Believe it or not, there was a brief moment of levity at the Nov. 20th meeting of the Garden City Board of Trustees.

A resident stood up and began speaking on an agenda item. However, it did not sound like the topic was related to St. Paul's. Everyone, this reporter included, was waiting for him to somehow connect it to the controversial issue which has monopolized Board meetings for several months. When people finally started to realize that someone was actually speaking on a non-St. Paul's related matter, chuckles and smiles could be heard and seen in a boardroom where as of late shouts and scowls have predominated.

The speaker was Steven Irace, a resident for 58 years, and he and resident Gregory Burke called upon the board to issue a moratorium on the subdivision of large lots in the Village. The Board listened to their arguments but decided more information was needed. They will await a report from Village Counsel Gerard Fishberg, who is expected to speak on the issue at the next Board meeting on Dec. 4.

According to Irace, there are currently 23 large corner lots primarily located in the Central section. He lives next to one of the lots where subdivision is currently being proposed. The homes on these lots have significant historic value as many date back to the 1800s, and Irace and Burke do not want the houses destroyed or altered and the lots divided so smaller homes can be constructed.

Superintendent of Buildings Michael Filippon was not at the Board meeting and was not available at press time to confirm the number of lots.

Burke has been a resident of the Village for 50 years and said he specifically decided to buy a house in the Central section because it had many large plots and beautiful homes. He is concerned that subdivision will lower the value of his home.

Just as everyone thought they would have a few minutes of respite from mention of the Main Building, Burke asked the Board to make a decision on this issue soon, and not wait 15 years like they have on St. Paul's. "If this was a business, it would be bankrupt because you guys have trouble making decisions," he said.

Trustee Thomas Lamberti, who is a trustee from the Central section and also serves as liaison to the Village's Building Commission, acknowledged that this has been an ongoing issue primarily affecting the section he represents. "There is a great concern, and a legitimate concern, that to permit subdivisions of large plots in Central and maybe elsewhere, that we will in effect destroy the character of our homes in the Central section," he said.

Lamberti said all plots capable of being subdivided need to be identified, a planner needs to be hired to review the plots to determine what steps can be taken and Village counsel needs to be consulted to ensure that those steps are appropriate and legitimate.

In other non-St. Paul's related news, the Board voted unanimously (Lundquist absent) to hire Greenman-Pederson, Inc., an engineering and construction services firm, to review a proposal by Covanta Energy to add a fourth burner to their Hempstead facility, located at 600 Merchants Concourse in Westbury. This facility is Long Island's largest waste-to-energy plant and provides municipal solid waste disposal for the Town of Hempstead.

The Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency has been designated the lead agency for purposes of reviewing the expansion project under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR). Although Village Counsel Gerard Fishberg said he does not know why the IDA is the lead agency, he acknowledged that Covanta is looking for tax breaks. He added they will not affect Garden City.

The trustees agreed that Greenman-Pederson's review should be completed by the next meeting on Dec. 4 and payment should not exceed $6,800.