Alex Chefetz
I am seeking your support in re-election as Trustee for the Village of Saltaire. As a Board, under the
guidance and leadership of Mayor Bob Cox, combined with the hard work and dedication of our our
talented full-time staff, including Village Administrator, Mario Posillico and Treasurer Donna Lyudmer, we
have accomplished a great deal in the past 5 years:
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Hurricane Sandy Response - the Board of Trustees acted swiftly and strongly to empower our Village
team to evacuate, secure, inspect, evaluate and ultimately re-inhabit the island. The clean up and rebuilding was thoughtful and responsive. 90% + of this expense has been reimbursed by FEMA through
careful record keeping and timely applications from our Village Office.
0% Tax Rate Increase - 3 of the 5 years I have been Trustee. Tightening our belts and carefully
evaluating all planned Village expenditures, our annual Village budgeting process has become more
disciplined. 0% tax increase has now become the standard, not the exception.
Building up the Dunes - the Trap Bag deployment at the time of post-Sandy was considered new
technology and costly. The result has been a dune that has survived the tests of nature from the last 3
winters. Again 90% + FEMA covered.
New Boardwalk Design - as a Board we designed, refined and built a new Boardwalk under-structure as
well as raw material choice that has fundamentally changed the expense nature of our Boardwalk system
from a near-term maintenance program to a long-term (20-30 year) capital investment. The result is a
Boardwalk with better durability and fire resistance. 90%+ FEMA covered.
Ball Field Renovation - complete rebuild of a key Village recreation asset used by the Camp and the
whole community (soccer, softball). The field has been completely renovated resulting in higher elevation
and a strong retaining wall. I am hoping we will see significantly better recovery time following inclement
weather, resulting in higher utilization during the summer. 90%+ FEMA covered.
Purchase of the Saltaire Market - when no private purchase solution emerged, the Village stepped in to
purchase the Store and land from the Whitney family. After careful planning and vetting from industry
experts we are set to build a new Saltaire Store starting in the Fall of 2015, hopefully to open for the
Summer of 2016.
Camp Program - under the steady leadership of Ted and Jen, the Saltaire Day Camp continues to
provide Saltiare and neighboring families with a warm and nurturing experience for our children. Kim
Lincoln and team continue to lead our Library and Nursery program.
Lifeguard Program - under the watchful eye of Rich Wilde, the Saltaire Lifeguard Program continues its
near perfect Ocean/Bay safety and save program, protecting all of us, every day. Saltaire Lifeguards
continue to set the bar on FI for water safety training and preparation.
Saltaire Volunteer Fire Department - I have been supportive of our amazing group of volunteer fire
people. We as a Village the least we can do is to provide financial support to ensure our volunteers have
the best equipment available and are well trained.
Village Hall Renovation - while an on-going program, significant progress has been made towards
retrofitting the Library room and digitizing important Village records as we attempt to become more
technology efficient in a busier and more litigious world.
Zoning Code Overhaul - tremendous work went into passing a new Zoning Code that catches us up to
21st century living realities while at the same time balancing the uniqueness of old Saltaire. While
Chapter 55 was controversial when first drafted, through compromise and listening we came to a working
consensus on the key issues. This new Zoning Code should allow our Housing Inspector to better do his
job while and giving the Village enhanced protection from future legal issues around new building and
renovation by Saltaire residents and institutions.
Preservation of Capital Reserves - though careful budgeting, sequencing large capital improvement
projects and creative Government grant work, we as a Village have maintained $1mm+ of Capital
Reserves each of the past 5 years. This was a key factors in Standard & Poor's recently upgrading
Saltaire's Government Obligation bonds from an A+ rating to AAA, thereby significantly lowering our
borrowing cost of capital, just as we embark on significant capital improvement projects. While many
municipal budgets across the country are over-extended and riddled with inefficiency and hypocrisy, we
should all be very proud of the Village of Saltaire's financial condition and the transparency and
discussion on how your tax dollars are being spent.
------------While a lot has been accomplished, a lot remains in front of us as we solve for the near and longer-term
future health of Saltaire. My 5 year track record of serving as a Trustee help strategize and then
implement the initiatives listed above, is the best future indicator that I will continue to serve our
community well as a Trustee when tackling the major issues facing us in the future:
THE FUTURE
FIMI beach replenishment project – while we have unique momentum we will need to be watchful and
apply political pressure to ensure the start of the Federal Beach re-building project in the Fall of 2015.
Careful coordination of ocean front homeowner easements in Saltire, Kismet and Fair Harbor, will be
critical. If executed well, we could have a significantly larger, completely new dune system with a very
long term life expectancy, barring any future Hurricanes.
Clam Pond re-nourishment - Our hope is to tie into FIMI with the re-build of sand replenishment to
Dogfish Island, at the outer edge of Clam Pond. As we saw with Hurricane Sandy and future flooding, in
times of rising water, Clam Pond turns into a virtual "catch basin" and spills out straight through the heart
of Saltaire (Harbor Walk) – where a low lying, natural “trough” takes place. If we can significantly rebuild
the Clam Pond sandbar we could slow the deterioration of the Clam Pond bulkhead and ultimately better
protect the whole Village from flooding.
Building of the Village Market - designs are complete and construction bids have been awarded for a
Modular build. Our whole Village team will need to be carefully coordinated with Store contractors and
builders to have our new Saltaire Store ready for Summer 2016. Given the budget's size and timing,
project changes will have to be carefully monitored and coordinated.
New Municipal Building - we have now engineered a cost efficient new Municipal building to the South
of the new Village Store. We will vote on its usefulness shortly. If we move forward on the new Municipal
building, we will need to optimize the space and uses of this potential new asset for all Saltairians.
Financing the Store - as a Board we have evaluated short term and long term borrowing forms, selling
Village owned land and potential special tax assessments. We are close to coming up with a financing
plan that will allow the Village to lock in a historically low interest rate and provide us with flexibility based
on the availability of other financing sources down in the future.
Renovating the Village Office - just embarking on a process to design and price out the needed
renovation costs for a Village Office that we as a community will need as well as the future well-being of
our dedicated, full-time office staff.
Replacement of Lighthouse Walk and Bay Prom - close to a plan for Bay Prom. Lighthouse will be
more complicated and expensive and require us to think about water pipes and communications
equipment that run along side Lighthouse Walk. Vehicle traffic and speed on Lighthouse will likely
become a future safety issue again. We will need to explore speed bumps and other calming measures.
Water System - much of our water system's significant equipment infrastructure has functioned well
beyond its useful life. In the next few years will we will have to plan and budget for large water system
upgrades.
Long-term Capital Improvement projects - maintaing the Village, it services, its housing and
infrastructure projects that arise due to living on a large sandbar require planning and reacting to natural
disasters. Our team has become good at it through practice and best practice protocols. With our
Boardwalks, Store, Field done and hopefully Beach Dunes a year away - we have already tackled many
of the essential services that comprise our future.
-------------As you can see, there is a lot to do. We need passionate leaders with financial, legal and community skills
to get it done. I believe I have demonstrated these attributes not only as a Village Trustee over the past 5
years but prior to that in my Saltaire and professional life. I take this responsibility very seriously and
although the challenges have been and continue to be daunting, I am grateful to give back to the Village
that I loved as a child and cherish even more now that I am adult and parent of three children. I look
forward to continuing our renovation plan and investing in Saltaire for our children's future. I try to be
open minded, approachable, involved and listen to a range of suggestions on issues and then act
forcefully and diligently to accomplish our consensus action plan.
I appreciate your support and vote of confidence.
Alex Chefetz
Trustee - Village of Saltaire