Friday, January 20, 2017
Vol. 93, No.20
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
Irish Dancers PAGE 46 n Delightful December PAGE 47
Village to require new radio read water meters
ALL STATE FOOTBALL
BY GARY SIMEONE
The Sportswriters of NY announced their 2016 All-NYState Football selections this week. RB/DB Chris Mixon was named to the 2nd team, RB/DE Andrew DeSantis was named to the 3rd team and OL/DL Chris Ciurcina was named to the 5th team. Congrats to these boys for their accomplishment and to all the players on the 2016 Long Island Championship team who made it such a special season.
Amendments to a Village code concerning water meters were approved at the Village Board meeting on January 5th. The Village is currently in the process of converting all water meters to radio-read water meters. Radio-read meters reduce the time needed to read meters and eliminates the need for Village personnel to enter upon private property to perform readings. “Upon enactment of this legislation, all properties receiving water service from the Village shall have radio-read water meters installed on the premises for the purpose of metering water consumption,” said Village Administrator, Ralph Suozzi. “The meters shall be installed and owned by the village and old meters will be removed by the village and be considered village property.” He said that it will be the responsibility of all water customers in the Village to maintain their water lines, pipes and fixtures at all times. If it’s determined by the Village that installation of the new radio-read meters is not possible due to the condition of old lines, pipes or fixtures, it will be the property owner’s responsibility to repair the equipment to accommodate the installation of the new meters. Failure to comply with this would be considered a violation of the chapter. As part of the amendment to the local law, beginning on March 15th, the Village will assess a $250 meter reading fee to every property receiving water service from the village that does not have a radio-read meter See page 59
Franklin Ave. restaurant wins five diamond award
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND Jim and Francine Doukas, the owners of Revel, a Franklin Avenue Restaurant, were recently awareded the 2016 FiveStar Diamond Award, a world-acclaimed award for restaurants and hotels presented by The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. But while it’s a great award to have on the wall, it is especially meaningful that the Doukases are doubly committed to Garden City. Unlike some restaurateurs who open new businesses in their existing home base, the Doukas family invested in Garden City twice as much, opening up their restaurant days ahead of their 2013 move to Long Island.
“It just happened to be at the same time, and it became an overwhelming experience. I was working 24/7 trying to get Revel off the ground and my wife was home unpacking and coordinating our moving trucks to set up the house. Looking back though, I can’t find the words to express just how proud I am to be both a resident and business owner in the Garden City community – I can’t thank our community enough for the amazing support they’ve given Revel and it’s been incredible,” Jim Doukas said. Driving to his old hometown, a mere 32 miles north across either the Whitestone or Throgs Neck Bridge and some highway distance, Doukas spoke with the
News via telephone and reflected on the change with candor among Long Islanders who view Westchester County as “rural upstate New York” and vice versa, with Westchester residents considering Long Island to be the Hamptons. In three years Revel has become proof you don’t need to head east, west, or any direction but home in Garden City for a first class eatery. Doukas’ youngest daughter is a freshman at Garden City High School. The couple’s oldest daughter is a college graduate living in New York City while the middle child, their son, is in his senior year at Tulane University in New Orleans. The older two attended high
school at Edgemont in Westchester. Roots and a Restaurateur Career The family tree of business leadership and the personal connection to serving the community through both high-quality food and atmosphere extends from Doukas’ father operating the well-known Omega Diner in New Hyde Park. His father also owned another diner in Westchester. Doukas had other designs in mind for his career when he completed his undergraduate degree from St. John’s University in 1981, as he had been accepted into the prestigious St. John’s Law School to start in fall. That summer his See page 54
Rediscovering a Garden City architect PAGE 50 Garden City Police welcome new officers PAGE 42