Although St. Paul's was not on the formal agenda at the Aug. 17 village board meeting, residents rallied in support of saving the building from private control.

Bill Haynes of Dartmouth Street was concerned if whether the high-end condos - a possible option for the site now being considered - will be sellable in say, two years. "How many years was the Wyndham in foreclosure?" he asked trustees.

John Boyle of Osborne Road thought if any building should be treated as a landmark it should certainly be St. Paul's. Pat DiMattea reiterated the fact that the former boys school was bought by residents for residents and urged trustees to embrace the idea of using St. Paul's for the benefit of the entire Garden City community.

Mayor Gerard Lundquist told residents that the board still has not received all the facts and the opinion of all the people. "We want the input of all the residents, not just those who come to the village meetings," the mayor said. When asked what he'd like to see in St. Paul's, the mayor responded, "Most of all, I'd like to see the building saved."

Following the Aug. 17 board meeting, Mayor Lundquist had this to say in his mayor's column regarding what he described as "inaccuracies and incomplete information circulating" - information he believes needs to be corrected regarding actions of the village board:

"Comments from residents at recent meetings of the board of trustees about the St. Paul's School building indicate that there are inaccuracies and incomplete information circulating that needs to be corrected regarding actions of the board.

"The May 2006 issue of Village Facts contains extensive background on the subject matter as well as does the other information on the village's website.

"I plan to regularly answer questions that arise to keep residents updated as to what is happening regarding St. Paul's and plan to post them on the village's website, www.gardencityny.net.

"Q - Why is the village rushing to judgment by putting condos in St. Paul's?

"A - That is very premature as to where the board is right now. The board carefully considered using the building as public space. The cost to renovate the building was estimated to be $53 million, plus even higher costs for debt service and to staff, operate and equip the building. A substantial majority of residents said in a community survey they did not want their taxes raised by the amount needed for renovations. That's why the board is looking for alternatives.

"Q - You have already issued an RFP. Doesn't that mean it's a done deal?

"A - Not at all. The board voted 8-0 to find a way to save St. Paul's that would not impose an onerous tax burden on village families. Our real estate consultant told us that the only viable option that private firms would consider was upscale condos. The RFP (Request for Proposals) is an effort by the board to test the marketplace and to see if private firms are willing to put their funds on the line for a project.

"These proposals are due back in early October. It is premature to predict whether the proposals will meet the village's goal of saving St. Paul's.

"Some village residents who share our desire to save St. Paul's have asked to submit a proposal for public use. Of course, we said yes. We expect them to meet the same financially responsible criteria requested from all those submitting proposals.

"Even if we get a proposal that meets all our criteria, we will still solicit extensive community input before making any final decisions. Only when we have specific proposals in hand can we begin to have the type of community dialogue that is a hallmark for the Village of Garden City.

"Q - Has the possibility of redeveloping the building for public use been seriously considered?

"A - Yes. In fact, most of the board members would prefer to have the building restored for public use. At present, that appears highly unlikely. Over a process of several years, the Main Building has been separately studied for conversion to a new high school, as a facility for a new Garden City Village Hall and school district administrative offices. Adelphi looked at the building to expand their campus, as did Chaminade, which was mainly interested in the fields and declined interest. Most recently, a proposal was considered to redevelop a portion of the building for a new village library. All of the proposals have been rejected, primarily because of concerns about the feasibility of adapting the old building for any of these uses and, especially, because of the high cost and risk of any redevelopment.

"Q - How much would it cost to restore the building for public use, and what are the implications of that for village taxpayers?

"A- (a) The cost of stabilizing the building - making all necessary repairs to reduce further deterioration, but without allowing any public occupancy or use - is projected to be in the neighborhood of $16 million. (b) The cost of restoring the building for minimal use - that is, making the building comply with building code and enabling 15,000 square feet of it to be used for public meetings or other limited purposes, but with few interior repairs - would be approximately $33 million. (c) Demolition and restoration of the property could be approximately $6 million. (d) Although the cost of full restoration is difficult to forecast without knowing the eventual use planned for the building, even at a very basic level, full restoration is projected to cost a minimum of $53 million. These cost figures were developed by consulting engineers/architects and verified by a construction management firm that was hired by the village.

"Q - Which structures and how much property are addressed by the RFP and what would remain?

"A - The RFP addresses only the Historic Main Building, Ellis Hall and the seven to eight acres at the southeast portion of the 48.5-acre site where the structures are located. The Field House, Cluett Hall, the Cottages and all of the recently refurbished playing fields would remain intact.

"Q - Why are we giving up meeting room space at the Public Library for conversion to computer stations?

"A - We are not. Alan Roeckel, Garden City Library director, has confirmed, as the trustees indicated at the last board meeting, that the area that is being converted for use by Library patrons in the lower level was formerly used for storage. There will be no diminution of meeting space."