October 25, 2023
Dear Quogue Residents,
The weeks are flying by and the leaves are turning their beautiful fall colors. The days are getting shorter and there is a nip in the air. Welcome to another busy fall season.
This past Friday, the Village Trustees held a public hearing to consider reducing the speed limit to 25 mph throughout all of our residential streets. After considering the comments expressed at the hearing and at prior meetings, and taking into account the recommendations of Dunn Engineering, the Trustees voted unanimously in favor of the proposal. The exceptions to the 25 mph speed limit will be Montauk Highway and Route 104, which are maintained by Suffolk County and will remain at the existing 40 mph speed limit. You will see new speed signs posted in the coming days, and I would ask you please to respect the new lower speed limits.
One more note on traffic safety – we have added a few new stop signs in the Village over the past year. As a fellow resident remarked to me the other day, stop signs are not intended as suggestions or recommendations. They mean what they not so subtly say – please STOP when you see a STOP sign.
And a note to cyclists in the Village – we have posted two new signs on Jessup Avenue on either end of our “shopping district” – requesting cyclists to dismount and walk their bicycles. We have had some close calls with cyclists riding into pedestrians on the sidewalks in front of the market, as well as cars nearly hitting cyclists when backing out of the diagonal parking spaces. Please exercise caution at all times.
Over the past several weeks, there has been a pattern of thefts of items from unlocked vehicles parked in residential driveways in East Quogue, Hampton Bays, and Westhampton Beach. Unfortunately, this pattern has now made its way to Quogue. The Quogue Police recently handled two complaints of trespass where vehicles had been rummaged through and items taken. The crimes tend to occur during darkness and predominantly between 5:00 am and 7:00 am. The police have increased their patrols during these hours and are coordinating with the neighboring police departments. Stating the obvious, please remember to lock all car doors and close the windows. Please report any suspicious persons or vehicles by calling 911 immediately, and not the non-emergency police department phone number.
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 in the street blocking traffic or around fire hydrants or utility equipment. DO NOT USE PLASTIC BAGS, which 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 https://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. Due to roadwork, residents on Bay Road and Heatherwood Lane are requested to have their landscapers take their leaves to the Highway Department’s yard rather than piling them on the shoulder of Montauk Highway.
A reminder that Election Day is only two weeks away on Tuesday, November 7th from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm. You can consult the Southampton Press and https://www.27east.com/ for information on the races and the candidates. The local polling place will be at the Quogue Firehouse. Early voting starts on Saturday, October 28th and runs through Sunday, November 5th. The closest early voting sites to Quogue are St. Mark’s Episcopal Church located at 40 Main Street in Westhampton Beach and the Stony Brook Southampton Campus in the Student Activity Center located at 39 Tuckahoe Road in Southampton. The hours are 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekends and vary during the week.
As you will have certainly noticed, Quogue has a growing deer population (as well as geese and wild turkeys). The Village has sponsored a deer culling program for approximately twenty years working in compliance with the New York State Bow Hunting Laws. The hunting season has begun so you may notice hunters in the Village. State law imposes strict safety rules requiring hunters to stay well away from any occupied residences and no guns are allowed. The Village requires any interested hunter to register with the Village’s Code Enforcement Officer, Chris Osborne. Hunters must provide copies of the consent forms obtained from any property owners where they propose to hunt. If you are interested in learning more about the program, please reach out to Chris Osborne through the Village Office.
And now for a few announcements of some of the many events and activities happening in Quogue in the coming days and weeks:
Tomorrow evening, October 26th from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, the Quogue Wildlife Refuge will celebrate the full moon with a guided hike through the forest and up to North Pond. On Saturday, October 28th from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm, the Refuge is organizing an Enchanted Forest Trail walk. Come wearing Halloween costumes and have fun while learning about animals with lots of concessions and games. Finally, on Saturday, November 4th from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, the Refuge is hosting the Rites of Spring Music Concert with a performance by THISTLE, a Chamber Folk Trio. Reservations are required and details are available on their website at https://quoguewildliferefuge.org/
The Hampton Theatre Company’s 2023-2024 season kicked off last week with Neil Simon’s Rose and Walsh. The play has received rave reviews, and the run continues through November 5th. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.hamptontheatre.org/
This Friday, October 27th from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, the Quogue School is organizing a Safe Halloween event, featuring their famous Spooky Walk with tons of trick or treating, selfie stations, free raffles, and crafts. This event takes place at the school located at 10 Edgewood Road.
On Halloween, October 31st at 4:00 pm, the Quogue Fire Department in coordination with the Quogue School is sponsoring a Halloween Ghost Parade and party. Folks will gather at the south end of Jessup at Quogue Street. The parade will follow the fire truck up Jessup Avenue to the Firehouse where there will be food and festivities for the children, as well as a costume contest. The police department will also be participating with a “Trunk or Treat” police car handing out candy and treats. Everyone is encouraged to participate in costume.
The Quogue Library has also fully joined the Halloween Holiday spirit with a series of fun events beginning with Grab N’ Go: Halloween Fun, all day this coming Friday, October 27th, continuing with Boo Bags all day Saturday, Witch Prints on Monday afternoon, and Costume Fun all day on Halloween.
The Library continues its impressive series of Author Talks with the next one slated for this afternoon October 25th, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, with a reading by Kelly Bennett, author of The House that Ruth Built.
Now through November 1st, the Quogue Library is continuing to collect donations as part of The Great Give Back, an annual day of service where public libraries help out a foundation or charity. This year the Library will be assisting the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation. They will be collecting dry pet food, pet supplies, blankets, and pet toy donations through the end of October.
The Art Gallery at the Library is continuing the exhibition of works by Melissa Hackett, a New York- and Southampton-based painter and printmaker, on display through November 15th. Please note that the Gallery will be hosting a Holiday Fundraiser on Friday, November 24th, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, with the sale of paintings and photos from over 75 local artists and photographers.
The next Foreign Policy Association Great Decisions discussion program is scheduled at the Library for Saturday, November 4th, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, on the topic of Climate Migration.
On November 8th, Chef Brian Collins will be serving up a Colonial Turkey Dinner at the Library from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Advanced registration required.
As always, consult the Library’s well-packed calendar to sign up for their rich offering of movies and programs of all types: https://quogue.librarycalendar.com/events/month
And a reminder that the Quogue Historical Society’s Pond House Museum located at 114 Jessup Avenue is open Friday afternoons from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and on Saturday mornings from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. The 1822 One-Room Schoolhouse is open during Library Hours. Please consult the QHS website to learn more about Quogue history, a Jessup Avenue walking tour, exhibitions, historic photographs, virtual talks, videos, children’s activities, and much more: https://quoguehistory.org/
And here are a few early save the dates:
The Fire Department’s annual Pancake Breakfast will be held the Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 26th. It will be great fun for all, and raises funds for the Fire Department’s Benevolent Association.
On Saturday, December 2nd at 9:00 am, the Quogue School is organizing the annual Hudsy 5K run/walk honoring Joan Hudson and raising funds for the school. You can register at https://events.elitefeats.com/23hudsy
Apologies if I have overlooked an event; please let me know!
Happy Halloween!
Robert Treuhold
Mayor, Village of Quogue
631-653-4498