Village, National Grid to consult on road works, paving plans

At their June 17 meeting, the Garden City Village Board of Directors approved a declaration of emergency for the road repaving work and ratified the payment to vendor Pratt Brothers for the milling and paving of the road. west half of Jefferson Street and Roosevelt Street north of Salisbury Avenue to Plaza Road. The project will involve the milling and repaving of the complete intersection of Jefferson and Salisbury. The contract amount for Pratt Brothers for the work is $ 23,385. This is about half the cost of road works done in this part of the village recently because Pratt Brothers was paid the other half through the National Grid project.

Village administrator Ralph Suozzi told the board ahead of his vote last Thursday that the road paving project is due to National Grid road work to replace their approximately 400-foot gas line. long, installed on the eastern part of Jefferson Street and Roosevelt Street. in the village. Administrator Suozzi received several emails from residents living near this area, and Suozzi noted that the utility was planning to pave only half of the road.

“I contacted National Grid and at my request they offered to suspend the paving work, then I informed the affected neighbors as such. Nonetheless, I had contact with the Pratt Brothers team while they were doing the road work there, which was subcontracted through Banker, which was National Grid’s direct subcontractor. I contacted Police Commissioner Ken Jackson there, and he sent an officer who managed to stop the machining work on Roosevelt. Jefferson, however, had already been done and it is now mandated that we must pave it. I called Jim Pratt at Pratt Brothers and he agreed to complete the job at the same rates we assigned to our RoadWork Ahead tender contractor. I asked our engineer to contact them (RoadWork Ahead) and the village attorney reviewed the process to make sure it was legally viable. They paved and milled both sides of the road on Wednesday June 16, ”Suozzi noted.

Suozzi thanked Pratt, Commissioner Jackson and Village Engineer John Barone for their help in raising awareness among entrepreneurs.

He added that the intersection of Jefferson and Salisbury was included for milling and paving, as it is an important local road intersection.

“I also asked the representatives of National Grid to sit down with the village administration to look at any other opportunities like this, projects where their road works and our village road works coincide so that we can save money. money in the village, ”he explained.

The board of directors also approved the award of an offer for the bulk purchase of liquid caustic soda, exercising an option to renew the first year of a contract awarded in July 2020. Liquid caustic soda in bulk is used by the village of Garden City for the water distributed by the municipal water system of the village.

Another contract renewal, for an expected $ 60,000 in the village’s 2021-2022 fiscal year, is for fire hydrants and repair kits from Hauppauge-based supplier Ferguson Waterworks. The contract was initially awarded by the board of directors on July 18, 2019 and was renewed last week, “at the same prices and conditions, for items to be ordered as needed, based on unit costs”, for an estimated 2021/22 fiscal year cost of $ 60,000.

The renewal amount is $ 59,575 and the supplier is Univar Solutions, USA, Inc. of Morrisville, Bucks County, Pa., “At the same prices and terms, for items to be ordered” as needed “, based on unit costs. Administrator Suozzi noted that this is an item in the village’s operating budget.

Village administrator Suozzi announced on June 17 that Village Water Well No. 10 had been approved by the New York State Department of Health “to go to the system” with its treatment ( advanced oxidation process), as its contamination numbers were “fair” standards at the start of AOP processing.

Administrator Suozzi requested that an agenda item be placed on last Thursday’s agenda with suspension of the meeting rules, so that the Garden City Public Library contract for the wardens of security in buildings, through the provider Securitas, be extended by an additional 90 days as its expiration was set at the end of June.

“We just don’t have time to rectify the problem, whether it’s through an order to change his existing contract or a new offer. I would like this to stay in place, otherwise from July 1, the library will no longer have a security service in place, ”Suozzi explained.

Village Attorney Peter Bee explained first the separate motions to suspend the rules of the meeting, followed by a separate resolution allowing the Garden City Public Library to exercise the Securitas contract renewal, “and then exercise the 90-day at-will termination clause to allow the library to determine a new course of action for security guard services, “he said. Administrator John Delany proposed suspension of the rules, it was seconded by administrator Colleen Foley, and the board voted to add it to its June 17th consent agenda.

Parks and Recreation Superintendent Paul Blake described an item on the directors’ agenda, approving the attendance of three staff (including Blake’s) at the annual conference and exhibition of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), scheduled September 21-23, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. Blake noted that this is the largest parks and recreation conference in the United States and will feature over 80 different seminars, with topics ranging from revenue generation to field maintenance, through computer programming and new trends in leisure activities and programs.

“It will also include a showroom of more than 800 suppliers where we can get our hands on the latest maintenance equipment, computer programs and play equipment for the parks. We’re asking to send our Parks Supervisor Simone, Recreation Supervisor Tom McGerty and if all goes well, myself, ”he told administrators last week.

Reopen the pool to normal operation, minus swimming lessons

With great enthusiasm, Blake provided a welcome update to the community and explained that due to the lifting of New York State and Department of Health regulations, the Garden City Pool has been permitted to open with regular operations on Saturday, June 19 – one week after the start of 2021. pool season. Previewing this celebrated return to regular operations, Blake said the Nassau County Health Department called the recreation office with notification on Wednesday, June 16.

“We have plans in place early this morning (June 17th) before 9 am so that all residents who call us during the day to schedule a weekend reservation receive the good news, which has spread like wildfire. We’re ready to go and all the chairs, tables, loungers and mats will be out by Saturday, and this year we can have an intramural swim team and we’ll have some special events during the summer. On July 4th, everyone is invited to come to the Garden City Pool to watch the Cardboard Boat Race in the Large Pool, ”commented Blake.

Administrator Colleen Foley asked if pool lifeguards could teach kids swimming lessons this summer. Blake said there are no plans for this to come back as, all things considered, most lifeguards are in their late teens and are not sure they are around children in the pool for. lessons. With federal approval of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for children ages 12 to 17, many children who would take swimming lessons are not vaccinated.

“Most swimming pools in the area still don’t offer lessons. We know that some of the lifeguards have heard from their own parents about being exposed to young children at the pool for lessons. It’s hard to argue with that, so unfortunately we’ll have to forgo classes this summer, ”explained Blake.

Preservation of the historic highway

In further updates from the June 17 board meeting, administrator Suozzi noted that he had met, along with Garden City Village historian Bill Bellmer, with members of the Long Island Motor. Parkway Preservation Society. Howard Kroplick, former city of North Hempstead historian and president of the Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation Society, posted on the VanderbiltCupRaces.com website on May 20: “I am pleased to report that progress is being made to restore a section of the Motor Parkway near the new parking lot at Stewart Field (west of Raymond Court). This morning Al Velocci and I met with Garden City administrator Ralph Suozzi and Garden Village historian Bill Bellmer and agreed on a restoration plan.

Suozzi informed administrators that the conversation involved changes to the pedestrian areas of the Motor Parkway. He said that between now and the next village board meeting – scheduled for Thursday, July 15 – he will study the costs of further improvements in areas where parking has been built over the American highway. historic – the first “highway” built exclusively for automobile use, established in the first decade of the 20th century. The meeting between Koplick, Al Velocci, Bellmer and administrator Suozzi also involved a discussion on where the donated historic landmarks would be placed along the Motor Parkway.

Mr. Bellmer also provided two historical markers – one for the Rainbow Division (WWI) monument on Clinton Road and St. James South, and one for the Motor Parkway / Stewart Field location. The markers are beautifully made. and they contain QR codes that people can scan on a smartphone or tablet and be able to quickly get more site history. I asked Mr. Bellmer for the prices of these markers so that I could provide the Council with the costs. real of that. I will email the Council once I have all the information, ”Suozzi explained.