Thiele Suggests Circuit Purchase

Robert Rubin, the owner of the Bridgehampton Race Circuit, has dismissed out of hand State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr.'s suggestion that the state form a partnership with Suffolk County, Southampton Town, and environmental groups to buy the 516-acre tract off Millstone Road in Noyac.

"The property is not for sale," he said yesterday. "It will take more than a check to separate me from my golf course."

Earlier this year, Mr. Rubin won a change of zone from the Southampton Town Board to allow him to develop a private 18-hole championship course on a portion of the property. The plan for his "Golf at the Bridge" is now before the Town Planning Board. It also would allow the development of 20 so-called estate lots, on which main and guest houses could be constructed. He has also offered to turn over about 150 acres to the town as open space.

Pending Lawsuits

Environmentalists have argued at public hearings that the golf course, with its pesticides and fertilizers, would poison the groundwater, and the Town Board's approval of a zone change has spurred two lawsuits, one from the Group for the South Fork, another by a group of Noyac residents. Both are pending.

Accusing Mr. Thiele of "political grandstanding," Mr. Rubin said he was "completely perplexed that Fred Thiele would take this position."

He said Mr. Thiele, as Town Supervisor, had supported his plan for up to two courses on the property and added that the Assemblyman did not "even consult with the Town of Southampton" before suggesting the purchase. "The town is quite happy with the plan it passed," Mr. Rubin said.

In a letter to John T. Cahill, Commissioner of the State Department of Environmental Conservation, Mr. Thiele called for the state to make the property a "priority" for purchase.

"There is great disagreement over what should happen to this property," said Mr. Thiele in explaining why he is now in favor of the purchase. "It's been fairly obvious to me that the whole issue of a golf course versus a race track has split the Noyac Community, but I think most residents could get behind acquisition."

Mr. Thiele said there were several reasons for the timing of his request. "The equation has changed making acquisition feasible," he said.

The property could qualify for funding through the state's $5 billion Clean Air/Clean Water Bond Act, he said. That bond includes up to $150 million for the purchase of open space to protect groundwater. The race track sits above the largest aquifer in Southampton Town east of the Shinnecock Canal.

False Hope

The Southampton Town Board has recently come out in favor of a real- estate transfer tax, which could add millions to its open-space coffers, Mr. Thiele said.

Although Supervisor Vincent Cannuscio was the only member of the Town Board to vote against the zone change for the property, he too questioned Mr. Thiele's position.

"I hope Fred isn't giving the people of Noyac false hope and taking a political stand," he said. "But normally Fred talks when he has information, and if he can find the money on the state level, I'd be happy to be supportive."

The Supervisor said he would discuss the idea with the Town Board to see if there was a "consensus," but he pointed out that the property is not on a town priority list and questioned whether county funding would be available.

"We won't know unless we make the effort," said Mr. Thiele. "Before the property is gone, we have to try."