Manorhaven Dog Park to close in fall for repairs

Jessica Chin

The Manorhaven Dog Park will close on Nov. 1, village mayor Jim Avena announced at last night’s work session.

“We’re closing it for repairs,” Avena said. The village’s decision to close the park is in response to many complaints from dog owners about woodchips on the ground making it uncomfortable for their dogs to walk on.

“We are looking for alternatives because the dog owners don’t feel comfortable about the surface,” Avena said. The village plans to reopen the park by late spring, he added.

Avena also announced that the board of trustees plans to move forward with holding a public referendum around Oct. 3 on whether to extend the mayoral term from two years to four. The board will first need to pass a resolution to extend the mayoral term at their Aug. 24 board meeting before the public can vote, Avena said.

“The board is one-hundred percent behind it,” Avena said about the resolution.

Four-year mayoral terms are common in Long Island villages, village attorney Steve Leventhal said. Under state law, changing the term length of an elected official can be done by a permissive referendum, Leventhal said.

Once the resolution is passed by the Board of Trustees, it will automatically go to village residents for a vote.

A part-time village code enforcer will be hired to enforced village codes concerning overcrowding, Avena said.

“The big issue in Manorhaven is over occupancy, there are more than one family in a dwelling,” he said. “This is one of the major complaints of the residents.

Chris Grella, a former police officer and a friend of Trustee Ken Kraft who does code enforcement for Glen Cove and Muttontown, spoke to the trustees about enforcement issues.

The village also announced that it would be cracking down on sewer waste by residents and restaurants. The village’s sewers were overflowing the past couple of weeks due to grease and baby wipes, Avena said. The village had to do an emergency cleanup.

“We are urging them to please cooperate regarding grease and baby wipes,” Avena said. “It could potentially cause a major backup.”

Cameron engineering is analyzing the village’s sewers, roads and waterfront. They will likely present their recommendations within three months, Avena said.

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