The Board of Trustees join me in extending our sincere gratitude to former Chief Brian S. Ridgway for the dedicated and professional level of service that he rendered to our Village during his tenure as chief of the Garden City Fire Department. Our special thanks is also due to his wife, Ellen, and their children for sharing Brian with us.

As a result of the election held earlier this month, the new chief will be Richard Chiarello. He will be aided during the coming year by First Assistant Chief John Nesbitt, Second Assistant Chief Lawrence Nedelka, and Third Assistant Chief Leonard Rivera.

The Village's 1998 Annual Report has been mailed to residents. The purpose of the report is to provide residents with an account of the stewardship of Village affairs by their Board of Trustees during the past fiscal year. I encourage you to review the report and to please retain it as a reference source -- especially if you have children of school age. The opening of the 1999 Little League Baseball Season began this past weekend with the annual Little League Parade in the Village. With the opening of Little League, drivers are encouraged to pay particular attention to driving safely in the area of Village athletic fields. As youngsters are on their way to and from their scheduled games, many of them will dart between parked cars and will fail to look while crossing the street. Let's make this season not only a happy one, but a safe one in our Village.