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Patchogue trustees defer resident’s request to fly large ground-handled kites at Shorefront Park to public safety review
Summary
A resident sought permission to fly large ground-handled kites at the western end of Shorefront Park. The board asked the director of public safety and staff to review safety, liability and park-use impacts before granting any permission.
Jesse Reynolds of 48 Oakview Avenue, Farmingville, asked the Village Board of Trustees for permission to fly a large, ground-handled "power glider" kite in the open grassy area at the western end of Shorefront Park. Reynolds said the activity is ground handling only — the kite would not leave the ground — is practiced in limited wind windows, and usually lasts 30 to 40 minutes when conditions allow.
Reynolds told trustees he has practiced the activity in other locations and that village public-safety officers previously visited and raised no objections. He offered to show photos and said the kite is light nylon and tethered; he described a preferred 40-foot safety clearance around the operator. "We are not leaving the ground. We are doing it in a safe and respectable manner," he told the board.
Board members and the village attorney raised concerns about perception, potential interference with other park users and liability if an amateur operator or a child were injured. The attorney asked whether granting permission could be construed as village sponsorship and whether the village would assume liability if a third party were harmed. Trustees and staff discussed whether a case-by-case permit, a one-time approval or a standing permission would be appropriate.
After extended discussion, the board declined to grant immediate permission and instead asked Director of Public Safety Jim Burbridge and village staff to review operations and advise whether safe, conditional permission could be issued. Trustees emphasized the need to protect other park users and ensure any operation would not impede public use of a park that the village said had recently received significant capital investment.
Reynolds provided his contact information to village staff and the board said staff would follow up after consulting public safety officers. No village-wide kite permit was created at the meeting and no immediate authorization was granted.
