March 2016

Dear Port North Residents,

I wanted to provide an update to residents about recent news and information around the Village.

Fortunately, the winter was milder than prior years and we had far fewer days having preparing for and clearing snow. The new on-street parking restrictions triggered during snow emergencies was largely successful in accomplishing its goal of keeping streets clear to allow passage of emergency and first response vehicles. We have received excellent feedback from residents and welcome continued feedback on the effectiveness of the new regulations.

As we enter the spring, the Village will be evaluating tree planting locations and will be working on continued efforts to enhance the community garden and the Bay Walk Park. We also anticipate preliminary work to begin on the construction of Phase II of the Bay Walk which has entered the bidding process.

We will be working with the public works department to continue to address issue throughout the village on roadways and sidewalks. Street sweeping is scheduled to begin in April.

The following are items that I wanted to highlight:

Village Elections

Elections for the Board of Trustees will be held on Tuesday March 15th. Polls will be open from Noon until 9pm at Village Hall (3 Pleasant Avenue).

Meeting with Boy Scouts

On February 8th, I met with three scouts with Boy Scout Troop 7 at Village Hall. The troop is working toward their Citizenship in the Community merit badges. One of their requirements states that they must meet with a local official and discuss an issue. The issue discussed was about the Village’s emergency preparedness status.

Scouts

From left to right Spencer Yeh, Kevin Dans, Mayor Weitzner and Alex Maus.

Donation to Port Washington Public Library

After our move to the new Village Hall last year, we spent time going through our historical archives including photographs taken in the Village and surrounding areas. Our Board of Trustees decided that any historical artifacts and photographs that were not used to decorate Village Hall be donated to the Port Washington Public Library. On March 9th, I met with library officials and the local historian to make the contribution on the Village’s behalf.

IMG_20160309_123502

From Left to right Corinne Camarata, Assistant Director, Mayor Weitzner and Elly Shodell, Local Historian

Fiscal Stress Test Results

The Village scored a 3.3% in the state comptroller’s evaluation of village financial statements statewide, an indication that they were in good financial shape. State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s office used a “fiscal stress monitoring system” to evaluate villages that had fiscal years ending on May 31, 2015. Port North ranked 9th of the 64 villages in Nassau County. While not at the zero level we were at for the past two years, this evaluation represents a low stress level, of which the Village should be proud. An evaluation of the factors contributing to the increase showed that the higher than budgeted snow removal cost during the year was the leading factor. However, as a result of this an upward trend, the Village will continue to be vigilant in examining any continued upward trends and financial pressures that may present itself in the future.

Community Effort on Social Media Helps Locate Owner of Lost Pet

I am happy to share that, as a result of our residents’ diligence and use of social media, a lost dog that was found by Lauren and Evan Goldstein was returned to its owners on March 7th. Following a posting by the Village on its Facebook page, the picture of the lost pet was shared more than fifty times, including to the owner’s family. We thank all of you for this community effort. For those who have not joined our social media pages on Facebook and Twitter, please do so as we use it to share important news and to inform of upcoming meetings and events within the Village.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

  • Trustee meetings are held on the first Wednesday of every month beginning at 7:30 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled to be held on April 6th at Village Hall located at 3 Pleasant Ave. Access and parking located off of Channel Drive.  A schedule of all scheduled upcoming meeting dates can be found on the Village website.
  • Please be aware that all landscapers need to be registered with the Village. In addition, no gas powered equipment can be used by landscapers on weekends and holidays. Homeowners are exempt from this provision.
  • Please leash and curb your dogs and properly dispose of waste. This time of year typically sees an increase in complaints resulting from improper disposal and we ask that you be respectful of your neighbors and of public property when walking your dogs. Also, please make sure all pets have identification tags when they are outside of your homes.

As always, if you need to contact me directly, please email at mayor@portwashingtonnorth.org or call me on my cell phone at 516-233-9581. And please visit our website at www.portwashingtonnorth.org for information on a number of topics.

Regards,

Mayor Bob