Letters to the Editor: 12.11.97
Seven Conditions
Montauk
December 8, 1997
Dear Helen:
It appears that as more time passes since the public hearing on Nov. 7 at which comments on the proposed Montauk pipeline extension were heard, the details of my remarks at the meeting have become misinterpreted, distorted, or just forgotten. Therefore I feel it necessary to recap the position of the Concerned Citizens of Montauk.
How water is managed is central to all planning. Nearly every state west of the Rocky Mountains is now trying to recover from the unwise water management policies in place since the early years of this century. With this and other situations in mind,, it should be no surprise that C.C.O.M. feels the proposed pipeline should only be undertaken after several conditions are met.
These include the following:
1.Controls should be established limiting the new inflow to the proposed 20 million gallons per year. The Suffolk County Water Authority has stated on several occasions that this amount is sufficient to meet existing fire protection needs as well as other requirements during peak season.
2.A master plan for managing water in the Town of East Hampton should be developed, reviewed, and approved. The pipeline will be mining water from beneath Wainscott and shipping it to Montauk. How this will impact Wainscott's ecosystems should be known before the plan is adopted. A water model showing the effect of mining water should be in an addendum to the draft environmental impact statement.
3.Legal assurance that Montauk water is never transported west should be in place before the plan is accepted. Pipelines don't care which way water goes, but we do.
4.All existing S.C.W.A. wells must be maintained at optimum operating capacity. The pipeline should not be used as an excuse for S.C.W.A. to begin phasing out local wells.
5.A binding agreement should be signed by S.C.W.A. stating that any local S.C.W.A. well site that is no longer a viable water source will be made available to the town for open space. It makes no sense whatsoever to run a well dry and then sell it for some purpose that uses more water.
6.A master plan for Hither Woods needs to be developed that outlines, among other things, how much water is available from that area. The pipeline is now in favor because it is the cheapest solution, not the only one, or necessarily the best.
7.S.C.W.A. should continue not to allow any new certificates of availability for large-scale developments and other water-intensive uses. Prior to plans for the pipeline, S.C.W.A. was not issuing any new certificates as there was clearly a shortage of local water. The pipeline is intended as an emergency backup and should not be considered a new source of water.
Those are the conditions which must be met before C.C.O.M. is comfortable with the proposed pipeline. And while to some they may appear onerous, we are dealing with an irreversible decision. The danger of automatically providing water when needs appear is hard to argue with on any given day, but in order for Montauk to maintain its unique character and quality in the future, we must be careful not to ask for much from this limited resource.
Our situation is not unlike the shipping company that overloads a vessel with cargo, passengers, and supplies because at the dock there appears to be plenty of space. It is the unfortunate travelers who later discover in the middle of the ocean that the boat can't handle the burden.
WILLIAM D. AKIN
President
Concerned Citizens of Montauk
Zia And The Swan
East Hampton
December 5, 1997
Dear Mrs. Rattray,
How many gentle hearts were broken, reading about the sad plight of our lonely Town Pond swan?
The thought of a lifelong monogamous relationship ended left my Great Aunt Filomena Tutti-lini of Sicily grief-stricken.
"Guiseppe, Ima no can eat or sleep thinking about poor swanee," she confided in me.
On Thanksgiving Day, my beloved wife, after hours of sweat and toil, placed the golden-brown turkey on the table. Almost immediately tears streamed down Zia Filo mina's cheeks.
"Itza remind me of a the swan," she said, sobbing into her hands.
"Zia, please," I snapped, "eat the bird." She flipped me the finger, and ran into her room. My wife held up her hands in exasperation, as my son Funello began wolfing down the feast.
Through Zia Filomina's door, sounds of Al Jolson singing "Swanee, how I love you, how I love you, my dear old Swanee" mingled with her sobs.
Deeply touched, I reflected upon the fact that perhaps we males are not nearly as sensitive as that wonderful lady who offered a C note for a swan companion.
Ashamed of my insensitivity, I rented a video of the "Swan Lake" ballet.
I also purchased a book of fairy tales featuring Leda the Swan Chick.
Alas! My efforts to console Zia were to no avail. In my entire life, I never saw Zia so morose.
Lying in bed, unable to sleep, I stared into the darkness, listening to my great-aunt talking to herself downstairs.
The front door slammed shut! I jumped out of bed, put on my bathrobe and slippers, and rushed downstairs.
Lying in the middle of the living room floor was the brand-new down comforter I had just bought for Zia Filomina. It was slashed open, and feathers were strewn all over.
A large can of industrial strength glue was left open on the coffee table.
On closer inspection, I noticed little pieces of yellow rubber. Oh no! I thought, it's my son's flipper fins. I ran to the hall closet and saw that Funello's wetsuit was missing.
I flung open the front door, ran to the street and saw Zia waddling away.
"Zia Filomina," I shouted after her. "It's only a swan for goodness sakes. It's only a measly $100."
Then a horrific thought flashed through my mind.
"Zia," I yelled, "what if the swan is a male and he tries to take advantage of you?"
Zia in her fast disappearing waddle shouted back, "Ina that case, chooch, refund the money."
Sincerely yours,
JOSEPH TOTO
On The Web
Dublin, Ireland
November 29, 1997
Hi,
Just to let you know that I enjoy reading The Star on line here in rainy Dublin, but I hope that you would publish more of the letters to the editor on the Web.
Merry Christmas,
PAUL DONNELLY
For Carlos
East Hampton
December 6, 1997
Dear Helen:
How do I begin to write about a young man, so full of life, so full of energy, so positive, and so wonderful? I can hardly believe he is no longer with us. I am speaking, of course, about Carlos Hernandez. Carlos was a trumpet player in my concert and jazz bands at East Hampton High School. He was a senior who had been with me for the past four years. He was a leader, a gifted musician who played first trumpet, and a friend to everyone in the band. My heart goes out to his parents and to his entire family.
This morning at 9 a.m., as 80 or so band members gathered in the band room at the high school for the Santa parade, word quickly spread of the accident last night. The students were in shock, as was I. There wasn't a dry eye to be found anywhere. No one could believe that Carlos was no longer with us. Our hearts were broken. It was unimaginable that we would have to march down Main Street in 30 minutes and play "Jingle Bells" for the yearly Santa parade. Somehow, the students in the band were able to reach deep within, and find the strength and the courage of perform. Carlos would have been proud. They played for him today. That march up Main Street was so difficult for everyone. There were tears in our eyes nearly the entire route. One simply cannot comprehend why tragedies like this occur.
I feel so very lucky that I knew Carlos Hernandez, and that I had him as a student these past four years. His smile and his enthusiasm were contagious. He had such a wonderful sense of humor, and always made us laugh. He worked so hard at playing the trumpet with excellence that he made everyone around him try harder, and perform better. In trumpet lessons he would challenge the other trumpeters to perform the music louder, faster, higher. He would play trumpet high notes - G, A, B, C - a la Maynard Ferguson, a revered jazz trumpet master.
I am so lucky that I have so many wonderful memories of Carlos. I can picture him performing with the jazz band last April at the Montauk School, and being congratulated by all of his former teachers there. I can picture his mother running into the street to take pictures of Carlos and the band as we passed by his house every year in the St. Patrick's Day parade. I can picture him performing the halftime show at the homecoming football game. During trumpet lessons this past Thursday, Carlos asked me to pass out a song to the band titled "Air for Band." "I love that song, let's do it for the concert," he said. Carlos, I'll be passing the song out to everyone this week, and we'll play it for you at the concert on Dec. 18. It will be difficult to perform without you, but I know you'll be there in spirit; and perhaps you can help everyone go for the "high."
Sincerely,
MARILYN VAN SCOYOC
Band Director
East Hampton High School
Two Friends Gone
Montauk
December 8, 1997
To The Editor,
In the past six months we, the students of East Hampton High School, have had to deal with something that no child of any age should ever have to suffer. Twice in the last six months, we have lost a friend.
First it was the passing of Brandon Hayes, and now Carlos Hernandez. On Friday night, Dec. 6, Carlos was in a fatal car accident. We will come together with this tragedy as we did in the last. At Brandon's funeral we all stood in the rain holding hands because we cared for Brandon and loved him, as we do Carlos. We stood there because together we could endure the pain. Those who could be strong held on to those who fell. With the passing of Carlos I know that we will be all right because we have each other, and that strength is stronger than anything else in the world.
Carlos will be deeply missed. To my peers at East Hampton High School, I salute you. Twice we were forced to grow up before our time and twice we have come together as a group. To the community, there is a lot to be learned from us; we have learned a valuable lesson, that friendship and love are stronger and more powerful than any tragedy.
Sincerely,
NICHOLAS FINAZZO
President of the Senior Class
East Hampton High School
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