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Friday, August 15, 2025
Vol. 2, No. 33
THE GATEWAY TO NASSAU COUNTY SERVING FLORAL PARK, BELLEROSE AND STEWART MANOR
Floral Park Scouts help restore Butterfly Garden
FP Recreation Chief retires, passing the torch BY RIKKI MASSAND
Members of Boy Scout Troop 4 helped restore the Butterfly Garden at Centennial Gardens and Bird Sanctuary. Thank you to recent FPMHS graduate Pranav Akula for restoring the Butterfly Gardens at Centennial Gardens and Bird Sanctuary in Floral Park. Pranav, as an Eagle Scout candidate from Troop 4 in Floral Park, had a plan for the Butterfly Garden. His troop and family members helped him fulfill his ambition to restore the site. The purpose of the long overdue restoration was to insure it remain a functional habitat for pollinators and an educational and safe place for visitors. The
original garden was created several years ago and was in need of help. Sal Trentacoste, a Centennial Gardens volunteer, supervised the project. Family and other troop members gave time, energy and support to make the project doable. Pranav mapped out a plan that included removing of non-functioning rocks and pebbles, a deteriorated weed barrier, and weeds. A newly installed tarp will prevent future weeds from growing in the area. Rocks were installed to help with proper
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drainage. Helpers were asked to wear proper garden protectors, such as gloves and eye safety goggles. Shovels, wheel barrels, and weeders were used for the cleanup process. Milkweed, the butterflies’ favorite, sunflowers, black eye Susan, and a variety of bulbs have been planted, all with the objective of pollination by the butterflies and other insect visitors. The American Boy Scout Organization is celebrating 115 years of service this year, 2025. Many boys join for life. At age ten they can become a boy scout. The boys make a commitment that involves See page 10
Friday, August 29 will mark Kurt Meyfohrt’s final official day as the Village of Floral Park Recreation Superintendent. A hometown figure and friend to many, Meyfohrt reflected on his decades of service, major community projects, and the people he has worked alongside since joining the village staff in the early 1980s. At the June 3 Board of Trustees meeting, Trustee Michael Longobardi announced that Deputy Village Administrator Darlene Lanza will succeed Meyfohrt as head of the Recreation Department. The transition, he said, could not have been smoother. Meyfohrt, 63, recalled first meeting Lanza when his wife, Deborah, recruited her to serve on the Floral Park-Bellerose School PTA. Lanza began her village career in 2015 at the Recreation Center before moving to Village Hall. Having known Lanza for more than 20 years, Meyfohrt described her appointment as a full-circle moment. “Darlene’s son and our
son were in class together at FP-B and my wife and her ended up getting the kids together for play dates. Then, roped Darlene into becoming co-president of the PTA and they worked with Lynn Pombonyo. We’ve known Darlene through school, and then she got involved and started as a volunteer on our Pool Committee. Then when the village started construction on the new pool facility, my secretary was leaving at the time and we were looking for office help and processing – Darlene was available, and she started working at the Rec. Center and moved on to Village Hall. Now she is back, though for around five years she’s been helping us run the night athletics with leagues for adult volleyball and basketball,” he explained. Meyfohrt also credited Pool Director Thomas Dillon as an essential partner in his success. “I couldn’t have done this job and lasted in it without Tom. Since I came back to work in the village and then took over Rec., Tom has been right by my side, and he’s been here See page 3
Local artists honored at library show PAGE 6 The Candy Twisted Balloon Show PAGE 11