Administrator Lynn Pombonyo
Firefighters
It’s been a busy summer for the fire department, with a total of 123 calls for assistance in July, 84 ambulance calls and four mutual aid calls. Recently, the Department responded to a smoke alarm at a home where there was smoke inside and the owners were away. FPFD’s quick response and working smoke detectors prevented any fire damage which made a big difference in the outcome. Also make sure your smoke detectors are working.
In September, the entire department will spend four evenings at the Nassau County Fire Service Academy in Bethpage. There they will participate in instructive and practical practice with interior attacks in structures similar to those in and near our village. FPFD’s commitment to continuing education is impressive and appreciated.
Thank you also to our Kiwanis club for recently honoring our volunteer fire department and first responders.
Public Works Department
DPW has been deeply involved in road projects and preparations for the opening of the school. This includes repaving South Tyson Avenue (in conjunction with third lane contractors 3TC), as well as laying new lines near our schools.
Reconstruction of Spooner Street and parking lot road (with reconstruction of the curb, apron and drain) is underway. This complex project will take about sixty days. Due to delayed start-up due to changes in the road contractor assigned to the job, subsequent projects on Hinsdale and Clayton Avenues will be delayed until spring, more details to follow.
Conservation Society and Centennial Gardens
Our present and past children’s gardening classes gathered at the gardens for a late summer reunion picnic. There they feasted on the colorful flowers and greenery they had planted. Great recognition goes to Mrs. Laura Trentacoste who imagined, developed and teaches this unique garden program.
Our extended weekend hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (or dusk, whichever comes first) will continue through September. Weekday hours remain 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Watch sunsets through the trees during our weekend twilight hours. It really is the BEST IN NASSAU.
You can also enjoy it on the Floral Park Centennial Gardens Facebook page, beautifully created by Ann Moynagh.
Chamber of Commerce
Celebrate fall at the Covert Avenue Chamber of Commerce Street Fair on Saturday, October 15. It’s bigger and better than ever, so bring the whole family!
And make Floral Park and Stewart Manor your favorite places to stroll, SHOP AND DINE LOCALLY this fall!
Best wishes
We send our best wishes for success and joy to students of all ages returning to school, to those bravely entering military service, and to all entering the workforce. Remember that we are always here for you.
Administrator Frank Chiara
building department
This month’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) meeting will be split into two sessions due to caseload and project complexity. Tentatively, the Covert Avenue project and other applications will take place on Wednesday, September 21, and the Centennial Hall project and others will take place on Wednesday, September 28. Final agendas will be posted on the WRA website next week.
police department
With the reopening of our schools, the Police Department would like to remind our residents that there are school speed zones near all of our schools. The speed limit in school zones is 20 mph while schools are in session. Please drop off and pick up your children safely and obey all of our traffic rules. Keep a watchful eye on our children and drive safely.
Trustee Jennifer Stewart
Swimming pool
Our 2022 pool season officially ended today with the annual Seniors Luncheon. The rain did not spoil the fun! Yesterday, hundreds of members took part in the last annual jump at 5 p.m. at the Parc Floral swimming pool. So much fun was had by all. We look forward to seeing all of our members again for the summer of 2023! Many thanks to our lifeguards and supervisors for an extraordinarily safe summer and to Pool Manager Tom Dillon and Superintendent of Recreation Kurt Meyfohrt for all they do to ensure a fun and safe summer for all members.
Recreation
Fall sports are underway. I would like to thank the reps from all of our leagues for a productive land use meeting. A note to all, we expect construction of the multi-purpose rink to begin this fall, be on the lookout for notifications from your leagues. Thank you to all of our coaches and managers who volunteer their time to mentor our youth through athletics. They are truly a gift to our community.
MTA/3TC
The Village Council and Village Administrator Gerry Bambrick continue to engage with the MTA/3TC to ensure the promises made for restoration after this project are honored and to mitigate the negative impacts of any construction on our community. . I encourage any residents who have concerns to log on to MTA.org, scroll to “Give Feedback” and leave your feedback.
Administrator Michael Longobardi
Floral Park Library
At tonight’s board meeting, the contract for the new ADA-compliant ramp and main entrance to the library was awarded to Aventura Construction Corp. It will be both a nice upgrade to the front of the building as well as improved direct access for all. Construction will begin in the near future.
From August 22-24, a group of young children participated in the Library Civics for Kids program. Children from 2nd to 5th grade learned about the history of the floral park, what civic education is and took a tour of the village hotel. They learned about the police and fire departments as well as how the village administration works. Thanks to Laura Trentacoste and Kathy Guidal for this great program for children. Thank you to everyone who works at Village Hall and my fellow board members for being there, making the children feel welcome and helping to educate them about our village.
This weekend, the Library will resume its normal hours with 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. On Friday, September 9 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., the Library will host another shredding event in the ongoing effort to combat identity theft. The maximum amount you can bring is 5 boxes.
The Friends of the Library Book Club is back after the summer. They will meet on the first Monday of each month. On Thursday, September 15, the Library is offering a defensive driving course. This six-hour course is a great way to lower your insurance premiums. Other library events include Pilates on the lawn, yoga, chess club, knitting group, baby club for babies 9-17 months, and future leaders. Details of these and many other events are listed on the library’s website: www.floralparklibrary.org.
Four Village Studios (4VS)
4VS currently has openings for high school students, residing in the four villages area, to join the staff as members of the television production team. No experience is necessary. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about technical positions and the equipment used to create our programs. For nearly 25 years, local student staff members have gained invaluable experience in a real environment. This experience contributed to college acceptance and post-graduation employment in the media industry. If you are interested, please contact the studio by email: [email protected] or call 516-326-1150. A new edition of the report from the Mayor of the Parc Floral will begin on Monday September 12 at 9.30 p.m. and will repeat on Thursday September 15 at the same time. As always, please visit www.4vs.org for the full list of shows, dates and times.
Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald
Downtown Revitalization Initiative
The Village is once again applying for a Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant of up to $10 million. For your information, each year New York State grants $10 million to one community in each of the 10 regions of the state, including Long Island. The basis of Floral Park’s application centers on feedback from our Business Districts Advancement Committee (which consists of residents and business owners) and feedback from our external consultant NV5.
Our three business districts are Jericho Turnpike, Covert Avenue and Tulip Avenue. This year, the Village is seeking community feedback through several avenues: 1) an email blast sent this week to residents with a 20-question survey; and 2) a special meeting on September 13 at 8 p.m. regarding the bid, seeking information from the public. I want to thank Building Superintendent Renee Marcus and Deputy Mayor Lynn Pombonyo for their hard work last week and, as always, thanks to Village Administrator Gerry Bambrick. As the deadline approaches, we believe the Parc Floral bid will be strong and will include concrete initiatives that can have significant value in increasing the viability of our business districts. We look forward to hearing from our residents and businesses next week to finalize the submission.
Belmont Racecourse
I am happy to announce good news. NYRA has passed a resolution to designate the triangle at the Crocus Avenue – Floral Park Bellerose School (FPBS) boundary as open space (not to be absorbed as a parking lot). This will enhance the Belmont/Parc Floral border by creating a buffer zone for the school near the playground and for local residents. I would like to thank the Franchise Oversight Board (FOB), MP Michaelle Solages, former FPBS Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Sottile, and Village Administrator Bambrick for helping to accomplish this. I would especially like to thank the residents of Crocus and Larch Avenues for making your voices heard throughout the process to better assist Council in achieving and maintaining the quality of life in the West End.
Communication
Administrator Stewart mentioned that email blasts are a key tool that the Mayor and Board use regularly to keep residents, businesses and the public informed of the latest news in the Village. I am happy to report that over 3,000 residents have successfully subscribed to online notifications. Residents can read the most recent bi-weekly Board Reports and other timely village-wide news, including Building Department (BZA/ARB) agendas by visiting Village website and/or signing up to receive personal notifications by going to the Village website: fpvillage.org, click Quick Links: Important Notifications. The direct link is: https://fpvillage.org/notifications/
Thanks to Felix Procaccia of ‘Just the Facts Media’ and Brandon Duffy, Blank Slate Media (on Zoom) for their presence. It’s appreciated.
*Full versions of the Mayor’s and Board’s reports are available online at www.fpvillage.org.
