School Budget, BOE Election Results

On Tuesday, May 15, the 2012-2013 Great Neck Public Schools budget passed 1098 to 305.

The 2012-2013 Great Neck Library budget passed 949 to 366.

Mark Schimel Will Not Challenge Michelle Schimel For Assembly Seat

Mark Schimel withdraws his candidacy days after his initial acceptance announcement

Just days after announcing his nomination as the Republican candidate for New York State’s 16th Assembly District, Mark Schimel withdrew his candidacy. A flurry of controversy surrounded this upcoming election as Mr. Schimel’s nomination meant that he would challenge his estranged wife, Michelle Schimel, the Democratic incumbent.

88th Annual Great Neck Memorial Day Parade

Judge Jack Weinstein honored as grand marshal

Great Neck’s own Judge Jack Weinstein will lead the 88th Annual Great Neck Memorial Day Parade on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28. The parade, sponsored by the Great Neck communities, will step off, rain or shine, at 9:30 a.m. from Middle Neck Road (south of the LIRR station) and continue north along Middle Neck Road to the Village Green for the Remembrance Service. The Remembrance Service will begin about 10:15 a.m.

KP Mayor And Trustees Address Civic Association Questions

Review of budget, ambulance, plume from ExxonMobil, parkland lawsuit

While last year’s Village of Kings Point budget, with over a 9 percent rise in expenditures, prompted a packed house and rambunctious tone at a civic association meeting, this year’s meeting drew fewer, less vocal and upset residents. Mayor Michael Kalnick assured the attendees that every effort has been made to trim the budget as much as possible which has resulted in a total budget of $15,072,650 for the 2012-2013 year. After subtracting the village’s revenues and cash surplus from last year’s budget, the amount to be raised by taxation is $13,496,384 which is $263,000 more than last year’s amount.

Civic Association President Marsha Rotman announced that since there will be a contested election for the position of mayor and trustee, the association will host and the League of Women Voters will conduct a Meet the Candidates night on Monday, June 11 at 7 p.m. at JFK Elementary School. She emphasized that the association is nonpartisan and is only concerned with making sure that voters are informed about the issues.

LIPA Electric Shorts Cause Smoke And Burning Wires

Several Lake Success homes experienced electric sparks and smoke

Several Lake Success residents were stunned last week when they suddenly heard a loud explosion and soon smelled smoke in their homes. Last Tuesday, May 1, shortly after noon, residents of the Meadow Woods section of the Village of Lake Success heard a “boom,” a loud explosion that many quickly identified as a not-so-uncommon electric transformer “blowing.” Immediately following the explosion some residents saw smoke in their homes, while at least one resident saw electronic equipment sparking. All who reported a problem smelled smoke and burning plastic.

According to LIPA, the problem was indeed a transformer issue. Mark Gross, LIPA acting communications director, told the Great Neck Record that the harness on transformers serving part of the Meadow Woods area broke and the wires touched. Mr. Gross said if the wires are not separated by a harness they can touch and this, he said, will cause “irregular voltage” such as flickering lights. Some residents had already been complaining of flickering lights. Prior to this latest incident, one resident had called LIPA reporting that his lights were often too bright. Mr. Gross said that this is another result of wires touching.

Great Neck Villages Address Sewer Issue

Local officials discuss the operation of separate storm water systems

It might not be the most interesting, eye-catching topic, but storm sewer systems and their regulations are important to each municipality that operates its own separate storm sewer system. And at the Great Neck Village Officials meeting last Wednesday evening, April 25, the peninsula’s mayors and trustees were offered an overview of the operations of such systems and what is required of each system. Eileen Keenan, manager of the NY Sea Grant NEMO Program, briefed the local officials on the MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer system), the regulations, basic requirements, effectiveness evaluation and special requirements relating to impaired water bodies in the area.

Chamber of Commerce Honors Community Leaders

Seeking a unified Great Neck with everyone working together

A Great Neck where everyone works together! That is what Great Neck Chamber of Commerce President Hooshang Nematzadeh called for at the Chamber’s annual awards dinner last Wednesday evening, April 25. In the beautiful waterfront setting at Melville Hall at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, the chamber presented four awards to members of the local community who consistently support the Chamber of Commerce and work together for the benefit of the entire Great Neck community.

Mr. Nematzadeh said that the honorees “have demonstrated that they are leaders in their fields and continue to contribute to the overall economic growth and development of Great Neck.”

GNPS Adopt Budget For 2012-2013 School Year

Budget hearings indicate public support and approval of upcoming budget

For the second year in a row, the Great Neck Public Schools budget stays below the state mandated 2 percent tax levy cap. The 2012-13 budget of $199,747,079 was approved at the board of education’s April 17 official budget hearing. The board of education voluntarily kept the current budget increase under 2 percent, and for this year’s new state mandate for the upcoming budget, the board held to a 3.32 percent increase that also stays below the cap (via a complicated state issued formula).

LIRR Returns Local Off-Peak Half-Hourly Service

Port Washington branch service restored May 14 as budget gap closes

When the new MTA Long Island Rail Road timetables take effect on Monday, May 14, Great Neck commuters can rejoice in the fact that the new schedules include the restoration of the off-peak half-hourly service on the Port Washington branch. The new schedules include the restoration of half-hourly, midday service on the Port Washington Branch on weekdays, as well as adjustments to schedules or midday busing in place of trains on various branches to support the summer track construction work.  

Since September 2010, when the Port branch cuts were made, train riders have bitterly complained about the lack of service and the real problem when they miss a train by just minutes and then must wait a full hour for another train. The Port Washington branch is the LIRR branch that services Great Neck.

Coming Soon To The Village Green: Farmers Market

To market, to market, to buy a fresh fig, jiggety-jig

If you were one of the folks disappointed that backyard chickens are pullus non grata in Great Neck, you may be pleased to know that locally grown, fresh fruit and organic vegetables will be for sale one morning a week at the Village Green during the summer and early fall months. Yes, a Great Neck farmers market has not only been approved by the Village of Great Neck mayor and trustees, but the Great Neck Park District commissioners have located a market manager who will be coordinating an array of Long Island farmers to display their fresh wares in the park.

At last week’s park district meeting Commissioner Ruth Tamarin introduced Ana Nieto who with her partner, Ivo Tomasini, have run the Sag Harbor farmers market, held on Saturdays, for a number of years. Tamarin commented, “We are delighted to have found Ms. Nieto through networking with the Long Island group Women in Agriculture.”