RECenter Draws Fire

"No one has planned outdoor concerts here," declared Stephen B. Latham, the newly elected chairman of East Hampton's newly formed Recreation Commission, at a meeting last week on the RECenter, the youth center slated for construction at Gingerbread Lane Extension and Lumber Lane in the village.

"That was never part of the plan, and the Zoning Board can impose that restriction as a condition" of the special permit needed to build in the residential zone, said Mr. Latham.

Rumors had been circulating that outdoor concerts would be staged at the center, with listeners congregating on an outdoor bank of steps extending to the second story. The "amphitheater," as its architects call it, was added to the plans about a year ago.

Petitioners

The concept reminds some neighbors, apparently, of the days when East Hampton's teens gathered on the steps of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Building on Main Street (now London Jewelers).

Dayton Lane, Church Street, and Maidstone Avenue neighbors, among others, have collected nearly 150 names townwide on a petition protesting the proposed construction. They will present the petition to the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals on Friday, Feb. 13, when a public hearing continues on the matter.

Classic Conflict

More than a dozen worried homeowners told East Hampton Town and Village officials Jan. 28 of their fears that the RECenter would become a late-night gathering spot and the source of even more neighborhood noise, traffic, and lights than now exist.

Both the Zoning Board and the Village Design Review Board are still reviewing the proposal, although Youth Alliance officials, who have been developing the RECenter for five years, plan to break ground next month.

While Mr. Latham said last week's informational session succeeded in dispelling some misunderstanding, what emerged was a classic conflict between the old (neighborhood, way of life) and the new (development, change).

Fund Raising Queried

Richard T. Lawler, a Maidstone Avenue resident and an outspoken opponent of the center, questioned the fund raising by the Youth Alliance, which has raised $3.2 million in cash and pledges.

"Basically, people contributed their money to a different plan," without the outdoor steps, Mr. Lawler contended.

"That is not the case," countered Mr. Latham, a partner in the Riverhead/East Hampton law firm of Twomey Latham Shea & Kelley. The attorney noted that "no one has withdrawn their pledge."

Every donor has seen the revised plan, he said, and those who pledged $10,000 or more "have been reconfirmed by telephone."

Those who "already have donated $1 million are not going to let this project lapse," he said.

Concerned Neighbors

The youth center is "something we really don't need," said a Maidstone Avenue resident, Peter Rickenbach. He is the brother of the Village Mayor, Paul F. Rickenbach Jr., who also lives on Maidstone Avenue.

"What the children [do] need is parents to take care of them," said George Draper of Dayton Lane, who said he raised six of his own here, where already "more is done for kids than anywhere."

Seeking to allay cost concerns, Mr. Latham reiterated an estimate he has voiced before, that RECenter operations would cost the average East Hampton Town homeowner only $18 a year in additional taxes.

Traffic, Vandalism

Mr. Latham drew a "distinction" between anticipated RECenter traffic and the present periodic gridlock - what Philip Maisch of Church Street called an "abomination" - from the John M. Marshall Elementary School, the train station, and heavy vehicles bypassing the central village area.

Noting that the RECenter will be built where young people "already are," Mr. Latham said many would walk over from school, while others would arrive by bus.

Mr. Lawler saw a threat of "vandalism" by the "bad kids expelled from inside the building who will spill out into the neighborhood."

Mayor Rickenbach sought to dispel that fear.

"We're neighbors," said the Mayor.

"I spent 25 years in law enforcement, and I'm optimistic." Village police would respond with "swift action," he added, should there be trouble.

Supporters

Denise Simmons, the John Marshall School Parent Teacher Association president, voiced other sentiments.

"On behalf of every student," she told the Village Board, "I want to say thank you for this project."

"It's needed where it is," said John Ryan, a lifeguard instructor who hopes to "drown-proof " East Hampton's schoolchildren in the RECenter pool.

Some of the neighbors agreed on the need for a pool, but said that particular amenity should have been included when East Hampton High School was built 30 years ago.

"I think we're over the hump," Mr. Latham said optimistically this week.