Government

As of Aug. 1, according to an announcement from East Hampton Town, New York State officially reached a milestone of three gigawatts of solar electricity, half of its goal to achieve six gigawatts by 2025.

East Hampton Fire Department Chief Gerard Turza Jr. appealed to the village board on Friday for approximately $4.5 million, to replace an aging fleet of vehicles and other equipment. 

Carrie Doyle, a member of the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals and a former planning board member, has declared her intention to run on the NewTown Party ticket for one of the two village board seats up for grabs in June 2022.

A proposal that will permit two-bedroom accessory dwellings with kitchens on East Hampton Village properties of 60,000 square feet or more, and several other zoning code amendments were approved by the village board on Friday following public hearings during which members of the village's zoning board of appeals, and the executive director of the Village Preservation Society of East Hampton, asked the board to take more time to analyze the potential ramifications, and give residents a chance to offer input. 

The construction and operation of the South Fork Wind farm is likely to have negligible to moderately adverse impacts on marine life and habitat, with some moderately beneficial impacts also likely. For commercial fisheries, however, moderate to major adverse effects, either temporarily or long term, are predicted, with minor to moderate disruptions on for-hire recreational fishing.

An auditor's report for the year 2020 pronounced East Hampton Town's financial statements fairly presented and in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework, the town board was told this week, with no instances of noncompliance, nor deficiencies or material weaknesses disclosed during an audit that was conducted in the spring.

Following another East Hampton Town Board discussion of a "re-envisioning" of East Hampton Airport on Tuesday, analysis and discussion will continue with four public workshops in September.

The New York State Public Service Commission has denied petitions to reconsider its March order granting the South Fork Wind Farm a certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need, one of several requirements for its construction and operation.

Between 2010 and 2020, the population of East Hampton Town grew 32.3 percent, and of Southampton Town 21.6 percent, according to data released by the United States Census Bureau last Thursday. 

As of Monday, all staff and visitors at East Hampton Town Hall and other town facilities will once again be asked to wear masks, whether vaccinated for Covid-19 or not. 

The East Hampton Town Board held its first substantive discussion of adult-use cannabis since Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation legalizing its recreational use in March. 

Robert Cornicelli, a Republican and wounded veteran who is an advocate for veterans and the developmentally disabled, has announced that he is seeking the G.O.P. nomination for the First Congressional District seat.