From The Mayor’s Office

SPECIAL THANKS TO VILLAGE EMPLOYEES

At Thanksgiving, I feel that it is appropriate to pause for a few minutes and to reflect upon those things that we may take for granted and how fortunate we are to live in this wonderful community. In doing so, I quickly acknowledge the many employees of the Police, Fire and Public Works Departments who will work around the clock on Thanksgiving to assure the safety and comfort of our families. I also want to acknowledge the members of the Volunteer Fire Department who remain ready to leave their homes to come to our aid. In addition, I would like to thank the Special Police for their efforts in helping out in the Annual Turkey Trot, thank you to each of these fine people for the sacrifices they make in leaving their families during this holiday time to attend to the welfare of our residents and make Garden City a great place to live.

VILLAGE OFFICES CLOSED

Village offices will be closed on Thursday, November 26, 2009 in observance of Thanksgiving Day. For your convenience, correspondence for the Village may be placed in the “Letter” drop slot at the front door.

Residents are reminded that there will be no garbage or recycling pickup on Thanksgiving Day. Those scheduled for recycling on Thursday are asked to put their recyclables out on Thursday, December 3. Garbage collection for the Thanksgiving week will be:

Western Half: Monday and Friday Eastern Half: Tuesday and Saturday

Rubbish collection for the entire Village will remain on Wednesday, November 25.

THIRTY-SECOND ANNUAL TURKEY TROT

The Turkey Trot Race Committee of Garden City, Inc. will conduct its thirty-second annual Merrill Lynch Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, November 26, 2009. You can register on-line at www.gcturkeytrot.com. You can register the day of the race from 8:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.

The race will form at the St. Paul’s School with the Challenger Division race beginning at 9:00 a.m., the 1.4-mile run will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the 5-mile run is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. The route of the 5-mile race will be as follows: Starting on Stewart Avenue in front of St. Paul’s east to Cherry Valley Avenue continuing south on Rockaway Avenue, west onto First Street onto Cambridge Avenue, north on Whitehall Boulevard, continuing east onto South Avenue to Cherry Valley Avenue back to Stewart Avenue, then west onto Stewart Avenue past St. Paul’s and north on Hampton Road - the final lap will be continuing south on Rockaway to the finishing line at St. Paul’s.

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE FOLLOWING EVENT:

GARDEN CITY HOTEL TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30th

The Garden City Hotel’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony is planned for Monday, November 30, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. I encourage you to attend and to enjoy one of Garden City’s great traditions. We thank the Garden City Hotel for their hospitality in sponsoring this wonderful evening. The evening begins with performances of holiday carols by the St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Choir, festive caroling, a winter wonderland complete with Santa Claus and his elves and model trains, illumination of the hotel’s cupola in festive shades of green and red and the ceremonial lighting of a spectacular 30-foot blue spruce tree at the hotel’s grand entrance. This year’s guest of honor will be Ms. Kathleen Rice, Nassau County District Attorney. The highlight of the festivities will be the moment Ms. Rice lights the tree, officially launching the holiday season.

Following the lighting, all are invited into The Garden City Hotel for complimentary refreshments.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES’ MEETING SCHEDULE

The next regularly scheduled Board of Trustees’ meetings that will be held in December are on December 3 and December 17, 2009.

SHOP IN GARDEN CITY FIRST

Residents in the Village of Garden City are very fortunate in having a vital business community comprised of merchants who are committed to serve us from their shops along Franklin Avenue, Seventh Street and New Hyde Park Road. I urge each of you to continue to patronize these local businesses during the holiday season and throughout the year. Our business community wants to know how they are doing, so take a minute the next time you are shopping and let them know what you think about the quality of their products and their attention to customer service.

QUALITY, SELECTION AND OUTSTANDING

CUSTOMER SERVICE SHOP GARDEN CITY FIRST!

VILLAGE’S WEB SITE

I encourage residents to periodically utilize the Village’s website for information regarding the Village’s operations, as well as items of seasonal and special interest. The address is www.gardencityny.net. For your convenience, listed on the Village’s home page under the heading of the Fire Department are home safety tips.