October 2013

Greetings Port North Residents,

I hope that you are all had an enjoyable summer and are easing into the new school year. 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 myself and the Board of Trustees in the coming months.

The Board of Trustees is currently reviewing a number of expense items relating to the budged for this year and next. Specifically we are addressing relocating Village Hall, the settlement of litigation, the sale of Village land and the expansion of the Bay Walk Park:

  • The potential move of Village Hall from our existing location to a new location off of Channel Drive. Currently, we are located in the Stop & Shop Center next to Petland Discounts in a 950 square foot office. This location was chosen as a temporary place following the sale of the old Village Hall in 2003. We have outgrown this location and space and wish to provide addition space for the staff and our residents. The new location being proposed resides at 1 Pleasant Ave. and is accessed by Channel Drive. It will be 2,000 square feet and will be home to a larger office and waiting area, separate Building Department office, conference room, and a boardroom that can accommodate 70 people. In essence, it will be twice the size as the current location.  The cost of the new location, including the cost of building out the space, will be approximately $4,700 per month (an increase from our current rent of $1,800 per month). We are reviewing the particulars of the agreement and will be discussing the move over the next few board meetings. As the Board anticipated this opportunity in its planning, the impact on the current budget and next year’s budget will not affect your tax rate.
  • Starting with next year’s 2014-2015 budget, we will be including the costs relating to a litigation settlement reached last year. The settlement resolved various litigation matters among Mill Pond Acres, Jobco, developers of Mill Pond Acres, and the Village. The Village decided that settling the lawsuits was in the best interests of the public as continued litigation costs and the unpredictable nature of litigation played significantly in the Board’s consideration. The terms of the settlement are as follows:

In exchange for a release of all claims, the Homeowners Association of Mill Pond Acres would receive a lump sum amount of $350,000 and $450,000 from Jobco. Until the sale of the 7.5 acres of open spaced being sold by the Village is consummated, the sum will be paid out over 10 years $17,500 to be paid in years 1 and 2 and for years 3-10, $35,000 is to be paid.  In addition at the end of year 10, the Village will pay an additional $35,000 to cover the balance.  When the sale is finalized, the Village will pay the balance owed.

We have reviewed these expenses and have confirmed that they will not result in an extraordinary increase in taxes going forward and we plan to budget our other Village expenses being mindful of the impact of these payments. Please be aware that to offset a large portion of these expenses, $45,000 will be coming off our budget since the Village retired its remaining debt for the purchase of waterfront property that is now part of the Bay Walk Park.

  • We are currently in discussions with the party who was the highest bidder and awarded the contract via the request for proposals to purchase our 7.5 acres of land. Once the final terms of the transaction are negotiated, we will report back to the Village.
  • The Village has met with our engineers, Cameron Engineering, and various residents of Port Washington who frequently kayak in Manhasset Bay to discuss the plans to complete Phase II of the Bay Walk Park. The feedback received has produced an updated Phase II plan. The first part of the plan, covered by a grant, will allow us to building a parking lot, turning circle, reposition a light pole and traffic light, and add sun shades and tables to the area. The creation of the kayak launch will require additional funding that is being explored at this time.
  • I am also happy to share that, at the Board of Trustees meeting on August 6th, the Village presented Shake-N-Go with a Proclamation noting the commitment the business has made to the Village and congratulating them on their success. The Village also proclaimed that June 28th shall be known as “Shake-n-Go Day” in the Village of Port Washington North.  We appreciate all that the owners and employees, who have become an important fixture in our community, continue to contribute to our Village and the entire Port Washington area.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

  • Trustee meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month. The next meetings will be held on October 8, November 12 and December 3, 2013 at the Village Hall.  A schedule of all scheduled upcoming meeting dates can be found on the Village website.
  • The Village has posted the 2013 Leaf Removal Schedule on the Village website. A copy is also available at Village Hall.
  • As we enter the fall and winter storm seasons, we want to remind all residents to sign up with NorthShoreAlert.org to receive valuable emergency information. We will also be sending Village updates periodically through this system. So please go to NorthShoreAlert.org and sign up. If you do not have regular access to a computer or cell phone, please join the new Port North Emergency Contact Registry by stopping by the Village Hall or by providing your contact information to clerk@portwashingtonnorth.org or pwnorthcommunications@gmail.com and we will manually provide you with important announcements and information.

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