(Photo courtesy of Marketing Masters NY)
Like many other communities around Long Island, Farmingdale is doing its best to survive COVID-19. In complying with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s New York State on PAUSE Executive Order requiring non-essential businesses statewide to remain closed until regional coronavirus hospitalization numbers declined over a two-week span, many village employers have remained shuttered. For Mayor Ralph Ekstrand, the village government has adjusted and remained open due to the many essential services it provides.
“We’ve been trying to keep everything together while complying with the governor’s Executive Order,” Ekstrand said. “Obviously, our water department is an essential service as is our department of public works (DPW). We have our own fire department and rescue squad. We have two advanced life support ambulances that we staff, along with a firehouse that we staff with volunteers and a 24-hour dispatcher. We’re one of the few villages on Long Island that has a full-time dispatcher. You call up 24-7, 365 days a year, you get a live person in the village firehouse talking to you about your problem. So we have a lot of essential services.”
Special arrangements for residents have been made at village hall that include leaving a box out front where blueprints, paperwork and sketches can be dropped off for the building department to eventually begin processing construction permits. A locked drop box continues to be monitored for those wishing to pay water bills, parking tickets or court fees. Village staff are also working staggered hours to make sure financial overhead is being addressed.
“We have [employees] come in to do payroll and invoices once a week because people we deal with still have to get paid,” Ekstrand said. “Cablevision still wants to get paid for our Internet hook-up and our insurance company still wants to get paid. But in terms of dealing with the public, that’s still closed as per the Governor’s order. Right now I’m at village hall because I have to sign the checks. Like most municipalities on Long Island, people are getting paid, even though they’re working a very small amount of hours. We have them come in separately, so there’s no need for social distancing. Which means the payroll person comes in one day, the building department person comes in one day and the village court person comes in another day.”
In addressing more direct coronavirus concerns, the village recently distributed 3,000 masks to village residents and seniors, along with those people who are immunodeficient. Masks were delivered to myriad senior housing complexes in the village including Grand Haven, The Knolls, Hardscrabble and Woodbridge. Additionally, Ken Marcus from Allstate Insurance, worked with Ekstrand and Eric Alexander of Vision Long Island and donated 100 N95 masks to the Farmingdale Fire Department and Daleview Nursing home.
As for reopening, plans are being mapped out for potential outdoor dining on Main Street that would take into account social distancing requirements and may involve closing this thoroughfare off every Friday and Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m. throughout the summer. Previously, this had been done four times a season, twice in July and August as part of the village’s Music Fest. It’s a necessary action given the economic gut-punch local eateries have been dealing with.
“We’re currently forming a plan to help out our merchants for when we can do outdoor dining,” Ekstrand said. “When we can do that, we’ll be ready for it. We’re doing this so we can give a jolt to our businesses because they’re dying.”
