Floral Park Board of Trustees reports Feb. 2 – The Island Now

Department of Public Works Deputy Mayor FitzgeraldIn regards to DPW, it has been a very busy couple of days due to the snow storm. Id like to quickly walk through a timeline of the storm over the last 48 hours.

At 9 PM Sunday night, DPW crews pre-treated the roads. Around 2 AM Monday morning when snow levels reached 4 inches, the DPW crews started plowing. At 4 AM, the full operation of plowing through the night began. At 7 AM we started picking up garbage and recycling as scheduled. Plowing continued all the way through 4 AM this morning so the full operation was going for a minimum of 24 hours; inclusive of the pre-treating, we are looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of 36 hours. This morning, once again, as scheduled we picked up garbage and recycling.

At 8 AM, the team started to do clean-ups of the intersections. It was a tremendous job. The Mayor, myself, Superintendent Ginnane, were out last night looking at all of the work. At 9 PM last night, there was still a lot of work to get done. This morning you could see the difference that was made. I would just like to point out that it is not just the roads that the Village is responsible for. It is also all of the properties, the sidewalks around the properties, the pocket parks, the Library and obviously the Firehouses, which are very important spots.

I think this storm as I was out driving around last night, that one of the biggest differences I noticed was there were hardly if any, cars on the street. That made a really big difference for the teams that are plowing, and that will make a bigger difference if there is another storm behind this storm. They were able to open up the roads to allow the residents to transverse the roads but more importantly the emergency vehicles.

There is still plenty of work to be done. They called it night a little while ago. They will be out there tomorrow morning. I really want to give a sincere thank you to the entire department for working the last 36 hours for getting the Village to where it is now. And especially a big thank you to DPW Superintendent Kevin Ginnane for orchestrating the entire operation great job. Thank you.

Recreation Department Trustee PombonyoWith February comes the start of our Winter Session II Youth, Adult and Senior Recreation Programs. Get fit and have fun with indoor, outdoor and virtual classes aerobics, yoga, zumba and tennis, to name a few. Register on February 10th and 11th at the Rec Center. See the flyer that comes in your mail or on the Village of Floral Park, Recreation Department website. For information and assistance, call 326-6336.

Conservation Society Trustee PombonyoSave the dates for the global Great Backyard Bird Count right here in our very own Centennial Gardens on Friday, February 12th, noon to 4 pm; Saturday, Feb. 13, noon to 1 pm; and Sunday, February 14th, 1 to 2 pm.

Come to the main gate on Floral Parkway and join your neighbors and friends to see and hear local ornithology expert and enthusiast Don Haug tell the fascinating stories of the many species of birds who call Centennial Gardens home or stop there during their travels. If youre a child or teen, bring your camera and enter your favorite bird photo in our Great Backyard Bird Count contest. To learn more about this very special event, check the beautiful Floral Park Centennial Gardens Facebook page, the Conservation Society website at fpgarden.org and the global website at birdcount.org for fabulous facts and photos.

Covert Avenue Chamber of Commerce and Our Businesses Trustee PombonyoRegarding the September 27th fire follow-up, please refer to the Village of Floral Park website Village News for a January 27th Building Department summary of recent fire restoration activity. As of now, the asbestos abatement has been completed. Mondays snowstorm may delay debris clean-up until the contractors once again have safe access to the buildings. As the interior debris is fully removed, the property owners architects will continue to work with Renee Marcus, our Building Department Superintendent, to develop plans for the future use of the property, the details of which remain uncertain until the viability of the remaining parts of the structure is fully assessed.

And, today, as we all get back to normal after the big snowstorm and thank our Village DPW staff for spending over thirty-six hours clearing snow from our streets, visit our local businesses. You wont have to drive very far to SHOP, DINE AND TAKE OUT LOCAL. Enjoy winter in the Village of Floral Park, its beautiful!

Fire Department Trustee ChengThank you to DPW for the snow removal at all of the Village Firehouse. The Fire Department calls for the month of January were Rescue-92; rest of Department-24. As a reminder, if there is a fire hydrant in front of your house, please clear snow in a three (3) foot radius of the hydrant and create a path from the street to the hydrant. Every second counts in responding to a fire. The officer and the chauffeur may not know the location of the nearest hydrant and even if they do, members have to waste valuable time to dig out the hydrant. If the nearest hydrant on your block has not been dug out, please adopt that hydrant and do the job your neighbor couldnt or wouldnt. This act might save you or your neighbors.

Third Track & LIRR Trustee ChengBird netting will be installed underneath the newly modified Plainfield Avenue Bridge this month. Intermittent lane closures will be necessary to facilitate this work. Crews are continuing the process of testing the new Floral Park Station elevators to ensure complete functionality and that safety requirements are met. The elevators are expected to be open for public use this winter.Retaining wall construction is underway along the Hempstead Branch, from Tunnel Street heading east into the sump along the north side of the tracks. This retaining wall is being installed to support new railroad switches on the Hempstead Branch and will allow trains to move from track to track more easily. Throughout the month of February, crews will continue to set steel posts, pour concrete, and set wall panels along the right-of-way. Retaining wall construction is beginning along the right-of-way, on the south side of the tracks, from Carnation Avenue to Childs Avenue. As a result, Atlantic Avenue, between Carnation Avenue and Childs Avenue, will be limited to local traffic only for the duration of this activity. Permanent wooden utility poles have been installed along the railroad right-of-way throughout the Village of Floral Park. Crews will safely relocate cables from temporary poles to permanent poles. Once utility lines have been relocated, temporary utility poles will begin to be removed throughout the Village. Intermittent lane closures may be necessary in order to facilitate this work and heavy construction equipment including cranes, bucket trucks, and more will be utilized.I am very thankful for our creative library staff for their continued efforts, constantly offering new activities to our community during these times. They are really showing their talents and abilities, by keeping connected to our community, encouraging us to stay active and vibrant. Continue to check the Library website http://www.floralparklibrary.org and Facebook page for current events and programs.

Police Department Trustee ChiaraOur Police Department continues to increase traffic enforcement efforts to keep our streets safe and to help with a reduction of vehicle accident. Recently the Department conducted a Truck Safety Inspection where 75 summonses were issued. Hopefully this will send a strong message that unsafe trucks will not be tolerated in our Village.

Last year Governor Cuomo directed all Police Departments in New York State to conduct an inclusive process as part of the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative. We here in the Village of Floral Park formed a committee, a cross sections of individuals who are representative of our community. The committee, with the assistance of guidelines issued by the State, has met a number of times. During these meetings the members discussed the Floral Park Police Departments current policies and practices relative to how they meet the needs of our community. A draft document is being created that will eventually be ratified and adopted by our local government, then submitted to the State.

Most importantly, BEFORE, being ratified and submitted to the State, this draft document will be distributed to our residents for review and input. Our residents will have the opportunity to make comments, recommendations, and ask questions concerning the Villages Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative. Residents who wish to participate will be able to do so by sending in their comments, suggestions or questions to the committee via an established email address. There will also be a meeting scheduled for an open forum to discuss the presented document.

I would like to encourage all residents to take some time to read this draft document and participate in the process. It is a good opportunity to learn about how our Police Department is currently performing their duties and how they interact with our community. All recommendations, questions and comments are welcome.

Library Trustee ChiaraThe library is encouraging all its patrons to continually check their Library homepage for updates on their offered programs. New and exciting program are scheduled throughout the month. The Library will be closed on Presidents Day, February 15, 2021.

Mayors Report Mayor LongobardiMayor Longobardi thanked the Floral Park Department of Public Works, Fire Department, Police Department and Village staff for their outstanding efforts during the storm. This coordinated response kept the residents safe and sound, the roads open, and the ability to provide emergency response up to par. Accomplishing this is no easy feat and takes a lot of effort and tireless dedication by all officers and employees involved. It is still snowing as I speak, and again thank you to everyone for an amazing job. Thank you and stay safe.

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Floral Park Board of Trustees reports Feb. 2 - The Island Now