Village Board wrap-up: All about hedges

Mayor Tim Hogue reported on a number of on-going Village of Dering Harbor matters at a trustees’ meeting on Saturday, May 17 in Village Hall, attended by about a dozen village residents — a larger number than usual.

• Hedges: Mr. Hogue invited resident Esther Hunt to speak to an issue she had raised at previous meetings regarding the height of hedges along Shore Road. Mrs. Hunt made the case for restricting the height to 3 feet along the water-side of the road so as not to obstruct the view.

Patrick Parcells commented from the audience, as he had at an earlier meeting, that any policy should be consistent for the entire village, not just for one section. The point was made, however, that hedges for privacy were different than the suggestion for Shore Road, which had more to do with providing open vistas for the public.

Mr. Hogue said the next step would be for the trustees to decide whether or not to hold a public hearing on the matter.

Mr. Parcells noted that, in general, the mayor does all the talking at the meetings; “the trustees are so silent.” Resident Karen Kelsey said that then this would be a good time to ask them what they think; so Mr. Parcells did. The trustees reported individually but were generally in favor of the opportunity to hear residents’ opinions before making a decision.

Rob Ferris raised another issue. How does a topic, like hedges, get on the board’s agenda? The mayor explained that requests for issues to be put on the agenda should be given to the village clerk. In response to a question, he clarified that while he still had the final say for what ended up on the board’s agenda, he can’t remember ever rejecting a resident’s agenda request.

• Goldfarb/Paredes hedge & irrigation applications: Mr. Hogue said the board would vote to adjourn the open meeting and meet in executive session to discuss issues involving property line issues. He said the board would reconvene in a public meeting to discuss the second matter involving a proposed irrigation system.

Mr. Parcells wanted to know what the reason was for going into executive session. Since Mr. Parcells had not been at the last meeting, Mr. Goldfarb briefly described the situation — confusion over whether the residents or the village owned the property along Shore Road on which Mr. Goldfarb and Mr. Paredes had planned to plant hedges.

Mr. Hogue added that he believed it was advisable to bring all the parties together, including lawyers for both sides, to review the situation and come to some closure. When there is possible litigation involved, that is an appropriate reason for holding an executive session, Mr. Hogue said.

In an interview by phone with Mr. Hogue following the meeting, he said that the property line discussion was still on-going and that there were a number of different opinions and alternatives. The board did reach an agreement on the irrigation matter, however —the sprinkler system could be installed up to the property line in question.

• Water matters: Well #2 has been installed; next up is whether to repair or replace the water tank, at the urging of the Suffolk County Department of Health.

• James Goldman request: Mr. Goldman had submitted information about a proposed fundraiser for shellfish restoration that he was hosting at his home in late June. The village has a standard form for these events, the mayor said, in order to monitor parking on village roads and to provide contact information in the event of any neighborhood complaints. There have never been any problems, he noted.

Mr. Goldman indicated that he would have a parking attendant at the event who would direct motorists away from the smaller village roads. His request was approved.

• June Elections: Village Hall will be open for voting on Tuesday, June 17 from 12 noon to 9 p.m. The deadline for nominating petitions was May 13; as a result, residents will be voting on an uncontested slate: incumbent Tim Hogue for mayor and incumbents Mary Walker and Brandon Rose for two seats on the board.

• Summer party: The date of the annual party for residents, hosted by the trustees, will be held on July 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. in Village Hall.

The next board meeting is scheduled for June 21 at 9 a.m. in Village Hall.