One of the most serious issues before the Plandome Board is the improvement to Plandome Road. The issue and its complexities are not new to Plandome. According to Anthony Corin, a longtime Plandome resident, the issue goes back 40 years.

In he latest attempt to improve the road, Henry Sikorski, highway commissioner, presented the most recent research and engineering plans form Sidney Bowne & Son which delineates the proposed improvements to Plandome Road. The estimated costs for construction, engineering, sidewalks, lighting and legal are $1,243,750. Without outside funding from the county and the state, the cost per resident would be an approximately $300 per year over a 15-year period, representing an approximate 11 percent tax increase.

In addition to monetary considerations, the board discussed the impact of diverting 7,000 vehicles a day during the course of the 19-month renovation period. Eight months of paving would be preceded by eleven months of utility and drainage repair and replacement.

These issues, while a cause of concern, are overshadowed by the larger issue of whether or not Plandome wants to proceed on its own or look for relief from Nassau County and allow Nassau County to consider a road takeover.

Board members and residents considered the pros and cons of this issue without coming to a consensus. A takeover would free Plandome residents of the costs and liability of maintaining Plandome Road. Henry Sikorski posed the question of "What would happen to the residents?" Can case law prohibit widening of the road to county specifications and can environmental issues keep Plandome Road from turning into a major thoroughfare? These thorny issues were on the minds of all the trustees when they decided that more exploration and research of the issue was warranted before proceeding further.

In addition to Plandome Road repair, the board was asked to consider revisions to the official village map. Specifically the board considered whether the designation of private road on certain locations should revert back to a pre-1990 designation of "undesignated." A working group comprised of Mayor Brian Vincent, Trustee Betty Craco, Werner Pleus and Village Clerk Tim Rice made this recommendation.

Trustee Michael Donoghue questioned the wisdom of only addressing half the issue—that of removing an inadvertent designation—and not renaming it with what the property actually is. Trustee Donoghue called for greater clarity in defining the property to avoid putting the burden of definition on the 14 residents whose property abuts the area in question. One resident affected by the change wanted to know "with what uncertainty the residents would be left."

Trustee Henry Sikorski asked for a definition of "undesignated" and how the zoning board would respond to the classification. Werner Pleus of the zoning board said that a designation of "undesignated" would have an implied definition according to use. The board is sending a letter to the 14 affected residents and awaiting their comments before acting on the issue.

Dealing with administrative matters, Mayor Vincent acknowledged with congratulations and thanks the re-election of Trustee Craco and Trustee Sikorski for two-year terms on the board. All trustees will keep their present areas of responsibilities. The board approved the reappointments to various positions of Tim Rice, Kathleen Tonry, Al Collard, John Foley, Raymond Herbert, Grace Jayne, Donald Gerber, Henri LeClerc, Peter Weiler, Sidney Bowne & Son and Henderson & Casey. The new addition to the zoning board is Lloyd Williams.

The board went on to approve the awarding of two contracts for work in the village. Trustee Scott Wilson informed the board that in competitive bidding Ed Woodworks won the contract for the painting of the exterior of the village hall. Trustee Craco informed the board that the new contract for rubbish removal was awarded to Residential Services Incorporated, formally Donno Corp., for a three-year period. The new three-year contract results in savings for the community.

The next board meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 12 at 8 p.m. in the village hall.