Letters To The Editor

WPOA Position

On Poll

To the Editor:

The Western Property Owners Association is extremely disappointed in the decision of the East and Estates POA's to go forward with a village wide poll that is both flawed in its language and is not supported by the majority of the Property Owners Associations. The Board of Trustees originally requested the four POA's to conduct a village wide poll to gauge public opinion to the proposal by Avalon Bay. After numerous discussions and negotiations, the 4 POA's could not agree on the format of the poll. The Central POA has held fast to a poll with a single question on whether to accept the Avalon Bay proposal; Yes or No. The West has decided to support this position. However, the West has always been willing to engage in negotiations in an effort to lend credibility to any poll that may be conducted. Although the WPOA was willing to participate and support the 3 choice poll, the "final" wording of the choices, which are both misleading and inaccurate, makes any support or participation impossible at this time.

At the October 2nd Trustees meeting, the Trustees requested a 3 choice poll with very generic wording of the choices. The WPOA believes that although this type of poll may be flawed in it's ability to effectively gauge public interest on Avalon Bay, if the choices are worded appropriately, it could be effective for limited purposes. However, by including selective information in certain choices, such as actual dollar amounts, voters might be swayed to choose the Avalon Bay option. Putting actual dollar amounts in only 2 of the choices gives those 2 choices a certain negative connotation. Furthermore, it was demonstrated at the November 6th Trustees meeting by Avalon Bay, that due to the current economic climate, the costs contained in the report of the Mayor's committee, have changed significantly. As such, all the dollar amounts in the Mayor's committee report have changed. Therefore, the use of those figures in any choices would be both inaccurate and misleading.

The WPOA feels that if the Trustees want a 3 choice poll, than the wording of the choices should be as neutral as possible and similar to the following (which is almost identical to the wording as proposed by the Trustees in the minutes of the October 2nd meeting.):

CHOOSE ONE:

1) The Village should pursue a Development Agreement with Avalon Bay for the restoration and redevelopment of the St. Paul's Main Building generally consistent with the proposal as described in the report of the Mayor's committee; or

2) The Village should demolish the main building and use the underlying property for some future use; or

3) The Village should continue to maintain the St. Paul's Main building in its current condition until such time that a future decision can be made.

Since it appears that the East and Estates will be going forward with a poll that contains inaccurate and misleading language, then the West will not participate. Furthermore, since such a poll is now inherently flawed, the WPOA will urge the Board of Trustees to disregard the results of any such poll. In an effort to effectively gauge public opinion on the issue of the Avalon Bay proposal for St. Paul's, the West is now conducting it's own survey of village residents on the sole issue as to wither the residents want the village to pursue the proposed deal with Avalon Bay. Thereafter, the West will conduct further surveys on each separate issue as it relates to the St. Paul's building.

Paul Muscarella

President, Western

Property Owners

Association (WPOA)

Don't Consider Demolition

Printed By Request:

Mr. Peter A. Bee, Mayor

Members of the

Board of Trustees

Incorporated Village of

Garden City

Dear Mayor Bee and

Members of the Board:

The Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities (SPLIA) has been the region's leading advocate for the protection of historic properties since 1949. In our continued support for the preservation of St. Paul's School, this letter responds to the inclusion of a demolition option in the upcoming December 2nd poll which will ask Garden City residents to weigh in on the future of this historic building. After more than a decade of continuous deliberation over numerous feasibility studies, it is time for Village government to set this distracting proposition aside, and focus on the real issue at hand - finding a way to reuse an important village resource in a manner that satisfies Garden City residents.

When the Village purchased St. Paul's School in 1993, it was done so with the overwhelming support of residents who recognized the value of this landmark building with substantial open space and who believed both would serve as community assets. It is unfair to ask Garden City residents to decide on December 2nd whether St. Paul's School should be developed as proposed by AvalonBay, mothballed, or demolished. Framed as it is the question has do-or die overtones and does not allow for real public involvement in developing a good solution for the reuse of St. Paul's School. What the question should be is whether AvalonBay's current proposal meets the approval of Garden City residents. This will generate true public opinion and move a very important and demanding project forward. To suggest demolition is to propose giving up on a civic investment that was made fifteen years ago.

The restoration and adaptive reuse of a big high-style historic building that has undergone decades of deferred maintenance is never easy and almost never fits into the bottom-line cost analysis of big developers. Success comes from long-term commitment, a willingness to explore numerous options, and the understanding that certain resources are irreplaceable. St Paul's School is one of those resources. It is a key component in distinguishing Garden City from all other places on Long Island, and its value lies in the story it tells about the legacy of A. T. Stewart and the creation of a community.

Garden City has an obligation to develop a plan for St. Paul's School that preserves and reuses the building in a way that satisfies its citizenry at large. Demolition cannot be an option. It would be the equivalent of breaking a public promise and a waste of the $8.5 million used to buy it in the first place.

Alexandra Parsons Wolfe

Director of

Preservation Services

Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities

Pay Attention

To the Editor:

Residents of Garden City, please pay close attention to the choices presented to the residents in the upcoming public opinion poll. The poll is being conducted by the Estates POA and the Eastern POA on December 2 to help the trustees make their decision as to the future of the St. Paul's Main Building and the 7 acres of adjoining property. It is imperative that one pays particularly close attention to Option #3, which was debated for quite a bit at the Oct 2 BOT meeting. The trustees voted that the third choice on the ballot would be the option to leave the building as "Status Quo" which has an average cost of $135,000- $200,000.The following is from the Oct 2 BOT minutes:

"Resolved that this Board requests the Property Owners' Associations (either in concert of individually) to assist in identifying public opinion on the future of the St. Paul's Main Building site, and to do so by means of measuring a Village-wide response of residents to the following alternative proposals

1. The village should pursue a Development Agreement with AvalonBay (for the restoration and redevelopment of the Main Building and its conversion into a residential apartment complex, generally consistent with the redevelopment proposal currently being advanced by AvalonBay); or

2. The village should demolish the Main Building (and recover the underlying property for some future use); or

3. the village should continue to spend funds as necessary to maintain the St. Paul's Main Building in its current unused and unoccupied condition.

I am completely surprised and disappointed to see posters and flyers at our library that list Option #3, not as stated at the BOT meeting, but rather as the "Mothballing" option described in the Mayor's Committee Report. This is a total misrepresentation on the part of the Estates and Eastern POAs. The Board of Trustees clearly stated the wording they wanted used in the poll because they wanted to ensure that no resident would be disenfranchised. Why would these two POAs change the wording? What's going on around here? As a taxpayer and concerned resident, I question the validity of such a poll. I also must question the validity and integrity of this entire process!

Cathy Wood

Tiresome

To The Editor:

This is so incredibly tiresome--will the deviousness never end? The vote on December 2nd is just another way to manipulate the people of Garden City. If they had been honest, they would have created a vote which would ask, AvalonBay, yes or no, as the CPOA has done. Instead the vote we will have is:

1. AvalonBay development

2. Demolition at a cost of $5.8 million (their estimate)

3. Mothballing at a cost of $13.9 million (their estimate)

Fear is the aim of this particular kind of ballot. Nowhere will it discuss the fact that Garden City people own Saint Paul's and Option 1 will give Saint Paul's and seven acres of preperty to AvalonBay for free. They will not pay real estate taxes or school taxes. The citizens of Garden City will be paying and paying and paying for this debacle for the rest of their lives.

Do not forget that the AvalonBay development will include a four story apartment building, in addition to the development within the main building.

Joan Hobbs

Let's Move On

To the Editor:

The same ideas of how to save St. Paul's for public use are made over and over again each week in the pages of this newspaper, presented each time as if new. Over 15 years, through 8 mayors and boards of trustees, each of these proposals-a high school, a library, village offices, a recreation center, etc.-has been thoroughly investigated and rejected on the merits, chief among them the intolerably high tax burden attached to each proposal. The same small, organized, vocal group of residents who write these letters make their voices heard at every Board of Trustees meeting. This is their right and they exercise it often and with passion.

It is not their right to prevent the majority of Garden City residents from expressing our opinion on the fate of St. Paul's and the consequence to our pocketbooks. On Tuesday, December 2, every resident of Garden City (East, Estates, Central, West) will get the chance to let our Mayor and Trustees know where we stand on the only options left for St. Paul's: AvalonBay, demolition or mothballing. As to mothballing, the current Mayor's Committee on St. Paul's, chaired by Trustee Tom Lamberti, declared mothballing, which carries a price tag of $13.9 million and annual costs of $200,000, "a waste of time and money."

We need to "move on" from St. Paul's. Fifteen years is long enough. Tell the Board of Trustees to move forward with AvalonBay or demolish the buildings and return the property to parkland. Vote in the Village-wide opinion poll on St. Paul's, on Tuesday, December 2, from 1pm to 9pm, at the St. Paul's Fieldhouse.

Christine Mullaney

Voters

Manipulated

To the Editor:

There is a continuing conversation regarding the wording of the Estates and East-sponsored public referendum regarding the fate of St. Paul's School. Despite the documented minutes of the October 7th Board of Trustees meeting agreeing to simple options with no monetary tag lines, at the Board of Trustees meeting on November 9, our Board of Trustees decided to include costs ONLY for the last two options with NO monetary statement on Avalon Bay. Ad nauseam, it has been pointed out by the community that the survey creates an unfair "apples to oranges" comparison.

Leaving the situation as it is would be a logical argument, trusting the intelligence of the general community to be aware at this point that there is a heavy cost to the Avalon Bay proposal as well (in excess of the $20 million in lost taxes alone).

I certainly would have done so, had I not had a highly intelligent friend read the advertisement in this paper regarding the wording and say "Well, obviously, I am going to vote for Avalon Bay because it costs no money." I was stunned until I realized that is probably the wanted effect by certain Trustees all along.

Garden City, our pockets are not lined with cash, NONE OF US. Please think before you start lining the pockets of people who don't care about our village. I am not saying how to vote, I ask that you honestly assess how you wish to be manipulated.

Cathi Cavanaugh

Irreconcilable Positions

To the Editor:

By now some residents have noticed the irreconcilable positions taken by our Trustees since St. Paul's was purchased for municipal use.

St. Paul's as an assisted living center with all the unique building requirements for senior citizens with special needs?

"No problem, ideal use, great idea" according to our Trustees.

St. Paul's as a luxury condo project, complete with indoor pool and other upscale amenities?

"Of course, that's easy" say our Trustees.

St. Paul's as a simple Village Hall, library and community meeting place?

"Impossible, no, forget it, not feasible" according to these same Trustees.

This last use is "not feasible" even though one of the most respected architectural firms in the world - Einhorn, Yafee Prescott reported in 2002 that St. Paul's could be converted to Village use.

One of these days our elected leaders may explain these irreconcilable positions. Perhaps they will do it before the upcoming vote.

David J. Sutton

Unbelievable

To the Editor:

AvalonBay and the consultants we have paid so dearly have estimated the cost to construct 108 apartment units in the main St. Paul's building and the new building along Rockaway Avenue to be $54 million or $500,000 per unit. Recently, AvalonBay's 2008 3rd Quarter Report stated they had just completed 7 projects totaling 2,150 units for a total capital cost of $451 million. The projects mentioned in the report include the so-called historic preservation project of the Kirkbride building in Danvers, Massachusetts. Interestingly, the average capital cost was approximately $209,954 per unit with the Danvers units costing approximately $193,765 per unit. Haven't we been told by the "experts" that historic preservation costs more? If you do the math (based on these recently completed projects), the 108 units at St. Paul's would have a capital cost of $22,675,032. AvalonBay and their supporters on the Board of Trustees will argue the increased costs are due to differences in regional construction costs. I contacted a reputable New York high-end apartment building developer who advised me that this project could be completed at a cost of $30,000,000 or less! Another respected developer gave me cost estimates that were far less! AvalonBay wants us to believe that this project is going to cost $24 million to $31 million more than a similar project. In addition, the size of these projects has ranged from 156 units to 433 units. I am firmly convinced that when the dust settles AvalonBay will be pushing for a much larger project.

These consultants and Trustee Mauk have been telling us this is the best deal AVB can give but AvalonBay is now trying to 'throw us a bone' and divert our attention from this catastrophic deal for Garden City residents. The issues remain, AvalonBay gets a rent-free and tax-free 7 acre property with a 125,000 square foot building for 99 years and we get pilot payments that won't even come close to covering the cost of additional students in our school district. The other aspects of this boondoggle have been well documented; taxpayer subsidies, loss of parking, increased traffic, over-crowded classrooms, loss of 7 acres of green space, increased burdens on village services, our children's safety and much more. But let's not forget that AvalonBay has now "generously" offered to pave over our green space outside the RFP Zone for additional parking.

I believe that we can substantially reduce the footprint (while keeping many of the architectural features we value) of the main building for some community use for far less money. We have not been given accurate facts and figures for alternative uses because the intent has always been to give our property away to developers of high density housing while we're left with the bills.

If this biased non-binding vote crafted by AvalonBay is the only choice we have, please vote for demolition or mothballing but say NO to AvalonBay. Incidentally, don't fear the demolition threat that AvalonBay, several trustees and some POAs have forced upon us. The bulldozers aren't going to be tearing down St. Paul's any time soon. Once we remove the AvalonBay nightmare we'll be able to come up with a better solution. One final item: Mr. Mauk why won't you answer Betsy's questions?

Peter Andromidas

False Enhancements

To the Editor:

Two weeks before the Village wide poll is to take place, Matt Whalen (AvalonBay) has added a number of false enhancements to his misguided project, designed to sway our opinion in the voting booth. These were offered under the guise of falling construction costs....or maybe the resident outcry against this project was just too loud. After having been assured by our Trustees and high-paid consultants that the AVB deal, as outlined in the Mayor's Report, was the best offer available, we suddenly found out that AVB could do far better. Now the Trustees have voted to revise the site plan and seek new approvals at further expense to Village residents. Meanwhile, new resident research has uncovered the fact that AVB's construction costs are still VASTLY overstated in order to maximize profits. How much time, money and effort will it cost us to finally get the truth from AvalonBay?

Sonja Slattery

Flood Insurance

To The Editor:

On Saturday, November 1, we were advised by our insurance company that as a homeowner in the Village of Garden City we can now purchase flood insurance. My efforts that began approximately two to three years ago have finally succeeded. We were further advised that the cost of purchasing such insurance, in our case would be $386. An exclusion to the coverage will be the basement. However there is an exception for our washing machine, dryer, freezer, refrigerator, gas heating unit and hot water tank which would be covered as well as the walls of the basement. However, any furniture, files, TV's, books, rugs and any other items will not be covered. Any flooding or water backup caused by sewers would also not be covered. However any such flooding or water backup may be covered by a water backup or sump pump overflow endorsement.

In addition, my homeowner's renewal policy contains a new two percent deduction in the sum of $8,240.00 for hurricane coverage and there is no endorsement to cover it. The reason for this change is that they expect the number of hurricanes to hit Long Island will increase. Previously this deduction was limited to those portions of Long Island that were near the North Shore and the South Shore, not central Long Island.

Were you aware that you can now purchase flood insurance?

Joseph A. Calamari

P.S. Our plumber advised us that the ingredient placed by the Village in the water no longer makes pin holes in the pipes but now damages the rubber in the toilets causing leaks. He further advised that the first person to die from the West Nile Virus on Long Island was bitten by a mosquito in our Bird Sanctuary. Is this so?

Inaccurate Article

To the Editor:

I would like to thank Roger Eltringham, President of the Garden City Chamber of Commerce, for his letter addressing the negative article that appeared in the November 2nd LONG ISLAND section of The New York Times.

Although I was interviewed for the better part of an hour by the reporter who wrote the article, I was not quoted. I can only attribute this to the fact that I gave a far more optimistic view than what was written. It was clear during my interview that the reporter was only looking for "gloom and doom" and was not interested in any view contrary to the pessimistic tone she and The New York Times were determined to portray.

I suppose this is nothing anyone should be surprised by. Honest journalism has been dead at that paper for as far back as I can remember. No doubt this is the reason that readership is down and their stock price is approaching an all-time low.

Robert J. Krener, President

Taylor Warner Real Estate