With the arrival of spring, it is great to see increased pedestrian activity along Seventh Street and New Hyde Park Road. It brings into focus just how great a place our business community is and raises expectations over how great our village will be this summer with the spring plantings and the beginning of our outdoor dining on April 1. Please show your support for our merchants and continue to shop in Garden City. Let the business owners know how they can better serve your needs. You will be pleasantly surprised with how quickly they will accommodate.

All residents are asked to assist in the task of cleaning up our community to make it look like a beautiful "Garden City." We can do that by picking up paper, cans, bottles and other debris, which may have been deposited on the streets and other public areas near their homes. A few minutes of cooperative effort by all of us can make our village look 100 percent better.

Residents are also reminded that rubbish should not be placed on the curb before the evening prior to the collection day. It is a detraction from the aesthetics of the village and poor treatment of one's neighbors to ignore the village law which specifies that rubbish should not be deposited at curbside before the evening prior to collection.

Pet owners are asked to please be considerate of those who are working to keep our community beautiful and those who are using park areas by cleaning up after your dog and by disposing of the waste at curbside on Wednesdays.

The police department is issuing summonses for these violations, which are answerable in the village justice court and can result in a fine for each offense.

I would like to thank the residents and employees who donated blood Tuesday, March 22. I am pleased to report that over 20 pints of blood were collected. You can feel proud of your personal involvement in helping those who depend on blood for life giving support.