Ask the Advocate
By Stephanie Mariel Petrellese

Stephanie Fortunato stands in front of the fence along Edgemere Road

I'd like you to know that I dislike intensely the green plastic fence that the Garden City Country Club has installed along Edgemere Rd. It is ugly, very unGarden City-like, and has removed the beautiful view that everyone had of the golf course.

From what I understand, the Country Club is allowed to replace the old chain link fence with a new one of the same design. This clearly is not the same!

I'd appreciate hearing from you on this subject. This fence looks like those tacky fences that are installed to hide garbage dumps and junk yards and is an affront to all the residents of the village!

Stephanie Fortunato

The fence has caught the disapproving eye of several residents, as well as the Garden City Building Dept. As The Garden City News reported in December, the Country Club was permitted to replace the old fence with the same kind. Any change in the type of fence was supposed to go before the Architectural Design Review Board for approval.

When the News called for an update last week, Superintendent of Buildings Michael Filippon said that the country club is aware of the village's and residents' concerns and is rethinking its options. They are considering removing the fence and using vegetation to achieve their goal, which is member privacy. No permits would be required for the shrubbery.

Calls to attorney Kevin Walsh, who is representing the Country Club, were not returned.

I am a 14-year resident of Garden City and recently moved to First Street between Rockaway and Cathedral Avenues. While we love our new home, the U.S. Mail service is deplorable and well-known amongst my neighbors. Almost daily, we receive mail addressed to other addresses, sometimes on other blocks and sometimes for other states! One neighbor even met with the Postmaster some time ago with no improvement. Help! Is there anything we can do?? Thanks very much.

Mary Beth Tully

We spoke with Joe Agricola, Postmaster of the Garden City Post Office, who said he was unaware of the delivery problem on First Street but was eager to address Ms. Tully's concerns. He said when a misdirected mail complaint is received, a supervisor and carrier monitor the situation for at least 30 days and verify the address on each piece of mail before the carrier leaves the post office.

It is impossible to completely eliminate mistakes due to the high volume of mail. The Garden City Post Office delivers, on average, 16.7 pieces of mail per house, which is higher than any other post office on Long Island. Almost two million pieces of mail are delivered every year on each of the post office's 42 routes.

Agricola said he will follow up with Ms. Tully to make sure her service has improved. Anyone who has a concern with his or her postal delivery service in Garden City should call the Postmaster at 747-2201.

Need a Neighborhood Advocate?

Do you have a problem in your neighborhood affecting your quality of life, or just simply getting under your skin? Send us an e-mail and Stephanie Petrellese, a reporter for The Garden City News, will help get the matter resolved.

Send an e-mail to stephpetrellese@aol.com with a brief description of the problem, along with your name and contact information.