Drew Smith, East Hampton Village's chief lifeguard, reported to the village board on Friday on the lifesaving efforts at beaches this summer.
At Main Beach, there were 153 saves, 69 made by lifeguards stationed at a stand in front of the pavilion, 68 from the stand to the west, and 18 from the stand to the east. The latter was open only on Saturdays and Sundays between noon and 5, Mr. Smith said, and it closed the second week of August. He recommended that it be in operation full time to help ease the other lifeguards' workload. At Georgica and Two Mile Hollow Beaches, there were 16 and 10 saves, respectively.
The New York State law that legalized recreational marijuana use gives municipalities until Dec. 31 to opt out of permitting retail dispensaries and on-site consumption licenses, it was pointed out at the meeting. A public hearing on a proposal to opt out was scheduled for Nov. 19.
In other news, the village's zoning code requires residences to have two on-site parking spaces, and a public hearing on a proposal to require residences with more than three bedrooms to add a space for each additional bedroom will also be held on Nov. 19, as will one on a proposal to allow the village to hire East Hampton Town residents to fill Civil Service positions.
The board also discussed a proposal that would allow commercial buildings to use basements for offices, break rooms for employees, or any other use that is ancillary to the business. According to the village code, basements can be used only for storage, and store owners have requested the change so they can free up more space for merchandise, Mr. Larsen said. The spaces would be required to provide a means of egress and be handicapped-accessible. The proposal received unanimous support.
In an effort to facilitate the creation of affordable housing units, the board agreed to allow the town's Office of Housing and Community Development to oversee the vetting of candidates to make sure they meet the income eligibility requirements.
The board approved the promotion of Police Officer Eben Ball to sergeant effective Nov. 1, and hired Christian Londono as a part-time police officer starting Oct. 30.
It also approved the donation of a Village Hall replica from Ben Krupinski Builder and Ray Harden, the company's co-owner. The structure, which was built to honor the centennial of the village's incorporation, will be given to the East Hampton Historical Society in a ceremony at Mulford Farm on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
