The monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of Munsey Park began on a light note with amusing anecdotes from Police Sergeant Ward- the night supervisor liaison from the 6th Precinct to this area. He was reporting on the traffic-calming measures being taken to help reduce speeding on Park Avenue. Susan Auriemma, co-chair of the Coalition for a Safer Manhasset also spoke. They described the use of the speed reading device which has been placed at the intersection of Park Avenue and Munsey Place and the fact that it seems to have slowed down most vehicles. However, it will not become a permanent fixture since that procedure has been shown to be effective for only about six months when it becomes part of the scenery and drivers tend to ignore it.

Sgt. Ward agreed to provide an undercover car and radar device for temporary increased enforcement of the speed limits. Mayor Nickalaides stated that the hedges along the intersection have been trimmed and that there is discussion for making the southbound, left turn, illegal. There were no resolutions taken and all options for calming the accident rate at this intersection are still ongoing.

The new fee schedule for permits will be posted on the village website and is also available at the village hall. Some of the fees were raised to stay in line with surrounding areas while others were not.

The women's club will host the annual Halloween Parade at Waldmann Park on Saturday, Oct. 28, with a rain date for Sunday, Oct. 29. For the exact details, please call the village hall.

The item drawing the largest audience and requiring the most time was the discussion regarding the proposed resolution for upgrading and repairing the village roads through the issuance of bonds. There was also a resolution for the renovation of Copley Pond to be financed in the same manner. According to the Munsey Park press release which appeared on the front page of the Manhasset Press on Oct. 5, both projects would be financed by short-term bond anticipation notes and medium term serial bonds. Both resolutions were adopted by a unanimous vote. However, before the vote took place, there was ample, prolonged, contentious debate.

Resident James McGivney stated several times that the vote should be postponed for another month to give residents more time to study the proposal. Mayor Nickalaides responded that the issue had been analyzed, debated and discussed for more than a year. Resident Vincent Syracuse also requested that the vote be delayed until all the residents had been notified by letter that the item was being voted on. Again Mayor Nickalaides reminded everyone that all the details of the resolution had been made public in many ways, many times and that the roads needed to be repaired. Mayor Nickalaides said, "Due to our own inexperience at never having secured long-term financing in the past we assumed that going for a referendum to the voters was the normal process. We have since learned that overwhelmingly and with no exceptions villages we communicated with -about nine in the North Shore area in Nassau County that went for long-term financing for capital improvements- not one went to residents to seek approval first."

A large contingent of residents from Ryder Road was at hand to present their pleas for the repair of their street. Mr. Matthew Seidner spoke on their behalf and requested, several times, that the resolution be voted on and that this matter be finally resolved. Mayor Nickalaides and Trustee Albert Jaronczyk presented the facts for review. Many villages have used bond issues for municipal improvements and "as presently contemplated, these capital improvements will cost the average home owner $225 in incremental village taxes over the borrowing and repayment period of the project"($37 a year for six years as stated in the Munsey Park press release).

Mr. Syracuse challenged the figures and was informed by village counsel, James Bradley that if a resolution was approved, residents could file a petition asking for a "Permissive Referendum" which would require the board to present the resolution to the entire village for approval. Such a petition would have to be filed within 30 days and would require 20 percent (about 400-435) of the residents' signatures.

After hearing from all the trustees and all the members of the audience who wished to be heard, the vote was taken and the meeting adjourned.

The exact details of the road work and repair project and the Copley Pond work are available at the village hall and on the village website-www.munseypark.org.

The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 8.

(Editors note: Refer to the "Letters to the Editor" section for more on upgrading and repairing the Village of Munsey Park roads through the issuance of bonds.)