Dear Quogue Residents,
The work on the Jessup Avenue reconstruction is going well and is on schedule or even a little bit ahead. People have adapted fairly well to the one-way traffic on Jessup—I would give an overall grade of B+. Then there are the very few who seemingly see an empty lane in front of them and decide to make a quick break for it. Please do not do that. It’s dangerous.
Most of the work to date had been on the west side of the street. Soon that will flip. The west side will be paved with a base course of asphalt, and the traffic flow will reverse so that it is one way travelling south (toward the beach) on the west side of the road. The concrete on the east side of the road and the sidewalk will be torn up and will be replaced with asphalt on the street and a new sidewalk. All the work for this fall should be completed before Thanksgiving. The final coat of asphalt and lines on the street will be placed in the early spring.
Obviously, all of this work has been disruptive to the merchants on the street. Please do your very best to patronize them. It may be a little inconvenient for you to do so, but it is very important to them. Unfortunately, the Pancake Breakfast traditionally hosted by the Fire Department on the Sunday after Thanksgiving has had to be cancelled again this year because of concern over Covid-19. Many attendees are children under 12, naturally, and at this point at least they are not eligible for vaccinations. Hopefully this is the
last year for that! Also, the Fire Department-sponsored Halloween Ghost Parade along Jessup Avenue will not be held this year for the obvious reason that the road is not really conducive to parading. Kids will have the opportunity to show off their costumes on Friday, October 29 in a parade organized in conjunction with the Quogue School, with further details to be announced.
In this off year for Federal elections, there are still local races on tap this year. Jay Schneiderman is unopposed for another term as Supervisor of the Town of Southampton, but there are two Democrats and two Republicans vying for two seats on the Southampton Town Council. There is also a slew of other elections. You will want to check out the Southampton Press and www.27East.com for information on the races and the candidates. Election day is Tuesday, November 2, and the local polling place will be the Quogue Fire Department, as usual. Early voting starts on Saturday, October 23 and runs through Sunday, October 31. The closest early voting sites to Quogue are at the Stony Brook University Southampton Campus at 60 Tuckahoe Road and at the Riverhead Senior Center at 60 Shade Tree Road. The hours are 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. on weekends and vary during the week. See www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/BOE/Early-VotingSites-11-2-2021 if you need specifics.
The 2021-22 season of Hampton Theatre Company kicks off on Thursday night this week with the production of Native Gardens, a comedy with some “heavier threads woven through,” according to the Theatre Company’s website. While I have not seen the rehearsals, I can say that the set is quite elaborate and foreshadows a very fine overall production. Tickets can be purchased at www.hamptontheatre.org. Give yourself some extra time when coming to the play because of the Jessup Avenue construction. Patrons will enter the Community Hall through the courtroom entrance on the north side of the building. You may find that it is most convenient to park in the parking lot next to Village Hall and behind the Fire Department, which you can access via Midland Street by crossing Jessup Avenue or by turning into the back side of the lot from Willow Lane.
The Village Highway Department will begin picking up leaves on November 1st. Leaves must be on the shoulder of the street by December 15th in order to be picked up. Do not pile leaves around fire hydrants or utility equipment. DO NOT USE PLASTIC BAGS. They will not be picked up, and you will have to remove them. No brush, such as twigs and branches, or lawn cuttings will be taken away, and mixing this debris with leaves will result in the leaves not being removed. Brush with branches up to 3” in diameter may be taken to the Westhampton recycling facility free of charge from November 15 through December 31. For more information, go to www.southamptontownny.gov. In addition to the foregoing, property owners and landscapers who take leaves (only) from a Quogue property may make arrangements with the Quogue Highway Department to dump them at the highway yard. That will avoid having piles in front of your property waiting to be picked up and blowing back onto your lawn.
Here’s hoping for continuing good fall weather. Enjoy it.
Peter Sartorius Mayor