St. Paul's Fence To Be Installed

By Stephanie Petrellese

While the controversy surrounding the future of the St. Paul's main building continues, another long-standing controversy involving the property appears to have been laid to rest.

At its June 18th meeting, the Garden City Board of Trustees unanimously approved the award of a bid to Ridge-based Residential Fences for $86,560 to supply and install an ornamental fence along Stewart Avenue on the St. Paul's property. Installation should begin in early September.

Mayor Robert J. Rothschild said the Village has been assured by Senator Kemp Hannon's office that a grant is still available to cover the cost. The money was made available to legislators to distribute as part of the Community Capital Assistance Program. It is a reimbursement grant, so the Village will have to lay out the money for the fence and then submit the appropriate forms to receive up to $90,000. Garden City resident Arnold Finamore unsuccessfully urged the trustees not to vote for the fence. He argued that the grant procured by Senator Hannon is an example of pork barrel spending. "If it's not necessary to spend it, we shouldn't be spending it, especially in this economy."

The black, estate-style fence will measure four feet in height and stretch 1,050 feet westerly from the field entrance along Stewart Avenue. A fence measuring 127 feet will also be installed along the left side of the entrance driveway to the parking lot. Brick pilasters surrounded by vegetation will be installed every 150 feet. It will match the fence that spans the length of the Middle School property, which is located a few hundred yards away on the other side of the street.

The issue actually dates back to 2004 when the project, which at the time also consisted of a walking/jogging path, was scheduled to go out to bid. Over the next year, the Board met overwhelming opposition to the path from residents and eventually decided to drop consideration of the issue.

The need for a fence was also debated at the time, with some residents calling for shrubs. The fence style also caused some controversy as some residents claimed the black, 4 1/2-foot high estate-style fence originally recommended by the Board of Commissioners of Cultural and Recreational Affairs made the property look like a cemetery.

The Recreation Commission had sought input from the public and POAs before making their recommendation. The commission contended that the fence was needed for safety reasons to prevent children from running into the street and to serve as a hindrance to vehicles that may accidentally veer off the busy avenue. In 2006, the Board voted against installing the fence.

In January, 2008, Mayor Rothschild, who at the time was serving as a trustee and Board liaison to the Village's Dept. of Cultural and Recreational Affairs, said that even though the Board voted against the fence in 2006, the matter should be reconsidered. He argued that residents seemed to like the fence which had been recently installed along the Middle School property, and realized it won't make the area look like a cemetery.

Now, more than a year and a half later, the estate-style fence will be installed at St. Paul's and the snow fence removed. During the winter months a green plastic snow fence will be installed on the north side to prevent snow from blowing across Stewart Avenue. It will be removed in April.

"The snow fence is going away," Mayor Rothschild proudly announced. "I have had more complaints about that snow fence," he said as he recalled the 2006 vote on the issue. "We were two minutes away from approving this fence and we didn't do it and I got so many complaints."