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 14^th.

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 1^st.  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 25^th, and also on Saturday, May 17^th, May 24^th, and May 31^st 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 15^th.  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 15^th 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 14^th through May 23^rd.  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 1^st.  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 26^th -27^th, you can register beginning March 31^st 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 1^st, 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 40^th 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 27^th through Sunday, March 30^th. 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 11^th, 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 4^th and running through May 1^st, 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 5^th, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

On April 6^th 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 5^th 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

QUOGUE SPRING LEAF PICKUP PROGRAM

The Village Highway Department will begin picking up leaves beginning April 15^th.  Leaves must be on the shoulder of the street by May 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 April 14th through May 23rd.  For more information, go to www.southamptontownny.gov.

Leaves cannot be piled on the shoulder of Montauk Highway. Property owners and landscapers who take leaves (only) from a Quogue property may arrange 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.

Dear Quogue Residents,

As the winter weeks roll by, we are continuing to experience cold and extremely windy weather. Unfortunately, groundhog Sam Champion saw his shadow when he visited Quogue earlier this month leading to a prediction of six more weeks of winter.

We learned on Friday that the Ponquogue Bridge will be closed until further notice to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic in both directions.  The New York State Department of Transportation identified safety concerns last week during a routine inspection of the bridge. I have subsequently spoken with the Chief Engineer at the Suffolk County Department of Public Works who explained that they discovered signs of concrete degradation (“spalling”) in one of the bridge’s supports. They are analyzing the data to determine what corrective measures are required.  Unfortunately, it sounds like the bridge may be shut down for several weeks, which may well increase traffic through the Village. Click HERE for the press release from the Town of Southampton. The Town will keep us informed once they have a projected timeline for the bridge’s reopening. If you have not already done so, I would encourage you to enroll in alerts from the Town via the “Notify Me” messaging system at www.southamptontownny.gov/2070/Town-of-Southampton-Emergency-Alerts

The Village’s online application and payment system to facilitate various administrative matters is now up and running. We encourage you to take advantage of our online features and create your account today. Sign up HERE

As you may have seen in the local press, Gabreski Airport recently broke ground on an expansion of its hangars and maintenance facilities. It is also nearing completion of an upgrade to the GPS navigation installation on the airport’s alternate runway, which may unfortunately shift some air traffic towards Quogue.  A Gabreski Airport Noise Mitigation Working Group has been established and Quogue resident Stephen Farrell is the Village’s representative. Steve has also agreed to serve on the Gabreski Airport Conservation and Assessment Committee. The committee meets on an as needed basis to review airport license and lease applications which have a term greater than 30 days.  The committee then provides a recommendation to the County Executive, County Legislature, and to the Council on Environmental Quality on the environmental, economic, and community impacts of an application.

Still on the topic of Gabreski, I have volunteered to serve on the Gabreski Airport Remedial Advisory Board (the “RAB”).  The RAB was established last fall to review environmental investigation and cleanup activities at the Gabreski Air National Guard Base, including the investigation of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The RAB will meet on a quarterly basis.

There will be a special election for the Quogue School Board next Wednesday, March 5th at the Quogue School from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Elizabeth (Betty) Crowley is running to fill the unexpired term of former trustee Jock McLean.

The Town of Southampton is also holding a special election on Tuesday, March 18th, to fill Tommy John Schiavoni’s seat on the Town Council following his election to the New York State Assembly. Early voting begins on Saturday, March 8th, and runs through Sunday, March 16th. Click HERE for a flyer with details of the times and locations to vote.

With the howling winds over the past few weeks, the Village has had several trees blown down, happily with minimal damage or disruption.  This prompts me to remind you again please to have your landscaper or arborist check the trees on your properties.  As a result of the scourge of the dreaded southern pine beetle, there are hundreds of dead or dying pine trees throughout the area. It is always better to be proactive and cull the dead trees to minimize the risk of damage or injury.

Here are a few upcoming events:

The Art Gallery at the Quogue Library has opened a new exhibit of “KID ART Inspired by Vegetables & Plants” by students at the East Quogue School, with an artist reception this Thursday, February 27th, from 3:15 pm to 5:00 pm. The exhibition runs through April 3rd.

On Saturday, March 8th, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, the Library is hosting a program on Common Sense Landscape Tips for the Long Island Gardener with a talk by Master Gardener Mariah Whitmore.

As always, the Quogue Library has daily programs for all ages. Please consult their website to check out the packed calendar of exercise, tech and other types of classes, arts and crafts activities, book clubs, games, movies and more. quogue.librarycalendar.com

This Saturday, March 1st, from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, the Wildlife Refuge is hosting a Spring Poetry Reading: A Celebration of Nature’s Rebirth. The next full moon hike at the Refuge will be on March 14th, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. You can register on their website at quoguewildliferefuge.org

The Hampton Theatre Company’s 2024-2025 40th season continues with Boeing Boeing, written by Marc Camoletti, translated by Beverley Cross & Francis Evans, and directed by Catherine Clyne. The show is a 60s-era romp set in Paris about a self-styled Lothario juggling a trio of airline “connections”. The show runs from March 13th through March 30th.  Tickets can be purchased at hamptontheatre.org

Spring is around the corner!

Robert Treuhold
Mayor, Village of Quogue