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New Group’s Big Push, Big Show Planned

New Group’s Big Push, Big Show Planned

Bridget Fleming, center, said that it was a pleasure to work with Myron Levine, left, and Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., right, on the launch of a new nonprofit, All for the East End.
Bridget Fleming, center, said that it was a pleasure to work with Myron Levine, left, and Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., right, on the launch of a new nonprofit, All for the East End.
Carrie Ann Salvi
By
Carrie Ann Salvi

    Myron Levine of Sag Harbor had a vision to increase cash flow to charities here, and minutes before the announcement of the launching of All for the East End, the organization through which he aims to achieve it, he said he was “encouraged by the excitement already.”

    Through “creativity, collaboration, and commitment,” a group of professionals has dreamed up a plan to raise awareness of nonprofits across the North and South Forks, and it will begin with a mega concert on Aug. 19 next year at Martha Clara Vineyards in Riverhead, where a press conference was held on Friday.

    Mr. Levine said the East End is more “Mayberry” than “glitz and glamour,” and that its residents come together to support others, as he saw firsthand after his son, Joshua, was killed in a tractor accident at Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett in 2010. With the economy as bad as it is, he said, charities suffer, and he is hoping the organization, of which he is founder and president, will become a model for other communities that are also taking a blow.

    Jim Durning has been brought on board as digital media director to ensure a profitable show. “I sell tickets and T-shirts,” he said at the press conference, but Peter Herman of Nile Rodgers Productions, which is producing the event, clarified that the modest Mr. Durning had just recently worked on Roger Waters’s “The Wall” tour, one of the highest grossing tours in the world over the last two years. Mr. Durning is also a consultant on the digital and social media presence of Pink Floyd, Elton John, James Taylor, and others in the music industry.

    His family settled here the 1930s, Mr. Durning said in a conversation later, and his grandfather once ran the Bulova watchcase factory in Sag Harbor. He has been a resident since childhood, and now lives in Southampton Village and New York City.

    “The odds of success are through the roof,” said Mr. Herman, who will work with Mr. Durning to plan and produce the event.

    Kelly Connaughton, All for the East End’s executive director and the woman behind last weekend’s Sag Harbor American Music Festival, said the advisory group had been in the works for a year and a half. Now it has joined with the Long Island Community Foundation, which will manage the grant process and disbursement of money to nonprofits throughout the five East End towns — East Hampton, Southampton, Riverhead, Southold, and Shelter Island — where more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations are registered.

    Many people were acknowledged for being instrumental to All for the East End’s start, including Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., who facilitated its incorporation, and John Landes, an owner of Bay Burger in Sag Harbor, who lined up the nonprofit status.

    The East End Arts Council secured the donation of the venue. The large vineyard, on the North Fork but within Riverhead Town, is owned by Robert Entenmann of the baked goods family and named for his mother, Martha Clara. The vineyard and its associated structures can accommodate up to 10,000 guests, and it fulfills all of the requirements for a rain-or-shine event.

    “We’re feeling very supported today,” said Ms. Connaughton, who has over 16 years’ experience with not-for-profit organizations. The more sponsors, she said, the more successful the event will be.

     Becoming a presenting sponsor was a “no-brainer,” said Kevin O’Connor, the president of Bridgehampton National Bank.

    The goal, said Claudia Pilato, who works for the bank and is the secretary of All for the East End’s board, is to raise $500,000 to $600,000 in the first year. Expenditures will be “extremely transparent,” she said, and charitable categories will be decided each year, depending on specific needs that may arise.

    The full-day event will provide something for everyone, with family-friendly entertainment earlier in the day, a D.J. for teenagers in the afternoon, and a main event said to include “big names,” though specifics won’t be released until the spring.

Library Budget Approved

Library Budget Approved

Matthew Charron
By
Larry LaVigne II

    By a vote of 195 to 36, taxpayers overwhelmingly approved an almost $2 million 2013 budget for the East Hampton Library on Saturday. The increase from this year’s budget was just over $120,000.

    Dennis Fabiszak, library director, said the library board and staff were thankful for the support, noting that the budget was approved by 84 percent of those who voted.

    Since 1995, the library has received donations totaling nearly $15 million. The revenue from fund-raising events and donations expected in 2013 leaves $1,375,442 to be raised by taxes. The average district property tax increase is estimated to be $7.58. This year’s coffers were significantly boosted by a $250,000 gift from the actor Alec Baldwin.

    The library has begun construction on its 6,800-square-foot children’s wing, which will include dedicated space for young adults.  Salary for a part-time librarian to work with them was added to the new budget. “That age group has never had its own place in the building,” Mr. Fabiszak said. “During finals, we would close the entire library for students to come in and study after school and there was a huge response.”

    Mr. Fabiszak expects construction of the new wing to be completed by Memorial Day 2013.

    The library also plans to hire a part-time custodian.

    Materials make up the second highest increase in the budget, $10,900 more for a total of $135,000.

    East Hampton School District voters cast 165 of the ballots, with 130 supporting the budget. Fifty-four Springs residents and 11 Wainscott residents showed up to vote yes, with only one Springs resident opposed.

Vasquez, Fidalgo Wed in New York

Vasquez, Fidalgo Wed in New York

    Rocio Fidalgo, a native of Chile, and Julio C. Vasquez were married on Sept. 9 in Manhattan at the St. Columba Catholic Church in Chelsea. The Rev. Keith Fennessy officiated. A shipboard reception took place aboard the Bateaux New York dining cruise, which departed from Chelsea Piers.

    The couple met four years ago in Chile, where Mr. Vasquez had gone to study Spanish.

    A daughter of Maria Susana Gallardo and Gerardo Fidalgo of Santiago, Chile, the bride graduated from the Redland School in Santiago in 2004 and received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and social communications from the Universidad del Pacifico, also in Santiago.

    Mr. Vasquez is the son of Diana and Julio Vasquez of Springs. After attending East Hampton High School, he graduated from the Pratt Institute with a degree in graphic design and is a senior designer at Celtra, a mobile advertising firm in Manhattan.

    The bride wore an off-white Torino taffeta drop-waist A-line gown with a strapless sweetheart neckline. In her hair she wore a soft handmade hairpiece of lace, ivory velvet leaves, and Swarovski crystals. She carried a long bouquet of Versilia roses, calla lilies, and white Gerbera daisies accented with green hypericum berries.

    Her maid of honor was her sister-in-law Natalia Vasquez of East Hampton. The bridesmaids were Elisa Burriesci, who is another sister-in-law living in East Hampton, Tonya Rea of East Hampton, and five friends who flew in from Chile: Vilma Queirolo, Maria Paz Mercado, Francesca Spalloni, Javiera Salazar, and Valentina Kerr. They wore floor-length navy blue chiffon dresses and carried bouquets of mango calla lilies, peach roses, orange daisies, and hypericum berries.

    Mr. Vasquez’s brother, Charles Ahrens of East Hampton, was best man. He was also attended by his brother-in-law, Frank Burriesci of East Hampton, and six friends from East Hampton High School: Kelley Daige, David Gay, Ricardo Salmeron, Diego Palomo, and Victor Giannini of East Hampton, and Pat Bock of Santa Barbara, Calif. They wore gray suits with navy blue vests and ties, and DC skate shoes.

    The couple took a weeklong wedding trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. They live in Brooklyn.

Finazzo-Ryan

Finazzo-Ryan

By
Star Staff

    A fall 2013 wedding is planned for Meghan Ryan and Nick Finazzo, Montauk residents who had been introduced by friends and became engaged on Aug. 19.

    Ms. Ryan is the lead therapist and manager of Manual and Sports Physical Therapy in Montauk. She graduated from Smithtown High School in 2000 and went on to earn an undergraduate degree in chemistry in 2004 from the State University at Binghamton and a doctorate of physical therapy from the State University at Stony Brook in 2007. She is the daughter of Michael Ryan of Smithtown and Mary Ryan of Hauppauge.

    Mr. Finazzo is a son of Rori Finazzo Butterfield of Montauk and Michael Finazzo of West Palm Beach, Fla. He graduated from East Hampton High School and from St. Joseph’s College with a certificate to teach high school math. He is a teaching assistant at the Amagansett School and working toward a master’s degree in elementary and special education at Touro College. He is also the bar manager at the West Lake Clam and Chowder House in Montauk.

Starbucks C.E.O. Gets Z.B.A. Refill

Starbucks C.E.O. Gets Z.B.A. Refill

By
Larry LaVigne II

    At a meeting on Friday, for the second time, the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals granted Howard Schultz, the president of Starbucks, and his wife, Sheri Kersch Schultz, an interior designer, a coastal erosion hazard permit and a variance to allow the construction of a deck and a 2,521-square-foot addition at the first floor and basement levels of their waterfront house on Gracie Lane. The property is just over four acres.

    The Z.B.A. first granted approvals on the Schultz’s application on April 29, 2011. It expired a year later because construction had not been completed. Because the new application was identical to last year’s, the board simply reissued the permit, adding a condition that a variance granted in 1986 allowing for more than 650 square feet of habitable floor area in a caretaker’s apartment be removed.

    The board’s decision was not without contention. In a letter submitted on Sept. 12, an attorney for Donald Kostin of 73 Lily Pond Lane argued that an alternate lot line calculation should be considered, which would require a side yard setback variance.

    The board decided, however, that the owners had demonstrated “that no reasonable, prudent, alternative site is available,” and had taken “responsible means and measures to mitigate adverse impacts on natural systems.”

Too Many Taxis, Bikers, Runners, Races

Too Many Taxis, Bikers, Runners, Races

By
Janis Hewitt

    Eighty percent of the night life in the entire town of East Hampton is now in Montauk, East Hampton Town Police Lt. Chris Hatch, who is also the Montauk precinct commander, told the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee Monday night.

    The nightclubs located in the other hamlets are really seeing a drop in business, a member commented.

    The subject came up during a discussion about regulating taxicabs. This year the easternmost hamlet saw a proliferation of cabs from New York City and other areas UpIsland added to the increasing number already working here. At times there were 8 to 10 cabs parked on both sides of the street in front of the Montauk Chamber of Commerce.

    Asked about it after last month’s discussion, East Hampton Town Clerk Fred Overton said that 75 permits had been issued at a price of $200 per business and $150 for each additional vehicle. There are now 375 cabs in operation, he said. The cab company owner is subject to a background check, said Mr. Overton, while cab owners are required to show proof of insurance and a business license to get a permit.

    The permits are supposed to be placed on the vehicle’s front and back windows. Diane Hausman, the advisory committee’s chairwoman, said on Monday that she had been conducting an informal check of those stickers. “I haven’t seen any,” she said.

    Committee members think the regulations are too light and have asked that the town create a taxi commission and raise the fee for a permit upward of $5,000 apiece. Permits should not be issued, members said, unless the business owner can provide a local physical address, not a box number. Off-duty cabs would be parked on the owner’s property, not taking up parking spaces. Also, members said, taxi drivers should be regularly drug-tested, and rates should be posted where customers can see them.

    Cab companies should be required to bid for a permit, just like the food truck vendors, said Lisa Grenci, a member and former chairwoman of the committee. “If we’re charging food vendors, then the taxi permits should also go out for bid,” she said. “They’re making a lot of money out here.”

    Morgan Neff, who said he was a former New York City cab driver, said the answer was simple: raise the permit fee. “If you pay a lot of money, then you respect it. If you come here to run a medallion you’re going to have to pay for it,” he said.

    Trish Scott, a former cab driver, said drivers already receive quite a bit of scrutiny from the police. She suggested the committee invite cab owners to a meeting and let them have their say.

    Moving on, the committee descended upon triathlons, marathons, and bike races, which seem to take place almost every weekend since the spring. One member said last weekend was horrible, filled with bikers jamming the roads and blocking side streets and driveways. The committee will ask the town board for more oversight when granting permits for these events. It was suggested that the board does not have the time to review each application carefully.

    Jay Fruin reminded members that last year Tom Bogdan, a Montauk resident, had suggested a subcommittee be formed to scrutinize the applications and make recommendations to the town board before it issues permits. It might also find out exactly where the event proceeds go. Committee members said some event organizers charge $150 per person to participate and there are often over 200 people registered. The town should be getting more money from the races, they said.

    “People are coming into our town, raping us, and then leaving. The money should be going to the Police Department so they can get more help,” said Richie Weiss, a guest.

 

A Blast of a Weekend

A Blast of a Weekend

By
Janis Hewitt

    With the Montauk Chamber of Commerce’s annual Fall Festival this weekend, the end of summer is now official. And this chamber knows how to send out a season. There will be fireworks by Grucci, a clam chowder contest with over 30 restaurants vying for the title, live music, beer and wine tastings, clams and oysters, German-style food, a farmers market, games, inflatable jumps, face-painting, pumpkin-decorating, crab races, a 30-horse carousel, and more — lots more.

    The fun starts on Saturday with the popular chowder contest at 11 a.m. Be forewarned: the lines start forming much earlier. There will be local food personalities judging the best of the New England and Manhattan blends and a people’s choice award for both. Volunteers will shuck the freshest clams and oysters available. Music will be performed by Nancy Atlas and the Uncle Susie Band from 2 to 5 p.m.

    Later on Saturday, the Atlantic Terrace Motel is sponsoring a fireworks by Grucci display that will start at about 7 p.m. from Umbrella Beach. It will be visible from most of the downtown beaches.

    All features continue on Sunday. The folks from the Montauk Playhouse Community Center will join in, under a tent on the east side of the green, with a huge silent auction, featuring gift certificates for restaurants, motel stays and fishing trips, designer jewelry and handbags, electronic devices, art items, and more. Nearby, there will be entertainment and sports memorabilia for bidding.

    Carnival-type foods, including popcorn, cotton candy, and chocolate goodies, will be offered, and the 3B’s will get listeners jazzed up with their personal style of Montauk rock.

    Gurney’s Inn is offering a weekend special for anyone who would like to stay over, with breakfast and dinner, use of the seawater facilities, and an ocean-view room.

    There are still tickets left for the chamber’s big raffle, with cash prizes up to $20,000. The tickets cost $50 each and will be sold at the festival. The drawing will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday; it is not necessary to be there to win.

C.C.O.M. Tick Disease Forum

C.C.O.M. Tick Disease Forum

Dr. Joseph J. Burrascano Jr. and Jeremy Samuelson gave presentations about ticks, tick-borne diseases, and how to minimize chances of getting them at the Concerned Citizens of Montauk’s meeting on Saturday.
Dr. Joseph J. Burrascano Jr. and Jeremy Samuelson gave presentations about ticks, tick-borne diseases, and how to minimize chances of getting them at the Concerned Citizens of Montauk’s meeting on Saturday.
Janis Hewitt
By
Janis Hewitt

     It’s likely that the standing room only crowd of over 100 people learned something new about disease-bearing ticks at the Concerned Citizens of Montauk’s annual meeting, which included a forum on Lyme disease, on Saturday at the Montauk Firehouse.

     The discussion was led by Dr. Joseph Burrascano Jr., an expert in the field of tick disease, who upon retiring from a private practice in East Hampton began further research on Lyme and related illnesses, and Jeremy Samuelson, the executive director of C.C.O.M.

    Dr. Burrascano went over the symptoms transmitted by ticks and said that 80 to 100 percent of the ticks on the South Fork are infected. It is a fallacy, he said, that a tick has to be attached to a person for 24 hours before it can transmit disease. Lone star ticks, the ones with the little spot on the center of the back, can transmit a disease within hours, he said.

    Lone star ticks are attracted to carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, which brings them to road edges and parking lot areas, Mr. Samuelson said. Disease symptoms are broad and they are often diagnosed as an arthritic condition, such as “Montauk knee,” rather than an infectious disease.

    Only 17 percent of people with Lyme disease remember a bite, Dr. Burrascano said, explaining that the blood test for it is worse than a coin toss. “The sicker you are the less likely it is to show up in blood work,” he said. Patients have to be their own advocates, he said, and suggested that if people think they have Lyme disease they should list their symptoms on a calendar or diary every day.

    “It’s a pattern of recognition. Keep going to your doctor even if you’re labeled as crazy. Make the most of your visit and open your mouth,” he said. “Doctors are not the kings of the world; don’t be afraid to speak up.”

    The longer Lyme remains undetected, the longer it will take to treat, he said.

    Dr. Burrascano also warned that one tick can transmit multiple infections. If you already have the disease and get another illness, it will make you even sicker, he said. Longstanding Lyme can damage nerve endings, and patients have to go through very strong antibiotic therapy to be cured. “A combination therapy is the way to go for a long-term Lyme,” he said.

    He also prescribed staying healthy, avoiding alcohol, exercising, sticking to a low-fat diet, and forcing yourself to rest and sleep well. “When you sleep is when your immune system comes back. If your body is telling you it needs rest, then rest. Take a nap if you can.”

    “Oh, and don’t forget to laugh,” Dr. Burrascano said. One piece of good news is that a new test that can detect the disease is now available in other states and will soon be offered in New York. “It is based on growing the Borrelia bacteria in the lab,” he said.

    Dr. Burrascano recommended going to the Web site of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society at Ilads.org to learn more about tick diseases.

    Mr. Samuelson offered suggestions on how to keep ticks from one’s home environment. Damp, overgrown vegetation is an invitation for ticks, he said. Japanese barberry shrubs are a deterrent. October is when adult ticks become more prevalent and last until they are buried under snow or frozen in the ground, he said.

    “You want to create a crisp, dry, sun-filled environment around your home,” he said, noting that mice, which carry ticks, seek wood sheds, wood piles, bird feeders, and stone walls when cooler weather comes.

Skateboard Project Gets Under Way

Skateboard Project Gets Under Way

Janis Hewitt
By
Janis Hewitt

   East Hampton Town Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc has gotten the ball rolling again, so to speak, on the renovation of the Montauk Skate Park on Essex Street.

    The East Hampton Town Board liaison to the Town Parks and Recreation Department, Mr. Van Scoyoc met on Sept. 19 with employees of the department to identify issues still needed to be addressed at the town-owned park.

The town has been sitting on $30,000 in grant money obtained by former Councilwoman Julia Prince for the work several years ago. The town also received a pledge of $32,000 for the project from a benefit in 2010 when artists and skateboarders joined forces to raise money through an art show and cocktail party at the Out East gallery in Montauk.

    Employees of the town’s Building and Grounds Department are expected to swarm the property today to repair the damaged edges of the north side of the site, which will be transformed to a basketball court from an open court that has been used in various ways, including roller skating, handball, and as a dog run.

    Mr. Van Scoyoc said this week that the first order of business after the cleanup will be to resurface the grounds. The work was not expected to begin until October, but it has been rescheduled and will start immediately. The Highway Department is supplying the materials.

    It was also reported this week that a new, appropriate boulder has been found for an already finished plaque in honor of Lars Simonsen, a young man who often used the park and was killed in a construction accident in June 2007. The park is to be dedicated in his name.

Z.B.A. Chair Reprimanded

Z.B.A. Chair Reprimanded

By
Larry LaVigne II

    Despite an outburst earlier this month that the East Hampton Village mayor called “totally inappropriate and not in keeping with the high standard of professionalism” the village expects, Andrew Goldstein will continue to serve as chairman of the village zoning board of appeals, according to a statement issued on Monday by Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr.

    At a Sept. 14 zoning board hearing on the Maidstone Club’s irrigation overhaul, Mr. Goldstein told David Eagan, attorney for the club, to sit down or he would call security, and at the height of his frustration, requested that audio recording be stopped. It was not. Mr. Goldstein then apologized and Mr. Eagan accepted.

    In a closed-door session on Friday, “the board of trustees had a frank discussion with Mr. Goldstein in his capacity as chairman of our zoning board of appeals,” Mayor Rickenbach said in the statement. Mr. Goldstein admitted his error in conduct and apologized to the village board. “The board of trustees accepted Mr. Goldstein’s apology in good faith, with the caveat that it is understood similar conduct in the future will not be tolerated,” the mayor said in the statement.

    “I have no comment on Mr. Goldstein’s conduct or the village’s response,” Mr. Eagan said in an e-mail. And for the record, he said he felt the description in last week’s Star of his exchange with Mr. Goldstein on Sept. 14 as “heated” was inaccurate. “At no time was my behavior inappropriate. Anyone who was present or viewed the tape will see that I represented our client in a professional manner and was there to advance their interests and to defend their legal rights,” Mr. Eagan wrote. “Nothing that happened at the meeting will change my approach or that of my colleagues.”

    Mr. Goldstein declined to comment.