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, September 24, 2021
Vol. 96, No. 39
GUIDE NEW DIRECTOR AT RICE VOTES AGAINST DRUG TO FALL LANDMARK THEATER PLAN IN COMMITTEE PAGES 25-32
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P E N G U I N PA L
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Plans for new VGN village hall presented Proposal includes pedestrian courtyard, outdoor terrace BY R OB E RT PELAEZ Preliminary plans for the Village of Great Neck’s new village hall were presented during the Sept. 14 Board of Trustees meeting. After a handful of meetings between the board and architects, the plans for a new village hall, which will be located at 756 Middle Neck Road, were finally presented to the public by Mark Stumer of Mojo Stumer. The proposed three-story building is 35 to 40 feet high
and features a larger lobby, Building Department office, a second-floor courtroom, a variety of conference rooms and a third-floor reception hall. With height concerns about other proposed developments raised by a variety of residents in the past, Stumer said that the structure will not “overpower” neighboring buildings. “We don’t want to overpower the end of that street,” he said. “We want to really be an element that becomes a beautiful, respected building.” Also featured in the proposal are benches, trees, a
pedestrian courtyard and an outdoor terrace on the third floor. Public parking will be available in the rear of the building, with two handicap parking spaces directly next to the back of the building. The first floor of the building also has two entrances, one in the front and one in the rear, that lead into the same lobby, Stumer said. “The pedestrian experience is extremely considered in the overall layout of this,” Stumer said. Continued on Page 43
31 from G.N. schools are Merit semifinalists More than 70 students throughout N. Shore receive honor PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GREAT NECK SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Parkville Penguin was happy to see some friendly faces back at school.
BY B R A N D ON DUFFY Seventy-three high school seniors from the North Shore were named National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists last week. They were among about 16,000 semifinalists across the nation and will have an oppor-
tunity to compete for around 7,500 scholarships valued at more than $30 million. Of the 16,000 semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to finalist status. Selection committees then begin choosing scholarship winners, with announcements beginning in April. There are three types of
scholarships: corporate-sponsored Merit scholarships, National Merit $2,500 scholarships and college-sponsored Merit scholarships. The Great Neck area accounted for most of the North Shore’s semifinalists, with 31 attending Great Neck North and Great Neck South high schools. Continued on Page 43
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