(Editor's Note: The following was sent to the mayor and board of trustees and is printed at the author's request.)

I am writing to ask your support for the installation of a bathroom at the soon to be renovated Hilton Avenue Park. With your previous vote to provide funds to update the dilapidated equipment at the park, the central section will soon have a playground for neighborhood children to play.

When I moved to Garden City four and one-half years ago with a 15-month-old child, there was no such place for me to meet other parents with small children in our neighborhood. Since we usually went to the Hemlock playground, most of my son's friends from that time period lived in the Estates section. While we still value the friendships which we established, we missed the chance to meet others in our own neighborhood, those within walking distance, with whom to socialize.

The argument that the residents of the Central have big back yards in which to play misses the point. My large back yard was a very lonely place for both my son and me. The social function of a playground is as important for new parents as it is for the children.

I question how the village can commit funds for new playground equipment without a bathroom. The new equipment which has been ordered is targeted for toddlers and preschoolers - prime potty training age.

Do you expect young children, who have walked or been taken in strollers to the park, to hold their bowels and bladders until they get home? Any mother or father of a young child will tell you that this is an impossibility. The alternative is to teach our children that it is acceptable to urinate and defecate in public.

In addition, many mothers with young children using the playground will be pregnant at some time during their older child's preschool years. As you know, pregnant women require the use of a bathroom more often than their non-pregnant counterparts.

I understand that the slated renovations for Village Hall include funding for a bathroom for use by the ubiquitous wedding photography groups and residents attending village functions at the gazebo. If there is money in the budget for this bathroom for an infrequently used property, certainly there should be money for a playground designed to be used almost daily for a good portion of the year.

One advantage of the Hilton Avenue Park site for a playground is the mature shade trees lacking in some of the other playgrounds. For this reason, I think that the shady Hilton Park may attract residents from other sections of town in the heat of the summer. Think about you and your neighbor's children when making this decision. This is not a "Central" issue, but one of decency and sanitation for the entire village.