There's one on Queens Boulevard. And there's one in Brooklyn just off the Belt Parkway, and one at Kings Plaza. There are many in Manhattan. Valley Stream has one now. And Mineola has a few near the Nassau County Court houses and the LIRR main line, between Old Country Rd. and Jericho Tpk. And if Lynbrook Mayor Brian Curran and his majority party have their way, this two square mile Village will have one too. What is it, you ask? A multi story parking garage.

Some have called them unsightly, ugly -- an eyesore. Others say they pose possible risks to those that might walk through and park in them. They've been called dark, dank, even latrines. Kids in Manhattan have made a game of jumping from one garage roof to another. The California Court of Appeal called them inherently dangerous a decade ago. This is the current administration's new vision for Lynbrook.

Two weeks ago the Mayor and Board of Trustees reached a handshake agreement with the Feather Factory developers that calls for the Village to build a parking garage on municipal field #3 on the corner of Broadway and Langdon Place, just 100 feet north of Nassau's busiest roadway, Sunrise Hwy. It was this intersection, Sunrise and Broadway that the Village's own bought-and-paid-for Maris traffic study said was the single worst in Lynbrook.

Broadway at that intersection is a single lane, one way street with seven different bus routes stopping there, an LIRR station and a taxi stand. Broadway is the main and only direct North/South route through the Village. During certain times of the day Broadway is nearly impassable. Now they want to put a parking garage there.

To finance the garage project the Village would bond out millions of dollars over the course of twenty years, adding substantially to the Village's long-term debt and soaking up a huge chunk of taxpayer dollars. (The Feather Factory developers would contribute about $54,000 a year over 15 years to the parking fund.)

It was agreed a memorandum of understanding would be forthcoming. Tellingly, this meeting took place on a Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 PM in the back boardroom of Village Hall. Not surprisingly, the meeting was sparsely attended. The feather factory has become an eyesore at that location and needs to be renovated, no question. But is the solution another potential eyesore across the street?

Lynbrook Police Officer Honored Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray (2nd right), Town Clerk Mark Bonilla (right) and Receiver of Taxes Don Clavin (left) present Lynbrook Police Officer Jaycee Indiviglio with the 2006 Town of Hempstead Police Service Award. Officer Indiviglio was one of 31 law enforcement officers from the Nassau County Police Department and village police departments within the town who were honored at the town's annual police service awards ceremony. Officer Indiviglio was recognized for his service to the residents of Lynbrook and for his heroic rescue of a driver from an overturned jeep seconds before the vehicle exploded.	Lynbroook Kids Do Some World-Class Reading Students at Lynbrook North Middle School took part in a history making event when they joined more than 2,000 other schools, hospitals, and community centers around the country to try to make it into the Guinness World Book of Records. They attempted to break a new world record for the most people reading aloud simultaneously in multiple locations, by reading a page from Charlottešs Web, the beloved children's classic by E. B. White. The current record of 155,528 is held by a group of schools in the United Kingdom. Shown: Lynbrook North Middle School students gathered in the library for the event are Lily Gomez, Christina Malcangi, Beth Schroeder, Kaitlin Baron, Jessica Hanna, Gabby Coreas (partially obscured), Amanda Soto and Amanda Gaimaro (back to camera). Photo: Rosemary Leonetti
	Lynbrook Students Get Out The Vote Elementary students in the Lynbrook School District got firsthand experience in the democratic process when they took part in voting to name the new Official Bird of Nassau County.They answered the call with civic pride when County Legislator Judith Jacobs asked them to take part in the voting program. At Waverly Park School, science teacher Susan Lindner presided over the voting, which she presented as a multidisciplinary learning experience. Like any informed voter, the students conducted research about the characteristics of each bird, to determine which one would best represent the spirit of Nassau County. They also learned about the importance of the voting process and about their rights and responsibilities as citizens in a democracy. The Osprey won the majority of votes across the county, and will soon take his place as the Official Bird of Nassau County Shown above : Fifth graders Emily Kunstler, Zachary Fellows, Addye Susknick and Myles Finkelstein are shown (l to r) casting their ballots, with teacher Susan Lindner presiding over the voting. Photo: Rosemary Leonetti

Lynbrook Students 'Read Across America'

Through modern technology, students shared their love of reading and expanded their sense of community, as one class from each of the district's elementary and middle schools participated in the 2007 Read Across America Video Conference program.

This nationwide reading celebration takes place each year to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Each class connected via video conference with a class in another part of the country, to read books and poetry together, perform skits for one another, and learn about each other's schools.

PHOTO : Students in Debra Aronson's reading class at Lynbrook South Middle School read lines from their favorite Dr. Seuss stories to students in North Dakota.

Photo: Rosemary Leonetti

Local Preserve Comes To Lynbrook Schools

Students at the Lynbrook Kindergarten Center got first hand experience with some very friendly reptiles, when a traveling animal exhibit from the Tanglewood Preserve paid a visit to their school.

To everyone's delight, reptile expert Matt Sherman brought a collection of boas, box turtles, yellow headed slider turtles, and even a baby alligator. Students got to touch the snake and turtles, while Sherman explained some facts about their life in the wild.

Shown above: Lynbrook kindergarteners Sarah Christian and Kathryn Bamman pet a friendly snake from the Tanglewood Preserve.

Virtual Voyage For Local Students

With the help of modern technology and old-fashioned snail mail, Waverly Park third graders in Jamy O'Rourkešs class followed the world travels of three college students in a program called Semester at Sea.

The college students spent a semester traveling by ship to exotic ports of call throughout Asia. Ms. OšRourke's class carried out a pen pal correspondence with the three adventurers via e-mail and post cards. The travelers also sent packages with maps, postcards and mementos from their stops at ports in Egypt, India, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

The class charted the ship's voyage on the Semester at Sea website, and marked the travelers' progress on a map of the world.

Pictured clockwise from left are Matthew Holquist, Matthew Ettlinger, Gabriel Ajzenman, Marshall Ivler, Jordyn Puzsar, Paige Sarnataro and Sabina Ciaccio.

Photo: Rosemary Leonetti

Lynbrook H.S. Inducts New Music Honor Society Members

In a musical ceremony worthy of the honor, twenty-two new members were inducted into the Lynbrook High School Chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. This international honor society recognizes students for their academic and musical achievements.

Shown above : Alana Rosen Ryan Ferguson, Ashley Carver, Victoria Wong, Maggie Rossetti, and Colette McIntyre are the new officers of Lynbrook High School's chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society.