'Big Oak' Piece Unveiled at Lloyd Harbor Village Hall

A slice of Lloyd Harbor's "Big Oak" will live on forever at village hall, after being unveiled at Monday's Board of Trustees meeting.

The black oak tree, which at one point was reputed to be the biggest black oak in North America, stood for more than 500 years at the corner of Lloyd Harbor Road and Forrest Drive. In September 2006, a storm knocked the tree down.

Sgt. Gregory Muller, who does woodworking, took a slice off one of the tree's limbs. He worked for about a year to preserve a slice of one of the tree's limbs. Muller said he sanded the portion down before stabilizing it and coating it with polyurethane — leaving it in its natural state.

"That's what the tree stands for," said Muller.

The tree slice is now on display in the Village Hall library, atop a stand also constructed by Muller. Hairr said a brass plaque will be added in the future, honoring Muller for his work.

Muller described the project as "a real pleasure" to complete, and added he was very satisfied with how it turned out.

Also at the meeting:

• During the village police report, Chief Charles Flynn reviewed a Dec. 15 accident when a on West Neck Road, sending the truck crashing into a telephone pole. Flynn said traffic had to be redirected as a result of the accident, and cleaning up the accident itself was delayed, due to school letting out nearby. Flynn said the 68-year-old driver of the truck was not badly hurt.
• The board voted unanimously to approve extra funding of approximately $8,000 to continue with village culling after four car accidents in November involving deer. No injuries reported from any of the accidents. The mayor said 82 deer have been removed from the village this year. The village's culling permit expires Dec. 31. Hairr said he would contact the state to extend the permit through March.
• Trustee Matthew Strunk gave an update on the village's new website plans. Strunk said the website is expected to go live Jan. 16.