I would like to report that at its meeting Oct. 19, the board of trustees approved two application grants for the library under the New York State Public Library Construction Grant Program. The first grant relates to energy conservation and deals with modifications to the lighting system and the second is for the installation of automatic door openers. Both require 50 percent matching funds by the village.

The Department of Public Works has applied for the 2006 Tree Planting Cost-Share Grants for Urban and Community Forestry in New York State for a maximum of $7,500 for tree planting projects. The planting of 220 street trees in various locations throughout the village cost the village approximately $88,000. The grant, if awarded, will give the village a maximum of $7,500.00.

The board of trustees also approved the Garden City Bird Sanctuary's request for an application under the Urban and Community Forestry Program for the Stormwater Basin, 232 Colonial Avenue and Tanners Pond Road.

The village always strives to reduce the cost of municipal projects and applies for grants offered by State and Federal agencies.

Daylight Savings Time ended Sunday, Oct. 29. Residents are reminded that clocks should be set back one hour.

The Department of Public Works began collecting leaves Monday, Oct. 30. Collections started in the western section on a sporadic basis, depending upon the amount of leaves in the street and weather conditions. As accumulation increases, full collection will begin in the western section on a street-by-street basis and proceed easterly through the entire village. Weather conditions permitting, this route will be repeated on a two-week basis.

We ask that residents observe the following guidelines:

• Place only leaves in the street. Other items may damage machinery and slow down operation.

• Do not place leaves on medians and malls as this will kill or damage the grass. For reasons of safety, our streets are cleaned of leaves on a more frequent schedule than are the medians.

• Avoid parking cars over leaves as this slows our operation considerably, and is also a fire hazard. Each year a number of cars are seriously damaged or destroyed by fire as a result of their being parked on dry leaves.

• Please do not obscure fire hydrants by piling leaves around them.

• If you have a gardener, instruct him to place your leaves in the street, and not on the malls. Many gardeners find it convenient to bring leaves in from other communities in which they work for disposal by the village. This practice is prohibited and the Police Department will be issuing summonses.

Last fall the Street Department along with the Parks Department removed 20,000 cubic yards of leaves. These leaves were then turned into mulch and were made available cost free for use by residents and landscapers. This recycling of leaves saves the village thousands of dollars annually in disposal costs. Our combined efforts will keep our village beautiful and reduce waste. If you have any questions concerning our leaf collection schedule, call the Department of Public Works at 465-4003.

The Nassau County Department of Senior Citizen Affairs, in cooperation with, the Nassau County Department of Health and the Nassau University Medical Center, will co-sponsor a free countywide, flu immunization program for senior citizens.

The immunization program for our area will be held at the Garden City Senior Recreation Center at 6 Golf Club Lane Tuesday, Nov. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Residents 60 years of age or older, who are interested in receiving the vaccine should call the Garden City Recreation Department at 465-4075 to make an appointment. Residents should be prepared to indicate if they wish to receive just the flu immunization, or if they would like the additional protection of the pneumonia immunization, which is also free.

As a reminder, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 result in two consecutive odd days. All residents with automatic sprinklers should remember to reset their clocks at this time to comply with the village's lawn watering regulations. As a further reminder, the last day for lawn sprinkling is Nov. 30.

Resurfacing of Parking Field 7S has been completed. The lighting contractor is currently installing new street light poles and fixtures in the parking field. This will be followed by the planting of new trees, to replace those that had to be removed.

I wish to apologize for the inconvenience that this construction work caused to both residents and businesses.