The May 2025 Sands Point mid-year report

Dear Residents, May, 2025

 Welcome to the May, 2025 mid-year report.  While there is always a lot going on in the Village, this report will cover an overview and update on many of the issues we have been focused on over the past half year.  In short, I am excited to report we are “firing on all cylinders,” and we are prepared for every challenge or issue we The Village may face to keep our positive momentum.

• Former Mayor Ed Adler joins as advisor:

  • We are thrilled to announce that former Mayor Ed Adler will become an advisor to the Mayor and the Board of Trustees on strategy and resident outreach. We are excited that Ed has agreed to join us in this role, and we welcome “leveraging” his decades of experience in the Village.

• Club momentum:

  • Great news from the Club: I am so very pleased to report that the Interim General Manager, Jon Cheshire, an industry veteran and a Long Island resident (two attributes we really wanted in our next GM for long-term stability), has been approved as permanent General Manager of the Village Club. Jon possesses strong financial and strategic skills, which are critical to managing the Club through business cycles.  He is already on the job, and we are working effectively on many strategic and facilities issues together.

  • The Club is projected to again be extremely cash flow positive for the current calendar year with excess cash flowing to the taxpayer fund--and while also continuing to invest in the Club’s facilities.

  • As reported recently, Private Banquet events at the Club have reopened to Club members after an analysis of food and beverage offerings at the Club.  Management has proposed new menus, pricing, and structures.  We look forward to moving forward with events. 

  • The Grille renovation committee continues to meet and to move forward with planning and designs.  We look forward to sharing those draft plans in the near future.  We are most likely to begin construction toward the end of the current season to minimize disruption to members and the dining experience.

  • Of note: Golf and most categories are sold out for this year (and many already for next year).

  • Our new Director of Golf, Kyle Higgins, continues to settle in and is growing our golf programs and lessons.

  • In summary, the Club is the strongest it has ever been, and we are currently focused on how to further enhance the member experience, increase its value and cash flow to the village, and maintain this strength through any down economic cycles that may come.

  
  

• Public Works and Water:

  • Water quality is one of our most important priorities in the Village.  We often say clean and reliable water isn’t cheap, but we are pleased to report that after running some comparisons of our water costs to Port Washington Water District, depending on how much water you use, our rates are comparable--sometimes a little bit less; sometimes a little bit more.

    
    

• Significant water infrastructure improvements up and running!

  • The new GAC filtration facility behind Village Hall, for the removal of PFAS and other “forever” chemicals, which has been under construction for the past couple of years, is now up and running!  I cannot emphasize enough how important these filtration plants are to the long-term safety and reliability of clean water in Sands Point! Great news, indeed.

  • Our second GAC on Thayer Ln proceeds through the bidding process, and we hope to select a winning bidder shortly.

  • Lastly, our fully permitted, partially drilled, well #9 has now completed all regulatory and environmental reviews that full continuation can commence.  It is moving along!

• Building Dept, BZA, and PB--executing at highest level ever

  • Building Dept continues to accelerate the processing of Building Dept applications:

    • Recently (and increasingly), some applicants have been able to get through the BZA in just one meeting.  That is a dramatic improvement since the beginning of the overhaul of the department and the replacement of all staff therein.

  • One of the major developments in the Building Dept has been the addition of a Village Arborist over the past year.  The Arborist has materially accelerated BZA and BD cases and helped to reduce applicant costs.  Having a Village Arborist has allowed the preponderance of “tree” and landscaping issues to be resolved before the first appearance of the applicant in the BZA hearing room.

  • Review of grade and skyplane code:  The Supt. of the Building Dept has been asked to prepare a review of and recommend changes to a number of sections of our land use code including  skyplane, base grade definitions, and related issues.  This has not been reviewed in decades. We want VSP to continue to be the destination and village of choice!

• Character of the neighborhood:  We have added to our staff an additional code enforcement officer, which has added capacity to further patrol the village to monitor and review tree, wildlife, noise, signage, street conditions, and other characteristics of the neighborhood.

• Finances of the Village:

  • In all departments (Police, Village Hall/General Taxpayer Fund, Water, and Club), we continue to run at or better than budget.  This strong fiscal discipline is key to so much of what we do.

  • The Village has an impressive Moodys Aa1 credit rating--same as the federal gov--and just one small notch below “Aaa”.

• Public Safety and Security unparalleled:

  • According to Police Chief Ruehle, Sands Point is one of the SAFEST, if not the safest community in all of Nassau County. We strongly support our Police Department with its dedicated and professional officers, and they support our Village.

  • Continuing our incredibly low-level (almost non-existent) level of car thefts. We have had only one car theft in 10 months--and in that and previous cases, the keys were in the car.

  • Our police are prepared for offshore noise in conjunction with Nassau County and other marine bureaus.  As a reminder, we extended our noise laws to 1000’ offshore and put floating markers, buoys, and rafts to alert boaters where no amplified sound is allowed.  If you hear offensive noise, you need to call the Police at 516-883-3100.  If they can’t log the calls, they can’t address the issue short- and long-term.

    
    

• Successful procurement of grants:  

  • Working actively on more grants for the Village after this administration has secured over $8mm successfully!

• Village Taxes maintained within tax cap!

  • Glad to report that for over a decade now, the Village has maintained the overall tax levy (the sum of what residents pay in property taxes to the Village annually) within the NYS 2% tax cap law, which allows for a small additional increase for new homes and sub-divided lots.  The Village has never exceeded the Tax Cap.

  • Individual home taxes are assessed by Nassau County--not the Village.  That determines how the total tax levy is allocated amongst homes.

• Strong fiscal budget oversight for the current fiscal year:

  • Budgets are balanced and spending kept in check

  • Results in:

    • Taxes kept low

    • Cash is being reserved for water infrastructure

  • Investing in Treasuries is yielding hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in additional revenues.

• Private Roads Forum:

  • In the near future, we will hold a meeting with people who live on private roads to discuss how they can convert their roads to public, and if they believe they may already be public, how the Village can research that.

• Voting Day:  June 17, 2025 from noon to 9pm at Village Hall.

• Call for village volunteers: We welcome and need enthusiastic village volunteers to build our bench on various committees and boards.  We are looking to train the future leaders of the Village by giving them exposure to the many complexities and different aspects of the Village.  This is the way to grow future leadership and effect smooth transitions.

In summary, as your Mayor, along with the entire Board of Trustees, we continue to work hard and thoughtfully for the Village and are pleased to report by all important metrics, the village has never been stronger. We are actively planning what steps we would take if the economy weakens.  We are honored to continue to represent this special community and humbled by the confidence you place in us.  We will do our best every day to keep this exceptional momentum for our Village.

On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, that is all for now.

Mayor Peter A. Forman