CLIFF NOTES - STILL PARTNERS CABERET LICENSE, IMPACT OF MUDSLIDE, AND FARMER’S MARKET DOMINATE PUBLIC COMMENT AT 6/9 SC VILLAGE BOARD MEETING
At the Monday, June 9, Sea Cliff Village Board Meeting, residents offered their thoughts on a number of issues.
STILL PARTNERS SEEKS PERMISSION TO HOST LIVE MUSIC ON FRIDAY NIGHTS A Public Hearing was held to consider an application to modify the Still Partners’ cabaret license so as to allow the bar/restaurant at the corner of Roslyn and Sea Cliff Avenues to host live music on Friday Nights from 7 pm to 11 pm. Their current license allows live music on Monday and Thursday nights, and Saturdays from noon until 11 pm. Co-owner Daniel Roth, took questions from the Mayor and Trustees. He said that anywhere from 30 to 70 people typically attend performances and that the bar can accommodate around 90 people. He stated that he has not had any problems with neighbors’ complaints and that any issues that have arisen have been addressed. The music he said would be funk, rock, folk, and occasionally hard rock. Trustee Carol Vogt asked if he had considered perhaps eliminating one of the other nights, to which Mr. Roth said perhaps Monday, but would prefer to keep it. That is open mic night, and he said that he believed it was good for the community to have a place to perform. Trustee Kevin McGilloway asked if a line of people trying to get in ever developed outside of the establishment. Mr. Roth said that that had only happened once. Several in attendance spoke in favor of Mr. Roth’s request. Frank DeRico said that Mr. Roth has done a great job renovating the building and runs the operation efficiently. Music on Friday nights he said would be good for the community Amy Peters said that she is a fan of Still Partners and pointed out that the time there was a line outside was for a North Shore Lacrosse Club fundraiser. James Foote said that he has an ear on the pulse of the village and that he has not heard any complaints. He did not foresee any problems arising from having live music on an additional night. He added that Still Partners has an excellent kitchen. Phil Como said that Mr. Roth and his wife Kathleen DiResta have added a great deal to the village and that he supported the request whole-heartedly. Joe Krupinsky said that Still Partners is a good business and, along with the other restaurants in the village that host live music, the community has a “great triangle of entertainment and nightlife.” The Board later approved the modification. 
BAY AVENUE RESIDENTS EXPRESS CONCERNS OVER IMPACT OF MUDSLIDE
Several residents of Bay Avenue in Sea Cliff expressed their concerns regarding the potential impact of the May 1 mudslide on their properties, and the apparent lack of progress in stabilizing the hill and cleaning up the debris that slid into Hempstead Harbor. The first speaker said that five weeks after the slide debris is still in the harbor in front of his home and he is worried about continuing erosion. “What is the Village doing about it?” he asked. Mayor Kennedy replied that because the slide took place on private property, it is the owner’s responsibility and that the Village’s involvement is somewhat limited. The Army Corps of Engineers and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, he said, have jurisdiction with regard to the impact on the Harbor. The property owner, he added, has had an engineer inspect the slope. The mayor recommended that any resident with a hillside property have an engineer’s inspection conducted, and to call their insurer to make sure their homeowner’s policy covers damage caused by slides. Trustee Carol Vogt stated that the Village has been in the process of revising the tree ordinance, and that the mudslide has caused the trustees to look at whether tree "topping" may have played a role in weakening the root system and destabilizing the hill. The new ordinance, she said, would address the issue of removing trees on steep slopes. Another Bay Avenue resident asked what could be done if the homeowner on whose property the slide occurred did not move in a timely fashion to stabilize the slope. Mayor Kennedy responded, “I would put the property owner on notice.” The resident replied that that seemed “adversarial.” Village attorney Brian Stolar added that the Army Corps and DEC are doing what they can to move the process along. A couple of residents, while acknowledging that the slide took place on private property, noted that the slide could potentially affect Bay Avenue which is under the village’s jurisdiction. Mr. Stolar said that Village engineers were “keeping an eye on the impact on Bay Avenue and Village property.” Another Bay Avenue homeowner said that he had lost 2/3 of his hill as a result of the slide and was moving as fast as he could to have a bulkhead constructed. He asked if the village would do everything it could to expedite the permit process. The Mayor replied “we can and we will.” Another resident asked “what role does the village have?” The Mayor replied, “as an advocate" for its residents. A PROPOSAL FOR A FARMER’S MARKET
During Public Comment, Amy Peters proposed re-starting the Sea Cliff Farmer’s Market, with it being located on Central Avenue between Summit and Sea Cliff Avenues, and open on Saturday mornings. Prior to the meeting she had submitted a letter to the board outlining the proposal. Produce would be provided by two relatively local growers – one located in Westbury, and the other in Old Brookville at Planting Fields. Ms. Peters anticipates that other items such as baked goods, flowers, and jams would also be offered for sale. The Board Trustees and Mayor asked several questions and commented on the proposal. Asked if it was a good idea to have it occur simultaneously to the Village Offbeat Artifacts Sale that takes place every other Saturday on the Village Green, Ms. Peters said she thought the two would complement each other very well. Trustee McGilloway asked if “Sea Cliff Market, Inc.,” which would operate the market, was a for-profit company. Ms. Peters said that it was. Mayor Kennedy said that having the market on village property would require Ms. Peters to fill out a “Facilities Use Request,” and that while he “loved the idea,” he thought that such approval could only be granted to a local not-for-profit, even though the profit to be gained for Sea Cliff, Inc. was minimal. He encouraged Ms. Peters to fill out the paper work anyway to get the process started. Ms. Peters asked if private property, such as an empty lot, could be used for the market, if she were granted permission by the owner. Mayor Kennedy replied that he thought that “was very doable,” but did not know about closing a street for a for-profit company. BACK TO WEEKLY BACK TO HOME PAGE |
