Contractors are finishing installing pavers and bolting bollards, benches and trash receptacles into place along the east side of Franklin Avenue between the Long Island Rail Road property and Seventh Street. I am pleased to note that residents and merchants have expressed many favorable comments on the selection of street furnishings.

The balance of the easterly side of Franklin Avenue is scheduled to be completed by the end of the week. They will begin the removal of concrete sidewalks on the west side of Franklin from Sixth to Seventh Street. Work will proceed as rapidly as possible so as to mitigate inconvenience to businesses and residents.

With the arrival of Labor Day and the anticipation of school reopening, comes the first harbinger of autumn -- the closing of the Garden City Swimming Pool. Much to the credit of the pool staff, Village residents experienced another safe and enjoyable pool season. My compliments to all!

Due to the oberservance of Labor Day, there will be no garbage or recycling pickup on Monday, Sept. 6.

Residences west of Rockaway Avenue will have their garbage collected on Tuesday and Friday and those east of Rockaway will be collected on Wednesday and Saturday. Rubbish will be collected on Thursday.

Those residents scheduled for recycling pickup on Monday, Sept. 6 should place recyclables out on Monday, Sept. 13. All other recycling days remain the same.

Our local law requires dog owners to leash their pets and to clean up after them when they have relieved themselves upon any areas used in common by the public. These areas include median strips, curbs, gutters, park areas, streets, etc.

Regulations require that dog waste be placed with the rubbish for curbside collection on Wednesdays and be containerized or placed in a plastic bag which is properly secured. It must not be placed in storm drains for obvious health reasons.

Please be considerate of those Village employees who are working to keep our commuity beautiful by cleaning up after your dog and by properly disposing of the waste.

With the summer storm and hurricane season upon us, Chief Richard Chiarello of the Fire Department asked that I share some important safety tips with you.

After a storm goes through, everyone likes to go out and survey the neighborhood to see what damage the storm has left behind.

One of the greatest dangers from summer storms is that of downed power lines. Always assume any downed line is still energized, and, therefore, deadly. Be extra careful of children playing around fallen trees and large limbs, as there is a danger of a power line being entwined in the branches. Also, if a large limb has fallen, there is usually the chance of more branches falling from the same tree.

If a power line falls across your car and you are in it, the safest action to take is to stay in your vehicle and wait for help to come.

We can all make these experiences a little more bearable if we take the following steps:

1. Every home should have flashlights, spare batteries and a battery operated radio (to listen to weather updates). Either set up an emergency storm kit or keep all of the items in the same place so that you can find them in the dark when you need them.

2. If you lose power, you should shut off and unplug all electronic equipment (televisions, stereos, VCR's, computers, etc.) so that if there is a power surge when the power is restored, the equipment won't be damaged.

With a little preparation, the summer storm season will pass with hopefully a minimum amount of inconvenience.