Recent Tropical Storm Isaias And Updates

Tropical Storm Isaias obviously caused extensive damage and outages across Nassau County. The storm charged through Long Island on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 4, with high winds that impacted/knocked out power to approximately 420,000 LI residents, canceled dozens of flights, toppled trees, downed wires and forced the Long Island Rail Road to shut down.

While drenching rains had initially been predicted, it turned out that the fast-moving storm’s fiercest punch was its winds. The National Weather Service said the storm, which lasted just several hours, produced wind gusts ranging from 60 to 70 mph, including a 78-mph gust recorded at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale that ranked as the strongest gust in the New York Metro area. “I think that is the highest we have seen on the Island, but we are still going through all the data,” said local meteorologist Brian Ciemnecki, from the National Weather Service. We all saw how emergency response teams dove into the restoration efforts and according to PSEG Long Island, the remaining outages from the storm are expected to be completed at the time of this writing.

Many Long Island residents have criticized PSEG for the outages, response time, communication issues and more, but given the magnitude of the damage in Nassau-Suffolk, state and local officials said the damage could have been considerably worse. However; locally we are extremely proud how the Farmingdale Village staff handled the storm. While of course; many trees were down; our department of public works (DPW) department were out there immediately cleaning and restoring; as they have done in the past. Once again, we salute them. Thankfully most people have their power, phones and Internet back. As usual, the village remains in close contact with PSEG to assist in any way we can.

Questions continue to come in about Farmingdale Village’s perspective and handling of
COVID 19, so in response; here are some key points:

• Initially upon learning of the rising danger of this virus (in mid-March) we canceled the St. Patrick’s Day parade; which of course was a very tough decision! Notably while places such as Huntington had their parade, they were later noted as additional hotspots for COVID-19.
• As updated information came, arrived; on an almost daily basis we reacted to all updates immediately and tried to keep the public and merchants informed.
• Updates were issued via Robocalls and Constant Contact emails on all safety and containment recommendations.
• Masks were given out to Senior complexes in the village and on the village green to residents. And the mayor and trustees also delivered masks to seniors unable to get to the
village green.
• We developed a mapping plan with local merchants for outside dining on the streets and loading zones.
• In early May there was a lot of talk about closing the streets for more outdoor dining. When we discussed it at our merchant meetings, the restaurant owners had mixed feelings and we were concerned about overcrowding and getting the necessary public safety resources such as police and security during a pandemic. Luckily, they were able to open up the inside at 50 percent earlier than was originally anticipated and we also were able to create additional outside seating at loading docks and on sidewalks as a safe alternative. At this time, we do not have any plans or see the necessity to close the streets for outdoor dining.
• Signs regarding safety protocols were designed and put out on Aframe signs throughout the village encouraging social distancing, mask wearing and hand sanitizing.
• The board of trustees and myself met continually to ensure that New York State rules for openings were being complied with and all safety measures are being taken. Also, we were in constant communication with County Executive Laura Curran and Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino.

Thank you to everyone for following the guidelines in our village. The restaurants and businesses have been very cooperative with enforcing the regulations in their establishments. We know it’s been a challenge; but from what the data shows, everything we are doing seems to be helping.

Long Island Contractor’s Association Executive Director Marc Herbst gave us some updates regarding the status of the rehabilitation of State Route 109. The contract was recently awarded to J Anthony Enterprises of Hauppauge, and we are glad to see that the state is still moving forward with this project and expect it to be done before the cold weather sets in. And as you can see, the village roads continue to be repaved.
Lot 4 (behind Harley’s and the firehouse) is now open and complete; and with an increased number of parking spots by 78. (Lot 4 originally had 270 parking stalls and now with the new additions by cross-access and lot layout; we currently have 348 parking stalls and this does not include the fire department section which we gained one stall; in for a total of 22.) We’ve received a lot of positive feedback about it and it’s easy to navigate. People also like the extra handicapped spots by St. Kilian’s and the improved lighting, landscaping and drainage. Signs are still to come for Lot 4. Some of the landscaping on the village green is getting a facelift. It was getting overgrown and you couldn’t appreciate some of the architectural detail of village hall. And we are proud to say that this was done with no taxpayer money; rather the village green landscaping was paid for by funds collected by developers for improving village parks.

Also; National Grid should be done replacing the gas lines on Main Street shortly. The plan is to eventually repave Main Street completely and improve the street lighting, but given current circumstances and the need for outdoor dining, we are going to hold off for now.

As things start adjusting to a new normal and as we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, Farmingdale Village is Daler Strong as usual. We are doing our best to create a balance between safety and improved quality of life and commerce in our Village. We thank everyone for their patience and cooperation – as health and safety are of paramount importance.

Again; as a reminder; The Farmingdale Village Election has been postponed until Sept. 15, from noon to 9 p.m. and will be held at St. Kilian Auditorium. This auditorium will provide a larger public space for social distancing. We await guidance from the New York State Board of Elections for all Election-related matters. On behalf of the Farmingdale Village Board of Trustees and myself, we thank everyone for their understanding and cooperation during this crisis, stay safe and healthy—brighter days are ahead. The village website at www.farmingdalevillage.com is a great resource so check it often for information, news and bulletins.