The Village has been fortunate enough to obtain tree seedlings from the DEC’s tree nursery in upstate Saratoga. We have about 500 seedlings of various deciduous varieties. There will be a limit of 3 seedlings per resident, on a first come, first served basis. The event will take place in the Village Hall parking lot. As residents drive up, seedlings will be placed in their cars so we can all maintain safe social distancing.
How to plant and care for seedlings
First thing you do when you receive any bare root plant—a plant that’s not in any kind of soil—is let the roots sit in water for an hour or two. Not the entire plant—just the exposed roots. This will help rehydrate them and perhaps send a message to the plant that it’s not dead yet. Then you want to fill medium-sized plastic pots that have good drainage holes in the bottom about half-way up with a light, loose, bagged “soil-free mix” like a seed-starting mix or potting soil. Not terra cotta pots or old yogurt cups and no garden soil. Water the mix well.
(You should never use garden soil in a container because it’s heavy and full of weed seeds. Terra cotta is pretty, but it doesn’t hold moisture well.)
Now, in a separate container, mix up a batch of half compost, half soil-free mix. Place the moistened roots of one tree or shrub on top of the moistened mix in one of the prepared pots and then fill in around it with the new mix. Only one plant per pot. Pull the plant up gently as you work so that when you’re done, only the roots are below the soil line. Then sit the pots in a couple inches of water until they’re saturated. Then take them outside and put them in a spot where they’ll get about a half day of sun and place chicken wire or other protection around the whole set up; these tiny plants need to be outdoors but are prime food for deer, rabbits and such.
Make the covering easy to remove and ‘rock’ the pots every day to see how they feel. When they feel light, slowly add water. But don’t water them if they feel heavy. The baby plants shouldn’t go without water for long stretches of time, but they can’t sit in constantly wet soil all the time, either.
Then comes winter. These kinds of plants can’t come inside for the winter. They need to be exposed to a certain number of hours of cold temps and need to go through the normal progression of the seasons. But they can’t be left outside in exposed pots or the roots will freeze. So when summer turns to fall, dig holes and bury the pots up to their lips in an area where the soil drains well. Water them a little bit if winter is really dry, but not too much. Dormant plants don’t need a lot of water. (Protection from strong winter winds would be much more important.)
Then in the Spring, lift the pots out of the ground and decide what you want to do. If the plants have achieved a decent size, consider planting them where they’re going to stay permanently.
Council Member Veronica Lurvey will lead a panel discussion on the state of Long Island’s
underground aquifers that provide all our drinking water, threats to these important resources, and
actions the North Hempstead community can take to keep them resilient in the face of climate
change.
Thank you to everyone who made the time to come out and vote or submit an absentee ballot. Your support and involvement is what makes Flower Hill a great place to live.
Every 45 seconds, a car is stolen in the United States, which is close to one million stolen vehicles per year. Thefts occur at all times of the day and night and usually happen when a car has been left unlocked with the key fob left inside a vehicle equipped with a push button start. The Nassau County Police Department reminds people to be aware and cautious of their property and offers these Auto Theft Prevention Tips to help protect you against vehicle theft.
Always lock your vehicle, even when it’s parked in your driveway or garage.
Always take your keys or fob with you.
Never leave or hide a smart key, valet key, or spare key anywhere in or on your vehicle, no matter where you park it.
Never leave your car running while unattended or unlocked.
If possible, park your vehicle in a locked garage.
Always park in well-lit areas at night.
Close all your vehicle windows completely when parked.
Consider installing an audible alarm or a visible anti-theft device.
Never leave valuables or personal property in your vehicle.
Always look around and be aware of your surroundings.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!
CALL CRIME STOPPERS – 1-800-244-TIPS (8477)
Do not leave vehicles in the roadways to give our snow plows the ability to clear the roadways. We also urge residents to please refrain from parking on village roads for an additional 24 hours from storm-end to allow for crews to finalize clearing of snow and other storm debris.
After a snow event, residents with fire hydrants and sidewalks are expected to make them free and clear. There must be a 3-foot clearance, in all directions, between snow and hydrants. Blocking fire hydrants and sidewalks can result in a court appearance and fine. Failure to properly clear fire hydrants can also hinder first responders’ response to emergency calls. If you are physically disabled and cannot clear the snow, contact Village Hall and we will have the hydrants cleared for you.
Pushing snow out into the street is also prohibited. If clearing snow, it must remain on your property.
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!
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.
Don’t leave your house dark, make sure to leave lights on inside and outside when you leave the house or put your lights on a timer.
Leave a radio or TV on to give the appearance someone is home.
The hours between dusk and 7 pm are prime burglary hours and a dark house is an announcement that no one is home.
If you have an alarm system, use it when away and at home.
Lock doors, windows and gates when leave your house.
Be sure to close your garage door.
Keep shrubs and trees trimmed to eliminate hiding places.
Please make sure you lock your cars, take your keys and don’t leave any valuables in them. Most car thefts are occurring because homeowners leave their key fobs in the car.
Always call 911 if you see anything that seems out of place
Report any suspicious cars or activity to the police
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.
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:
