Questions have been repeatedly raised in this newspaper and elsewhere by people who "demand answers" about the proposed redevelopment of St. Paul's Main Building by AvalonBay ("AVB"). Of course, the reality is that many of the answers have already been provided, and are readily available. No matter how much information is provided, however, it's impossible to ever respond to and correct all of the misinformation which is sometimes put forth. For example:

1. Conflict of Interest: Contrary to rumor, and to the best of my knowledge, Trustee Mauk does not now and has never had a legal "conflict of interest" with regard to AVB. His employer is a huge international company with many holdings, and a fraction of their assets include some investment in AVB. Mr. Mauk has nothing to do with the company's investment decisions, and has no financial stake in the development of St. Paul's. For a legal "conflict" to exist, Trustee Mauk would need to have some direct influence over the company's business relationship with AVB, or would have to derive some direct benefit from that relationship. That simply doesn't exist, and Trustee Mauk is free to participate in decisions about St. Paul's and AVB (notwithstanding his decision to step down as chair of the Mayor's Committee dealing with AVB).

2. Additional Taxes: Garden City has never before received taxes from the St. Paul's site. Ever. Thus, those who are primarily concerned about the increasing tax burden in the village should remember that an AVB redevelopment would generate new tax dollars for the village. While we would get less money (under the AVB proposal) than "full taxes," we would get more money than we are getting now (i.e., none!).

3. Environmental and Traffic Studies: These studies have not yet been done. If and when the detailed planning for a redevelopment moves forward, such studies will have to be done before the project would be approved.

4. Other Development: Some have suggested that, if the Main Building turns out to be beyond repair, or if the façade is somehow destroyed during construction, AVB would be able to develop up to 254 residential units on the property. This is inaccurate. The village controls the zoning of the property, and no developer could build in violation of our zoning.

5. "The Best Deal": The exact profit which AVB hopes to get from the redevelopment of St. Paul's as an apartment building is impossible to predict. Costs of construction go up and down with national and local economic trends, and sometimes do so rapidly. The village has engaged an independent professional advisor to estimate whether the "business deal" being proposed by AVB "makes sense" for the village in light of our best economic predictions. We are told it does.

6. Affordable Housing: My current understanding is that new state legislation - if applicable to the AVB development (which it may not be) - will require the developer either to build an additional 10 percent (11 units) at an "affordable" price (under a formula in the new law) or pay a sum of money into a Long Island-wide "fund" to pay for affordable housing development elsewhere (with Garden City to decide which of the two to do).

Reasonable people can differ over what we should do with the Main Building at St. Paul's. But let's not be unreasonable about considering accurate information before making that decision.

The Board of Trustees and I extend sincere Thanksgiving wishes to all of our residents and their families. At the Thanksgiving holiday I feel that it is appropriate to pause for a few minutes and to reflect upon those things that we may take for granted and how fortunate we are to live in this wonderful community. In doing so I quickly acknowledge the many employees of the Police, Fire and Public Works departments who will work around the clock on Thanksgiving to assure the safety and comfort of our families. I also want to acknowledge the members of the Volunteer Fire Department who remain ready to leave their homes to come to our aid. I also would like to thank the Special Police for their efforts in helping out in the Annual Turkey Trot, thank you to each of these fine people for the sacrifice they make in leaving their families during this holiday time to attend to the welfare of our residents.

Village offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 27, in observance of Thanksgiving Day. For your convenience, correspondence for the village may be placed in the "Letter" drop slot at the front door.

Residents are reminded that there will be no garbage or recycling pickup on Thanksgiving Day. Those scheduled for recycling on Thursday are asked to put their recyclables out on Thursday, Dec. 4. Garbage collection for the Thanksgiving week will be: (Western Half) Monday and Friday; (Eastern Half) Tuesday and Saturday. Rubbish collection for the entire village will remain on Wednesday.

The Turkey Trot Committee of Garden City, Inc. will conduct its 31st annual Merrill Lynch Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, November 27. Mail in registration is now closed but you can still register Wednesday, Nov. 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. with late registration on race day from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.

The race will form at the St. Paul's School with the 1.4 mile run beginning at 9:30 a.m. and the 5-mile run scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. The route of the 5-mile race will be as follows: Starting on Stewart Avenue in front of St. Paul's east to Cherry Valley Avenue continuing south on Rockaway Avenue, west onto First Street onto Cambridge Avenue, north on Whitehall Boulevard, continuing south onto North Avenue to Cherry Valley Avenue back to Stewart Avenue, then west onto Stewart Avenue past St. Paul's and north on Hampton Road - the final lap will be continuing south on Rockaway to the finishing line at St. Paul's.

Please Mark Your Calendar for the Following Events:

The Garden City Hotel's Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony is planned for Monday, Dec. 1, at 5:30 p.m. I encourage you to attend and to enjoy one of Garden City's traditions and the hospitality of our premier hotel. The evening begins with festive caroling, a winter wonderland complete with Santa Claus and his elves and the ceremonial lighting of the hotel's spectacular tree. This year's guest of honor will be Michael J. Dowling, president and CEO, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. The highlight of the festivities will be the moment Mr. Dowling lights the tree, officially launching the holiday season.

Following the lighting, all are invited into The Garden City Hotel for complimentary refreshments.

On Sunday, Dec. 7, the Garden City Chamber of Commerce will sponsor its 54th Annual Village Tree Lighting Ceremony, beginning promptly at 3:30 p.m. on the Village Green (corner of Stewart and Hilton Avenues).

This year's program will feature the Garden City High School Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Tom Wagner along with the Village Music Makers and thanks to the Fire Department, Santa Claus and hot chocolate.

Please bring your entire family to welcome Santa and the holiday season.

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 county-wide 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 on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 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.

The next regularly scheduled Board of Trustees' meetings will be Thursday, Dec. 4, and on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 8 p.m. Correspondence addressed to the mayor and board must be received by Friday, Nov. 28 to be included with the Board's Communications for the Dec. 4 meeting and by Friday, Dec. 12 for the Dec. 18 meeting. 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. Also, please be aware that I have a village email address and would be delighted to hear from village residents about their concerns - it is as follows: MayorPBee@gardencityny.net.