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[MESSAGE JSNF-285-09]

APPROVED Minutes of the October 1st, 2012 Meeting of the Asharoken Board of Trustees

 Incorporated Village of Asharoken

Board of Trustees Regular Meeting

Held on Tuesday

October 1st, 2012 7:30 P.M

At Village Hall

Approximate Attendance (28)

 

 

Officers Present:

Greg Letica, Mayor

Pam Pierce, Deputy Mayor

Joseph Catanzano, Trustee

Melvin Ettinger, Trustee

Laura Burke, Trustee

 

Officials & Appointees Present:

Nancy Rittenhouse, Village Clerk

Emily Hayes, Village Treasurer

Bruce Migatz, Village Attorney

Ray Mahdesian, Officer- in- Charge

Doug Adil, Superintendent of Buildings

Tony Wenderoth, Superintendent of Highway

Marty Cohen, Conservation of the Environment

John Ross, Village Hall Expansion Committee Chair

Joseph Affrunti, Harbormaster

Bill Raisch, Emergency Manager

Barry Bradley, Sanitation Operator

 

The Pledge of Allegiance was said.

Mayor Letica asked for proof of publication, Village Clerk indicated that the meeting notice was published.

 

Mayor Letica made a motion to approve the minutes for September 4th, 2012, Trustee Ettinger seconded the motion.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         NAY

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

Deputy Mayor Pierce made a motion to approve the minutes for the Special Meeting for September 25th, 2012, seconded by Trustee Ettinger.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         Abstain

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

 

Mayor’s Report:

The Coastal Clean-up and Blood Drive were both terrific successes.  Thousands of pounds of debris were removed from the shoreline by many volunteers.  Thank you to organizers Debbie Masterson, Cathy Zimmermann and Michelle Tilleli.  They were assisted by Tracy Aboff, Deputy Mayor Pierce, her brother Jamie and Linda Letica as well. Mayor Letica thanked Commander Steve Pollack, Coast Guard Station Eatons Neck, for allowing parking and beach access to clean up participants.  He noted that it was a great job done by everyone.  Mayor Letica also thanked Eva and Stanley Browne for hosting a coastal clean-up celebration lunch.

 

Mayor Letica reported that the Blood Drive collected 31 pints of blood.  He thanked Chairperson Avrum Golub and Village Clerk Nancy Rittenhouse.

 

Mayor Letica mentioned that on a sad note Asharoken had lost two long time residents.  Dr. Harry Sorof and Harry Johnson.  He noted that these were two real gentlemen and on behalf of himself and the Village, condolences were extended to the Sorof’s and Johnson families.

 

Mayor Letica mentioned that there is nothing new to report on Sandpiper Farm.

 

Mayor Letica noted that he had discussed with Conservation Board Chairman Marty Cohen who will be initiating work to preserve the dunes.

 

Mayor Letica reported that he has consulted via email with Sue McCormack of the NYSDEC regarding the feasibility study. He noted that Sue McCormack response via email was “that the USACE has reviewed the NYSDEC’s Natural Resources Group’s comments on dredging and are preparing a response to it which will not be done until the end of October. They will want to meet with the NYDEC staff in November to discuss some questions and ideas they have”.   Sue McCormack also indicated that the USACE is interested in meeting with the NYSDEC staff in November to discuss ideas and follow-up with questions they may have. She felt that this was a positive point since she has not heard from the USACE in three months. Mayor Letica also noted that he received an email from Ed Wrocenski, project manager from the USACE noting that the contract to repair the seawall was awarded to Coastal Environmental Group for $549,460.  The project is estimated to take seven weeks.

 

Mayor Letica noted that he consulted with our Village Attorney, Bruce Migatz regarding the response to the editor of the Huntingtonian.  Bruce Migatz informed him that the Village Code does not prohibit the distribution of the newspaper.  Mayor Letica sent a letter to the Huntingtonian to that effect.

 

Mayor Letica reported that the village was served with legal documents commencing an article 78 procedure challenging the Zoning Board of Appeals decision on the Morris/Podell variance application.  The documents have been turned over to the village attorney for his review.

 

Mayor Letica noted that on September 4th he met with Joseph Grasso with Hartt Insurance Agency, Sue O’Rorke from NYMIR and Nancy Rittenhouse, Village Clerk.  The village received a check for $2060.00 which was the final payment for the village’s initial capital investment in NYMIR.  He noted that all village insurance policies and several procedures were reviewed.

On September 7th he met with Trustee Burke and Village Clerk, Nancy Rittenhouse to review and commence work on Asharoken policies.

On September 8th he and his wife Linda attended the Wounded Warriors Dinner at Crab Meadow Beach.  He noted that the event had an amazing turnout by many Asharoken residents.  He also suggested that Asharoken become a partner in next year’s event.

On September 11th he and Deputy Mayor Pierce met with PBA President Jeff Josephson to begin the initial negotiating session for the PBA contract.

On September 12th he attended the SAVE THE POSTOFFICE rally at the Northport American Legion Hall along with Deputy Mayor Pierce and read a statement in support of keeping the Northport Post Office open at its existing location.

On September 14th he met with Trustee/Deputy Police Commissioner Ettinger to review the hay bales at the corner of Bevin Road and Asharoken Avenue.  Due to the repeated collisions between cars and the hay bales, a decision was made to remove half of the hay bales and store them at Village Hall for future use.  In addition Mayor Letica attended along with Stormwater Commissioner Golub the Northport Harbor Water Quality subcommittee meeting to discuss the proposed IMA (Inter-Municipal Agreement).  Mayor Letica thanked Avrum Golub for his exceptional job in clarifying many aspects of the proposed IMA.

On September 16th he marched in the Cow Harbor Parade.

On September 25th he attended the Special Board Meeting with our auditor John Skinnon and later that day attended the Village Hall Expansion Committee meeting.

On September 28th he met with Tony Wenderoth and Andy Mendelsohn to review the progress on eliminating the puddle at the corner of Bevin Road and Asharoken Avenue.  Mayor Letica noted that they have additional work to complete before a final recommendation is presented.

 

 Trustee Reports:

 

Deputy Mayor Pierce reported that she and Village Clerk, Nancy Rittenhouse reviewed the CodeRED emergency communication on-line session with the vendor.  She noted that researching an emergency communication system was one of the items that came out of the Hurricane prepareness tabletop exercise organized by Bill Raisch.  She noted that the CodeRED program and the purchase price were discussed with Bill Raisch.  Bill offered to follow up with the Town of Huntington and Suffolk County’s emergency services department to find ways to utilize their existing CodeRED programs for the village.  Deputy Mayor Pierce noted that she attended the Wounded Warrior weekend with Trustee Ettinger.  She noted that she attended court on September 8th.  She noted that she met with the USACE representatives to follow up on the annual inspection of the sea wall and provide an update on upcoming repair.  The sea wall repairs will include the removal of the remaining wooden caps and the installation of 950 feet (width steel C- beams)13” wide with 3” returns.  Holes will be drilled every two feet into the steel caps and bolted into the seawall.  In addition three boulders will be re-positioned and the remaining boulders will be inspected for their proper nesting positioning.

Deputy Mayor Pierce noted that she attended the Post Office meeting and the Cow Harbor Parade.  She assisted with the Coastal Clean-up event and thanked Co-Captains, Cathy Zimmermann, Debbie Masterson and Michelle Tilleli on all the preparation work and post clean-up work.  She noted that the captains update all the material and created a data base on all the information received which was then forwarded to the Littoral Society.  In addition, the captain’s visit schools, give presentations to create awareness, encourage the students to get involved and contact the local media.

Deputy Mayor Pierce noted that she met with the auditor John Skinnon to review the financial statements for year end 5/31/2012 and reviewed the vouchers for the month of September.

 

Trustee Ettinger reported that on September 7th he attended the Village Hall Expansion committee meeting.  He noted that two representatives from LIPA attended and provided many ideas on energy saving rebates and energy saving features that may be used or considered during the planning phase of the proposed Village Hall. He attended the Wounded Warrior Event and noted that there were people there from various parts of the country and if Asharoken can participate with Northport it would be a great.  He attended court on September 8th.  On September 14th he met with Mayor Letica and Parker Landscaping regarding the removal of approximately half of the hay bales which were stored at Village Hall as well as replacing the “No Standing” signs with “No parking” signs.  On September 19th he attended the Village Court trial session and observed the Village’s new acting Village Justice Judge, Mark Klezcka.  On September 25th he attended the Special Meeting to discuss the audited financial statements for year end 5/31/2012 with our auditor John Skinnon.  He noted that during the month of September he met with Officer-in-Charge Ray Mahdesian to discuss various police and village matters.

 

Trustee Catanzano reported that he was unable to attend the Special Meeting to review the audited financial statements for year end 5/31/2012 held on September 25th due to his work schedule.  He noted that he read the draft minutes for September 25th and was pleased to find that the all the trustees and Mayor will be reviewing the abstract report on a monthly basis.  He noted that this past month the Mayor polled the board of trustees to review an expense for surveyor work for the Village Hall Expansion project in the amount of $750.00. Trustee Catanzano noted that he did not approve the expense and he noted that this was not an emergency and should have been discussed at the October Board meeting and he indicated that he is not happy with this procedure.  He noted that he is not pleased with the amount of money the board is spending.  He also noted that $2000 was spent to remove the wood caps.  He noted that $750.00 is being spent for the proposed Village Hall and he noted do we have the money to go forward with this project.  He noted that we are spending $750.00 to install snow fence and questioned the vendor’s experience.  He noted that the village is reviewing adopting policies and would like to know what kind of policies.  He announced that he will not be approving any expenses going forward for the Village.  He discussed Huntington layoffs in an article he read and an unconfirmed increase of $5.00 a ton in waste removal.  He discussed cuts that will occur in January throughout the Country.

 

Trustee Burke reported that she reviewed the abstracts for the month of September.  She participated in the Coastal Clean-up event and thanked the Committee Chairs for doing such a great job and also thanked Eva and Stanley Browne for hosting the Coastal Clean-up luncheon and opening up their home for the volunteers.  She noted that she worked with Joan Hauser on the Asharoken Newsletter and indicated that the Villages’ plan is to send the newsletter out to everyone, but future newsletters will be sent via email unless residents indicate otherwise.  Trustee Burke thanked Joan Hauser for all her work on taking on this project.  She attended the Special Meeting held on September 25th to discuss the audited financial statements for year end 5/31/2012.  She reported that she began working on updating all village policies, such as sexual harassment, petty cash, procurement, etc.  She noted that she will be creating a procedural manual as well and noted the importance of updating the policies since they have not been looked at in 20 years.  She also noted that last month a question came up as to why we were using a paper of record with the least circulation.  She noted that the Observer has a circulation of approximately 10,000 subscribers per week and the Times of Northport has circulation of approximately 3,500 subscribers per week.  Trustee Catanzano asked if that includes on-line circulations.  Deputy Mayor Pierce indicated that the Times of Northport receives 30,000 unique visitors per month on line.

 

Village Attorney:

Bruce Migatz reported on the Article 78 commenced against the Zoning Board of Appeals which he noted will be defending.  He also noted that he was asked to provide an opinion about the circulation of the Huntingtonian, which was discussed in the Mayor’s report.

 

Treasurer:

Emily Hayes reported on the month of September.  She noted that the receivable balance for Village taxes is approximately $4500.00.  She noted that the village received $7173.48 for mortgage taxes for the period ending 6/30/12 and franchise fee in the amount of $6124.00 from Cablevision for the first half of the year.  The Village also received $36,663.02 from CHIPS which is for the 20% local share of the FHWA shoulder repair project. Emily Hayes reported that the total vouchers for the month of September are $31,018.76 and were reviewed by Mayor Letica and most of the trustees.

 

Officer-in Charge

Officer-in-Charge Ray Mahdesian reported that during the Coastal Clean-up an old wallet was found.  He noted that the Asharoken Police boat assisted with the Wounded Warrior event. In the addition the Asharoken Police Department assisted Northport Police Department with the Cow Harbor Race and Cow Harbor Day.  The department had to make an arrest for domestic violence.  He noted that there were nine arrests for the month of September.  He pointed out that over the years many of the marine incidents have been reduced due to the service of the marine police.  He noted that the paperwork has been submitted for Operation Shield which is funded by Homeland Security.  He noted that he received a letter from a resident who moved and summarized how nice it was to live in the Village for so many years. 

 

Harbormaster:

Harbormaster Joseph Affrunti reported that the Village had a successful season.  He made arrangements to have all the marine signs stored away for the season as well as the police boat.

 

Sanitation: Barry Bradley noted that trash pick- up was 30.83 tons and comingled 2.29 tons and news and cardboard 4.16 tons for a total of 37.85 tons.  Big Blue is running well. Yard waste-10 families participated with 53 bags. 

 

Emergency Management:  Bill Raisch, Emergency Manager, noted that he is evaluating the emergency notification programs.  There are several categories one at the State level, County level and the Town level.  He noted that he is requesting access from the town to possibly use their system.  He noted that he expects to get some additional feedback from the town in the next several weeks. He noted that the village will look at the cost elements for the emergency notification if we cannot utilize the system from the Town of Huntington.

 

Superintendent of Buildings Report: Doug Adil, building inspector reported on twelve inspections for the month of September.  He also noted that driveway projects have increased this past month.  He discussed requirements for either re-paving your driveway or changing from a porous surface to a non-porous surface.  He noted that he attended the Village Hall Restoration meeting.  He has had a continued discussion regarding pool requirements with a builder.  He also reported on dock regulations and permit requirements for two properties on Clamshell Lane. 

 

Superintendent of Highway:  Tony Wenderoth, Superintendent of Highway, reported that he is working with Andy Mendelsohn and will be meeting with one more engineer next week.  They will be consolidating all the information and will come up with recommendations and present them at the November meeting.

 

Stormwater Report: Avrum Golub, Superintendent of Stormwater was unable to attend the meeting but submitted the following report.

The Northport Harbor Harbor Water Quality Protection Committee’s (NHWQPC) Subcommittee on Inter-Municipal Agreements (IMA) met of September 19, 2012. We reviewed and discussed a draft resolution that I wrote. When the draft is approved by the Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Villages of Asharoken and Northport and the Town of Huntington Council, these municipalities will be enabled to form a NHWQPC Inter-Municipal Council to work on issues that are relevant to these municipalities, e.g., seeking grants, developing uniform water quality codes, etc.

                Also, I reported on three new New York State water quality laws:

Chapter

Bill Number

Sponsor

Title

272

S4287B

Johnson, O.H.

Establishes “seagrass protection act”

368

A10585A

Sweeney

Creates the "sewage pollution right to know act"

378

A7119A

Thiele

Relates to the establishment, extension, powers and expenses of watershed protection improvement districts

It is noteworthy that these laws were sponsored by Long Islanders.

2. On October 2, 2012, Nassau County Legislator Judi Bosworth and Suffolk County 18th District Legislator William Spencer, M.D. will host a follow-up public hearing to their August 29,, 2012 hearing “Identifying Issues Confronting Long Island’s Aquifers and Water Resources”. The hearing will be held at the Clinton G. Martin Community Center Auditorium, 1601 Marcus Avenue, New Hyde Park, NY 11040 from 6 P.M. to 8 P.M.

3. On September 7, 2012, EPA commenced an administrative action for the assessment of administrative civil penalties: In the matter of the Town of Brookhaven at 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville, New York, 11738, Docket Number CWA-02-2012-3313. The Complaint proposed a penalty of $19,500 for failure to adhere to the requirements of the NYSDEC MS4 General Permit (GP-0-10-002), as required by the stormwater regulations.

4. EPA has invited communities to apply for technical assistance to foster sustainable growth in their area. Applications will be accepted between September 26 and October 26. (EPA hosted a webinar to discuss the program and the application process on September 21 from 1:00 to 2:30 Eastern time).

Communities that adopt sustainable growth strategies have been shown to expand economic opportunity and protect people’s health and the environment.

EPA is offering assistance through the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program, which offers tools that can be applied in rural, suburban, and urban areas, including:

•Smart growth and economic development to help communities get better financial results from    public and private investments

•Green street strategies for managing polluted stormwater

•Land use strategies to protect water quality 

•Parking audits to make the best use of parking for existing and planned land uses

•Bikeshare system planning to create alternative commuting options

•Community design for aging populations to ensure residents can live at home as long as possible 

•Green building toolkit to overcome common barriers 

•Strategies to help small cities and rural areas develop in ways that retain unique community characteristics

Communities can apply for assistance with one of the specific tools and, if selected, work with an EPA-            supported team of experts on applying those tools during a two-day workshop. Along with the policies and practices highlighted in each tool, participants will learn more about smart growth development strategies.

EPA will select up to 44 communities through a competitive process for this latest round of assistance. The selections will be made in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Partnership for Sustainable Communities This interagency collaboration coordinates federal investments in infrastructure, facilities, and services to get better results for   communities and use taxpayer money more efficiently.  Details of the HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities is available at: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/partnership/index.html.

EPA is working to make all the Building Blocks tools available online so that communities can use them on their own.

The first online tool, the Walkability Workbook, can help communities determine how smart growth changes can be beneficial. The Walkability Workbook comprises 75 MB of documents and presentations.

 

Planning Board:

Chairman Patrick Cleary was unable to attend and submitted a report.  The Planning Board is reviewing a sub-division application.  The sub-division is for a 62’ beach lot that the owners propose to sub-divide into three lots.  The next meeting will be held the end of October.

 

Conservation Board Report: Marty Cohen had no report this month.

 

Village Hall Expansion Committee: Chairperson, John Ross reported that the committee had several meetings.  The last meeting was with LIPA for energy savings features and he noted that the committee plans to meet with the gas company as well. He noted that he met with several contractors who have completed municipal work to determine what the possible construction costs would be.  He developed a site plan after the engineers finalized the surveys which showed that some of the elevations were a bit higher than what was shown on the original surveys and it brought it up to date.  He noted that he had a proposed location for the building.  The next step he indicated would be to set up a preliminary meeting with the NYSDEC to discuss the project, before applications are submitted.  John Ross plans on developing the site plan needed to gather estimates for the project.

 

Duck Island Harbor Dredging Committee:

Jean Bonawandt noted that the committee met in September and discussed what steps need to be taken to restore the waters in Duck Island Harbor.  She noted that the sand would be used to restore the beach along Asharoken Avenue.  The committee is still gathering information and developing the best course of action and will report after their next meeting.

 

Resolutions:

 

Resolution (2012-70) Be It Resolved, that the Village Board does hereby accept the audited Financial Statements for year-end 5/31/2012 provided by Skinnon & Faber, CPA, P.C.; the Financial Statements have been filed with the Village Clerk.

 

Motion was made by Deputy Mayor Pierce to approve, seconded by Trustee Ettinger.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         Abstain

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

Resolution (2012-73) Be It Resolved, that the Village Board approves the budget transfers for the month of September.

 

Motion was made by Deputy Mayor Pierce to approve, seconded by Trustee Ettinger.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         Abstain

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

Resolution (2012-74) Be It Resolved that the Village Board approves the vouchers in the amount of $31,018.76 for the month of September 2012.

Motion was made by Deputy Mayor Pierce to approve, seconded by Trustee Burke.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         Abstain

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

Resolution (2012-75) Be It Resolved, that the Village Board does hereby approve the transfer of $750.00 from the Building Restoration Money Market Special Reserve Account #5059 to the Money Market Account #5018 for the payment of survey work needed for the proposed new village hall.

 

Motion was made by Trustee Ettinger to approve, seconded by Mayor Letica.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         NAY

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

Resolution (2012-76) Be It Resolved that the Village Board does hereby approve the installation of 1500 feet of snow fence  in the amount of $750.00 to be installed on the north/east side of the dunes, beginning at house number #475 and ending at the north end of house number #413, installation services provided by Patrick Parker Landscaping. We received two written quotes ($750.00 Parker Landscaping and $850.00 Beener’s Tree Service)

Motion was made by Deputy Mayor Pierce to approve, seconded by Mayor Letica.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         NAY

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

Resolution (2012-77) Be It Resolved that the Mayor does hereby appoint the following uncompensated individual Martin Hakker as fireworks coordinator for a one year term to cover the 2013 fireworks event, subject to Board Approval.

 

Motion was made by Mayor Letica to approve, seconded by Trustee Burke.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         AYE

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

Resolution (2012-78) Be It Resolved that the Village Board does hereby appoint the following uncompensated individuals Douglas Vaughn and Michael Elsas as Environmental Review Board members for a one year term to end July of 2013.

 

Motion was made by Mayor Letica to approve, seconded by Deputy Mayor Pierce.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         AYE

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

Resolution (2012-79) Be It Resolved that the Village Board does hereby appoint the following uncompensated individual John Wachter as a member of the Planning Board for a five year term to end July 2017.

 

Motion was made by Mayor Letica to approve, seconded by Deputy Mayor Pierce.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         Abstain

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

Resolution (2012-80) Be It Resolved, that the Village Board does hereby adopt the following schedule for monthly regular and special board meetings for the calendar year 2013 meetings to begin at 7:30pm.

 

Regular Meeting, Tuesday, January 8th, 2013

Special Meeting, Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

Regular Meeting, Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

Regular Meeting, Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

Special Meeting, Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

Regular Meeting, Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013

Regular Meeting, Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

Regular Meeting, Tuesday, June 4th, 2013

Special Meeting, Tuesday, June 25th, 2013

Regular Meeting, Tuesday, July 2nd, 2013

Regular Meeting, Tuesday, August 6th, 2013

Regular Meeting, Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013

Regular Meeting, Tuesday, October 1st, 2013

Regular Meeting, Monday, November 4th, 2013

Regular Meeting, Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013

 

Motion was made by Deputy Mayor Pierce to approve, seconded by Trustee Ettinger.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         AYE

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

Resolution (2012-81) OPPOSING A PROPOSAL BY THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE TO SELL THE HISTORIC POST OFFICE BUILDING LOCATED ON MAIN STREET IN NORTHPORT VILLAGE AND URGING THE VILLAGE’S REPRESENATIVES IN CONGRESS, THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND THE TOWN OF HUNTINGTON TO TAKE ALL NECESSARY STEPS TO PREVENT ITS CLOSURE OR RELOCATION FROM ITS PRESENT LOCATION AND TO PREVENT THE SALE OF THE BUILDING

 

Motion was made by Mayor Letica to waive the reading, seconded by Trustee Ettinger.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         AYE

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

WHEREAS,  the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 designated the United States Postal Service (USPS) as an independent institution of the executive branch of the Federal Government; and

 

WHEREAS, the Northport Post Office located at 244 Main Street in Northport, New York was designed by the renowned Louis A. Simon and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989; and

 

WHEREAS the Northport Post Office serves more than 20,000 people living in the contiguous postal service area (11768) who reside in the Hamlets of Eaton’s Neck, Asharoken, Northport, Crab Meadow and Fort Salonga; and

 

WHEREAS, in addition to the vital services the Northport Post Office provides to the people who live and own businesses within this postal service area, the presence of this historic building on Northport’s main thoroughfare is one of the enduring symbols of national pride that binds together the people of this Village, this Town and this County; and

 

WHEREAS, the Asharoken Village Board wishes to join the Northport Village Board in expressing its opposition to this shortsighted plan to shutter and abandon one of Northport’s most recognizable and cherished institutions; and

 

HEREBY expresses its opposition to the proposal by the United States Postal Service to sell the historic Post Office building located on Main Street in Northport Village and urging the Village’s representatives in Congress, the State Legislature and the Town of Huntington to take all necessary steps to prevent its closure or relocation from its present location and to prevent the sale of the building; and

 

HEREBY directs the Asharoken Village Clerk to forward certified copies of this resolution to the President of United States Barack Obama, United States Senator Charles Schumer, United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, United States Congressman Steve Israel, State Senator Carl L. Marcellino, State Senator John J. Flanagan, State Assemblyman Andrew P. Raia, County Legislator Dr. William Spencer, Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone, Northport Village Mayor George Doll and the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Services, Honorable Thurgood Marshall, Jr.

 

Motion was made by Deputy Mayor Pierce to approve, seconded by Mayor Letica.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         AYE

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

New Business:

Mayor Letica noted that there was a request from a resident on Bevin Road to install several deer signs.  Trustee Catanzano asked about the cost of the signs.  Village Clerk, Nancy Rittenhouse noted that she will look into getting another quote.  Trustee Burke asked Officer-in-Charge Ray Mahdesian how many deer related accidents we have had, and Officer Mahdesian indicated approximately five accidents over two years.

Deputy Mayor Pierce and Trustee Burke noted it’s a safety issue.

 

Resolution (2012-82) Be It Resolved, that the Village Board does hereby approve the expenditure of up to $250.00 for two deer signs and installation costs for the Bevin Road area

 

Motion was made by Trustee Ettinger to approve, seconded by Mayor Letica.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         NAY

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

 Mayor Letica noted that the point of a newspaper of record is to advertise to as many people as we can what the village is doing when it has public hearings, board meetings, zoning and planning hearings and we are not interested in the editorial comment.  The more people we can reach, in order to distribute what we are doing in the village the more open form of government we can provide to our residents and others who are observing what the village is doing.  Mayor Letica pointed out that the Times of Northport has a smaller subscription base than the Observer, but the Times of Northport has an online 30,000 base of unique hits per month, but do not know where they come from.  He suggested to the board if they would consider changing the paper of record. A paper that happens to reach far more people in the Northport Community on a newspaper basis where the people will primarily see the village notices.

Trustee Ettinger asked if it is a legal obligation to post in the paper of record and it should be a local newspaper and Village Attorney, Bruce Migatz pointed out there is no requirement that it has to have a minimal circulation.  Trustee Burke pointed out that the purpose is to inform the public to let them know about board meetings, special meetings, and other public hearings and what is going on in our village.  Deputy Mayor Pierce pointed out that it’s just for the publication of notices.  Trustee Burke noted that circulation is an important consideration, as is the readership of the newspaper. She indicated that we should consider the choice not because of editorial comments.

Trustee Pierce pointed out that the circulation of the Times of Northport is significant and they did cover the Coastal Clean-up and the Observer did not.  Mayor Letica noted that we should table this issue at this time. Trustee Ettinger had no significant opinion on the matter.

 

Mayor Letica reported on the snow fence, he indicated that the village is possibly planning on keeping the snow fence up all year round; letters will be sent out to the beach lot owners informing them.  The village is saving approximately $1,125.00 from last year for the installation of the snow fence.

 

Public Session:

A resident asked about deer signs and their location of the signs on Bevin Road. The resident made a suggestion to place the signs near the beginning of the roadway where sightings are.

A resident made a point to leave the snow fence up; last year he questioned why the village took it down, since it is holding the sand in place.

A resident noted that when the Observer was put forth for a motion, the board never received a second.  She noted that the Times of Northport is probably the most neutral paper around.  She also indicated that it is a good choice to appoint John Wachter on the planning Board.  She talked about Pheasant Lane being a private road and she noted that she has full faith that Mr. Wachter will get the neighbors together since they had problems with their storm drains.  She noted that he will be good leader in keeping the storm drains clear so that their water problem doesn’t become Asharoken water problem.  She also commented that the last piece of property to be sub-divided is on Pheasant Lane, giving the code of ethics that Mr. Wachter will recuse himself from anything to do with improvements to the private road.

She made a comment about the stormwater report issued by Avrum Golub.  She pointed out that there may be a conflict of interest between Avrum Golub and participation with the IMA.  She noted her concern that Asharoken may lose funding if the IMA is signed by Asharoken Village.  The same resident asked about the possible $500 tax increase.  She asked if the board is planning on hiring an assessor.  She commented on future contracts that will be coming up and she asked if the Board entered into negotiations and are they considering any cutbacks.  She commented on the format of the agenda.

Mayor Letica responded to the questions, and noted that he came up with the worst case scenario, of $500.00 tax increase as a result of the possibility of Sandpiper Farm being designated as an agriculture district. He noted that the resident supported and knew of the possible tax increase if the agriculture district went through.  The same resident indicated that she was not aware of the impact of the school tax and Huntington tax implication if Sandpiper Farm becomes an agriculture district and the mayor should have educated her.

A resident asked about the proposed Village Hall and the budget associated with it.  Mayor Letica noted that the committee is still compiling budgets and designs. 

John Ross added that the size of the building has been reduced considerably.

Trustee Catanzano noted that he would rather wait until we have the money before we go forward with any project.  He recommended that we may want to rent out the Northport American Legion Hall for our meetings.

Trustee Ettinger pointed out that many residents donated a considerable amount of money which is earmarked for the expansion of the village hall and secured in a separate account.  He noted that the committee is trying to consider what we can do going forward with the amount of money donated.  Such as, expand or build new; or raising additional funds.  He noted that we are trying to determine the potential cost and make the proper business decisions.

Trustee Catanzano noted that he thinks the number one propriety should be funding sand for the beach.  Trustee Ettinger pointed out that the money is not for sand but earmarked for the Village Hall project. 

A resident asked about information on the major findings of the auditor’s report.  He asked if they made any suggestions.  Trustee Ettinger noted that the report was very good, and contained few recommendations.  Mayor Letica added that the recommendations were to update the procurement policy, update I-9 forms, and approve budget transfers prior to approving the vouchers.

A resident noted that the snow fence on the South shore is left up year round.  It builds up the sand and has worked very well on Fire Island.  He said he would advise not to take the fence down.

 

Mayor Letica made a motion to end public session, seconded by Trustee Burke.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         AYE

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

Mayor Letica made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Trustee Ettinger.

 

Trustee Catanzano                                         AYE

Trustee Ettinger                                              AYE

Trustee Burke                                                  AYE

Deputy Mayor Pierce                                    AYE

Mayor Letica                                                     AYE

Motioned Carried.

 

        The October 1st, 2012 meeting of the Board of Trustees was adjourned at approximately 9:05 pm.

        Signed: _____________________________________________

        Nancy Rittenhouse, Village Clerk