Parting thoughts from Trustee Robert Vella
It has been an honor to serve our community as a Trustee during the past four years and I would like to thank you for your confidence and support during my tenure.
When I was elected four years ago, the most glaring issue facing our village was a longstanding dispute with Williston Park regarding the supply and cost of water.
The issue was highly contentious and caused real divisions between our two communities.
My hope was to assist in bridging the gap and bringing about a reasonable solution.
Through the hard work and dedication of our mayor and my fellow trustees, I believe we have reached a point where our village has two clear and reasonable options that will provide a solution for the next 25 years and beyond.
While we all may not agree on which solution is best, we can all agree that a solution that provides certainty for the next quarter century is a vast improvement over the conditions that have prevailed for the last decade.
Our two villages have finalized an agreement in principal that sets forth the terms of water distribution and costs for the next 25 years.
As many of you are aware, our board has also pursued a parallel path of building our own, independent water supply system.
This choice is one of the most important and permanent issues that our village has ever faced. It is a choice that may never present itself again.
Because of the far reaching implications of this decision, I feel that it is crucially important that all of our residents have as much input as possible into which course of action we should take.
We are not permitted to hold a referendum on the direct question of whether or not to build a well.
However, we are permitted to hold a referendum on whether or not to approve financing for such a project.
In doing so, our residents will have the opportunity to be heard on the issue. Residents would have the ability to vote to approve the financing for the construction of the well or to strike down the financing, which would, I believe, provide the basis to finalize the agreement with Williston Park for the supply of water.
With warm regards, I thank you all for the opportunity to have served as trustee of this wonderful village.
Rob Vella
East Williston
