By Stephanie Mariel Petrellese

Garden City residents, who packed the Village Hall boardroom at the June 19th Board of Trustees meeting expecting news about the much-anticipated report regarding the proposed AvalonBay deal, were disappointed to learn from Mayor Peter A. Bee that the Board would not be accepting the report from the Mayor's Committee on St. Paul's that evening because it is still being revised.

Mayor Bee explained that trustees saw a draft and had several questions and concerns. Second Deputy Mayor Thomas Lamberti, who chairs the committee, agreed to address their issues and make revisions before presenting it to the Board and public.

Frustrated that the issue continues to creep along at a snail's pace, and cognizant of the fact that decisions are not likely to be made during the summer, a legion of angry residents pressured the mayor for more details relating to possible future opportunities the Board will establish for public input. The next Board meeting is July 17th.

Mayor Bee did not provide much more information, except to say the report will be presented to the Board at another meeting. Accepting the report does not mean the Board approves of its content; the trustees will be voting to officially receive the report once it has been finalized by the committee.

"I think that it is to be anticipated that the report will be presented to this Board of Trustees," said Mayor Bee. "There will be a motion made to accept the report. If the motion passes and the report is accepted, which I predict, then at that point in time I further predict that the report will immediately become a public document and available to the public."

According to the mayor, the trustees will not vote on whether or not to approve the AvalonBay deal until after they have received public input. Resident Jonathan Schwieger said he does not agree with the process and pressed the Board for their stance on the issue.

"I am very interested in the public's feedback," said Mayor Bee. "I weigh heavily the public's views. But at the end of the day, I have to be the one that votes, so I will take the public feedback as advisory, weighty but advisory."

Peter Negri, president of the Committee to Save St. Paul's, a community group which advocates public use of the building, spoke against the deal with AvalonBay. "It is a giant giveaway," he said. Negri said the Village will be giving away the right to use the building for a community purpose.

Speaking as a resident, Negri said the deal "doesn't have a prayer" of getting the necessary Home Rule legislation. One of the biggest and initial obstacles AvalonBay, or any developer, will face is obtaining the necessary Home Rule legislation and relief from Parkland designation from state legislators. Senator Kemp Hannon has emphasized that he will only go forward in Albany to secure the necessary Home Rule legislation and relief from Parkland designation if he sees widespread public support for one proposal. Without the legislation, the land can strictly be used for public purposes only.

"Let's protect this asset," said Negri. "You're trustees. I freely request that you take that charge literally. Assets have been trusted to your care. Let's take care of this asset, which is significant to the Village of Garden City...Let's at least protect it and preserve it for future generations. Perhaps, if we're not smart enough to figure out what the hell to do with it, maybe our kids will be. We don't have to demolish the building. That is not the solution to anything."

Deputy Mayor John Mauk, who was the former chairman of the Mayor's Committee, said he can understand why some resident believe that the AvalonBay project will have too much impact on the community, but said he doesn't personally believe that to be true. He also said all of the possible options have been explored and now there are only two options: the AvalonBay deal, or demolition.

"To pretend and to expect that there are other options out there that haven't been explored: Get real, people," he said. "This has been studied at length by experts in the field for over 14 years. And none of them have been able to come up with a way of saving this building and providing all of the amenities that I have heard many of you talk about."

In other St. Paul's news, Lamberti was upset that he was not consulted before the Village issued a press release addressing recent information the Village claims is false concerning St. Paul's. Trustee Nicholas P. Episcopia, chair of the Public Information Committee of the Board of Trustees, was quoted, but Lamberti felt slighted since he is the chair of the Mayor's Committee on St. Paul's.

"I read Trustee Episcopia's remarks about St. Paul's in the Garden City News," Lamberti said in an e-mail to the newspaper. "As chair of the Mayor's Committee on St Paul's, I want to be clear that Trustee Episcopia speaks for himself and not the Committee.

"I take exception to some of his remarks. AvalonBay's parking requirements will be addressed in the Mayor's Committee's report. Any development of St. Paul's, public, private or mixed, will have parking requirements that need to be carefully analyzed for their impact on programs conducted or to be conducted on the site. As of date, no one has analyzed the impact of this proposal for Village services or the option of requiring Avalon Bay to fund a private sanitation service. Hence opinions are premature."

In more St. Paul's news, the Board voted unanimously to renew an agreement with Cathedral Nursery School until 2010 that allows them to lease the cottages on the St. Paul's campus. The Village can cancel the lease earlier if they provide the school with at least six months notice.

Last year, concerned that the Board is allowing a private use on land that has been designated for the public, Second Deputy Mayor Thomas Lamberti said that would be the last renewal he approved. However, he voted for the renewal again this year with the stipulation that Village staff provide the Board with a report by Sept. 17 that focuses on the issue, including a market analysis of the rent. The school has been leasing the cottages for seven years and has made several modifications to the building.

Trustee Donald Brudie asked Lamberti if he was seeking to remove the school to make more room for AvalonBay. Lamberti denied the assertion and said he would like to see it used for recreation purposes, including a park area geared toward senior citizens.

Garden City resident Kathleen Auro, who visits the nursery school once a week to read to the children, supported the renewal. She added that the school has greatly improved both the inside and outside of the cottages.