Shortly after Tina Vavilis LaGarenne, East Hampton Town’s acting planning director, gave a presentation to the town board on Oct. 15 about the environmental impacts of the planned senior center, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service issued new guidance on the endangered northern long-eared bat, whose habitat includes wooded areas there and throughout the town.
“Who would have thought the day you’re presenting, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife would come out with their guidance?” Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez half-joked on Tuesday, when Ms. Vavilis LaGarenne updated the board on any effect the new directive might have.
“Only my luck,” answered Ms. Vavilis LaGarenne.
Even with the updated guidance, however, no change to the construction protocol is necessary, she said, as the town is already taking a very conservative approach to tree clearing. Trees will be cleared only between Dec. 1 and Feb. 28. “The winter clearing window is considered to be protective of the bat’s entire life cycle, because they’re assumed to not be in the landscape when the clearing occurs,” she said.
The feds had outlined a new four-step process, which, said Ms. Vavilis LaGarenne, she reviewed with a biologist, who confirmed the town is already using best practices to avoid killing any of the bats.
Councilwoman Cate Rogers ran quickly through the environmental assessment form. “Folks complain about the SEQRA process, but I think you’re seeing it at work in a very positive way here,” she said. “I don’t think we missed any potential impacts during this lengthy SEQRA process.”
“You’ve demonstrated, for example with the seasonality of the bat life cycle here, that new things may pop up, and that is part of the SEQRA process,” said Councilman Tom Flight. “We’ve done the due diligence to explore it and address it as appropriate. At this point in time, I am confident in what our findings of the SEQRA process are.”
“We should draft a part three for an issuance of a negative declaration for the proposed action, and we could entertain that resolution next Tuesday,” said the supervisor.
That will be a consequential work session.
Becky Hansen, the town administrator, reviewed the preliminary 2025 budget with the board last Thursday. “After three work sessions’ presentations in October, the agreed-upon preliminary budget has a spending total of $103,925,137. This is a $202,834 increase from the tentative budget. From the current 2024 fiscal year, it is an 8.8-percent increase in spending. The changes from the tentative to the preliminary budget mainly consisted of revised salaries for a handful of town employees,” she told the board.
After her presentation, board members voted to override the tax cap levy, which will allow them to vote to adopt the budget, also on Tuesday.
