By Stephanie Petrellese

A regular meeting of the Garden City Board of Trustees followed the St. Paul's public scoping meeting on June 4th. Touching on an array of topics and ending by 10 p.m., it was one of the more quiet Board sessions held in recent memory.

Mayor Robert J. Rothschild said he, along with Village Administrator Robert Schoelle, Trustee Dennis Donnelly and Village Counsel Gerard Fishberg, recently attended a meeting on the Lighthouse project which focused on the project's status.

"We made sure that they understood what our issues were regarding the environmental issues, transportation, water, and just how it's going to affect the Village of Garden City," Mayor Rothschild said. He emphasized residents' concerns about a possible transportation link in the middle of the Village that at one point in the project's earlier versions was being considered.

The Lighthouse project plan is now estimated to cost $3.7 billion and includes a minor league ballpark, a luxury hotel and 1.5 million square feet of offices and retail stores. "They were very specific," he said. "That's not something they want or that they feel that they need."

The Mayor expressed his disappointment that a bill, which was proposed by New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo on May 22nd , passed last week. He was pleased that the area's state senator and assemblyperson both voted against the legislation.

The bill from state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo seeks to reduce property taxes by making it easier to collapse and dissolve villages, towns and special districts by allowing residents of villages and special districts to petition for a referendum that would dissolve the municipality. A referendum would be triggered by signatures of only 10 percent of the municipality's residents. If a simple majority of the voters approved dissolution, the municipality's "governing body" would be required to create a plan to implement the voters' decision. That plan could then be challenged by petition of 25 percent of residents, which would then trigger an additional referendum.

Mayor Rothschild applauded the Garden City Historical Society for its restoration work on the Garden City Historical Society Museum, located at 109 Eleventh Street. It is an A.T. Stewart-era structure dating back to 1872. He also encouraged residents who may find things of possible historical significance to contact Historical Society President Brian Pinnola.

In other news, Superintendent of Buildings Michael Filippon said the Village's Zoning Board of Appeals granted a special use permit for one year to the owners of the property at 550 Stewart Avenue so they can allow new cars from the Hempstead Nissan dealership to be temporarily stored at that location on the south side of Stewart Avenue. Shrubs will obscure sight of the cars from the main thoroughfare.

550 Stewart Avenue LLC, the corporation that purchased the property, has received pre-approvals from the Village's Architectural Design Review Board and Planning Commission, as well as final site plan approval, to eventually build 29 townhouses on the north side of Stewart Avenue and a 92,000-sq.-ft. office building on the south side. They have not yet filed a building permit. According to Filippon, the property owner said due to the recession he cannot begin construction, so he needs another way to help alleviate the expense of simply owning the land.

Resident Robert Vassalotti said private landscapers, as well as employees from the Village's Dept. of Public Works, should be reminded not to blow dirt and debris into the sewers.

The next Board meeting is scheduled for June 18 in the Village Hall boardroom.