March 26, 2025
Dear Quogue Residents,
Spring has arrived and warmer days are back. We are already starting to get our Village spruced up for the upcoming summer months!
The biggest event this past month was obviously the huge brush fire that erupted along Sunrise Highway in Westhampton. The fire jumped across Route 31 into Gabreski Airport and came frighteningly close to our Village. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to our Volunteer Fire Department, and all the first responders, who were on the front line throughout the day. Please extend your thanks to our volunteers and consider making a contribution to the Fire Department. Click HERE to contribute.
Even though we are anticipating spring rains, our area is still under drought conditions and a statewide ban on outdoor fires remains in effect through May 14th.
In my February letter, I included a reminder to have your landscaper or arborist check the trees on your properties as there are so many dead or dying pine trees as a result of the southern pine beetle infestation. The recent events highlight the very real fire risks that we face in the Pine Barrens area. Having dried-out dead trees exacerbates this risk. We are proactively managing the trees on Village property and will notify residents if we identify problem areas on private property. Ultimately, the responsibility falls on each homeowner to manage his or her property.
On a more positive note, with the arrival of warmer weather, we are going to be able to move forward with some road improvements on Dune Road. The state of the road just to the west of the Quogue bridge has been in bad repair ever since the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) installed a new water main last summer. They will begin repairing the potholes this week and repaving will follow in the coming weeks. The Village will also begin installing additional drainage improvements to the east of the bridge in the coming weeks, which will be followed by repaving which will raise the road a few inches. Finally, we just learned that the SCWA is going to be doing additional water main work in the Village on the eastern end of Dune Road. We do not have details of the timing but understand that the work will be performed in the coming weeks and in any event, before the summer months.
Traffic on the Ponquogue Bridge reopened fairly quickly to passenger vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists, but remains restricted for vehicles weighing over five tons. The engineering studies are continuing, but we still have no news on when the repairs will be undertaken.
The Village will begin the annual processing of beach stickers and locker applications on April 1st. Application forms will be available on the Village website at www.villageofquogueny.gov. Please follow the instructions carefully and take care to submit all the information that is required. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of the newly introduced online application and payment system. Please note that you must use the online payment system if you want to pay by credit card. You can sign up today HERE. Please remember that applications may take up to five business days to process. Permit pick-ups will be on Fridays only from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, commencing on April 25th, and also on Saturday, May 17th, May 24th, and May 31st from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. You can also elect to have the stickers mailed to you.
I am thrilled to announce that the beach concession will be run this summer by Zach Schmidt and his family. Zach is Dan Schmidt’s younger brother, and we are looking forward to welcoming another member of the Schmidt family to the community!
The spring leaf pick up this year begins on April 15th. As I have pointed out in the past, delaying the spring cleanup until after temperatures have reached 50 degrees for ten consecutive days provides an extended refuge for a multitude of beneficial species of butterflies and other pollinators. Leaves must be on the shoulder of the street by May 15th in order to be picked up. Please do not pile leaves around fire hydrants or utility equipment. The guidelines remain unchanged. 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 April 14th through May 23rd. For more information, go to www.southamptontownny.gov. Property owners and landscapers who take leaves from any Quogue property may arrange with the Quogue Highway Department to leave them at the highway yard beginning on April 1st. This will avoid having piles in front of your property waiting to be picked up and blowing back onto your lawn.
On the subject of cleaning up, the Town of Southampton recently announced that it is again time for the annual Great East End Clean-Up, a volunteer-based program to remove litter and debris from roadsides, parks, trails, and beaches. While the actual Clean-Up collection is not until the weekend of April 26th -27th, you can register beginning March 31st and pick up garbage bags and disposal passes from the Town recycling centers. All you need to do to participate is to select an area of public property and complete the registration form online. More information is available at: www.southamptontownny.gov/722/Great-East-End-Cleanup—2025
For those of you who rent out your property, please remember that the entire dwelling (not a floor or a room) must be rented, the minimum rental period is 14 days, and a rental permit is required from the Village irrespective of the time of year. Please get your applications in early, as you will need to schedule a safety inspection with the Village’s Code Enforcement as a precondition for renting your property. Rental applications and the rules governing rentals are available on the Village website at www.villageofquogueny.gov. As with the beach permit applications, we strongly encourage you to use the online system. You can sign up HERE.
Finally, as boat owners begin preparing to launch their vessels for the new season, please remember that effective January 1st, 2025, New York State now requires that all vessel operators must possess a Safe Boating Certificate. You can obtain more information at: www.boatus.org/newyork.
And now for a few upcoming events:
The Hampton Theatre Company’s 2024-2025 40th season is continuing with Boeing Boeing, written by Marc Camoletti, translated by Beverley Cross & Francis Evans, and directed by Catherine Clyne. The final shows are this week, from Thursday, March 27th through Sunday, March 30th. I encourage you all to attend. Tickets can be purchased at www.hamptontheatre.org.
This evening at 6:30 pm, the Quogue Wildlife Refuge is organizing an educational event on “Ticks and Tick-Borne Disease – What You Need to Know”. Jerry Simons from Stonybrook Hospital will speak about the types of diseases that are carried by the different species of ticks found on Eastern Long Island. On April 11th, the Refuge has organized their next Full Moon Night Hike, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. You can register for these events on their website at www.quoguewildliferefuge.org.
The Art Gallery at the Quogue Library will be presenting “The Collage Show”, beginning on April 4th and running through May 1st, featuring the works of five local artists, Pamela Bell, Stephanie Blank, Lulie Morissey, Patti Robinson and Susan Saunders, using the collage technique in ways that express their own unique styles. All are welcome to an Artist Reception on Saturday, April 5th, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
On April 6th at 6:00 pm, Chris Paparo, a/k/a the “Fish Guy”, will be making a presentation at the Library on the fascinating wildlife that can be found on the land, in the air, and in the waters of Long Island.
The Library will again be hosting the Great Decisions discussion program on world affairs. On eight select Saturdays beginning in April through November, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, moderator David Rowe and facilitator Susan Perkins, in partnership with the Library, invite you to attend in person or participate via zoom. This year’s kick-off is scheduled for April 5th on the subject of “Navigating U.S. – China Relations in Tense Times”.
As always, please consult the Library’s well-packed calendar to sign up for their rich offering of movies and programs of all types: quogue.librarycalendar.com/events/month.
Enjoy the daffodils!
Robert Treuhold
Mayor, Village of Quogue