Recreation Department – Trustee Lynn Pombonyo
The 2021 Recreation and Pool Book is now available online on the Village/Pool website and Facebook page. Trustee Stewart will provide all the pool updates. I’m happy to direct you to page 10 and thereafter for all the Recreation news.
Open daily from 8 am to 10 pm, the Rec Center comes alive with activity at this time of year. Youth programs feature Jazz/Hip Hop Dance, Teen Tennis and Tennis Lessons, Arts and Crafts, Primary Recreation, Pre-school Play and Arts and Crafts, Morning Sports, Camp Sports Programs, Tennie-ball for youth of all ages, and others. Adult recreation programs feature Volleyball and Basketball Leagues, Tennis Lessons, Aerobics and the very popular Summer Tennis Tournament Series. Registration for our summer programs is May 19th, 22nd, 23rd and thereafter.
Organized sports leagues also provide great summer fun and entertainment. They include Floral Park Little League baseball and softball teams, Floral Park Indians soccer and basketball, planning for Floral Park Sports Association roller hockey, Floral Park Adult Softball, Senior Division, 60+ and Pickleball, all described on page 17 of the Rec and Pool Book. Stop by our fields to cheer on all of our great Floral Park teams, and enjoy Summer 2021 at our Village pool, park and rec center.
Conservation Society – Trustee Lynn Pombonyo
Moving from recreation to Centennial Gardens, which is also part of our Recreation and Parks Departments, our Gardens and Bird Sanctuary are open noon to 5pm daily, and spring is in full bloom there. See page 19 of your Rec and Pool Book for Gardens details and a Bird Watching section filled with bar codes taking you to “Birds and Animals of the Gardens” and other fascinating resources.
Department of Public Works – Trustee Lynn Pombonyo
Spring continues with our DPW too. Our dedicated workers have planted 100 trees over the past two weeks. Thirty trees remain and residents may call 326-6320 to order a tree for your curbside. Road crews are working throughout the Village doing repairs, and our Parks Department will be out there beautifying the Village with colorful flowers.
Our Chambers of Commerce and Businesses – Trustee Lynn Pombonyo
As our Building Department has approved the architect’s plans for the reconstruction of the basic infrastructures of ten of the businesses damaged in the fire, the property owner is seeking contractors to perform the upcoming reconstruction work.
Renee Marcus, our Building Superintendent, has contacted the business owners who are accessible, encouraging them to speak with the property owner or the architects directly regarding future planning for the damaged properties.
And, to all, enjoy the spring sunshine in the Village of Floral Park!
Fire Department – Trustee Archie Cheng
At our next Board meeting on May 18, we will be swearing in the new Chief’s Staff of the Fire Department. Michael Saville will be sworn in as the new Chief and we welcome Gil Luger as the New baby Chief. We will also hear Chief Pat McAllister’s final year-end report.
Last week we, unfortunately, had another house fire on Mayfair Avenue. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries and our Volunteers did a great job in confining the fire.
LIRR Third Track – Trustee Archie Cheng
If you have not heard already, 3TC, the third track contractor, is back to work after their long lay-off. After a phone call today, I can report the following: The elevators at the LIRR station are being turned over to the MTA on June 7. After their initial testing, an electrical box had to be changed and presumably that is the reason for the delay. Once turned over, it is up to the MTA to decide when to open the elevators to the public.
Charles Street sound wall work will begin again next week. Poles will be installed and that should be completed by the end of May. The actual wall installation will start in July and it should take 3-4 weeks. The work near Tunnel Street will be continuing with the installation of retaining walls and switch work for the next 4-6 months. Most of the machinery and equipment for this work will come in from the New Hyde Park side of the sump.
We will be planning a landscaping meeting in the next 2 weeks to decide what we might want installed at the end of the dead-end streets that intersect with the Right of Way. We also will be speaking to residents that abut the retaining walls to see if they have any interest in new landscaping on their property.
Police Department – Trustee Frank Chiara
On behalf of the Floral Park Police Department, the Village Board and our entire community, I would like to extend our sincere condolences and offer our prayers to the family of Detective Antansio Tsakos. Detective Tsakos, a 14 year NYPD Highway Patrol Officer tragically lost his life in the line of duty. May he rest in peace and we will continue to keep him and his family in our thoughts and prayers.
I would like to thank our Floral Park Police Department, who, together with Floral Park Crew members and the members of the Lions Club collected 197 lbs. of unwanted medication, narcotics and syringes at the National Drug take back date. This event was sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Crew and Lions members assisted residents by placing these items in containers that were later picked up by the DEA to be safely destroyed. They also distributed help information on Wellness Resources. The residents who dropped off items thanked the organizers for allowing them to dispose of these items properly. It was a very successful event.
Our Police Department once again reminds all residents to lock your cars and homes to avoid any unwanted incidents. Recently, there were reports of individuals entering unlocked cars and removing property from these vehicles. Our Police are on alert and adjusting their patrols accordingly. Please help out by locking your cars and immediately reporting any incidents.
Building Department – Trustee Frank Chiara
The Building Department continues their efforts to receive and turn around permits as quickly as possible. They are doing a great job assisting our residents with all their construction projects.
The Floral Blvd road reconstruction is in full construction mode. Concrete work, along with the installation of catch basins are currently being worked on. Once completed the next phase will be the re-milling and paving of the entire road. This will be last phase of the construction and probably the most disruptive to the residents who live on the Blvd. There will have to be street closure and detours until the paving is complete. The construction company and the Village will keep all the residents informed of the upcoming construction and schedules. Our emergency service providers and our schools will also be notified so that adjustments can be made.
Please drive safely in this construction zone and report any issues that need to be addressed on this construction project to our Building Department. We are having weekly construction meetings to address any of your concerns. Thank you to all of our residents for their cooperation and patience they have exhibited during this major construction project.
CREW Committee – Trustee Frank Chiara
On 4/27/2021 the Floral Park Crew committee held an evening of reflection, a message of hope hosted by Our Lady of Victory, RC. The guest speaker Lt. John Breen of the FDNY shared with all of us who attended his first-hand experience on September 11th and his road to recovery. Lt. Breen is a remarkable, fortunate and appreciative man who sees it as his mission to keep the events of 9/11 alive by telling his story and letting all hear that there is always hope for a better tomorrow. Thank You Lt. Breen for sharing your experiences with us!
Thanks to CREW and in particular Elaine Licari for organizing and Joe O’Grady for emceeing. Thank You to Fr. Tom and OLV for hosting the event in the church chapel. It was a pleasant evening of reflection with a pronounced message of hope.
Floral Park Library – Trustee Jennifer Stewart
The Library has begun its Story Walk series, illustrations from childrens’ books are displayed around the library lawn and children with their guardians walk around the property, enjoying the illustrations and the time outside. Sunday, May 2nd saw a very successful May the Fourth event with characters from Star Wars taking pictures and entertaining fans of all ages. I encourage residents to check out the Library’s website and Facebook page for information about all upcoming events.
Pool Department – Trustee Jennifer Stewart
The Board is happy to approve two assistant pool directors for the Summer of 2021, both lifelong Floral Park residents with impressive resumes. We are looking forward to the positive impact they will make this summer. We continue to be on track for a June 13th opening. We are looking forward to introducing as many programs at the pool this summer as health department guidelines will allow.
Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald
I have just a couple of items to report on. As Deputy Mayor Pombonyo mentioned earlier about tree planting, I would just like to echo thanks to DPW Superintendent Kevin Ginnane and his team for going out and picking out the trees this year. I know we have been doing this for a couple of years and I noticed this year that the trees are especially different and better. I appreciate the effort that he has put into getting that done.
Once again, unfortunately, we have to thank the Fire Department for all of their hard work. It has been a rough year. It is an amazing job that they do day in and day out, especially when the alarm rings with a serious call like we had the other day. They are there plus our neighboring towns. Thanks to them for coming to our assistance. It is an amazing job. I have been sitting in this chair for ten years and it never ceases to amaze me to see their dedication in all that they do. Thank you.
