Mayor’s Report: May 1, 2012

Written by Garden City Mayer Donald T. Brudie Friday, 04 May 2012 00:00

Congratulations To Adelphi’s Lacrosse Teams

Congratulations to No. 5 men’s (12-2) and No. 1 women’s (14-1) lacrosse teams. The men’s team will play their final game of the regular season as they host the Falcons of Bentley College on Saturday, April 28 at 1 p.m. The women’s team will also play their final game of the regular season as they play cross-town rival and fellow Long Island lacrosse powerhouse No. 5 C.W. Post at C.W. Post at 4 p.m. We wish them success as they finish out their regular season and as they go on to the Northeast 10 Conference playoffs.

Garden City Again Named ‘Tree City, Usa’

It is with great pleasure that I announce that Garden City has once again been awarded the designation Tree City, USA. This is the 23rd year that Garden City has earned this national recognition.

This award, granted by the National Arbor Day Foundation, in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service with the National Association of State Foresters, recognizes communities that meet detailed, objective standards applied to trees on public property. These standards involve ongoing tree planting, maintenance and preservation of trees and the variety of trees planted per year in the community. Evaluations are made based on four standards: a legally constituted municipal tree body, the adoption of tree ordinances, a comprehensive Community Forestry Program and the observance of Arbor Day.

According to John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation, “We commend Garden City’s elected officials, volunteers and its citizens for providing vital care for its urban forest. Trees provide numerous environmental, economical and health benefits to millions of people each day, and we applaud communities that make planting and caring for trees a top priority.”

Arbor Day - 2012

Arbor Day is said to date back to antiquity when forests and their trees were venerated during religious rites. Today it is observed in many countries around the world. It was first celebrated in this country in 1872 in Nebraska where trees were planted to counteract deforestation.

The village will celebrate Arbor Day on Thursday, May 3, at 10:30 a.m. on the Village Green (the north side of the Gazebo) on Stewart Avenue. I look forward to joining the members of the Civic Beautification Committee and the kindergarten classes from Locust Street School who will assist the village arborist, Mr. Michael Didyk, in planting a beautiful flowering cherry tree. Within the next few weeks the parks division of the recreation department will be planting new trees at locations throughout the village.

MTA/LIRR Main Line Track Safety Program

I am pleased to report that through a cooperative effort between the incorporated village and the MTA/LIRR, a significant number of wild trees located within the LIRR right-of-way along the Main Line, between Denton Avenue and Herricks Road will be preserved.

Late last winter, the LIRR notified the incorporated village of its plans to improve track safety by clear-cutting all trees from its rights-of-way. The village arborist, commissioner of cultural and recreational affairs and the village administrator met on site with representatives of the LIRR Government Affairs Office and supervisors from the track division. It was agreed that the village arborist would inspect and tag trees that he felt could be saved.

We appreciate the level of cooperation extended to the incorporated village by the MTA/LIRR. Work is scheduled to begin on April 30 and will take approximately one week to complete.

Board Of Trustees Meetings

The next board of trustees meetings will be held on Thursday, May 3 and Thursday, May 17, at 8 p.m. The meetings are held in the boardroom at village hall. I encourage all residents to attend board of trustees meetings so as to be thoroughly informed of village issues from a firsthand perspective.