Village Board Wants GCTA to Change Race Route

The Garden City Teacher's Association is planning to hold its annual 5K run for charity, Garden City For A Cure, next year on April 21.

Village trustees unanimously approved the organization's request with one caveat - they have to change the race route.

According to trustee Dennis Donnelly, numerous residents living in the Esates section had "trouble" getting out of their driveways during this year's event. "They are unwilling to change their course," he said. "I will approve this only if they come to an agreement with police."

Police commissioner Ernest Cipullo said the department made several suggestions but organization officials haven't been receptive. "We're working on it," he said.

In 2010 Cipullo asked that the board's approval in granting the GCTA a race permit be contingent upon the department's review of the race route and more. He said several issues the year prior needed correction, particularly ending the race on school grounds - and not Rockaway Avenue, which resulted in unhappy residents and traffic issues.

Mayor Don Brudie said he was told it would cost $20,000 to change the route. "This doesn't look like a very profitable operation if they only made $15,000. Where did they come up with that figure?" he asked, directing village administrator Robert Schoelle to look into the matter.

"They have to be re-certified," Cipullo said. "It's some kind of private vendor who does this. We don't understand it either but that's what we were told."

According to Kevin Pollitt, GCTA president, "After the first year we had the race (2010) we were told by the village and police department that we needed to change the route for the race this year (April 2011). We were required to have it end in the high school parking lot (as opposed to ending on Rockaway Avenue in 2010) and we needed to have only 'right' turns for the runners (to make it easier for police to block roadways and safer for the runners to stay on the course)."

Pollitt said changes were made village officials approved the course used this past April. "Once we received the approval, we had the 5K course certified (an additional expense to us), planning on using the same course for future races," Pollitt said. "This is the first I'm hearing about changing the race route since we made all the changes that were asked of us last year.  I was under the impression that the police department was happy with the new route."

Pollitt said one of the complaints heard by the GCTA in 2010 was lack of notification to residents that lived on the race route. "This year, we took out a full page ad in the Garden City News, hand delivered notices to homes on the course and the Garden City police posted signs along the course the day before," he said. "I know we can't make everyone happy, but we will continue to do our best to notify residents and listen to suggestions."

The GCTA's inaugural walk/run in 2010 cost the village $4,218 in police overtime. Last year trustees voted in favor of charging local organizations 50 percent of the village costs associated with running such an event.

The association held its second annual race April 2, 2011, raising $17,000 for the fight against cancer ($16,000 to benefit Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and $1,000 to be donated to Uniting Against Lung Cancer).

Stratford School teacher and race director Kerry Calvert's mission was conceived after her father died of lung cancer in 2006. As a Garden City teacher she wanted to bring fellow teachers, district children and the community together for a charity event.

"If the police say no, we say no," trustee Nick Episcopia said of the board's ultimate approval of next year's race.