Roadwork Going Well Says NHP Mayor

Written by Ronald Scaglia Friday, 12 October 2012 00:00

Mayor Petruccio says residents and village officials are pleased with the project

At the Oct. 2 New Hyde Park Village Board meeting, Mayor Dan Petruccio emphatically stated that the road work project is going well. Petruccio took exception to a recent news article in which a resident expressed dissatisfaction that a new curb was not installed on his street along with the road. He stated that the complaints of one resident do not reflect the opinion of the entire community.

“The decision of the board was to maximize roadwork,” said Petruccio. The mayor explained that in order to do that, the project would not involve changing curbs unless there was an issue so that the money would go specifically to the roads.

“We’re hearing nothing but good things,” Petruccio remarked about the work.

Later, after the meeting, Petruccio spoke with the Illustrated News, and further defended the project.

“One thing we had as a board when we inherited this job was the roads were in a state of disrepair,” he commented. “I’m very pleased with the project.”

Petruccio also added that Superintendent of Public Works, Tom Gannon has done a good job of being in the community and responding to problems. He further said that residents have been kept well informed and have been given reasonable estimates of how long they will be inconvenienced by the work.

In other news, New Hyde Park Memorial High School sophomore Alexandra Rasch spoke to the board. She will be competing in the Miss Teen New York contest in January. She said that she hopes her participation in the contest will inspire others to make better choices in their lives.

“You don’t hear people say that they want to become mayors and principals and firemen,” she told the board. She added that she hopes to change this so that today’s youth will strive to hold those positions of responsibility in their communities instead of admiring reality television stars.

Trustee Richard Coppola reported that the fire department is reminding everyone to check the batteries in their smoke detectors and to be sure to have a smoke detector on every level in their homes. Coppola also said that he has visited the parks and found many residents enjoying the facilities, including a group that was being taught lacrosse.

“It was great to see the parks at full utilization,” Petruccio responded.

Village Hall will soon look festive for Halloween. Corn stalks and other autumn decorations are going to be displayed.

Trustee Donald Barbieri reported that a holiday children’s show is planned for Dec. 15. He said that tickets would be sold at Village Hall, and that further details about when tickets will be made available would be announced later. He also said that there are plans to do a Spotlight New Hyde Park competition in January and that the age limit may be raised to 21. He further reported that the village is about a month away from going out to bid for the Jericho Turnpike resurfacing project and if everything stays on schedule, it could begin in March.

Trustee Lawrence Montreuil reported that New Hyde Park Memorial High School would have its homecoming parade on Oct. 20 beginning at noon. The parade will begin on Lakeville Road and then proceed to Jericho Turnpike and then to New Hyde Park Road.

The mayor also commended everyone for a successful street fair and particularly praised Janet Bevers. He said the event was held without any incidents and that he was amazed at how thoroughly and quickly it was cleaned up.

“It really is the one day you can see the whole community in a snapshot,” he said.

The board also approved the hiring of two employees.