Village aesthetics were up for discussion in East Williston Monday night, all in the name of safety.
Mayor Bonnie Parente, the village board and the village attorney informed the public that the village will begin taking action to address issues with a house that has sat vacant for roughly two years on Orchard Meadow Road.
The house has devolved into a state of disrepair, partially decaying, currently infested with pests and overflowing with plants and refuse. Parente said the owner moved out and has not kept the house up, despite requests from the village.
Since such a significant amount of time has passed, the board authorized the village’s attorney and Building Department to inspect the house and determine what repairs needed to be made and notify the owner and owner’s family again. If they do not act within 10 days, Parente said the village will make the necessary repairs itself and bill the family.
“We’re just really starting a process so that we can address this legally and formally,” Parente said. The discussion of what repairs would be necessary will take place at the board’s next meeting.
Following the conversation about the house, a handful of residents expressed their concerns about a problem at the intersection of public safety and gardening.
As the board discussed necessary plans to notify residents whose trees and shrubs had grown in a way that covered stop signs or blocked lines of sight for drivers, residents chimed in. They simultaneously supported the effort but also cautioned the board not to take an initiative to prevent residents from planting in the village’s right-of-way too far.
“I’ve lived in the village for almost 36 years, and ever since we moved here, the village has actively advocated for people to plant on their properties. We want to have a green village,” one resident said. “I understand the concern about people planting in the right of way…but I would say without exaggeration, that possibly 50% of the properties in this village have plants in the right of way.”
He asked if the village planned to ask everyone with plantings in the right-of-way to remove them.
Parente said she had no intention of enforcing the code to an extent that prevented people from planting or discouraged greenery in the village. She said she simply wanted to ensure that people with overgrown or outsized plants creating safety issues for drivers, like those with plants that cover stop signs or block the line of sight when drivers make a turn, made necessary adjustments for safety.
“This is specific to the safety issue,” Parente said. “We’re not trying to get rid of your petunias because they’re two feet off. We’re also not willing to overly enforce anything.”
The board will continue sending out notices to those who have greenery that poses a safety hazard.
The board also passed a law requiring utility companies to fully pay for and repair roads they tear up when they address issues with gas or water lines below them.
“Last time National Grid came in and opened our roads, they weren’t left in the condition we wanted,” Parente said. “So, we are now making our permit process for road opening more
stringent so that we can protect ourselves and make sure that next time the road is opened, we have adequate money to make any repairs that they don’t make and force them to repave curb to curb.”
The new law will hold companies to a higher standard and ensure the village is not left footing the bill for issues they cause.
Parente concluded her public report by providing an update on the ongoing work between her village and neighboring Williston Park to resolve a disagreement over Williston Park raising the water rate across both villages by 33% to pay for new water treatment plants to filter PFAS out of the water shared by the two villages.
Parente said she and Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar plan to meet at some point to continue the discussion, but Ehrbar had not yet set a date.
The village’s next board of trustees meeting will take place on Aug. 11.
