Government

As Deepwater Wind begins a two-year process of applying for permits to construct and operate a 15-turbine wind farm approximately 36 miles off Montauk, the Town of East Hampton’s fisheries advisory committee has chosen Julie Evans, the captain of a charter boat based in Montauk, as its liaison to the Rhode Island company.

Responding to pleas from state and local officials, the New York State Department of Transportation has agreed to repave eight of the worst sections of Route 114 between Stephen Hand’s Path in East Hampton and Sag Harbor by the end of this summer. 

Downtown Montauk’s ocean beach and bay beaches in the Town of East Hampton took a beating in the northeaster that hit the South Fork on Friday and Saturday, Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said at the town board’s work session on Tuesday, though the town was spared the greater damage and higher winds experienced to the north.

The East Hampton Town Trustees have received a 10-year dredging permit for Georgica Pond from the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

With a pledge to revitalize his party and end single-party rule, Amos Goodman was elected chairman of the East Hampton Town Republican Committee on Feb. 7.

Zeldin Challengers Meet Tuesday

Perry Gershon and Brendon Henry, two of the Democrats hoping to unseat Representative Lee Zeldin in November, will share their views at a forum on Tuesday in Bridgehampton. The third and final forum in a series sponsored by Progressive East End Reformers, it will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Bridgehampton National Bank.

As a deadline looms for the submission of applications to federal and state agencies, Deepwater Wind, the Rhode Island company seeking to construct a 15-turbine wind farm approximately 36 miles east of Montauk, is facing headwinds from commercial fishermen and their representatives.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has called for a procurement of at least 800 megawatts of offshore wind power between two solicitations to be issued this year and next.

The offices of tax receivers around the country were crowded this week with residents seeking to prepay property taxes before recently passed limits on deductions take effect, and offices on the South Fork were no different.

It was Montauk night at an East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals hearing on Tuesday as members considered an application for cellphone antennas on the six-story fire control tower at the Montauk Lighthouse and learned that an expert has been discussing a possible sewage treatment plant at the Montauk Shores Condominium.

Amagansett’s perennial parking problems will get some relief. In a plan being prepared by town officials, the commercial district parking lot would be expanded to an adjacent parcel and the existing lot reconfigured.

East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell and the rest of the town board on Tuesday directed a consultant working on parking issues to also draw up plans for adding a timed-ticket system like the one used in East Hampton Village.

The East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals gave NextEra Energy Resources unanimous approval for what, in effect, will be a giant rechargeable battery near the train tracks in Montauk.

Representative Lee Zeldin was among the officials who on Monday announced that 31 grants totaling $2 million are to be awarded to municipalities and community groups to improve the health and vitality of Long Island Sound.

The East Hampton Republican Committee honored Mary Vorpahl at a gathering of the Suffolk County Republican Women in Holbrook last Thursday.

New York State has extended its open enrollment period for qualified health plan coverage through Jan. 31, according to the Department of Health.

Deepwater Wind, the Rhode Island company that plans to construct a 15-turbine wind farm approximately 30 miles east of Montauk, will present the conclusions of surveys on potential impacts at the East Hampton Town Trustees’ meeting on Monday.

Southampton Town

Board will consider the Hills proposal

A Southampton Town Board meeting will be held at Town Hall on Tuesday afternoon. The board will consider the zone change application for the Hills at Southampton, a proposed mixed-used planned development district in East Quogue, and a local law to change the zoning district there for the Hills. The meeting begins at 1 p.m.  

New York State

Boathouse on the Register

A committee formed to assess water quality improvement projects that could be paid for with East Hampton Town’s community preservation fund brought two new proposals to the town board’s table last week: replacement of an aging septic system, and the replacement of a 1930s-era stormwater drainage pipe that channels runoff into Georgica Pond.

The Southampton Town Board passed a $99.4 million budget for 2018, though it lacked support from one board member.

A yearlong moratorium on commercial development along Montauk Highway in Wainscott is likely to be extended for six months while planners hired by East Hampton Town finish a study of the hamlet.

A $77.7 million East Hampton Town operating budget for 2018 was adopted by the town board last Thursday after a hearing on the final proposal.

East Hampton Town will purchase a second property on Squaw Road in Springs, near Three Mile Harbor, after the town board held a hearing on the acquisition last Thursday night.

Timothy D. Sini, a 37-year-old Demo­crat serving as the Suffolk County Police Commissioner, handily won the race for Suffolk District Attorney Tuesday night, and said he would prepare quickly to take over an office marred by political scandal in the wake of federal charges brought last month against Thomas Spota, the longtime sitting D.A., and his top aide.

Although East Hampton Town Planning Board opinion was divided, it appeared likely that AT&T will not be able to install antennas on the wind turbine on Iacono Farm on Long Lane.

Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. announced that he supports Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s move to file a notice of intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for violating the federal Clean Air Act by failing to curb ground-level ozone (or smog) pollution that blows into New York from upwind states.

The East Hampton Town Democratic Committee will host a campaign rally with food, live music, and drinks on Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the East Hampton Neighborhood House on Three Mile Harbor Road.

Tests of water from Wainscott residents’ wells for the presence of two toxic compounds linked to health problems continued this week under the auspices of the county and state Health Departments.

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman has filed paperwork to switch his political registration to Democratic. The change will not take effect until after the Nov. 7 election, in which he hopes to be re-elected on the Independence and Democratic lines.

Steven Sheades, a detective in the East Hampton Village Police Department, was promoted to sergeant on Friday, the village board marking the promotion in a brief ceremony at its regular meeting.

Southampton Town officials are discussing code enforcement operations in the rest of the town after a weeklong code enforcement safety check of residences and hotels in Hampton Bays resulted in 215 code violations.