Ocean Beach breathed a sigh of relief that Hurricane Irene, downgraded to a tropical storm shortly before it rolled ashore west of Fire Island last month, didn't ruin the prospects of Labor Day weekend once the floodwaters receded. But at their first meeting since the biggest storm in a quarter century hit, village officials wasted no time with plans to shore up the battered beach.

The board approved a measure to seek an extension on an existing beach scraping permit, which would allow the village to use sand dumped on the beach by Irene to build up the dunes. Washovers in several places across the island, including in Ocean Beach, took a bite out of the dunes. Caution tape still lined the oceanfront in some spots weeks later while flotsam littered what remained of the dunes and dunegrass was combed back from the storm surge.

"Let's see if we can protect our beaches right away," said Mayor James Mallott at the Sept. 10 meeting, noting that the next renourishment project will likely not be undertaken for at least two years, if not longer.

Mallott thanked the four village police officers who stayed behind with Sgt. George Hesse after the last ferry from Fire Island left following a mandatory evacuation of the island the Friday before the storm struck. The village was less pleased with residents who stayed despite the order and its resulting automatic power outage but did not answer the door for police who went door-to-door collecting personal information in preparation of the worst-case scenario.

"After the storm blew through, people started coming out of the woodwork," said Mallott.

An Ocean Beach Fire Department representative noted that once the power was cut, all of the fire departments on the island were out of service. The public works department reported that aside from cutting down some trees and securing items that could blow away, there was no damage to village infrastructure.

In other news, the village moved to borrow $4 million for various projects, the police department got new stun guns and the board laid the groundwork to replace its building inspector. The board is also reviewing the latest version of the Fire Island Ferries contract after the company sent it back with revisions and hopes to have permits for the ferry terminal project in place soon with the goal of beginning work next fall.

The board passed a motion paving the way to float $1 million in bonds for renovations for village hall, which has a leaky roof among the repairs needed. The board also moved to float another $3 million in bonds to fund a sidewalk replacement project that will be implemented in the coming years starting this fall, if all goes as planned.

Mallott said nine village police officers were trained in using stun guns after the board passed a resolution updating the police department's policy to include their justification. The stun guns were grant funded and have audio/video recorders embedded for review of cases when they may be used. The yellow handles of the new devices could be seen sticking from officers' holsters after the meeting.

The board also rehired Theodore Minsky as a temporary building inspector on a part time basis, pending Suffolk County approval. They did not mention why Gerald Driscoll, the former village building inspector/fire marshal, resigned three days after Ocean Beach Village Justice William Wexler dismissed a building code violation that Driscoll had filed against Deputy Mayor Tom Nolter, a local developer.

The village will continue relying on town of Islip fire marshals in the meantime.

In more positive local news, the village saw a boom in off-season weddings, including several couples eager to seize Sept. 10, or 9/10/11, as their anniversary date. Some couldn't wait, such as one couple that was married over the Labor Day weekend on the Fireball, one of the ferries to Ocean Beach.