May 26, 2023

Dear Quogue Residents,

Memorial Day Weekend has arrived and the summer season is kicking off with a bang.  Just a few reminders of the many activities taking place this weekend.

Saturday morning, May 27^th at 10:00 am, I will be giving the State of the Village address in front of the Fire Department.  I will touch on a number of topics, including an overview of the coming year’s budget and tax comparisons, the latest news on the FIMP beach nourishment project, traffic safety issues, and an update on a few environmental initiatives and smaller road projects.  There will be a Quogue trivia quiz and time for Q&A.

The Quogue Association’s annual meeting will be held at 8:30 am on Saturday morning in the Village Courtroom just prior to the State of the Village address.   The Quogue Association does an enormous amount for our beautiful village and organizes many fun events, including the Concert on the Village Green on June 23^rd, the annual Duck Race on July 28th, and the Beach Party on August 18^th.  More details will be forthcoming. I strongly encourage all Quogue residents to become members of the QA.  Information on how to join is available at https://quogueassociation.org/

This Saturday marks the official opening of the Village Beach’s summer season.  The hours are 10:00 am until 6:00 pm. The beach will only be open on weekends until June 24^th, when it will be open seven days a week.  As previously announced, the beach concession will be run this summer by Beth’s Café, also opening for business this Saturday.

Finally, our annual Memorial Day Ceremony is scheduled at 10:00 am on Monday, May 29^th, in front of the Firehouse.  Our Volunteer Fire Department has organized this event for many years, and I encourage you to attend as we remember and honor all service members and their families who have sacrificed so much for our security and freedom.

The weekend is going to packed with activities and the weather is looking fabulous.  Wishing everyone a great time and please remember to drive safely and slowly!

Bob Treuhold

Mayor

 

May 12, 2023

Dear Quogue Residents,

On this day some 364 years ago, the Village of Quogue was established upon the purchase by John Ogden of a vast parcel of land stretching from Canoe Place to the east (now the Shinnecock Canal) to Beaverdam Stream to the west (now Westhampton) and extending three miles north from the high water mark.   Fast forward to 1928, when some of our very astute residents had the good sense to incorporate our village thereby giving us much more control over our destiny.  Happy 95^th anniversary!!

Activity levels in our Village are definitely picking up.  Beth’s Café is now open for business, and Jessup Avenue is seeing an increasing amount of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. A reminder to exercise caution at all times when driving and parking on Jessup.

I finally received an update from the Town of Southampton on the FIMP beach nourishment program.  The second phase of the project at the Shinnecock and Moriches Inlets is substantially complete.  The third phase which applies to the stretch of beach from Quogue to Hampton Bays is now under way.  As previously explained, the primary focus at the present time is to facilitate the acquisition of the necessary easements from the property owners.  This is a requirement of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) before they can begin to place sand along the approximately three miles of beach.   Surveyors have now been engaged by the Town with the objective of completing the survey work by the end of July.  Homeowners in the target zone should by now have been notified that their property will be surveyed as part of the FIMP project.  Please contact the Village office if you have not received a notification and we can put you in touch with the coordinator in Southampton.

Once the surveys are completed and approved by the USACE and the NYS DEC, appraisers will begin the process to determine the monetary impacts that the project may have on the respective properties.  Offers will then be prepared and extended to the property owners for the easements.  This exercise will take several months and the Town currently anticipates that no offers will be made to property owners until the end of this calendar year or the first quarter of 2024.  In summary, the good news is that the project is moving forward.  The less good news is that it is looking increasingly likely that the actual beach nourishment is going to be delayed until the winter of 2024/2025.

Please note that beginning next Monday, May 15^th, you must have a valid beach sticker on your vehicle in order to park at the Village Beach.  2022 beach stickers remain valid until May 31, 2023.  Processed beach stickers can be picked up on Fridays from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm and on Saturdays May 20^th, May 27^th and June 3^rd from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. No dogs or other domestic animals shall be allowed upon any part of the Quogue Village Beach from May 15th through September 15th.

As pointed out in last month’s letter, the restrictions on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers go into effect this coming Monday, May 15^th.  After that date and through October 15th, the operation of those machines will be prohibited on weekends and holidays.  On weekdays from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, the only gas-powered leaf blowers that may be used in Quogue must be rated to operate at a level not exceeding 65 db(A).

With the uptick in our seasonal population comes a corresponding uptick in the number of dogwalkers frequenting our roadways.  This leads to the recurring refrain that dog owners are responsible for cleaning up after their pets.  It is truly inconsiderate to leave dog poop on the side of the road, even if it has been bagged.

I attended a meeting yesterday at which representatives of the Suffolk County Water Authority presented the many conservation efforts they are encouraging homeowners to implement, the most prominent being their mandate ordering lawn watering on alternating odd/even days depending on your house number.  There are numerous incentives being offered by SCWA for homeowners that deploy other water saving measures.  Please consult their website to learn more.  https://www.scwa.com/water-quality/water-education/conservation/

Both the Quogue School and Quogue Library annual budgets are up for vote on Tuesday, May 16^th, from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Quogue School at 10 Edgewood Road.  More information can be obtained by consulting the school and library websites.

And now for a few upcoming events:

This Saturday, May 13^th, at 5:00 pm, the Library is hosting the second of this season’s Foreign Policy Association Great Decisions discussion program on the topic of War Crimes.  Participants can join by zoom or attend in person.  The 1822 Schoolhouse also reopens this Saturday with an exhibition on view: ”An 1822 School Day in Quogue with Schoolmistress Miss Lizabeth Griffing”.   The Library Gallery’s next exhibit is “The Flower Art Show – a celebration of FLOWERS in art, photography, and real life with arrangements prepared by the Westhampton Garden Club members” opening Saturday, May 20^th, with an artist reception on Saturday, May 27^th from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm. The next Author Talk is on Thursday, June 8^th, at 4:00 pm with Mac Griswold, an acclaimed cultural landscape historian.  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

The Quogue Wildlife Refuge is hosting a water quality update on Saturday, May 20^th, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am.  Robert J. Mozer – a certified professional geologist and hydrologist – will make a presentation on an environmental investigation of seven freshwater ponds in the town of Southampton.   That afternoon, there will be a celebration at the QWR for the annual World Turtle Day. Please register for these events at https://quoguewildliferefuge.org.

The Hampton Theatre Company’s 2022-2023 season concludes with The Portuguese Kid, written by John Patrick Shanley.  Performances begin on May 25^th and run through June 11^th.  Tickets can be purchased at www.hamptontheatre.org.

On Saturday, May 27^th, at 10:00 am, I will be giving my first State of the Village address.  The event will be held in front of the Quogue Fire Department.

The Quogue School’s PTA is hosting its 31^st Annual Chicken Dinner on June 2^nd, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.  Please attend for an evening of fun and games in support of our school.

On Saturday, June 17^th, at 7:30 pm, Quogue Chamber Music presents the Galvin Cello Quartet at the Quogue Community Hall, with a program including works by Mozart, Bach, Rossini, and Gershwin.  Tickets can be purchased on-line:  www.quoguechambermusic.org.

A few save the dates for events later this summer:  The second annual Concert on the Village Green will be held on Friday, June 23^rd; the annual Duck Race at the Village Dock will be on Friday, July 28^th; and the annual Village Beach Party will be on Friday, August 18^th.  All of these events are organized by the Quogue Association and more details will follow.  The East End Hospice is holding its annual gala on June 24^th, and the 15^th Annual Wild Night for Wildlife Summer Gala will be held at the Wildlife Refuge on July 15^th.

 

Robert Treuhold

Mayor

April 19, 2023 Dear Quogue Residents, There is a lot of activity in Quogue, notwithstanding the somewhat chilly first month of spring. Schmidt’s Country Market has been up and running for three weeks, transforming the center of our Village.  The reviews are outstanding, and it is hard to imagine how we survived without a market.  Theresa has reopened the Quogue Shop on weekends, and Elizabeth will be reopening the newly expanded Homespun on April 29th.  Please support our merchants! The Scrub Oak/Jessup Project is nearing completion – over a month ahead of schedule.  The top layer of asphalt was put down over the past few days and the new lines and crosswalks are being painted as I write.  Those of you who are in Quogue will have noticed a new project to widen the parking area in front of the post office on Midland Street.  The old sidewalk in front of the post office is being replaced and moved south approximately six feet.  This will facilitate safer two-way traffic on Midland. One of the results of the reopening of the market is an increase in traffic and parking on Jessup Avenue.  Please exercise caution at all times when driving on Jessup, attempting to park or pull out of a parking space, or crossing Jessup on foot.  Remember to pull your cars all the way up to the curb when parking diagonally and do NOT make U-turns on Jessup.  This includes NOT turning into one of the parking spaces in front of the market when heading south.  In addition, Village Lane is a one-way street heading away from Jessup. It is not intended to be used to turn around. As part of the Village’s safety initiatives, new crosswalks will be painted on Lamb Avenue and Old Depot at the intersection of Edgewood by the Quogue School, and on Post Lane at the intersection of Quaquanantuck. A reminder that the Village has begun the annual processing of beach stickers.  The application forms are 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.  Please remember that applications may take up to five business days to process.   Pick-ups will be on Fridays only from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., commencing on April 28, and also on Saturday May 20, May 27 and June 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  You can also elect to have the stickers mailed to you. Another reminder regarding the spring leaf pick up: Please remember that leaves must be on the shoulder of the street by April 30th in order to be picked up.  Please do not pile leaves around fire hydrants or utility equipment. DO NOT USE PLASTIC BAGS.  Bags 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 15th through May 31st.  For more information, go to www.southamptontownny.gov.  For safety reasons, leaves may not be piled on the shoulder of Montauk Highway. 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.  That will avoid having piles in front of your property waiting to be picked up and blowing back onto your lawn. With the arrival of spring, the landscapers are gearing up all over Quogue.  Please speak with your landscapers and remind them of a few basic rules.  The restrictions on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers come back into effect on May 15th.  The restrictions can be found in our Village Code (https://ecode360.com/6195088?highlight=leaf%20blower,leaf%20blowers&searchId=41972593182194664#6195088).  Please also remind your landscapers of the Suffolk County Water Authority’s new policy ordering lawn watering on alternating odd/even days of the week depending on your house number, with no watering to be done between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm.  You might also consider instructing your landscapers to cut back (or even eliminate) the use of chemicals, pesticides and fertilizers, and to plant native species.  There are numerous resources available to learn more about restorative, bio-diverse, healthy and sustainable landscape practices, including ChangeHampton (www.changehampton.org) and The Perfect Earth Project (https://perfectearthproject.org/resources/lawn-basics). Quogue residents Lucinda Morrisey and Paula Prentis have developed quite an expertise in this area, as has Marisa Nelson at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge. Both the Quogue School and Quogue Library annual budgets will be up for vote, in person or by absentee ballot, on Tuesday, May 16th.  There will be a budget hearing on May 9th at 7:15 p.m. at the Quogue School.  More information can be obtained by consulting the school and library websites. And now for a few additional upcoming events: The Quogue Wildlife Refuge is celebrating Earth Day this Saturday, April 22nd from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. with lots of fun activities, vendors, and the Mattitaco food truck. You can bring e-waste and electronics for recycling by EcoTech.  You can also bring old prescription medications for “takeback” by HUGS, Inc. and the Quogue Police. The event is being co-sponsored by the Eastern Long Island Audubon Society, Westhampton Beach Earth Day and the Refuge. On May 5th, the Refuge has organized their next Full Moon Night Hike, from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm.  For more information about these and other programs, please visit https://quoguewildliferefuge.org/ Also, this Saturday, April 22nd at 5:00 p.m., the Library is hosting the first of the new season’s Foreign Policy Association Great Decisions discussion program on the topic of Energy Geopolitics.  The Great Decisions program meets monthly on Saturdays from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and is moderated by David Rowe and facilitated by Susan Perkins. Participants can join by zoom or attend in person. You can sign up at www.quoguelibrary.org/foreign-policy-association-fpa/ The Library Gallery’s exhibit is “Indelible: Prints by Andrea Cote and Lesley Obrock” is now open, and Andrea Cote will be conducting a printmaking workshop at the Library this Sunday, April 23rd from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.  The next Author Talk is on Saturday, May 6th from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. with Scott R. Ferrara presenting “Accused of Witchcraft in New York”.  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 The Hampton Theatre Company’s 2022-2023 season concludes with The Portuguese Kid, written by John Patrick Shanley.  Performances began on May 25th and run through June 11th.  Tickets can be purchased at www.hamptontheatre.org. With so much going on in our wonderful Village, I may have overlooked an event or activity that should have been included.  Apologies! Robert Treuhold Mayor