Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Happy New Year and if I missed the holiday you celebrate, I hope you have a joyous celebration!
I want to begin this month’s message with a special thank you to the Vincent Smith School for their efforts in supporting the Village’s Annual Food Drive. The students began collecting food last month and the overwhelming response allowed us to restock the pantry shelves for the organizations we support. We are lucky to have such a great partner in our community!
This year feels a lot different than last year’s holiday season and I hope you are as excited to celebrate with family as I am. However, with the increase in COVID-19 cases and the emergence of the Omicron variant we all must be careful. I encourage everyone that qualifies to get vaccinated and get your booster. If you feel like you have a cold or flu-like symptoms contact your doctor and get a COVID test. The life you save might be a friend or someone you love.
Starting this past Monday, New York State is requiring the use of masks indoors unless the business is enforcing a mandatory vaccination policy to enter, or if you are at a personal residence. Until further notice a mask will be required in Village Hall regardless of vaccination status.
The Village has been busy with a lot of positive things happening. We installed our first pilot speed table on Ridge Drive East (between Center Drive and Ridge Drive West) and we have received positive reviews from the surrounding neighbors. Given the winter weather, we are going to hold off on installing others until the Spring. We promised to do more than just signs for traffic safety and we are doing it!
The Board of Trustee’s meeting had hearings on multiple laws to improve our community and I encourage you to review them and provide us feedback.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season and have a Happy New Year! Please review some additional highlights from the November Village Meeting and activities below.
Sincerely,
Brian Herrington
Mayor
Food Drive-Volunteer Corps
It is not too late to participate! Please continue to help those in need this holiday season! Donate non-perishable food items today at Village Hall!
FEMA
The deadline for filing with FEMA from the storm this past summer has been extended to January 4, 2022.
Public Hearings & Laws for Consideration at the Board of Trustees Meeting
Please provide us feedback on these proposed laws before the next Board of Trustees meeting. Currently we are reviewing the following proposals:
- New Local Law: Would create a no parking zone on Ridge Drive West north to Peachtree Lane from 8-10am and 5-7pm daily. The hope is to deter commercial parking in the area.
- Local Law G: Creating a rental property registry and restrict short term rentals. This would require landlords to register with the Village and provide certain health and safety devices, such as working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. While Flower Hill does not have a large rental inventory, several homes in the community are rented out to tenants. In recent months the Village has had to address a rodent problem at one location and other issues. A registry would allow us to better ensure safety and health concerns at rental properties and also have contact information for the tenants so that the Village can more effectively communicate. Rentals would be limited to a minimum of 90 days to ensure short term rentals, popular on different technology platforms, do not negatively impact the community.
- Local Law F: Establishing a fee for failure to cancel a scheduled building inspection appointment. There are contractors who fail to meet on site with our staff to complete scheduled inspections for building permits. These “ghost appointments” waste Village staff time and resources that could be allocated to service other residents. A hearing will be held next month to establish a nominal fee for failure to give at least one hour notice to cancel an inspection appointment unless due to an emergency situation.
- Local Law H: This would require all ladders on a property to be property secured. and stored inside or locked if left outside. Unsecured ladders present an opportunity for criminals and a safety risk as an attractive nuisance to children.
Snow Safety
Please stay safe in the snow this winter. If snow is in the forecast, please make sure to keep the roads clear of your vehicles for our plows to property and safely plow the roads. Also, do not blow or plow snow into the road and please remind anyone you hire of this requirement. Please avoid cleaning your cars off in the road. Remember it is the property owner’s responsibility to dig out the fire hydrants on their property.
RFP’s
The Village has several Requests for Proposal (RFP) out searching for the best price and qualifications for services:
- We are currently looking for firms to audit our Village Court as well as the Village’s finances. This is something we do regularly to ensure we are operating appropriately.
- A traffic consultant to evaluate improvements to Middle Neck Road. and address parking issues on Ridge Drive East/West.
Elections
The Village elections are coming up in March. If you have any questions about our elections or their process, please reach out to Ronnie Shatzkamer our Village Administrator.
If you are interested in volunteering for a Committee or want to join the Volunteer Corps just contact us at Village Hall or email us at info@villageflowerhill.org.
