East Hampton Town

Going Private at Terry King

    The town tennis courts at the Terry King recreational area on Abraham’s Path in Amagansett could become the next facility to be handed to a private entity to operate, as the town board agreed last week to issue a request for proposals from potential operators.

    Operation of the adjacent enclosed roller hockey rink has already been privatized, with Sportime, a company that runs a nearby camp, now in charge of the facility. A public tennis court in Montauk is also being operated by an outside company, and the board will this week receive proposals from companies interested in running the scavenger waste facility.

    The Terry King tennis courts are in need of work, and the specifications for proposals, which are available at the Purchasing Department, call for bidders to do the renovations. Proposals must be submitted by 3 p.m. on Feb. 16.

Intersection Redo

    After hearing from the town police chief, highway superintendent, and town engineer, the town board approved a proposal to change the traffic pattern at the intersection of Accabonac Road and Abraham’s Path in East Hampton, requiring traffic on Accabonac Road to come to a stop at the corner, and allowing drivers on Abraham’s Path to continue through the intersection without stopping.

    At present, drivers going north and south on Abraham’s Path encounter a stop sign, while those on Accabonac are not required to stop at the intersection. There have been 23 accidents at that spot in the last 10 years — “not a lot” according to Tom Talmage, the engineer — but traffic along Abraham’s Path has increased, perhaps because of trucks being rerouted as a result of limitations enacted by East Hampton Village. To allow drivers to become accustomed to the new rules, new stop signs will be put up with the old ones kept in place until the fall, making a four-way stop.

    Also according to a vote last week, stop signs will be placed at South Elmwood Avenue in Montauk for traffic heading east-northeast, and at South Edgemere Street, affecting those bound west-southwest.

New Charity Committee

    Councilwoman Theresa Quigley got the go-ahead from the rest of the town board to form a charity committee charged with discussing ways the town can help private nonprofits. Annual grants to some groups have been cut virtually completely out of the town budget, but, Ms. Quigley said, “When money runs dry, there are other ways we can support them” — helping disparate groups coordinate to share services or space, for instance.

Expediting Solar Panels

    After a hearing last Thursday night that drew no speakers, the board passed a local law allowing for expedited review and permitting of the installation of rooftop solar panels on residential buildings. Councilman Dominick Stanzione has been working in conjunction with the county and members of other municipalities on uniform laws for solar installations, and the law is a result of that process.

    Under the new criteria, building permits can be issued at no cost for solar equipment that does not require architectural review board approval, is flush-mounted no more than six inches above the roof, and meets other specific criteria. The equipment must be installed by a certified installer using approved materials. Permits must be issued within 14 days of a complete application.

    In addition, the Building Department will maintain a list of solar installations, and the addresses at which they are placed will be shared with emergency responders. Signs indicating that a solar-electric system is operating must be placed on site, with utility meters and disconnect switches marked.

    Another law approved by the board last Thursday after a hearing with no speakers provides for the concurrent processing of site plan applications by the planning board and the architectural review board, “in order to increase efficiency,” according to the resolution.

STAR Exemption Deadline

    March 1 is the deadline for applications for property tax exemptions such as the School Tax Assessment Relief, or STAR, exemption, and those offered to senior citizens, veterans, and people with disabilities or limited incomes. Application forms and additional information can be obtained from the East Hampton Town Tax Assessors’ office and must be submitted to that office.

    In East Hampton, households with less than $500,000 in annual income are eligible for the basic STAR exemption. Those who have already applied do not need to reapply each year. Annual renewal is required, however, for a senior-citizen exemption offered to those 65 or older with gross earnings of less than $37,400 a year and for the enhanced STAR program, which provides a tax exemption for those over 65 with an annual adjusted gross income of $79,050 or less.   

    East Hampton Town’s longtime director of natural resources, Larry Penny, confirmed reports this week that he has been absent from the department’s offices for several weeks, ever since town officials announced they had dropped 16 disciplinary charges against him and said he planned to retire.

 “I’m not free to talk about the situation,” Mr. Penny said. He referred further questions to his attorney, Thomas Horn, who, in turn, said on Tuesday that he was limited in what he could say. “A more normal schedule and round of duties will be taking place,” Mr. Horn said.

    According to the town attorney, John Jilnicki, Mr. Penny “is working on special projects outside the office and in, as needed.”  Mr. Jilnicki said Tuesday that Mr. Penny, whose annual salary is $95,910, remains on the town payroll and had not yet submitted formal retirement papers. Mr. Horn verified that was the case.

    The natural resources director was suspended for 30 days without pay on Dec. 7, and presented with a lengthy list of complaints, including misconduct, incompetence, and insubordination. A document detailing the charges included a failure to oversee his employees and the department’s financial matters and a lack of oversight of work done under environmental permits. It also cited a collection of animal remains in a basement freezer beneath the natural resources offices, which Mr. Penny  previously had been ordered to dispose of.

    Town officials’ sudden reversal of that hard line was left largely unexplained. “Now, after frank discussion between both sides, the town board believes it is in the best interest of everyone to close the matter,” a press release in January said. In the release, Town Supervisor Bill Wilkinson complimented Mr. Penny, saying, “His efforts to preserve the natural resources of the town have had a direct impact on the quality of life of the residents of the town.” 

    Meanwhile, East Hampton Town Councilman Dominick Stanzione, the town board’s liaison to the Natural Resources Department, said that candidates for Mr. Penny’s position were being interviewed. Officials also appear to be making new plans for the future of the department.

    Speaking to Diane McNally, the clerk of the East Hampton Town Trustees, at a board meeting last Thursday night, Councilman Stanzione said that, with changes in the department, he looked forward to renewed cooperation and accomplishments with the trustees. He declined to elaborate this week.

    After serving on the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals for 32 years and as its chairman for 12, Philip Gamble is ready for a vacation.

    Mr. Gamble’s service to the town was recognized at a Z.B.A. meeting Tuesday, during which he acted as chair for what undoubtedly was the last time, filling in for Alex Walter, who, although he could not be at the meeting, was appointed chairman that night. Before doing so, Mr. Gamble sat down for an interview.

    Mr. Gamble was appointed to the Z.B.A. in 1980 to complete the unexpired term of James Cuomo of Amagansett. “Time to me, it just goes so fast, you don’t record things that start and stop.”

    “I was captain of the [Amagansett Fire Department] ambulance corps, and I said if it doesn’t interfere, I can do it,” he said. “I want to have the ability to think on my own, and not be dictated to,” Mr. Gamble said. He was told that would never happen, and it didn’t, he said.

    Mr. Gamble said the Z.B.A.’s role was more involved now. “. . .Throughout the years they changed the way natural resources are evaluated, and most of the properties are built upon. Now in the front of the board as a rule there are more wetlands, and resources. . . ,” he said. “The people buying them have the ability to put money into the properties to get what they want.”

    Mr. Gamble’s dedication to the board stems from his love for East Hampton and the water. Originally from Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, he moved here in 1961 after serving in the Navy. He worked on a Montauk fishing boat before getting married, changing careers, and eventually founding an Amagansett plumbing business, Phil Gamble and Son. He said the knowledge he had gained from his vocations had served him well.

    “If the town didn’t have zoning, it would be similar to what you see UpIsland. If you want to drive and see the water you can’t because there are all sorts of buildings up. You can’t walk to the beach; there’s no access,” he said.

    Commenting on how the Z.B.A. works, he said, “Nobody has any more power than each individual, which is, I think, the proper way to do it. The chairman doesn’t have any more votes than a member.” 

    “What happens now, I have people I knew through the years, the attorneys, people who live in the town, and you grow relationships. I’ll still visit people and say hello. I’ve been scheduling my vacations around the zoning board; this time I’m not going to worry about the zoning board.”

    Nevertheless, Mr. Gamble said he would miss the Z.B.A. and may find himself “watching television and hollering at it.” However, he said he had confidence in the Z.B.A.’s future. “Despite all that’s put against us, I think we’re leaving the board in capable hands by retaining Lee White and putting Alex as the chair.” Mr. White has been reappointed to the board, filling the unexpired two years of Mr. Gamble’s term.

    As the town board’s liaison to the Z.B.A., Councilman Dominick Stan­zione presented Mr. Gamble with a  proclamation at Tuesday’s meeting.

    “On behalf of the community, it is with regret that we hear of your desire to resign. Retire happy, relieve yourself of the burden of public service, which you have wonderfully given our community.”

    Mr. Stanzione expressed the town’s gratitude. “You’ve been an inspiration to so many people over so many years. Elderly men and women remember you. Public service for nearly half a century, there’s no way we can adequately say thank you.” By Heather Dubin

    After serving on the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals for 32 years and as its chairman for 12, Philip Gamble is ready for a vacation.

    Mr. Gamble’s service to the town was recognized at a Z.B.A. meeting Tuesday, during which he acted as chair for what undoubtedly was the last time, filling in for Alex Walter, who, although he could not be at the meeting, was appointed chairman that night. Before doing so, Mr. Gamble sat down for an interview.

    Mr. Gamble was appointed to the Z.B.A. in 1980 to complete the unexpired term of James Cuomo of Amagansett. “Time to me, it just goes so fast, you don’t record things that start and stop.”

    “I was captain of the [Amagansett Fire Department] ambulance corps, and I said if it doesn’t interfere, I can do it,” he said. “I want to have the ability to think on my own, and not be dictated to,” Mr. Gamble said. He was told that would never happen, and it didn’t, he said.

    Mr. Gamble said the Z.B.A.’s role was more involved now. “. . .Throughout the years they changed the way natural resources are evaluated, and most of the properties are built upon. Now in the front of the board as a rule there are more wetlands, and resources. . . ,” he said. “The people buying them have the ability to put money into the properties to get what they want.”

    Mr. Gamble’s dedication to the board stems from his love for East Hampton and the water. Originally from Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, he moved here in 1961 after serving in the Navy. He worked on a Montauk fishing boat before getting married, changing careers, and eventually founding an Amagansett plumbing business, Phil Gamble and Son. He said the knowledge he had gained from his vocations had served him well.

    “If the town didn’t have zoning, it would be similar to what you see UpIsland. If you want to drive and see the water you can’t because there are all sorts of buildings up. You can’t walk to the beach; there’s no access,” he said.

    Commenting on how the Z.B.A. works, he said, “Nobody has any more power than each individual, which is, I think, the proper way to do it. The chairman doesn’t have any more votes than a member.” 

    “What happens now, I have people I knew through the years, the attorneys, people who live in the town, and you grow relationships. I’ll still visit people and say hello. I’ve been scheduling my vacations around the zoning board; this time I’m not going to worry about the zoning board.”

    Nevertheless, Mr. Gamble said he would miss the Z.B.A. and may find himself “watching television and hollering at it.” However, he said he had confidence in the Z.B.A.’s future. “Despite all that’s put against us, I think we’re leaving the board in capable hands by retaining Lee White and putting Alex as the chair.” Mr. White has been reappointed to the board, filling the unexpired two years of Mr. Gamble’s term.

    As the town board’s liaison to the Z.B.A., Councilman Dominick Stan­zione presented Mr. Gamble with a  proclamation at Tuesday’s meeting.

    “On behalf of the community, it is with regret that we hear of your desire to resign. Retire happy, relieve yourself of the burden of public service, which you have wonderfully given our community.”

    Mr. Stanzione expressed the town’s gratitude. “You’ve been an inspiration to so many people over so many years. Elderly men and women remember you. Public service for nearly half a century, there’s no way we can adequately say thank you.”

    The first meeting of the newly constituted East Hampton Town Board at Town Hall on Tuesday was largely a matter of formalities, with elected officials being sworn in. East Hampton Town Supervisor Bill Wilkinson, a Republican, was sworn in for his second two-year term by Fred Overton, the town clerk, who also swore in two new Democratic board members, Sylvia Overby and Peter Van Scoyoc. They replace two outgoing Democratic board members, Pete Hammerle and Julia Prince, who did not run for re-election. After being sworn in, Ms. Overby and Mr. Van Scoyoc took seats on the dais, behind their nameplates.

    The rest of the morning meeting, with more official appointments and some annual business, was routine except that the board failed to set a meeting schedule for the year after Supervisor Wilkinson suggested they reconsider holding work sessions one Saturday per month.

    Mr. Wilkinson instituted the Saturday meetings upon taking office two years ago, and touted them as an example of his effort to provide access to local government for constituents who are part-time residents.

    Few people have attended them, however, and those, Mr. Wilkinson agreed Tuesday, were largely the same residents who regularly attend other board sessions. He suggested suspending the Saturday meetings for several months, and then reassessing whether they are necessary.

    Mr. Van Scoyoc agreed, questioning the worth of opening Town Hall on a weekend, using light and heat, for the sessions. Ms. Overby said she was inclined to agree, but asked for actual attendance numbers. Councilman Dominick Stanzione, who with Councilwoman Theresa Quigley and the supervisor, is a member of the continuing Republican majority on the board, suggested it delay making a decision. He suggested considering the meeting schedule for July and August, saying fewer meetings should be held in those months.

    Ms. Overby countered that idea, noting that many second-home owners are in residence then. In addition, she said, should issues arise during the summer, the board should not put off discussion of them until the fall.

    Mr. Stanzione then reversed his position, insisting that the board have as many meetings as possible throughout the year, including the Saturday sessions.  Mr. Wilkinson moved to table the issue.

    Those sworn in during the meeting included Justice Lisa Rana, with Brian Gilbride, the Mayor of Sag Harbor, doing the honors. In turn, she swore in the new East Hampton highway superintendent, Stephen Lynch. Mr. Overton administered the oath of office to Jill Massa and Jeanne Nielsen, town assessors who won re-election.

    The town board reappointed Len Bernard as town budget officer and John Jilnicki as the town attorney. Reappointed as assistant town attorneys were Kathryn Santiago, Robert Connelly, and Patrick Gunn, who also serves as public safety administrator. A fifth attorney in the department, Carl Irace, resigned at the end of 2011.

    The board also set salaries for elected, non-union, and appointed officials and town department heads. Annual salaries, at the same level as in 2011, will be $96,862 for the supervisor and $60,539 for each of the other four town board members. Councilwoman Quigley, who was absent from the meeting, was reappointed by Mr. Wilkinson as deputy supervisor.

    No appointments were made, however, to fill two seats on the planning board — one vacated by Mr. Van Scoyoc, and the other due to the expiration of the term of Patrick Schutte. A third vacancy, because of the resignation of Frank Falcone in November, was filled some weeks ago with the appointment of Diana Weir.

East Hampton Town

Ethics Committee

    East Hampton Town Supervisor Bill Wilkinson announced last Thursday night that the town ethics board had found no wrongdoing after being asked to look into whether Len Bernard, the budget officer, had acted improperly in corresponding from his town office with the state comptroller and a member of the press regarding assertions in campaign literature for Zachary Cohen, Mr. Wilkinson’s Democratic challenger in the November election.

    Mr. Bernard had questioned Mr. Cohen’s characterization of his involvement in efforts to straighten out the town’s previous financial accounting, resulting in a letter to Mr. Cohen from the state comptroller saying Mr. Cohen’s statement that he provided services as a “financial analyst” was misleading. The matter was referred to the ethics board after Democrats suggested Mr. Bernard was engaging in political business from town office.

    The dispute became an issue in the campaign. Mr. Cohen, who offered his help as a volunteer with a business, math, and financial background, denied mischaracterizing his role, pointing to e-mails indicating his involvement and noting that he did not mean to suggest anything other than a volunteer role.

Office Condo Bids

    After issuing a request for bids from potential buyers of seven condominium units now occupied by town offices, the town has received one bid, for purchase of just two of the units, according to the East Hampton Town Purchasing Department.

    It is expected that details of the bid will be presented to the town board for discussion at an upcoming meeting. However, according to Jeanne Carozza, the purchasing agent, the bid met minimum specifications.

    Those specifications called for a minimum bid price of $3 million for all seven units, though an appraisal set a bulk sale price at $3.7 million, and a total price, if sold individually, of $4.4 million. A “quick sale” market value for all seven units was set at $3.4 to $3.6 million.

    The request for bids was issued by the town board after an undisclosed buyer indicated interest in purchasing all seven units, provided a closing could take place immediately. Although long-range discussions of a Town Hall campus had included the possibility of selling the office condos to raise money for reconstruction of the old Town Hall, or a new building, no plans have been laid for accommodating the offices that would be displaced by a sale. However, the sale bid specifications included a provision that the offices could remain in place for a year at no cost to the town.

Solar Panels

    With enough money left over from a grant used to erect solar energy panels on the Lamb building on Bluff Road in Amagansett, the town board hoped to put solar panels on the town police substation in Montauk as well, but was faced with a dilemma when it was discovered that the police building roof needed repairs before it could support the installation.

    On Tuesday, the board agreed to spend $20,000 on the roof repairs. The money will be recouped through long-term energy savings.

    A local law regarding solar energy equipment installations will be the subject of a public hearing before the board next Thursday night. The law, which will provide for an expedited review and permitting process for the installation of solar panels on the roofs of residential properties, mirrors a template developed by Suffolk County. The hearing will begin at 7 at Town Hall.

No Saturday Board Sessions

    A lack of attendance at once-a-month Saturday town board work sessions has resulted in a decision to drop the weekend schedule. The Saturday meeting was instituted two years ago under the incoming Wilkinson administration to provide a forum for second homeowners and others who cannot attend the meetings held on weekday mornings and evenings.

    The town board, at its work session on Tuesday, agreed to the change, suggested by Mr. Wilkinson. If needed, occasional special meetings will be scheduled for a Saturday.   

    The new year will bring no respite from thorny issues, if the first meetings of the East Hampton Town Board in 2012 are an indication.

    Several residents of Springs spoke to the board at a meeting last Thursday, urging members to keep the issue of illegal housing in that hamlet on the front burner.

    Carol Buda said efforts to enforce the town housing code had surged some time ago after residents brought the issue to the fore, but “then quite suddenly there was a change in attitude. Either we need new attention to code enforcement or new and more stringent codes,” she said.

    Single-family residences with more than one family living in them result in a crowded Springs School, she said, and rising school taxes.

    “To be honest, we now have 12-month group housing” as opposed to just summer groupers, Walter Noller said. “As we overwhelm those septic systems, that goes into the aquifer, and it affects everybody out here.”

    The problem “doesn’t appear to be addressed to the satisfaction of we who live in Springs,” Fred Weinberg said.

    “Is there a way that the town can effectively implement a plan and affect the situation?” asked Lawrence Mayer.

    Supervisor Bill Wilkinson replied that the board had solicited data about housing throughout the town and “gathered people from different disciplines . . . to try to understand the numbers.”

    “The numbers have been vetted,” he said, and distributed to the various citizens advisory committees “so that everyone is on the same page. We have now gotten to a point where there is unanimity on . . . Springs has got an issue, and we’ve got to figure out what to do.”

    “It’s enforcement, it’s zoning, it’s do we continue to build on vacant lots?” Mr. Wilkinson said. “We’ve been very, very passionate about [community preservation fund] purchases focused in Springs.”

    “The fact that Springs has high school taxes has been known for 26 years,” Mr. Mayer said. “It’s just gotten worse because nobody’s doing anything. Can that become a priority?” he asked the board.

    “It has been a priority,” Mr. Wilkinson said. “Now we go to phase two.”

    At a board work session on Tuesday in Montauk, a discussion of a proposal to ban fuel deliveries to boats at town docks in Montauk from trucks, while allowing it to continue at Three Mile Harbor, had board members hashing out the issues but coming to no conclusion. A hearing was recently held on the proposed regulation.

    Among the considerations are the environment, the town’s liability should a spill occur, and the economic effects on the fuel truck operators, owners of marinas with fuel docks, and commercial fishermen.

    The town’s fisheries advisory committee had had a “vigorous” discussion of the matter, Councilman Dominick Stanzione reported, and recommended that no action be taken.

    “This is a huge political issue, especially in the hamlet of Montauk,” Mr. Wilkinson said.

    In their first meeting of 2012, members of East Hampton Town’s ad hoc fisheries committee voted to recommend that the town board reappoint Arnold Leo, secretary of the East Hampton Town Baymen’s Association, to act as its consultant.

    The job, which often requires the consultant to attend fishery management meetings up and down the coast, pays $15,000 per year. After the vote, Rick Etzel, the committee chairman, told fellow members he would inform the town board of the committee’s wishes.

    The vote did not please all 11 members, who represent both commercial and recreational industries. And it did not please Town Supervisor Bill Wilkinson, who last February refused to reappoint Mr. Leo despite the fact that the committee had voted unanimously to keep him on, and despite the fact that Mr. Leo had been willing to serve even though the annual budget was cut from $40,000 to $15,000. He became the town’s first fisheries consultant in 2007. Yesterday, Mr. Wilkinson said it would be the town board’s decision.

    Last February, Mr. Wilkinson insinuated that Mr. Leo, as secretary of the Baymen’s Association, was a commercial fisheries advocate, had not given equal representation to all the town’s marine industries. In a vote of 3 to 2 along Republican and Democratic lines respectively, Mr. Leo was removed from his post on Feb. 2 after the supervisor claimed the consultant had not gotten results during his tenure.

    His opinion was not shared by Paul Forsberg of Montauk’s Viking Fleet of party boats, who submitted a letter saying “his performance for both the commercial and for-hire fisheries has been excellent.”

    Mr. Leo’s pre-consultancy history includes his prominent role in the heated conflict between commercial and recreational fishermen over striped bass regulations in the late 1980s and early ’90s and the subsequent divvying up of awards won during a successful class action suit brought by New York commercial and for-hire fishermen against the General Electric Company.

    The company dumped tons of polychlorinated biphenyls, or P.C.B.s, into the Hudson River over many years. The contamination caused the State Department of Environmental Conservation to ban the sale of striped bass, anadromous fish that swim far up the Hudson to spawn.

    To this day, some in the charter boat industry insist that as the town’s consultant Mr. Leo will always favor commercial fisheries to the detriment of recreational interests.   

    Apparently, this fear did not prevail during Friday’s committee vote.

    “It’s not a matter of liking Arnold. He does a great job and he’s inexpensive,” said Bob Valenti, owner of the Multi-Aquaculture Systems business on Napeague and a fisheries committee member.

    By “inexpensive,” Dr. Valenti was referring to the fact that Eric Braun, a former landings-data collector for the National Marine Fisheries Service, and Mr. Leo’s successor, had charged the town $60 per hour for his time, using over half of the committee’s 2011 budget while attending one three-day meeting in Virginia last year. “What the committee did without Arnold was shit,” Dr. Valenti said.

    Reached yesterday morning, Supervisor Wilkinson said that although he had not officially received the committee’s recommendation, he assumed it was coming. He said it would be presented to the town board.

    “I came into this during my first term under concern from recreational fishermen that their views were not being promoted, but I’m going to listen to the committee. I’m not so thickheaded as to say it’s my way or the highway. It will be aired to the entire board, but my views are not changing.”

    The supervisor said he might ask Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc to serve as liaison to the fisheries committee. Mr. Van Scoyoc said yesterday that he thought the subject of Mr. Leo’s reappointment might be addressed at the board’s Tuesday work session.

    Property owners who want to demolish their house overlooking Gardiner’s Bay at the end of Mulford Lane in Amagansett and build a new one protected by a rock revetment will be before the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals during its first hearings of the year on Tuesday.

    Joshua Young and Christine Lemieux have been down this road before, appearing before the board on Aug. 30 with plans to tear down their one-story, 1,200-square-foot house and construct an 1,836-square-foot house with a deck in its place and a 160-foot-long stone revetment along the beach to help prevent erosion. To do this, they needed a natural resources permit and variances from wetlands and coastal setbacks, and from coastal erosion district overlay regulations. The proposed rock revetment is in an area where new coastal erosion control structures are prohibited.

    In the summer, the application was rushed through for a hearing due to damage resulting from a Dec. 27, 2010, storm and impending peril from future storms. But during the hearing, the applicants’ attorney, Christopher Kelley, informed the board that a neighbor to the east recently decided to join the plan. Additionally, the Napeague Beach Club, a homeowners group of Mulford Lane residents, also wanted to create a revetment of sorts and place rocks at the end of the road.

    Mr. Kelley told the board in August that the applicants wanted to alter the septic system, revise their survey, and submit a new proposal entirely. The board agreed to leave the record open for three weeks to allow time for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation to comment and for the applicants to submit their revised plan.

    More than four months later, the project has been modified, but still only includes the original applicants, who are planning to demolish the house and build a new 1,719-square-foot, two-story house on pilings with a 789-square- foot deck on two stories. They are now asking for permission to build a 115-linear-foot stone revetment.

    The septic system will be moved to the southeast corner of the property, and it, along with the driveway, would be on land that contains tidal wetlands, freshwater wetlands, barrier dunes, surface waters, and beach vegetation. The same relief is sought as before, a natural resources permit, along with multiple variances, and permission to install a new coastal erosion structure where town code would prohibit it. The new plan also requires a variance from the town’s pyramid law.

    Brian Frank, the Planning Department’s chief environmental analyst, prepared an Environmental Assessment Form for the board to consider during its deliberations, and noted on the form that the house, as now proposed, and the septic system would be farther from the water than what is there now.

    The zoning board meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. The Young and Lemieux hearing is scheduled for 8:30.

    Income to East Hampton Town’s community preservation fund plunged almost 22 percent in 2011.

    According to numbers in a report provided by State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. yesterday, revenue from the 2-percent tax on most real estate transactions was $13.86 million last year, compared to $17.72 million in 2010.

    The picture was better in Southampton Town, where income was up by 15 percent over 2010. Elsewhere in the region, Riverhead’s revenue fell by just under 16 percent, Southold’s by 7.5 percent, and Shelter Island’s crumpled by almost 40 percent.

    Over all, preservation fund revenue was an essentially flat $58.85 million in 2011 in the five East End towns. This figure represents a rise of only .1 percent from the $58.78 the towns took in the year before.

    George Simpson of Suffolk Research Service in Hampton Bays also provided statistics this week that reinforced the picture of a steep decline in East Hampton. According to Mr. Simpson’s analysis, the number of single-family houses sold in East Hampton Town in 2011 declined from 562 to 491, representing a more-than 26-percent drop in total sales in dollar terms.

    The median single-family residence price fell by 9.1 percent — to $875,000 — in East Hampton Town, Mr. Simpson said. For the five East End towns the median price was essentially flat and the total sales value dropped 3.8 percent.

East Hampton Town

North Main Traffic Circle?

    Members of the East Hampton-Sag Harbor Citizens Advisory Committee have asked town officials to revisit an idea for a traffic circle at the foot of Three Mile Harbor and Springs-Fireplace Roads, where they hit North Main Street in East Hampton.

    Potential actions to alleviate traffic back-ups in the area were originally addressed in a 2003 “North Main Street Corridor Study,” which became a part of the 2005 updated town comprehensive plan.

    Supervisor Bill Wilkinson agreed on Tuesday to contact the county, which owns sections of the roads involved, about having a traffic study done.

Trees in Airspace

    Trees surrounding East Hampton Airport have grown into airspace that must be kept clear, the Federal Aviation Administration has informed the town. Fixing the issue will be more complicated, and costly, than just trimming the treetops, the East Hampton Town Board learned Tuesday from Dennis Yap, an airport consultant.

    The area in question encompasses 50 acres, he said, and a survey must be done to identify the problematic trees, and those expected to grow too tall in the coming years.

    In the meantime, the town must seek approval from the F.A.A. for modifications to the angle of takeoff and descent for planes, so as to avoid the offending trees.

    The survey, to be conducted this year, is estimated to cost $35,000 to $40,000, while engineering fees, a federally required environmental review, and an F.A.A. inspection following the work next year would run another $30,000 to $35,000, Mr. Yap told the board. Board members had expressed frustration that a seemingly simple process would be so involved and costly.

Water Skiers Beware

    Dale Petruska, an East Hampton Marine Patrol officer, told the town board on Tuesday that areas of Three Mile Harbor designated for water skiing have become too shallow to safely allow the sport. Dredging of the harbor, he said, has resulted in sand moving along the bottomlands, leaving parts of the water-ski zone only three feet deep.

    However, Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc, a boatman and a longtime water skier, said that the area has always been shallow and that boats used for water skiing do not draw much water. “Certain activities have inherent risks,” he said.

    Councilwoman Theresa Quigley expressed concern about limiting recreational activities. “Having said that,” said Ms. Quigley, whose daughter was injured last summer while swimming in the ocean, “I, of all people, understand the risks of a water accident.” Both she and Councilman Dominick Stanzione said that they were not comfortable making a decision about the skiing area. But Supervisor Wilkinson said that “mine is not to question. They’re making a call that this is unsafe.”

Ocean Currents on Radar

    Radar equipment to collect data on ocean currents and waves could be installed along an East Hampton beach if the town board approves a request from the Coastal Ocean Observation lab at Rutgers University’s Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences.

    Ethan Handel, a research coordinator at the lab, told the board on Tuesday that an East Hampton site is needed to fill a gap in a system of 30 data-collection sites from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras.

    A 35-foot transmission antenna and a smaller receiver antenna would be set on the dunes, anchored by thin guy wires in a 20-foot radius and wired to a small enclosure with computer equipment. An area near the bathroom at Ditch Plain beach in Montauk has been identified as an ideal site, Mr. Handel said, though other spots, as long as electricity is available, could be considered.

    Mr. Handel said that with the data collected, maps are made of what the ocean is doing, every hour, up to about 100 miles offshore, and that the information is used by the Coast Guard when planning search and rescue missions and can be used in making decisions about coastal erosion and beaches.

No Employee Jackets

    A budget transfer that would have enabled Supervisor Wilkinson to spend $7,000 on jackets for town employees — in what the supervisor described as a reward program — was defeated in a vote last Thursday night.

    Ms. Quigley was the only board member beside Mr. Wilkinson to vote for the measure. Mr. Stanzione abstained from the vote, and Councilwoman Sylvia Overby voted no. She had suggested at an earlier meeting that the town might have other more pressing needs for the funds. Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc was absent from the vote.