Newsletter of June 5, 2020

Greetings!

Just when we thought that we were recovering from the pandemic, we are faced with more tragic news. We share the horror that all of our country feels at the senseless death of George Floyd, and the events that have transpired in New York and almost everywhere in the days since. We are fortunate to have our beloved Pines, and we can all take pride in our community’s long history of diversity and inclusivity. Together, we can give each other support and strength during these difficult times.

Re-openings!

Starting this weekend and over the weekend, you will start to see some small changes as we take bigger and bigger steps towards returning to normalcy. Governor Cuomo has granted requests from many elected officials and businesses to expedite the opening of restaurants for outdoor dining. That service can begin in Suffolk County as early as Wednesday, June 8th. In the meantime, the Canteen is now open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the Blue Whale is now open for drinks (both are take-out only; masks are required). Keep checking for updates on Facebook at facebook.com/ThePinesFireIsland .

In other ways, you will also see return to regular summer activity. Our volleyball nets are up on the beach. Residents are doing a great job of practicing social distancing and wearing masks. Thank you for your ongoing efforts, and please continue to keep up the good work!

Post Office

Our post office is receiving a number of very large and very heavy packages. Ours is a small post office staffed by volunteers. Please bear that in mind in sending anything very heavy or very large. Due to the volume of packages, the Pines Post Office has NEW hours. It is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for postal operations from Noon to 2 pm.

Sayville Ferry

Sayville Ferry Service reports that it has been able to achieve its goal of less than 50% occupancy on all ferries. Please note that SFS is seeing heaver ridership on the Thursday and Friday ferries. For now, the ferry schedule will remain the same, but SFS will be discontinuing the triangles on Thursdays and Fridays and running ferries directly to the Pines. SFS reports that riders have been excellent in terms of cooperating with the requirement of wearing masks or face coverings.

Harbor Dredging

Some of you may have seen the large equipment in the harbor and on the Boulevard that we are using to perform our biannual dredging project. Dredging the harbor is necessary to allow all boats to come in and out of the harbor without issue.

Pines Clean-up Day

Saturday is Community Clean-up Day . Please take advantage of the free dumpsters provided by FIPPOA at Cedar, Coast Guard, Fishermen’s Path, and Nautilus. Earlier this week, we sent out an e-blast, which details the items that can be collected in the dumpsters. We encourage you to do your spring cleaning from 9 am to noon.

On the subject of cleaning, we have received complaints abouts unleashed dogs and dog poop left on the boardwalks. Please keep your dog(s) on leashes and dispose of their poop using the waste bags that FIPPOA provides throughout the community for this purpose. The police will be starting to enforce these regulations.

Last but not least, the weather forecast looks great this weekend, and we hope you take advantage of it, whether for cleaning or relaxing, or a bit of both!

Best,

Jay