Over 350 Garden City residents attended four separate public outreach briefings conducted by AvalonBay Communities last month regarding the company's tentative proposal to restore, preserve and reuse the long- closed St. Paul's School building on Stewart Avenue.

Three of the village's Property Owners Associations - East, Estates and Western - received presentations at general membership meetings held on the evening of Jan. 15, and AvalonBay held an open reception and briefing for village residents on the evening of Jan. 16 at The Garden City Hotel. All four sessions were well-attended, and residents were fully engaged in the dialogue generated on the effort to preserve St. Paul's, AvalonBay officials note. AvalonBay also made a presentation to the Central POA previously.

"We received some very valuable feedback from the community," Matthew B. Whalen, vice president, Development for AvalonBay Communities and the Avalon at St. Paul's project, said. "The comments have been frank and wide-ranging. Some residents expressed a very keen desire to save and preserve St. Paul's, and offered suggestions on how the building should be used. And, some residents expressed a desire to see the building torn down."

Overall, according to AvalonBay officials, most residents believe the village needs to resolve this longstanding issue now. While many want a cost-effective solution, all are hopeful the village will reach the consensus needed to move forward with a plan that sustains Garden City's reputation as a great place to live.

"Now it's our task to sort through the issues raised by village residents so far and to provide a summary of those issues to the M

ayor's Committee on St. Paul's, which in turn will help guide the next steps in the effort to save the building," Whalen continued. "Those next steps include preparation of a more detailed development plan, or detailed alternatives for redevelopment, which can then be discussed with the residents."

Whalen, a Garden City resident, noted that AvalonBay has been conducting outreach briefings and one-on-one meetings with a range of groups and individuals since last October. In total, some 20 such sessions have been conducted to date. "We're still gathering comments from village residents," he added. "We'll compile and evaluate all of the comments, and address questions that have been raised about the project's potential impacts.

"Personally, I believe there is more public sentiment for keeping and preserving St. Paul's than for tearing it down," Whalen continued. "It would be tragic to lose such a beautiful, unique and historic building. I firmly believe we can arrive at a preservation plan that meets the common goals of the Garden City community at large, and that the building can be saved and preserved."