A proposed zoning change for the Cyril’s Fish House property on Napeague and an adjacent vacant lot to the west drew a large crowd to East Hampton Town Hall last Thursday night.

    The change would allow the bar and restaurant to use both sites and, potentially, resolve legal problems by obtaining permits for deck and patio areas, storage, and other additions made over the years without permits. Opponents of the proposal outnumbered supporters by about two to one.

    Bonnie and Michael Dioguardi, the property owners, want to bring Cyril’s into compliance with the town code and to address community concerns about safety and environmental problems posed by the summertime crowds there, said Dianne LeVerrier, their attorney. Changing the lots from residential to neighborhood business zoning would be only the first step, she said. No formal proposal has been submitted to the town for review, she said, but future plans call for adding 12 parking spaces on the vacant lot and installing an upgraded septic system. Patrons now milling about on the shoulders of Montauk Highway, who park their cars as much as half a mile away, could be moved to the rear of the property away from traffic, she said.

    The restaurant has been issued dozens of summonses for zoning violations going back almost a decade, Tina Piette, an attorney for Cyril’s, said at the hearing.  As a “pre-existing, nonconforming” use of the land, it is allowed to remain, having been established  before its neighborhood was zoned for residential use. It is not, however, allowed to expand.

     The zone change request, Ms. LeVerrier said at a town board work session Tuesday, is the result of “lengthy discussions’ with the Planning Department, town attorneys, and planning board members about how to resolve the problems.

    “This business can continue in perpetuity in its current state,” she said. “But who wants that? We want to fix it; the public wants to fix it; the town wants to fix it. What we have put before the board, what we have talked about with the planners, is a plan that makes sense.”

    The Planning Department, however, has concluded that the existing residential zoning is correct and should remain, Eric Schantz, a town planner, said at the hearing. In a memo to the town board the planning board, whose members were split evenly, 3 to 3, on whether to recommend the zone change, put forward reasons for and against the idea.

    Cyril’s, Mr. Schwartz said last Thursday, is “really in the worst place possible as far as public safety is concerned, and as far as environmental impacts are concerned” — in a low-lying area with surrounding wetlands and state and town-owned preserved land.    

    Zoning decisions, he said, should “preclude expansion of a commercial property in an area that’s not appropriate for it,” while respecting a property owner’s rights.

    Supporters of a zoning change cited the opportunity for much-needed improvements. But others said the improvements — a dozen off-road parking spots and a septic system designed to handle the waste generated by either 62 or 90-something people — would not make a significant difference.

    “I believe that we the town should be looking for a solution to all the problems this establishment creates,” said Councilwoman Theresa Quigley.

    Bob DeLuca, the president of Group for the East End, opposed the zone change. Should the town wish to effect changes on the site, he suggested it avail itself of the State Environmental Quality Review Act, where issues such as the comprehensive plan (which specifically calls for limiting the expansion of nonconforming properties), zoning regulations, and the code violations could be fully explored “in a context where it’s transparent and the public has access. . . .” The town could use the violations as leverage to achieve desired changes, he said.

    The 15 nearby homeowners on Napeague Harbor Road “are united in our opposition to this proposal,” said Coleen Rando. They relied on the residential zoning in place when buying their houses, she said. She displayed a collage of photos of the restaurant. One, she said, showed 400 people milling around its on-site parking area. “Why shouldn’t we expect the same thing to happen in a new parking area?” she said.

    One way to get the situation under control, said Jeremy Samuelson, the executive director of Concerned Citizens of Montauk, was to require the business to comply with the limits of what it is at present legally allowed. “The folks who are using their parking lot as a bar are asking us to believe that if we let them build another parking lot, it will benefit the community, and that they will actually use it as a parking lot,” he said.

    “If you add another parking area, my sense is you’re just creating a bigger bar,” said Wilson Ervin, another neighbor.

    “We stand in opposition,” said Ken Levy-Church, who cited the instability of the low-lying area, particularly in the face of climate change and sea-level rise. At present, portable toilets are used and waste is trucked off site. That is preferable, Mr. Ervin said, to increasing the septic discharge underground.

    “It is possible to upgrade a sanitary system on the property” under current zoning, Drew Bennett, an engineer, said at the hearing. “It is not possible to increase the parking at the same time,” he said, without obtaining variances from the zoning board. 

    Napeague has an “incredible environmental value. Even the most modern septic system will dramatically increase” potential pollution, said Britton Bistrian, another nearby resident. “None of these expansions was ever in response to the problems at the site,” she said of the changes made without permits over the years. Instead, she said, they were “to serve more people . . . at any cost.”

    “Rather than whether the property should be rezoned, the question should be, at what point does the number of violations trigger questions about shutting down an illegal operation?” said John Broderick of Amagansett.

    “To reward a landowner with 24 outstanding violations seems preposterous to me,” Sheila Okin said. “As does expanding the lot coverage on a flood-prone, environmentally sensitive piece of property.”

    Betty Mazur of Amagansett said that hamlet’s citizens’ advisory committee opposes the zone change. “Most residents know [Cyril’s]” she said, “as a wildly overcrowded watering hole that spills unsteady customers onto Montauk Highway, where long lines of cars are precariously parking, creating a seasonal hazard.”

    But one member of ACAC, Christine Gaudy, disagreed, calling the restaurant a “landmark.” The owner is “doing everything logical” to address the problems there, she said. Tom Connors also supported the zone change. “It’s badly needed to have an updated septic system here because of the crowds,” he said.

    Ms. LeVerrier noted on Tuesday that there is no law limiting the number of “standing patrons” allowed on the property. Councilwoman Quigley suggested that since the crowds are the “key” to the resulting problems, perhaps, as a condition of granting the rezoning, the Dioguardis would agree to put a cap on their number.

    Debra Choron of Montauk said at the hearing that the zoning change was “a necessary first step in the right direction.” She submitted a petition signed by 27 others who agree. “These people are trying to put money into their business, and they should be allowed to do it,” Chuck Morici said.

    “It’s about, what do you want Napeague to look like,” said Debra Foster, a former planning board and town board member.

    The Dioguardis’ request, said Councilman Dominick Stanzione on Tuesday, raises a larger question about zoning policy regarding pre-existing, nonconforming sites. That question begs discussion, Ms. Quigley said.

    A tally compiled by a town-appointed business committee found that in the Amagansett School District, which includes Napeague, 44 percent of the parcels used by businesses are actually zoned for residential use. The situation prevails across town, the councilwoman said, and raises questions about the ability of businesses to grow and thrive.

    The hearing was held open for additional comment until next Thursday.

    Political opposition appeared to be a driving force this week at the East Hampton Town Board, where Councilwoman Theresa Quigley and Supervisor Bill Wilkinson, both Republicans, voted continually, with virtually no explanation, against resolutions offered by the Democrats on the board as well as their fellow party member, Dominick Stanzione — in apparent retribution for Mr. Stanzione sometimes casting his swing vote against their proposals.

    In two meetings this week, Ms. Quigley voted no on 10 resolutions and abstained on 2.

     On 5 of 11 votes, Supervisor Wilkinson immediately followed suit; on a 12th, he voted no and she abstained. The supervisor and Ms. Quigley, his deputy, are increasingly finding themselves in the minority on various board matters and votes. However, the resolutions had been reviewed at a board work session and their subjects were discussed in most cases without engendering any opposition before being brought to a vote.

    Asked by e-mail to elaborate on her objections to the various initiatives covered by the resolutions, Ms. Quigley said only, “I do not support them.”

    In his own e-mail, Mr. Wilkinson said, “Five of the six, I believe, have a common theme — they were proposed by Dominick. Dominick’s track record, which has included unauthorized letter signings representing the town, pandering to certain interest groups, reneging on organizational and recruitment strategies, personally rerouting incoming and exiting aircraft, misrepresentations in general — has led to an atmosphere of distrust, by me, and therefore led to these negative votes.”

    Both Mr. Wilkinson and Ms. Quigley have announced that they will not run to keep their seats. Mr. Stanzione has been nominated by the East Hampton G.O.P. for a second term.

    Mr. Wilkinson and Ms. Quigley voted against three resolutions offered by Mr. Stanzione to schedule hearings on additions to the town code. The new code chapters cover matters related to stormwater runoff and pollutant discharges into water bodies, which towns are required to address under the federal Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems program. Mr. Stanzione is overseeing the town’s efforts toward compliance for the board.

    Ms. Quigley and Mr. Wilkinson also voted against authorizing the start of a Wainscott business corridor study, by town planners along with citizen volunteers. Ms. Quigley had objected at a prior work session to the language of the resolution, offered by Democratic Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc, stating that the Planning Department was to prepare the study, “with input from the W.C.A.C. and other stakeholders.”

    Ms. Quigley, who had originally proposed having the citizens committee itself do the study, said that at a citizens committee meeting, which both she and Mr. Van Scoyoc attended, it had been determined that the group would take the lead, with input from town planners. Mr. Van Scoyoc said it was just the opposite; that the committee members had said they were not qualified to undertake the study. This week he reported that the group was happy that the board had moved to get it under way.

    The councilwoman also opposed a $1,500 transfer from one area of the town airport budget to another, and both she and Mr. Wilkinson voted against renewing a contract with a company that has been operating a system called AirScene, which tracks and compiles aircraft flight data at the town airport, for the last six years. The data is used to pursue pilots’ compliance with voluntary noise-abatement procedures. It is also key to developing a record that the town could use to seek Federal Aviation Administration approval for airport access restrictions designed to lessen airport noise, an effort Ms. Quigley has supported.

    Both board members have expressed dissatisfaction with Mr. Stanzione’s handling of airport matters, but the majority of the board approved the $106,632 contract to continue the flight track monitoring.

    Several resolutions offered by Councilwoman Sylvia Overby, the board’s liaison on the scavenger waste treatment plant — another matter sparking board disagreement — were also spurned by Ms. Quigley without explanation. She voted against seeking bids on the transfer of septic waste from the facility (a previous contract is drawing to a close), and against extending the current contract, with Hamptons Septic Services, for two weeks, through April 15. The other four board members approved the resolutions. Bids will be accepted by the town purchasing office through March 27, and Hamptons Septic Services will continue hauling waste away in the meantime.

    In addition, Ms. Quigley voted against extending for 2013 a contract with FPM Group, Ltd., an engineering firm, to monitor methane wells at the East Hampton and Montauk landfills, which is required by the State Department of Environmental Conservation. The total cost for the year is not to exceed $131,593, a 17-percent reduction on the East Hampton landfill work, and an 8-percent decrease in the costs of monitoring the Montauk wells.

    Ms. Quigley also cast the sole vote last Thursday against ratifying a stipulation of settlement with Sheila Carter, a town employee who had been brought up on disciplinary charges.

    On a resolution offered by Councilman Van Scoyoc, appointing David Lys to the zoning board of appeals for a five-year term, Ms. Quigley abstained and Mr. Wilkinson voted no. The councilwoman had offered Karen Benvenuto as her appointee. She pointed out last Thursday that with Mr. Lys’s appointment, the Z.B.A. would be composed of entirely male members and would lack diversity.

    On Tuesday, Ms. Quigley abstained, again without explanation, from an otherwise unanimous vote to appoint Rossetti Perchik, an architect, to the town Architectural Review Board for a five-year term. The appointment was proposed by Mr. Van Scoyoc.

    A potential solution to overcrowding and unchecked alcohol consumption at Indian Wells Beach that includes an attended booth at the intersection of Indian Wells Highway and Bluff Road may be implemented ahead of the summer season, the Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee was told at its meeting on Monday.

    East Hampton Town Councilwoman Sylvia Overby, who is the committee’s liaison to the town board, described to members a plan would have an attendant at the booth drag a barrier across Indian Wells Highway when the beach parking lot, which can hold 117 cars, becomes full. Taxis, buses, and all other vehicles except those bearing a resident or Amagansett Beach Association sticker would be prohibited from proceeding.

    The intent is twofold. In addition to relieving congestion at the road end, at which taxis, buses, and private vehicles are typically dropping off and picking up passengers, or idling while awaiting an available parking space, it is hoped that forcing beachgoers to walk from the Bluff Road intersection will discourage them from carrying coolers and kegs to the alcohol-fueled gatherings for which the beach has become known.

    In addition, the junior lifeguard program would be moved forward by 30 minutes to a 9 a.m. start, allowing it to end at 11 a.m. instead of 11:30. This is expected to remove approximately 20 vehicles from the lot, just as it typically nears capacity.

    The plan, Ms. Overby told the committee, “is very, very preliminary. The town is concerned, the board has gotten several letters. This is something we want to try to solve.” The plan, she said, was devised in meetings with officials including Supervisor Bill Wilkinson, East Hampton Town Police Chief Edward Ecker and Captain Michael Sarlo, Ed Michaels, the town harbormaster, John Rooney, the superintendent of recreation, John Ryan Jr., the town’s chief lifeguard, and Robert Connelly, an assistant town attorney.

    To allow buses to turn around at the barrier, the intersection may need to be reconfigured, Ms. Overby said. Quoting Chief Ecker, she said, “This could be a start, but it may not be a finish.” A midsummer course correction could also happen, she said, should the plan prove problematic or ineffective — congestion might simply move from the road end to the Bluff Road intersection, for example, or the alcohol-imbibing crowds may move to Atlantic Avenue Beach. “Nobody is going to be completely happy. We can’t please everybody,” the councilwoman said, but “I don’t want to start the summer with nothing.”

    Everyone agreed. “To do nothing is worse than doing something,” said John Broderick. “It’s going to be a work in progress. That’s a busy intersection all year, but something definitely has to be done.”

    An expansion of the parking lot, perhaps stretching all the way to Bluff Road, is a project the town board may address next year, Ms. Overby said, though the land in question contains wetlands. In addition, new signs prohibiting parking on Further Court and Southview, nearby streets that have become popular parking hideaways for beachgoers, is likely, Ms. Overby said.

    Tom Field proposed that the committee write to the board expressing its support for the pilot program described by Ms. Overby. Other members were unanimous in agreement.

    Ms. Overby reported that the town board would discuss new taxi legislation at its work session the next day. The legislation remains a work in progress and the board will consider a revised version in the near future. “For me, the issue is safety,” she said, along with a requirement that fares be posted. “If you stand at Indian Wells and watch the kids pile into the cabs, it’s not safe, it’s illegal,” she said.

    It’s less a quality-of-life issue than a safety issue, Mr. Broderick agreed. “It’s like the beach: There’s obviously something wrong if we’ve gotten to the point where we had to draft legislation and try and put it into law.”

    Finally, Ms. Overby reported to the committee that she had marched in the Am O’Gansett parade on Saturday. “It’s bigger every year,” she said of the fifth annual event. “The kids were having a great time. It felt really good.”

    It was also decided to include in the minutes of the meeting praise for Steve Lynch, the town highway superintendent, for exemplary work clearing roadways in the wake of winter’s substantial snowfall.

    Lt. Tom Grenci of the town police will be invited to the board’s next meeting on April 8 to further discuss Indian Wells Beach and other police matters.

The 51st annual Montauk Friends of Erin St. Patrick's Day Parade is to begin at 11:30 today under clear skies.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service say that today is going to be brisk, with an anticipated high temperature of a chilly 39 degrees, few clouds, and a moderate wind from the northwest.

The parade route begins near the Montauk Firehouse on Edgemere Road. The marchers, floats, and varied number of businesses and groups, such as classic-car enthusiasts work their way slowly toward downtown Montauk.

In an attempt to cut down on drunkenness among parade-bound revelers, the Long Island Rail Road ordered a temporary ban on alcohol consumption on the Montauk branch runs through Sunday. The railroad has said that police will confiscate any alcoholic beverages carried by passengers on trains, or in stations and platforms.

The 7:42 a.m. train from Penn Station is due in Montauk at 10:46 a.m.; it makes stops at Babylon, Bayshore, Sayville, Patchogue, Speonk, Westhampton, Hampton Bays, Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, and Amagansett. A later train arrives in Montauk at 12:46. Return trips are a 1:23, 3:35, 5:35, and 7:33 p.m.

Sunday's activities begin with a clam chowder brunch of sorts on the downtown Montauk green. The local chamber of commerce will be serving up portions made by several restaurants in keepsake St. Patrick's Day mugs.

For those driving to the parade, the downtown portion of Montauk Highway generally is closed to traffic around 11 a.m., which means that those arriving any later will have to park near Second House Road and walk in for the best viewing spots.

Keep up with the parade today on rebelmouse.com\easthamptonstar

            Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman, who was the East Hampton Town Republicans' top choice to run for town supervisor this year, announced today that he will instead seek a sixth and final term on the Legislature. That leaves the Republicans to seek out a new candidate to lead their ticket.

            Supervisor Bill Wilkinson, a Republican, has said he does not wish to run for re-election.

            The Republicans have already nominated Fred Overton, the town clerk, to run for town board along with Councilman Dominick Stanzione, who is finishing his first term in office. They have Carol Brennan, the deputy clerk, on tap to run for town clerk, Carl Irace, a former town attorney, for town justice, and Joe Bloecker for assessor.

            Below is the statement Mr. Schneiderman released this morning:

Schneiderman Announces He Will Seek Re-Election as Suffolk Legislator

Schneiderman withdraws his name from consideration for East Hampton Town Supervisor

Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman (I-Montauk) today announced that he will run for a 6th term on the Suffolk County Legislature. Legislator Schneiderman had been considering running instead for his prior post as East Hampton Town Supervisor.  Legislator Schneiderman explained his decision in a statement released today.

“I am grateful for the overwhelming support and encouragement I have received as I have weighed how best to serve our community. After great thought and deliberation, I have chosen to seek re-election to the Suffolk County Legislature.”

“East Hampton is a special place, and the idea of bringing our town together as Supervisor is very appealing to me. However, there is still more work I feel I need to do in the Legislature.”

“Suffolk County is at a critical crossroads and I believe I can make a real difference to ensure we make the right choices to move our County forward. I do not want to walk away from Suffolk County at a time when we are facing a deficit of up to $250 million and the future of many critical programs are unsettled.”

“County Executive Bellone has asked me to work closely with him to focus on budget mitigation that puts Suffolk County on a more sustainable path while protecting critical services.”

“Recently, I emerged victorious in my longstanding fight against the disproportionate and unfair placement of all the county’s homeless sex offenders on Eastern Long Island. Now that this consuming fight is behind us, I can focus on other regional concerns like improving transportation options on the East End, the future of the open space program and protecting our farming communities. I also will work closely with our Sandy recovery team to make sure we make the right choices not only to rebuild damaged communities stronger, but that we make smart decisions all along our shoreline to protect vulnerable areas like downtown Montauk.”

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said he is pleased with Legislator Schneiderman’s decision. “I am grateful that Legislator Schneiderman has chosen to seek re-election. Jay is a strong voice and a relentless advocate for the East End. As we work to put our finances in order, deliver services more efficiently and rebuild after Sandy, I need Jay Schneiderman’s voice in the Legislature,” said Bellone.

Legislator Jay Schneiderman will be running for his last term as Legislator because of County term limits.  He said he would not rule out the possibility of a run for Supervisor at some point in the future.

    The East Hampton Town Trustees have been working overtime to respond to the ever-increasing number of applications from homeowners wishing to hold back the sea. The devil is in the details, and patience often grows as thin as the beach.

    Beginning in early November following the punishing visit of megastorm Sandy on Oct. 29, the nine-member board that oversees most of East Hampton’s beaches has received dozens of applications to construct and fix broken stone revetments, rebuild lost dunes, and buttress broken bulkheads. A blizzard of applications continues to descend on the board. This is in part the result of their complaints that the town’s zoning board of appeals was failing to forward applications dealing with trustee lands.

    “That’s okay. At least we know what’s going on,” Joe Bloecker, a trustee, said of the forwarded applications, many of them marked for “expedited administrative natural resources special permits.”

    On Saturday Mr. Bloecker attended an emergency meeting of the trustees called in order to keep pace with the flood of paper while maintaining the board’s scrutiny of projects. Experience has taught them that rebuilds tend to expand beyond initial footprints — often onto East Hampton’s public beaches.

    “We’re stretching ourselves with extra meetings and extra inspections to get this accomplished,” Mr. Bloecker said. He said the board was keeping a keen eye on construction parameters to make sure private property does not creep seaward onto public beach at the same time the sea is stealing landward.

    Heretofore, trustees met twice each month. In February they gathered to pore over applications three times, with many more inspections undertaken by the board’s various committees. There have been three formal meetings already this month.

    At Saturday’s emergency meeting, four applications for beach restoration between Georgica and Main Beach were approved.

    The greater part of Tuesday night’s meeting was taken up with issues related to erosion control. Three applications from Amagansett sought permission to rebuild dunes on the ocean side. Four other applications, including one from the billionaire Mortimer Zuckerman, were for dune restoration on the beach in the Georgica area, and another three have come in for bluff reconstruction at Hedges Banks on the bay side.

    Sandy and the punishing series of northeast storms that followed her have tested the trustees’ patience as well as their stamina.

    On Tuesday night, Martha Reichert of Richard Whelan’s LandMarks land planning firm came to represent the Nedenia Hartley Trust of West Dune Road in an application to rebuild and replant lost dunes. She was told, “We want to see the area restored, but we want to see the southerly extent of the beach grass line.” The deed to the property states that the seaward boundary was the beach grass line, but the trustees pointed out that the line was not shown on the survey attached to the application.

    In pressing for approval of the project given the time restraint posed by the opening on March 31 of the piping plover window (when beach construction must cease to protect the endangered birds), Ms. Reichert noted — as many applicants do — that the owner had already received an okay from the State Department of Environmental Conservation.

    “Yes, but the D.E.C. doesn’t have to worry about the people’s beach,” responded Stephanie Forsberg, a trustee.

    Trustees said they would try to expedite the application, but insisted that they get a survey showing the beach grass line “before the planting starts,” so that the dune restoration project did not result in usurpation of public beach.

    Then there was the case of Eileen Raffo, who owns a house on Shore Road at Lazy Point on the Gardiner’s Bay side of Napeague. Like all Lazy Point residents, Ms. Raffo owns her house, but not the land under it. The land is owned by the trustees on behalf of the East Hampton public. Ms. Raffo raised the height of a bulkhead in front of her house without the trustees’ okay. She was brought on the carpet.

    “We were concerned last April with the height of the wall, then you raised it three times higher. Looking out your window you see a wall protecting your house. We see a bulkhead on our beach,” Ms. Forsberg scolded.

    The Lazy Point resident attempted to defend herself by blaming the D.E.C., which had given her permission to build the bulkhead to seven feet after the trustees denied her request to build it to four feet. It didn’t work.

    Diane McNally, the trustees’ presiding officer, told Ms. Raffo: “We’re looking at maybe the most difficult decision we’ve ever made. We may be looking at relocating the house. We don’t want to see little projects that hurt the beach. It’s becoming not the public’s property. That was the intent. We’re not happy with this. You’ve got to take the bulkhead down to where it was when you bought the house.”

    Then came the “elephant in the room,” in the words of Deborah Klughers, another trustee. The elephant was the fact that Billy Mack of the First Coastal engineering company had allowed a pile of sandy loam bound for a bluff reconstruction at Hedges Banks to be dumped at the Ely Brook Road end in Northwest, where it remained, much to the consternation of local residents, for nearly three weeks. Mr. Mack blamed extremely high tides from recent storms that kept a heavy machine from delivering the material to the project site. That excuse didn’t work either.

    “Unless you use it that day, don’t dump it,” Stephen Lester instructed Mr. Mack.

    On March 28 and March 29, the trustees will remove debris from the Louse Point Nature Preserve in cooperation with fishermen and other volunteers starting at 8 a.m. both days. The debris to be removed includes abandoned boats and related gear. Anyone whose property has been left on the beach at Louse Point in Springs should retrieve it prior to March 28. Otherwise it will be disposed of.

    Unlike last year, when Springs School was forced to cut $792,000 from its preliminary budget, parents and teachers breathed a sigh of relief following Tuesday night’s second budget workshop. No cuts are planned for the coming 2013-14 year.

     “We are not looking to increase costs or cut programs,” said Thomas Primiano, the district’s treasurer, at the start of Tuesday’s meeting. “We’re just looking to stay healthy in the current climate that we’re in.”

    The meeting addressed issues related to instructional programs, special education, the library, co-curricular activities, and interscholastic athletics, among other topics.

    While no cuts are planned, Mr. Primiano said that the preliminary budget would increase by about $150,000.

    He said that enrollment is up 22 percent since the 2005-6 school year, a trend that is projected to continue. While Springs enrolled 667 students this past year, 712 pupils are projected for next year between prekindergarten and eighth grade, with an average class size of about 21 students — with 15 students per class in prekindergarten and 22 per class in the eighth grade.

    Additionally, the English as a second language population is projected to increase from 61 students this year to 77 by the fall.

    The preliminary $23.8 million budget also proposed a 3.61-percent increase in the tax levy over this year. This year’s budget is $24.6 million.

     “We’re in a good place for now,” said Kathee Burke Gonzalez, the board’s president. “What we’re trying to look at as a board and as a budget committee is how this projects out over the next few years. While it appears we can come under the cap and afford what we need, how will it look the year after that and the year after that?”

    At Monday night’s school board meeting, Ms. Burke Gonzalez announced that she would be stepping down after nine years of service and that she would not be seeking re-election this spring. Teresa Schurr, another board member, is also stepping down.

     “The time was right for myself and for my family. It’s an emotional decision and we give our heart and soul to this,” said Ms. Burke Gonzalez, who held back tears during Monday night’s announcement. She has been the board’s president for two years.

     “Serving the community has been a life-altering experience. It’s made me a better listener and helped me get over my fear of public speaking,” she said. “It’s also set a tremendous example for my two kids about giving back.”

    She urged audience members to consider board service, adding that petitions are now available. They require 25 signatures and are due back to the school by April 22.

    At Monday night’s meeting, the board heard a presentation concerning a proposed sex education curriculum and a proposed vestibule for the front entrance to help enhance school safety. The vestibule’s projected cost is around $100,000. John Foster, a Springs teacher, also discussed a new golf program for kindergarten through eighth-grade students.

    A third budget work session to cover issues related to tuition, the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, employee benefits, administration, the projected budget, and the tax rate is planned for March 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the school’s common room. If necessary, a fourth work session will be held on April 3 at the same time. The board must adopt its proposed budget by April 23.

    On Tuesday night, frustrations mounted along with the temperature, as a packed house of parents and teachers assembled at a standing-room-only East Hampton School Board meeting.

    Earlier in the day, Gina Kraus, the principal of the John M. Marshall Elementary School, had gathered her teachers and staff for a mandatory meeting to announce that she was being forced out. Apparently, her contract as principal had not been extended for the 2013-14 academic year, with Ms. Kraus likely headed back to the classroom as a result.

    The decision of whether or not to grant tenure to a district employee rests with Richard J. Burns, the superintendent of schools. While the board will ultimately vote on his recommendation, the issue was not formally addressed at Tuesday night’s meeting and did not appear on the agenda. George Aman, the board’s president, surmised that Ms. Kraus’s contract would be voted upon in the near future — most likely at the next school boarding meeting on Tuesday, March 19.

    Repeated calls to Ms. Kraus and Mr. Burns had not been returned as of press time.

    Ms. Kraus became principal of John Marshall in January of last year, having previously served as assistant principal. Prior to becoming an administrator more than three years ago, she had worked as an elementary school teacher for more than 20 years — with the bulk of her career spent at John Marshall.

    If the superintendent’s recommendation holds, Ms. Kraus will have to step down as principal at the end of June. Whether or not she would ultimately return to the classroom is still unclear.

    A familiar and soothing face to many parents, news that she would likely not be the principal next year blindsided nearly everyone at the school. More than a dozen teachers and parents subsequently showed up at the meeting to express their support.

    “When does this revolving door of administrators stop?” asked Wendy Geehreng Walters, the mother of two children at John Marshall. “A lot of us are here to support Gina in hopes of keeping her as our principal. Anyone who puts education and kids first will vote in favor of Gina Kraus.”

    Kate McCarty next addressed the board, describing it as the “saddest, most disturbing thing not to extend her contract for tenure.” Ms. McCarty, a mother of two at John Marshall, said the decision to replace Ms. Kraus would likely alienate a number of parents and urged the board to provide greater transparency insofar as its decision-making process was concerned. Thunderous applause followed.

      “Is it stability or yet another change? Is it transparency or business behind closed doors? We should have the opportunity in choosing who spends the day with our children,” said Courtney Garneau, who has three children at John Marshall.

    Following the widespread plea for answers to their many questions, Mr. Aman said that his hands were tied, since he was unable to discuss personnel decisions. “It’s illegal and inappropriate to do this tonight,” he said, just prior to adjourning the meeting. “Eventually when the decision is formally presented, the board will approve or turn it down at an open board meeting. But there’s no motion to do that at this point.”

    Possibly more concerning to both parents and staff was what was described as the revolving door of school administrators, which is proving to be a longstanding issue for the district. At both John Marshall and also at East Hampton Middle School, inconsistency has plagued the upper ranks in recent years, with chronic turnover and changing leadership from year to year.

    But according to a document related to principal tenure on the School Administrators Association of New York State’s Web site, Ms. Kraus’s tenure decision may not ultimately be up to the board.

    “When administrators are first hired, they are hired as probationary employees. This probationary appointment lasts for three years,” the document explained, further noting that administrators are typically evaluated annually during such time. “Prior to the end of the three-year probationary period, superintendents must make a formal recommendation to the board of education on the tenure of each eligible administrator. The board of education can either accept or reject the superintendent’s positive recommendation. If the superintendent makes a negative recommendation on tenure, the board cannot vote to appoint the individual on tenure.”

    Also at Tuesday night’s meeting, the board approved Joel Freedman as interim head school bus driver and approved the early retirement of three district employees: Dolores McGintee, Carol Story, and Eugene Kelley. It also accepted the resignation of Jennifer Olsen, an elementary school teacher who has been out on an extended leave since last year.

    Following discussion at last week’s budget workshop, the board continued to weigh whether or not to continue the high school’s driver education program and whether, going forward, the district would continue to pick up all or part of the tab. The board will likely continue discussing the program at the next workshop on Tuesday. Parents and other members of the public may attend.

    A bill sponsored by two East End legislators that aims to help commercial fishermen reduce their fuel costs is facing strong headwinds from the State Department of Environmental Conservation and from fishermen themselves.

    State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle’s bill, which would permit fishermen to “aggregate” their daily catch limits over a seven-day period, has passed the Senate, but strong opposition to one part of the proposed law will likely kill it in the Assembly. Hank Lackner, captain of the Montauk dragger Jason and Danielle, went so far as to say that Mr. LaValle’s bill would lead to “the demise of commercial fishing in New York State.”

    Although most species of value are managed under federal quota allocations to states, individual states control how their quotas are filled in state waters (up to three miles offshore) either by their management agencies or their legislatures. 

    The proposed law would conserve fuel by greatly reducing the number of days a vessel would have to put to sea. If a fisherman is currently allowed to catch 200 pounds of a given species per day, the proposed regulation would allow him or her to catch up to five days worth or 1,000 pounds of the species over a seven-day period.

    In the past, the state has given its blessing to offshore fishermen to aggregate their catches during the winter months. Two years ago the state decided to let draggermen working on fluke during the winter do this. 

    However, the proposed law would also allow fishermen with permits governing different species to join forces in order to target their respective species on one vessel, again allowing more fishermen to keep their boats tied at the dock, and to chip in for fuel on the joint venture.

    “The cumulative catch sounds great until you think about it. It’s going to increase latent effort tenfold,” Captain Lackner said, “latent effort” meaning the many part-time fishermen and others including charter boat captains who hold commercial licenses but do not use them full-time.

    “The state has to find out which permits are active and which are not. You can’t put multiple permits on one boat. New York State has some of the lowest quotas in the Mid-Atlantic region. There’s no room for extra entrants. I’m all about less carbon footprint, fewer discards [fish thrown over the side dead after a trip limit is met]. This would actually increase discards. No one is going to stop fishing. This went under everyone’s noses. We never saw LaValle in Montauk and it’s the largest fishing port in the state,” Captain Lackner said.

    Arnold Leo, secretary of the East Hampton Town Baymen’s Association, opposed the bill but from the perspective of the inshore fisherman. On Monday he said the idea of allowing fishermen to aggregate their daily catches had merit when quotas were low, “but now the scup quota is 400 pounds per day, that’s about 2,000 pounds per week. Now you’ve interested the trawlers. But the worst part of the bill for summer inshore fishermen, pinhookers [commercial rod and reel fishermen], and trappers is to have any number of permits on board. Five trawlers could go out once a week and catch 10,000 pounds of scup and destroy the price.”

    The combined impact of compounded daily limits and a vessel sailing with a quiver of permits would create huge landings that put inshore fishermen at a great disadvantage in the market, Mr. Leo said. 

    Mr. Leo said the D.E.C. opposed the bill because of its potential effect on certain species such as fluke (summer flounder) and black sea bass. “Under the bill fluke and sea bass would be caught up in a flash, and the season would have to be closed,” Mr. Leo said. The agency did not respond to requests for comment on the issue.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” said Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., who has championed the bill in the State Assembly in the past. A similar bill was discussed a number of years ago.

“There are competing interests between the dragger owners and baymen. We are going to set up a meeting with the D.E.C., then sit down with the fishermen,” he said.

    Mr. Thiele said he thought objections to the part of the bill that would aggregate daily quotas were surmountable, but the idea of grouping different permits on one vessel seemed to be the sticking point. He said it was, in part, the easing of fishing restrictions that justified larger quotas, causing concerns over glutted markets and the lower prices that result.

    Reached yesterday, a spokesman for Senator LaValle said he expected the bill to be amended.

    In addition to the usual files, computer, and tons of books in Jack Perna’s office at the Montauk School, his desk is littered with trinkets, most given to him from students. One is a ballerina doll that he received from a former student who is now a dancer.

    Mr. Perna holds the title of school superintendent and principal, and as of this weekend he will also be known as the grand marshal of the 51st annual Montauk Friends of Erin St. Patrick’s Day parade, which starts at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.

    “I don’t think it’s hit me yet,” he said on Tuesday at a school board meeting. “I’m sure when I turn around that corner onto Main Street, I’ll get it.”

    He remembers walking in the very first parade with his sixth-grade classmates from the Little Flower Catholic School, now known as St. Therese of Lisieux Nursery School. His family had moved to the hamlet from the Bronx full time in 1958. He attended the Montauk School for a bit over a year before transferring to the Catholic school, which had just opened.

    His family owned several businesses in Montauk, including the Lakeside Inn, now the Surf Lodge. They also owned a cluster of houses in the Ditch Plain area, where he spent his summers with extended family, which included 40 cousins, several of whom still live in the hamlet.

    After he graduated from East Hampton High School, Mr. Perna attended Suffolk Community College and graduated from Southampton College in 1972. He immediately started teaching the fourth grade at the Montauk School. He became vice principal in 1978.

    Bob Fisher, a former grand marshal, was the principal of the school at that time and offered him a position in the administration while allowing him to continue teaching. Mr. Fisher thought the name Jack was too informal, and so renamed him J. Philip Perna. The name stuck and most of his correspondence is still signed J. Philip Perna.

    He earned a master’s degree and New York State certification as a school district administrator in 1977, and a certificate of advanced study and New York State certification as a school counselor from Hofstra University in 1990. He was offered the superintendent’s position in 1995.

    During his schooling, Mr. Perna worked at Pizza Village, which was owned by his aunt and uncle, and at Gurney’s Inn in winter. In 1980, he and a partner bought Pizza Village and ran in until 2000, when it was sold to the current owner. While the boss there, he often hired Montauk kids to work the counter and the pizza ovens.

    The superintendent is known for his impeccable style of dressing on the job, always in a suit, starched shirt, tie, and overcoat. But on some days he dresses as the Easter Bunny to have breakfast with the kindergarten students at John’s Pancake House or as Zero the Hero on the 100th day of school each year.

    His days start at 4:30 a.m., he said, when he fires up his computer and starts to answer e-mails and read the news. When it snows, it’s about that time that he determines whether school will be open or not.

    Once he gets to the school, at about 7:45 a.m., he does a bit of work while waiting for the buses to arrive, and then he goes outside to greet the students. Each afternoon he helps manage the exodus.

    A regular day includes meeting with parents, scheduling, working on the budget, and observing new teachers. He said he tries to get involved with whatever program they’re working on to put the newbies at ease. He is also required to observe the tenured teachers a few times a year. He has never called in sick and has missed workdays only for family funeral services.

    Twice a day he walks around the entire building, peeking in at classes and making sure everything is running smoothly. “I sometimes can be annoying,” he said.

    When the eighth graders go to Washington, D.C., for the annual field trip, the superintendent often drives there to spend at least one day with them, visiting the sites that are scheduled for that day.

    Mr. Perna has also been known to discreetly help students financially, and has at times driven some to their homes in case of a forgotten permission slip. He used to call former students to congratulate them for making the high school honor roll, but he no longer receives that information, he said, so the calls ended.

    He is a former member of the board of directors of Montauk Youth, the Montauk Chamber of Commerce, the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee, and Third House Nature Center. Currently, he serves as a trustee at Fort Hill Cemetery in Montauk, and has served as co-chairman of the East Hampton Town Anti-Bias Task Force, the East End Health Plan, and the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association. He has been a member of the House of Delegates for New York State’s Council of School Superintendents.

    As if that isn’t enough, he teaches religious education at St. Therese of Lisieux on Sunday mornings. Asked when he rests, he laughed and said, “Sometimes on Saturdays.”

    There will be no rest for Mr. Perna this weekend, as he is expected to attend a grand marshal lunch tomorrow, a cocktail party on Saturday, the parade on Sunday, and then a bus ride to all the local establishments that have chipped in financially. Not a big drinker of alcohol, Mr. Perna said he has already told the Friends of Erin, “I’m not drinking for any of this.”

    Faced with thousands of people staring and yelling out to him as he leads the parade, he might need a stiff one, though, just to make it to the end. And several bar owners have a tradition of walking out into the parade to warm up the grand marshal with a shot of whiskey, sometimes in a teacup.