William B. Kuhl, formerly of the Architectural Design Review Board, and presently the consultant hired by the Village of Garden City to design plans for the beautification of Franklin Avenue gave a preliminary presentation to trustees of the Village, POA officials and members, members of the Village's merchant organizations, and curious residents in Village Hall on Thursday, Feb. 12. Photos of Franklin Avenue's present condition were presented in a slide show along with blueprints incorporating proposed changes to the streetscape as well as photos of various elements of the changes such as suggested benches, street lamps, and trash receptacles. Streetscapes in other towns and villages which have employed some of these design elements were also shown to help illustrate the difference these kinds of changes can make on the impact of the whole picture.

Kuhl identified areas which he felt had the potential to be strengthened and could make a significant difference in the overall feel of Franklin Ave. One such area was the lot next to Gross Jewelers on the corner of Franklin and Stewart Avenues. Just by incorporating a gazebo or pavilion such as the pavilion in the gardens of Tavern on the Green in Manhattan, the entire feeling of the location changes. By adding trees, shrubs, and a sitting area, the lot becomes a friendly and elegant place for residents, shoppers, and area businesspeople to socialize.

Terms like "cohesive site vocabulary" were used to convey the importance of creating a sense of visual unity between the different businesses along the Avenue. By using raised planters, flowering trees, and planters for flowering vines over the alleyways, the buildings which have such varying building designs are tied together and the empty space which can create a bleak and exposed feeling are softened with plants. The proposed landscaping was designed by Kuhl to create a sense of protection from the traffic of Franklin Avenue and an element of privacy for little al fresco dining areas by the various restaurants along Franklin Ave. Table and chair designs were suggested, but the purchase of these items would be up to the restaurants themselves with the approval of the items in the hands of the Architectural Design Review Board.

Details such as a clock on the pineapple sign island on Stewart Avenue, information kiosks along Franklin Avenue, elaborate metal benches (Kuhl informed those in attendance that the wooden benches, such as those on Seventh Street can be maintenance problems as the wood begins to rot), camouflaging of LILCO's vaults, replacement of drainage grates which are deteriorating such as on the corner used for last year's Fridays on Franklin, and setting back and replacing the bus shelters all add up to a new face for Franklin Avenue. Lay by parking is also proposed for areas of the street where it is possible. There are 40 spaces in all proposed for both sides of Franklin Avenue from Stewart Avenue to Ninth Street and Ninth to Tenth Street. The choice not to create lay by parking all along Franklin, but only in these areas was a result of determining that the cost of relocating the utilities in certain areas made installing lay by parking there too costly.

Kuhl also explained that work on private property (property owned by the landlords of the buildings and not the Village) will require the Village to obtain signed releases from the owners to allow the work to be done. The work will be funded by the Village, but once completed, the maintenance of the landscaping will become the responsibility of the owner. It was also stated that the cost of the landscaping will not impose a tremendous financial load on either the Village or the owners.

In addition to lay by parking being implemented to help slow the traffic, lighting changes will be proposed to the County to help control the traffic and make the street more pedestrian friendly. Kuhl also noted that with the planting of the trees and bushes, the psychological effect on drivers will be to transform their view of the street from a speedway through the Village to a more residential road. Decorative paving on the street will also be installed to create more pedestrian friendly crosswalks and reinforce the idea of pedestrian traffic to drivers.

EPOA President James Brady inquired if plans had been made without the lay by parking as well. Kuhl responded that there were sketches made of the Avenue without the new parking, but that after the designs with lay by were presented in early meetings with the Board of Trustees it was determined that nothing would be sacrificed by lay by parking and that the current designs were a compromise between opposing views on the issue of lay by parking. By incorporating the 40 spaces both additional parking and slowed traffic are achieved without becoming excessive, which some people had feared. Kuhl described the lay by plan as a "win win" situation.

Dorothy Episcopia raised the issue of traffic concerns while the work itself is being done. She pointed to the proposed Mineola Boulevard Bridge construction which will consist of five phases of work to begin presently and be completed by Feb. 28, 1999. If Garden City's work on Franklin Ave. and the work on Mineola Boulevard coincide, Episcopia noted, there is potential for traffic nightmares for both Garden City and Mineola. Kuhl stated that a traffic management plan will be implemented and also pointed out that the stores on Franklin all have rear entrances and to install lay by parking the work is from the sidewalk toward the buildings rather than taking anything away from the street itself. Trustee Hecken also stated that the Village will work on ways to redirect the traffic flows both during the project and once the project is completed.

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Althea Robinson asked as "the crusader of South of Stewart" what plans were discussed for that stretch of Franklin Avenue. Kuhl explained that the design of Seventh Street would be extended as that particular block would be more cohesively unified with Seventh Street given that the corner of Franklin and Seventh Street is in the Seventh Street mode. CPOA President Barbara Miller then asked if lay by parking would be implemented near Sixth Street, but given its close proximity to the LIRR tracks, Kuhl explained that it would be inadvisable.

A formal presentation of the designs will be made at the next Board of Trustees Meeting on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. in Village Hall.