Although the quality of waterways overseen by the East Hampton Town Trustees is generally excellent, according to a presentation at Town Hall on Monday, the negative effects of housing density and inadequate septic systems are evident.

Christopher Gobler of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences has been monitoring waters here since 2013. His report on the 2015 findings was similar to the report the previous year. This time, however, he included mitigation efforts planned for Georgica and Hook Ponds in East Hampton, both of which had harmful algal blooms last year.

Because the Atlantic Ocean, Gardiner’s Bay, and Block Island Sound are among the cleanest waters in New York State, Dr. Gobler said the quality of the town’s waterways and fisheries should be high, and “generally that is true.” But, he said, “areas that couldn’t be more pristine” coexist with areas of impaired water quality that are strongly impacted by what happens on land. Dramatic changes have occurred in a surprisingly short time, he said, manifested by vanishing eelgrass and the persistent appearance of algal blooms in warm months.

Algae and phytoplankton are critically important to marine ecosystems, Dr. Gobler said, but “too much of a good thing” leads to dense, harmful blooms, including cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which appeared in many of the town’s freshwater sites last year, including Georgica and Hook Ponds, Wainscott Pond, and Fort Pond in Montauk. For the second consecutive year, Georgica Pond was closed to crabbing for much of the summer, the algal bloom dissipating only when the pond was opened to the ocean, as the trustees typically do biannually.

Exposure to blue-green algal blooms can cause vomiting or diarrhea; skin, eye, or throat irritation; nausea, or allergic reactions or breathing difficulties. Pets are among the most vulnerable, Dr. Gobler said, referring to a dog that died after ingesting water from Georgica Pond in 2012 and two dogs that experienced gastrointestinal illness after swimming in Fort Pond.

Warm water temperatures and a lack of tidal flushing are blamed for cyanobacteria blooms, but Dr. Gobler also pointed to “strong correlations between nitrogen loading and algal blooms.” Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater is blamed for suppressed oxygen levels and consequent fish kills. Sample sites in Three Mile Harbor, he said, showed low levels of dissolved oxygen for extended periods last year. “That’s going to have negative repercussions for marine life.”

Alexandrium, a bacterium that can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, was detected at the head of Three Mile Harbor during the year, Dr. Gobler said. While the level detected “generally wouldn’t be cause for concern,” a shellfish bed in Shinnecock Bay, where lower levels were measured, had been closed. Very little dinophysis, which causes diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, or cochlodinium, known as rust tide, were detected, however.

Fertilizer is another source of nitrogen, and rainfall was often followed, at some sites, by a spike in fecal coliform, which prompts the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation to close waters to the harvesting of marine life.

Levels of Chlorophyll a, a form of chlorophyll used in oxygenic photosynthesis, are below the Environmental Protection Agency standards in all marine water bodies. Levels of dissolved oxygen, he said, are generally high.

Remediation will come in multiple ways, he said. The county Department of Health Services is “on the verge of approving innovative, alternative wastewater treatment systems for individual homes” that dramatically reduce nitrogen levels reaching groundwater, at a cost similar to typical septic systems. A co-director of the New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, Dr. Gobler said, “Good things are on the horizon on this front.” 

Permeable reactive barriers can intercept nitrogen before it enters waterways, and the town’s Natural Resources Department is in the early stages of identifying sites for them, Dr. Gobler said. A plan to harvest macroalgae from Georgica Pond, which is believed to store excessive nutrients, is slated to begin next month. And the trustees have applied to the D.E.C. for a permit to dredge the cut between the pond and the ocean, which will increase circulation and flushing.

Update, 3:45 p.m.: The patient was extricated from the Kia at about 3:15 p.m. and taken to Southampton Hospital. No further information was available about the patient's condition.

Originally, 3:08 p.m.: A vehicle crashed into the woods off Accabonac Road, near the East Hampton Golf Club greens, leaving an occupant trapped inside on Tuesday afternoon. The car reportedly rolled over near Stony Hill Road at about 2:35 p.m. 

The Amagansett Fire Department responded with its heavy rescue equipment to extricate the occupant from a white Kia, which was on its side. That work was still under way at about 3 p.m.

Emergency medical service personnel requested a Suffolk County helicopter to fly the victim to Stony Brook University Hospital, a level-one trauma center. However, the medevac was not flying because of the weather. East Hampton Town police were also at the scene. 

Check back here for more details as they become available. 

Correction: The vehicle involved in the crash was a Kia, not a Suburu as originally reported.

The lifeblood of fishing has always been the tackle shop. It’s where anglers buy gear, tackle, and baits, learn where the fish are biting, and swap tales with fellow fishermen. 

The oldest tackle shop in America is in New York City. Yup, New York City. The Capitol Fishing Tackle Company was founded in 1897 by Otto Neff, a knife maker and fishing enthusiast. Originally a cutlery shop located in the Murray Hill section of Manhattan, the store moved into a space under the famous Chelsea Hotel in 1964, where it thrived as a full-line fishing tackle retailer for 42 years before moving to its present location on 36th Street. Did Bob Dylan, a Chelsea Hotel resident and trout-fishing enthusiast, buy his gear at Capitol? It’s certainly possible. 

T.G. Tochterman and Sons, founded in 1916 by Thomas Tochterman, is the oldest family-owned tackle shop in the United States. Located in the Fell’s Point section of Baltimore, it began as a mom-and-pop candy shop that sold fishing hooks as a sideline. One hundred years later it’s operated by Thomas’s grandson Tony Tochterman with his wife, Dee, and now occupies five buildings along Eastern Avenue. 

While these two tackle shops have enjoyed great success and longevity, many smaller mom-and-pop stores, including some locally, are facing substantial business challenges. An aging customer base, online and big box store competition, seasonality, and a lackluster economy are impacting bottom lines.

The 1930s and postwar 1940s were the heydays of saltwater sportfishing. Advances in boat design from builders like Rybovich, development of powerful gamefish reels from Finn-Nor, and the design and construction of sturdy rods capable of handling tuna and marlin created an excitement for offshore fishing. The exploits of the authors Zane Grey and Ernest Hemingway also fueled interest in the sport. 

Locally, even the Long Island Rail Road took notice. From 1932 to the 1950s, the Fisherman’s Special carried anglers with rods in hand from Manhattan and surrounding areas to Montauk for a day of fishing. But as this generation of devoted anglers and voracious fishing-products consumers passes, a new generation has yet to take its place. Kids today, as every parent knows, are preoccupied with electronic devices of every size and shape and, sadly, less inclined to participate in outdoor sports like fishing, which don’t always offer immediate gratification. 

The proliferation of online and big box retailers like Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s also pinches profits at neighborhood tackle shops. Large buying power and the ability to offer promotional discounts makes them formidable and sometime unfair competitors. The situation will likely worsen if Bass Pro Shops follows through with its plans to purchase Cabela’s. 

Seasonality, the bugaboo of many tackle shops, strongly impacts tackle stores on the East End. The fishing season begins in April with the opening of the trout and striped bass seasons and typically ends when the striped bass leave local waters in late October to head back south. If the fall run of striped bass  is lackluster or fails to materialize like last year, store sales of rods, tackle, and bait suffer as a result. The blackfish season does extend into December but that fishery is less lucrative for shop owners because it’s only accessible by boat and, yes, mostly enjoyed by a minority of anglers who like to fish with their fingers frozen.

Tony Tochterman believes that exceptional customer service has been the key to his store’s success over a century of operation. Paulie Apostolides, owner of Paulie’s Tackle of Montauk on Edgemere Street since 2006, believes the same. His shop is known for its friendly atmosphere and accommodating tone. It’s not unusual for fishermen to congregate inside and outside with a cup of coffee in hand to discuss all things fishing. Starbucks has nothing on Paulie’s, except the free Wi-Fi. 

Ken Duke, managing editor at Fishing Tackle Retailer, a leading industry publication, says that independent tackle shops need to have specialty products that are not available at larger competitors and to address the unique needs of local anglers. At Paulie’s Tackle it’s custom-made wire-line rods designed specifically for fishing the waters around Montauk Point. The strategy at Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor is to offer a deep selection of saltwater lures and flies, including those created by Glenn Mikkelson, a master fly-tyer, for those who ply surrounding flats and bays. 

Premium surfcasting equipment including CTS rods, ZeebaaS reels, and Salty’s lures is an edge for the Tackle Shop in Amagansett, located near ocean beaches. Locally hand-tied fluke rigs, jigs, and poppers as well as fresh live baits, some supplied by local sources, are key for Mrs. Sam’s Bait and Tackle in East Hampton.

The survival and indeed success of local tackle shops is critical to every fisherman’s full enjoyment of their sport. It’s hard to value local advice, but certainly it offsets any price savings found on the Internet. So, whenever possible, buy local. 

Action is heating up along with the water temperature. Ken Morse at Tight Lines reports striped bass catches of up to 14 pounds in Peconic Bay creeks. In Springs, Canyon Ross hooked his first striped bass of the season at Louse Point. No word if his dad caught one too. Sebastian Gorgone at Mrs. Sam’s Bait and Tackle reports that squid are appearing in Gardiner’s Bay and that small bass are splashing around Sammy’s Beach. The first wave of bluefish, long and skinny “runner” specimens, typically follow squid into the bay. An angler working the Gerard Drive shoreline caught a couple of these at dusk, according to Harvey Bennett at the Tackle Shop. 

Commercial fishermen have netted some porgies, but recreational anglers will have to wait until Sunday to catch one for dinner. Anglers continue to take schoolies around Montauk Pount and off ocean beaches. 

On the freshwater side, largemouth bass are falling for Daredevil lures at Big Fresh Pond in North Sea. Fort Pond continues to be great for walleye and bass.

Fluke regulations remain unchanged from last year, with a May 17 opening day, an 18-inch minimum size, and a five-fish-daily possession limit, according to an announcement made at a Marine Resources Advisory Committee meeting. In addition, bluefin tuna retention limits have been liberalized for recreational anglers.

Have a tale to tell or a catch to report? David Kuperschmid can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @ehstarfishing. 

Update, 8:20 p.m.: Stop and Shop in East Hampton Village reopened Wednesday evening after a fire broke out in a mechanical room hours earlier. 

East Hampton Fire Department Chief Richard Osterberg Jr. said a sprinkler system helped to contain the fire, which appeared to have been caused by debris, such as cardboard, that had been placed too close to a generator.

Employees at the grocery store at 67 Newtown Lane called 911 when they saw smoke, which had spread to the main part of the store, the chief said. They got customers out of the building, he said. Simultaneously, police dispatchers received a call from the alarm company about an automatic fire alarm that had been activated. Smoke was coming out of the back of the store, though it was hard to see because it is up against trees in Herrick Park, he added.

Gerry Turza, the second assistant chief, was the first chief to arrive, and he began "an aggressive interior attack" of the fire, Chief Osterberg said. Within 15 minutes, firefighters used 350 feet of hose to douse the flames "before damage really spread," he said. Only some of the contents of the room, which also contains refrigerator compressors and circuit breakers, were damaged. The building itself was not compromised.

Chief Osterberg notified the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, which oversees grocery stores, because there was a risk of food contamination from the smoke that spread to the store. He said a representative was to visit the store from the Brooklyn office and would have to sign-off on the reopening.

A Stop and Shop representative could not immediately be reached, but an employee at the store Wednesday evening said it had reopened around 6:30 p.m.

Managing the fire scene was no easy task, as the store is located in the middle of the village business district, off the busy Reutershan parking lot, with many cars and people coming and going, the chief said. The East Hampton Village Police Department was a tremendous help, he said, in closing off the parking lot to additional cars and keeping the entrances open for fire trucks to get through. "P.D. was really phenomenal," he said. 

The Stop and Shop staff of about 20 was also helpful; they didn't panic, they evacuated the building, and then stayed together in the parking lot so that they could all be accounted for and there was no question whether firefighters needed to search for anyone. "They have a plan in place that they do run practice on," the chief said. 

Originally, 4:02 p.m.: The East Hampton Fire Department quickly brought a fire at Stop and Shop in the village under control Wednesday afternoon. 

The department was called to the grocery store at 67 Newtown Lane at about 3:45 p.m. There was reportedly heavy smoke at the back of the building, near the loading dock in the Reutershan parking lot. 

A fire captain who arrived first at the grocery store confirmed there was a fire in the compressor room on the second floor and that the sprinkler system had activated. Chiefs called for the Amagansett Fire Department's rapid intervention team, in case a firefighter had to be rescued from inside the building. 

Less than 15 minutes later, firefighters reported the fire had been knocked down. Firefighters were then now on venting smoke. A fire marshal is investigating the cause.

Chiefs called for PSEG-Long Island to shut the power off and a representative from the Suffolk Health Department to respond because smoke did make it into the store. Fire dispatchers discovered it is actually the State Department of Agriculture and Markets that oversees grocery stores.  

Check back for more information as it becomes available. 

The 29-foot-long carcass of a dead humpback whale floated around Gardiner’s Bay and ran aground off Promised Land over the weekend before being removed in a complicated process that will cost the town a few thousand dollars. It is one of three humpbacks that were found dead in recent days in Northeast waters.

A bayman first alerted East Hampton Town Marine Patrol to the dead animal on Sunday morning, according to Ed Michels, the chief harbormaster. Coast Guard Station Montauk searched for the whale, but did not locate it until Sunday evening, he said. They went back on Monday morning and the carcass appeared to be stuck in the shallow waters of the bay. Belly up, with seagulls pecking at it, it was about 500 feet from shore between Devon Yacht Club in Amagansett and the Multi Aquaculture Systems fish farm.

Mr. Michels briefed Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell, offering two options: Leave it alone and let Mother Nature run its course or try to tow it to shore and dispose of it, a process that comes with a price tag.

At Mr. Cantwell’s request, the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation hopped a ride with Marine Patrol officers on Tuesday to determine if the carcass would even withstand being towed. Mr. Michels had raised concerns that the body may have been too far decomposed to hold up under the strain of a tow rope.

Mr. Cantwell said Tuesday afternoon that there was reason to believe the whale’s body might come adrift due to the strong east winds and rising tide. “At that point it could have washed up anywhere,” he said. “I would rather be able to control the situation to the extent that we can and know it can be taken care of.” It would be more trouble to deal with it if it were to wash ashore on rocks or in an area with no beach access, he said.

The decision was made that afternoon to move it to the beach, where a necropsy could be performed in an effort to determine what caused its demise.

The whale was towed by a Marine Patrol boat using a line that was secured to one of its fins, Mr. Michels said. It was taken to Little Albert’s Beach in Amagansett, and then a line was attached to the carcass so it could be secured from the shore. Kim Durham, a biologist with the Riverhead Foundation, was aboard during the effort.

The Riverhead Foundation’s biologists returned yesterday morning to perform the necropsy, according to Rachel Bosworth, a spokeswoman for the foundation. Samples will be sent to a pathologist. Results can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. The whale, a female that was approximately 3 years old, showed some evidence of blunt force trauma, Ms. Bosworth said. 

Humpback whales can grow to 60 feet and weigh between 25 and 40 tons. A federally endangered species that was once hunted to the point of near extinction, the whales still face several threats, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including entanglement in fishing gear, ship strikes, noise pollution, and even harassment from whale watchers. A ship strike could be a cause of blunt force trauma.

Only a portion of the mammal was dissected and taken for testing. The rest of it was to be carted to the town dump, where it would be incinerated, according to Town Highway Superintendent Stephen Lynch. 

Patrick Bistrian Jr. Inc., which has a town contract to provide use of various machinery, was to remove the whale after the necropsy is completed, according to Mr. Lynch. The cost would be “a few thousand dollars, nothing astronomical,” he said.

The foundation received information from NOAA that two other humpback whales, one in Newport, R.I., and the other in Marshfield, Mass., were found dead in recent days. The Mystic Aquarium was investigating the death of the Rhode Island whale, and the New England Aquarium was looking at the whale in Marshfield, Ms. Bosworth said. “At this time it is unclear whether any of these occurrences are related in any way, and all organizations will be reporting their findings to NOAA,” she said.

The Bridgehampton School District will need a supermajority of voters to approve its 2016-17 budget or will have to go back to the drawing board after adopting a budget proposal last week that pierces the state-imposed cap on tax-levy increases.

At least 60 percent of voters must say “yes” on May 17 to pass the $13,778,439 spending plan, which is about $960,000, or 7.49 percent, higher than the current year’s budget. The tax levy would be $11,960,973, an increase of 8.7 percent. That figure is nearly triple the state’s limit for Bridgehampton, which is 3.06 percent.

Robert Hauser, Bridgehampton’s assistant superintendent for finance and facilities, said if the budget passes a resident with a house assessed at $2.5 million would see a tax increase of about $117.41. The tax rate could go up about 2.84 percent, although the final rate won’t be known until Bridgehampton’s total assessed property value is available.

A successful 2016-17 school budget would be the second budget exceeding the tax-increase cap passed by the districtz since Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo instituted the tax levy cap, beginning with the 2012-13 school year.

The school board adopted its $13.78 million spending plan on April 13 without much discussion. Leading up to it, however, the district held two community forums. The second was attended by fewer than 30 people who broke into four groups to examine the budget closely. Three of the groups favored piercing the cap with the 7.49-percent spending increase; the fourth favored a smaller increase that would nevertheless be over the cap.

 “As far as the pulse of the community, I think we’ve done everything we could to find out how the community is feeling about it,” Jeff Mansfield, a school board member, said during the board’s March 30 meeting. “From what we’ve gathered, the district is behind us. They understand what we’re up against.”

Should the budget fail to win 60 percent of the vote on May 17, the district will have a second chance in June, with the option of presenting the same budget or a modified one. A second failed budget would yield a zero increase, which would most likely lead to the severe cuts the district initially discussed in February. The cuts could include after-school and summer programs, field trips, career and technical training, driver’s education, and funding for clubs, along with teacher and staff layoffs.

Bridgehampton will hold a public hearing on the budget on May 4 at 7 p.m. in the school. Voting on May 17 will take place from 2 to 8 p.m.

When Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump  won their respective parties’ presidential primaries in New York State Tuesday, Mr. Trump received 60.5 percent of the Republican vote and Mrs. Clinton 57.9 percent of the Democratic tally. The percentages by which they won in the First Congressional District, however, were somewhat different.

Unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections yesterday morning showed Mr. Trump receiving considerably more of the votes cast by registered Republicans here than across the state, nearly 73 percent, or 37,137 votes.

On the other hand, the Democratic contest was much closer in the first district than over all in the state. Mrs. Clinton received 21,861 votes, or 51.8 percent here, with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders winning 20,311 votes, or 48.2 percent. The district includes the Towns of East Hampton, Southampton, Shelter Island, Southold, Riverhead, Brook­haven, and most of Smithtown.

  Across the state, with 98 percent of precincts reporting as of yesterday, Mr. Trump was 35 percentage points ahead of his closest rival, Gov. John Kasich of Ohio.

In the First Congressional District Mr. Kasich received 8,772 votes, or 17.2 percent, while Senator Ted Cruz of Texas received 4,658 votes, or 9.1 percent.

 Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who suspended his campaign almost two months ago, garnered 372 votes in the district, or three-quarters of 1 percent.

At its annual dinner party on Saturday, the Sag Harbor Volunteer Ambulance Corps recognized a member who has answered a staggering number of calls for emergency medical service — more than 11,000.

Eddie Downes was named member of the year — never an easy choice, Stacy McGowin, the president of the corps, said. Mr. Downes put his 27 years of experience as an emergency medical technician to good use on several difficult calls this year.

On one of the 600 calls he went on in 2015, his crew saved a woman who was choking at Baron’s Cove restaurant in November. Mr. Downes, driving a first responder vehicle, was one of the first to arrive. When the Heimlich maneuver was unsuccessful and the woman went into an unresponsive state, Mr. Downes performed chest compressions and was able to force up the piece of meat blocking her airway, Ms. McGowin said.

It wasn’t the first time Mr. Downes had helped save someone who was choking. He was also involved in similar rescues in 2012 and 2014.

Mr. Downes, who lives in Sag Harbor Village and works for East Hampton Cleaners, joined the corps in 1987. He became an E.M.T. two years later.

“Calls are not where it stops for this member,” Ms. McGowin said. He served in an administrative role with the corps, including as president, for nearly 15 years. Since stepping down last year, he still serves in a variety of ways, including coordinating the continuing medical education so that members remain up to date on their certifications.

He also volunteers with the Southampton Town E.M.S. Advisory Committee and the East End Ambulance Coalition. He helped come up with the mutual aid program in place in all six of the districts that serve the Town of East Hampton.

Mr. Downes can always be counted on, Ms. McGowin said. “I don’t think one person could say this person isn’t deserving of this special award,” she said. Mr. Downes embodies what it means to be a dedicated volunteer, she added, “and his dedication is an inspiration to our members and the members of our community that he serves.”

Working since February and ending with exactly $72 to spare, the Springs School District’s administration successfully pared down a budget gap of more than $860,000 to reach a proposed figure for 2016-17 that stays within the tax cap limits and will not negatively impact what goes on in the classrooms each day, school officials say.

Doing so was tough, they said, and it puts the district in a precarious position with no contingencies to fall back on if needed.

“We have cut everything to the bone,” Carl Fraser, the district’s interim business administrator, said during the school board’s April 11 meeting. “In the past, you have seen moneys left over to put back into reserves to keep us going. We’re at the end of the cliff to fall over.”

The school board formally adopted the budget at its meeting on Monday. It will present to the public a $27.63 million spending plan that is less than 1 percent higher than the current year’s budget. As adopted, the budget carries a tax levy of just under $24.5 million, which is .13 percent higher than the present year’s tax levy, in accordance with state law. The district will need a simple majority of voter approval to pass the budget on May 17. Mr. Fraser estimated that for a Springs house with an assessed value of $800,000, taxes would rise by about $12 per year.

The budget maintains its present prekindergarten and full-day kindergarten programs, and additional state funding that came through in the final days of budget preparation was used to restore co-curricular programs, such as the literary magazine, the health fair, and several class advisers, that had been cut in a recent draft of the budget.

To get to the $27.63 million budget figure, the district slashed teacher and staff salaries by more than $176,000. John J. Finello, the superintendent, took a $15,000 pay cut, bringing his annual salary down to $200,000. There will be $10,000 less in the budget to pay Mr. Fraser, who is part-time and earns $750 per day. Eric Casale, the school principal, and Christine Cleary, the assistant principal, are both taking salary freezes, which will save the district $3,000. Two special education teaching assistant positions will be cut due to changing indivualized education plans for students in need of those services. A part-time librarian currently working .6 of a position will be reduced to .4 of a position, and a part-time art teacher working .4 of a position will be reduced to .2 of a position. There will continue to be a full-time librarian and a full-time art teacher in addition to these part-time positions.

The district is planning to put more than $1 million it anticipates having left over from the current year’s budget back into next year’s budget to offset rising costs in areas including health care and tuition for high school students. Don Cirillo, a Springs resident who has a background in finance, cautioned against relying on this practice, saying during the public comment session on April 11 that “dipping into your surplus to close a budget gap is . . . like a red flag” when it comes to the possibility that the district’s credit rating could be downgraded.

On Monday, Mr. Finello stressed to the school board that the budget, as presented, also contained no contingencies for expenses such as an extra teaching assistant position that could be needed should enrollment fluctuations call for more staffing.

“We just want to make sure, again, we’re making that point to you,” Mr. Finello said. “Overall, it was a daunting task to get at this tax-cap level.”

A resident, Dennis Donatuti, a former John M. Marshall Elementary School principal, spoke up after Monday’s meeting ended to compliment the district on the work it has done in presenting information to the taxpayers. “The last couple of weeks I had the chance to take a look at a lot of different budgets that were developed on the island,” he said, “and no one has done the job that the Springs administration and board have done in presenting a wonderful, clear package to the taxpayers. It’s the best I’ve seen certainly on the East End. . . .”

When voters weigh in on the budget, they will also select two school board members. Three Springs residents turned in nominating petitions by Monday’s deadline: David Conlon and Amy Rivera are running for the first time and Adam Wilson, an incumbent, is seeking re-election. Jeff Miller, who holds one of the two expiring seats, is not seeking re-election.

--

Correction: An earlier version of this story that appeared online and in print stated that one full-time librarian and one full-time art teacher would see their jobs reduced to .8 of a position. The full-time librarian and full-time art teacher will not see a reduction in hours; but the jobs of a part-time librarian and part-time art teacher will be reduced to .4 and .2 of a position, respectively. 

The combined efforts of East Hampton Village and the Ladies Village Improvement Society to upgrade the health of the village’s greens and ponds got a boost on Friday when a horticulturalist offered to design a rain garden at the Town Pond green.

The rain garden, which removes nitrogen and phosphorus before water seeps into groundwater, is a component of a larger improvement project that includes the installation of bioswales, drainage courses that trap and filter pollutants, near Hook Mill.

Tony Piazza of Piazza Horticultural of Southampton told the East Hampton Village Board that he would lend his expertise to the project, and in the process demonstrate that abandoning chemical fertilizers and pesticides does not mean sacrificing aesthetically appealing landscapes.

 “The concept we’ve discussed is to install a rain garden that would allow rain runoff from the street to soak into the ground naturally and would be filtered of pollutants from this flow before they enter the ponds and, eventually, the ocean,” he said.

Stephen Mahoney of Mahoney Farm and Nursery of East Hampton appeared with Mr. Piazza, saying “landscapes, over the decades, have become much more managed and, in many, many cases, over managed.” Mr. Mahoney and Mr. Piazza are members of the Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting oceans and beaches. The group’s Clean Water Initiative includes the Ocean Friendly Gardens program, an effort to filter pollutants, conserve water and wildlife habitats, and retain rain as the first source of irrigation.

Surfrider’s eastern Long Island chapter has received grants from the Walrath Family Foundation and the Elkes Family Foundation, money which would be used at the village green, which Mr. Piazza said was “an ideal site to demonstrate to residents “how they can landscape and care for their properties to minimize impacts on surface water quality.”

Mr. Piazza asked the village board to allow the Surfrider organization to document the rain garden’s installation in a short, educational film. The rain garden can be “greatly enhanced, as far as the plant material selection, to be a maybe a little more colorful,” he said.

“On behalf of the board, we welcome the opportunity to hopefully work in earnest with your group and the L.V.I.S. as a partnership,” Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. said. “We totally support what you’ve offered today.”

In other news from the meeting, the board amended the village code to change the parking limit from 15 to 30 minutes in several spaces in the Reutershan parking lot and to restrict five spaces in the Barns Schenck lot, north of Newtown Lane, to 30 minutes. The intent is to make it easier for patrons of nearby businesses to find parking for short periods. The law also renamed the lot on the east side of Main Street generally known as the Bank of New York parking lot to the 66 Main Street lot. 

The Department of Public Works will install new signs once the law is registered with the Department of State, which is expected within two weeks.

The board also modified its Railroad Avenue, Newtown Lane, and Gingerbread Lane Improvement Project, voting to change specifications for lighted crosswalks from push button-activated to motion-activated, such as recently installed on Main Street in Bridgehampton. The change will add $36,894 to the project’s cost.

An additional amount, up to $150,000, was also approved for the roads’ improvement. Becky Molinaro, the village administrator, explained that winter weather and work by the Suffolk Water Authority and National Grid had contributed to the roads’ deterioration. The utilities had offered “some level of restitution, knowing we were doing our own road project,” Ms. Molinaro said, which would lower the village’s cost. The project is also eligible for funding from the state’s Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program.