News Archive--2005

Stories are listed in reverse order of their date--that is, most recent stories first.

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Contents


Board sets lower fees for 2006 12-21-05

At its December 20 meeting, the Board agreed on a 20% reduction in the annual mil tax paid by all UG property owners, from 5 cents per square foot of property to 4 cents. Bills for the mil tax will be mailed shortly, and payments are due no later than January 31.

The Board also voted on December 15 to continue the discounted fee of $125 for Pool & Tennis Club membership on condition that payment is made by January 31. For those paying after January 31 the fee will be $200. In either case, the additional fee of $250 to allow use by extended family will be charged. This fee can be paid by club members at any time.

The mil tax was lowered in large part because major capital improvements at the pool and the tennis courts were completed this past year. Another, smaller factor was the elimination of a tree-pruning item. Despite slippage on its undertaking to perform this function during 2005, the Town has insisted that it will perform the work next year and that it will not allow the Association to do that job.

As to pool fees, the Board expects that a majority of members will take advantage of the discounted rate. That rate is a considerable reduction from the fee of $475 levied in 2004 and prior years. Last year, at the $125 rate, Club membership was up by about 30% over 2004, and the Board felt that the low-fee policy should be continued for at least one more year.

Despite the lower fees, the Board projects that the 2006 budget will be in balance.

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Authorization sought for waste-collection contract 12-20-05

UG residents will shortly receive in the mail an authorization form concerning waste collection in the community. If enough residents sign and return the authorization to the Board, the Board will seek new bids for waste collection that could result in lower waste-collection fees. For background, see story below.

The authorization form is displayed elsewhere on this website and can be printed out from there.

Based on discussions between President Steve Perlman and officials of several companies, including our current carter, Waste Management, the key to obtaining a favorable bid appears to be the ability of the Association to legally act for the community in executing a binding contract. Another issue is payment arrangements: Some carters have indicated that the ability and willingness of the Association to make bulk payments, thus relieving the carter of the expense of billing residents individually, could be an important factor in reducing their charges.

For that reason, the proposed authorization empowers the Association to collect the total annual fee from residents up to a maximum of $400 (well below the current annual fee) and to pay the carter at whatever intervals are contractually agreed upon.

If the Board receives enough authorizations to attract a bid that it considers beneficial for residents, it will collect the money and execute a contract. Residents who participate in the plan would then be notified to terminate their service with Waste Management by the expected date of the new service. If the Board does not receive a sufficient number of authorizations or cannot obtain an acceptable bid from a carter, this effort will be terminated and residents will continue with their present service.

The text of the Board's covering letter to residents follows:

During the past two years, our sanitation charges have been steadily increased by our carter, Waste Management, and have now reached over $500 per house annually. Company officials have refused to make any concessions.

We find this state of affairs unacceptable and see the need to structure a long-term remedy that will give the Board negotating authority for the community. Our information on carting services in neighboring communities indicates that the market rate for the services we receive is 25% to 50% lower than our current rates. However, due to our lack of consolidation into a single bargaining and payment unit, we are unable to negotiate a competitive, binding contract for the community.

The enclosed authorization would give the Board the needed authority, provided that it is signed by a sufficient number of residents. If we do not receive enough signatures, we will not be able to credibly negotiate on behalf of the community and will abandon the effort. However, it we do receive a sufficient number of signatures, we may be able to negotiate a group contract that would bring our rates down and possibly bring our service up.

If the Board is able to reach an acceptable agreement with a carter that is willing to bill residents directly, then this would be our preferred option. If the Board finds that an advantageous contract requires that we collect from the residents and pay the carter on their behalf, then the Board will bill residents for the entire annual bill, an amount no greater than $400 during the first year. If we cannot negotiate such a contract by February 28, 2006, then we will notify all those who signed authorizations that this effort is being terminated.

We hope that you will authorize us to act on your behalf. There will certainly be many questions, and for this purpose we are establishing a special section of our community's on-line bulletin board at http://www.ugpoa.org. Please read the postings there and feel free to post your own questions there after registering. For those who do not have on-line service, please direct your questions to the Board.

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Cutting the cost of waste collection 12-2-05

Since Sy Coopersmith, then president of the Association, shook hands with Waste Management on a greatly reduced fee seven years ago, after WM had just acquired the prior carting company, the monthly fee charged to University Gardens residents has climbed back to and gone beyond its original starting point. Currently we pay for three pickups a week about double what Lake Success residents pay for six pickups a week.

The WM service has also been erratic. Quite a few weeks the recycling truck has been missing, and materials that residents separated for recyling were simply dumped in with the rest of the trash. And on November 25, the day after Thanksgiving, WM did not show up at all. The truck did come on Saturday, but not until after the many neighborhood racoons enjoyed their own turkey dinner.

Efforts to get WM to lower its charges have not been successful so far. With such cost and performance in mind, the Board has begun to investigate alternative carters. So far, the prognosis is not good. One reason is that the Association, unlike a village, lacks the power to execute a binding contract on behalf of the entire community. Another is that our residents are billed individually each month.

The Board is considering alternatives, such as requesting authorization from every resident and collecting and paying the fees on behalf of the residents. Such actions might put us in a bargaining position comparable to that of neighboring villages that enjoy much lower fees.

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Board seeks new members 12-2-05

Anyone who wishes to be considered by the Association's Board of Directors for its slate of candidates for next year's Board should contact Phyllis Hoffman (466-6710), recording secretary, as quickly as possible.

The new Board will be elected at the annual general meeting in February.

Acting under Bylaws Article IV, Section 3, the Board will put together its slate of seven members in January, and will mail it to the membership no later than January 31. Most members of the existing Board have served several years, and there are obvious advantages to continuity. But "new blood" is also desirable, and one or more of the current Directors do not plan to continue next year.

If you have an interest, you are urged to contact any member of the current Board to learn more about the responsibilities of a Board member. A member of the Board must be an Association member, which means a University Gardens property owner who has paid the Annual Charge, or mil tax, for 2005 (including any outstanding arrears), as well as current Association dues prior to the annual meeting.

The Board, which consists of seven members elected annually, is mandated by the Declaration of Restrictions, which is part of every property owner's deed. Under that document, it is charged, essentially, with protecting the character and appearance of the community and generally maintaining its physical plant and facilities. The content of the December issue of the newsletter, to be published shortly, provides a good glimpse into the nature of many, though not all, of the issues the Board wrestles with each year.

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Town promises new street trees 12-2-05

In October, Rafe Lieber, the Town Supervisor's liaison to University Gardens, told the Board that the Town was prepared to plant 50 new street trees in our community. Twenty-five, he said, would be planted this fall, and the remainder next year.

At this date, planting had yet to begin. But in a meeting with Association officers on November 21, Supervisor Jon Kaiman reiterated that the work would be done as promised.

In early September, at the Town's request, the Board identified more than 60 locations in University Gardens where it would like to have a new street tree planted. In half of those locations, a young Bradford pear tree has already been planted within the past few years, and the Board is asking for a replacement.

The Bradford pear is a popular street tree in suburban areas. Despite its name, it does not bear fruit, and it grows rapidly. However, because of its peculiar branch structure it is more vulnerable to storm damage than most trees. And its life normally is only 20 to 25 years.

More to the point, the Bradford tree never attains the stature that characterizes most of the street trees in the Gardens. The Board was concerned that within a decade or two the look of our streets would be totally changed. You can get some idea of the difference by viewing the north end of Sussex Drive, the middle block of Surrey Rd., and much of Dorset Rd., where many Bradfords have been planted.

The Board requested that the new trees be such hardwoods as linden, ash, and London plane and the Town has agreed to plant those species. Residents can cooperate, once a new tree is planted, by occasionally watering it, especially during its first year.

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A new threat: subdivision 12-2-05

It was inevitable, and now it's here. Subdivision, that is.

Strange as it may seem, the zoning for University Gardens permits building-lot frontages as little as 40 feet. Now, developers, lured by the high prices people are willing to pay to live in this community, are paying top dollar to residents who wish to sell. They are then trying to subdivide the properties and squeeze in another house.

If many of them succeed, University Gardens will no longer look like the community that most residents chose to live in.

The Board recently raised with the Town the possibility of a rezoning that would better reflect the character of the community. Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman said he would be reluctant to approve a special zone for one community. David Wasserman, the Town's Building Commissioner, suggested another course. He is proposing a new law that would allow new subdivisions only if their frontage was equal to or greater than the average of the frontage of neighboring properties. The legislation is subject to hearings, and if approved is some months away from becoming law.

Steve Perlman, Association president, says that such a change "would go a long way to solving the problem." But he worries that in some cases such a rule could block a reasonable subdivision. To help in such cases, he would like to see the present cap of 5,200 square feet of gross floor area raised so that a homeowner blocked from subdivision could instead expand his house to increase its value. It does not appear that such a change is likely soon.

The subdivision push came rather suddenly. In the case of the property at 26 Merrivale Rd., the builder who bought the property from the Krefetz estate drew up plans for two nearly identical new houses; the existing ranch house may soon be razed.

At least two more recent subdivisions are pending. One is at 10 Hampton Rd., where the new lot would have only a 66-foot frontage. The other is at 20 Surrey Rd. There the new house would be to the south of the existing one, on a property only about 60 feet wide at the front.

The Surrey project is the most controversial because the front of the lot is occupied by a huge European beech tree. The Board is trying, with help from the Town, to insure that this tree will not be harmed during the construction process (see story below).

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Tree landmarking effort fails 12-2-05

On November 28, the Town's Landmark Commission unanimously denied landmark status to the massive European beech tree (Fagus sylvatica) on the property of 20 Sussex Rd.

The Association in August requested landmark status for the tree when it learned that Morris Mehraban, the developer who had bought the property, intended to sudivide it and build a new house on the narrow side lot that contains the tree. The County Planning Commission is expected to rule on the subdivision plan in mid-December.

The main basis for the landmark denial is the landmark statute's requirement that such an object be "unique" to be landmarked. There are many European beech trees on Long Island, though not many of the caliber of the Surrey tree.

On the bright side, the Commission called the tree "magnificent" and worthy of protection. It resolved to send letters to the Town's Building Dept. and the County Planning Commission urging them to provide whatever protection was available. Copies of the letter to the Planning Commission and the Landmarks Commission's resolution on the matter can be seen elsewhere on this website.

David Wasserman, the Building Commissioner, had previously assured Association officers that he would review the site plan and would try to insure that construction activities did not kill the tree.

For background, see previous story.

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More pruning delay, but new hope, too 12-2-05

The long campaign to get our street trees pruned has no clear end in sight. However, there is fresh hope.

In a meeting with three Association officers on November 21, Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman acknowledged that the Town's manpower and equipment were probably not sufficient to clear a backlog of tree maintenance that had accumulated over many years. And in any case, he said, he'd rather have the road crews doing road work. As a result, he said, the Town might have to bring in an outside contractor until they had caught up.

That could certainly do the trick, but it's too soon to celebrate. The Board has been working on the street-tree problem for two years and has heard a number of promises and predictions that did not substantially materialize.

Believing that the Town's resources were inadequate, the Board in early 2004 sought permission for the Association to take on the pruning job. Though Mr. Kaiman was initially supportive, he changed his mind and said the Town would do the job.

In the summer of 2004, Highway Commissioner Tom Tiernan toured the neighborhood and promised a pruning crew for one week per month. He later confirmed that pruning would start in October 2004, but this didn't happen. The Town's tree-pruning crew finally arrived for a few days in January 2005, concentrating on Rutland Rd. It was not seen again until June 2005 when it pruned all of Dorset Rd. and part of the western arm of Somerset Dr.

In a brief appearance here on August 24, Mr. Tiernan predicted that a crew would move into the Gardens in late September or early October and finish pruning along all streets. Finally, in late October, the Town's tree pruners started, and then stopped, at the northern end of Merrivale Rd. That was the end of any systematic pruning effort, though the crew has continued to respond to urgent problems--downed branches--as they arise.

Board members have consistently questioned whether the Town had the resources needed to properly maintain its street trees. Mr. Tiernan in the August 24 meeting sought to alleviate that concern, noting that the Town had bought a new boom truck and had augmented its manpower. He did caution, however, that we should not expect that the job would proceed without interruptions caused by other demands on the crew.

It now appears that the Town Supervisor, at least, recognizes that a new truck will not cut the mustard. The Board is following up with Rafe Lieber, the Town Supervisor's liaison to University Gardens, to work out details of how the suggested new approach to pruning may be implemented.

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Beech tree's day of decision is November 28 11-17-05

The fate of the massive European beech tree (Fagus sylvatica) on the property of 20 Sussex Rd. may be determined on November 28. The Town's Landmark Commission will meet again on the issue that Monday evening after having struggled with it inconclusively at a preliminary meeting on November 14.

The Association in August requested landmark status for the tree (see previous story). According to arborist Richard Gibney, the tree, which measures 40 in. in diameter, is at least 80 years old and could be more than 100 years old. Thus, it may have been planted at the time the community was first laid out, or it could have existed even before then. According to Mr. Gibney, beech trees of this sort can be seen at arboretums, parks and large estates but are relatively rare in the urban/suburban environment.

The tree's safety has come into question since the property was sold to a developer who intends to sudivide it and build a house on the lot containing the tree. Although the developer's attorney has said that he intends to preserve the tree, he has also conceded that he intends to prune the tree. There is concern that construction of a house would impinge harmfully on the tree's root system. "Beech trees are extremely sensitive to construction damage," wrote Mr. Gibney in a letter submitted to the Commission. "Root compaction, trenches through the root system, extreme pruning and root removal will lead to the decline and death of this tree."

The Commission granted a 14-day extension to allow the tree's defenders to present more facts on the tree's uniqueness and historic significance. The Association welcomes any information that residents could offer on these points (contact Steve Perlman at 487-0443 or by email). The November 28 meeting, which will be held at Town Hall, 220 Plandome Rd., is a deliberation of the Landmark Commission and not a public hearing. However, persons who could offer specific evidence may be permitted to testify in the discretion of the Commission.

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Now you can dial 311 for Town services revised 12-2-05

It's official. A 311 system for the Town of North Hempstead is up and running successfully. That means that when you have a complaint or question to address to the Town, you don't have to hunt around for the right person to call. Just dial 311 and explain your mission. The operator will try to transfer you to the right person.

The new system operates only during normal business hours. It is similar to that used in New York City for some years, and has been operating in startup mode since August.

There are two important limitations which, however, can be overcome. The 311 system won't work if you have switched your phone service to Cablevision or another Internet provider. The cable company has been asked to make its system compatible with the Town's 311 system but has not yet done so. And if you use a cell phone and call from close to the New York City line, you may reach the city's 311 system instead.

For now, at least, there is still a way to reap the benefits of the new system. Just dial TOWN (8696) first, followed by 311.

Use the new system to report downed trees or limbs, hanging limbs, defective or downed street lamps, missing or damaged traffic signs, potholes, dangerous sidewalks, and code violations, such as obstructed sidewalks, excessive noise, and building activity proceeding without a displayed permit.

This website's list of Contacts has been revised to reflect the availability of the 311 system.

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GNAP beefs up UG security patrols revised 1-23-06

Evening patrols by the Great Neck Auxiliary Police have been markedly increased in recent weeks, thanks to a boost in the number of officers available to Capt. Maria D'Amelio.

The two officers who previously patrolled on weekend evenings were reduced by one when Marcos Palafax moved to Florida. Sgt. James Cartha continues to patrol, and now he has been joined by: