April 2, 2020

Dear Residents,

It was really nice to see that according to a map published in Newsday today, no one in the Village of Asharoken has reported a case of COVID-19. It is my hope that it will continue to be this way. Social distancing, staying at home and good hand hygiene are critical to keeping all of us healthy. Please don't let your guard down, maintain good habits.

We are fortunate to live in the Village during this troubling time. It is uplifting every day to awaken to the beautiful views of the water many of us share and have enough open space to go for nice walks. It's great to see the azaleas, daffodils and hyacinths blooming. Daily, birds are migrating back to the Village or stopping over to recharge their batteries as they go further north. All of the Osprey nests are occupied and recent new arrivals in the Village were Robins, Great and Snowy Egrets, Northern Gannets, Cormorant and Phoebe. These may seem like small things but they are a true harbinger of spring and give us hope that as the seasons change so too will the crisis we are all living through.

Please do not hesitate to call or email, if you need help. Stay Safe & Well.

Best,
Mayor Greg Letica

March 31, 2020

Dear Residents,

NY State has published updated information on Emergency Relief for New Yorkers who can demonstrate financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. Click here to view full details.

Stay Well,
Mayor Greg Letica

March 30, 2020

Dear Residents,

I would like to start by thanking Eric Maffei for the amazing job he has done keeping the Village website asharoken.com updated. He has posted many large and complicated documents ensuring that all the hyperlinks work and continues to make the site easy to navigate and access. Thanks so much Eric for all your hard work and keeping the residents well-informed.

National Grid has informed the Village that due to the Coronavirus situation it will be postponing the gas main replacement from Village Hall to 283 Asharoken Avenue. I will keep you updated as to when National Grid plans to commence the project.

I want to share updated information from Suffolk County about day care opportunities for essential employees, first responders and healthcare workers. Please share this information. I've also included a copy of the NY State Department of Financial Services Emergency Relief for New Yorkers who can demonstrate financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. Click here for the full details.

As of last night Suffolk County had a total of 5,023 confirmed Coronavirus cases. This is up 2,000 cases since Friday. To put this in perspective, only four states have more cases. As I have written before, this is a sobering reminder of how serious the situation actually is. Please stay home, stay safe and practice physical distancing.

Best Regards,
Mayor Greg Letica

March 27, 2020

Dear Residents,

We just received new information on the following;

1. Walk-in clinics that offer COVID 19 testing.
2. Grocery stores in Suffolk County that offer delivery.
3. Updated facts & questions.

Click here to view. Stay Well.

Best,
Mayor Greg Letica

March 27, 2020

Dear Residents,

Our next board meeting will be held on April 7th at 6:30pm. A public hearing is also scheduled for the 2020-2021 Village Budget.

• Budget Cover Letter
• Tentative Budget for fiscal year ending May 31, 2021

Both the Board Meeting and Public Hearing will be held via teleconference beginning at 6:30pm. To join the teleconference:

1. Call 1-866-705-2554 or 1-913-227-1201
2. Follow the directions
3. Enter guest passcode 137432, followed by #

Thank you,
Mayor Greg Letica

March 25, 2020

Dear Neighbors:

I hope you and your family are healthy and doing well during these challenging times. Below is some new information about the Coronavirus COVID 19 (CO19) situation.

We have created a resource list that will help with home delivery of food and medications, as well as emergency information: Resources in the Asharoken & Eatons Neck Area for Seniors, Homebound, In-Need. Many thanks to Emergency Manager Bill Raisch, Barbara Raisch, Eric Maffei and Trustee Burke. Great job!

Social distancing is critical to slowing the transmission of the disease and preventing an unmanageable situation at our local hospitals. Stay at least 6 feet away from other people, other than your immediate family members, at all times. It's great to see so many people strolling on the beach daily, but please do so in a safe manner.

Village hall is staffed for normal business hours, Monday through Thursday 9am to 3pm and Friday from 8am to 2pm. The Village Hall and Police Department are closed to the public. Please conduct all business by phone, 631-261-7098 or email the Village Clerk: nrittenhouse@asharokenny.org. If you need to drop off or pick up something please call in advance or place in the black mailbox outside the building. For all police emergencies call 631-261-7400 or 911 and for non-emergency matters call 631-261-8677. Thank you for your understanding.

As of March 24th the NYSDOH launched an online screen tool for CO19 screening. If you are concerned about CO19 and would like to take an online assessment, please access this link: Covid 19 Screening. If you meet the criteria you will receive a callback from NYS to schedule a test.

Residents who want to make an appointment for a test can call the NYS Coronavirus hotline at 1-888-364-3065, and you will be triaged by a healthcare professional.

There is a critical shortage of surgical masks, gloves and gowns. If you can donate these supplies bring them to a collection site at the Commack Suffolk County DPW Yard, 97 Crooked Hill Road, Commack. Thank you!

An update on the numbers as of March 24th at 2:30:

• Suffolk County: 1880 confirmed cases — up 422 from the previous day
• Town of Huntington: 310 confirmed cases

This is a sobering reminder that we need to help stop the spread of the disease by staying home and practice social distancing.

I sincerely hope everyone gets through this health emergency safely.

Best regards,
Mayor Greg Letica

March 19, 2020

Dear Residents:

NY State has established a drive-through COVID-19 test site at Stony Brook University. You must first call the NY State Coronavirus Hotline to determine if you meet the criteria to be tested, then make an appointment. You will be connected to a healthcare professional who will guide you through the process. The hotline number is (888) 364-3065. Hours are 7am to 7pm.

In addition, ProHEALTH Urgent Care is offering a drive-through COVID-19 test site. The phone number is (516) 874-0411.

I sincerely hope that no one in Asharoken will need to be tested, but if you do I hope this helps facilitate the process.

Regards,
Mayor Greg Letica

March 18, 2020

Dear Residents,

I thought I would share a little good news with you.

At our Special Meeting/ Work Session on Tuesday March 17, the Board of Trustees completed their review of the tentative budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. I am pleased to report that, for the fifth consecutive year, there will be no property tax increase. The Board is determined to minimize any additional costs to our residents, especially during the current state of affairs our world is facing today. A public hearing is scheduled for April 7th on the tentative budget your comments and suggestions are welcome. The budget packet will be emailed next week and posted on the website.

Many people have been asking if the Ospreys have come back. This morning I saw the first Osprey chilling on a utility pole near Duck Island causeway.

Have a nice day,
Mayor Greg Letica

March 17, 2020

Dear Neighbors:

I hope this note finds you well and that you are adapting to these current changes due to the Coronavirus. If the village can assist you in any way please call:

• (631) 261-7400  Asharoken Police, emergency
• (631) 261-8677  Asharoken Police, non-emergency
• (631) 261-7098  Village Clerk

Please check with your neighbors — preferably by phone to avoid contact — especially if they are elderly to see if they need any assistance. We will provide more information and resources very soon.

All board meetings will be conducted via teleconference. Board members and the public will not assemble at Village Hall. Governor Cuomo issued new regulations changing the NYS Open Meetings law to allow for this. All residents will be notified in advance with information on how to join a meeting remotely. Today's Board of Trustees work session held at 4pm is to discuss the 2020-2021 village tentative budget, via teleconference. To listen-in on the work session meeting remotely:

1. Call 1-866-705-2554
2. Follow the directions
3. Enter guest passcode 137432, followed by #

Village Justice Court sessions will be suspended until further notice Village Hall will be open during regular office hours. Please try to conduct all business with the village via email or phone, unless you need to drop off or pick up something.

Our sanitation service will continue on its regular schedule.

Our website asharoken.com contains a concise, frequently-updated list of links to details regarding the Coronavirus situation.

If you need medical assistance contact the numbers above. If you have symptoms of the Coronavirus such as fever, cough, shortness of breath or any other respiratory issues the emergency responders must know this in advance so that they can put on the needed protective gear prior to entering your home. I can't stress enough how important this is. It is critical that the police and our EMS responders stay healthy, this will allow for proper emergency care.

Stay safe and healthy. Best Regards,
Mayor Greg Letica

March 16, 2020

Dear Residents,

The Board will hold a Special Meeting/Work Session on March 17th at 4pm. This work session was previously published since this is a required meeting for the Village Clerk to present the draft tentative budget for fiscal year ending May 31, 2021 to the Board of Trustees for review. This work session is to allow the board of trustees, clerk and treasurer to review the budget for 2020-2021 with the board. Copies will be available at Village Hall. Click here to read the draft agenda.

Because of the importance of social distancing due to Coronavirus, New York State is allowing teleconferencing.

The Board will be using Global Meet for the teleconference call so all residents can listen in on the meeting. Again this is a work session; no questions from the public will be taken. We will be holding a public hearing on April 7th for public input on the final proposed tentative budget for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2021. The budget packet will be distributed next week as in the prior eight years.

To listen-in on the work session meeting remotely:

1. Call 1-866-705-2554
2. Follow the directions
3. Enter guest passcode 137432, followed by #

Regards,
Mayor Greg Letica

March 13, 2020

Dear Neighbors:

I would like to give you a quick update on the Coronavirus. The Village has regularly participated in conference calls with Suffolk County to keep up with this very fluid situation. As of yesterday, there were 22 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Suffolk County with 2 in the Town of Huntington. All of these cases were from community-based transmission which would suggest that there are more cases in Suffolk that have not yet been identified. Suffolk has the fourth highest number of cases in New York by county. Although the numbers seem low, we can't be lulled into a false sense of security. We must be very vigilant as individuals and on the Village level to minimize the transmission of the virus.

Some of the things you can do personally include: social distancing by staying 3 feet away from other people, avoiding crowded events, sneezing and coughing into your elbow, washing your hands often, avoiding touching your face, staying home and contacting your doctor if you feel sick. If everyone follows this simple protocol it could really help contain the spread of the virus.

The Village is looking at ways to manage its Board meetings and court sessions. As an example, Asharoken is waiting for guidance from NYS to see if it is possible to conduct Board of Trustees meetings by video teleconference with online audience participation. Presently the NYS open meetings law does not allow for this. I have spoken to Senator Gaughran about this and he informed me the NYS senate has introduced a law allowing video meetings during emergencies like this. Also, Governor Cuomo could just order the change pursuant to new powers he was just granted. For court, the Village will implement a limit on the number of people in the meeting room at one time to allow for proper social distancing. The Village will continue on an ongoing basis to review how meetings are run and determine what is appropriate based on the current conditions. I will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

On a far less serious note, we should be expecting the return of the Osprey within the next week. It will be interesting to see if they return earlier than usual due to the very warm winter.

Have a great weekend,
Mayor Greg Letica