Hewlett Harbor Notebook: Road Work, Permits and Emergency Contact

officials want all utility projects to conclude with neat, seamless repairs that cover larger areas, trustees said at last Thursday’s meeting.

“The street repair on Pepperidge is terrific, because it’s curb to curb repair, and it’s about 10 yards long. It makes all the difference in the world,” Trustee Michael Yohai said, referring to recent work done after a water main break. “Otherwise, it looks like a jigsaw puzzle.”

The village is in the process of surveying all the roads and taking pictures of all potholes. Mayor Mark Weiss said he wants the potholes taken care of while many of them are relatively small, rather than waiting until they become huge and more expensive to deal with.

“Even if it’s a small hole, let’s take a picture of it, lets evaluate it and get it fixed,” Weiss said.

In the past, the village has repaired some small, temporary potholes itself. But for the most part, the trustees want to use a contractor to handle the current situation.

“One is a band-aid, one is an operation,” Trustee Thomas Cohen said.

Work Permits

There are 12 open work permits, two of which are more than a year old.

“The utilities came in, they filed for a permit, but for whatever reason, they never broke ground,” Cohen said.

The board is considering permit expiration dates of either nine or 12 months. 

“In nine months you should be able to get anything you need done,” Trustee Kenneth Kornbleu said.

Permit Fees

In a related issue, the board is contemplating increasing permit fees to anyone who needs to open and patch the street to $15 per square foot, up from $10.

“I would be in favor of making it even higher to dissuade utilities and make them think … before chopping up streets,” Kornbleu said.

Emergency Phone System

Letters will be issued to all village residents, requesting that they register their contact information for the emergency phone system.

Although the village has the phone numbers for over 90 percent of residents, the board would like to improve that number, as well as get everyone’s email address and/or text information.

“Email is less intrusive,” Weiss said. “We can use the email and texting for village administrative announcements and phone calls for real emergencies.” 

However, the board will take into consideration some of their older residents who don’t use email or texting on a regular basis.

Village Vehicles

The mayor wants all village vehicles to get full maintenance and repairs.

“I don’t want to go into October worrying about it,” he said. “Let’s get our fleet up and running, so by September we know everything is good to go”

Utility Boxes

Unsightly utility boxes are an ongoing issue. Most utility companies have made some effort by either agreeing to put in shrubs to obscure the boxes or simply paint them green. But LIPA seems particularly uncooperative in this matter. 

Trustees agreed that if the board were consulted about box placement before installation, some of these issues could have been eliminated. They would like some of the most troublesome boxes to be moved, but Village Attorney Charles Casolaro said that utilities can’t be compelled to do so unless it’s a safety issue.

The board would like to be consulted and have some input as to utility box placements in the future.

 “I think we should have a resolution that any utility wishing to construct anything in the village, even if its a replacement, they have to notify the village,” Weiss said.

Shrubs

The planting of new shrubs will be part of the village’s beautification program, which may require getting a watering tub system to be put on the back of a maintenance truck.