Fall 2015
Greetings Port North Residents,
I hope that your summer was enjoyable and has helped you forget about the difficult winter that we experienced. I wanted to provide an update to you of the events of the past few months and to give an update on some important items that will be considered by the Board of Trustees in the coming months.
First, the move to the new Village Hall is complete and we have finished all of the displays of art and photography throughout the offices and boardroom. We also continue to work to update our website and electronic communication. Our building department has update its permit forms and it has provided a guide for residents on its building, plumbing and other permit requirements. We will be holding an open house on November 21, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. for all that wish to see the new space. Vintage Port North 75th Anniversary tee shirts of all sizes will be given to all visiting residents.
We continue to finalize the plans for the second phase of Bay Walk Park. The delays in breaking ground have been a result of ongoing discussions with residents and local officials about the design, engineering requirements and the recreational offerings relating to the park. We want the expansion to be an attraction that will provide benefits to the community and its visitors. We currently plan to have the second phase completed by the Summer of 2016. Please see the latest plan on our website.
We continue to work with our local businesses and property owners to address the need to attract new businesses in the vacant spaces throughout the Village. We have been working with the bank controlling the Soundview Marketplace to ensure that they are compliant with all safety requirements but also that improvements are made to renovate and revive the location whereby it will be attractive to new tenants. We have also tried to assist by reaching out to businesses desired by our residents and attempting to bridge relationships to revitalize the location. The slow progress towards both making physical improvements to the location and in attracting new tenants has frustrated myself and the Board of Trustees. We are doing everything in our power to encourage the bank to make improvements which we believe will help attract desired tenants and make the location safe.
The Board recently enacted a new law restricting local street parking during snow emergencies and we hope that the new rules will enable our plowing contractor to better perform their work and clear the roads more quickly and effectively. The Board also enacted a new law requiring a permit for all commercial filming and photography being done within the Village. There has been an increase in interest in using our beautiful village and waterfront for movies, commercials and television shows and we felt that it was prudent to have guidelines to protect the land, as well as, provide safety to residents and businesses.
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.
Sincerely,
Bob Weitzner