November 22, 2023

Dear Quogue Residents,

As friends and family gather for the Thanksgiving weekend, in the Village and elsewhere, here are a few bits of news to share.

The Trustees voted unanimously in October to lower the speed limit throughout the Village to 25 mph with the only exceptions being Montauk Highway and Route 104. The new speed signs have now been posted, and our police department is now enforcing the new lower speed limits.

The FIMP project continues to move forward through the easement acquisition phase with implementation now scheduled for the fall of 2025 (although no guarantees on the date). The surveyors have now completed their field work and are delivering final surveys to the Town of Southampton. These surveys delineate the precise areas of the required easements.  As described in the past, the easements are for the initial and periodic placement of sand, as well as for continuing beach monitoring.  The Town is in the process of engaging appraisers who will be conducting appraisals of the easement areas to be acquired.  Oceanfront property owners from just east of the bridge to the Village boundary with the Town of Southampton are scheduled to be notified by mail of the intent to acquire these easements in the coming weeks.  Further details will follow in the new year.

A reminder from our police department to pay special attention to packages being delivered to your homes, especially if your front door can be viewed from the street. As I have noted in the past, the Village is unfortunately not immune to the occasional petty theft. As always, please report any suspicious persons or vehicles by calling 911 immediately.

A reminder that the Village Highway Department is continuing to pick up leaves until December 15^th.  I will not repeat all of the dos and don’ts, with one exception:  please instruct your landscapers not to pile leaves in the street blocking traffic or around fire hydrants or utility equipment.  This is a matter of public safety and common sense. You may also want to consider waiting until the spring (after temperatures have reached at least 50 degrees for ten consecutive days) to do the majority of your yard cleanup. This provides a winter refuge for a multitude of beneficial species of butterflies and other pollinators. It is less work for you and a positive contribution to our local ecosystem.  Much more information about this subject, and conservation initiatives in general, can be found through the Westhampton Garden Club’s website (https://www.westhamptongardenclub.org/), the Quogue Wildlife Refuge’s website (https://quoguewildliferefuge.org/), and the Pollinator Pathway website (https://www.pollinator-pathway.org/).

As we enter the holiday season, please remember to support all of our local merchants who are available and happy to help you with all of your shopping needs. Homespun, the Quogue Shop, the Quogue Flower Shop & Gardens, and Jen Going Interiors are open most days, as are the Quogue Liquor Store, the Quogue Salon, and the SFA East Spa. And please don’t forget Schmidt’s Country Market!

And now for a few announcements:

The Art Gallery at the Quogue Library is hosting a Holiday Fundraiser this coming Friday, November 24^th, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, with the sale of paintings and photos from over 75 local artists and photographers.

On Saturday, November 25^th, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, the Library has organized a discussion of CIA covert actions to advance U.S. interests with former CIA officer Les Paldy.

The Fire Department’s annual Pancake Breakfast will be held this coming Sunday, November 26^th, from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. As with the QFD summer open house, this is a “must” event and will be great fun for all.  There will be a raffle and silent auction with lots of great prizes contributed by local businesses and individuals.  This is the main fundraiser for the Fire Department’s Benevolent Association. It is not too late to contribute a prize. If you are so inclined, please contact Fire Chief Mike Nelson at mnelson@villageofquogueny.gov.

Next Tuesday evening, November 28^th, from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm, the Quogue Wildlife Refuge will celebrate the full moon with a guided hike through the forest and up to North Pond.

On Saturday, December 2^nd, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, the Refuge is hosting a Nature Crafts and Holiday Shopping event. Design your own nature journal and/or create your own holiday nature garland as a gift back to nature. These crafts are for adults and kids ages 7 and older. Enjoy warm beverages as well as fireside holiday shopping. Reservations are required and details are available on their website at www.quoguewildliferefuge.org

On Saturday, December 2^nd, at 9:00 am, the Quogue School is organizing the annual HUDSY 5K run/walk honoring Joan Hudson and raising funds for the school. You can register at https://events.elitefeats.com/23hudsy

The Hampton Theatre Company’s next performance will be A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play running from Friday, December 15^th through Sunday, December 17^th.  Tickets can be purchased at www.hamptontheatre.org

And a reminder that the Quogue Historical Society’s Pond House Museum located at 114 Jessup Avenue is open Friday afternoons from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and on Saturday mornings from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.  The 1822 One-Room Schoolhouse is open during Library Hours.  Please consult the QHS website to learn more about Quogue history, a Jessup Avenue walking tour, exhibitions, historic photographs, virtual talks, videos, children’s activities, and much more:  www.quoguehistory.org.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Robert Treuhold
Mayor, Village of Quogue
631-653-4498

The Village Highway Department will begin picking up leaves on November 1st.   Leaves must be on the shoulder of the street by December 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 November 15 through December 31.  For more information, go to www.southamptontownny.gov.

In addition to the foregoing, property owners and landscapers who take leaves (only) from a Quogue property may make arrangements 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.

Due to roadwork, residents on Bay Road and Heatherwood Lane are requested to have their landscapers take their leaves to the Highway Department’s yard rather than piling them on the shoulder of Montauk Highway.

October 25, 2023

Dear Quogue Residents,

The weeks are flying by and the leaves are turning their beautiful fall colors.  The days are getting shorter and there is a nip in the air.  Welcome to another busy fall season.

This past Friday, the Village Trustees held a public hearing to consider reducing the speed limit to 25 mph throughout all of our residential streets. After considering the comments expressed at the hearing and at prior meetings, and taking into account the recommendations of Dunn Engineering, the Trustees voted unanimously in favor of the proposal. The exceptions to the 25 mph speed limit will be Montauk Highway and Route 104, which are maintained by Suffolk County and will remain at the existing 40 mph speed limit.  You will see new speed signs posted in the coming days, and I would ask you please to respect the new lower speed limits.

One more note on traffic safety – we have added a few new stop signs in the Village over the past year.  As a fellow resident remarked to me the other day, stop signs are not intended as suggestions or recommendations.  They mean what they not so subtly say – please STOP when you see a STOP sign.

And a note to cyclists in the Village – we have posted two new signs on Jessup Avenue on either end of our “shopping district” – requesting cyclists to dismount and walk their bicycles.  We have had some close calls with cyclists riding into pedestrians on the sidewalks in front of the market, as well as cars nearly hitting cyclists when backing out of the diagonal parking spaces.  Please exercise caution at all times.

Over the past several weeks, there has been a pattern of thefts of items from unlocked vehicles parked in residential driveways in East Quogue, Hampton Bays, and Westhampton Beach.  Unfortunately, this pattern has now made its way to Quogue.  The Quogue Police recently handled two complaints of trespass where vehicles had been rummaged through and items taken. The crimes tend to occur during darkness and predominantly between 5:00 am and 7:00 am.  The police have increased their patrols during these hours and are coordinating with the neighboring police departments.  Stating the obvious, please remember to lock all car doors and close the windows.  Please report any suspicious persons or vehicles by calling 911 immediately, and not the non-emergency police department phone number.

The Village Highway Department will begin picking up leaves on November 1st.   Leaves must be on the shoulder of the street by December 15th in order to be picked up.  Do not pile leaves in the street blocking traffic or around fire hydrants or utility equipment.  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 November 15 through December 31.  For more information, go to https://www.southamptontownny.gov/.  In addition to the foregoing, property owners and landscapers who take leaves (only) from a Quogue property may make arrangements 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.  Due to roadwork, residents on Bay Road and Heatherwood Lane are requested to have their landscapers take their leaves to the Highway Department’s yard rather than piling them on the shoulder of Montauk Highway.

A reminder that Election Day is only two weeks away on Tuesday, November 7th from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm. You can consult the Southampton Press and https://www.27east.com/ for information on the races and the candidates.  The local polling place will be at the Quogue Firehouse.  Early voting starts on Saturday, October 28th and runs through Sunday, November 5th.  The closest early voting sites to Quogue are St. Mark’s Episcopal Church located at 40 Main Street in Westhampton Beach and the Stony Brook Southampton Campus in the Student Activity Center located at 39 Tuckahoe Road in Southampton.  The hours are 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekends and vary during the week.

As you will have certainly noticed, Quogue has a growing deer population (as well as geese and wild turkeys). The Village has sponsored a deer culling program for approximately twenty years working in compliance with the New York State Bow Hunting Laws.  The hunting season has begun so you may notice hunters in the Village.  State law imposes strict safety rules requiring hunters to stay well away from any occupied residences and no guns are allowed.  The Village requires any interested hunter to register with the Village’s Code Enforcement Officer, Chris Osborne. Hunters must provide copies of the consent forms obtained from any property owners where they propose to hunt.  If you are interested in learning more about the program, please reach out to Chris Osborne through the Village Office.

And now for a few announcements of some of the many events and activities happening in Quogue in the coming days and weeks:

Tomorrow evening, October 26th from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, the Quogue Wildlife Refuge will celebrate the full moon with a guided hike through the forest and up to North Pond. On Saturday, October 28th from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm, the Refuge is organizing an Enchanted Forest Trail walk. Come wearing Halloween costumes and have fun while learning about animals with lots of concessions and games. Finally, on Saturday, November 4th from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, the Refuge is hosting the Rites of Spring Music Concert with a performance by THISTLE, a Chamber Folk Trio. Reservations are required and details are available on their website at https://quoguewildliferefuge.org/

The Hampton Theatre Company’s 2023-2024 season kicked off last week with Neil Simon’s Rose and Walsh. The play has received rave reviews, and the run continues through November 5th.   Tickets can be purchased at https://www.hamptontheatre.org/

This Friday, October 27th from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, the Quogue School is organizing a Safe Halloween event, featuring their famous Spooky Walk with tons of trick or treating, selfie stations, free raffles, and crafts. This event takes place at the school located at 10 Edgewood Road.

On Halloween, October 31st at 4:00 pm, the Quogue Fire Department in coordination with the Quogue School is sponsoring a Halloween Ghost Parade and party.  Folks will gather at the south end of Jessup at Quogue Street.  The parade will follow the fire truck up Jessup Avenue to the Firehouse where there will be food and festivities for the children, as well as a costume contest.  The police department will also be participating with a “Trunk or Treat” police car handing out candy and treats. Everyone is encouraged to participate in costume.

The Quogue Library has also fully joined the Halloween Holiday spirit with a series of fun events beginning with Grab N’ Go: Halloween Fun, all day this coming Friday, October 27th, continuing with Boo Bags all day Saturday, Witch Prints on Monday afternoon, and Costume Fun all day on Halloween.

The Library continues its impressive series of Author Talks with the next one slated for this afternoon October 25th, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, with a reading by Kelly Bennett, author of The House that Ruth Built.

Now through November 1st, the Quogue Library is continuing to collect donations as part of The Great Give Back, an annual day of service where public libraries help out a foundation or charity.  This year the Library will be assisting the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation.  They will be collecting dry pet food, pet supplies, blankets, and pet toy donations through the end of October.

The Art Gallery at the Library is continuing the exhibition of works by Melissa Hackett, a New York- and Southampton-based painter and printmaker, on display through November 15th.  Please note that the Gallery will be hosting a Holiday Fundraiser on Friday, November 24th, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, with the sale of paintings and photos from over 75 local artists and photographers.

The next Foreign Policy Association Great Decisions discussion program is scheduled at the Library for Saturday, November 4th, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, on the topic of Climate Migration.

On November 8th, Chef Brian Collins will be serving up a Colonial Turkey Dinner at the Library from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.  Advanced registration required.

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

And a reminder that the Quogue Historical Society’s Pond House Museum located at 114 Jessup Avenue is open Friday afternoons from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and on Saturday mornings from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.  The 1822 One-Room Schoolhouse is open during Library Hours.  Please consult the QHS website to learn more about Quogue history, a Jessup Avenue walking tour, exhibitions, historic photographs, virtual talks, videos, children’s activities, and much more: https://quoguehistory.org/

And here are a few early save the dates:

The Fire Department’s annual Pancake Breakfast will be held the Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 26th. It will be great fun for all, and raises funds for the Fire Department’s Benevolent Association.

On Saturday, December 2nd at 9:00 am, the Quogue School is organizing the annual Hudsy 5K run/walk honoring Joan Hudson and raising funds for the school.  You can register at https://events.elitefeats.com/23hudsy

Apologies if I have overlooked an event; please let me know!

Happy Halloween!

Robert Treuhold
Mayor, Village of Quogue
631-653-4498

September 15, 2023

Dear Quogue Residents,

Fall is around the corner and hurricane season is upon us. With fingers crossed, it looks like Hurricane Lee will be moving north well east of Quogue.  However, it is moving slowly and we will certainly have a couple of windy days with rough surf and some beach erosion.  I announced last month that the Village would be performing the annual “beach scraping” in the coming weeks.  We have now learned that we did not satisfy the DEC’s standards for a sufficiently wide beach and, consequently, will not be able to scrape this year.

The oil and stone roadwork is ongoing and, weather permitting, should be completed next week.  The Village has now completed additional drainage work on Beach Lane. Some additional road and drainage improvements on Ogden Lane will be done next month.  There are numerous other drainage projects in the works.  A shout out to the ongoing hard work of our Highway Department.

On the subject of roads and traffic safety, the Village has now received a traffic engineering report from Dunn Engineering Associates.  They have recommended that we adopt an area wide reduction in our speed limit to 25 mph throughout all Village residential streets.  The Trustees are studying this report and will be holding a public hearing next month to consider amending our traffic regulations to reflect this recommendation.

We continue to look for measures to enhance the safety of everyone in our village – pedestrians, runners, cyclists and drivers.  In that vein, the Village recently installed new stop signs at the intersection of Jessup Avenue and Scrub Oak Road and at the intersection of Niamogue and Ogden Lanes.  Happily, the County has finally completed the corrective work at the intersection of Quogue Street and Montauk Highway.

A reminder that this is the final weekend at the Village Beach and all lockers must be emptied out this Sunday, September 17^th. In the light of Lee, the lifeguard stand has already been pulled and there will be no swimming allowed.

And now for a few upcoming events:

The Quogue Wildlife Refuge is hosting a presentation tomorrow, September 16^th, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, on the intimate link between the use, culture and ecology of the Pine Barrens, and the uniquely important role that the Pine Barrens has played in the east end of Long Island’s natural and human history.

The following Saturday, September 23^rd, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, the Refuge will be hosting a sale of native plants grown by the Long Island Native Plant Initiative.  What better way to support Long Island’s natural beauty and wildlife than by planting native plants!

On Wednesday, September 20^th, from 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm, the Refuge has organized an introductory presentation to learn about the “meditative art” of East Asian calligraphy.

And finally, their next full moon night hike is slated for September 27th, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. You can learn more about these events and register at www.quoguewildliferefuge.org.

Now through November 1^st, the Quogue Library will be collecting donations as part of The Great Give Back, an annual day of service where public libraries help out a foundation or charity.  This year the Library will be assisting the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation.  They will be collecting dry pet food, pet supplies, blankets, and pet toy donations through the end of October.  The actual Great Give Back Day will be on Saturday, October 14^th, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

The Art Gallery at the Library is continuing the exhibition of Katama Eastman Photography’s black and white photographs on display through October 4^th. Their next exhibit will be of works by Melissa Hackett, a New York- and Southampton-based painter and printmaker, on display from October 7^th through November 15^th, with an Artist’s Talk and Reception on Saturday, October 7^th, from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm.

The Library continues its impressive series of Author Talks with the next one slated for Saturday, September 23^rd, with a virtual presentation from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, by Jeffrey Sussman, author of Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas. On Saturday, September 30^th from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Jim Gover will read from his debut book Feel My Heart, A Poetry Collection.  On Tuesday, October 2^nd from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Peter Bond will discuss his book The Leak: Politics, Activists, and Loss of Trust at Brookhaven National Laboratory.  And on Saturday, October 7^th from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Jocelyn Simonson will discuss her book Radical Acts of Justice.

The next Foreign Policy Association Great Decisions discussion program is scheduled at the Library for Saturday, October 14^th, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, on the topic of Iran at a Crossroads.  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 2023-2024 season kicks off next month with Neil Simon’s Rose and Walsh, directed by George Loizides, with a run beginning October 19^th through November 5^th.  Tickets can be purchased at www.hamptontheatre.org.

Stay safe with the upcoming storm(s) and enjoy the last days of summer and first days of fall.

Robert Treuhold

Mayor