Dear Quogue Residents,
The weather has been phenomenal the past few weeks. After a rainy stretch in August, we have been blessed with sunny, warm and dry days to enjoy the fall foliage. The downside of that dry weather: potential wildfires. Suffolk County has issued a “Red Alert” warning of the increased risk of wildfires in light of the now declared drought conditions.
Many of you will have noticed the new construction that has begun on Jessup Avenue on the vacant lot just south of Schmidt’s Country Market. The owner of the property is constructing a new commercial building that will substantially match in style and size the existing structure located at 164 Jessup. The Village has been coordinating with the owner to minimize any potential disruptions, with the objective of encouraging substantial completion of the project before next summer. Here is a link to the “leasing brochure” which provides a rendition of the finished product: Leasing Brochure
If you have been down to the beach over the past few weeks, you will have seen that the delayed beach scraping exercise has been underway and was just completed this past Friday. We were lucky this fall and the beach has been extremely wide. Combined with the favorable weather conditions, we were able to “borrow” a substantial amount of sand from the water’s edge to reinforce the dunes in the area stretching from the Quogue Beach Club to the border of East Quogue. We will now proceed with the beach fencing stage and affected homeowners will be contacted in the coming days.
I wish I had more concrete information to share about the current status and timing of the long-awaited FIMP beach nourishment program. As you may recall, before the Army Corps will begin pumping sand, they require easements from all of the beachfront property owners in the project zone. The procedure for obtaining these easements has entailed the preparation of surveys of each property – now completed – and the engagement of appraisers to determine the value of each property before and after the beach nourishment project. Offers will then be extended to each property owner to compensate for the grant of the easement. As there are 46 properties in the Village and over 100 properties in the overall target zone, the process is time consuming. While the appraisal process is now underway, I do not know how long this will take. Unfortunately, it now looks increasingly likely that the actual nourishment implementation will slip back another year until 2026.
This month’s safety suggestion comes from a Village resident, who asked me to remind pedestrians, runners, and cyclists of the importance of wearing bright and/or reflective clothes when out and about. As the days grow shorter, visibility also decreases. While wearing black may be a fashionable look, it increases the risk of an unfortunate accident.
As noted last month, the Village Highway Department will begin picking up leaves on November 15th. Leaves must be on the shoulder of the street by December 15th in order to be picked up. The detailed instructions of the “dos and don’ts” are posted on the Village website. Please consider delaying or even foregoing your fall clean-up, as doing so provides many benefits for the environment. Please check out this link which details the many positives of “Leaving the Leaves”.
A probably unnecessary reminder that Election Day is next week on Tuesday, November 5th, with voting from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm. The local polling place will be at the Quogue Firehouse. Early voting started this past Saturday, October 26th and runs through Sunday, November 3rd. The closest early voting site is St. Mark’s Episcopal Church located at 40 Main Street in Westhampton Beach. The hours are 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekends and vary during the week. If you are voting locally, please remember to vote on the Propositions that appear on the back of the ballot. Here is a link providing the details of all of the Suffolk County early voting locations and hours: Voting Information
For property owners who have floating docks: if you are not pulling the dock for the winter please mark your dock with a house number and contact information. Each spring, we end up locating floating docks that have broken free and washed up on the shore. These docks usually lack identifying marks and become abandoned property. They are expensive to replace and become the problem of the property owner where the dock comes to rest. Stating the obvious, this problem can be avoided by pulling your dock.
And now for a few announcements of some of the many events and activities happening in Quogue in the coming days and weeks:
Wednesday evening, October 30th beginning at 7:30 pm, the Quogue Wildlife Refuge will be hosting a Fireside Poe Reading. Quogue resident Andrew Botsford will entertain with spooky readings of Edgar Allan Poe. Mulled wine, warm cider and cookies will be served. Reservations are required at www.quoguewildliferefuge.org.
The Village will be a busy place on Halloween. The Quogue Library will kick things off with a series of fun events beginning with a Halloween Crafternoon on Thursday, October 31st from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Then, at 4:00 pm, the Quogue Fire Department 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.
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.
On Saturday, November 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. The race starts and finishes at the school. You can register at the school on the morning of the race (please get there early) or in advance at https://events.elitefeats.com/24hudsy.
Also, this coming Saturday, November 2nd at 4:00 pm, the Wildlife Refuge is hosting a “Rites of Spring Music Concert”. The concert will feature music by Nina Bernat, playing double bass, and Eleni Katz, playing bassoon. Reservations are required and further details are available on their website at www.quoguewildliferefuge.org.
The Hampton Theatre Company’s 2024-2025 40th season has kicked off with Now and Then, written by Sean Grennan and directed by Mary Powers. The show has received rave reviews and runs through November 3rd. Tickets can be purchased at www.hamptontheatre.org.
The Art Gallery at the Library is continuing the exhibition of New Works by local artist Margot Carr, on display through November 15th. Their next exhibition will display the works of American artist Allan Bridge, whose work will be on display from December 3rd through January 9th.
On November 9th, at 2:00 pm, the Library is hosting a discussion on Reducing Nuclear Danger. Join former CIA officer Les Paldy as he discusses the threat posed by nuclear weapons on hair-trigger alert and ways to reduce it.
The next Foreign Policy Association Great Decisions discussion program is scheduled at the Library for Saturday, November 16th, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, on the topic of Understanding Indonesia.
As always, consult the Library’s well-packed calendar to sign up for their rich offering of movies and programs of all types: www.quoguelibrarycalendar.com.
And here are a few early save the dates:
The Art Gallery at the Library will be hosting a Holiday Fundraiser on Friday, November 29th, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, with the sale of paintings and photos from close to 100 local artists and photographers.
The Fire Department’s annual Pancake Breakfast will be held the Sunday after Thanksgiving, December 1st. It will be great fun for all, and raises important funds for the Fire Department’s Benevolent Association.
On December 7th from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, the Quogue Association is organizing a Holiday Tree and Menorah Lighting on the Village Green with participation from the Quogue School Chamber Choir and many of our Village merchants and organizations.
Another early reminder for the Quogue Historical Society’s popular Holiday House Tour, which is scheduled for Saturday, December 14th from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The tour will feature five Quogue homes festively decorated for the holidays, followed by a cocktail party from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at another lovely home. Tickets can be purchased on the QHS website at https://quoguehistory.org/event/save-the-date-for-the-holiday-house-tour-on-december-10/
Happy Halloween!
Robert Treuhold
Mayor, Village of Quogue