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Friday, February 13, 2026
Vol. 3, No. 7
THE GATEWAY TO NASSAU COUNTY SERVING FLORAL PARK, BELLEROSE AND STEWART MANOR
Village leaders address storm, commercial development
Village of Floral Park Deputy Mayor Dr. Lynn Pombonyo presented updates about development projects and municipal issues during the " Feast of Floral Park" event on February 5th. BY RIKKI MASSAND On Thursday, February 5, the Floral Park Chamber of Commerce, along with two members of the Floral Park Village Board of Trustees, was hosted by Rev. George B. Mangan at the 135-year-old United Methodist Church on Verbena Avenue. The gathering served as the chamber’s February monthly meeting and the annual “A Feast of Floral Park.” Four premier restaurants from Tulip Avenue — J. Fal-
lon’s Tap Room, Floral Park Diner, Gyro Village and Uptown Taco — provided a lavish buffet for attendees inside the church. Deputy Mayor Dr. Lynn Pombonyo and Trustee Michael Longobardi shared updates on current initiatives and priorities of the Board of Trustees and village administration. With substantial snow still on the ground, the deputy mayor addressed the village’s response procedures during recent winter storms. She discussed residents’ responsibil-
ities, including clearing sidewalks and removing snow from around fire hydrants. “Very often, our police had to push cars out of the snow so the plows could come through. It was a big problem with people going out in the middle of storms, thinking they could get someplace in the snow and they got stuck going down the street. There were four to five officers who pushed, MANUALLY – not using equipment or cars – at least two dozen cars out of the snow, by hand, after they had
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been working their shifts in the freezing cold. The Department of Public Works and our Fire Department were also helping out as we had a number of emergencies during the storm (January 25th-26th) and when the FD Rescue responded, they arrived and were unable to get to the walks – police officers had to shovel in order to get a stretcher into the homes. DPW plowed the way for ambulances so they could get through unplowed streets,” Pombonyo said. She thanked Public Works, Police Department and Fire Department personnel for braving the weather and assisting residents during emergencies. Pombonyo also recognized Trustee Michael Longobardi and Village Clerk Joseph O’Grady — both FD members and former fire chiefs — for their leadership during the storm. “Thank you both for everything you did within all the roles you play for the village – the late January snowstorm was that intense,” she said. The deputy mayor reminded attendees that village regulations prohibit snowblowers from pushing snow into the street. She noted that one resident became unruly and blew snow toward a DPW worker who was informing them of the rule. “Many of the DPW workers are also our Sanitation workers who collect the garbage, and even it’s not a declared snow
emergency everyone should move their car from the street – we can all see the streets where the snow is still piled into the middle of the street, with an ‘indent’ where a car was parked. The plows can’t do the job without space. For businesses, shoveling sidewalks and leaving curb cuts open for pedestrians is important. DPW is still working to get rid of all the rock-hard ice, and on Tulip Avenue they are getting rid of all the buildup at the curbs so people can walk to their parked cars,” she added.
Traffic lights reviewed
Pombonyo also discussed traffic infrastructure improvements. In spring 2025, members of the Village Board and Clerk Joseph O’Grady toured Tulip and Plainfield Avenues with Nassau County Legislator Scott P. Strauss to review traffic light timing and inoperable pedestrian signals. “We looked at the timing of the traffic lights and some of the inoperable pedestrian crossing signals. Nassau County is now working on a plan to update those pieces of equipment for us and fix the timing. I was on a call with Legislator Strauss’s office and they will be calling back to let me know the status of that project. Along with that we now have County Legislator John J. Giuffré, and his district covers the southern part of the town as well as Stewart Manor. Strauss and Giuffré will work See page 6
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