From The Mayor's Office www.Gardencityny.net

By Peter A. Bee

BUDGET WORK SESSIONS

I would like to remind you that the Board of Trustees will be conducting work sessions to review the proposed 2008/09 Operating/Capital Budgets on:

•Thursday January 31, 2008 7:00 p.m. (Operating Budget/Work Session)

•Saturday February 2, 2008 8:30 a.m. (Operating Budget/Work Session)

•Thursday February 14, 2008 7:00 p.m. (Public Presentation of Capital and Preliminary Operating Budgets at the Garden City Library)

•Thursday February 28, 2008 7:00 p.m. (Budget Study Session)

• Saturday March 1, 2008 8:30 a.m. (Budget Study Session)

These sessions are currently scheduled to be held in the Board Room at Village Hall, 351 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, New York unless otherwise noted above. With the exception of the February 14th session, these sessions are conducted in public but will not provide for public participation.

COLLECTION OF CHRISTMAS TREES

AND WREATHS FOR RECYCLING

A reminder to residents who have a natural Christmas tree or wreath to dispose of, please leave them at the curb on your regularly scheduled recycling collection day. They will be collected by the Department of Public Works and offered to other agencies for beach erosion control or rendered at the Village Yard for use around trees and shrubs as mulch.

Please assist the Village by removing tree stands and plastic bags from the discarded trees and cooperate with your neighbors by disposing of them only on the scheduled recycling collection days.

If you have an artificial Christmas tree, please call the Sanitation Department for a "Special Pickup" at 465-4031 or 465-4032.

PREVENTING CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas produced by incomplete combustion of fuel. It is colorless, odorless and tasteless. About 10,000 people are affected by carbon monoxide poisoning each year in the United States and of those, hundreds die annually.

Our Fire Department would like to offer a few simple tips that help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning:

• Have a qualified service technician check your home's gas or oil heating system and gas appliances annually.

• Have all fuel-burning appliances and furnaces, including fireplaces installed by professionals.

• Check your chimneys, flues and vents annually for blockages, corrosion and loose connections.

• Use gas and kerosene space heaters only in well-ventilated rooms.

• Do not use them overnight or in a room while you are sleeping.

• Don't use a charcoal grill or hibachi inside a home or a closed garage

• Never run a car in a closed or attached garage.

• Install an alarm-sounding carbon monoxide detector in the hallway near every separate sleeping area. Check that it meets the most recent requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Commission

• Look for UL Certification marking on the package.

If you need any further information or have any questions regarding this topic, please feel free to contact the Fire Department at (516) 746-1301 and they will be happy to assist you.