VIDEO FOR 11/12/13 PV BOARD OF TRUSTEES: THIRD PUBLIC HEARING DATE SET

Video for the most recent meeting of the Patchogue Village Board of Trustees  of 11/12/13 is now online via You Tube. If you want to skip the rest of this blog narrative you can go directly to the video which appears on the front page of the website of the Citizens Campaign for Open Village Government: www.patchoguevillagecitizens.com.

To help guide viewers through the video please remember there are tools available. For example the video  page also comes with a PDF document that includes a copy of the meeting agenda a basic roadmap to the meeting’s events.  It is in the first of three PDF files provided with the video. Or go to the village website and download a copy directly:  www.patchoguevillage.org.  

The PDF documents also includes other information referred to during the course of the meeting by the Trustees. It is a copy of what is called the “Trustee Packet”; documents not otherwise available to the public but which have been obtained via a freedom of information request. These documents are not posted anywhere else online and not distributed to the public at Board meetings. 

Before posting a time line narrative I wanted to make these comments. This video marks one year of filming meetings of the Village Board by the Citizens Campaign for Open Village Government a resident group of village citizens. This is an independent effort. We get no funds from any government body. All work is the result of volunteer efforts and all costs born by the organization to publish the videos and various documents such as the Trustee packets.  Our goal is and still remains to provide public information to the residents of Patchogue Village. We have chosen filming Trustee meetings and sometimes other Boards such as the Zoning, Planning, and CDA with that goal in mind. Our approach has been, as best as is humanly possible, to provide the video in a neutral manner. Our motto: seeing is believing, the facts speak for themselves. 

We expect to continue this effort for the foreseeable future.

In the past extensive notes have been provided for the meetings. I have been changing that format recently concentrating instead on noting significant events for possible viewing. That said there remains much in this video and any video of the Board that should be seen by any person wanting to get deeper insight into how the village government works. As well often the great span of events that is part of village life is also captured in the reports and discussions by members of the Board and the public too who also have a role in these meetings. No narrative, short or long, can capture all that does occur at a meeting and in the end for a complete picture viewing the whole video is often the best way of getting a sense of that broad view of what is happening in Patchogue Village often not reported in main stream media too for a host of reasons. 

This video is about an hour and half long. Like all videos that are published by the Citizens Campaign it has been reviewed for technical issues. There is one in this video: a few seconds of video are lost during one discussion due to a tripod issue. The video is otherwise without issues and is a faithful and true representation of the meeting. Video taken by Greg Powers at this meeting. 

Time line narrative in minutes (highlighted events only)

From left to right sitting at the meeting table: Trustees Keyes, Crean and Ferb, deputy Clerk Irene Detmer, Mayor Pontieri, Deputy Mayor Krieger, Trustees Devlin and Hilton, Chris Bianco village assistant attorney.
Treasurer Krawczyk, Village Clerk Seal, Village attorney Egan absent.

After formal opening of meeting approval of bills including payment of all bills due to 66k overrun for road repairs (previously filmed and available for viewing on the Campaign’s website video for 10-29-13 Board meeting go to segment beginning at 32 minutes, twelve seconds in that video for more detail).

4:25 Special permit requested for one riverfront business preceded by Public Hearing

8:30 During public hearing comments from resident Dennis Ross advocating that five year permits only be granted to allow the Board to review compliance with their terms. Mr. Ross citing his view that a pattern existed in the village whereby various businesses have appeared for permits promising one thing and then doing something else once they had obtained them with the village then not being to do anything when this occurred.

10:45 Public hearing date set for permits to allow rooftop dining in the D3 business district
14:43 Trustee Keyes reports…of note plans to begin parking lot repairs starting on 11/18/13...
28:45 Dennis Smith, Ex. Dir. BID (Business Improvement District) reports…various projects discussed including preliminary exploration of video camera installation for main street (at 33:09)
35:39 David Kennedy, Ex. Dir. Chamber of Commerce reports…various holiday events discussed e.g. Boat parade and plans for proposed but not yet approved “Midnight on Main Street” New Year street event…parking meter impact also referred to….
47:50 Trustee Krieger reports…Theater events round up
52:34 Trustee Crean reports….more discussion of Midnight on Main Street proposed event 
54:38 Trustee Ferb reports…discussion of Marcelo Lucero vigil
56:05 Trustee Devlin reports…further discussion of Marcelo Lucero vigil and reference to recent book on this subject (publication of book “Hunting Season”)….news that Plaza Mac cinema space will soon have new lounge area with bar…appeal for resumes for an opening as an alternate member of the Planning Board

Time line narrative now in hour, minute and seconds

1:00:19 Trustee Hilton reports…various holiday events including Christmas Parade discussed…bocce courts at Father Tortora Park now going forward towards being laid for future use by the public

Public Portion (residents address Board on any matters of concern)

1:07:27 Mary Kassner…thanks to Board and Leg. Calarco for resolving crossing safety issue affecting neighborhood children on No. Ocean avenue…concerns expressed about persistent alleged zoning allegations for a property located at 172 No. Ocean Avenue with a request for the Board to act.
1:13:21 Jean Donnelly resident and Board officer of the Riverwalk Condo complex presents the Board with a petition asking for parking relief on the west side of Railroad Avenue….complaints about the impact of the Emporium nightclub voiced.
1:15:25 Lori Belmonte asks the Board to assess aggressive panhandling issue at 7/11 located on east main street
1:22:23 John Bogack…question about status of the Carnegie Library building ownership transfer to the PM Library…question about status of the plan to move the bus stop from South Street to Unity Place….additional complaint about aggressive pan handling at Walgreens on River avenue and main street
1:24:00 Dennis Ross…complaint about jack hammer concrete repair work by local business undertaken at 6 a.m.
Meeting ends

Next video: 11/25/13 Board meeting at which no less than three public hearings are now scheduled: a change to parking requirements for businesses seeking to expand in the D3 business district (particularly main street area), end of moratorium now in effect preventing existing businesses in D3 zone from “intensifying use”  for example converting second floor spaces for rooftop decks, lastly public hearing allowing rooftop deck areas in the D3 business district by special permit granted by the Board of Trustees.
The public is welcome to speak at each of the three public hearings and as per routine at the end of the official agenda members of the public are allowed to speak on any subject of concern during the Public Portion.

Also residents are reminded that they may email their elected leaders via the Village website that does have an email option to do so: www.patchoguevillage.org. As always the Citizens Campaign urges all who can go to the Board meetings to do so. It is important that those elected officials who represent us hear what the public has to say so that they can reach decisions in the name of the people they represent by knowing first hand just what those views actually are.