Updates from Mayor Bonnie Parente
East Williston Village Voices
Dear Residents,
As you may know, The Williston Post is no longer available in paper format. To keep you updated, we’re changing the way we previously mailed flyers to include a column similar to those in the local paper. The Williston Post is now online, run by Sital Patel, and can be found at thewillistonpost.com. Please check out the website and support Sital’s efforts. This column will also be available by mail and on our village website, eastwilliston.org.
In Village news, we’ve got some exciting updates! We’ve obtained a new piece of equipment, thanks to a Nassau County grant program and the efforts of Rich Nicolello, Scott Strauss, and our grant writers Kevin Mulrooney and Tom Devaney. The Utility Gator will be a huge help for our DPW workers, beautification chairpersons, and pre-cleared event volunteers.
You might have noticed some repairs happening outside our building. Once those are done, we’ll be giving it a fresh coat of paint in a beautiful blue tone, reminiscent of the original color from decades ago.
Many residents have mentioned visibility issues when driving and walking, especially on corner properties. If you live on a corner, please keep your foliage trimmed at least six to twelve inches inside the property line to help pedestrians stay on the sidewalks and to ensure clear sightlines for drivers.
Speaking of foliage, have you noticed the new trees planted around our village? Some have water bags to help them get established, but not all do. If there’s a new tree in front of your property, please give it a little extra water when it looks dry. Thank you for helping our trees thrive!
We’re also planning a new sidewalk on the southeast corner of the intersection of East Williston Ave. and Roslyn Road, extending east to North Side School. This will create a safer path for pedestrians, especially families walking to and from school. We’ve met with Legislator Strauss and the Nassau County DPW to start planning and invited affected homeowners to a meeting. The response was overwhelmingly supportive, and an added bonus is that the new sidewalk and curb will prevent large trucks from parking unsafely along the shoulder.
I recently attended a three-day conference in Lake George with the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM). The conference included a detailed legislative update and several informative classes on topics like health insurance options, managing volunteer fire departments, and addressing lead and PFAS in water systems. There were also dozens of vendors with valuable information. With residents concerned about the toddler park surface, I visited a vendor’s booth to learn about alternative surfaces and confirmed that the current surface is the best and safest option. Trustee Iannone also participated in a webinar on park resurfacing, and we concluded that the park committee under former Mayor Nancy Zolezzi made the best choice for our toddler park. We’ll be replenishing the wood chips (playground mulch) soon.
The East Williston Memorial Day events were a heartfelt celebration of those who lost their lives fighting for our freedoms. Rev. Paul Hoseop Choe from Young Nak Presbyterian Church gave an invocation, and resident Victoria Lancaster led the National Anthem. The VFW, American Legion, scout troops, and our East Williston Fire Department served as honor guards. Veteran Norm Jardine sang "God Bless America," and Willow Grosskopf sang Mariah Carey’s "Hero." The Mayor’s Award was presented to James Lark for his outstanding contributions to our Village.
Thank you to Sharon Piscopia and her team for another successful Memorial Day 5k Race, to our Library Directors Jamie Cutinella and Erin Urkiel for the Parade on Wheels, and to Matt and Christina Rizzotti for co-chairing the incredible Country Night-themed Tent Party. I managed to stay on the mechanical bull for 37 seconds!
Lastly, I received a note from a resident who is completely blind but is training to become more independent as she takes walks in the neighborhood. If you see her, she’ll have a walking stick and might appear to see, but she cannot. She asks that you don’t raise your voice or take her arm to lead her. Just say hello as you would to any other neighbor. If she needs help, she might ask if she’s headed in the right direction or near a certain street or crosswalk.
Congratulations to all the May and June graduates and Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful dads in our community!
- Bonnie L. S. Parente, Mayor of East Williston
