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 29^th.  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 30^th 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 15^th through May 31^st.  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 15^th.  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 16^th.  There will be a budget hearing on May 9^th 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 22^nd 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 5^th, 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 23^rd from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.  The next Author Talk is on Saturday, May 6^th 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 25^th and run through June 11^th.  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