Letters To The Editor
Email: editor@ gcnews.com

We're Still Waiting

To the Editor

The most recent edition of Village Facts, entitled "Designating a Developer for St. Paul's," presents a great deal of opinion and rhetoric, but in the end, it fails dismally in its explanation of why the Village Board conditionally designated AvalonBay to redevelop the Historic St. Paul's Main Building. Without having a well defined plan and timeline for moving forward toward the goal of saving the Historic Main Building for the benefit of the public, the Village Board has opened the door for disaster. The Executive Committee of the Committee to Save St. Paul's sorely hopes that the solution doesn't become as elusive as the process. Despite repeated promises that the public would be kept involved and informed, we are still waiting for the day when the Village finally engages in a meaningful dialogue regarding the purpose, scope, financing, and benefit to the public of the current AvalonBay plan.

As most readers of this paper know, the Committee to Save St. Paul's was formed by residents who believe that the St. Paul's property was purchased for public use, and should be preserved and dedicated to uses compatible with the Village's long-term best interests. We are the voice of the many residents and families who want to see a plan that truly preserves the Main Building, including its beautiful large parlor rooms and its Chapel, as a living monument to our Village's history. At the same time, we are the voice for those residents who believe that such historic preservation should be done for the public's benefit, and should not principally be based on a commercial developer's interest in making a profit at the public's expense. We are the voice of residents who are concerned about over-development and density, about traffic and parking problems, and the loss of precious Village green space.

With these goals in mind, we remain very concerned about the extent of the contemplated historic preservation, particularly in the interior of the building. While AvalonBay claims it will preserve the Main Building "to the extent possible," we are still waiting to see its plans and how they will affect the historic interior.

We're also very concerned that the plan will fail if it tries to completely nullify and negate the original intent of the voters in 1993, which was to preserve St. Paul's for the public's use primarily. Based on proof of that intent, the courts have declared that the entire St. Paul's property is held in "public trust" and that no part of it may be sold or leased to a private commercial developer without special state legislative approval. While our State Senator, Kemp Hannon, has said he would consider introducing such legislation if it is supported by a community-wide consensus, the Village is unlikely to achieve that consensus without requiring ample community space in the Historic Main Building.

We know from studies done by the Village, itself, that community groups have a need for more space, and that St. Paul's would be an ideal location. To date, however, the Village has not said whether it will require such a commitment from AvalonBay. Nor has AvalonBay been willing to put forth a detailed plan showing exactly what public space it would be willing to cede to the Village, or to detail the financial terms on which it would make such a concession. Again, we're still waiting for more information.

We're also very concerned that our trustees will fail to protect the Village from undue additional development on the property. Based on the limited information disclosed, AvalonBay wants to construct 37 townhouse units in 4-story buildings on the north side of St. Paul's. But we still have not seen detailed architectural drawings. Apart from our concern about whether the townhouses will be architecturally compatible, the sheer density of the additional development gives us pause. Let's see what's planned. Let us all see drawings and renderings. Let's hear about how many cars will be parked on the already overcrowded lots. Only then can one fairly evaluated whether additional construction is an appropriate trade-off.

Next, as village taxpayers, we are concerned that the trustees' zeal to make a deal with AvalonBay will end up being a 'give-away' of a valuable village asset. The St. Paul's Main Building and its immediate surrounding acreage [approximately 8 acres] have been valued at $20,000,000. If St. Paul's is leased to AvalonBay for 99 years, as planned, what will the village be getting in return? If all the village gets is a pretty façade, lots of additional development, and a few dollars each year, will it be worthwhile? We're still waiting for the details.

The Board of Trustees, in the end, is charged with the responsibility for making its best judgment on how to resolve the St. Paul's conundrum, but that responsibility includes the duty to consider residents' views, legal factors, financial considerations, and the long-term interests of the Village as a whole. Regrettably, residents are still in the dark about how, as the Village Facts relates, "a measure of public sentiment will be taken." For the next several weeks, the Committee to Save St. Paul's will be placing ads in the Garden City News in the hope that we can promote discussion and meaningful dialogue regarding some of the key points in the redevelopment project under consideration. If the trustees are true to their word, Village residents will soon be able to attend "one or more public meetings," have "several opportunities to learn about the project proposal" and have a "full opportunity to comment on the plans," as stated in the Village Facts. But until then, we're still waiting..............

The Executive Committee of the Committee to Save St. Paul's

(Peter Negri, Tom Poole, Ed Keating, Michael Ciaffa, Frank McDonough) and Administrative & Communications Director Maureen Traxler

Bad Plan

To The Editor:

I am very concerned about the St. Paul's-Avalon Bay proposal being considered by the Board of Trustees.

I was at a presentation by Avalon Bay and sat through it and did not learn anything about what they intended to do to St. Paul's. I did see what they did elsewhere but did not really pertain to us.

After the presentation, I asked what we would get from this deal.

They would be getting:

The building and use of the property for 99 years. This is technically giving it to them. In return, they are paying us $1 million dollars up front. They would also be getting tax credits for 35 years - that means no property taxes paid to us for many, many years and after many years, a discounted rate. What a deal for them but no taxes for us!

They would also be letting us use a small part of the building for "public" use - šhowever, they stated they would have to charge us rent! They are also proposing tiered parking which is terrible because their use of the property is too dense.

In turn, the residents would be getting a lot of traffic from all the apartments onto Stewart and Cherry Valley Roads, more children in our schools, a burden on our water, sewage and village services, i.e.: police, sanitation, etc. However, we are not compensated for this. however, avalon bay will get mega amounts from rentals. When questioned, they did not even promise that they would save all of the building. In their other properties, they did not save all of their buildings but built around a clock tower.

I believe a better proposal for our village should be considered or, better still, keep it in home rule. Even open space and more fields would cost us nothing and would be much better than what Avalon Bay is proposing. Call Senator Kemp Hannon and tell him not to change from home rule until we get the deal to which we are entitled.

Rochelle Dowling

Open Minded?

To the Editor,

In response to Mr. Jared Schroder's scathing commentary on Garden City and it's public school system, I partici-pated in Christmas productions at Locust School in the 70s and graduated from GCHS in 1985. Back then, the term "happy holidays" was in development at politically correct, progressive, liberal think-tank institutions such as the one that Mr. Schroder attends. What they fail to teach is the etymology of the word holiday, which comes from two words: holy and day.

Mr. Schroder's asserts that liberals have superior intellect yet offers no proof. Please inform him that there are brilliant people on both sides of the ideological aisle. In the end (and I'm sure that Mr. Schroder will protest vehemently), all I can do is pray for Jared to one day see the light.

I am an open minded, white, Christian conservative and I wish you all a joyous and healthy New Year,

Bill Gadol

Summerville, SC

No Room For Bias

To The Editor:

As a resident of Garden City for fifty-two years, I am troubled by the prejudice mentioned by the letter writer, Thomas Ryan, to your paper (12/21 issue) regarding the "Winter" Festival at Locust School.

I heartily agree with the writer and commend him for taking the time to bring this to our attention. Since this seems to be a continuing problem in recent years, perhaps two performances should be considered in the future, each representing Christian and Jewish symbols to avoid offending anyone.

Yes, there is no-room for religious bias here or in any other community. This appears to be a problem in recent years and is confusing to children who have the right to their own beliefs in songs about Christmas. Ourworld is confusing enough to children without adding discord to it.

Thank you for allowing me to vent my opinion through your newspaper.

Catherine Reith

Is Locust School Anti-......

To the Editor:

I read with interest Mr. Thomas Ryan's letter in the December 21, 2007 issue of the GC News as well as all the responses in subsequent issues. My initial reaction was a response that would have told Mr. Ryan to tone down the rhetoric and relax.

I mean, how can anyone in Garden City feel any Anti-Christian bias? In a town that is 99% plus Christian, with lights and decorations throughout; how could someone be so apparently distressed over the Locust School program and symbols displayed in their multi-purpose room? Just go to the village square and see all the balanced proper and improper symbols (Nativity Scene, Christmas Wreath, candles, wooden soldiers and Christmas Trees) that our village displays on the Village Green. Would Mr. Ryan call our Village Trustees, Mr. Schoelle and the GC Chamber of Commerce who donated the Nativity Scene to the Village as Anti-?????(anything else but Christian). Those accusations would be very consistent with those he made about Locust School. Would he suggest that all of those people attend the same sensitivity training that he would like the Locust School staff attend?

Before deciding to issue such a response I kept going back to Mr. Ryan's closing statement, "There is no place in Garden City for religious bias." As such, I decided to do a bit of research on the topic of religion in our public schools and GOOGLED "court decisions on religious symbols in public schools". There was an overload of information and while I will not attempt to summarize those articles some of the information that I found most interesting included:

Conflicts over religion in school are hardly new. Most of us remember the movie "Inherit the Wind" and the Scopes Monkey Trial regarding the battle over whether Darwin's theory of evolution should be taught in public schools. Throughout the 19th century, Protestants and Catholics frequently fought over Bible reading and prayer in public schools. The disputes then were over which Bible and which prayers were appropriate to use in the classroom. Some Catholics were troubled that the schools' reading materials included the King James version of the Bible, which was favored by Protestants. Approximately forty-five years ago the Supreme Court banned school directed prayer in public schools.

Many court cases are pending in a variety of districts and federal courts concerning appropriate symbols, size of symbols, balanced symbols, etc. Sometimes these cases are brought by concerned parents, concerned teachers or outside groups.

Many court cases have been and continue to be brought to the Supreme Court regarding the display of symbols in the public square. Most of these cases have been decided by 5-4 votes. In one such case (Lynch v. Donnelly) the court decided by a 5-4 vote that while a Nativity Scene by itself would not be acceptable, if surrounded by Santa, reindeer, snowmen, candy canes and other secular symbols it would be legal to display in the public square. Yet, four out of nine judges dissented, arguing that a life-sized display depicting the biblical description of the birth of Christ, the central figure of Christianity, is plainly unconstitutional. They also rejected the majority's opinion that a religious symbol is made acceptable so long as there are enough secular symbols to go along with it and create balance as not only "nonsense, but in fact purged the créche of its religious content".

While I could cite many more examples, suffice it to say that our schools and public squares continue to be battlegrounds for the broader conflict of religion's role in public life. No wonder our school administrators and teachers walk a fine line when they try to present considerate, fair and balanced programs that do not offend any one person or group.

In conclusion, let's try and keep the rhetoric down by refraining from any broad statements depicting an entire school or an entire village as intolerant or Anti-Christian. Best wishes to all for a peaceful, healthy and happy 2008.

Bill Goldschein

If anyone is interested in reading some more on the subject, in addition to just "Googling" the topic above I invite them to read an article entitled "The 'December Dilemma' -December Holiday Guidelines for Public Schools" issued by the Anti-Defamation League. It seems to be a very balanced pamphlet regarding the topic.

Fence Blocks View

To The Editor:

I am a resident of the Western Section of the Garden City that borders Edgemere Road and the Garden City Country Club. During the almost 30 years that my husband and I have lived here, we have always enjoyed the vast vista of open space that we were able to view daily, either when we were walking or driving along Edgemere Road. We always felt fortunate to be able to be living in a highly residential area and yet still, even if just for a few minutes each day, be able to view the quietly rolling hills with the beautiful trees. It was always a wonderful feeling of hope when we would see the ground turn from brown to green and the trees then begin to sprout their new green leaves. The turn of the leaves to beautiful fall colors was equally breathtaking with the promise that the winter would soon show a beautiful snow scene.

Now this splendid open view has been taken away from everyone who either lives on Edgemere Road or happens to travel the road with the installation, by the Garden City Country Club, of their green plastic tacky looking fence. This fence goes against everything that Garden City has tried to maintain. Homeowners are not allowed to install fences on their property unless approved by the Village. They encourage homeowners to divide their property with natural fences, with either trees or shrubs. This maintains the beautiful natural environment without each homeowner installing all different types of fences to seclude their homes from each other. The Garden City Country Club has gone against this idea and decided to replace the existing chain link fence, which you could see through, with a chain link fence that has plastic green webbing woven into it, thereby blocking any view of the golf course.

Please go and view this fence and then I hope that you will review this situation and determine that the new fence does not conform with the code and must be taken down. Clearly it is an eye sore, and it has devalued the houses that over look the golf course and more importantly the community as a whole. The beautiful view that everyone could enjoy is now replaced with an ugly fence.

I am looking forward to seeing that the fence has been removed and thereby restoring the community's view.

Judith A. Dolan

Poor Taste

To The Editor:

I am sending the following letter to the President of the Garden City Country Club:

Dear President of the Garden City Country Club,

I am a longtime resident of the western section of Garden City. I have always appreciated the beauty and charm that exists in this lovely town. It is very discouraging for me and many others to have our view obstructed on Edgemere Road by the ugly, cheap looking fence that has been erected there. It goes against all that Garden City wishes to portray.

I feel cooped up and denied the ability to appreciate the picturesque setting of the golf course. Whoever decided on this fence shows very poor taste. A plain chain link fence should be sufficient in keeping out unwanted visitors while still providing the beauty of nature that should be shared by the whole town. I do hope action will be taken to restore the open feeling, which does not now exist. I do hope you will seriously consider removing this most obnoxious fence. It definitely is not in the Garden City style.

Nancy Mundy

Needs Monitoring

To The Editor:

In articles in a recent publication of the Fordham Law Review, it was suggested that 501(C) (3) non-profit organizations need further scrutiny. Such consideration was based upon the fact that the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) is incapable of monitoring these organizations financially, tax wise and otherwise.

Unless I am mistaken we have at least five non-profit organizations in the four POAs and the Bird Sanctuary. It should be pointed out that the Freedom of Information Law does not apply to these Quasi-public organizations.

The articles recommended that local and state governments should pass legislation to require an independent audit periodically and such other requirements to insure that they pay their taxes, if applicable. Also that their funds are used, allocated and spent in an appropriate manner including any compensations.

Joseph Calamari

PS A submission that we enact a code of ethics with teeth, similar to other local villages in Nassau County lies dormant for about one year with the WPOA.

Open House At

St. Joseph School

Saint Joseph School of Garden City, which is devoted to integrating the teachings of the Catholic faith within a creative and stimulating learning environment, is hosting an Open House on Sunday, January 27, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., for Nursery through Grade 8.

Called "Curriculum Sunday", the Open House will allow parents to see for themselves how Saint Joseph School gives children an advantage for their whole life by providing a uniquely well-rounded education in a nurturing, small-group setting.

After refreshments are served, parents will see numerous displays and presentations in the classrooms - including children's drawings, paintings, writings, computer lab exhibits, and science experiments - that demonstrate how Saint Joseph School gives students ample opportunity to explore new worlds, from the first day of Nursery to the last day of Grade 8.

Teachers from all grades and several current students will be on hand to answer questions, helping parents discover the full range of classroom activities at Saint Joseph School - from creative, hands-on artwork in Nursery and Pre-K and introductory computer and music classes in Kindergarten, to challenging reading and foreign language classes for Grades 1-5 and advanced math and computer instruction in the later grades.

The Open House will give parents valuable insight into how Saint Joseph School carefully weaves moral and spiritual teachings and values into the regular learning curriculum, and how it provides the daily athletic activities and programs, including soccer and basketball teams, that foster physical development, a healthy competitive spirit, and lasting friendships.

Parents will also learn more about the abundance of engaging extracurricular activities available to students that provide vital growth and leadership opportunities, including arts and crafts programs, book, drama, and chess clubs, math contests, intramural sports, and community service.

All interested parents are welcome to the Open House on January 27 at Saint Joseph School, which is located at 450 Franklin Avenue in Garden City. For more details about the Saint Joseph School Open House, please contact Prin-cipal Eileen Kilbride, Ed.D., at (516) 747-2730, or visit www.advantageforlife.org