With the dawn of August in the rearview and the summer's sunset on the horizon, Saltaire kicked into high gear a number of projects and issues that have so far languished in the sun.

The village board is expected to vote at the next meeting on a contract with the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) for a system overhaul. Security officers ramped up enforcement after residents balked last month at the persistent nighttime bicyclist scofflaws riding without lights. An auction was finally held for surplus village land on Pacific Walk, although the results were not available as of press time.

Just to spice things up, the discussion was at the newly renovated library on the ground floor of village hall on the evening of Friday, Aug. 5, as opposed to the usual Saturday mornings across the walk at the firehouse (mass casualty training was underway in the usual spot.) With the Saltaire centennial celebration the next day, the venue was adorned with the village's centenary exhibit.

"We're experimenting to see if there might be a time that's more convenient to encourage more people to come to board meetings," said Mayor Robert Cox.

For better or worse, zoning issues briefly joined Lighthouse Promenade truck traffic as the top complaint among Saltairians in attendance.

Hugh O'Brien stirred the crowd while discussing his first major assignment since his re-election, a comprehensive review and updating of village zoning codes, some of which have confounded modern renovations.

"This is not going to be something that's going to be done in a backroom...and then the next thing you know we're voting on it," said Cox. "We'll be reaching out to professionals in the community," added trustee John Zaccaro.

O'Brien noted that chief among issues being analyzed is the permit process for homes that are in need of renovations but are also grandfathered into current codes despite violations thanks to what are known as pre-existing nonconforming uses.

The Salty Spray

One last time before the off-season began, the board reminded the village that the SCWA will fund 60 percent of replacing a six-inch main with a 12-inch main. The job will save the village $1 million for a backup water tank, will increase water pressure and leave the system under village domain.

Work is slated to begin this fall and is expected to be completed by next summer. The work will coincide with the replacement of Lighthouse Promenade with slightly wider pre-fab concrete slabs used on bridges to mitigate truck traffic damage. Among the lengthy complaints was a suggestion that the village charge a toll for trucks, but the board said it did not have the authority.

Security Chief Denis Foley said officers issued seven summonses for bicycling without lights at night in July; up from two all season during his report one month prior. They also ticketed locals for fireworks, minors with beer and handled a case of a dog bite.

He added that a pair of suspected bike thieves believed to be responsible for some of the about 20 stolen bicycles this season were recently questioned, but these suspected scofflaws insisted they were just "sightseeing" at 3 a.m. The case has been referred to Suffolk County police. Foley noted that the village has seen far less bike thefts of late, down from about 20 per week, but all of the victims failed to lock their bicycles.

The board noted that the village is systematically replacing its board walk planks. It recently received $110,000 reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for fixing storm damage to the bay front. The head of the Saltaire Citizens Advisory Association made his case for the village taking over the golf cart driving service, but the board refused.

In addition, two village employees were recently fired "for behavior unbecoming of a lifeguard," said Trustee Alex Chefetz, who declined to elaborate.

In more personal news, village administrator Mario Posillico's 19-year-old daughter Michelle was still hospitalized as of the Aug. 5 meeting after an alleged drunken boater slammed into the family's boat in July. (She has since recovered enough to participate in the Saltaire Jogathon.)

The next village board meeting will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, at the usual place, the firehouse.