In response to recent social media posts regarding the Young Family Christmas Exhibition I felt it was important to share the Village’s perspective. The Village has repeatedly offered to work with the Youngs so they can present the display in a way that keeps everyone safe. The Village has never stopped the Youngs from presenting their display, and was ready to work with the Youngs if they chose to present the display again this year.
Just two years ago the Village spent $10,000 for a professional security firm to help manage traffic attracted by the display. We have even asked the Village staff to help control traffic during evening hours and on the weekends through the holiday season. And they have done so–sacrificing their own holiday time with their families. Trustees have also donated countless hours in this effort. These are not the actions of a Village that is trying to prevent anything, but rather one that has met its obligation to insure public safety while still allowing the Youngs to continue to present their display.
In recent years the Youngs display had grown so large that it was creating parking, traffic, and safety issues for the surrounding neighborhoods. For example:
Traffic jams at times were so large that emergency vehicles and personnel would be prevented from responding to aid Village residents and visitors.
Visitors trespassed on neighboring properties and stoops.
Cars parked and drove up on lawns causing damage to sprinkler systems and yards.
Children walked in the road in the dark and in the midst of the heavy traffic.
Music and lights would sometimes be left on until midnight or later keeping kids awake on school nights.
Traffic prevented neighbors from participating in their own activities.
Structures and extension cords littered the yard all year long.
This display has extended beyond the holiday season, lasting from 10-14 weeks. The Village has been proactive in trying to allow the display while also addressing these community impacts. Unfortunately, the Youngs did not clean up their display by March 31 as required by their permit. Only after repeated warnings from the Village violations were issued in the first week of May. The Village offered to dismiss the violations several times through the summer and fall if the remaining materials were removed. Mr. Young did not do so. A trial was held and a fine imposed.
I sent this message to set the record straight and to describe the steps the Village has taken to work with the Youngs while protecting the community. Please stay safe and enjoy your holiday season!
Mayor Brian Herrington
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I wanted to share a note with you regarding an important and productive recent meeting Deputy Mayor Randall Rosenbaum and I had with both the CEO of Catholic Health Services and the CEO of St. Francis Hospital.
This past April Dr. Patrick O’Shaughnessy was appointed as the new President and CEO of Catholic Health Service of Long Island. As its new leader he wanted to meet with the Village officials of Flower Hill, the home of St. Francis Hospital. Also in attendance was Dr. Charles Lucore, the CEO of St. Francis Hospital, appointed three years ago. Both leaders expressed a genuine desire to be good stewards to the hospital and good neighbors to the surrounding community.
I took the opportunity to inquire about their acquisition of properties on Oaktree Lane. They confirmed they had completed purchase of just three properties on the block and were hoping to acquire 8 more, a process that could take many years to accomplish. Currently there are nuns living in one of the homes and there is a possibility that other clergy members may live in the other homes they acquire. Drs. O’Shaughnessy and Lucore informed us that they do not have any definite plans for the area and are beginning to prepare a long-term master plan process for St Francis Hospital.
I let them know that the Village is not interested in closing or changing any roads and that decades ago the Village placed the hospital in a special zone to limit the size and scope of their buildings. I also informed them that any request to change zoning or build on the properties they acquire, beyond what is allowed by the current code, would require public hearings, involving public input and review. I encouraged them to engage the community in their master plan process to properly incorporate our community’s input early on.
We learned that the hospital is currently operating at 105% of its capacity and they been evaluating their operations in preparation for this master plan process. There is a parking garage that is reaching the end of its useful life, and several trailers that have been installed over the years that need to be eliminated. Catholic Health Services is dedicated to St. Francis Hospital as its flagship hospital given the extraordinary care it provides and its national ranking for cardiac care and other services.
I hope this letter answers some questions that you may have regarding St. Francis Hospital and its recent activity on Oaktree Lane. The Village will continue to stay in contact with the hospital and share information that we receive. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with questions or concerns that you may have.
Sincerely,
Mayor Brian Herrington
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Last week our area was hit hard by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Depending on which estimates you use we received as much four times the annual rainfall for the entire month of September in a few hours. The heavy rains in a short period of time inundated homes and properties even causing a landslide that blocked Stonytown Road.
Federal, State, and local officials are working together to try to help residents recover. I am asking all residents to report any damage they experienced to Nassau County by calling the Office of Emergency Management at 516-573-9600. Reporting the damage will help the County qualify for Federal and State disaster assistance and potentially help you access funding to reimburse some of your recovery expenses.
The staff, the Board of Trustees and I are committed to helping our community recover from this disaster. As we evaluate the storm’s impacts we will also look to improve our infrastructure and response capabilities to better serve all of you.
Brian Herrington
Mayor
Village of Flower Hill
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Download the PSEG Long Island mobile app to report outages and receive information on restoration times, crew locations and more.
To report downed wires or power outages, customers should call PSEG Long Island’s Customer Service line at1-800-490-0075.
Our Outage Map can also be found at https://outagemap.psegliny.com/ and reports outages in your community, as well as estimated restoration times.
MyAlerts, PSEG Long Island’s text message service, can be used to report and receive status updates on an outage. Since this requires an account number for a one-time registration, it’s best to do it beforehand. To register, text REG to PSEGLI (773454) or visit the “My Account” section of the website at www.psegliny.com/account. Once registered, to report an outage, simply text OUT to PSEGLI (773454).
VERIZON
For information on how to report outages and service problems go to:
Downed wires: For your safety, do not touch or move the downed line as they can often be confused with phone or cable connections. You can contact us, reach out via the My Fios app, chat with us by clicking the blue Chat With Us tab at the bottom corner of this page to report a downed or low hanging line. Additionally, you can report a downed line online via the Verizon Troubleshooter. Non-customers call 1.800.Verizon (1.800.837.4966).
CABLEVISION – ALTICE
You can sign up to receive service alerts via text or voice message by going to My Account. Once confirmed, you will be notified when outages affect their service and will receive timely updates until the service is restored. Customers may also utilize the options below to contact Optimum:
Nassau County has recently launched a septic system replacement program available to homeowners and small businesses. The Septic Environmental Program to Improve Cleanliness (SEPTIC) gives eligible recipients funding to replace their conventional or failing septic system with a new innovative and alternative onsite wastewater treatment system (I/A OWTS). The Nassau County grant will cover half of the replacement cost up to $10,000.
Many older septic systems, even when functioning correctly, pollute vital bodies of water with nitrogen. Conventional septic systems were never designed to remove nitrogen. In fact, the average residential septic system discharges more than 40 pounds of nitrogen into groundwater each year. Clean-water septic systems are incredibly effective and can remove up to 90% of nitrogen from wastewater and cost five times less than a connection to a sewer system.
Fortunately, these consequences are preventable with modern I/A OWTS septic technology.
National Grid has contracted with Asplundh to replace the gas main line on your street within the next 30 days. Hours of work will be Monday to Friday 7 an to 5 pm. Work should continue through August. They will repair all areas that are disturbed and replace all customer’s individual gas service lines. Meters will be relocated to outside of homes.
We have been hearing from concerned residents about the Village’s stance on permitting retail dispensaries to operate in the Village. We are still waiting for the final legislation to be completed before we act on the “opt-out” provision of the law. We have until 12/31/21 to pass an “opt-out” by resolution but believe it is prudent to wait for the final legislation before acting.
Click here for more information on the legislation
Arbor Day Foundation Names Village of Flower Hill Tree City USA®
Lincoln, Neb. (February 23, 2021) Village of Flower Hill, New York, was named a 2020 Tree City USA® by the Arbor Day Foundation in honor of its commitment to effective urban forest management.
Village of Flower Hill achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, an annual community forest1y budget of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
“Tree City USA communities see the impact an urban forest has in a community first hand,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “The trees being planted and cared for by Village of Flower Hill are ensuring that generations to come will enjoy to a better quality of life. Additionally, participation in this program brings residents together and creates a sense of civic pride, whether it’s through volunteer engagement or public education.”
If ever there was a time for trees, now is that time. Communities worldwide are facing issues with air quality, water resources, personal health and well-being, energy use, and protection from extreme heat and flooding. The Arbor Day Foundation recently launched the Time for Trees initiative to address these issues, with unprecedented goals of planting 100 million trees in forests and communities and inspiring 5 million tree planters by 2022. With Tree City USA recognition, Village of Flower Hill has demonstrated a commitment to effective urban forest management and doing its part to help address these challenges for Village of Flower Hill residents now and in the future.
More information on the program is available at arborday.org/TreeCityUSA
About the Arbor Day Foundation: The Arbor Day Foundation is a million member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.
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The Village Finance Committee (Mayor Brian Herrington, Deputy Mayor Randall Rosenbaum, Trustee Frank Genese, Resident member Jeremy Shao, Village Administrator and Village Treasurer) has met and are in the process of putting together a budget for the 2021 -2022 fiscal year. This will be presented to the entire Board of Trustees and the public on March 24 at 7 pm. The meeting will be by Zoom and residents are invited to observe. (See the legal notice in the “About the Village” Section) Prior to the meeting the proposed tentative budget will be posted on the Village website and available to the public.
On March 24, the Trustees will decide if the presented budget stands or if any changes are to be made. If there are changes, the new tentative budget will then be posted. A public hearing will be held on April 5 at 7:30 pm (again check website for meeting details).
The public can submit questions or comments ahead of time or speak at the public hearing.
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One of our residents spotted this beautiful red fox in their yard in the Roslyn part of the Village. There have also been reports of coyotes in the area.
The Red Fox is the most common wild canid in the world, found throughout The Northern Hemisphere but introduced to Australia. With a varied omnivore diet (both animal and vegetation), they keep a balance by preying on abundant rodent populations. In fact, in North America, they may limit the spread of Lyme Disease and other rodent borne disease. They are essential to any ecosystem.
Coyotes may have been habituated but displayed NO AGGRESSION or threats to the public. The adaptability of coyotes in securing new habitat is well documented , and Long Island (and the Borough of Queens , New York) is no exception, as diverse food , both natural and human refuse are being utilized by dispersing coyotes in order to survive . Further evidence of coyote presence through their scat shows a natural diet, as small animal bones, possibly squirrels and mice, as well as Possum fur and seeds. As with other areas within the urban environment , abundant cat food placed outside as well as scavenging refuse on urban streets and the large Canada Goose population make up much of the rest. If you see a coyote, contact The Wild Dog Foundation at savewilddogs@yahoo.com
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