It was an honor to proclaim Saturday, Aug. 25, as "Breann Yarbrough Day" in Floral Park. A short ceremony was held at Heritage Park to honor Melinda and Harold Yarbrough of Louisiana for their unselfish and unconditional act of love and caring by donating their daughter's organs to save the lives of seven people, including John Pellegrino of Floral Park.

I was pleased to be joined by Deputy Mayor Phil Guarnieri, Trustee Tom Tweedy, Holly Dunair representing Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy and Nassau County Legislator Vincent Muscarella. John, members of the Pellegrino family, their friends and neighbors gathered in the most appropriate place in our village, Heritage Park, to welcome the couple and to express their gratitude.

A Floral Park summer would not be complete without the vegetable show sponsored by the Floral Park Junior Woman's Club. Once again, samplings of luscious vegetables, grown by local green thumb gardeners, were displayed at the Recreation Center.

The 29th show included prizes and ribbons in a number of categories. Congratulations to my neighbor, Ann Manning, who grew the "Largest Tomato," Mary Italo for "Best in Show" tomatoes and Daniel Hones for the "Best Display of Vegetables."

The village sidewalk program, established many years ago, follows a 10-year cycle. The Department of Public Works notifies home and business property owners when sidewalk slabs must be replaced and how much it will cost them. Different sections of the village are addressed each year, starting in the north end of the village and going counter-clockwise.

The village is required to competitively bid for a contractor to do cement work, which includes sidewalks, driveway aprons and curbs. The lowest bidder is awarded the contract, provided the company's references are satisfactory.

Residents have the option to hire their own contractors. If a property owner chooses to do so, permits and inspections by public works personnel are required. The work must be completed within a designated time frame for safety, legal and municipal liability reasons.

Some letters I receive from property owners are under the misimpression that the sidewalk and maintenance program is something new. To the contrary, neighborhood sidewalks and aprons are inspected and marked for replacement every year. Unless roadwork, a special project, such as the Covert Avenue enhancement program, or some other circumstance warrants it, the 10-year cycle or plan does not vary.

Maintaining our sidewalks, curbs and driveway aprons is vital to the infrastructure of the village. It would be counterproductive to stretch out the program for more years. The village follows a cycle that is fair, cost-effective and meets the safety standards set for government entities.

Yes, sometimes we have difficulties with contractors. But on the whole the work gets done well. Sometimes residents have complaints that are justified. Our Public Works Superintendent Ken Tymecki strives to resolve them amicably.

I realize tree roots take their toll on our sidewalks and this can be troublesome and costly. However, our village is located at the border of a major city and we must be committed to the efforts needed to maintain our suburban environment. Tree lined streets have always played a major role in achieving this goal. Village policy only allows for the removal of unhealthy or hazardous trees. We can all agree "trees and sidewalks" - "nature and concrete" are not always compatible.

A clear, lucite shed will be installed this week at the Carlton Street commuter parking lot. The shed will provide cover for the commuters as they perform their parking transactions on rainy and snowy days. It will also serve to protect the two multi-media parking machines from exposure to inclement weather conditions, which can lead to machine malfunction and down time. On Sept. 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Recreation Department will host the annual poolside senior picnic. The event will include a lunch of assorted soft roll sandwiches, salads, dessert, soft drinks and coffee. John Weber will furnish music. There will be dancing, singing, a session of Bingo with prizes and swimming too. Seniors do not have to be pool members or affiliated with any group to be able to attend and enjoy the program. All are welcome. A mailing was sent to all residents and property owners regarding a proposed new recreation/pool building to replace the present pool building. The village board will have an informational meeting on Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. at Village Hall for anyone interested in more information and to have an opportunity to ask questions and have input. If you are unable to attend the meeting and would like to provide input, feel free to write to me at Village Hall or call me at 326-6300.

I'm not a runner but I know lots of young people and adults, including seniors who have a great time participating in the various runs held in the village. On Spirit Weekend, Sept. 23 at 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. our 19th annual village runs will take place. So get in shape, do those stretches and plan to get a number and look to crossing the finish, placing and winning a trophy. The 5-kilometer (3.1 miles) and 2-kilometer runs start at the pool parking lot.

I'm looking forward to my task. It is simply to call out, "On your mark! Get set! Go!" and then immediately pressing the button on the horn to send the enthusiastic runners on their way around the village and back to the finish line in the park.