During the Village of Plandome Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 12, a number of items were discussed. Discussion began on upgrades to the town water meters, the purchase of two new fire trucks for the local fire department, and the issue of clear-cutting trees in the town. The meeting was attended by board members Mayor M. Lloyd Williams; Deputy Mayor and Trustee, Ray Herbert; Trustee Andrew Bartels; Clerk and Treasurer, Elizabeth Kaye; Trustee Katie Saville; and Trustee Donald Richardson.
Trustee Richardson was asked about common issues that are brought up at each month’s meetings. “Since we do not have many citizens, some of the issues include speeding cars, zoning questions, hurricane preparedness, increases in water rates, and paving roads. For paving roads, Plandome is on a five year cycle to repair, which means that one-third of the roads get repaired every five years.”
One of the main items on the agenda at the Village of Plandome Board of Trustees meeting revolved around the issue of clear-cutting trees in the village. A concerned citizen, who wished to remain anonymous because she is a resident in the area, brought up this issue, which took up the first hour and a half of the meeting. She explained how the issue of clear-cutting started. “One of the houses on Plandome Road was put up for sale by the homeowner several months ago. The person who ended up buying the house attended Board of Trustee meetings and then preceded to cut down all of the trees surrounding his property. Now there are three other properties owned by developers in the town which are in danger of having their trees cut down as well.”
The board also discussed the purchase of two new fire trucks to replace the outdated ones in the firehouse. The fire department is currently borrowing three used trucks from other villages because new trucks available on the market are overpriced. However, the borrowed trucks are no alternative to brand new ones, as the fire department has discovered that the trucks have begun to reach their usage capacity and now need constant maintenance. The siren on one truck even stopped working while the firefighters were on their way to a call, which put the firefighters and those driving through town at the time in danger. The board then made a motion to approve the purchase of the two fire trucks, with the money coming out of the reserve fund.
After discussing the purchase of the fire trucks, the members moved on to the issue of upgrading the town’s water meters. Mayor Williams revealed that the Manhassat-Lakeville Water District has offered to read Plandome’s water meters and replace them with electric water meters to insure that each town starts with the same water reading. These electric meters have multiple benefits including quicker and more accurate readings and they have the ability to alert homeowners of problems with the meters. These meters also eliminate the cost of workers going out and reading them manually. After the water is read, the Manhassat-Lakeville Water District receives the readings through their systems.
The water meter upgrade ended the unfinished business section. The board moved onto new business. For this last agenda, the trustees discussed the Draft Audit Report, where budget issues were covered; an update on 8 Hawthorne; and a discussion about the Woodedge Rd sump. The sump involves a complex drainage issue but the area has now become an eyesore in the town. The board continues to monitor the situation, hoping the area will be cleaned up.
