Serving Great Neck, G.N. Plaza, G.N. Estates, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock and Thomaston
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Friday, March 12, 2021
Vol. 96, No. 11
ATTEMPTED ABDUCTION NONPROFITS TOWN HALL FOCUS IN RUSSELL GARDENS PAGE 7
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CALLS FOR CUOMO TO RESIGN INCREASE PAGE 6
Longtime G.N. ed board Trustee Ashkenase dies
H AT AT TA C K
Was in midst of 13th consecutive term, longest in school district history BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z Donald Ashkenase, a financial executive and longtime trustee on the Great Neck Board of Education, died Monday at 77. Ashkenase, who moved to Great Neck in 1979, was first elected to the board in 1982 and was re-elected 12 times. His 39-year tenure as trustee was the longest in the school district’s history. He also chaired the board’s Financial Advisory Committee. Ashkenase also served in a number of financial positions, including as chief operating officer and vice president of the Nassau University Medical Center, chief financial officer at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, executive vice president of Montefiore Medical Center and chairman of Healthfirst, which was founded in 1993 to provide low-cost health insurance to people in the New York City area. Efforts to reach a family member for comment were unavailing. “Mr. Ashkenase was a champion for children and his contributions
to the District cannot be underestimated,” a statement from the Great Neck school district said. “His support for academic programs and his continuity of service has benefited generations of Great Neck students, including his own three children and two grandchildren.” Ashkenase was involved in the selection of three Great Neck school superintendents during his tenure: Ronald Friedman, Thomas Dolan and Teresa Prendergast, who has been serving since 2015. Since 1894 there have been 86 trustees, with two serving nonconsecutive terms. Including the current Board of Education, the average time served has been just more than seven years. Of those 86 trustees, only 20 have served 10 years or more and only four have served 20 or more years: John A. Laressy from 1916 to 1940, Barbara Berkowitz from 1992 to present, Lawrence Gross from 1981 to 2017, and Ashkenase from 1982 to 2021. Berkowitz, who is the board Continued on Page 28
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GREAT NECK SCHOOL DISTRICT
Lakeville students celebrated the 100th day of school on March 2 with Crazy Hat Day.
VGN Zoning Board OKs plan for mixed-use building BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z The Village of Great Neck Zoning Board unanimously approved the site plan for a proposed mixed-use project at 733-741 Middle Neck Road last Thursday night. The plans include 25 resi-
dential apartments, eight of which will be one bedroom, 14 that will be two bedroom, and three that will be three bedroom. There will be 28 parking spaces, reduced from the original 56, leaving one parking space per tenant. The plans also show a meet-
ing room, two recreation rooms, a storage unit on the sublevel floors, and a public art gallery occupying more than half of the first floor. Five buildings riddled with chipped and faded paint currently occupy the space that the Continued on Page 28
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