Residents urge tighter limits on large backyard burns; another resident cites dangerously low well flow

Two residents addressed the Board of Trustees on March 4 with neighborhood safety and infrastructure complaints during the public‑comment period.

Elise Powers, a Gemini Lane resident, said two neighbors burn large amounts of material close to homes and that the smoke poses health and fire risk for nearby families, including one she described as pregnant. "The flames were higher than our house," she said, recounting a bonfire set atop a neighbor's pond; she said she called the fire department and was told not to call again unless treetops were on fire. Powers said roughly 25 neighbors worked for months to craft proposed restrictions that would allow controlled burning on scheduled days and limit health risks.

Separately, Mark Mulvihill described chronic low well yield at his mother's home on Big Oak Lane and asked whether village programs or grants might help. He said the household's well yields "2 gallons a minute" after a recent drilling, that water delivery and other interim measures are in use and that the family is concerned about home habitability and equity relative to other blocks with visible hydrants. Trustees and staff took the comments; Trustee Hollander asked whether cost was the limiting factor to extend water infrastructure and staff said estimated connections can be expensive for single properties.

Ending: Trustees thanked the speakers and staff noted their concerns; no formal board action was taken at the meeting. Officials directed staff to include public‑safety and infrastructure issues in their follow‑up lists for future discussion.