Jay Beber, a Flower Hill resident who lives in the area of the village located in Roslyn, was appointed to the village board of trustees on Monday to fill the remainder of the term vacated by former Trustee Eileen Mills.
Mills, whose seat is up for re-election in March, resigned in November due to family issues.
Village of Flower Hill Mayor Elaine Phillips said Beber brings “a talent to this board that we’ve been missing” with his professional background in communications, graphic design and technology.
Beber attended a board workshop in early November and was later asked to join the board.
“He’s already brought so much to the table,” Phillips said.
The Village of Flower Hill is located in the Roslyn, Manhasset and Port Washington communities.
Phillips has said the board seeks an even balance of trustees from each community.
Trustee Randall Rosenbaum also lives in the part of the village located in Roslyn.
Beber is the second trustee to be appointed to the board in as many months.
In November, Brian Herrington, who resides in the Manhasset portion of the village, was appointed to fill the trustee position vacated by former Deputy Mayor Tab Hauser, who moved out of Flower Hill.
Prior to Herrington’s appointment, Trustee Robert McNamara was named the village’s new deputy mayor.
In other developments:
• The board tabled a vote on a proposed law that would ban longboards – a type of skateboard measuring 31 inches or greater in length, according to the proposal – from Colony Lane, a village roadway that residents said has become a frequent site for downhill racing.
The vote was postponed, village administrator Ronnie Shatzkamer said Tuesday, so that Rosenbaum could be part of the public hearing on the law. Rosenbaum was absent from Monday’s meeting.
The proposed law would grant the board the authority to ban skateboarding and longboarding – a form of skateboarding that utilizes a longer board and larger wheels for increased speed and sharper turns, but with limited potential for tricks – on roadways where such activity would threaten public safety.
A first-time violation of the law would carry a maximum $250 fine, while each violation after that would hold a maximum $500 fine.
Residents said the law would not be strict enough, as it would not ban all skateboarding from Colony Lane.
But McNamara said the law, as written, would give trustees the authority to amend stipulations on the type of skateboarding outlawed and the streets on which it is prohibited.
“We’ve got to begin somewhere,” McNamara said. “If you come back to me and say, Bob, this is still a major problem, we’ll fix it.”
Phillips said the village has offered to post signs along Colony Lane notifying skateboarders of the ban, but residents have balked at the suggestion.
• Trustees approved amendments to the village’s tree laws, requiring building applicants to receive tree removal permits, and to its building code, requiring applicants proposing home additions of 500 or more square feet to post a $25,000 bond that would be refunded upon the village issuing a certificate of occupancy on the property.
• The board also approved the Port Washington Fire Department’s 2015-16 contract for fire and ambulance services for the portion of the village located in Port Washington.
The $283,730.56 contract runs from June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016. Shatzkamer said the price represents a 1.4 percent increase from 2014-15.
The Roslyn Fire Companies, protection collaboration between the Roslyn Rescue and Roslyn Highlands fire departments, and the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire District, cover the other portions of the village.
• The board appointed Gabriella Moritzio to the village’s ethics board to succeed the late Charles Vachris.
