To the Editor:

On Saturday morning, Jan. 21st, the Village conducted its annual budget work session, focusing on proposed capital plan presentations for the 2012/2013 fiscal year.

I am writing to rebut remarks made by Judy Courtney, President of the Eastern Property Owners Assn., which followed the Recreation Dept. head, Kevin Ocker's presentation. Mr. Ocker's capital plan featured a $630,000 request to renovate and expand the Senior Recreation Center on Golf Club Lane.

Ms. Courtney was first to speak in the Q. & A. segment. (Her remarks are paraphrased.) She was adamantly opposed to the expansion of the senior center which would serve about 6,000 Garden City seniors. She warned trustees that approving the funds request to expand the building would be a mistake. She then made bogus claims. First she stated that the present senior center is dominated by one organization to the extent of 95% of the total usage. While she did not name the group she was referring to, it was obvious to all that she was citing the Garden City Retired Men's Club. This organization uses the building for parts of three or four days per week, but NOWHERE NEAR MS. COURTNEY'S 95% figure. She went on to say that the trustees should plan a separate senior building for women since men will be controlling the expanded present building.

Since there was no time at the meeting to rebut Ms. Courtney's spurious remarks, I will do it here. First, the building is named the Garden City Senior Recreation Center. By no means is it reserved for, or used exclusively by, the GC Retired Men's Club or men in general. Several purely women's groups have regular meetings there.

Here is a complete list of users of the building (in addition to the GCRMC): Monday Night Senior Duplicate Bridge Club (which is co-ed); the Tuesday Women's Duplicate Bridge Club; the senior Women's Quilter's Club; the Monthly CPOA Directors' Meetings; THE EASTERN PROPERTY OWNERS' ASSN. MONTHLY MEETINGS; the American Legion Executive Meeting; the American Legion Women's Auxiliary; the Republican Club; the Democratic Club; the weekly Thursday Night Duplicate Bridge Club; the Grandmothers' Club; the Senior Homemakers' Bridge Club; and the Senior Women's Club. Based on data obtained from the Recreation Dept., we have calculated the number of hours per month used by the GCRMC versus all other users. While not scientific, my results are 55% for the Men's Club and 45% for all others. Our calculations exclude hours each month when the building is not being used at all. There is plenty of time available currently when Garden City entities can obtain building time -- morning, afternoon and evening. This available time makes Ms. Courtney's claims of 95% domination more ridiculous. Any expanded building would be for men, women and co-ed activities. This is the fair way.

In sum, Ms. Courtney is factually way off the mark. We are surprised that someone in such an important leadership role would be so ill-informed and feeding misleading information to the residents of the Eastern Section which represents roughly 40% of the Garden City population.

Signed:

George M. Salem,

Co-president,

Garden City Retired Men's

Club