New Hyde Park Village residents expressed a concern, at the last village board meeting, at the growing number of cars that are parked on front lawns, and in some cases even block the front door, of residences in the village.

New Hyde Park Village Mayor Daniel Petruccio said that currently there is nothing in the village code that prohibits parking on lawns. However, Trustee Lawrence Montreuil said that the zoning board is looking at various laws to prevent such unsightly parking. He said that the zoning board is researching a law in Floral Park that states no resident may park on an area not paved and that only 25 percent of any front residence could be paved. He said that in turn the zoning board is also dealing with residents who do not have driveways and no off-street parking available to them and they are hoping to come with up a law that will address both problems. The mayor and the trustees all agreed that something has to be done to stop residents from parking their cars on their front lawn and, they are waiting for the zoning board's proposals.

One resident suggested that the statement, "The Pride of New Hyde Park" be removed from a dirty old yellow garbage truck because it has been the subject of ridicule in the village. Commissioner of Public Works James McCloat said that all the trucks are going to be painted navy blue and that would solve the problem. Mayor Petruccio said that it is better to paint the truck and have it in the fleet since it still works, even though it is old, rather than to purchase a new truck.

Trustee Richard Coppola announced that the New Hyde Park Little League Parade has been scheduled for April 13. He also asked residents to please be aware of the volunteer firefighters, in their own cars, with their blue lights flashing on the way to fires. Many residents don't pull over and it makes it very difficult for the firefighters to travel swiftly and safely to the fire house. Every second counts when it comes to fire fighting. He also said that the fire department has asked him to remind homeowners, in the case of snow, to please clear the hydrants near their homes.

Trustee Coppola also said that he had received a complaint from neighbors about the restaurant Yesterday's. The residents complained about the overflowing garbage dumpsters and about people going over the grass to go into the parking lot. The problem was noted by the mayor.

Deputy Robert Lofaro said that at the end of January representatives of the village board met with the engineers to discuss the 2002 Road Improvement Project. Lofaro said that the board is waiting until the budget is formulated to see to what extent the village can proceed with the project. He said, "We just want the residents to know that we are going to try to continue the road improvement project that has already been started."

Lofaro said he received a call from a businessman on 3rd Avenue who is close to the Long Island Rail Road. Apparently he looked out his door and saw flames coming from the LIRR area. Therefore, due to parking concerns, etc. of his employees, he evacuated the area and then found out that the fire was a "controlled" burn orchestrated by the railroad to burn excess diesel oil. The business owner said that the businesses in the area should have been notified of this project. Lofaro added that he felt that the fire department should also be notified. He said, "We appreciate the fact that this businessman brought this situation to our attention because we can't be everywhere and we need your eyes and ears."

Trustee Donald Barbieri then noted that in the president's State of the Union speech he asked that more people become involved in volunteer work. He said, "We need volunteers in the village for the Cultural Commission, the library board and for a movement underway to start a civic association in the village of New Hyde Park."

Barbieri also announced that the library has arranged for the AARP to help senior citizens with their taxes every Thursday from now until April 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be no appointments so it will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Call the library for further information.

Barbieri also said that he would have more information at the next meeting about the progress of the Nassau County Community Development project since he will be meeting shortly with the members of that committee that are assigned to helping the village.

Trustee Lawrence Montreuil said he really only wanted to announce that the zoning board has scheduled a meeting on Feb. 13 and that the Nassau County Board of Assessors Grievance day will be held on Feb. 19 in village hall. Later that same evening the New Hyde Park Planning Board will meet to review some projects.

Trustee Montreuil added that the New Hyde Park school Board is currently holding school board budget preparation meetings and he urged residents to attend at least one of the meetings in order to go to become acquainted with the proposed budget.

Mayor Daniel Petruccio announced that the 75th Anniversary of the Village of New Hyde Park meetings are underway and in March there will be a meeting of organizations throughout the village to increase involvement in the planned celebration that will take place in September. He said, "If you are not a member of an organization and want to be involved just call the chairperson Florence Lisanti or me and we will be delighted to put you on a committee."

In answer to a resident who wanted to seek compensation for the village by putting cell towers atop village hall Mayor Petruccio said, "The board is not inclined to do that. We do not want to make a profit from something that will make residents feel very uneasy because they feel that cell towers are unsafe."

It was also announced that the building of the Starbucks, across the street from village hall, is moving ahead now that the soil samplings conducted by the Department of Environmental Conservation have been completed.

There will be a hearing held on March 5 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the removal of the wall at Castro Convertible followed by the regular village meeting at 8 p.m. at village hall.

The mayor then closed the meeting and the residents, who were invited to the meeting, had an opportunity to speak.

At the outset of the discussion it was announced that from Sept. 4 to Jan. 31 the village code enforcement officers marked the tires of 312 vehicles and issued 170 summonses in the area of Plaza Avenue, east of New Hyde Park Road; South 16th, 17th and 18th Streets and Hoffman Road. Plus, summonses were also issued on surrounding streets. The mayor explained that all of this had been done as a result of three anonymous letters received summonses by the village regarding parking in the area.

A resident from South 18th Street said that whoever wrote the letters and complained did not consult the rest of the residents on the block. She explained that she runs a licensed daycare facility in the area and the summonses have been a great hardship to her.

Another resident said that when she moved from Astoria she thought that she would be able to park in front of her own home. She asked if it would be possible for each homeowner to just pay to park in front of their home.

Deputy Mayor Lofaro explained that it had been deemed unlawful because the streets are public streets and must be open for parking for everyone, not just residents.

A resident wanted to know if it would be possible to perhaps expand the parking hours on the block and Mayor Petruccio said that might create more problems. He did add that the next time he receives one of these anonymous letters he is just going to ignore it.

The next village meeting is set for Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. at village hall, corner of New Hyde Park Road and Jericho Turnpike.