On A Personal Note: This is my last column. My term as mayor comes to an end April 4. WOW! Two years flies by when you are having so much fun! Seriously, it has been my privilege to have served on the board of trustees for the past eight years and the last two as mayor. I congratulate and thank Don Brudie, our mayor-elect, new Estates trustee John DeMaro and our re-elected trustees Cavanaugh, Donnelly and Quinn along with incumbent trustees Daughney, Episcopia and Watras. Trustees are elected to assist village staff in the efficient delivery of services that residents expect and at the same …

Outdoor Dining: Beginning on April 1, working under a special permit from the village, food establishments on Seventh Street, New Hyde Park Road and Franklin Avenue will place tables and chairs outside their shops and restaurants for your convenience and enjoyment. When this program begins, please stop by to let the merchants know that you appreciate their efforts and enjoy the many fine tastes of Garden City. Shop and Dine in Garden City - Support Local Merchants: I would like to ask you to do your part to support all businesses within Garden City. I would also like to encourage all …

Congratulations to the Garden City High School Girls Track and Field National Champs: I would like to offer congratulations on behalf of the board of trustees to the Garden City girls’ track and field team for being named “national champs.” The 4 x 400 Sprint Medley Relay team of Alexis Yeboah-Kodie, Taylor Henning, Taryn Schmelzinger and Emma Gallagher placed first in 4:04.17. Special thanks also to head coach Erica Frogosi and her assistant coaches Arthur Johnson and Tom Skrivanek Lucas for guiding them to a successful, winning season. Congratulations and Best Wishes to Garden City High …

Village Election March 15: The annual village election will be held March 15, from noon until 9 p.m. at Village Hall, 351 Stewart Avenue. Village residents are encouraged to vote for the following Community Agreement candidates.  They are supported by all four Property Owners' Associations and the respective Nominating Committees, fellow trustees, village commissions and committees and certainly by me. Mayor (two-year term): Donald T. Brudie Trustee (two-year term): John A. DeMaro Trustee (two-year term): Laurence J. Quinn Trustee (two-year term): Dennis C. Donnelly Trustee (one-year term): …

Emergency Management Radio Tested Weekly: Garden City along with all villages within Nassau County, each week perform a “radio-test” with the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management Office (NCOEM) to ensure that their assigned radio is working properly. These radios operate at a 800 MHz frequency and have been in operation for the past several years as a result of funding from former State Sen. Michael Balboni. In the event of a major disaster where normal radio communications were disrupted each village would have the ability to communicate with each other directly as well as with the …

Amanda’s Law Carbon Monoxide Alarms: I would like to remind you that last year “Amanda's Law” took effect for New York State. This law requires essentially all residences, both new and existing, to have carbon monoxide alarms installed on any floor where there are sleeping areas. The specific requirements differ for new and existing residences and also on when the buildings were built and subcategories of occupancy groups. The following link provides the proposed code text and legislation - http://www.dos.state.ny.us/codeCOAlarm.htm. If you have any questions feel free to call the Garden City…

Inspection of National Grid's Gas Transmission Lines: In response to the village’s request that National Grid inspect all gas transmission lines within the Village of Garden City and certify that gas lines are safe and in acceptable condition, National Grid has advised the village that gas transmission lines are subject to several forms of ongoing inspection which include: Visual inspection of the route for third-party activities, missing or damaged markers and any other issues, on an approximate 10-day cycle. This is far in excess of the New York State code requirement. Annual leakage survey…

Managing with Less While Maintaining Garden City Quality of Services: Throughout each year, and especially as we prepare the village budget for next year, the village board of trustees must continue to acknowledge the many financial demands on village taxpayers - county tax increases, school tax increases, state mandated increases, the state of the economy, etc. As trustees, and residents, we are required to make the sometimes difficult decisions to control growth within all areas of village services and at the same time develop strategies that will maintain the high level of municipal …

Safe Disposal of Refuse: A reminder to residents that the following guidelines are to be used in the disposition of refuse in order to protect our employees: 1.         Sharp objects, such as broken glass, sharp pieces of metal and knives should not be placed loosely in plastic or paper bags. Proper precaution should be taken, such as placing them in cardboard boxes tied with string or tape. 2.         All hypodermic needles should be bent and the point blunted. 3.         Dust from vacuum cleaners, barbecue pits and sandings from wooden floors should not be placed loosely in a trash barrel. …

Go Red For Women: Feb. 4, 2011 will mark the seventh annual American Heart Association National Wear Red Day for Women to raise awareness that cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 health threat facing women today. Unfortunately, most people still do not know that heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death for women. These two diseases kill more than 480,000 women in the United States every year; more than the next five causes of death combined, including all cancers. On Long Island, more than 5,600 women die of heart disease and stroke each year. One of the components of Go Red …

Budget Work Sessions: I would like to advise you that the board of trustees will be conducting work sessions to review the proposed 2011/12 Operating/Capital Budgets on:  Saturday, Jan. 22 at 8:30 a.m. (Tour of Facilities and Capital Plan Presentation) Thursday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. (Budget Study Work Session 1) Saturday, Feb. 12 at 8:30 a.m. (Budget Study Work Session 2) Thursday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. (Budget Study Work Session 3 - Final) These sessions are currently scheduled to be held in the board room at Village Hall, 351 Stewart Avenue. Any residents with our without constructive suggestions …

Village Office Closed Jan. 17: Please be advised that village offices will be closed on Monday, Jan. 17, 2011 in observance of Martin Luther King Day. Offices will re-open at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 18. There will be no garbage or recycling pickup for Monday, Jan. 17 and there will be no rubbish pickup on Wednesday, Jan. 19. The holiday collection schedule will be as follows: Western half of village (west of Rockaway Avenue): Garbage: Tuesday and Thursday  Rubbish: Wednesday, Jan. 26 Eastern half of village (east of Rockaway Avenue): Garbage: Wednesday and Friday           Rubbish: …

A Word of Thanks: The effects of last week's blizzard presented many challenges to residents and our business community in coping with daily activities. I want to publicly acknowledge and thank the numerous employees of the incorporated village of Garden City and many volunteer firefighters who left the comfort and safety of their homes and families for long hours at a time to provide for our safety and to open roads and parking fields to make them accessible for emergency vehicles during the storm and private vehicles immediately after the snowfall. Special thanks is also due to all of the …

Happy New Year: The village board of trustees and I extend to all residents of the village a Happy New Year, one blessed with good health, much happiness and well-being for all of our families. Village Hall Holiday Schedule: Village Hall will be closed on Friday, Dec. 31, New Year's Eve in observance of the New Year's Day holiday and will re-open at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 3. For your convenience, correspondence may be placed in the letter slot at the easterly entrance to Village Hall. Second Half of Village Taxes: The second half of village taxes, which were due and payable on Dec. 1, 2010, …

The Garden City board of trustees wishes residents happy holidays.

Village Hall Holiday Schedule: Village Hall will be closed on Friday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve in observance of the Christmas holiday and will re-open at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 27. Village offices will also be closed on Friday, Dec. 31 in observance of the New Year's holiday and will re-open at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 3. For your convenience, correspondence may be placed in the letter slot at the easterly entrance to Village Hall. Village Taxes: The second half of village taxes, which were due and payable on Dec. 1, are subject to penalty if payment is not made within a 30-day grace period. …

Holiday Safety: It's easy to understand that many holiday traditions have the potential to put us at an increased risk for fire, and during the holidays it can be especially challenging to keep fire safety in mind with many other things competing for our attention. By understanding where holiday fire hazards exist, and taking some simple preventative steps to avoid them, people can greatly reduce their risk to fire and keep everyone in good cheer. The following tips are from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): Christmas Trees: United States fire departments annually respond to …

Parking Field 7N Reconstruction Update: As I write this column, the contractors are completing the final phase of the reconstruction of Parking Field 7N.  New street light fixtures are currently being installed and should be completed by next week. The incorporated village and our contractors have attempted to maximize cooperation with area businesses and residents and to mitigate foreseeable problems wherever possible while maintaining a safe work site and keeping sections of the parking field open for use during the construction. Unfortunately, a number of local businesses may have been …

33rd Annual Turkey Trot: The Turkey Trot Race Committee of Garden City, Inc. will conduct its 33rd annual Merrill Lynch Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 25. You can register on-line at www.gcturkeytrot.com. You can register the day of the race from 8 to 9:15 a.m. The Turkey Trot Race Committee is asking for your support in bringing donations of non-perishable food to the race, which will be donated to Island Harvest to help feed the hungry. The race will form at St. Paul's School with the Challenger Division race beginning at 9 a.m., the 1.4-mile run will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the 5…