Village Notebook: Master Plan Makes Progress, Dock Hearing Set for Monday Night

The process of updating the village's 20-year-old master plan has taken Poquott officials about a year so far, but on Thursday village officials said the plan is almost ready to go to its engineer for final adjustments before it gets handed to the Suffolk County Planning Commission for approval.

The plan focuses on the maintenance of quality of life, which residents expressed was a priority in a survey the village conducted last year, as well as the future of a few pieces of undeveloped village property.

"Everyone basically said they want it to stay the way it is," mayor Barbara Donovan said. "This was how we wanted to see the neighborhood look ... We've gotten what we think is, hopefully, a master plan."

Hearing Set for Private Dock

An issue that Donovan said "has been ongoing for years and years" in the Village of Poquott may make some progress later today. The Poquott planning board has set a public hearing 7 p.m. Monday at Village Hall to solicit feedback on an application from a resident of Van Brunt Manor Road to install a dock on the property.

Portable Toilets on the Way

Portable toilets are returning to three public recreational areas in Poquott. The village board solicited bids from various providers and on Thursday elected to go with Direct Drainage Inc., which will charge the village $1,552.50 for three portable toilets with biweekly cleaning services from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

The port-a-potties will be installed at Trustees Park, California Beach and Walnut Beach for residents using those village recreational facilities. Village clerk Eileen Harvey described the port-a-potties as "flush-type portable toilet units with sinks."

Winter Storm Damage Surveyed

Trustees agreed on Thursday that Poquott weathered this winter's storms with relative ease.

"I thought we came through pretty unscathed," trustee Kathy Matthews said. "I think we had the best-plowed roads of any of the villages in Brookhaven."

Donovan cited one exception: the spot known as the triangle, where Van Brunt Manor Road meets Shore Road, where plows knocked over a fence and caused damage to the road itself.

"I don't think they even saw the fences," she said. "We're more concerned about the road damage."

Budget Draft in Progress

An updated draft of the village's upcoming budget showed a projection of $461,380 in expenses with $461,380 in revenue. Last year's approved budget included $448,112 in revenue with $626,126 in expenses, which included the use of surplus funds to . The village expects to hold a public hearing on the budget in April.