At a special hearing, held prior to the New Hyde Park Village Board meeting, the board passed a request for federal block grant funds, distributed by the county, in the amount of $1 million for the Jericho Turnpike Operation Downtown. This is the 34th year that the village has requested these monies.

Mayor Daniel Petruccio said, "This is how the process works every year. The board submits a request to the Nassau County Office of Housing and Inter-Governmental Affairs for the funds and based on need, we receive funds for PFI (Property Facilities and Improvements). However, we do have a plan in hand that we can justify the use of the money."

Both trustees Donald Barbieri and Lawrence Montreuil were instrumental in facilitating the funds obtained so far and Montreuil said, "Our commitment to this Operation Main Street has been demonstrated. Initially when we made the investment to develop specific plans we took our vision to bid documents that contractors could bid on. Because of this we have had to do the project in phases. First we did sidewalks on many of the streets. We stopped during the curbs because we want to do that phase in conjunction with the repaving of Jericho Turnpike by the state. Phase two plan calls for the continuation of the sidewalk improvement and landscaping plans on both the north and south side of Jericho.

"Actually, we have an RFP out between Ingraham Lane and Central Boulevard on the north side and between Herkomer and Miller's Lane on the south side so on the north side it would translate nicely into the masking we have done in front of the Central Boulevard lot with the decorative fencing and the landscaping right in front of it. So, we are hoping for a very nice transition into that. We have also tried to bring the improvements up Lakeville Road and provided similar masking of the Lakeville Road lot.

"The Beautification Committee and the Department of Public Works recently planted a pine tree in that lot and we hope that will help to become another center point for the village. As the mayor said we are asking for $1 million, which is similar to the past requests. Last year we received a grant of $180,000 and again, based on the strength of the grant application that the village clerk Patrick Farrell submits on our behalf and the work that we have done, we have a reputation with the county who administer the grants for the federal government of doing some nice work with the monies we receive."

Mayor Petruccio added, "We are ready to spend the monies and we have demonstrated a fiscal prudence when we do spend the money."

Since there were no comments from the public the board voted on the motion and closed the hearing.

The mayor then opened the regular board meeting.

Third Precinct POP (Problem Oriented Police), for New Hyde Park, officer Nick Mosesso was present at the meeting and gave a brief report about the crime in the area.

Mosesso said, "Thanks for having me here and I just want to talk briefly about crime. Fortunately, things are pretty well under control. Burglaries in the whole have been down which is positive. I think that is because we have stepped up patrols and we have plain-clothes guys in the area. I think the worst thing we had in the village was the Amoco station was robbed within the last six to eight weeks. It was robbed around midnight on Jericho Turnpike. These things happen due to the fact that we are very close to the city line and they can come in from any direction. There wasn't a lot of other major crimes. I do know our big concern usually is 'quality of life' issues that we sometimes we don't know about because people don't call up because they feel it is not that big a deal.

"Aside from that just briefly a heads up. It's springtime and with that comes 'con artists.' For instance you may have contractors or those saying they are contractors and they will solicit business by ringing your doorbell. They will say look, I'm a roofer and I'm doing a job around the corner and I have some extra materials. I see you need a new roof and maybe we can work out a new deal. They may then say, I need a couple hundred dollars to start the job and they take your money and you never hear from them again. Most reputable contractors don't go door-to-door to solicit business. They advertise in the newspaper or they get word-of-mouth business.

"Plus, a lot of times they have other motives. Maybe they are just trying to get into your home because they think there is something they can take. So, just be aware.

"Another way is you may be soliticited, in the front of your home by a woman, who might even have a child. Now, most people don't think of a woman as someone who is going to commit a crime and they may strike up a conversation and ask for a drink of water, or that the child needs to use the bathroom and you think it's innocent, you let them in, they distract you and then they grab whatever is available.

"The last thing, and this could be year round, be careful of someone posing as utility worker and they claim to be from whatever company. If they are not in uniform, ask for identification; don't even open the door, they can show it through a window. If you are still not convinced, you can do two things: call 911 and we'll come and we'll decide if the person is legitimate or you can call that company and ask if they have someone in the neighborhood. The same with a policeman, if one shows up without a uniform, ask for identification.

"Lastly, as we approach the nice weather people are out jogging, bicycling and children are out, just pay attention, so that we don't have any mishaps and I'll take questions."

Mayor Petruccio said, "I'll jump in with that. We have had a rash of graffiti and vandalism in the parks. We have cameras, but they are knocked out."

Department of Public Works Superintendent James McCloat said, "They are hidden and they're up high, but they use basketballs to knock them down. We are going to have to put more cameras, but it gets awfully expensive."

Officer Mosesso said he would remind the patrol officers to pass by as often as possible. He said, "Maybe you can bring this attention to the residents who live closest to the park to keep their eyes open and when they see something to call us. We will come."

McCloat said, "Most of the people I have spoken to are afraid of retribution."

Mosesso said, "If you call us from your cell phone it can't be traced. We see the number, but we don't know where it's from, it could be from anywhere. However, if you call from your home, due to the enhanced 911 it will give the address. Or if you do speak to an operator be sure to say that you don't want to be contacted by the police and that you want to remain anonymous. At the station we get that call and we will not contact you."

McCloat added, "It's almost like a target. We have posted signs saying no parking and no loitering and they have even cut holes in the fence and it happens mostly at night. However, now that the cameras are installed, in some cases, they stay outside the park and that disturbs the folks who live around the park."

Mosesso countered, "At least when they are outside the park we have a better chance of picking them up and hopefully they are more visible to the public and it prompts the neighbors to call. Inside the park they disperse in a million different directions and we can't catch them. I'll definitely try to get more coverage in those areas."

A long discussion then ensued regarding regulations about solicitation and how very hard they are to enforce. Mayor Petruccio said he would contact village attorney John Spellman and ask him to come up with a new ruling that would make it more difficult to solicit, door-to-door in the village.

POP Officer Mosesso was thanked for coming and the mayor continued the meeting and called for the trustee reports. Both Trustees Barbieri and Coppola were unable to attend the meeting.

Mayor Petruccio announced, for trustee Coppola that registration has begun for the camp to be held in New Hyde Park Memorial Park. The camp is free to all residents of the village and $50 for the residents of 11040 that don't live in the village.

Lofaro announced that for the next two weeks the New Hyde Park Fire Department will be going door-to-door to collect for their annual fundraising drive to visit anyone who did not mail in their donation.

Lofaro also announced that Brian Sherwood is the new chief of the fire department.

He also announced that the Department of Public Works will be planting new trees and any resident who has any problem with potholes should call the village or the Department of Public Works.

Lofaro announced that Community Cleanup was held a week ago. He said there wasn't the participation that has been in the past but he thanked all those who were present. He said, "We did a little bit of cleaning up and some mulching in front of village hall and we also did some work around the railroad on North 12th Street.

On May 17 it will be planting day. We will meet at 10 a.m. in the parking lot. Anyone who is available, we would appreciate your help in planting various flowers in the village.

He said there was nothing new to report on the Long Island Rail Road. He said the village is still waiting for the release of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and he said it is expected to be released the latter part of this year or the beginning of next year.

He added, "With the congestion pricing being defeated, which was a big source of revenue that was going to fund these projects is now evaporated, so there are lot of issues going on. We ask residents to be aware of what's happening. We ask residents to email us if you see or read anything that might be relevant. You can also text the village website."

Mayor Petruccio added, "They are about $1.3 billion short of what they need to fund this project. I think our message needs to be right now, where's the money?"

Mayor Petruccio announced, for Trustee Barbieri, "A crosswalk, thanks to the efforts of Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicolello, has been put in across from the library. This is obviously the first step toward a light, which is our goal. Plus, we are moving along with the plans for the pocket park across from the library."

Lofaro added, "United States Senator Charles Schumer was on Long Island addressing the problem of helicopters flying too close to the community. We will see what the summer brings. They are supposed to fly along the water as opposed to following the LIRR, so we shall see."

Montreuil said, "Regarding the Building Department: Permits in April surged to a 22 month high and hopefully that's an indication of good things to come. The Building Department issued 78 building permits in April, 66 percent more than April of last year. So that was a nice improvement. The increases were driven by permits for construction, repairs, dumpsters, plumbing and fences. Each category really saw a big increase. In spite all of this there is a six percent decrease from last year, but that gap is narrowing as we draw to the end of our fiscal year at the end of this month.

"Certificates of Occupancy also increased in April for a total of 38. However we are still lagging from April of last year by 14 percent.

"Rental registration is continuing and we are progressing toward a January 2 deadline for all the landlords to have their registrations filed. We are going at a slow rate, but we anticipate a rush toward the end.

"The Building Department was recently involved in a press conference with County Executive Thomas Suozzi regarding the arrest of two men arrested in connection with a counterfeiting ring that was operating out of a store front in New Hyde Park. At the conference, Suozzi thanked the building inspectors for uncovering the ring through a routine building inspection."

Mayor Petruccio said, "It all started with roll-down gates and the inspectors went in and found all the merchandise."

Trustee Montreuil went on to announce, "The members of the Architectural Review Board are meeting and are looking at eight cases. A bagel store, a plumbing store, sign permit for an Italian Ice store, a cartridge outlet sign permit, a commercial building for an exterior storefront and Gino's Pizza for a plan revision and for a house on North 10th Street in disrepair has changed hands and they are applying for a permit to change from siding to brick."

Montreuil also announced that the Annual Memorial Day Parade will be held on May 24 to step-off at 10 a.m. from Hillside Boulevard, head east on Jericho to stop at the Veteran's Monument at Village Hall and then continue north on New Hyde Park Road to Lincoln Avenue and Memorial Park for the wreath laying ceremony. Montreuil added. "Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer; it is also a solemn time to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom."

Mayor Petruccio added, "We are unique, because we commemorate Memorial Day on the Saturday before Memorial Day and that allows us to get better participation in the village.

"I also want to go back to the 10th Street property and it has been a very long process. However, our attorneys John Spellman and Ben Truncale kept at it and consequently at the closing, substantial fines had to be paid to the village, for us to get revenue. I truly believe without the ability to impose the fines you don't get the results. In fact, one resident called me to thank us for making this happen."

Lofaro said, "Recently, in Newsday, a woman complained that in an unincorporated area New Hyde Park it was taking about six to eight weeks for a building permit. However, in the Village of New Hyde Park, it only takes a week or at the most two weeks."

Mayor Petruccio announced that New York State Senator Craig Johnson has given us a grant of $5,000 which will be used for the parks. Plus, Assemblyman Thomas McKevitt has given the village a grant of $2,000.

He added, "When we deal with state level elected officials we don't really deal with national issues, more often than not we judge their performance by the financial assistance they bring to their local municipalities. We do appreciate it."

Mayor Petruccio announced that he received a letter regarding an issue in the village. He said there was no address, phone number or email on the letter and he said that makes it difficult to respond to the resident. He said, "If you send me a letter and include your phone number, I will call you in a few days."

He also announced that he received from the Department of Transportation notification that they will be resurfacing Jericho Turnpike from the city line to Herricks Road. He said they expect to begin construction in the spring of 2011 and complete the project in the fall of 2012.

Trustee Montreuil also announced that the budget vote will be May 20 at the Manor Oaks School from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the school budget, library budget and for the high school budget and trustees.

The village approved the following:

A request from the Children's Sports Connection to place a donation box in village hall for used athletic equipment, to be used for underprivileged children. The New Hyde Park Little League is also participating in their drive for equipment.

A block party application on Aug. 16, with a rain date of Aug. 17 for South 12 Street between 6th and Stewart Avenues from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Two car wash applications: June 26 for New Hyde Park Wildcats Lady Tigers and July 26 for New Hyde Park Wildcats Royal Cats, which was a date change from May 17.

The meeting finally ended and the next meeting will be held on May 21 at 8 p. m. at village hall, corner of New Hyde Park Road and Jericho Turnpike.