Salary Misstated

To the Editor:

The Garden City Public Library Board of Trustees would like to respond to Mr. Joseph A. Calamari's letter to the editor that appeared in the June 27, 2008 Garden City News.

The library board understands Mr. Calamari's concern that salaries should be kept in parity with other villages and agencies. The library board takes their charge of fiscal responsibility very seriously and works diligently to contain costs and identify savings and efficiencies wherever possible.

The letter misstates the title and grossly exaggerates the salary of the recently retired Library Director. Mr. Roeckel has served the Garden City community since 1976, and as the Library Director since 1987. Salary information for library staff is available at Village Hall as well as at the administrative office of the Garden City Public Library.

Alan Roeckel has been dedicated to providing the community of Garden City with an outstanding level of service during his tenure and is fully deserving of his compensation. He will be greatly missed by the Library Board of Trustees.

J. Randolph Colahan,

Library Board Chair;

Gloria Weinrich, Vice Chair,

John H. Pascal; Trustee,

Barbara Brudie-Martis;Trustee,

Elizabeth Huschle, Trustee

Congratulations Grads

To the Editor:

On behalf of the High School PTA and the entire Garden City PTA, I'd like to congratulate the Class of 2008 on their high school graduation. I wish them continued success, good fortune and especially happiness, as they embark on their future as young adults.

Welcome to the new Garden City High School principal, Ms. Nan Cuttitta. We look forward to working with you as you lead our students through high school.

And finally, goodbye to Dr. Banta and thank you for your stablilizing work at Garden City High School these past two years.

Liz Menges

GCHS PTA Director

Great Pool Party

To the Editor:

On June 24, 2008 Stewart School and Stratford school had their pool party at Garden City Pool. I just wanted to thank the pool and staff who did an outstanding job. The children were very excited to spend the day with friends and meet new friends swim eat pizza and have Italian ices.

It was a beautiful day I would also like to thank Garden City Pizza for delivering 86 hot and delicious pizzas to 358 hungry kids. I would also like to thank Kevin Greene from County Wide Beverage for supplying and delivering 60 bottles of soda, ice tea water and ice. Thank you to John Parks for supplying with short notice all the rainbow Italian ices.

With that being said the day was a huge success. Thanks to all the class moms who volunteered to set up, clean up and hand out pizza, drinks chips and the ices. We couldn't do it without your help.

Have a happy and safe summer. Good luck to the entire current 5th grade as they move up to Middle School.

Jean Eschmann

Clarification Needed

Printed By Request:

Dear Trustee Lamberti,

I read with great interest and satisfaction your clarification of the issues featured in Trustee Episcopia's front page article in the GC News and GC Life. I am extremely concerned that as the Chair of the Public Information Committee, he inaccurately, yet publicly addressed so many important issues pertaining to the St.Paul's/Avalon Bay proposed deal without approval from you, (as the Chairman of the Mayor's Committee on St. Paul's) as to the accuracy of his statements. I am equally shocked that since his statements were not authorized by you, then at the very least, they should have been formally authorized by the Mayor, or approved for release by our entire BOT.

I want you to be aware of the conversation I had with Mayor Bee last Monday - prior to your correction. I called him after reading the June 20th issue of the GC News and asked him if he approved Trustee Episcopia's comments for release. His response was that "it was run by him." I questioned him as to the accuracy of the statement that there would be no impact on resident parking by the AvalonBay proposal. I explained that it was my understanding that the Recreation Committee has consistently maintained a current lack of parking. Obviously, it is reasonable to conclude that AvalonBay's Rental Apartment Building at the main building and an additional four-story rental apartment building added behind the main building will most definitely affect parking by residents. When I told him this, he agreed that parking would "likely" be impacted. To which I further remarked that with the addition of such a dense rental apartment building in place of the St. Paul's Building, it is pretty much a "no brainer" that parking will be impacted. Only then did he finally concede that, yes, it is a "no brainer" that parking will be impacted! I urged him to print a retraction or clarification of the facts on the front page of the next week's newspaper-- just as Episcopia's comments were featured. I was extremely disappointed that he declined, thinking it wasn't necessary. I continued by strongly requesting that he provided accurate facts in his next "Mayor's Column", but, again, I was rebuffed. I am extremely concerned by the absolute disregard by some village officials as to the importance of accurate and timely dissemination of village information, which I addressed at the last BOT meeting. Because you continually seek the truth, I felt compelled to contact you.

Several questions/concerns come to mind. One of my major concerns is Trustee Episcopia's lack of courtesy and respect to you, as well as your role and your responsibilities with respect to AVB. In addition, why didn't the mayor instruct him to run the article passed you? Where is the professional courtesy and more importantly, what is the Communication Protocol? Why doesn't the left hand know what the right hand is doing? Is there no accountability?

Also, why did we just consider an increase in salary for a "Communications Consultant" if we already have Trustee Episcopia doing the job. Conversely, if we are paying a professional to do this job, why is Trustee Episcopia usurping the consultants' responsibility. Another concern is that the inaccurate and misleading information presented was featured so prominently and with such an official tone, as if it was endorsed by the village. Residents rely on the newspapers to report fairly and accurately. Perhaps, if the letter was an "opinion", it should have been clearly stated and should have appeared as a "Letter to the Editor". I hope this will be addressed formally at the next meeting of the trustees.

Mr. Lamberti, although we have never officially met, I believe you have proven yourself an honorable trustee many times by your words and your actions. I want you to know that your hard work is acknowledged and applauded, not just by me but by many others. This situation begs an even more important question? How can the board be trusted to vote on all the important matters that face our village if there is no sense of working together for the common good of Garden City. My confidence is severely shaken by recent events. Every meeting I attend lately seems to feature you, Mr. Brudie, and Mr. Watras being stonewalled by the others trustees on all significant issues, including the refinement of the code of ethics (which you should resurrect and bring to fruition!).

I respectfully submit these ideas for your consideration and request that the board act on them:

1. In order to maintain the integrity of the process, it is imperative that the Board of Trustees insist that Mr. Mauk continue to recuse himself from any future involvement herein. He previously recused himself from the Mayor's Committee to "avoid the appearance of impropriety." It was the right decision then and it is the right and ethical decision now and in the future. It is therefore inconsistent and unacceptable that he would ever cast a vote regarding the St. Paul's issue.

2. When the BOT makes its decision about St. Paul's, it should be mandated that the decision be unanimous. This is a huge decision, with long-lasting implications. Anything less than unanimity would forever taint the decision. The board should only approve and move forward if they are all in agreement as to the future course.

The citizens of Garden City deserve a process that is totally transparent, unanimous, and free of bias.

Cathy Wood

Statements

Incorrect

To the Editor:

The Community Liaison Committee (CLC) of Garden City, a non-partisan, informative organization, would like to clarify some important issues concerning St. Paul's and Trustee Episcopia's remarks that appeared on the front page of the June 20 issue. Several of his statements were corrected by Trustee Lamberti and they warrant the attention of village residents. Confusion exists as to the accuracy of Trustee Episcopia's statements, which were not verified by Trustee Lamberti, Chair of the Mayor's Committee on St. Paul's.

1. Village Services:

The statement made by Trustee Episcopia that there would not be enormous impact on fire, police, water, and sanitation services and his suggestion of an option of a private sanitation service are misleading. His claim that local officials see no need to add personnel is certainly not a valid, official impact study, which may conclude the need for additional service equipment, vehicles, and upgrades to village infrastructure. For the record, Trustee Lamberti says, "As of date, no one has analyzed the impact of this proposal for Village services or the option of requiring AvalonBay to fund a private sanitation service. Hence opinions are premature."

2. Parking:

The remark made by Trustee Episcopia that parking for the St. Paul's Complex will not affect the parking area now used for the St. Paul's field is equally misleading. Trustee Lamberti's has stated, "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." Again, no official documentation to support Episcopia's claim. Anyone who has attended the many traditional events at St. Paul's including the recent Soccerfest, Jay Gallagher Lacrosse Tournament, the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, the annual Golden Goose Event, etc., can attest to a huge surge in demand for parking at St. Paul's. This issue needs to be carefully examined and not hastily dismissed.

3. Public Outreach:

Trustee Episcopia has stated that the board welcomes resident input and that is why "the village has asked Avalon to do a series of community presentations to all four POA's, the Chamber of Commerce and other interested groups." The significance of his statement is that the residents have had their chance to speak to the developer. These were poorly attended, with some residents refusing to speak to a third party and one session was canceled and never rescheduled. Continuing, Trustee Episcopia also said, "Once a final recommendation is made by the Mayor's Committee, there will be additional presentations and opportunities for citizen comment." The real question is: At what point will the Village run outreach sessions to find out what the community wants to do with its own property?

The CLC of Gardren City urges the village officials be accurate and forthcoming with regard to these critical issues. As members of this community, citizens are bound by the Community Agreement and rely on village trustees to make decisions that are in the best interest of Garden City residents. The much-anticipated official report by The Mayor's Committee will be released to the public very soon. The Community Liaison Committee of Garden City urges all citizens to take a long hard look at the facts presented in the final report prepared by Trustee Lamberti and his Mayor's Committee.

Ray Dowling

The Community Liaison

Committee of Garden City