After 115 Years, Quogue Plumbing Moving To Westhampton To Make Way For Village Offices

One hundred fifteen years of Quogue history will be swept away next month, according to Bruce Moore, when he relocates his business, Quogue Plumbing, from its longtime Jessup Avenue home.

The 2,464-square-foot Quogue Village-owned building at 121 Jessup Avenue has housed Quogue Plumbing since 1903, according to Mr. Moore, who has owned the company since 1971, taking it over from his father.

The village asked the business to move out in order to make way for new administrative offices, most likely to house the village’s building and safety inspectors.

“The village office is inadequate for our present needs, particularly because of the much larger demands on our Building Department and the lack of any adequate meeting space that affords privacy,” Quogue Village Mayor Peter Sartorius wrote in an email on Thursday, September 20.

Mr. Moore said this week that the village has been less than accommodating to its longtime tenant, having ignored his request in August for a written request to vacate. “It’s only been a verbal ‘Get out’” he said.

Mr. Sartorius said that he had informally asked the plumber to vacate the building several months ago, noting that he has given Mr. Moore “more than adequate time to find other quarters.”

“We have elected not to send formal, legal notices in order to allow Quogue Plumbing flexibility,” he added.

Sue Moore, Mr. Moore’s wife of 45 years, called it the end of an era. She said on Friday that, more than anything, she’s just sad to see the company move from its original location.

“It’s just really sad that it ended this way, but time moves on and things change,” she said. “We’ve been a part of this community for a really long time, and we really value our customers.”

Mr. Moore, who has volunteered with the community’s fire department for 23 years, explained that for the past 10 years, as part of a month-to-month agreement, Quogue Plumbing has paid the village $1,000 per month to occupy the building. Prior to the short-term agreement, the municipality would offer five-year leases to the business.

Mr. Moore said the monthly rent is just a small portion of what he has poured into the building. Since setting up shop, he said he has spent more than $10,000 on the upkeep and maintenance of the building, including paying for three new boilers, ductwork, insulation and a new bathroom.

“Normally, they would be nice about it and give some kind of monetary restitution to get out,” he said. “That’s just the proper thing to do.”

Rather, in November 2017, when Mr. Moore was first notified of the village’s intention, he said that he initially was given only a month to move out. While that was rescinded quickly, the business owner said that he has spent more than $10,000 to move into the company’s new Westhampton location on Old Riverhead Road, where he has been paying rent for six months. “And I’m not even out yet,” he said.

The tension between Mr. Moore and village officials dates back to 1971, when Mr. Moore says the village purchased the building out from underneath him at a time when he had every intention of shelling out the $50,000 to call the location home. He explained that a village trustee, whom he declined to identify, had approached him and threatened to condemn the property if he proceeded with the transaction.

Mr. Sartorius, who is currently serving his fifth two-year term as mayor, could not offer any details on Mr. Moore’s allegations.

“I just feel like they’re not doing the right thing,” Mr. Moore said of the village officials. “But they do what they want. Who’s going to say no?”