Former Lloyd Harbor Trustee Honored by Board

Dr. Ralph Alfenito, a trustee for Lloyd Harbor who retired in the spring, was recognized by the board at their monthly meeting for his 11 years of service to the village.

"We're very blessed in this village to have so many volunteers," said Mayor Leland Hairr as he introduced Alfenito at the start of the meeting. According to Hairr, Alfenito served on the board for almost three terms starting in 2001. He served on various committees and was also the trustee's police commissioner for a few years.

"He was a valuable addition to our board," said Hairr. As a way to recognize Alfenito's contributions to the village, Hairr said a Japanese maple tree was planted outside the entrance of Village Hall in Alfenito's honor.

After posing for pictures, Alfenito was congratulated by the board and thanked for his service. Trustee Leland Deane thanked Alfenito for getting him involved in the village in the first place.

"I enjoyed it, it's delightful, I know it's in good hands," said Alfenito about his time on the Board of Trustees.

Also at the meeting, the board went over last year's law regarding real estate signage in the village. Three brokers were present at the hearing to discuss the laws.

One of the biggest issues at stake was the village's signage fee charged to brokers for displaying signs on properties for sale. The current fee is $250, a price some brokers feel is too excessive. Mayor Hairr explained the village looked at prices in other nearby villages, including Oyster Bay Cove, as a model in setting theirs. Oyster Bay Cove's fee is $200 for the first four months, with $100 for four-month renewals after that.

Christine DiRaimo, an attorney and broker in attendance, used neighboring Laurel Hollow as an example, as both villages feed into the Cold Spring Harbor school district and prospective buyers looking for a home in the district tend to look in both villages. Laurel Hollow charges a $50 signage fee for six months.

"If there are many more signs there, I think it's harmful to the homeowner here," said DiRaimo "There are many expenses in marketing a high-end home. My concern is that it should be somewhat uniform."

Village Clerk Eileen Schulz said the $250 was decided upon to compensate for realtors visiting Village Hall and spending "an inordinate time" talking with village officials about houses for sale. "It's quite a lot of work," said Schulz, though broker Donald Morrongiello said he doesn't believe there's a correlation between the fee and the village's assistance.

"It wasn't an arbitrary number picked out of the air," explained Trustee Hilary Rolih. Rolih said he believes realtors spending so much time at Village Hall is "a plus," as village officials help them out so much and it makes buyers more willing to move to Lloyd Harbor. The other board members agreed that the $250 is reasonable and moved to keep the fee at that price, though Deane asked for the board to re-examine the price in six months.

Members present for the meeting:

• Mayor Leland Hairr
• Deputy Mayor Jean Thatcher
• Trustee Hilary Rolih
• Trustee William Bardo
• Trustee Leland Deane
• Trustee Matthew Strunk
• Trustee Steven Herling

The next Board of Trustees meeting will be held on November 19th at Village Hall at 7:30 p.m.