Deputy Mayor Lynn Pombonyo
Police Department
October ended with our Police Department’s participation in three annual Village events, all on the same weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 28th and 29th. Rhatigan’s 5K Run/Walk, sponsored by our Knights of Columbus organization, honors beloved former Deputy Mayor James “Jim” Rhatigan. A great man of Floral Park; a very dedicated Knights organization; a beautiful, sunny day; hundreds of enthusiastic participants; a cheering crowd; and our dedicated Police Officers supporting it all.
Almost at the same time, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day was taking place at Police Headquarters. Three large boxes of unused, expired and possibly dangerous drugs were taken to the Police Department for their appropriate and safe disposal. Thanks to the Floral Park Lions Club and President Terry Whalen for joining the event to distribute important health and wellness information and resources, published by Lions Clubs International and health-related agencies.
The next day, families returned to the Police Department for the Halloween Roll Call. Dozens of children came in their best Police Officer costume finery, including a few Detectives, too. Joining the event were two Nassau County Police Department Mounted Unit Officers, Vazquez and Shea, riding their police horses (also known as ten foot police officers), Jeff and Valor. A guided tour of one of our police cars, siren included, was another highlight, followed by goody bags filled with police badges and other special items. Lots of smiles, even in the rain, and thanks to Lieutenant Doherty for coordinating these two weekend events and Officers Murphy and Monahan for joining in the fun.
Thank you FPPD for your service to our Village.
Conservation Society (FPCS)
October came to a joyful end at our Centennial Gardens and Bird Sanctuary. Over 470 Fairies and their families were amazed and awed by the sunshine glow of the Fairie Villages at the FPCS Fairie Forest Festival. Our tiny Fairie Villages included intricate Leprechaun, Halloween, Artist, Music, School, Bakery, Diamond Mine, and Fishing Villages and other favorites, all accompanied by magical stories told by dozens of imaginative Fairie volunteers. Another Festival treat was the first annual Family Fairie House Challenge, and you’ll be hearing more about that. Meanwhile, great appreciation goes to Dominick McCartan, the master artist and creator of the Fairie Villages; our fearless Fairie leaders Ann Moynagh, Christy Reisig and Marina Horan; our twinkling Fairie lights technician, FPCS President Dennis McEnery; our Parks Department, working with Superintendent Kurt Meyfohrt, who restored our storm-drenched Gardens to its autumn splendor; and our fifty-one dedicated FPCS and community volunteers who made the Fairie Villages come to life for a best day in Floral Park, wow!
Beautifying the Gardens the first Saturday of every month, rain or shine, has been our hard working FPCS volunteer Rich Burgess and his helpers. For November’s final Weed-Out of the season, Mr. Burgess’ crowd of helpers, who outdid themselves, included FPCS Board members, community volunteers, students from Floral Park Memorial and Sewanhaka High Schools working with Teacher Mrs. Diane Ventura, and Boy Scout Troop 4. Great seeing you all there!
We are now getting ready to close the Gardens for the season on Sunday, November 26th. You can still visit to experience Autumn in the Gardens daily, during our new hours, 11 AM to 4 PM.
Chambers of Commerce and Our Businesses
Congratulations go to Bill Barry, owner of Uptown Taco on Tulip Avenue! Bill is the recipient of the Floral Park Chamber of Commerce Businessperson of the Year Award, which was presented to him at the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce Annual Legislative Breakfast at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. The event was attended by Chambers of Commerce from all over Nassau County, leaders in business and government, and Bill’s proud family and Floral Park Chamber colleagues. Be sure to stop in at Uptown Taco to applaud Bill and enjoy a tasty taco while you’re there. (And here are some Fun Facts about our Bill Barry. He’s a native Floral Parker and former teacher in the New York City Schools, but has always been a great food connoisseur. Bill was also the Chairman of the highly popular and successful 2023 Floral Park Chamber Street Fair, returning to Tulip Avenue and its exciting Friday night before the Belmont Stakes time slot.)
The holidays will be here before we know it. Our Chambers of Commerce and Junior Woman’s Club are getting ready with their tree lighting planning. Save the dates: Friday evening, December 1st for the Floral Park Tree Lighting and Festival, and Saturday afternoon and evening, December 9th for the Covert Avenue Tree Lighting. CELEBRATE LOCAL in Floral Park and Stewart Manor!
And then, there’s always SHOP AND DINE LOCAL in Floral Park and Stewart Manor on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. All parking meter fees will be waived in our business districts on Saturday, November 25th to make your parking experiences free and easy!
We add a special thanks to all of our Floral Park residents and businesses for making Halloween an extra special treat for our children and families. Our homes and businesses, adorned with twinkling orange lights and life-sized decorations, delighted our trick-or-treaters of all ages. Halloween was another great day to be a child in Floral Park!
Trustee Frank Chiara
Library
The Floral Park Library is hosting their annual “Food for Fines Program” beginning November 1st and running through the month November. The library will waive overdue fines, up to $5 per cardholder, for donations of food items that will be given to the OLV food pantry. Even if you don’t have any overdue books, the library will be accepting food donations. Please consider making a food donation.
On Thursday, November 9th, from 10 AM to 4 PM the Empire Safety Council is conducting a six hour defensive driving course at the library. The fee for the course is $30. In person registration is required and all interested may contact the adult reference desk at (516)326-6330 for additional information.
Additionally, on November 9th from 7 PM to 8 PM the library is having a Nutritionist and Diabetes Educator, Marie Ruggles, to speak on how to combat viruses with a nutrition prescription. Marie will explain how to increase your resistance and what are the exact steps to take when you feel like something is coming on.
There is a new game arrival at the library—an American Mahjong set. The game is available to all patrons and can be signed out for a two-week period. It comes with an instruction manual for beginners.
Check out the library’s website www.floralparklibrary.org for upcoming events offered for the month of November and December.
Fire Department
The Village of Floral Park Fire Department along with the MTA, Nassau County Fire Officials, and a number of other neighboring Fire Departments are planning a reality-based fire drill. This drill will simulate a vehicle being struck by a LIRR train with the vehicle being push along the train tracks on the Hempstead line. Actors will be on the train pretending to be injured. The responding Fire Departments will address this accident by evaluating and caring for the injured people on the train and in the vehicle. Firefighters will also extinguish any fires on the train or in the area and address any environmental concerns. This reality-based drill will take place on Sunday November 19, 2023 from 8 AM to 11 AM. It will take place along the LIRR Hempstead line from Covert Avenue toward the sump by the Floral Park Recreation Center. Train service on the Hempstead branch may be suspended during the drill. Residents in the area of this drill will be notified that this drill is taking place. All other residents should be aware of the drill and avoid calling our Police Department.
These drills demonstrate the amount of training our Volunteer Fire and Rescue members perform to ensure their readiness in addressing major incidents, should they occur.
Thank You to all of our volunteers and to our neighboring volunteers for your service to our communities.
Trustee Jennifer Stewart
Congratulations to the varsity soccer team at Floral Park Memorial for your undefeated regular season. Although the playoffs did not end the way you would have liked, an undefeated regular season is an accomplishment to be proud of. Good luck to the Floral Park Memorial varsity football team as they take on Wantagh in the semifinals at 4 PM on Friday at Hofstra.
4VS
Some programming highlights for this week are: The Antique Road Test with Walter Godson, catch Walter as he explores Vintage Hubcaps; Wes Houston presents the Charles Buonasera Trio and their Instrumental Jazz from The Real Book; and Inspiring Stories by Bill Corbett Jr., Paws of War, placing shelter dogs with Military Veterans.
Department of Public Works
Our Department of Public Works crews are out daily collecting leaves on Village roads. We ask residents not to rake leaves into the street but place them out for collection on their scheduled yard waste day. Crews continue to sweep roads and maintain Village buildings and parks. The upgrade of our lovely Walnut Park has been finished, and we have received texts and emails from residents who are pleased with the upgrade. Tree trimmings in the Village are ongoing. If you would like a tree planted on your property, please call the Department of Public Works at 516-326-6320 to make that request.
Our Sanitation Department collected 35 tons of household waste, 18 tons of bulk of rubbish, 10 tons of paper, and 5 tons of commingled plastics and glass.
Finally, our DPW crews finished hanging of our amazing Veterans Banners. I am so grateful to Village Clerk Susan Walsh for her dedication to this project along with the care and respect our crew exhibited in hanging the banners.
MTA/LIRR
Work has begun on the Tunnel Street safety project. This weekend we saw work being done with the use of a large crane along the Hempstead Branch. As the LIRR notifies us of work they will be doing, we will disseminate that information to residents via social media and email blasts. If you do not receive Village emails, I encourage you to sign up via the Village website www.fpvillage.org or email any board member for assistance. Email blasts are filled with valuable information. We continue to advocate for the MTA/LIRR to execute its end of the MOU from the Third Track Project.
I look forward to seeing many residents along the Veteran’s Day Parade route, which will go down Tulip Avenue to Memorial Park, this Saturday, November 11th as the Village and the American Legion pay tribute to our military heroes.
Trustee Michael Longobardi
Building Department
The Centennial Hall Property site plan has been approved by Nassau County. Developer plans to start foundation work before the end of the year and his construction timeline is approximately one year. County approval is still pending for the Covert Avenue property; foundation work is expected to start late fall/early winter once approved. The 266 Jericho Turnpike location is still being assessed by engineers and design plans to move forward are being developed and reviewed. Congratulations to Gyro Village; they recently opened and are getting great reviews. The Pizza Bar and Haagen-Dazs are all moving forward at various stages. The Village has also received inquiries on possible businesses for other vacant store fronts. More to follow on these.
As a reminder to all commercial property owners and tenants: any new business or change in ownership requires a business registration as well as a sign permit, if applicable. Information and forms can be obtained from the building department or online at fpvillage.org. Please do not hesitate to contact the building department. They provide a wealth of information and valuable help to guide you and keep you in compliance with codes and laws.
Pool and Recreation
Our fall leagues are slowly coming to an end. This week the new kickball league will have its championship games and Titans Football will wrap up their season. The Youth Football League is still going strong as well as the Screaming Eagles Hockey team. Tuesday’s beautiful weather saw one last flurry of activity at the park. Those who were fortunate enough to have off for Election Day were able to enjoy a nice warm day at our park with their kids. Winterizing at the park has started and this coming Monday, winter hours will start with the park closing at 4:30. Our annual Recreation Center’s tree lighting is scheduled for Friday December 8th. There will be more details to follow.
Town-Village Aircraft Safety & Noise Abatement Committee (TVASNAC)
The next meeting for TVASNAC, the Town-Village Aircraft Safety & Noise Abatement Committee will be held on Monday November 27th at Hempstead Town Hall, One Washington Street in Hempstead at 7 PM. If you want to make a noise complaint regarding air traffic, you can call 1-800-225-1071. You can also go to the Village website at www.fpvillage.org and click on TVASNAC noise complaint contact information page on our home page.
Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald
LIRR
We continue to have an open dialogue with the LIRR, trying to tie up loose ends from the Third Track construction project. We would like to put those things to rest, so we thank them for continuously working with us to try and resolve the outstanding issues.
Military Banners
I would like to specifically thank the Department of Public Works. We heard from a number of residents thanking them for the care they have taken in hanging up the banners. It was probably a labor of love. Thank you for all your hard work and thanks in advance for having to take them all down and putting them back up in the spring. We are still getting a number of stories coming in. A few weeks back we received a banner for a Joseph E. Fitzgerald from the Fitzgerald family. That was my father’s name, however that is not my father’s banner hanging on Tulip Avenue. A gentleman by the name of Anthony Fitzgerald who lives on Tulip Avenue spoke to us about his father who served on a minesweeper in the Pacific during WWII and was part of the crew that went to Japan right after the bombs were dropped. So, we would like to thank Mr. Joseph E. Fitzgerald for his service.
Lastly, I would like to thank Brandon Duffy from Blank Slate Media for joining us and for continuing covering all the happenings in Floral Park.
