Letters To The Editor
Email: editor@ gcnews.com
Tax Exemption For Hotel?
Published By Request:
Frederick E. Parola

Executive Director

Town of Hempstead IDA

Dear Mr. Parola:

I just received information from a Village of Garden City resident that a public hearing was conducted by the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency on May 6, 2008 regarding proposed financial assistance in the acquisition of the Garden City Hotel. Although I have no reason to doubt that the legal requirements for notice were technically complied with, many people who would have an interest in this issue were not aware of the hearing before it took place. I was not aware of the hearing and many members of the Garden City community were also not aware of the hearing.

There are legitimate questions that need to be addressed whether a company spending $90 million to purchase the Garden City Hotel should be getting a property tax exemption, sales tax exemption, and possible mortgage tax exemption from the IDA. I am therefore requesting that an additional public hearing at the Garden City Village Hall be scheduled to allow all members of the community voice their concerns. Please do not hesitate to call me at (516) 571-3432 if you have any questions regarding this matter.

Harvey B. Levinson

Chairman,

Board of Assessors

Agrees With Decision

To the Editor:

Garden City Community Council on Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention applauds the GC PTA's decision to no longer sponsor the Graduating Class Pool Party.

In adhering to the directives of the New York State PTA, our local PTA has declined to host the "traditional" pool party for the senior class which has previously been held post graduation, immediately following the PTA sponsored Adelphi Dance, which would then run from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the GC Community Park Pool. The insurance underwriters for the NYS PTA, under which the local chapter here in Garden City falls, has disclaimed all risky behavior involving water activities. A strong argument is made against the sponsoring of this kind of event which has the potential for danger for those involved.

This decision mirrors the objectives put forth by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services as presented at our general council meeting in February of this year. Group discussions evolved around "Norms, Availability, Regulations and Enforcement" and how we as a community can most effectively address these issues.

The mission of the PTA as well as the Garden City Community Council is to seek to ensure safe choices for members of our community. It takes a community to raise a child. We congratulate this year's graduating seniors and wish them healthy and wise choices throughout their lives.

The Garden City

Community Council

Budget Absurd

To The Editor:

This week I received a nauseating piece of propaganda from the "Education Juggernaut." It was a puerile attempt to justify the insane budget.

The front page of the leaflet had an intoxicating caption, supposedly descriptive of the Garden City School system - "A Top Performer Among The Region's Elite Districts."

A litany of various "accomplishments," most of which have little substance was expounded.

The pamphlet may best be described as an absurdity.

The budget proposed a sum of $94,505,801.

Eighty percent of this sum is for salaries and benefits.

It is not for the good of the children. It is for the good of the teachers, etc.

The periodical did not list the individual salaries of these untouchables. The salaries are incredible.

These people receive a full years pay for six months of attendance. Once given tenure, they are untouchables.

Their sole function is to pacify the citizens so that their free ride can continue.

How can any sentient being vote for this scandal of abominable prodigality?

Angelo DiPippo

"Another Round Of Applause"

To the Editor:

No, I am not referring to a boxing match but rather to another great performance by a neighboring Hospital by the name Winthrop University Hospital. This Institution is my champion for having saved my life twice within the last two years (for the better, I hope) and therefore, prolonging my existence in this brief and sometimes insecure world. Surely, we can and will find faults (crowded Emergency Room, long waiting to be seem and treated, etc.) but as we well know, nothing is or will be wholly and totally perfect in this world. As the French philosopher Descartes wrote, 'Whole human perfection does not exist. Only a short lived illusion'. The last episode concerns my wife who was recently admitted to Winthrop with a very gravelly and threatening physical condition. She received excellent medical care by doctors, nurses, aides and the social services personnel. My special commendations are directed, in particular, to Ms. Tracy Davis, Social Worker and Ms. Alison de Paolis, RN for their excellent work in quickly and efficiently finding and securing the right Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center for my wife. Their knowledge and experience in this field was admirable indeed. As I said once before, I am grateful and proud to have as neighbor a first class Medical Institution called Winthrop University Hospital.

Antonio Moreno

Antonio (Anthony) Moreno

Another Supporter

To the Editor,

We would like to thank Jean Bedian and Astoria Federal Savings Bank for their gift of a cooler they donated to the PTA Dinner. We apologize for the oversight in not recognizing them in the paper and program. We appreciate their support. Thank you.

Cynthia George,

PTA Dinner Chairperson

An Alternate Proposal

To the Editor:

As the architect for a rejected applicant for the development, of St Paul's School, I hereby offer to EAT MY HAT IN MACY'S WINDOW if any fair-minded resident in Garden City prefers the current leading applicant's proposal to ours.

Summary Of January 2007 Proposal By Eskar International Ltd

Our proposal, summarized as follows, has not been changed since its original submission in January 2007. All of the attributes of our proposal have not been negotiated, but have been offered as shown. Nobody on the Committee has spoken to us about any aspect of our proposal other than to inform us that we did not have the local experience required.

1. Not having had local experience, we didn't know enough to NOT pay taxes. We have always expected to pay taxes, not PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) but actual taxes After speaking to the Village Tax Assessor we estimated our taxes to be as follows:

Luxury Apartments:

67,495 X $5/SF = $337,475

Townhouse Taxes:

$11,200,000 x 0.02 x0.37 = $82,880

Total Annual Taxes $420,255

We also offered the following ground lease payment:

Ground Lease: $250,000.

Therefore our total annual payment to the village is: $670,255

We naturally expect that taxes go up through the years, but have no preconditions about the success of our investment. We will simply owe the Village the legal taxes each year.

2. We do not require and have not asked for any subsidy from the Village.

3. The important spaces of the South Wing on the first floor and the chapel are to be renovated and designated for Community use.

4. We will renovate St Paul's School in accordance with the Federal Tax Incentive Program. Willingness to use the program assures a superior quality of completion.

5. We have offered a ground lease that will pay the Village $250,000 per year. We have asked for the right to buy the ground lease after five years for $5,000,000. This figure is based on the reasonable and ordinary value of a ground lease. We thought it would appeal to the town, but if not, we are content to keep paying the annual rent and allow ownership to rest with the Village.

6. We plan to build 46 luxury rental apartments and 8 middle-income apartments within the existing space of St Paul's School. No expansion of the building itself is planned, but our proposal does include ten new townhouses in the rear of the property. The middle-income apartments (for Village employees) were planned as an inducement for the Village; a Senior Center or Village administrative offices can easily be substituted if the Village prefers that use.

7. 75% of the rental apartments will be marketed for people over 55 without school-age children.

8. All the required parking is underground, except for Townhouse parking, which will be enclosed within the individual townhouses

9. We have paid particular attention to handicapped accessibility and the Americans with Disability Act. Our fourth floor spaces will to be reached by private elevators within the apart-ments. Any attempt to use these spaces without elevators is doomed because the fourth floor is approximately twenty feet over the third floor. The elevators also serve third story Mezzanine spaces suitable for home theaters or offices. All of the spaces within St Paul's are accessible in all weather from our underground garage by underground ramp.

10. We plan to use geo-thermal energy instead of fossil fuel to save annual costs and limit pollution. A well-known Mechanical Engineer has been engaged for this work.

11. We have engaged one of the world's leading lighting consultants to assure a creative and tasteful interior and exterior lighting plan.

12. We have engaged a Landscape Architect to assure creative site planning.

13. The principal of Eskar, Mr. Simon Karimzadeh, has indicated his continued interest this week.

Bernard Marson