, June 19 at Village Hall at 8PM. Please attend this very important meeting. I know we are all busy at this time of year but it is the last regular Village Board meeting before summer. Garden City faces many important issues and we should all stay abreast of them. Trustee Lamberti, Chairperson of the Mayor's Committee on St Paul's has said he hopes present his committee report with his recommendations to the full board of trustees by mid-to-late June. Let's stay informed and share our views with our board so that we can face the issues together. Friends and neighbors, together we are all part of a very special community!

Cathy Wood