Asharoken Notebook: New Boat Arrives, 2010 Crime Free (Almost)

dominated the most recent Village of Asharoken meeting on January 3rd, but there were several other points of note from the meeting, including the village's response to last month's winter storm and a new addition to the Village Police Department.

The New Police Boat
The police department also taken delivery of  to replace the outdated one. The new boat is smaller than the old boat by a foot and is equipped with a keel guard and new electronic equipment. Once the lettering is placed on the boat and the radios are installed, it will be ready to use. Trustee Joe Affrunti was praised by both Irving and Tilleli for his work securing the grant to pay for the boat. Affrunti, Tilleli, and Village Attorney Ken Savin traveled to Scranton to pick up the boat and drive it back to Asharoken. Affrunti is beginning the process of selling the old boat.

Asharoken and the Blizzard
In her Mayor's Report, Irving noted that the beach held up well during the two-day blizzard that hit the area on December 26th and 27th. Most notably, the newly-installed sea wall survived its first test of severe weather, yielding only one splash-over that caused pea gravel to splash on to the road (but not impede traffic).

One of the reasons why Asharoken was largely unaffected by the blizzard was because the National Grid recently completed a beach restoration project where they replaced approximately 49,000 cubic yards of sand on the beach. In reporting on the aftermath of the blizzard, Trustee Joe Tilleli stated that while there was still minor erosion, Mayor Irving's persistence in getting National Grid to replant the sand prevented the blizzard from causing disastrous effects on the beach. The plan, referred to as the "Reinforcement of the Power Plant Operating Permit", will be released in full on January 7th.

Year-End Asharoken Police Report
One of the longer official reports came from officer-in-charge Ray Mahdesian, who presented the results of the Asharoken Police Department's Year-End report for 2010. He characterized the report as very good, noting that the Village had nearly  a crime-free year, something that he said is nearly unheard of. There was one burglary in the village in 2010, but Mahdesian called it a targeted situation and said that residents had nothing to fear. 

He also mentioned that a backup dispatch service provided by the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department would no longer be provided in 2011. Mahdesian did not consider this to be a big deal, however, as he couldn't recall a situation where the Sheriff's Department was called upon, since they can just call the dispatch service already in place with the Police Department.

Mahdesian concluded with a request for the board for a proper facility for the AsharokenVillage Police Department to do their job properly and safely, calling it the department's number one goal.

Mayor Irving's New Appointment was brought up by the mayor at the end of her report. She expressed her excitement over the appointment while reaffirming to the Asharoken citizens present that she was committed to put as much into being their mayor as she could. She added that separate opinions from  village counsel and the New York Council of Mayors stated that the positions were compatible with one another and that she could keep both of them. The mayor received congratulations from several village officers at their end of their reports.

Upcoming Meetings
The next Village of Asharoken meeting will take place on February 7th, 2011.