East Hampton Town

Eye on Burying Power Lines

    East Hampton Town will look into the possibility of obtaining state funding to cover 75 percent of the cost of having utility lines from East Hampton to Montauk placed underground, as part of a New York State Office of Emergency Management program designed to mitigate the risks and impacts of future storms.

    John Keeshan, a Montauk real estate agent who has been advocating the underground power lines for some time, told the town board last week that the total cost of the project could be $8 million. Supervisor Bill Wilkinson said that a tax district, through which residents of the affected areas would be charged to reimburse the town for its portion of the cost, could be set up.

    Board members agreed unanimously to submit an inquiry to the state about the funding as long as the initial query does not obligate the town to proceed with the project.

Two Open-Space Land Buys

    After hearings last Thursday on two land purchases, the East Hampton Town Board voted unanimously to buy the properties with money from the community preservation fund and to add them to the list of holdings for which money from the fund may be used for upkeep and other management and stewardship.

     A lot on East Lake Drive in Montauk, just shy of an acre, will be purchased for $60,000 from Kathryn McGeehan to preserve open space. In East Hampton, almost half an acre at 36 Oyster Shores Road will be bought from the Edward Virgilio Irrevocable Trust and Louise Virgilio for $240,000. That purchase is also being made to preserve open space.

Money for Wastewater Plan

    Three town board members agreed last week to appropriate $200,000 in surplus money to pay for a townwide comprehensive wastewater management plan, which could result in recommendations for septic waste treatment and system upgrades. An outside consultant has been chosen to compile the plan.

    Supervisor Bill Wilkinson and Councilwoman Theresa Quigley voted against the resolution.

Arts Council Is a Go

    East Hampton artists who asked the town board to establish an East Hampton Arts Council got their way last Thursday night. With a unanimous vote, the board established a group that will “advise the town on issues concerning the arts and various artists, including education opportunities, business opportunities, areas for performing and producing art, and interface with various artist groups, businesses, museums, and associations.”

    It will have from 7 to 12 members to be appointed annually by the board, and a town board member will serve on the council as a liaison.

Yes to Sand at Ditch Plain

    Patrick Bistrian Jr. will be paid $85,680 to place sand on an area of the beach at Ditch Plain in Montauk so that the town can open the beach as a lifeguarded bathing area this summer. The town board approved a bid from the Bistrian company last Thursday night. Severe erosion had left much of the waterfront area at Ditch with exposed hardpan and rocks, and lifeguards had determined that it was unsafe to use as a bathing beach.

    With conditions changing continually, and an accretion of sand normally occurring at this time of year, the board also voted last week to allow the town lifeguards, who are monitoring the beach condition, to make the decision as to whether Ditch is opened for bathing.    J.P.

Southampton Town

Beach Erosion Control Districts

    New York State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle and Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. have announced that their bill to allow the Town of Southampton to diminish the Bridgehampton and Sagaponack Beach Erosion Control Districts has passed both the Senate and Assembly, and will go to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

    The Town of Southampton established its beach erosion control districts to rebuild protective beaches and dunes along the ocean. The project will bring approximately 2.5 million tons of sand to renourish the beaches between Flying Point in Water Mill and Townline Road in Sagaponack.

    The $26 million project will be financed by taxes paid by beachfront homeowners, based on assessed value and oceanfront footage. The new legislation has been written to exempt those oceanfront property owners who have already protected their parcels by exchanging development rights for a reduction in taxes.

    A press release said that the money will be borrowed by the town and paid back over a period of 10 years through the district tax levy.

    Sag Harbor Village Mayor Brian Gilbride won re-election by 11 votes on Tuesday night after a tense contest among four candidates. Sandra Schroeder, a former co-worker of Mr. Gilbride’s who was village clerk and administrator for 20 years, was the runner-up, with 168 votes.

    Ed Gregory, an incumbent village board member, lost his seat. His position and the one left open by Timothy Culver in August will be filled by Ed Deyermond, a former village mayor, and Ken O’Donnell, a Main Street businessman.

    The air was thick with anticipation before, during, and after the announcement of the votes, and yet there were few predictions, what with so many candidates involved. Several of the dozens of bystanders remained for the calling of 23 absentee ballots, as the vote was so close. In all, 556 residents weighed in, a decline from recent elections.

    “I’m glad that so many people got involved in the race,” Ms. Schroeder said after the results were final. “That’s wonderful.”

    Finishing third in the mayoral race was Bruce Tait, the chairman of the village’s harbor committee, who received 142 votes. Former Mayor Pierce Hance trailed with 85 votes.

    In the race for village board, Mr. Deyermond, who ran on the Progressive Party line, received the most votes, 363. Mr. O’Donnell, who ran on the Citizens for Common Sense line, earned his seat with 336 votes. Mr. Gregory, who has served the board for decades, received 240 votes. Bruce Stafford, who served one term before losing last year to Kevin Duchemin, got 139 votes.

    Mr. Deyermond told The Star after the final tally that he was “humbled by the count.” He added, “Now that the drama is over, the work can begin.” Mr. Deyermond has served as mayor as well as a board member for the village in the past, and has retired from full-time government work after 33 years.

    “Residents of Sag Harbor Village elected three individuals with three different viewpoints and life experiences to create a level playing field,” Mr. O’Donnell, a 45-year-old father of two young children and the owner of La Superica restaurant, said yesterday. He said he thinks the village will benefit from his business background as well as from Mr. Deyermond’s civic experience as Southampton Town assessor, among other posts.

    Mr. O’Donnell said recently that he has worked for and with law firms and managed businesses with up to 125 employees. He now hopes to work together with the board “toward positive accomplishments for the village. I’m really looking forward to getting sworn in on July 1 and getting to work.”

    Mayor Gilbride shook the hands of the new board members when the count was over. He will now have a full board to work with after it had operated with an empty seat since the resignation of Mr. Culver, who lives on North Haven. Mr. Deyermond told The Star recently that he had sent the mayor a letter requesting the seat, to no avail.

    Robby Stein, who joins Mr. Duchemin in filling out the rest of the board, was present for the action, telling The Star afterward, “There are a lot of negotiations coming up. Brian is a tough negotiator.” He added that he hopes the new members will support issues near and dear to his heart, such as preservation of the wetlands and village parks.

    Mr. Deyermond and Mr. O’Donnell will take their seats at the next village board meeting, on July 9.

    East Hampton Town will receive a $536,425 state grant to renovate its former town hall building, town and New York State officials announced yesterday.

    The award was among $12 million in Local Government and Efficiency Program grants given to 13 municipalities based on a demonstration of model financial practices and in recognition of “significant and innovative actions that reduce the property tax burden confronting residents,” according to a State Department of State press release. The money is to be used for projects that will provide recurring savings.

    East Hampton received the maximum award amount per capita and was singled out for praise in the state press release.

     “The Town of East Hampton implemented a comprehensive organizational restructuring of town government, downsizing 26 separate departments into 13 departments through attrition, staff reduction, and consolidation of functions to create a more efficient and cost-effective government model. The Town of East Hampton realized a savings of $4.2 million dollars through this re-engineering initiative, representing an 18-percent drop in the tax levy,” the release read.

    At a news conference yesterday morning, Supervisor Bill Wilkinson, who took office in 2010 after the resignation of former supervisor Bill McGintee amid a financial mismanagement scandal, called the grant a “performance-based award given by an objective group of evaluators.”

     “What’s so rewarding about this grant,” he said, “is the fact that it’s validation of behavior.”

    In two terms of office, Mr. Wilkinson and his budget officer, Len Bernard, have presided over the completion of forensic accounting measures needed to ascertain amounts transferred between town funds, which have been identified and properly paid back, to pinpoint a more than $27 million deficit accumulated under the previous administration, and successfully lobbied the state legislature for permission to issue bonds to cover the shortfall.

    “We’ve delivered a brand of competencies that generated this brand of recognition,” Mr. Wilkinson said yesterday. “Think of that — it’s the only government in Suffolk County that’s been recognized.”

    Mr. Wilkinson credited the work of Mr. Bernard as well as Charlene Kagel, the town’s chief auditor, and Nicole Ficeto, the grants coordinator for the town, with the success of East Hampton’s grant application. The application, said a press release from the town, highlighted efforts in 2010 through 2012 to reduce and reorganize the town staff as well as “selected program reductions” and “the establishment of a myriad of internal control procedures.”

    Mr. Wilkinson said that cautious financial practices must continue. “It’s a continual approach,” he said yesterday, “an objective set of principles that are here . . . and should be here in 2018.”

    The grant money will be used to help pay for renovations to the old town hall building to create an open floor plan described as a “European office landscape.” The design aesthetic, which originated in Germany, was “intended to provide a more collaborative and humane work environment.”

    “A more conducive work environment will create greater work flow efficiencies and positively impact employee confidence levels,” the town wrote in its grant request.

    Additional grant money, including grants targeted for creation of an environmentally friendly “green” building, may also be sought for the project.

    The Montauk Beach House, a motel and club in downtown Montauk, received a certificate of occupancy from the East Hampton Town Building Department on Tuesday, after the head building inspector agreed that the key issue — whether it was operating two different businesses — was a matter for the town’s Ordinance Enforcement Department.

    “I look at it, and it looks like a duck,” Tom Preiato, the building inspector, said Tuesday. Although he had previously said two businesses were at the site, which would trigger full site plan review by the planning board, he said on Tuesday that the fact that the club offers memberships for $1,100, in addition to 33 rooms for rent, is irrelevant unless actual invoices for club transactions can be produced.

    The planning board gave the Beach House unanimous site plan approval for a bar and gift shop without considering the overall site, following a public hearing on May 8. The conditions of approval, which were written by Kathryn Santiago, the attorney for the planning board, include a statement that the Beach House “shall not conduct said activities without proper approval,” referring to those activities offered by the club.

    There is no question that the motel at the Beach House is legal, even though the property is zoned for business rather than motel use, because it pre-exists that zoning. Mr. Preiato had previously said that the ownership team, Larry Siedlick and Chris Jones, could expand the use and run a nightclub or music venue, but only if they received approval after undergoing full review.

    In a memo to Ms. Santiago on May 10, he wrote, “It appears that is an additional use on the property, even though it is not clearly defined in the code.” He goes on to say allowing persons who are not motel guests to use the facilities, “would be a burden on the public” because it already has inadequate parking. Besides the parking issue, he wrote that allowing such expanded use would strain the septic system.

    Had the Beach House been required after undergoing full review to provide additional parking or pay into a town parking fund, the stakes would have been high. The Montauk Brewery, for example, which is nearby, had been asked to kick $45,000 into the fund, although the town board eventually voted to allow the brewery to count three spaces in an adjoining lot.

    Patrick Schutte, who along with Robert Schaeffer is the longest serving member of the planning board, addressed the issue at a meeting in January. “I can name 10 other applicants who had to pay into it. . . . I don’t think the town board or we can grant an easement on this.”

    The $45,000 fee the brewery faced would seem dwarfed by the potential fee for the Montauk Beach House. According to the town code, a “nightclub, disco, tavern, bar, or dance hall” is required to either have on site, or else to pay into the parking fund for, “two [spaces] for each three persons of rated capacity, plus one per employee.” Using that formula, the total number of spaces needed to be provided or paid for by the Beach House would be about 290, including the motel side of the business, which would trigger another 1.25 for each of the 33 bedrooms.

    None of the spaces surrounding the site would count toward that number, according to the Planning Department, because they are in the public right of way. Using a $15,000 per space estimate for the Montauk Brewery, the Beach House fee could be as high as $4.35 million.

    Meanwhile, heated rhetoric has continued to be exchanged among the Beach House’s detractors and supporters. Terry Casey, who said he was responsible for booking live music and D.J.’s during the club’s initial season, and who said he was dissuaded from speaking at the May 8 hearing, has posted a recording of a phone message he alleges is from Mr. Jones on YouTube.

    In it, the speaker says, “You’re going to be in trouble. If you wish to discuss this, please give me a call, otherwise, good luck. You’re [inaudible] two partners with $200 million behind them. You have taken this to a position that is untenable.”

    Told about the recording last month, Mr. Jones said it was not his voice and pointed out that Mr. Casey is a D.J. and undoubtedly familiar with mixing and looping recordings.

    After the May 8 hearing, Mr. Casey said he wrote a letter to the board, detailing his allegations about the numbers of people who had come to the Beach House when he worked there. Because the letter was submitted after the hearing was closed, it was not considered part of the record.

    The owners of two neighboring properties facing Gardiner’s Bay in Springs, part of the Clearwater Beach Association, would like to install a revetment that would span both sites, but must first obtain a variance from the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals. Their application for a natural resources special permit, the latest in a series related to beach erosion caused by Hurricane Sandy, came before the board on June 4.

    The contiguous properties, at 235 and 237 King’s Point Road, are owned by Virginia Schmidt and David Wagner respectively. The neighbors have worked together to design a 180-foot-long protective structure of pre-formed concrete panels and rebar, held in place by helical wall anchors. There would be a 20-foot backwash to the east, on Ms. Schmidt’s property, which, like Mr. Wagner’s, is just under 30,000 square feet in size. The special permit is required because the lands contain coastal bluffs and wetlands.

    According to a memo prepared for the board by Brian Frank, the East Hampton Town Planning Department’s chief environmental analyst, several surveys done on the area since 1992 show that erosion on the two properties has been minimal, at most, over the years, until Sandy. That single event, Mr. Frank said, would not justify what he called an overly aggressive approach to the problem.

    “I think everything in this area shows that this is a reasonable candidate for coastal restoration, as opposed to a hard revetment,” he told the members of the zoning board.

    In both his memo and his comments, Mr. Frank said the board needed to decide if the landowners had ever attempted restoration using softer, more natural protective structures — logs, for example — or tried bringing in more sand, and if not, whether such a radical approach as a concrete revetment was the only alternative. The planner indicated that there was no history, in the way of permits issued, to show that such simpler restoration had ever been tried.

    Mr. Wagner, the president of the Clearwater Property Development Association, saw things differently. “We’ve been trying for 17 years to use natural solutions,” he said. “I’m 73 years old. I’m getting tired. It’s easy to say we may not have another storm. The idea of soft soil is almost an absurdity.”

    A neighboring landowner had tried bringing in sand, he told the board, at the cost of $80,000, only to see it all washed out into the bay over the course of two years.

    Mr. Wagner described his experience during Sandy, saying that he and his wife ran from the house and fled in their car. “The roof was shattering. Three rooms flooded. I really don’t want to go through this again,” he said, adding that the beach had lost 17 feet in the storm.

    The East Hampton Town Trustees, like the Planning Department, opposed the application, though it is uncertain whether that board has jurisdiction in the matter. Diane E. McNally, the trustee clerk, suggested that the 17 feet of erosion may mean that the mean high water mark is now where the revetment would be built; in other words it is now public land. The trustees do have a say over public beach access.

    “The homeowners came to us first,” she told the zoning board. “They are going from a pristine shoreline to an eight-foot wall.”

    Mr. Frank cautioned the board against the possible consequences of a hardened structure, including “loss of beach, loss of public access to the beach, and possible coastal erosion to unprotected properties to the east.”

    Keith Grimes, a Montauk contractor, unleashed a torrent of frustration about the East Hampton Town Board and other town officials at a board meeting on June 11, saying they owed him “a ton of money.” The dispute now appears to have been resolved, but not before Mr. Grimes had spoken his piece.

    The contractor had stopped a paving job on West Drive in East Hampton over discrepancies, he said, between the  specifications for the approximately $430,000 job for which he had submitted a bid, and the final specs regarding curbing and other details. Town officials claimed that certain work was expected to be included in the bid price, while Mr. Grimes said the details had been revised and there should be an additional cost.

    At the end of the meeting, Robert Guido, an attorney for several neighborhood commercial property owners, who will be taxed to pay for the work (after the town pays for it up front), offered to work with Mr. Grimes, Tom Talmage, the town engineer, and town attorneys, to resolve the issue.

    “I’ll deal with you people on a handshake,” Mr. Grimes told Mr. Guido, who is the attorney for members of the Snyder family among others. The Snyders need the roadwork to complete development of a commercial subdivision.

    Asked by Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc if the work  could continue while the dispute was being resolved, Mr. Grimes wasn’t so eager. “If East Hampton Town wasn’t a delinquent account with me,” he said.

    At another board meeting, on Tuesday, John Jilnicki, the town attorney, reported that, after meeting with the parties involved, an understanding had been reached. The town board will be asked to approve paying the contractor an additional $5,200 for work that he had not anticipated.

     “I’ve been exasperated by this process with the town,” Mr. Grimes said. “This is what I do for a living. I’m working with other municipalities. . . . There’s a definite lack of leadership in this board.”

    “I’ve been a model contractor here; I’ve rolled with all your punches.” He challenged town representatives to show him where in the contract it had detailed the type of more expensive curbing being requested. “I only have one eye. If I’m overlooking something here, put your fat finger on it here, and I’ll go do it.”

    “If I’m going to go to jail, it’s going to be for something bigger than sidewalks and curbs,” Mr. Grimes said.

    The curbs must be constructed to county standards, Mr. Talmage said, and it is there that the details have been spelled out.

    “Your whole process has broken down,” Mr. Grimes told the town board. “You’ve probably got three weeks of work to finish this,” he said. “The rate we’re moving, my kids will be lucky to finish this.”

    “The fact of the matter is, we have to increase the pace of play,” Supervisor Bill Wilkinson said.

     “The same horseshit I’m dealing with here is the same horseshit I’m dealing with on 114,” Mr. Grimes complained, referring to a drainage basin he was hired to dig over a year ago on farmland where, it turned out, development rights are owned by Suffolk County. The project was stalled after the county protested and insisted that prime agricultural soils, which had been given to Mr. Grimes as part of the deal, be returned.

    “On 114, I gave you guys multiple-choice questions four months ago. Did you all see them?” Mr. Grimes asked the board. “Everything I know about 114 is from the county, and you know what they say? They say they’re waiting for the town to engage.”

    Even though Mr. Talmage and the town attorney had a different point of view about the West Drive contract, Mr. Talmage told the board that the Grimes company, which has done numerous jobs for the town and has also worked for private residents seeking to fortify shorelines with stone armor, is “a very capable contractor. They do very good work,” he said.

    Sagaponack Village has two seats on its board up for grabs, and residents can cast their votes tomorrow at Village Hall between noon and 9 p.m. According to Rhodi Cary-Winchell, the village clerk, the only petitions filed for the two-year terms were from two incumbents.

    It will be Joy Sieger’s fourth term if re-elected. One of the first members of the village board, she has served since December 2006. William Barbour won his seat in 2011 in a write-in campaign.

    According to election law, candidates in villages with fewer than 1,000 residents are required to gather signatures from 5 percent of the number of voters in the previous election. There were 78 voters last time, so candidates needed only 4 signatures. However, Ms. Winchell said, Ms. Sieger and Mr. Barbour gathered 25 each.

    At Monday’s board meeting, both incumbents weighed in on issues such as a new law restricting yard sales, beach parking, flooding, garbage, and speeding on village roads.

    A hearing was set for July 8 at 3 p.m. on reducing the speed limit from 30 miles per hour to 25 on Sagg Road north of Montauk Highway to the railroad tracks.

Meet a Lot of Candidates

    The East Hampton Group for Good Government will host a meet-the-candidates lawn party on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Laurie and Arthur Malman’s house in East Hampton.

    The nonpartisan group sponsors a number of forums on topics of interest to local voters as well as private get-togethers for members with a variety of leaders in local government.

    Saturday’s party will offer attendees a chance to talk with candidates running for East Hampton Town office this year, including candidates for supervisor, town board, town trustee, town justice, assessor, clerk, and highway superintendent.

    There will be wine and hors d’oeuvres, but no speeches or fund-raising, the hosts promise. The Malmans live at 99 Georgica Close Road. In case of rain, the gathering will be held on Sunday.

G.O.P. Hopefuls Target Overcrowding

    Fred Overton and Dominick Stanzione, the Republican and Independence Party candidates for East Hampton Town Board, are pushing for comprehensive reform of the town’s housing codes, more effective housing code enforcement, and smarter residential planning across all of East Hampton.

    In a position paper issued earlier this month, the candidates say it is time to “reverse a decade of decline in Springs” and outline a number of points that should be discussed in a “productive conversation about overcrowded and unsafe housing in East Hampton, especially in Springs.”

    They call for additional code enforcement officers who will focus on housing safety, a substantial increase in fines or property taxes for repeat housing code violators, a comprehensive educational and communications program, a rental registry law to protect tenants, property owners, and neighbors, supporting longer-term regional transportation options, and consideration of new occupancy, safety, and enforcement regulations.

    “Several communities on Long Island have addressed similar unsafe housing conditions,” the candidates said in a release. “Our planning department might prepare a comparative survey of local laws enacted in other nearby communities. We should invite public officials from some of these communities to talk about their specific experience.”

Cantwell Urges Coastal Recovery Plan

    Larry Cantwell, the candidate for East Hampton Town supervisor on the Democratic and Independence Party lines, has urged the East Hampton Town Board to submit a grant application to the state to help fund the cost of a professional coastal hazard mitigation and recovery plan.

    Governor Cuomo announced on June 12 that a hazard mitigation grant program would provide over $500 million to help local governments and nonprofits pay for such plans, with the state chipping in 75 percent of the cost for successful applicants.

    “The past two storms, Irene and Sandy, are a wakeup call we need to heed,” Mr. Cantwell said in a release, adding that the town needs to be proactive as it prepares to handle the consequences of global climate change, more frequent storms, and sea-level rise.

    Mr. Cantwell, who so far is running unopposed, is urging the town to hire an expert to work together with local fire departments, nonprofits, town personnel, and the community to develop the plan, saying that it is “a tremendous opportunity to identify hazards and areas of vulnerability along our coast so we can take positive action in advance of serious storms and hurricane events in the future.”

Democrats to Hold Springs ‘Listen-In’

    The Democratic candidates for East Hampton Town supervisor and town board, led by Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, a town board candidate from Springs, will hold a “listen-in” issues forum for the Springs community on Wednesday evening at Ashawagh Hall.

    Joining Ms. Burke-Gonzalez will be Larry Cantwell, the supervisor candidate, and her town board running mate, Job Potter. The candidates have invited Springs residents to share their concerns and hopes for the hamlet and discuss what they think the town can do to improve their quality of life.

    The forum will begin with refreshments at 6:45, with a discussion chaired by Mr. Cantwell starting at 7 p.m. It will be the first in a series of hamlet “listen-ins” that the Democrats plan during the campaign season.

    After a hearing last Thursday, the East Hampton Town Board formally adopted new traffic rules limiting access to the parking lot at Indian Wells Beach in Amagansett.

    On busy days during the summer season, large vehicles and nonresidents would be stopped by town workers staffing a booth at the entry to the parking lot and asked to turn around.

    The proposal was developed by a committee formed after residents complained of large crowds at the beach last summer, as well as unsafe conditions in the crowded parking lot, where parking is limited to town residents. The changes are being implemented as a “pilot program” that will be adjusted if necessary.

    “Isn’t the ultimate goal . . . to serve as a deterrent for those day-trippers and partiers?” asked Patrice Hogan at the hearing. “The problem is not the parking, but the drinking on the beach. When will you judge the efficacy of the pilot program?” she asked.

    “It will be looked at continuously,” Supervisor Bill Wilkinson replied. The goal at present is safety, Councilwoman Sylvia Overby said. But, she said, “This is sort of a warning shot across the bow. Everyone needs to conduct themselves appropriately and with respect for our natural resources. We don’t want people to leave — we just want them to enjoy our resources appropriately.”

    After blogs and social media touted Indian Wells last year as a place to gather and party, residents complained that the traditionally family-friendly spot was overrun with rollicking beachgoers who were dropped off en masse by taxis and party buses, then set up music equipment on the beach.

    Some expressed fears that lifeguards posted there would be unable to cope with and adequately protect the crowds and that their safety was at risk. The situation reportedly calmed somewhat last summer after the town posted Marine Patrol and traffic control officers at the beach.

    “I think that the town should use social media to get the word out that we’re not going to lay down for it,” Judy Samuelson, an Amagansett resident, told the town board at last week’s hearing. “We’re not going to make accommodation for buses . . . that we want respectful adult people to come and use the beach, not as adolescents.”

    Another speaker, a Springs resident who said he is “probably the demographic” that people are complaining about, applauded the board’s efforts to enact changes at the beach. “As somebody who knows how to put a party together, it takes a lot to get that many people in one place,” he said. “I have to question what kind of little town Amagansett has become. It feels like Daytona Beach.”  

     The East Hampton Town Board will hold a hearing next Thursday on revisions to the town noise ordinance.

    The changes are aimed at identifying potential violations according to how much they vary from an average ambient noise level in a particular area.

    Music from a commercial establishment that exceeds more than five decibels above the ambient noise level will be considered a violation. Also considered a violation would be “unreasonable noise” measuring 10 decibels or more above the ambient noise level when measured from a complainant’s property, or 15 feet or more from its source, on a public right of way, between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., or sound that reaches seven decibels above the ambient noise level between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

    Among the noise that would be excluded from the maximum noise level provisions would be sound from construction between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., from agricultural activities between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., and from homeowners’ or workers’ use of light equipment such as leaf blowers or lawn mowers, as long as it did not exceed more than four hours a day or eight hours during any week. 

    Hearings will also be held next Thursday on an application to erect a wind energy turbine on farmland off of Route 114 in East Hampton and on accepting a facade easement protecting the historic Joshua B. Edwards house on Atlantic Avenue in Amagansett from Dr. Huntington Sheldon. There will be hearings on the purchase of a .46-acre parcel of land at 36 Oyster Shores Road in East Hampton from the Edward Virgilio Irrevocable Trust and the Louise Virgilio Irrevocable Trust, at a cost of $240,000 from the community preservation fund, to preserve open space; on the addition of that property to the town’s preservation fund management and stewardship plan, and on the purchase of a shy acre of land at 30 East Lake Drive in Montauk, owned by Kathryn McGeehan, for $60,000 from the preservation fund, also for open space, and its inclusion in the management and stewardship plan.

    The hearings will begin at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

    Following a May 2 hearing, the town board voted last week to accept another facade easement from Dr. Sheldon, covering the Joshua B. Edwards barn on his property.