July 2, 2018

Dear Neighbors,

I am pleased to announce that I have appointed Rainer Burger as the newest Village Trustee.  Rainer will serve in the seat vacated by the untimely and tragic loss of Trustee Don Barbieri.  In March of 2019 an election will be held to fill Don’s unexpired term; until March 2021.

While Don’s presence in the board room and around New Hyde Park will never be replaced, the gap he left on the Village Board necessitated that we find someone who can take up the workload.  I am very confident we found the right person to jump right in at a time when the demands on the village board has never been greater.

The Long Island Rail Road’s Third Track Project requires an unprecedented level of oversight and interaction with multiple stakeholders as we work to ensure that the measures we negotiated to mitigate the adverse impacts of this megaproject are achieved as the project has been handed off from the MTA to the design build firm.  For example, the Village Board is tasked with the timely review and interpretations of technical engineering drawings to assess the impact of the construction on New Hyde Park.

Rainer Burger is the right person at the right time to help us manage this very difficult process.  Rainer is an electrical engineer and is currently employed as Senior Program Manager for Systems and Security for AECOM/Tishman Construction, supporting the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s $8B LaGuardia Airport Redevelopment Project.  As the Senior Program Manager, he is responsible for all communications network designs and relocations, airport security systems design and relocations, and airport operations systems designs and relocations to support the demolition of existing Airport Terminals and the construction of two (2) new state-of-the-art Airport Terminals and Concourses.  Rainer has already put his professional skills to work in reviewing design plans and uncovering potential issues.

More importantly, the issues that Rainer is concerned about are those that threaten the suburban character of our village.  Rainer was raised in Floral Park.  He is a 1984 graduate of Sewanhaka High School, earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering through Polytechnic University of New York and a master’s in engineering management at Western New England College in Massachusetts.

Rainer and his family lived in Massachusetts until 2003 when they relocated back home and oved into the Village of New Hyde Park in January 2004.  Rainer is married to the former Ann M. Conroy of Stewart Manor, New York.  They have three sons Sean, Ryan and Gregory. Rainer is also a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force Reserve and currently holds the rank of Colonel.  Rainer has also been very active in the local Community serving as Scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 298 in New Hyde Park.  Rainer has also served as a trustee on the Western Nassau Water Authority representing the Village of New Hyde Park.

We are delighted to have Rainer Burger join the Village Board of Trustees.  I know Donnie would approve.

Lawrence J. Montreuil

Mayor

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