Editorial: Will New Garden City Hotel Owners End All The Rumors?

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Editorial: Will New Garden City Hotel Owners End All The Rumors?

Friday, 25 January 2013 00:00

When Morris Moinian’s Manhattan-based Fortuna Realty Group purchased the storied Garden City Hotel, the entire process was very clandestine. Rumors such as Donald Trump being interested before the final deal was sealed only added to the intrigue. And while rampant staff layoffs were a great concern, a mass firing was followed by more than 90 percent of the hotel’s employees subsequently being rehired according to hotel management. Any lingering questions about the future of this seminal piece of village history just might be answered on Wednesday, Jan. 30, when the Garden City Chamber of Commerce holds its 2013 kickoff luncheon. The day’s special guests will be the hotel’s new general manager J. Grady Colin and Fortuna Realty director and head of acquisitions and asset management Ashish Lall. Hopefully the duo will be a bit more forthcoming than when their boss made this prized real estate acquisition back in June.

– Dave Gil de Rubio

News

Composing Confidence

Thursday, 20 June 2013 00:00

There’s no denying that the teen years can be angst-ridden. A mainstay in literature, movies and, of course, music—every generation has an endless supply of “coming of age” tunes about being misunderstood.

Music can be a great equalizer and a way to express bottled emotion. Maria Sarro, founder of Beyond Rock, recalls her own childhood as being riddled with fears and insecurities. As an adult she explored outlets that challenged her to step out of her comfort zone. She thought, “If I’d had experiences like this as a kid, it would have changed everything.”

Father Sommer Leaves St. Brigid’s

Thursday, 20 June 2013 00:00

When Msgr. Ralph Sommer became pastor of St. Brigid’s Church, Westbury, 12 years ago, it was quite a change.

“I had served at a parish out in Hauppauge, St. Thomas More,” a fairly homogeneous parish, said Msgr. Sommer, known to parishioners as “Father Sommer” or “Father Ralph.” In Westbury, he found great diversity.

“We have 11 Masses in four languages — Spanish, Creole, Italian, and English,” Father Sommer said. In addition, there are parishioners of African-American, Philippine, Indian, and other Asian birth or ancestry.

Sports

Trojans Teams Are Triumphant

Thursday, 20 June 2013 00:00

Garden City High School held their annual G.A.A.–B.A.A. Awards Banquet on June 3 at Chateau Briand in Westbury. The event is sponsored each year by The Men’s Association of Garden City and honors the many senior student athletes and major award winning underclassmen for their accomplishments throughout the school year. And Garden City has many!

The Girls and Boys Athletics Associations have a rich tradition and history and continue to dedicate themselves to the Garden City athletics program each year. BAA President Christian Capozzi opened the night by introducing the officers of both associations as well as leading the attendees in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Centennials Year End Celebration

Thursday, 13 June 2013 00:00

Family fun and sun all on the day’s agenda

The Garden City Centennials held their annual year-end Soccer Fest at St. Paul’s on Saturday, June 1. The day-long event is the culmination of the soccer season for the more than 2,100 young girls and boys that participate in one of the many programs the Centennials offer. Highlighted by the giving out of the annual awards to all players, the youngsters also enjoyed the fun games and activities throughout the day. Soccer Fest also represented the close of the travel season for the 41 girls and boys teams that compete in the Long Island Junior Soccer League. And with 39 travel teams, the Centennials have become one of the top programs not only on Long Island, but in New York State.