By: Progress for Westhampton Beach
Congratulations to Chief Trevor Gonce as he moves from a Provisional Chief for the period pending his civil service test results to Chief of Police now that the March examination results are out. A new contract remains to be negotiated. Chief Gonce has proven his dedication to the village throughout his career.
Congratulations to Ashley E. Czelatka appointed to the position of full time Police Officer effective June 3, 2016. Ms. Czelatka is highly regarded by her now fellow Police Officers having served the village as a Traffic Control Officer and a part time police officer. The village now has its first full time female officer ever. She enjoys the confidence of all.
The Board of Trustees authorized the renewal of the Pontoon Paddlers Inc. Kayak and Paddle Board Agreement for the 2016-2018 summer seasons. This renewal conforms with the requirements of General Municipal Law § 103. It was met with one nay vote from Trustee Brian Tymann and passed 3-1.
Janeen and Shari of Pontoon Paddler report they have earned a strong repeat clientele. This summer they are partnering with Sportime to offer paddle board yoga, and will also introduce two eight-person stand-up paddle boards to add some team competition to the mix of outdoor activities they offer.
The trustees authorized, by a vote of 3-1, a 30-day trial period for the Hampton Jitney to establish two bus stops, one for eastbound drop off, and one for westbound pick up on Mill Road. If at the end of the thirty-day period permission is granted for them to stay, the Hampton Jitney will pay to the Village an annual remittance of $1,000.00 and support by Hampton Jitney of one event of the Village’s choosing by the on-board distribution of materials or other suitable manner. The westbound stop will be located just to the east of Sushi 1, and the eastbound stop in front of the East End Hospice. Trustee Charlie Palmer voted against the resolution on the ground that he felt parking would be problematic.
There is no less than a combined six hundred feet of curbside parking on the north and south side of Mill Road between Maple Avenue and Lilac Road and another eighty feet of curbside parking on the south side of Mill Road between Maple and the entrance to the Buoy cooperative apartments. A standard parking space for parallel parking is 20 feet. That leaves room for on street parking for up to 30 cars. No doubt there will be speculation about whether Hampton Coffee and the Bun & Burger will see an uptick in business from both departures and arrivals of travelers to their front doors.
During the public comment period one resident of the Buoy cooperative apartments spoke in opposition as she was concerned that some Jitney patrons might park their vehicles illegally at the apartments for overnight or longer sojourns into the city. Chief Gonce advised that the cooperative board can inform the police of such trespasses and authorize towing if necessary.
It was later smartly observed that the Buoy unit owners will no doubt advertise units for rent with the advantage of being located near a Jintney stop. “Walk to all… + the Jitney.”
Elyse Richman of Shock for Kids requested a permit for Outdoor Sales and Displays from the Board of Trustees for the placement of three child size mannequins on the North East corner of the property at 99 Main Street, after a public hearing with no opposition it was unanimously approved. Good Luck for a fruitful summer season.
The public comment period was kicked off with Jack O’Dwyer who spoke discursively about the settlement of the federal law suits, religious boundaries, the state of the law, his desire to have his expertise utilized on such matters, and his concerns about radio frequencies emitted by WiFi at village hall and the library. He came equipped with an acoustimeter for measuring radiation.
After the resident from the Buoy spoke to the Jitney issue, Dean Speir made some inquiries and observations. At the meeting his few remarks were temperate and reasonable, his later blogging was closer to a self-defeating screed. See here.
The owner of the Hampton Jitney thanked the Trustees for the opportunity to bring its service directly into the village on a trial basis and advised that he has been speaking with Rechler Equity Partners about re-establishing a stop at Gabreski if service in the village does not work out satisfactorily.
