More needs to be done beyond President Obama’s proposal to freeze federal workers salaries for two years to help reduce the deficit.

Nassau County Executive Mangano, New York City Mayor Bloomberg and Gov.-elect Cuomo should do the same.

However, it should also apply to those who serve in the executive, judiciary and legislative branches of government in Washington, Albany, New York City Hall and Nassau County seat in Mineola.

President Obama and Congress should adopt 2008 spending levels in future budgets over the next two years. Cuomo and the state Legislature, Bloomberg and the New York City Council along with Nassau County Executive Mangano and the County Legislature should do the same.

Uncle Sam, Albany, New York City and Nassau County should suspend billions in future tax refunds to those individuals and businesses who have failed to pay back taxes or student loans.

Everyone needs to do their fair share in bringing budget deficits and long term debt for all levels of government under control.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

A heartfelt thanks to the hundreds of Park District residents who braved the cold and wind to vote in the Park District elections on Dec. 14. It is very reassuring to know that residents appreciate the work done by local district officials in our community. It is a great honor to continue to serve the residents as one of your commissioners, and to serve the needs of all those who enjoy the parks and programs we provide in Great Neck.

Ruth J. Tamarin

Great Neck

A current exhibit of plein air paintings by members of The Art League of Nassau County in the all-purpose building at Clinton G. Martin park provides a selection of finely rendered examples of that school of painting which has its origins in Impressionism.

For the 19th century European impressionist painters and American realistic painters such as Winslow Homer, the plein air approach attempted to capture a moment in nature in a landscape or other subjects. The idea is for an artist to become immersed in the environment, and execute a painting on the spot in an outdoor setting. The portability of easels in the late 19th century made the approach possible, and the contemporary artists of the Art League of Nassau County pursue the practive as a group on a regular basis.

“What you see is real and you have to do it two hours, in tops three, before the lights change,” said Carol Bruder, president of the Art League.

“The object is to capture the atmosphere, and it’s usually more emotional because it’s more spontaneous.”

Early impressionist painters practicing the technique would often return to the same spot at the same time of day for a few days at a time to capture the same lighting conditions.

Members of the county Art League typically go on planned excursions twice monthly during the summer months to practice plein air techniques, according to Bruder, who said in some cases the painters will get the basic “statement” of the painting on canvas and finish the rest at home.

Because of the objective to finish a piece quickly, most of the works in the exhibition mounted in the main activity room at Clinton G. Martin and in one hallway are relatively small renderings. But what they lack in size, the more than make up for in content.

Nancy Fabrizio’s “Connetquot River View” presents an image of the river in greyish blue irridescent tones, with foliage from the trees on the river bank reflected in the water, and seemingly, as part of it. Fabrizio, who lives in Floral Park, also has a work called “Sunflowers at the Winery,” in which the sunflowers are really points of color on the canvas with lavender flowers as a counterpoint in the foreground. A winery building in the background lends the piece perspective.

Nancy Wernersbach’s “Stony Brook Marsh” shows a stream of blue-green water snaking through the canvas, surrounded by marsh grass and other vegetation. The windblown marsh grass lends an immersive feeling to the viewer and the way the water recedes into the distance draws the onlooker into the painting.

In Bruder’s own “Inlet at Stony Brook” is another prime example of the plein air approach, as the water and the reeds surrounding it in the inlet seem to merge as one in the small image.

Among the most striking pieces in the exhibit is “A Pond in the Park” by Thomas Geyer, notable partly because of its unusually large size. But Geyer has succeeded in giving a novel presentation of the Central Park duck pond near the corner of 59th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan. The skyscrapers just outside the park are reflected in the pond, which has ducks painted as white streaks, which lend the pond the feeling of being some kind of living organism, like a giant alligator.

The recently mounted Art League of Nassau County exhibit will be on display through the end of January. There is no charge to view it.

Those interested in getting involved with the Art League can attend its next meeting in the Clinton G. Martin building on Jan. 28 at 7:30. A demonstrator session, featuring one of the league’s members giving a brief primer on painting techniques, will be part of the meeting.

The Art League has a new exhibition coming up at the Jericho Library, opening on Feb. 2 and continuing through Feb. 27. A reception with the artsts will be held on Feb. 5.

For further information, visit the organization’s web site at www.artleagueofnc.org.

Nassau County executive Edward Mangano isn’t expecting to turn Nassau County into Tinseltown, but his administration is looking to draw more lights, action and cameras to shoot feature films in the region.

The county has been gaining traction in developing more cinematic interest in the local environs, with the number of shooting days and estimated income from locally filmed productions increasing steadily over the past several years.

“There really seem to be a bigger push now,” said Debora Markowitz, director of the Nassau County Film Office. “We have studios now and we’re trying to identify locations for more studios.”

The feature film “Salt” was shot at privately-owned Grumman Studios in Bethpage, where “Man on a Ledge” was also recently shot by Summit Films at Gold Coast Studios, according to Markowitz.

Last year, studios logged 604 production days in the county, Markowitz said, bringing an estimated $88,100,000 worth of business to the county in hotel accommodations, catering, supplies, sets, permits, parking and vehicle rentals. That was significantly more than the 550 days of shooting and estimated $75 million generated in 2007, which showed an increase from the 540 days and $70 million recorded in 2006. Last year’s $88 million was a quantum leap from the $58 million the county film office estimates the industry generated in 2005.

Markowitz said she has already seen a positive trend resulting from the two-day Film Friendly Nassau Location and Studio Tour the county conducted for several film producers and 25 location managers earlier this month. The favorable impression the tour apparently made had a residual effect, as Markowitz said she subsequently received phone calls from location managers who she hadn’t heard from in three years.

Horror film director Stevan Mena of Crimson Films (“Bereavement”) and Larry Strong, who recently landed a theatrical deal for his “Last Day of Summer,” featured in the last Long Island Film Expo were on the tour.

“They’re scouting in a lot of other states and counties. We took them to some locations that a lot of them didn’t know they were available or knew existed,” she said.

The tour included stops at the relatively unknown Allegria Hotel and Spa in Long Beach, and the more familiar Sands Point Preserve and Old Bethpage Village Restoration. Location managers on the tour had credits for films and TV shows including the new “Avengers” movie, “White Collar,” “Michael Clayton,” “Rescue Me,” “Sex and the City II,” “Julie and Julia,” “Morning Glory,” and “Sorcerer’s Apprentice.”

Mangano recently gave the green light to TV shoots for “Royal Pains,” “Running Wilde,” and Comedy Central at the Theodore Roosevelt Legislative and Executive Building in Mineola.

“I’m proud to represent a county that has more production days than any other county or borough in New York outside of the city itself,” said Mangano, who made an appearance with the filmmakers during the two-day tour.

The tour was so successful that Markowitz said the county may schedule another one in the spring. But if setting that up proves difficult since so many films are in production at that time of year, she said the tour will definitely be repeated next year.

The plan to modernize the Main Library reached another key hurdle, the Town of North Hempstead’s Board of Zoning Appeals, where the loudest voices heard were from the six people who came to defeat the project.

Among them, two former Library trustees Norman Rutta and Ralene Adler who have worked tirelessly for more than a decade to block any improvement to the building.

Besides personal attacks on board members, the opponents continue to wield the only weapon at their disposal – parking. After all, it worked so well five years ago when the town used the number of allocated parking spaces to declare that a variance for the expansion for the Main building could not be approved.

It is important to keep in mind that the town has no code regarding what is sufficient number of parking spaces for a library. An office building, but not a library. That is because the only library that it has jurisdiction over is the Great Neck Public Library, and that is because it is a free association, not part of the public schools.

But the parking issue has been used by Saddle Rock Mayor J. Leonard Samansky to extract all sorts of concessions from the library board on the project, having absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with Saddle Rock residents.

While stating that he did not support the project, he literally waved the written resolution in front of the BZA, wanting that board to somehow make the terms of the resolution conditions of granting the variance.

In effect, he wanted the terms binding in perpetuity. Forever. Long after he is no longer mayor. Long after the members of the library board have changed. People will be riding around in flying cars but Mayor Samansky wants to make sure that there will never be a sloped floor in the community room, and there will never be a cafe serving fresh coffee or muffins (vending machines are okay).

It is pathetic how the parking issue is being used. The new plan reduces the number of spots by six, in order to make the spots larger. The BZA has asked for a plan that restores the same striping so that there is no reduction in spots.

The BZA is more concerned about drainage issues, and here it is a curious thing, but the new library would be an improvement for the environment.

Right now, zero percent of the stormwater drains properly; it goes into Udall’s Pond. The new plan would capture or contain 95.5 percent of the water and the remaining 4.5 percent of the stormwater would be in the wetlands, where it belongs.

Nor does the present building, built before the American with Disabilities Act, provide adequately for people with disabilities, which means that there is a portion of our community that is not properly being served.

This appearance before the BZA, though, was just the warm-up for this small but extremely loud opposition group who will take their campaign to the community when it comes time for a bond referendum. By that time, a significant portion of the community would have had no clue about the underlying issues – I mean, this has been going on for years, now – and will no doubt only be persuaded that the economy is bad, we can’t afford a library.

That has been the claim for the past 15 years, even during the boom years of the 1990s: “The economy is bad. We can’t afford it.”

But if that becomes the claim, that we cannot afford a modernized library, the question would really be we can afford a Main Library at all.

And so it bears reminding what the real issues are.

During the past year, the library actually has had to close because of either the heating or the air-conditioning system failed. They have had to rebuild the front entrance because the door fell apart; to fix the facade after portions crashed down, fortunately not hitting anyone.

What is more, the building is terribly inefficient – we are basically flushing money away to keep it lighted, heated and cooled.

This was an opportunity to build a really green building, but that went by the wayside in order to placate those who said the cost of being green was too high.

When you consider what the library has been shelling out, just to keep it open – repairing the elevator, the roof, plumbing, electrical, just keeping the facade attached to the building – it is ridiculous. The building’s infrastructure has reached the end of its lifespan- to replace the electrical system, the HVAC, the plumbing, the roof, you are essentially spending as much as to modernize the building and make it more appropriate for the community today and tomorrow.

There are those who point to the growing popularity of e-books to suggest that because there will be fewer books in the future, the library does not need to be expanded at all.

But that misses the point entirely: Libraries today are more important than ever as gathering centers to share ideas and knowledge. We may download a book, but come to the library to hear the author discuss the creative process behind it.

You only had to see the Levels latest production of “12 Angry Men” to appreciate the value of what the library offers in our community that goes beyond being a warehouse for books. Serving 6th to 12th graders, who select their own projects, then direct, choreograph, do the costumes, sets and so forth, Levels is an utterly remarkable program that forges leadership and responsibility, builds self-discipline and self-esteem through the arts. “And they do it day after day,” says Library Director Jane Marino.

But if you argue that people will be reading fewer printed books, that is still an argument to modernize the building, not just patch it, because the building today cannot be changed. The columns that hold up the book shelves hold up the mezzanine. So if you suggest that there will be fewer books, that renders the space useless.

“I looked back at how the building was received in 1970,” Marino reflects. “The Great Neck Record had a quote, ‘Truly the new building is a library for people, not just a museum of musty old manuscripts. If libraries like it went up around the country, reading might just come back into vogue.’

“Forty years ago, people were making the argument that nobody was reading anymore, so why need libraries? Now the argument is that people are reading e-books, why need a library? I don’t believe the argument then, and not now.

“The Library is the most democratic institution in any community – we accept everyone and anyone. We don’t check IDs, ages, religious affiliations at the door; all you have to do is walk in and we will serve you. Libraries need to be valued for that service. We need to have a building that can be flexible enough and welcoming enough so that no matter what format and what face libraries take in the future, we will be able to serve our community.”

Rebuilding the library will allow for flexibility, to change the space in the future to meet needs that we might not be able to imagine today.

It makes no fiscal sense just to patch the building, or even just to rebuild it exactly as it is – which is what Adler, Rutta and Samansky want to do.

In order to reconstruct the identical structure and bring the building up to code and remove the asbestos will cost $16 million. But to add 8,500 sq. ft. and reconfigure it to be flexible, will cost $22.5 million.

“That’s an additional $6.5 million to get a 21st century library as opposed to replicating a 20th century library,” says Library Board President Andrew Greene. The difference is $25 a year for a house assessed at $1 million.

That 8,500 sq. ft. is not necessarily more people (or cars), but being able to provide the same services in a better way.

I find it particularly infuriating that in all this time that there has been this obstruction to modernizing the Main Library, each of the branches has been modernized, upgraded and expanded once and even twice.

Earlier this month, the new Station Branch was opened.

“This was a trial run for the main branch – to show we could do this on budget, and on time,” says Greene.

Much of the opposition to the Main Library has come from Parkville community. Now we hear from the Parkville community that they are demanding that building be expanded – that would be the third time in 15 years.

The BZA has 60 days from the time that the Library sends in the rest of the documents it requested to make its decision

Then the BZA, as lead agency, will take up the State Environmental Quality Review Act process. Since the state Department of Environmental Conservation has already issued its letter of nonjurisdiction, the only environmental issues that are likely to be considered pertain to parking and drainage – both aspects that the BZA is addressing in terms of the variances.

That would leave the community bond referendum, possibly in April, as the final hurdle.

And if the argument is that we can’t afford to rebuild the Main Library, I would suggest that we cannot afford the branches, and should put all of our resources into a Main Library, the only place that truly belongs to the community owns and that can support community gatherings.

It goes back to what we think of our community. What is community? We face a Dark Ages at the federal, state and county levels of government. We will be on our own. What kind of community do we want?

Too many of us take for granted what we have here – superior schools (you only had to hear South High’s winter concert to appreciate what makes our schools special), the parks, and our libraries – so fail to show up. But not turning out is casting lots with those who would tear down and break apart.

Long-time Williston Park resident Marilyn M. Treiber died Dec. 16 at age 79.

Treiber, a parishioner of Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, was the daughter and sister of the late John and Katherine, Russell C. and Helen, Ruth and Louis Rauch, John C. and Howard F. Treiber.

She is survived by sister in laws Millicent Hope Treiber and Mary K. Treiber; also survived by 13 nieces and nephews, 18 grand nieces and nephews and 5 great nieces and nephews.

She reposed at R. Stutzmann & Son 2000 Hillside Ave, New Hyde Park.

Interment private. Donations can be sent to Lutheran Church of the Ressurrection Garden City or Long Island Lutheran High School: Marilyn M. Treiber scholarship fund.

In an emotional meeting that included the resignation of Mayor Jack Martins, the Mineola Village Board honored former mayor Bob Hinck for his years of service on the board of trustees and other activities in the neighborhood by naming a new street called Hinck Way.

“I served for the benefit of others. Faith was a part of my motivation. I wanted to represent those who perhaps weren’t represented before,” Hinck said.

Village attorney John Spellman introduced Hinck, calling him ” one of my closest friends in the world.”

“Those who know him appreciate his deep dedication to his community. He is a person who always places the common good above his own,” Spellman said.

In his remarks before presenting Hinck with the street sign for the formerly unnamed street that runs between Willis Avenue, Martins said, “I can’t think of a person who’s more deserving.”

Hinck said his first reaction on being informed about the honor by Martins last week was to search for his smelling salts.

“It was a very moving, emotional experience for me,” he said of the sign presentation. “I was very glad to have my children and my grandchildren with me.”

Spellman quipped that naming the street would placate GPS users who previously couldn’t find the street when they were driving on it.

“So if you’re stuck in traffic on Willis Avenue and you need to get to Roslyn Road, remember, take Hinck Way,” Martins said.

Hinck, 73, took over as mayor in 1990 when the previous mayor, Ann Galante stepped down for health reasons, and held the position until 1994. He was first elected to the board in 1974, serving until taking a four-year hiatus after competing a term in 1982. He subsequently became deputy mayor in 1986.

Hinck was Chairman of the village’s Community Planning Committee which produced both the Mineola Area Revitalization Study and the Village’s Master Plan. He also served as a co-chair of the Mineola Centennial Committee.

Hinck is currently head of the Community Development Program, which has facilitated streetscape improvements in the downtown Mineola area and also assists residents in renovating their homes.

He has lived in Mineola with his wife, Patricia, since 1948.

Hinck attended the Corpus Christi School, St. Mary’s in Manhasset and St. John’s University, before embarking on a career in banking. He served as a lending officer for 13 banks, with HSBC his last stop before he “sort of retired” in 2002.

Over the years, he was involved in the Mineola Athletic Association and Mineola Police Athletic League, coaching his sons Kevin and Thomas on little league and football teams, and was also involved in the local cub scouts.

He served as president of the Corpus Christi School Board, and he and Patricia have been eucharistic ministers at Corpus Christi since 1982.

Hinck was on the board of directors of Dominican Village Home for the Elderly, an Amityville retirement home, and currently serves as a director and financial advisor of the Nassau Pops Orchestra as well.

You cannot win them all  – or so the saying goes. Nevertheless with courage and a lot of hard work you might win quite a few.

Of course, the concept of exactly what constitutes ‘hard’ work is apparently pretty relative. Is it harder than you have ever worked before (a low bar for essentially lazy folks), or is it harder than anyone works who may be opposing you?

“We try not to over exert them,” Wrestling Coach Cliff Forziat remarked the other day at the Glen Cove Big Red Challenge. “When they look a bit winded during practice, we give them a rest.” We later found out that ‘a rest’ consisted of a series of timed wind sprints.

As for the Big Red Challenge, the Highlanders defeated the Kellenberg Firebirds 53-21, the Carle Place Frogs 54-27, and the host Big Red 60-12 to put a cap on a weekend that began with a 78-6 plucking of the Valley Stream Central Eagles in their league opener. Although the majority of this year’s squad consists of freshmen and sophomores with a nucleus of tough juniors and seniors, the youngsters are filling in the holes and making critical contributions.

On Friday Herricks took 14 of the 15 weight classes against the Eagles. Dan Grandelli (sr) led off with an 8-3 decision win at 130. Carlos Rodriguez (sr-135), Tom Dunn (sr-140), Chris Farrell (sr-145), Tom Gonzalez (sr-152), Sidney Kang (sr-160), Kevin Ryersen (sr-171), Eric Kautz (sr-189), Will Dowd (jr-285), Justin Frangione (fr-96), Matt Grandelli (fr-103), Andrew Farrell (so-112), Will Rodriguez (jr-119), and Ryan Singh (sr-125) all had victories. Carlos pinned All-Conference Brian Quiroz in the first period. Singh defeated Conference Champion Arsal LaCorte by a 12-3 major decision in the finale.

The Varsity Highlanders outscored their opponents by a combined score of 66-14 in match points with eight pins, a technical fall, and a major decision among their victories. Meanwhile, Herricks’ Second-Men trounced their Eagle opponents 29-3. Mark Holuka (fr-112), Mike Vespe (so-130), Solomon Aziz (fr-215), and Bill Rynne (jr-215) all pinned their men. Joe Tadros (fr-119) won by a 15-0 technical fall.

On Saturday the lads in blue and gray left a trail of destruction at the Big Red Challenge taking 32 of the 45 varsity weight classes. “Our frosh-soph contingent came up big for us with Corey Iuculano (96), Justin Frangione (96), Matt Grandelli (103), Andrew Farrell (112), Mark Holuka (112), Danish Akhtar (125), Mike Vespe (130), Chris Woska (130), and John Temperino (140) accounting for thirteen of our wins,” Forziat noted. “Vespe, Ryersen, Kautz, [Anthony] Rosa, and Gonzalez knocked off All-Conference opponents” Freshmen Joe DeVito, John Dunn, Brandon Temperino, Solomon Aziz, and Frangione won matches on the Second-Man mats. They were joined in victory by sophomores Akhtar and John Temperino.

Gonzalez at 152 was a wrecking crew all by himself going 4-0 scoring 23 out of a possible 24 team points with three pin victories and a technical fall outscoring his opponents 27-2 in match points. “There is no one who works harder or with more intensity than Tom,” Forziat noted. He has a championship and a runner up finish in his two tournaments, and he currently leads the team with 11 wins, 62 team points, 8 pins, and 2 technical falls. His 39 career varsity pins have brought him in range of the top 15 Highlander wrestlers of all-time.

Kevin Ryersen (160) also went 4-0 over the weekend with two pins, a technical fall, and a decision. “Kevin and Tom are anchoring what is becoming a tough middle weight line up,” the coach said. “Kevin is getting to be very tough on his feet. He scored 10 takedowns to none for his opponents, and he is developing a solid offense.” Ryersen has the fastest pin on the team so far at 20 seconds.

That’s a mark that Ryan Singh has a tendency to eyeball. He picked up last year’s fast pin accolades in the playoffs. Singh is now well-entrenched on the Highlander Career Wrestling statistics chart. He is 8th in wins (94), 14th in team points (476.5), 11th in pins (43), and 2nd in major decisions (15).

Lest anyone get the notion that this is going to be easy, the coaches are quick to point out that there are plenty of high caliber opponents ahead on the schedule. “We’re very raw in many respects. We make a lot of mistakes, and many of us have very little experience yet. Winning sure beats losing, but there are many more levels of excellence ahead of us that we trying to reach.” (And working ‘hard’ to reach, we might add.)

Was it Wayne Gretzky who said, “I miss a hundred percent of the shots I don’t take.” While it is true that you cannot win them all, you cannot win any, if you do not compete. None of this year’s wrestlers are undefeated, but Highlander wrestler’s arms have already been raised in victory 173 times.

A victim of a purse snatching at the Mineola train station chased down the would-be thief, cornered him and recovered her purse early Tuesday evening, Nassau County Police reported.

Third Squad detectives said that a 32-year-old female was seated on a bench on the north side of the Long Island Rail Road station in Mineola at 6 p.m. on Dec. 21 when a Hispanic male ran past her and snatched her purse.

When the victim chased the subject and grabbed him, the suspect shoved her to the ground, causing her to fall to her hand and knees and suffer minor abrasions – but she didn’t give up the chase.

The victim got up and chased down the suspect, cornering him in an alley behind 80 Main Street.

She grabbed him and shoved him against a car, prompting him to wiggle out of his jacket and flee, leaving her purse and his jacket behind.

Police said the victim did not require immediate medical attention. 

New trees will be blooming all over Williston Park next spring, but roadwork remains to be done until then. And although the village has been recognized for pedestrian and traffic safety by AAA, Mayor Paul Ehrbar urged residents to be cautious when driving through the village and wants everyone to observe parking restrictions.

Ehrbar reported at Monday night’s village board meeting that 80 new trees have been planted in the village at a cost of $16,000.

The ongoing road improvement project has been suspended for the winter season, with ramps installed around partially exposed manhole covers on streets that had been prepared for resurfacing. A delay in receiving $1 million in state funds for the latest phase of the road improvement project was the reason the work was not yet completed, according to Ehrbar.

“We’ll resume the work in the spring and hopefully we’ll get the project finished,” the mayor said.

Ehrbar revealed that the Automobile Association of America has awarded Williston Park with a Pedestrian Safety Citation, based on installation of crosswalk countdown signs in the central shopping district and the absence of any pedestrian fatalities over the past year. The AAA also recognized the village with a bronze award for traffic safety based on a record of general improvements in that area.

But Deputy Mayor Teresa Thomann issued a cautionary note about residents drinking before driving home from the many eateries that have proliferated along Hillside Avenue.

“HIllside Avenue is becoming like a restaurant row and with that comes drinking and driving,” she said.

Ehrbar also urged people to drive safely through the village, emphasizing that there are a significant number of elderly residents and children who populate the central section of Williston Park.

The mayor also warned that village parking inspectors have been told to be particularly vigilant. He said store owners have asked the village to do so to enable shoppers to have easy access to their locations.

“Look at the signs. Pay attention,” Ehrbar said. “We are working to make the roads safer and enforce the regulations.”

Village building inspector Kerry Collins issued another ticket advisory, reminding residents to move their cars off the street if there are any imminent predictions of snow to avoid a $100 summons for impeding snow removal.

“Park them off the street if it snows. We will issue summonses,” he said.

On a warmer note, Trustee Barbara Alagna reported that the newly formed Welcoming Committee plans to hold its first meeting with new residents sometime next month. The committee is preparing information about the village that it considers useful to new residents.

On a quiet note, resident Ralph Massaro suggested that the board revise its noise code, which currently permits a level of 70 decibels in the village. He suggested that the board consult Environmental Protection Agency guidelines to revise that aspect of the village code.

“It’s not appropriate in my judgment,” Massaro said.

With little fanfare, the Mineola Village Board unanimously voted to give final approval to the Winston Manor project during its working session preceding last week’s business meeting.

“After fine tuning, we are at a point to recommend approval of construction of the Winston,” said village attorney John Spellman.

The village’s approvals allows Polimeni International to move ahead with a plan to build a seven-story structure with 275 units on Old Country Road on the block east of 3rd Street. The project also calls for Polimeni to build a five-story 36-unit condominium for senior citizens on the site.

“I am elated. It’s a pleasure to see a village that knows how to get something accomplished,” said Vincent Polimeni, chairman of Polimeni International. “This is a project that should be built and will be a major plus for the area.”

Polimeni had originally filed a plan to construct 285 condos in a nine-story building on the site.

The developer revised its plan after receiving objections from Garden City, which would have also had jurisdiction over the project under zoning regulations that allow Garden City to review sudivisions within 300 feet of its border. Under the zoning regulations, condominiums are considered subdivisions, but apartments are not.

The Nassau County planning commission had already given its imprimatur to the project, which represents the latest phase of Mineola’s downtown revitalization effort.

Polimeni said that considering the economic climate he was pleased with the outcome.

“Condos in this economy were not going to work. There’s a strong rental market right now and with the train station nearby, it’s a home run,” Polimeni said.

Prior to the vote at last week’s meeting, Spellman spelled out the stipulations Polimeni must meet to proceed, including construction of a parking garage on 3rd Street, and what Spellman called “an integral and material element” – the condominiums for senior citizens.

Polimeni is also obligated to contribute $3 million to the village, with one-third due upon receipt of the construction permit, one-third when the certificate of occupancy is issued and one-third after construction is completed.

Polimeni said he’s currently fielding bids from contractors for the four-story parking garage that he plans to build next spring.

Polimeni estimates that execution and approvals for construction plans on the Winston Manor and the senior condos will take a year before building permits are issued and construction can begin. He projects that construction will be completed on both structures in two years.

The Herricks High School Chamber Orchestra and Choir gave a masterful performance in the Harmony for Peace Foundation International Holiday concert at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall on Sunday afternoon, with the St. Aidan Celestial and Girls Choir and the St. Aidan Concert Handbell Choir.

The uplifting program had a distinctly Croatian flavor, featuring the Zvjezdice (“Little Stars”) Girls Choir of Croatia, who performed the Herricks Chamber Orchestra Strings in the opening segment of the concert. The ethereal harmonies of the Little Stars set the tone as they sang a Croatian song of the season a capella, standing on the Avery Fisher stage with a backdrop of blue with white stars.

The Herricks Chamber strings blended brilliantly with the Little Stars’ voice on Franz Schubert’s “Credo” and “Sanctus,” with the strings’ sharp attack helping to convey the emotion of the hymn. A trio of the Little Stars also performed a “Song of Peace,” which they had not performed since the years immediatly following the Serbian-Croatian conflict, according to Drago Bubalo, music director of St. Aidan, who had brought the disparate musical groups together for the holiday concert.

“It has been a long but logical way from the concert halls of Zagreb to this performance here today,” Bubalo said.

Bubalo had heard the Herricks Chamber Orchestra in concert in October and had recruited several of their players to accompany the St. Aidan choir in a recent performance. The Herricks orchestra had only a few weeks to prepare the music for Sunday’s concert, but they were clearly ready to perform under the direction of Bubalo, Robin Maddox, who directs the chamber orchestra at Herricks and – in one instance – by themselves without a conductor.

“They’ve been rehearsing relentlessly for this concert,” Bubalo told the audience, as he brought the entire ensemble on stage with their student concert master Camille Serrano. The orchestra delivered a crisp, energetic attack on Antonio Vivaldi’s “Winter” from his “Seasons” suite, and they were clearly confident in the absence of a conductor.

“That’s our signature,” said senior violist Jessica Lemons said about the group’s ability to perform while directing themselves.

Lemons, who was among the Herricks players who toured eastern Europe, said she was accustomed to playing in large venues, but added that playing in Avery Fisher Hall was something else again.

“This was cool. I’ve never played in this large a venue in this country,” she said.

Anthony Madonna, a member of both the Herricks orchestra and choir and had been on that same eastern European tour, said the experience was a memorable one.

“It was a long day. But it was a lot of fun,” Madonna said.

The orchestra visibly had fun performing Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride,” with Maddox conducting, which followed Vivaldi’s “Winter” and preceded a segment from Vivaldi’s “Magnificat” with the St. Aidan Choir rendering the vocal parts.

The South Shore Brass preceded that segment with a piece by Giovanni Gabrielli, with the horn players playing antiphonally from opposite sides of the concernt hall balcony. St. Aidan Concert Handbell Choir followed that segment with a performance of “Jubilee for Bells” under Bubalo’s direction.

Among the highlights of the concert was the Herricks Chamber Choir performing Samuel Barber’s “Sure on This Shining Night,” and Georg Friedrich Handel’s “For Unto Us a Child is Born,” from the “Messiah” with the Little Stars, members of the St. Aidan Choir and Klapa Astoria, a male Croatian ensemble.

Sophomore tenor Kevin Garcia, in his first year in the choir, said he was “a little nervous” at first, but those initial jitters passed quickly.

“I got into the music. That’s when I started feeling comfortable on stage,” Garcia said.

Junior soprano Rebecca Etessami said it was a challenge to learn some of the Croatian carols they sng with the Little Stars, but she was excited to have performed in Avery Fisher Hall.

“It was a long day, but it was really great. It’s such a great hall,” Etessami said.

A letter read from Ivo Josipovic, president of the Republic of Croatia, lauded “the noble idea of promoting peace through music,” by bringing people from diverse cultures together in performance.

The juxtaposition was perhaps most striking with the solo performance of “Silent Night” by St. Aidan’s youngest soloist, Sarah Hazleton, and the a capella performance of “Sidji k Nama Majko Nasa” (“Come Down to Us, oh Mother”) by the Klapa Astoria.

The entire ensemble joined in, with audience members invited to join in for the finale of “Joy to the World,” and the whirlwind of seasonal music from around the world was complete.