The resumption of East Hampton Village Board work sessions has given the community a bigger window through which to see and comment on code changes being considered by the board. Last Thursday’s meeting at the Hedges Inn teased three topics that will be on the agenda soon: a speed limit change on village roads, leashing dogs in Herrick Park, and pickleball court installation regulations.
Mayor Jerry Larsen has been frustrated that the state has not responded to repeated requests to slow traffic along Route 27, a state road. However, he is jumping at the opportunity to lower the speed limits on village roads. In August, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation, co-sponsored by Assemblyman Fred Thiele, giving villages the power to reduce speed limits on their roads to 25 miles per hour without seeking approval from the state. Until this law was passed, local governments had little flexibility to set their maximum speed limits below 30 m.p.h.
Researchers with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have found that “after dropping the speed limit from 30 m.p.h. to 25 m.p.h., the estimated odds of a vehicle exceeding 35 m.p.h. fell by 29.3 percent.”
“Giving this option to local governments will give more flexibility in setting area-wide limits at 25 m.p.h. to best achieve the safest streets possible for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians,” said Mr. Thiele.
Turning to Herrick Park, dogs are not allowed there now, but that may change.
“We wanted to let people come through the park if their dog is on a leash,” said Mayor Larsen. “If Mom or Dad wants to walk to the park with their kid, and bring their dog, they should be allowed to do that.”
“It would be nice to have another venue to walk dogs around,” agreed Carrie Doyle, a village trustee.
There was consensus on the board that leashed dogs should be allowed. Details about hours, and if they would be allowed at sporting events, would be hashed out by the village attorneys.
Billy Hajek, the village planner, addressed the board on the subject of pickleball, the smaller, louder cousin to tennis. “We are seeing a larger number of pickleball courts,” he said.
Pickleball courts are smaller than tennis courts, making it easier for village residents to meet the setback requirements to install a home court. The problem is that the trustees have already heard noise complaints about the few courts installed so far. They want to get ahead of a potential nuisance issue.
Right now, the owner of a half-acre lot has the legal right to build a court 20 feet from the property line, with no requirement for sound attenuation.
“If you have a pickleball court next to you on a three-quarter-acre lot, that’s loud. It’s going to be a nuisance,” said Chris Minardi, the deputy mayor. He asked how many applications have been made for pickleball courts.
“Half a dozen, I’d guess,” said Tom Preiato, the village’s building inspector.
Mr. Hajek said Sagaponack has mitigated the impacts of pickleball courts through legislation. “They require an eight-foot fence and sound attenuation. We’d have to modify that, because we don’t allow eight-foot fences,” he said. A sound-attenuating fence is basically two stockade fences, with 3/4-inch solid material sandwiched between them. “We put it around air-conditioning condensers,” Mr. Hajek said.
“I’m picturing a really ugly eight-foot fence,” said Mayor Larsen.
“There aren’t many pickleball courts out there,” Ms. Doyle commented, “and people who have them, lend them out to others. Also, it’s always four people playing at a time.” In other words, she said, they are being used more than you might think.
Sarah Amaden, another trustee, suggested that courts might be installed in Herrick Park. “There’s not many residences around the park,” she said.
“Let’s try to get this expedited a little bit,” said Mayor Larsen. “It’s a fun game, but it’s loud. Does Sagaponack restrict hours of play?”
“We don’t allow tennis courts to be illuminated,” said Mr. Hajek, “so that limits hours somewhat.”
“The next step on all these items is that the lawyers give us proposals that we’ll discuss at our next work session,” said Mayor Larsen. “We hope to schedule them all for a public hearing at the Nov. 18 board of trustees meeting, which will remain open until our December meeting, when we hope to vote on them.”
As a reminder, the public has been invited to attend the work sessions, which are held the first Thursday of each month at a rotating historic location within the village. The next one will be held on Nov. 3 at the Huntting Inn. The board’s regular meetings are held on the third Friday of each month at the Emergency Services Building, and always include a public comment period.
