The Garden City News (8/16/24) by Litmor Publishing

Friday, August 16, 2024

Vol. 101, No. 34

Garden City O ffi Agent of the M ce onth July 2024

FOUNDED 1923 n LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED

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Michelle McA

rdle Licensed Real Estate Salespe rson O 516.307.940 6 | M 516.306.4 134 michelle.mcardl e@elliman.com Garden City Office 130 7th Street

DAR congress PAGE 13 n Art Show PAGE 24

Trustees, GCPD Commissioner discuss crowd control

SOCCER KIDS

BY RIKKI MASSAND

On Wednesday, August 7, the Garden City Girls Varsity Soccer team hosted its first ever soccer clinic. See page 45.

Village to seek landscaping repayment BY RIKKI MASSAND On July 25th, the Garden City Board of Trustees accepted an 18-month maintenance bond from Coastal Contracting Corp. of Huntington Station for landscaping work along Main Avenue by the Long Island Rail Road tracks. The project, completed in 2023, is now under warranty for 18 months from the Board’s acceptance date. The bond is in the amount of $296,491. Superintendent of Public Works John Borroni explained

that the landscaping and planting were part of the Merillon Avenue LIRR station reconstruction. As part of the project, the cut-through at Euston Road was permanently closed, and new landscaping was installed. “We are now accepting the work done and the maintenance bond that guarantees the work for 18 months,” Borroni told the Board. Deputy Mayor Bruce Chester noted that the Village of Garden City is awaiting reimburse-

ment from the MTA/LIRR for the landscaping costs. Trustee Vinny Muldoon inquired about the likelihood of receiving the funds, given past dealings with the railroad. Deputy Mayor Chester assured that Garden City would continue to pursue the reimbursement, as the work was directly related to the MTA project. New position: Deputy Superintendent At the Board of Trustees’ See page 30

During the July Village Board of Trustees meeting, public safety concerns in the Garden City business district were addressed, particularly regarding increased police presence on weekends along Seventh Street and Franklin Avenue. Police Commissioner Kenneth Jackson reported that June 2024 was a “very busy month” for the GCPD, which handled 2,326 service calls, 64 investigations, and made 13 arrests. The department also responded to 140 medical calls, 99 traffic accidents, and issued over 3,200 tickets for moving and parking violations, with 12 appearance tickets and nine vehicles impounded. Mayor Mary Carter Flanagan acknowledged residents’ concerns about groups of rowdy teens in the Seventh Street/Franklin Avenue area. She noted that this issue is not unique to Garden City and may be influenced by social media. The village is exploring various responses in consultation with the police and trustees. “We have heard (residents’) complaints and we know people are concerned with the crowds on Seventh, and we are trying to figure out the best methods of response. It is not just us in Garden City as this phenomena happens in New Jersey, communities near the beaches like Long Beach, and it seems the gathering of (young people) may in part be an element of social media use. In the past there were not the same immediate ways of announcing a party and inviting thousands of people at one time. We have discussed the matters with our village counsel, Commissioner Jackson and amongst the trustees as we try to address how to best stay on top of this and continue to reduce crowd issues we’ve seen,” the mayor commented. Trustee Vinny Muldoon inquired about the GCPD’s handling of a large crowd on Friday, July 19th. Commissioner Jackson explained that the department adopts a tailored approach each weekend, likening it to a football team’s weekly game plan. On July 19th, two youths were detained and later released to their parents. Jackson credited the positive outcome to effective officer deployment, which led to no complaints being received. See page 30

New automatic doors open at Library PAGE 30 What you can do to stop the casino PAGE 3