SEA CLIFF VILLAGE BOARD MEETING - 10.17.16
CHICKEN PERMITS AND OTHER ISSUES DISCUSSED AT SEA CLIFF VILLAGE BOARD MEETING
SEA CLIFF RECOGNIZED FOR ITS PARTICIPATION IN CAR FREE DAY
On behalf of the Village of Sea Cliff, Trustee Dina Epstein, who serves as the Village Liaison to the Sea Cliff Environmental Conservation Commission, accepted a Certificate of Appreciation from Rosemary Mascali, manager of Transit Solutions, at this past Monday’s Village Board Meeting for Sea Cliff’s participation in Car Free Day. Transit Solutions is an organization that seeks to improve air quality, relieve traffic congestion, and conserve energy on Long Island by encouraging commuters to leave their cars at home and to use alternative methods of transportation. Car-free day took place this past September 22. Ms. Mascali said her group reaches out to municipalities across Long Island to encourage them to participate in Car Free Day in a way that works best for each village and town’s unique situation. This year, the Environmental Conservation Commission reached out to schools to enlist the support of Sea Cliff School in promoting more environmentally friendly transportation and participation in Car Free Day. NEW VETERANS TAX EXEMPTION COMING SOON Mayor Bruce Kennedy announced at last Monday’s Village Board Meeting that a public hearing will be held on Monday, November 14 to give residents the opportunity to hear about and offer their comments on a proposed bill that would grant an Alternative Tax Exemption for Veterans. “We’ve been talking about this for a while,” Mayor Kennedy said referring to the Board, “and it will expand upon our current veterans exemption.” Noting that the hearing will be held three days after November 11, the Mayor said, “it’s a very nice way to recognize the contributions of our veterans this Veterans Day.” SEA CLIFF AVENUE CITIBANK BRANCH TO CLOSE THIS JANUARY Mayor Kennedy announced that the Citibank branch on Sea Cliff Avenue will be closing its doors on January 13. He said he spoke to people at Citibank to urge them to reconsider the decision, but that it was a foregone conclusion and that this has been a trend in the banking industry - closing larger branches and maintaining smaller spaces to reduce overhead costs. He said he has spoken to Apple Bank on Carpenter and Glen Cove Aves. and Long Island Savings on Sea Cliff Ave. to urge them to reach out to Citibank customers who wish to continue banking locally. CHILL OUT IN SEA CLIFF ON NOVEMBER 4 The Village Board voted to close Central Avenue, from Sea Cliff Avenue to Summit Avenue, the evening of November 4th, to accommodate the 4th annual Chill Out in Sea Cliff. The event will feature live music on the Village Green from 6:00 to 8 pm, while several local businesses and galleries will remain open late, and some restaurants and bars will offer Chill Out specials. |
CHICKENS DO NOT MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS
Linda Lagerud of Hammond Road, Glen Cove addressed the Village Board to express her concerns about a neighbor’s efforts to get approval to coop chickens on her property after the City of Glen Cove required her to get rid of a brood of five chickens earlier this year. Two-thirds of the neighbor's property are in Glen Cove and the other third in Sea Cliff. At last month’s Village Board meeting, the neighbor sought advice from the board on how to navigate the approval process. Ms. Langerud, who is opposed to having the chickens as neighbors, said that the approval process is the same in Glen Cove and Sea Cliff, with each municipality requiring that the applicant receive permission from 75% of his or her neighbors in a 200 foot radius. She had initially been open to the idea of having chickens as neighbors, she explained, but “lo and behold, it became a big nuisance - mainly because of the sound.” “These chickens were actually squawking and screaming constantly,” she said. And the chicken droppings, only fifteen feet from her patio, created an overwhelming odor - especially on hot and humid summer days, she continued. But “the last straw,” was when her husband found a dead rat on their property - something she, or another neighbor who has lived there for 65 years, she said, had never seen before. After reporting the matter to the City of Glen Cove and after the neighbor failed to fulfill the 75% requirement, the chickens were removed. Ms. Langerud was skeptical that the chickens had been slaughtered, as had been stated at last month’s meeting, and said that they had been given back to the farm from which they came. Having recently visited the farm, she said she believes that they are much better off there, where they seem to have a greater degree of freedom. Ms. Langerud continued that she did not have an issue personally with the neighbor. “This is not about a personal affront against the person,” she said, “this is strictly against the chickens.” She thanked the Mayor for quickly returning her phone call to him and having a long conversation with her about the matter. Mayor Kennedy said that at this point there has been no application submitted for the purpose of getting approval to have chickens, and as a result, there was no need for the Village to take any sort of action at this time. The resident said she had a petition signed by neighbors expressing their wishes not to have chickens as neighbors. “There are currently no chickens, and there is currently no applications for chickens, so there is nothing for us to do,” said the Mayor. |