Garden City residents are questioning the need for the proposed installation of a fence and walking/jogging path at the St. Paul's fields. "We're a village that prides itself on open space and our village's center town really reflects that," Tom Lamberti of First Street told trustees during a recent meeting. "I'm at a loss at to why we'd become a so-called 'walled' city."

Further criticizing the need for a black estate fence around the fields at St. Paul's, Lamberti added, "There is no safety issue, unless it's in people's minds." Recreation Director Kevin Ocker, however, begged to differ. "The issue of safety is real," he said.

Lamberti also criticized the amount of open space dedicated to village sports. "Where do we draw the line?" he asked. "All the taxpayers bought those fields. What do adults and seniors get out of it when 75 percent is dedicated to sports?"

With the demand in this village for sports, citing the soccer and lacrosse seasons as an example, Ocker said youth teams use every available square foot of that property. The recreation department found, through programming demands, that those fields are in fact vital. "If we don't use them, we turn away teams from playing and practicing there."

Several Hampton Road residents expressed concern, through letters written to Garden City Mayor Barbara Miller and the board of trustees, regarding the proposed walking/jogging path. A parent who lives adjacent to the St. Paul's fields wrote, "In light of the recent news regarding the 'current' child molester, why would we want to attract people to come into our town and prey on our children while they recreate on village fields? Who is going to police this activity? How will you stop non-residents from coming to use the path before and after hours?"

Fellow Hampton Road residents concurred, stating, "We strongly feel that a perimeter walking/jogging path would compromise the safety of our children." Another resident, who's attended several recreation commission work sessions to better understand the St. Paul's Open Space proposal, said the path would run very close to his property and that of his neighbors. "The board of trustees needs to determine whether there is a clear need and demand for a jogging path at St. Paul's, given some of the challenges it would create," he wrote. Robert Vassalotti of Brixton Road suggested shrubs rather than a fence, which he believes would be "unsightly."

The board of trustees will have a recommendation at this Thursday's meeting regarding the site plan, which Trustee Robert Rothschild believes should entail all the elements properly highlighted, including the fence's exact location, the exact distance from the fence to the sidewalk on Stewart Avenue and Rockaway Avenue and more. Please note the meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at village hall.