Deputy Mayor Lynn Pombonyo
Honoring Our Graduates
Congratulations to the graduates of our four Floral Park schools, and those who are graduating from private schools and universities. Our Awards Ceremonies are coming to a conclusion tonight, with well over a thousand awards presented for achievement in academics, the fine arts, business, technology, athletics, extracurricular participation, community service, and others. Many impressive stories of amazing accomplishments!
Many of our college students have already graduated as have our Our Lady of Victory and private school students. Our John Lewis Childs, Floral Park-Bellerose and Floral Park Memorial High School students will receive their diplomas this week.
We are so proud, and wish all of them the very best in the future ~ whether it’s at the next level of education, college, graduate school, the military, the business world, or wherever our graduates’ aspirations take them, may it bring great joy and fulfillment. Floral Park will always be there for you.
So, if you see a 2023 graduate, be sure to express your congratulations and good wishes!
Conservation Society (FPCS)
Floral Park is looking forward to a beautiful evening this Friday. From 5 to 8pm, THE BEST OF NASSAU COUNTY’S PUBLIC GARDENS, Centennial Gardens and Bird Sanctuary, will be the place to meet and greet friends and neighbors, enjoy music and summery beverages, surround yourself with the wonder of nature, and admire the magnificent sunset.
Check out the Floral Park Centennial Gardens facebook page for the details and donation options. This event is an important fundraiser to support FPCS work maintaining and beautifying our BEST OF NASSAU COUNTY PUBLIC GARDEN.
Please note, in the case of inclement weather on Friday evening, check the Floral Park Centennial Gardens facebook page for updates. The Rec Center will not be the rain-out location for the Garden Party and, rather, will be the location of the Fire Department’s Community Blood Drive, also a very important event.
Chambers of Commerce and Our Businesses
Thanks to all ~ our Floral Park Chamber of Commerce, led by President Marie Grant and Street Fair Chairman Bill Barry of Uptown Taco, for a best night in our Village at the Floral Park Chamber Street Fair. A very large, enthusiastic crowd made it fun for all.
Thanks also go to our Chamber members, fun-food vendors, bands, J~J’s Irish Step Dancers, and all for a great time; to Superintendent Kevin Ginnane and Supervisor Kevin Pearsall for DPW’s huge set-up and take down as well as constant clean-up that lasted until almost midnight; to Commissioner Stephen McAllister, Lieutenant Thomas McCarthy, Sergeant Joseph Cosmo, and our many Officers for their leadership in keeping us all safe and secure; and to Village Administrator Gerry Bambrick and Village Clerk Susan Walsh for their organizational efforts throughout.
The Floral Park Chamber Street Fair was a huge success. Next, on to the Covert Avenue Chamber of Commerce Street Fair on Saturday, October 14th, save the date!
Police Department
Our Police Department has shown its vital importance to the Village in many ways this past month.
Their leadership and presence were key to the success of the Floral Park Chamber Street Fair. And, as that wound down late Friday night, our Police were up bright and early on Saturday, Belmont Stakes Day. They patrolled our streets; greeted residents and guests; guided lost drivers and pedestrians; enforced our laws; and cited those who chose to disobey those laws. Their focus was on the West End where many hundreds of Belmont Stakes fans were making their way to Floral Park’s traditional neighborhood parties and the Mayfair gate.
As the big race ended and evening came upon us, many of our Officers converged on Plainfield, Carnation and Tulip Avenues, and Jericho Turnpike. There, they turned the massive flow of traffic with more than 4000 vehicles from the Belmont blue parking lot as well as considerable local traffic all northbound towards Jericho Turnpike westbound via Carnation Avenue, and Jericho Turnpike eastbound via Plainfield Avenue. Our Officers displayed superior traffic management and direction skills as they executed a well-coordinated plan to move thousands of vehicles out of Floral Park quickly and safely, this year, at around 9pm. Thanks to FPPD for their second weekend day of extraordinary service to our Village and its thousands of additional visitors. Well done!
In another well done operation, our Police apprehended a troublesome perpetrator who repeatedly approached vehicles parked in driveways, attempting to enter them. Unfortunately, this individual was successful in the West End on a number of occasions. Commissioner McAllister credits residents in this area for promptly reporting suspicious individuals and incidents, sharing their security camera recordings, and providing vital details. In this case, the perpetrator was frequenting driveways and vehicles at certain times. The Police followed up on this pattern by adjusting Officers’ schedules so that they were nearby at the times this perpetrator liked to strike and, of course, FPPD caught and arrested him.
Thanks to our Officers for their vigilance in tracking down this criminal, and to our residents who provided the information needed to arrest him. Our Board of Trustees and FPPD strongly urge all residents and businesses to call 911 when you experience or witness potential criminal behavior. Prompt and accurate reporting of these possible offenses are necessary to support our FPPD in keeping us safe.
Trustee Frank Chiara
Fire Department
Good evening. I would like to inform you of a recent post on the E-Village Items regarding the recent fire at 266 Jericho Turnpike.
Update Regarding the Fire at 266 Jericho Turnpike
“News 12 ran a factually incorrect story on June 8, 2023 regarding the fire at 266 Jericho Turnpike concerning the frequency of fire inspections performed by the Village. News 12 incorrectly reported that there were no inspections of this building since 2017 despite the fact that News 12 was informed that the Village Fire Department had conducted inspections of 266 Jericho Turnpike over the last several years. Fire inspections, which are required by code every 3 years for this type of occupancy, may be conducted by the Village Building Department, the Village Fire Department, and/or the Nassau County Fire Marshal. The Village Fire Department conducted building inspections of 266 Jericho in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. The fact that the Building Department informed News 12 that the Village Fire Department had conducted the inspections several times over the last few years was inexplicably omitted from their story.
After being contacted by the Village, News 12 did a follow up story with some clarification to the June 8th story. The Village intends to continue their follow up with management of New 12 in an effort to have future stories about our Village accurately reported. Our Fire Department and Building Department will continue, as they have been doing, to perform these regular inspections to ensure that these buildings meet the safety and building code requirements.”
Last weekend, Chief of the Department Brian Hammerman and Assistant Chief Gil Luger attended the New York State Fire Chiefs Association conference in Syracuse, NY. Both attended classes not only to hone their skills but to bring back valuable information to share with the department. Classes were taken on strategy tactics, leadership and training, fire behavior and firefighting survival and a very important current topic of lithium-ion batteries impact on the fireground. Our Chiefs networked with the many of the other Fire Chiefs to discuss issues within the fire service. It was an informative and valuable conference for them to attend.
This Saturday, June 24, members of the department will be attending the fire academy to take a course on thermal imaging and the department also has several members enrolled in the essentials and primary classes at the academy. Students taking the essentials and primary classes will be trained in the basics of firefighting, tested and certified as firefighters.
Thank You to all of our volunteer Firefighters and Rescue members for taking the time out to participate in all of these vital training courses. Your expertise in all areas of firefighting and medical emergencies makes you well prepared and brings a comfort to all of our residents.
Library
The Circus is coming to the Floral Park Library! On Saturday, June 24 from 1:30pm to 4:30pm, the Circus is coming to help celebrate the Library’s 100th birthday and to kick off the summer reading program. There will be circus performers on stilts and many other circus acts. Also, if interested, there will be a workshop to teach you how to perform like a circus professional. All are welcome to attend. The rain date for the Circus will be on Sunday, June 25 at the same time. 1:30pm to 4:30pm.
On Monday, June 26 from 4:30pm to 5:30pm, a local talented student from John Lewis Childs School’s 5th grade, Mythreyi Pillai who wrote a book titled “Magic in the Door” will be at the Library to read portions of her book. She will be there to talk about the book and answer questions about her writing process. Autographed copies of the book will be available for sale. All families with children from grades 2 through 5 are welcome to come out to support our local young author. Registration has begun for this event and can be completed on the Library’s website. Please check the Library’s website www.floralparklibrary.org for the many upcoming events for the month of June.
Trustee Jennifer Stewart
Department of Public Works
DPW has been hard at work keeping our Village clean and safe. They have filled potholes on Magnolia Avenue and in the North and West Ends, installed brick on the rear library door, watered our hanging baskets of flowers, and maintained our beautiful parks. Additionally, the very well utilized street sweepers were repaired, sanitation and police vehicles were maintained and serviced. Stop-bar line stripping was completed at Carnation and Adelaide, Carnation and Florence and Terrace and Hanover. Repaving will begin on portions of the following streets: Harvard, Nassau, and Lexington, Carnation between Plainfield and Floral Parkway, Bryant from Emerson to Hawthorne and Hawthorne from Bryant to the city line. The Clayton Avenue reconstruction road project is slated to begin on 7/17. Some preparation work such as curb removal and tree removal will be ongoing prior to the start date.
The Flowbird Parking Meter System will begin Monday 6/26 in the Carlton lot and in August in the Creedmoor Spur.
Please check the recycling calendar for reminders regarding the sanitation schedule.
Four Village Studio (4VS)
Jim Green has prepped the studio to be fully HD. Jim and two staff members hosted a tour and media career informational gathering for high school students from Elmont Memorial and Sewanhaka High Schools which was very successful. If you know a high school or college age student interested in media, contact Jim for some information about volunteering at the studio. A 100th Anniversary testimonial to Bellerose Village is being worked on. Five of the 4VS 2022 productions are currently under consideration at the Alliance for Community Media’s Northeast Regional Video Festival, judging will take place this summer, good luck to all.
MTA
We continue to encourage residents to contact the MTA at MTA.org, click on their contact us page to voice concerns and ask questions.
Trustee Michael Longobardi
Building Department
The Covert Avenue fire property foundation work is expected to start soon. The Centennial Hall developer is working on submitting paperwork for the demolition of the existing building which is expected to be done over the summer. Site plan approval for Centennial Hall is still with the County. Taco Bell is nearing completion and the owner has advised us that he hopes to open by the end of the month. Regarding the new Multi-Purpose Rink at the park, we are waiting on the manufacturer representative regarding methods to fix the issue with the surface paint. A reminder to residents that all permanently installed air conditioning and heat pump units require a permit and have zoning requirements regarding the placement of the outdoor units. Permits must be filed prior to installing these units. Please call the Building Department at 516-326-6319 for assistance or information regarding the allowable placement areas. Notices were recently sent to all existing pool owners regarding the new pool permit process. Pool permits and fees have been eliminated for all existing pool owners. You are still obligated to comply with all codes and rules. Permits are always required for a new or replacement pool prior to installation.
Pool and Recreation
Our Park and Pool are open and in full swing. The Pool opening began with a few bumps. Thanks to the efforts of Superintendent Kurt Meyfohrt, Pool Director Tom Dillon and their staff, all pools and the slide are now open. Thank you to our residents for your patience and enjoy the pool. This coming Saturday, June 24th we will begin full summer hours: 10:00am to 8:45pm. This past Friday we had our first event of the summer, the Teen Luau. They had a great night. Some upcoming events include Top Your Own Sundae, Friday, July 7th, Residents Day, Sunday, July 9th, and Grandparents Day, Sunday, July 16th. Please see the Pool Calendar in the pool book for a complete list of dates and events.
This past Saturday, my fellow board members and I had the honor of attending the opening Ceremony for the annual Michael R. Davidson Tournament at the Recreation Center. Michael Davidson, a Floral Park resident, Lt. and 15-year veteran in the FDNY, died tragically in 5-Alarm fire in Harlem in 2018. This annual tournament brings our Floral Park Little League teams and teams from surrounding areas together to play games in honor and remembrance of Michael Davidson and help raise funds for the Michael R Davidson Foundation. Michael’s wife, Eileen, and his family head the foundation which is committed to the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of first responder and military families and their children. Thank you to Floral Park Little League President Doug Madden and his Board for hosting this event and providing all the support to the foundation.
Monday, June 26th starts the summer season with activities for the kids during the day and the adult sports programs at night which include basketball and volleyball. It is a great time of year with many neighbors and friends. Come down and enjoy the fun.
On Friday, June 16th I had the honor of attending the annual flag burning ceremony at our American Legion in honor of Flag Day and retiring worn out flags. Thank you to the American Legion for the annual ceremony which they do with such reverence; it is very impressive.
Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald
Dovetailing on Trustee Longobardi’s report on the American Legion, I am happy to report that Village Clerk Susan Walsh is working with the Floral Park American Legion to initiate the Military Tribute Banner Program in the Village of Floral Park. You may have seen these banners, one which Village Clerk Walsh is displaying now, on light poles in other communities throughout Long Island. This program is a special way to honor family members and residents who served in the military. More to follow.
As it is her last Board of Trustees meeting, I would like to thank Rosaleen Shea, Deputy Village Clerk for her service and contributions over the past three years to the Village, especially during the Covid pandemic. Congratulations and best wishes. Deputy Mayor Lynn Pombonyo also recognized and thanked Deputy Village Clerk Shea for her public service in the Villages of Bellerose and Floral Park and its schools over the past two decades.
The next Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, July 18, 2023.
