A sigh of relief was almost audible in Sag Harbor this week, following an announcement that the Bay Street Theatre had signed a 10-year lease for the building on Long Wharf it has leased for two decades. It had been reported last fall that the 2012 season would be the theater’s last in that location.

    The agreement with the building’s owner, Pat Malloy, provides for minimal increase in rent and will provide, according to a press release, stability while the Bay Street board of directors continues to seek a home of its own. The lease offers an “out” should Bay Street decide to move on. Mr. Malloy had previously offered the theater a short-term lease that carried cost increases.

    Murphy Davis, Bay Street’s artistic director, expressed gratitude to the East End community for having come forward with ideas and to “Pat Malloy for his understanding and his good will.”  He was referring to an open forum last fall, which, he said, generated ideas, interest, and funding sources.

    Members of the theater’s board, village residents, and others all spoke their minds at the forum, with no one in favor of the theater’s leaving the village. The most likely and affordable move under consideration had been for the theater to move to the Parrish Art Museum building in Southampton Village, which is to be vacated soon.

    The Southampton Village Board had offered Bay Street an “essentially rent-free 50- year lease” of the building, which would have entailed substantial renovation.

    “I’m thrilled,” said Tracy Mitchell, the theater’s executive director. “It is great to have everyone excited. Now the real work begins.”

    The theater can now focus on its programming, including its recently-announced Mainstage Season lineup, which will include a revival of “Men’s Lives,” the play by Sag Harbor’s Joe Pintauro based on the book by Peter Matthiessen about East Hampton fishermen. It was Bay Street’s inaugural production 20 years ago.

    Two illuminated crosswalks to assist nighttime pedestrians and drivers will be installed on Main Street in East Hampton Village over the next few weeks. The installation, approved by the East Hampton Village Board in February, began on Monday, six months after a pedestrian was hit and injured in a village crosswalk at dusk.

    “I’m lucky to be alive,” said Larry Zarsky, an East Hampton resident who sustained a fractured pelvis and shattered knee on Oct. 23, when crossing the street following a party at Babette’s restaurant on Newtown Lane.

    Mr. Zarsky said that pedestrians getting injured, even in crosswalks, was “a real problem.”

    As far as the new crosswalks being installed, Mr. Zarsky had a positive response. “Anything that will save one life, stop one injury, is a good thing,” he said.

    The crosswalks will be installed at the Circle and at Huntting Lane, and during construction visitors to Main Street are being told to expect slow going.

    Road closures, both eastbound and westbound, will continue Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. until the work is finished — approximately three weeks.

    Travel lanes will be closed or shifted, with sometimes only one lane open and occasionally complete closure for brief intervals. In addition to the lighted crosswalks, the New York State Department of Transportation is also improving the sidewalk ramps.

    The D.O.T. is urging drivers to find alternate routes around the construction if possible. This would bring drivers down to Egypt Lane from Pondview Lane or Dunemere Lane, or north of Main Street on Toilsome Lane to Newtown Lane.

    When the work is complete, pedestrians will have the ability to push a button on one side of the street, and illuminate the yellow lights in the crosswalk prior to walking.

    These are only the second “smart” illuminated crosswalks installed on Long Island. Since the project was approved by the board, a similar setup has been constructed in East Patchogue.

    Although the State D.O.T. is responsible for the construction, the village will pay for the electricity and upkeep of the new crosswalks.

    Voting on the budget and trustees for the Montauk Library will be on Saturday, from 2 to 8 p.m. at the library. The budget, totalling $700,768, is less than $500 higher than last year’s, and the candidates for trustee are running unopposed. The bulk of the library’s income will come from property taxes in the amount of $684,640. The average homeowner can expect to pay about $109.25 for the year in taxes.

    In its newsletter, library officials noted that when you consider the cost of buying books, subscribing to magazines, or watching movies, library services are a pretty good deal. The candidates for trustee are running for five-year terms. They are Lynda Bostrom and Jim Donna.

    Ms. Bostrom filled in the three years remaining in Suzanne Koch Gosman’s five-year term after her death. On Tuesday, Ms. Bostrom said she would like to expand programs for children and teens, to support the use of technology, and help preserve and share the treasures of the hamlet.

Mr. Donna, a former Associated Press reporter who was senior vice president for global business when he retired, served last year on the library’s strategic planning committee. A member of the Friends of the Montauk Library, he has volunteeres at the book fair. He has lived in the hamlet for 30 years.

    He is a board member of Services for the Underserved in New York City and on the advisory board of the School of Journalism at Penn State University.

    A spring tea will be held in the library this afternoon at 2 p.m. to meet the trustees and give residents an opportunity to ask questions.

    A group of loyal Java Nation customers carried the coffee roaster out the doors of the Sag Harbor shop early Sunday evening like pallbearers grieving over the end of an era.

    Having lost its lease in the Shopping Cove off Main Street, the coffee shop, owned by Cheryl and Andres Bedini, was moving after 17 years.

    Many lined up Sunday to have one more cup of coffee before they went. As the day came to a close, tears were shed and hugs exchanged to the beat of drums, courtesy of Dan Bailey, a local musician who said he “wanted to lighten the vibe and show support.”

    “It’s sad,” Mr. Bedini said on Sunday afternoon, while packing. He will miss the kids, many of whom he watched grow up. He will also miss the international clientele, he said — regulars from a range of Spanish-speaking countries with whom he could chat in Spanish.

    In a press release sent last week, Ms. Bedini announced that Java Nation would move its operations to 112 Maple Lane in Bridgehampton, near the railroad station. She said they will expand their roasting operation through private labeling, mail order, Internet sales, and farmers markets, and added, “We have space for a cafe in the front that should open in a few weeks.”

    On Facebook on Monday, Mr. Bedini thanked “all those who got teary eyed,” and said, “It helps us to know that we have touched people’s lives. We may be back in Sag sooner than you think. But, in the meantime, come see us in Bridgehampton. . . . See how we are progressing.”

    Their former landlord reportedly wanted an upscale business to take over the Shopping Cove location. Shane Dyckman, whose wife, Tisha Collette, owns the consignment shop next door, was to take the lease. By Tuesday, both Collette’s and the former Java space had been gutted.

    Loyal Java Nation customers do not relish the idea of a replacement for their beloved coffeehouse.

    “It’s as if they’re saying, if you like to roast coffee, have a theater troupe, or display public art on your property, please get out of Sag Harbor,” Mick Hargreaves said yesterday, referring to the Bay Street Theatre’s potential move from the village, and the zoning board’s decision that a Larry Rivers “Legs” sculpture must be removed from the side of a property on Madison Street.

    On Facebook , people expressed support, good wishes, and sadness.

    “It’s a terrible loss for Sag Harbor, for all of us that loved Java Nation right where it was,” Kate Mueth wrote. “It’s a tragedy,” said John Monteleone.

    “We’re like lost puppies now,” Billy Sonenfield wrote.

    Ms. Bedini reminded fans that they will be able to find Java beans in local restaurants and delis, such as Tutto il Giorno, Provisions, Dockside, and Cavaniola’s Gourmet in Sag Harbor, Breadzilla in Wainscott, and the Hampton Seafood Company in East Hampton.

    With the posting of new signs at the 7-Eleven in Montauk notifying drivers that they must enter one way on the east and exit one way on the west along Montauk Highway, the final stage of a traffic improvement project at the entrances to the convenience store and the I.G.A. across the street has been completed.

    The new signs, one of which highlights a nearby crosswalk, were put in place by the New York State Department of Transportation at the request of the East Hampton Town Police Department. There are no restrictions as to how vehicles may cross the highway from the I.G.A. to enter the parking lot at the 7-Eleven, which at one point had been expected.

    Included in the project was a change to the I.G.A. supermarket parking lot, which is also now one way in off the highway and one way out to the rear. Many residents, including motel owners in the area, are unhappy about the change. They claim more cars on the road behind the I.G.A. could cause a serious accident in summer, when there are people walking to the beach at night and hanging out.

    Drivers, however, are still ignoring the new pattern and daily can be seen exiting the I.G.A. onto the highway, where it says not to, and making left turns that have been prohibited for years.

    It’s been only a week since the new signs were posted, said Lt. Chris Hatch, who is the Montauk precinct commander, but enforcement will be immediate and tickets will be given at the discretion of the police officer on duty.

    Roadside parking in the area has also been moved back to improve the sight lines of drivers and pedestrians, Lieutenant Hatch said, and large trucks that have been parking on the sidewalk outside the parking lot and that block visibility may also be cited by the officer on duty.

    As the season approaches, only time will tell if the reconfiguration will be a success, Lieutenant Hatch said. “I believe that there will be an improvement,” he said. 

Amagansett

Isabel Carmichael

324-0002

    The Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee will meet on Monday at 7 p.m. in the community room at the Amagansett Library.

—

    Egg hunters unite. And repair to the East Hampton Youth Park on Saturday at noon for an Easter egg hunt. The park is on Abraham’s Path. All wishing to participate have been asked to drop off a dozen plastic eggs and a bag of individually wrapped non-peanut candy at the youth park before Saturday if possible.

—

    New books to borrow from the Amagansett Library include “Guilty Wives” by James Patterson, “A Conflict of Interest” by Adam Mitzner, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank” by Nathan Englander, “Elizabeth the Queen” by Sally Bedell Smith, and “The Devil Colony” by James Rollins.

—

    The Amagansett Fire Department has been putting on events regularly in anticipation of its 100th anniversary in 2014, and is planning a Classic Car Show for May 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those going to see the cars pay $5 per person, children under 12 free. Those taking a car to show pay $20, which includes a driver and one passenger (and a free T-shirt); each additional passenger costs $5.

    Available for purchase will be barbecued pulled pork, chili, hamburgers and hot dogs, cotton candy, popcorn, ice cream, and soft drinks. There will also be a people’s choice trophy, a 50-50 raffle, and activities for children.

—

    A reminder: Maundy Thursday is today and will be celebrated at the Amagansett Presbyterian Church with washing of feet at its 7 p.m. service and at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church at 5 p.m. with a communion service at 6.

    A Good Friday service, tomorrow, will be held at the Presbyterian church at 7 p.m. and at St. Michael’s at 5 p.m.

    Easter Sunday will be celebrated with a sunrise service at 6:15 a.m. at Atlantic Avenue Beach and a regular 11 a.m. service at the Presbyterian church, with an Easter egg to follow, and at 11 at St. Michael’s with an egg hunt afterward.

    St. Peter’s Catholic Church will hold a 9 a.m. Easter Sunday Mass.

—

    The East Hampton Town Marine Museum on Bluff Road will officially open for the season on Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For the week of spring break, Monday through April 15, admission is free.

Bridgehampton

324-7827

    Egg-hunting children, ages 8 and younger, have been invited on Saturday morning from 10 to 11 to the Hampton Library. The event will begin with storytelling, then children will head to the back lawn for the search.

    Adults needing insight into using Facebook are welcomed next Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for a workshop that will explain how to connect with family and friends, ways to explore one’s interests, and how to share photographs.

    Those wishing to be part of a Long Island Reads book discussion as part of National Library Week on April 18 at 11 a.m. can pick up a copy of “The Lost Wife” by Alyson Richman at the library now. The book tells a story of a pre-World War II love affair that was interrupted by fear and hatred.

—

    A sunrise service will take place on Easter Sunday at Ocean Road beach, an annual rite that brings Bridgehampton’s congregations together to greet the day. Coffee and refreshments will follow. Participating churches include Bridgehampton Methodist Church, Bridgehampton Presbyterian, Incarnation Lutheran Church, and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Fork.

—

    This year, Passover and Easter fall together, and the Rev. Alison Cornish, of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and her associate, Martha Potter, will discuss the foundational holy days for the Jewish and Christian faiths as they relate to bringing justice to the world during the Sunday service. Abby Fleming will play music. The service begins at 10:30 a.m., and childcare will be available.

    At noon, there will be a free qi gong class at the meetinghouse, teaching simple energizing movements and self-massage to assist new growth, and vision clarification.

Sagaponack

324-7827

    A hearty congratulations are in order to Barbara Mueller, a Sagaponack resident, who won a $250,000 second-place prize in the Mega Millions drawing held on March 23. She purchased her ticket at the Bridgehampton Gulf station.

—

    Kids 8 and under can search out Easter eggs at 1 p.m. sharp on Sunday at the Poxabogue County Park on Old Farm Road. Hunters have been asked to take their own baskets for their findings.

Southampton

324-7827

    Tonight from 7 to 9, Plain T loft at 87 Powell Avenue will offer tastings of fine art, tea, wine, and cheese for $45, to support the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Reservations can be made via e-mail to [email protected]

—

    On Sunday at 3 p.m., the Friends of the Rogers Memorial Library will present a musical performance from Terezin with Judith Lynn Stillman on piano, Lucia Hyunju Song as soprano, Lutz Rath on cello, and Eriko Sato on violin. There will be a reception for the artists afterward.  Registration is requested at myrml.org

—

    On April 14, Last Chance Animal Rescue will hold its annual Rock for Rescue Benefit at 7 p.m. at 230 Elm Street. The event will honor many local sponsors, supporters, and adopters with an open bar, buffet, and live music by New Life Crisis. Auction and raffle prizes include seven night’s accommodations in St. Lucia for four people. Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased online at LCARescue.org/ events.

    Last Chance Animal Rescue is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that rescues animals from “kill” shelters.

Springs

324-7827

    Bryan Anthony Field, a son of Christopher and Annmarie Field of Glade Road, has been named to the winter semester dean’s list at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he is a student at the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. A 2008 graduate of East Hampton High School, he is studying graphic design and development.

—

    Hot off the Springs Library presses is this list of new books at the library: “Lucifer’s Tears” by James Thompson, “Left for Dead” by J.A. Jance, “1222” by Anne Holt, “Agony of the Leaves” by Laura Childs, and “The Expats” by Chris Pavone.

Water Mill

324-7827

    The Grace Presbyterian Church at 1225 Montauk Highway will celebrate Easter with a service on Sunday at 10 a.m., followed by an egg hunt for the children at 11:30 a.m. The church is collecting non-perishable food for the needy all month long, with canned food and dried grains recommended.

—

Potluck for Farmers

    Artists, farmers, and those who support them have been invited to celebrate spring by sharing a meal and conversation at a potluck dinner at the Watermill Center Friday, April 13, from 4 to 7 p.m.

    Keil Borrman, an artist, will talk during the gathering about his project, called the Market, which is aimed at supporting local farmers.

    Reservation are requested by Tuesday with [email protected].

    Lisa Grenci, the chairwoman of the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committe for the last 15 years, dropped a bombshell at its meeting on Monday when she announced she was stepping down.

“I’m tired; I’m done,” she said to groans from members, who have re-elected her year after year, almost unanimously. Linda Barns, the committee’s secretary, added another unsettling note, saying she too would no longer run.

    Ms. Grenci said she travels every summer and, with three growing children doesn’t have the time to devote to the committee anymore. Asked after the meeting if she would consider staying on for one more year if no one came forward to run for the position, she said no.

    About 20 members of Montauk’s newest civic organization, Montauk Citizens Voice, attended the  meeting, which was moved from the Montauk School’s library to the multipurpose room in anticipation of a crowd.

    The group did not make a presentation, as had been expected, however. Carl Darenberg, a member of the advisory committee who is on the steering committee of Voice, said  afterward that the meeting had gone on too long to do so.  The new group has 40 members, it was reported and is open to anyone who wants to join. It meets on the last Wednesday of the month at Gurney’s Inn.

    Besides Mr. Darenberg, the other members of the steering committee are Dan Stavola, Chip Duryea, Michael Brosnan, and Paul Monte, president of the Montauk Chamber of Commerce and the manager of Gurney’s.

    Mr. Darenberg said the organization was formed to give  taxpayers an alternative way to get politically involved in environmental and business issues. “We want another voice in the community to be heard,” he said.

    During the meeting, Mr. Brosnan spoke about the traffic and parking problems at the west end of the business district. The citizens committee had previously discussed changes recommended by the Town Police Department at both the I.G.A. and 7-Eleven. The I.G.A. has complied with the changes, making the entrance to its parking lot one way, but 7-Eleven has not yet done so. The plan called for the entrance to its lot to be on the east and the exit to the west.

    But Lt. Chris Hatch of the department told the committee that the State Department of Transportation had just issued a plan that contradicts the department’s. The discussion is ongoing, he said.

    Talk turned to the Friends of Erin St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 25, which started this year at 10 a.m. instead of the usual 12:30 in order to discourage drunken revelers, who come off afternoon trains. The earlier start had worked, but some in the room said it hurt downtown business. “The downtown people were hurt by this, especially those that stay open year round and need that money,” Mr. Darenberg said.

    Lieutenant Hatch said consideration is being given to an 11 a.m. start next year. As a business owner and president of the chamber‚ Mr. Monte said it may take a few years to break the cycle of drunken visitors, which will eventually get families back to the parade.

     Members also discussed deer, whose numbers continue to grow.

    “Something has to be done yesterday. Lyme disease is a terrible issue here. You can’t even go into the woods anymore,” Carl Reimerdes, a committee member, said. He suggested that police be employed to cull the herd and said special gun permits should be granted to property owners who want to take matters into their own hands.

    When the town board’s liaison to the committee, Councilman Dominick Stanzione, said a study was under way, Mr. Reimerdes interrupted him. “Instead of studying these things it’s time to do something.”

    The Coast Guard has credited the  response of the Shamrock’s crew for saving the fishing vessel on Saturday morning. The boat’s design also helped keep her afloat. According to published reports, the wooden boat, based in New Bedford, Mass., had sprung a plank in 10 to 12-foot seas 70 miles south of Montauk.

    It took seven hours for the 70-foot Shamrock to reach Montauk escorted by the cutter Tiger Shark. She was so full of water by early Sunday morning she was unable to enter the harbor. Instead, a crew from the Montauk Coast Guard station helped get the flooding under control with pumps added to the two that had been lowered by a Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter.

    Once the boat was dewatered and repaired to the satisfaction of the Coast Guard, she and her crew of four were permitted to continue on to New Bedford. Chief Petty Officer Jason Walters of the Montauk station said that as much as 20,000 gallons had been pumped from the Shamrock during the ordeal.

    A mayday had first gone out on Saturday morning and was relayed to the Coast Guard by other fishing vessels. The Bookie, a fishing boat out of New York City, stood by the Shamrock until the Coast Guard came on the scene at about 11:45 a.m. on Saturday. By then Shamrock’s crew had donned survival suits and had readied Shamrock’s lifeboat.

    Shamrock was reportedly built with chambered bulkheads, which helped keep her afloat. No injuries were reported.

    “We have passed through the entire month of March without seeing a single flake of snow,” Richard G. Hendrickson, the United States Cooperative weather observer in Bridgehampton, wrote in his monthly report for March.

    It’s not the first time, but it is uncommon. According to Mr. Hendrickson, there was no snow in the month of March in 2008 and 1983, and only a trace of it in the Marches of 1946, ’54, ’66, ’71, ’72, ’79, ’86, ’95, and 2002.

    “Such is the variation in weather during the month of March on eastern Long Island,” Mr. Hendrickson wrote.

    The warmest days last month were the 21st and 22nd, when it was 70 degrees. On the coldest days, March 6 and 11, it was 23 degrees. Nighttime temperatures dropped to freezing or below on nine nights.

    Rain for March was scarce, with just 1.28 inches recorded, close to 2 inches less than the long-term average. “We need much more rain to keep our sandy loam Long Island soil moist,” he wrote. “We hope spring rains will give us ample soil moisture to help plants through the summer.”

    Though there was little rain, there was considerable fog on five days last month.

    Mr. Hendrickson recorded westerly winds on 17 days last month, as well as 19 clear days, 3 partly cloudy, and 9 cloudy.

    April’s warmer weather should bring ample rain, some fog, and more southerly breezes, Mr. Hendrickson guessed, predicting a high of 80 degrees this month.

    “As the winters come and go, I feel that many of us think and realize that we are in a warming climate trend,” Mr. Hendrickson said. “Our years are warmer and we are going to have warmer years in the future. They are part of the slow but inevitable change that is taking place all over in our present day world. So, if we have excellent ice-skating next winter, you may ask, where is that warming trend that weatherman was writing about?”

    It will take years for the weather to change completely, said the observer, who has been taking his measurements at his Bridgehampton weather station since he was a teenager, “but change it will. Our ocean is warmer and rising. Wait and see. Waterfront homes? Many of us will have to just wait and watch the natural slow changing weather.”

    In the final days before the world premiere of his new documentary, “They Come to America,” at Guild Hall on Saturday, Dennis Michael Lynch was “bombarded with requests for tickets,” he said.

    In the film, Mr. Lynch offers both a local perspective on the illegal immigration debate, and a view of conditions along the United States-Mexico border.

    He shut his Web site down at 3:25 p.m. on Saturday so there would be a few tickets left for those planning to buy them at the door, but could not please all of those who stood in line. Many were turned away, and expressed their disappointment. The theater was at capacity, and people were sitting on folding chairs. “The response was more than I expected,” he said.

    The evening’s post-screening Q and A, moderated by John Roland, a former Fox News reporter, resulted in some heated discussions among audience members, and panelists as well.

    Knowing the passions of Mike Cutler, a retired member of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and Bill Streppone, an immigration attorney, both on the panel, Mr. Lynch had predicted that the two could only contain themselves for so long.

    The issue elicits strong opinions, and audience members wanted to voice theirs, too. Some who took the microphone had statements of opinion, rather than questions, but Mr. Lynch made it a point to answer every question asked, even from those he felt were attacking him. “Everyone is entitled to answers,” he said.

    All the money raised from sales of both of his film DVDs “King of the Hamptons” and “They Come to America” on Saturday evening — $750 — was sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Mr. Lynch said Tuesday.

    The filmmaker’s next stop was Washington, D.C., on Monday. “I was contacted by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration,” he said. He went to meet Emily Sanders, a White House staff member, in person to discuss her idea of showing the film to members of Congress and staff, and organizing a roundtable discussion afterward.

    Since the premiere, Mr. Lynch said he has been flooded with e-mails and has been asked to organize more local screenings. The film is scheduled to be shown in Arizona tomorrow through next Thursday, and then in Florida and Kentucky.