November 9, 2018

Dear Neighbors:

I would like thank all of the Village's Veterans for their service to our country. Your patriotism, sacrifice and heroism have made America free and safe. We really appreciate all you have done.

Two weeks ago the Village was struck by a powerful nor'easter with strong winds and tides that may have been the highest since superstorm Sandy. The Village police department once again did an excellent job under very challenging conditions. Officer-in-Charge Ray Mahdesian wrote the following in his monthly activity report:


I would like to commend and thank Officers D'Alessandro and Lynn for doing an amazing job. One of the big advantages of our police department is that many of our officers are also firemen and when they respond to a situation such as this they have the expertise to deal with it.

In other police news, on October 30 the members of the department attended an all-day special training session at Village Hall. Suffolk County Police Academy and our own officer D'Alessandro conducted training on CPR, defibrillator, Narcan and first aid. This was a very valuable session for the Village's officers.

The Village is lucky to have such a well trained and dedicated police force led by Officer-in-charge Ray Mahdesian. If you need assistance or see anything suspicious happening in Asharoken please do not hesitate to give them a call. The police phone number is 631-261-7400.

Congratulations to Carole Casamassima and Jean Bonawandt for hosting the best ever Asharoken Holiday Party. Approximately 130 residents attended and had a great time socializing, enjoying dinner and dancing the night away. Both Carole and Jean did an amazing job organizing the party and assembling the beautiful raffle baskets. Besides being a wonderful evening, sales of raffle tickets raise money to support the Village's annual fireworks display. Last year, raffle tickets raised $8,000.

Have a great weekend.

Best,
Mayor Greg Letica

October 26, 2018

Dear Neighbors:

I am pleased to report that the repaving of Asharoken Avenue from 232 to 355 was done very efficiently and without much impact on traffic. Thanks to a $50,000 grant secured for the Village by NYS Senator Carl Marcellino and the Consolidated Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) funds, this important $115,650 project resulted in a net cost to the Village of approximately $11,500. The needed funds will be paid out of a reserve account, therefore this project will have no impact on property taxes.

The weather forecast is predicting a nor'easter for Saturday October 27. Strong northeast winds will lead to higher than normal tides and problematic driving conditions in the seawall area. High tide is at 1:30pm on Saturday. Depending on conditions, the seawall area is subject to closure. It is advisable to avoid the seawall area for at least 1 1/2 hours before and after high tide. Any temporary road closure and reopening will be posted on Twitter @asharokenny and posted to the website. I recommend that you open a Twitter account and follow the Village, as well as watch asharoken.com for real time road information.

I hope that everyone has a nice weekend.
Mayor Greg Letica

October 12, 2018

Dear Neighbors:

On September 6 at 2pm, the Village opened the bids for its next section of road resurfacing from 232 to 355 Asharoken Avenue. Also included in this project will be a repair of Bevin Road near Kew Court. The lowest bidder was Poscilico Civil Inc. who has done work for the Village before. The Village worked with Poscillico Civil Inc. to lower its price by $4,000 and to include pavement markings.

A large portion of the cost of this

American Kestrel

project will be paid for by a $50,000 SAM grant that NYS Senator Carl Marcellino was instrumental in getting for the Village and accumulated CHIPS funds. I would like to thank Senator Marcellino for his continued support of the Village. The Village's cost for this project after applying both the SAM grant and CHIPS fund will be $11,500 which will be funded using our Highway Reserve account.

The tentative start date for this two-day project is likely to be next week, we will keep you informed. This is the fourth phase of a long-term resurfacing program of Asharoken Avenue that began in 2014. For the final resurfacing section the Village has secured a $70,000 Multi-modal grant which will be used towards the cost of completing the next section from 355 to 499 Asharoken Avenue.

Black-Throated Blue Warbler

We anticipate this section to be completed in the next year or two.

The Village has been able to do this work without incurring any debt and not increasing taxes for the last three years thanks to careful fiscal management. I would like to give a big thank you to Village Clerk Nancy Rittenhouse. She was instrumental in securing the $50,000 grant and also put together the bid package. Another terrific job by Nancy.

As I write this note the first strong cold front of the fall season has rolled through the Village. This is a lovely time of year in Asharoken and often is a good time to see migrating birds on their way to their winter homes. Two neat birds that I saw last week were an American Kestrel and a Black-Throated Blue Warbler. I've included a couple of photos to share these two beautiful birds with you.

Best,
Mayor Greg Letica

September 28, 2018

Dear Neighbors:

On Saturday, September 22, the Village held its Annual Coastal Cleanup. Over 200 volunteers participated and collected debris from Crab Meadow Beach to Hobart Beach, filling a 20 yard dumpster donated by the Town of Huntington. The Coastal Cleanup event has really made a significant difference and continues to improve the marine environment.

I would like to thank the following residents for a fantastic job organizing and running the event; Deb Masterson, Cathy Zimmermann, Lucy and Matt Davies, Karen and Eric Flood, Michele and Joe Tilleli, Deputy Mayor Pam Pierce, Peggy Greenlees, Tracy Ayer, Joan Ettinger and Trustee Mel Ettinger. The Coastal Cleanup involves many levels of responsibility and our volunteers do an amazing job at making it a truly successful event for parents and especially students in our community who look forward to this event for community service credit. We thank all of you.

I would also like to thank Town of Huntington Supervisor Chad Lupinacci, Deputy Supervisor Pat Delcol and Director of Maritime Services Ed Carr for their contributions to the event. Year after year the Town of Huntington has provided the 20 yard dumpster for the collected debris and opens up the pavilion at Asharoken Beach for our volunteers. Thank you for sharing your services with the Village. Wishing you all a great weekend.

Best,
Mayor Greg Letica