Centennial Gardens is currently only open Saturday mornings [weather permitting] while the volunteers are there and beginning April 6, each Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. When it is warmer, the plan is to open all three walk-in gates on Raff, Carnation and Floral Parkway with the signs placed on the grass areas to let visitors know it is open. Expanded hours are included in the proposed village budget which will be voted on in early April. At that time, the Conservation Society will know what hours the gardens will be open for the coming year beginning June 1. The Floral Park Conservation Society's major spring planting will enhance the two overlooks at the eastern basin and to begin a redevelopment of the wildflower meadow with specialty plantings. Plantings will begin the first Saturday of April; all who would like to join with the Society volunteers are welcome to come down any Saturday morning. The plan is to plant masses of individual perennials and grasses to make it easier to purge the area of weeds and enhance the area for our resident wildlife. Floral Park Centennial Gardens Update Ann Gribbins, along with her family, developed a garden that has expanded in the past two years in providing fresh vegetables for those in need. In 2007, the garden raised over 225 pounds of vegetables that were donated to the Interfaith Nutrition Network (INN) charity on a weekly basis. This year, the program will expand even further with the creation of The Giving Garden, currently the scene of an Eagle Scout project by Chris Barreyre. Anyone who would like to help the Society with this special project to feed the hungry poor are asked to let her know by emailing agribb02@yahoo.com. A new addition to the program requests that residents grow extra vegetables in their own gardens and deliver them on Saturday mornings to Centennial Gardens for delivery later that day to the INN in Hempstead. As many residents are aware, the Floral Park Conservation Society was awarded $60,000 from the county with a $20,000 match from the village for a paver walkway on the exterior and decorative lighting alongside the path. Due to the delay for a number of years before any action was taken by the county, the costs have skyrocketed thus reducing the linear footage that would be completed under the 2004 Bond Act funding. Fortunately through the diligent efforts of Nassau County Legislators Richard Nicolello and Vincent Muscarella, the county is considering providing additional funding to complete the paver path around Centennial Gardens. The path stretches almost 2,400 feet, which includes paths to the gates and to the curb for drop curbs. The path will be between 4 feet and 4.5 feet wide, depending on the final design. The Society gives a special thanks to Dennis McEnery, its pro bono counsel, for having a continuous dialogue with Nassau County officials and the Society's strong advocates Nassau County Legislators Nicolello and Muscarella. Centennial Gardens will host the September celebration throughout the gardens. Tentative plans are for music, food, tours and birding activities along with youthful ventures. Unlike other events in the Floral Park Centennial celebration, the Conservation Society still has to construct the areas where its program will be held with soil amendments, leveling, seeding, tree plantings, irrigation and the rest that is involved. With much work like this, the Conservation Society urgently needs some additional help from volunteers so please consider joining the Society any Saturday morning. Working as a team, volunteers have slowly been creating a beautiful passive environment and can do more with additional hands.

The Floral Park Conservation Society is a nonprofit society, thus all donations are tax-deductible. One hundred percent of all contributions are used for the operations and development of the gardens; no person receives any compensation or salary from the Society. If you would like to receive ongoing information via email, send an email addressed to fpgardens@optimum.net. No email will be used for any other purpose than updates on Society activities. If you know someone who would like to make a donation to the Society, have them send a check with a form available on the website, www.fpvillage.org or www.fpgardens.org, or with contact information to Society President Steve Corbett, 140 Verbena Avenue, Floral Park, NY 11001-3045.

The Conservation Society sincerely thanks everyone for their support over the years as we continue to rush to enhance the gardens in this centennial year of Floral Park.