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Spring Awakening?

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Dear Quogue Residents,

 

Spring has finally and officially arrived, although the weather is still a bit too brisk for my liking. The daffodils will soon be here as we get ready for the warmer months.

Even though we are anticipating spring rains, our area is still under drought conditions and the New York State Annual Burn Ban on outdoor fires remains in effect through May 14th. You will recall that it was just a year ago that we experienced a huge brush fire too close for comfort. As you prepare your properties for the summer season, please check for any dead or dying trees. Although we experienced a cold winter, the dreaded southern pine beetle is still active.

Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) has now completed the installation and hook up of a new water main on Dune Road to the east of the bridge. The Village will be continuing to install additional drainage improvements to the west of the bridge in the coming weeks. The plan is to repave the entire section of Dune Road east of the bridge, as well as the stretch west of the Surf Club that was not paved last year. The exact timing has yet to be finalized, with a clear objective of getting this done by the end of June if not sooner.

The Village will also be proceeding in the coming weeks with the installation of new rain gardens and storm water infrastructure on Leaward, Howell, and Quaquanantuck Lanes. These projects have been funded by a grant from the Southampton Community Preservation Fund. The goal is to treat and reduce the volume of stormwater entering the Quogue Canal, Quantuck Bay, and Penniman Creek. The new infrastructure should also help mitigate occasional flooding in these areas.

With the arrival of warmer weather, the Village will begin the annual processing of beach sticker 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 online application and payment system that was introduced last year. Note that you must use the online system if you want to pay by credit card. You can sign up today HERE. 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 May 1st, and also on Saturday, May 16th, May 23rd, and May 30th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  You may also elect to have the stickers mailed to you.

I am pleased to announce that the beach concession will be run again this summer by Zach Schmidt and his family.  Zach did a fabulous job last year! He is excited to return and is promising to introduce some new offerings this summer.

Another merchant is coming to Quogue at 164 Jessup Avenue. Market Lane Quogue will be opening in the next few weeks. Here is a link to their new website: marketlanequogue.com. I understand that the Hampton Coffee Quogue location is also on track to open in early May.

The spring leaf pick up this year begins on April 15th.  You would undoubtedly be surprised if I did not once again remind that 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 15th through May 31st. 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 25th -26th, you can register beginning March 30th 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 on line. More information is available at: Great East End Clean-Up 2026

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.  A reminder that the US Open golf tournament is returning to Shinnecock Hills this coming June 18th-21st. In light thereof, the Village Trustees agreed to waive the minimum rental period requirement during the tournament. 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.  Please note that the Village now requires applicants 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 as of last year, New York State now requires that all vessel operators must possess a Safe Boating Certificate. You can obtain more information at: https://www.boatus.org/newyork As noted below, the Quogue Library is organizing a Boater Safety Course on Saturday, April 11th, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

And now for a few upcoming events:

There will be three Easter Egg Hunts this weekend, all on Saturday, April 4th. First, at 10:00 am, the Quogue Fire Department is organizing a Community Egg Hunt in front of the Fire House.  Then, from 10:30 am to 11:15 am and from 11:45 am to 12:30 pm, the Wildlife Refuge is organizing Egg Hunts for toddlers. Space is limited at the Refuge, so please sign up early at www.quoguewildliferefuge.org.

On Monday, April 13th, at 6:00 pm, the Refuge is organizing a virtual Zoom presentation on Dark Skies – A Beautiful Necessity. Quogue resident Joy Flynn, a member of the Southampton Town Dark Skies Advisory Committee, will share information on the actions that are recommended to preserve dark skies in our area. This free program takes place during International Dark Skies Week, April 13th to 20th, 2026.

Please also mark your calendars for the annual Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 25th, from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. A celebration of nature and our lovely planet is being offered at the Refuge, sponsored by the Eastern Long Island Audubon Society and the Wildlife Refuge. There will be a multitude of activities for the family, and treats will be on offer by Hampton Coffee and the ‘Land and Sea Smokehouse’ food truck. Bring e-waste and prescription medications for recycling.

The Art Gallery at the Quogue Library is currently showing the Quogue School Art Show, running through April 23rd.  The next show at the Gallery will be a Solo Photography Exhibition featuring works by George Motz Jr., with an opening reception on Saturday, April 25th from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

On Saturday, April 11th, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, the Quogue Library is organizing a Boater Safety Course. Registration is required.

The Library will again be hosting the Great Decisions discussion program on world affairs.  On eight select Saturdays beginning in April through November, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, moderator David Rowe and facilitator Susan Perkins invite you to attend in person or participate via zoom.  This year’s kick-off is scheduled for April 4th on the subject of “The Future of Human Rights and International Law”. Registration is also required.

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.

And here are a few save the dates to begin blocking out your summer calendar:

On Saturday, June 20th, at 8:30 am, the Village is organizing the inaugural Summer Solstice 5K Run, in support of the Quogue Fire Department. The race will start and end at the Fire House.  More details will follow next month.

The Quogue Association has announced the dates for the annual Concert on the Village Green on Saturday, June 27th, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm; the annual Beach Party on Saturday, July 18th, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm; and the annual Duck Race on Saturday, August 8th, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

Wishing everyone a Happy Passover and Happy Easter!

Robert Treuhold

Mayor, Village of Quogue

Spring Leaf Pickup

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 SPRING LEAF PICKUP PROGRAM

The Village Highway Department will begin picking up leaves beginning April 15th.  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.  Residential self-haulers may dispose of brush at the Westhampton recycling facility free of charge from April 15th through May 31st.  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.

Snowmageddon

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Dear Quogue Residents,

In last month’s letter, I commented that our Village had been “blanketed with a foot of snow on Sunday”, and that it looked like the snow was going to stick around for the foreseeable future. Well, here we are again, only this time the Village was blanketed with 26 inches in the recent “Snowmageddon”. Groundhog Sam Champion predicted that we would have another six weeks of winter when he visited Quogue on February 2nd. He was definitely not kidding! Our Highway Department has been working around the clock and has done a remarkable job. The Fire Department and Police Department have also been tireless in responding to service calls and alarms. We are truly blessed to have such amazing teams of individuals working to make our lives safe in the Village of Quogue!

A pleasant reminder that notwithstanding our severe winter, the spring equinox is only three weeks away on Friday, March 20th, at 10:46 am. You may also want to mark your calendars to reset your clocks to Daylight Savings Time on Sunday, March 8th, at 2:00 am.

At our most recent meeting last Friday, the Village Trustees adopted the “Nitrogen Smart Communities Pledge”. The Pledge highlights our Village’s ongoing commitment to reducing, preventing, and ultimately eliminating nitrogen pollution to protect Long Island’s waters. This Pledge is part of a new initiative organized and promoted by the Long Island Watershed Program under the auspices of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Stay tuned for more details as to what the Village is doing, and what each of you can do, to reduce nitrogen from entering our surrounding surface waters as well as our groundwater.

It has been a while since I provided an update on the Fire Island to Montauk Point (FIMP) beach renourishment project. While I remain wary of providing a prediction on when we will actually see sand added to our beach front, I am pleased to report that progress is being made on obtaining the necessary easements. As of this morning, the Southampton Legal Department has sent out 19 offer letters, with another nine being sent this week. They will be continuing to send out offer letters in batches as the appraisals are finalized, with the objective of gathering all of the easements this spring. As a reminder, there are approximately 100 properties on Dune Road in the project area, half of which are located in Quogue. If the easements are all obtained by May/June, the Army Corps of Engineers has indicated that the project will proceed next fall/winter. Please feel free to reach out to me in the Village Office if you have further questions about the easement process.

Another merchant is coming to Quogue in the new building at 164 Jessup Avenue. “ei Headspa” will be opening in the next few weeks. This will be the second location of an established spa located in Port Jefferson that offers head massages and scalp treatments using Japanese techniques. HERE is a link to their website. Apparently, scalp treatment is one of the latest wellness trends, as I learned from this New York Times article: Is Your Scalp the New ‘It’ Body Part?

Many residents have continued to ask about the blue lights on Montauk Highway, which were actually quite beautiful during the recent snow storms. I am pleased to report, however, that the Village was finally able to resolve our longstanding warranty claim against the supplier of the defective LED light assemblies. Our Highway Department received a shipment of 21 replacement lights last week, and we will begin changing out the blue lights in the coming days and weeks, weather permitting.

Another reminder that fire and burglar alarms must be registered with the Village to obtain a permit, which must be renewed on an annual basis. Penalty amounts for false alarms are now doubled if a property does not have a valid, unexpired alarm permit. Alarm permits can be registered or renewed through the Village’s online portal. Printable forms remain available for download at villageofquogueny.gov. If you are unsure if your alarm system is registered for 2026, please contact Village Hall to verify at (631) 653-4498 or by email to contact@villageofquogueny.gov

Finally, we have received a number of requests from residents looking for receipted property tax bills. If you need this in connection with tax preparation, you can obtain copies of your tax bills by accessing the Village’s website HERE. On the homepage click on View Tax Information/Pay Your Taxes and enter your property information.

Here are a few upcoming events:

The Art Gallery at the Quogue Library is hosting a reception this coming Sunday, March 1st, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, with a talk by the Quogue Historical Society, presenting their exhibition: House Proud: Quogue’s Iconic Summer “Cottages”: 1880-1910 Part Two. The reception and talk were originally scheduled for February 1st but were rescheduled due to the last snowstorm. The exhibition opened on January 10th and now runs through March 5th. The Gallery will be presenting the Quogue School Art Show, on display from March 6th through April 23rd, with a reception on Friday, March 13th, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

In the lead up to St. Patrick’s Day, the Library is hosting a Special Corned Beef Dinner with Chef Brian on Wednesday, March 11th, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. On Wednesday, March 18th, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, the Library is hosting a program on Bees, Pollinators and You. Master beekeeper Christopher Kelly will be discussing how to develop a pollinator garden. Registration is required for these events.

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. https://quogue.librarycalendar.com.

The Wildlife Refuge is organizing a History on the Trail guided history walking tour on Saturday, March 7th, from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm. The tour will highlight stories and remaining features from the Quogue Ice Company and provide a history of the creation of the Refuge over 92 years ago. The Refuge is also organizing a Spring Equinox Lantern Tour at the Fairy Dell Boardwalk on March 20th, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. You can learn about the Refuge’s other programs by consulting their website at https://quoguewildliferefuge.org/

The Hampton Theatre Company’s 2025-2026 season continues next month with I Do! I Do! – A Musical about Marriage, book and lyrics by Tom Jones, music by Harvey Schmidt, and directed by Rosemary Cline. The run is from March 12th through March 29th.  HTC is offering a complimentary vow renewal ceremony following most performances! Reservations are required and tickets can be purchased at www.hamptontheatre.org.

Be careful while shoveling!

Robert Treuhold
Mayor, Village of Quogue