I am pleased to report that this year was a safe one for our village. The police department has reported that it was a very quiet one and there were no incidents reported.

If you have recently had a tree planted in front of your home, please take the time to water it. The proper way to water is to first loosen the soil around the tree if it has become baked hard and then allow a hose to run at the base of the tree at a rate slow enough so that the water will be absorbed into the area around the tree trunk.

Watering hours are from 5 to 10 a.m. and 6 to 10 p.m. Odd-numbered addresses on odd-numbered days and even-numbered addresses on even-numbered days.

Thank you for your cooperation.

With the arrival of summer comes more of our young people taking to the streets on bicycles. A reminder to parents that in New York State, all children ages 1-13 are required by law to wear helmets when riding.

Learning to ride a bicycle is a source of pride for most kids. Unfortunately, as bicycling becomes more popular, the number of bicycle-related injuries has also increased. According to the NYS Department of Health's latest statistics each year, "an average of 50 New Yorkers are killed in bicycle crashes. Nearly 2,200 are hospitalized. Of the hospitalizations, 38 percent involve brain injuries. Children, ages 5-19, are most at risk for being hospitalized for a bicycle-related injury and more than 500,000 children go to hospital emergency departments or doctors' offices because they were in bicycle crashes."

These are startling statistics. Bicycle injuries can be prevented by promoting the use of bicycle helmets and by teaching bicycle safety. Parents can make a difference by promoting bicycle safety education. Parents can role model by wearing a helmet when riding a bike and focus on the following "Rules of the Road."

Parents can make sure his/her child:

• Wears a properly fitting helmet which is SNELL, ANSI or ASTM approved; these helmets have passed crash safety tests-look for a sticker inside the helmet.

• Has a bike which is in good working order and has the right accessories

• Rides only one person to a bike

• Always rides with the traffic

• Keeps to the right of the street; children under 16 years may ride on sidewalks

• Obeys all traffic lights and signs

• Signals all turns

• Uses a horn or bell

• Wears reflective clothing and makes sure the bicycle has reflectors, a headlight and a taillight for nighttime riding.

Also, note that any person skating or gliding on "in-line" skates (e.g., roller blades) and or operating a two-wheeled vehicle (e.g., scooter) is required to wear a helmet meeting the above-noted standards. Don't let your child become a statistic. Start practicing bicycle, skating, and scooter safety today!

Once again, compliments are due to the Recreation Department for arranging the 2008 season's outstanding Concert Series at the village gazebo, located on the Village Green at the corner of Stewart and Hilton avenues.

The next scheduled program is Thursday, July 17, featuring Blue Angel.

The program will begin at 7:15 p.m. and admission is free. Please bring your lawn chair or blanket and enjoy a very pleasant evening. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be held at the Cultural and Performing Arts Center at Cluett Hall at the St. Paul's School. Contact the Recreation Program Line (742-5888) with questions pertaining to the concert.

During July and August the board of trustees will meet once a month. The dates are Thursday, July 17 and Thursday, Aug. 21 at 8 p.m. I encourage residents to periodically utilize the village's website for information regarding the village's operations, as well as items of seasonal and special interest. The address is www.gardencityny.net. At this time portions of our village website are under construction, we are sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause. Also please be aware that I have a village e-mail address and would be delighted to hear from village residents about their concerns. Email MayorPBee@gardencityny.net