I want to thank our residents for their cooperation this past week in shoveling walks within 24 hours following the snow fall. The following suggestions are offered in an effort to reduce inconvenience to residents and to assist the village in serving their needs.

- If possible, wait until the village plows the street to clear the snow from your driveway entrance. If you can't wait, shovel to the right since most snowplows push to the right. This will reduce the accumulation of snow which will be pushed back into your driveway. This is a chronic problem. Plow operators have been reminded to reduce the speed of their vehicles in order to lessen the amount of snow that is pushed back into driveways.

- When you hear that a storm is expected, move your car off the street into your driveway. This will speed up the plowing operation.

- Park your car, or cars, as close to the end of the driveway as is safely possible. This eliminates the need for shoveling the entire driveway to free your car when the storm has ended and the roads are safe to travel.

- If you are unable to shovel snow or are going to be away, make arrangements to have the snow cleared from your sidewalk. One source of assistance is to contact PAVES to obtain the help of our village youth who are looking for employment - telephone number 248-0390. Please remember that you are responsible to shovel your walk within 24 hours after the storm. This will be enforced by the police department. This is also applicable to the business community.

- When using power equipment to blow snow please do not blow the snow into the street.

- Please clear snow away from all hydrants so that the fire department can reach them without delay. Also, make sure that the snow is not blocking the address to your house.

- To facilitate safe garbage collections, a walk should be made from the sidewalk to where the garbage is kept. If this is not possible, it is suggested that the garbage be carried to the curb for pickup.

Again, thank you for your cooperation.

The fire department has asked that residents be reminded that smoke detectors are required in all residences.

Smoke detectors come in an assortment of models, including types that can be plugged in wall outlets or directly in a home's electrical system and others that are battery operated. While all are worthwhile, residents are cautioned to purchase only those detectors which have been approved by testing laboratories such as Underwriters Laboratory (UL). These devices can be purchased from hardware and department stores.

For minimum protection, a smoke detector should be installed outside of each bedroom or sleeping area with at least one detector on every level of your home. For maximum protection, sleep with doors closed and install a detector in each bedroom or sleeping area.

It is essential that smoke detectors be installed, tested and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. In the event that you have any questions with regard to the selection or placement of a smoke detector, please feel free to contact the Garden City Fire Department at 746-1301 as they will be pleased to assist you.