Chestnut Street from Franklin Avenue to the Long Island Rail Road trestle at St. James Street South will be closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic for approximately six weeks, beginning Monday, Sept. 11. During this period, contractors will be reconstructing the road, installing a new storm drainage system and replacing curbs and sidewalks. Traffic will be detoured away from Chestnut Street during this period of construction.

This project will undoubtedly cause inconvenience and increase traffic volumes on Stewart Avenue. Please give yourselves additional time to get to your destination, particularly during the morning commuting hours.

As I write this column, Hurricane Debby is proceeding toward South East Florida. With the summer storm and hurricane season upon us, I would like to share some important safety suggestions with you. After a storm goes through, everyone likes to go out and survey the neighborhood to see what damage the storm has left behind.

One of the greatest dangers from summer storms is that of downed power lines. Always assume any downed line is still energized, and, therefore, deadly. Notify the Fire or Police Department immediately. Be extra careful of children playing around fallen trees and large limbs, as there is a danger of a power line being entwined in the branches. Also, if a large limb has fallen, there is usually the chance of more branches falling from the same tree.

If a power line falls across your car and you are in it, the safest action to take is to stay in your vehicle and wait for help to come.

If your street is flooded, you can assist the village by clearing branches and leaves from the catch basin inlet. Never attempt to remove the manhole cover to the catch basin or to the sanitary sewer system.

We can all make these experiences a little more bearable, if we take the following steps:

1. Every home should have flashlights, spare batteries and a battery operated radio (to listen to weather updates). Either set up an emergency storm kit or keep all of the items in the same place so that you can find them in the dark when you need them.

2. Post the village's emergency telephone numbers by your telephone: Police - 911; Fire - 746-2800; Water/Sewer 465-4021; and Department of Public Works, 485-7540.

3. If you lose power, you should shut off and unplug all electronic equipment (TVs, stereos, VCR's, computers, etc.), so that if there is a power surge when the power is restored, the equipment won't be damaged.

With a little preparation, the summer storm season will pass with, hopefully, a minimum amount of inconvenience.

The Village's 1999 Annual Report was mailed to residents recently. The purpose of the report is to provide residents with an account of the stewardship of village affairs by its board of trustees during the past fiscal year. I encourage you to review the report and to please retain it as a reference source - especially if you have children of school age.