During the 2008 campaign trail, Schiavoni won the endorsements of the Working Families Party, the Independence Party and the Conservative Party. Republican Incumbent Tomas Demayo later challenged her to a primary election where he was able to win back his Conservative Party endorsement, which in the end, did not help him to maintain his seat.
On Friday, Schiavoni thanked her friends, family and colleagues alongside her husband and campaign manager, Tom Schiavoni and two children and said she will take all the “blessings she has been given with her to the bench.”
“We appreciate her gift of service to our judicial system and the people of Southampton Town,” Supervisor Kabot said.
“We also thank Sally Pope for her desire to make a difference on the local political landscape and contribute to the town’s governance,” Kabot said as she acknowledged Pope for her civic interests and executive experience with not for profit organizations.
Pope worked as a corporate attorney on Wall Street and in the publishing business. Later, Pope started her own private practice as an attorney and mediator. Pope mediated controversies for a wide variety of people, including school board members and teachers, governmental employees, workplace teams, business owners, families with estate problems, parents and children, divorcing couples and arguing neighbors.
“She’s also a mother and a grandmother - and wow - look at all the woman in public service these days,” Kabot said. With the addition of Pope there is now four women on the five seat town board.
After acknowledging Pope for her successes in her career, Kabot asked Schiavoni to perform her first duty as a town justice and swear-in the new town councilwoman. After taking her oath, Pope thanked friends, family and colleagues and said to her audience, “By simply electing me, my job is not done, I have a job to do and I hope you can help me do it.”
Pope also announced that she will be looking at producing round table meetings among members of the community.“We will publicize open doors and round tables and that’s the start we are looking forward to.”
Kabot welcomed Pope and joked that the town could use “lots of mediation and conflict resolution.”
Pope narrowly defeated republican incumbent Dan Russo by 832 votes in the 2008 election. Russo was appointed to the seat left vacant by Kabot when she was appointed town supervisor.
“As we look to Andrea Schiavoni and Sally Pope today,” said Supervisor Kabot, “we acknowledge their own commitment to the public’s welfare and the betterment of our community.”

Last week, teachers in the Sag Harbor UFSD met outside both the elementary and high schools before school brandishing signs to protest the school board’s move to make public information pertaining to teacher contracts.
“Don’t Dismantle a Decade’s Progress in One Year,” “Keep the Excellence Going” and “Invest in Your Child’s Future,” read some of the signs held by teachers as they greeted parents and honking horns before school Friday morning.
The Teachers Association of Sag Harbor (TASH) and the board of education have been negotiating teachers’ contracts for nearly 10 months. At the end of June, the two sides went to impasse — a stage that requires a mediator. After one meeting, it was decided by both sides that the mediator was not going to help them reach an agreement. The teachers and the district met again in hopes of bargaining at the table earlier this month, but the two sides could not agree.
They did, however, jointly decide to go to fact-finding, a stage of negotiation that involves bringing in an individual from the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to look at both sides and make a non-binding decision. By January, a fact-finder should be in place and school superintendent Dr. John Gratto said that this is not the first time he has been involved in the process.
“I’ve been through fact finding before and it is a fair process,” he said on Monday, “The fact-finder renders his answer to questions on both sides then both parties need to re-assess based on the recommendations.”
But last Thursday, the teachers were noticeably absent from a special board meeting called by the school board to share with members of the community negotiation information on teachers’ contracts. At that meeting, the district’s attorney, Tom Volz, gave a presentation outlining what the district is asking for and what the teachers want and where the relative discrepancies lay.
TASH president Eileen Kochanasz said sharing information about negotiations with members of the public is “unfavorable.” In recent months, Kochanasz, a Pierson High School guidance counselor, had criticized the board for stating at board meetings that they would not negotiate with the teachers in public, yet, she added, by calling the special meeting “You [the board] just did.”
On Thursday, Volz outlined for the public the salaries of teachers within the district, and how much of an increase they would get this year if given the raises the teachers are requesting.
According to Volz, TASH is proposing a 3.9 percent increase for teachers. That means a teacher with a bachelor’s degree in their second year of teaching would earn $50,115 for the 2008-2009 school year, an increase of $4,178 over last year. For teachers with a master’s degree or a bachelor’s degree plus 45 credits, the salary would be $54,575 with the raise as proposed by TASH, giving these teachers a $4,551 or 9.1 percent raise (which includes a built in step increase) over last year.
According to Volz, at the highest step level, a teacher with 27 years in the school district, a master’s degree and an additional 30 credits, earns $113,579 (without the raise proposed by TASH) — the second highest salary for teachers at that level in the area.
Kochanasz said that not long ago, however, the teachers in Sag Harbor received salaries noticeably lower than those of teachers in nearby districts.
“In 2004, we were finally able to reduce the gap for teachers,” Kochanasz said, “Now we could lose what we gained.”
Kochanasz expressed her frustrations with the district, and said superintendent Dr. John Gratto and school board members have been unable to negotiate in a “give and take” fashion. She added that the district has been meeting TASH with proposals already prepared and have not been willing to budge beyond what was on the table.
Some of the other major sticking points in the teachers’ contracts include health insurance in retirement, academic support responsibilities, and coursework approval for teachers looking to enhance their teaching skills. Teachers are also asking to keep advanced payment for vacations, something the district wants to change. The district also would like to change the requirements for personal leave, so that teachers are not permitted to take off a day prior to or directly following a school holiday.
Volz also outlined in his presentation that the district would like teachers to electronically post their homework assignments, grading policies, field trips and major test dates on the school’s website.
The 30 or so attendees of Thursday’s meeting also learned that, according to Volz, teachers are asking to receive 50 percent of their unused sick leave and personal leave in cash upon retirement.
“We have a fabulous school and fabulous test scores to prove it. I don’t know why they [the district] want to create this atmosphere,” said Kochanasz who felt that Thursday’s presentation by the board was in “blatant disregard” and “disrespect” to those who work within the school. She also said the custodians and secretarial contracts have yet to be agreed upon.
Walter Tice has sat on both sides of this argument, first as a teacher in Yonkers for more than 30 years and then as member of Sag Harbor’s school board for seven years. For four of those years, Tice served as school board president and he was involved in the last contract negotiation with TASH.
“It’s unfortunate that they chose to negotiate in public,” said Tice. “The general wisdom is that once you start to bargain in public, your ability is restricted.”
Tice also said that the information presented on Thursday was a “PR story from the board.”
He added that there are some very complicated issues that would be difficult for the community to grasp from just one presentation.
“It simplifies issues from both sides,” he said. “They both have long contract issues and this tends to politicize these issues.”
“And it’s not good for the morale,” Tice added. “These people are actually teaching in your classroom, you don’t want them mad at you. You can solve your differences rationally, not by hanging them out to the public.”
“I think we accurately portrayed the issues of all sides,” said Gratto of last Thursday’s meeting, “I think all that [meeting] has done is informed people.”
“Reasonable people can reach reasonable results,” he added.

Christian Wölffer, one of the pioneers of viticulture on the South Fork, and proprietor of the vineyard and horse farm that bears his name, died in a boating accident on New Years Eve while swimming in Brazil. Wölffer, who was vacationing when he was struck by a boat, was 70. According to the Associated Press, Mr. Wölffer was struck by the propeller of the boat, opening a deep cut. He was off the beach at Paraty, a colonial town about 100 miles west of Rio de Janeiro. According to reports, he had been visiting a friend’s home and had decided to go for a swim in an area where boats are restricted within 650-feet of shore. After being struck, reports indicate Mr. Wölffer waved for help and was pulled from the water by, among others, Brazilian soap opera star Rodrigo Hilbert. The Associated Press reports police have interviewed the driver of the boat, and are considering charges.

Mr. Wölffer’s rambling 170 acres along Montauk Highway in Sagaponack is a popular landmark, with rolling fields of wine grapes. He first purchased the property in 1978 as a 14-acre parcel with a farmhouse surrounded by potato fields. By 1997, he had amassed the rest of the acreage and built a state-of-the-art winery at a cost of more than $15 million. On the property are 55 acres of vineyard and the 100-acre Wölffer Estate Stables, including an 80-stall facility with the largest indoor riding field on the East Coast.

“He was one of the few guys who came and took a big financial risk with building a winery here,” said Ted Conklin, proprietor of the American Hotel. “He hired wisely 20 years ago and continued to stand by the business model, continually investing in the winery and staff.

“Had other operators been so dedicated to their business model, the future of the wine industry on Long Island would be more highly elevated. The problem is, there are very few Christian Wölffers,” said Conklin.

Mr. Wölffer, whose careers have included investment banking, venture capital, real estate, agriculture and entertainment parks, was born in Hamburg, Germany, where, as a teenager, he began as a trainee in a bank. He later worked for an import/export company, and later with the German chemical company BASF, as a manager of their sales force in Mexico. He spent more time in Mexico, Central and South America with a firm that sold printing and packaging equipment to commercial printers and publishers worldwide.

His interest in South America apparently continued to the time of his death.

According to a blog from the Wine Spectator, Mr. Wölffer was investing in vineyards in Argentina. In an interview with the Wine Spectator’s James Molesworthy, Mr. Wölffer noted, “‘You can’t make money here doing quality,’ he said bluntly. ‘You can only make money here if you do volumes.’”

Among his investments in that country are a minor share in a winery known for sparkling wines targeted at Argentina’s domestic market and 2000 acres he was developing in Mendoza, with 740 acres already planted, and plans for a hotel.

Molesworthy’s blog also says Mr. Wölffer was planning on purchasing another Argentinian winery, and a property outside Buenos Aires for a residential, spa, golf and equestrian complex.

“Christian’s vision for what Long Island winemaking could accomplish and his passion for horses that led to the building of an elite equestrian center represents an enduring legacy which the Wölffer family is committed to uphold,” the family said in a statement released Monday.  ”We have all been blessed by Christian’s strength, his charisma, his charm, and his untiring passion to live each day to the fullest.”

By Marissa Maier

No one can remember when East Hampton Town ever received a full assessment, but Supervisor Bill McGintee now says one is necessary. Prompted by the dramatic differences in property value assessments on the East Hampton side of the village, which the mayor said could wreak havoc in the village, The Sag Harbor Board of Trustees has decided to continue its role as an assessing board, delaying a local law which would have given the job to Southampton Town. The decision may also lead, for the first time, to a full town-wide property tax re-assessment by East Hampton Town.

During a special work session held on Wednesday, December 17, the Sag Harbor Village Board of Trustees held a public hearing on delaying the law, which sought to terminate the village’s “status as a separate property assessing unit for village real property tax purposes.”

Because the village of Sag Harbor lies between East Hampton and Southampton Towns, taxpayers either pay town taxes to East Hampton Town or Southampton Town depending on the location of their property. However, the town property tax assessments vary greatly between the two. Since 1992, Southampton Town has conducted a series of property tax reassessments, which assess properties in the town at 100% of market value. While in East Hampton a full, town-wide reassessment has never been conducted. Property and houses in East Hampton are usually reassessed when they are built, sold or renovated. This means that there is a huge discrepancy between the tax values for properties in East Hampton and those in Southampton.

To address the discrepancy, Sag Harbor Village has historically contracted with the Town of Southampton to assess both the Southampton and the East Hampton side of the village for taxes that are paid to the village. This assessment is only used for the village taxes and not taxes paid to East Hampton Town. Sag Harbor residents on the East Hampton side of the village, pay their town taxes based on the East Hampton assessment of their properties.

Last month, the village board passed legislation allowing it to relinquish its status as an assessing unit and to give this status over to Southampton Town. They did this to increase efficiency and avoid duplication between the village and the town. For example, when a resident, whose house is on the Southampton side of the village, wanted to appeal the real property tax value of their home they would have to first visit the Sag Harbor trustees and then the Southampton town board. By passing this legislation, which would have gone into effect in January, property owners would have had to appeal their case to their respective town only, and not the village.

Last month, however, it came to the attention of the village that if this local law went into effect they would not be able to use the property values, as assessed by Southampton Town, for village tax purposes for the East Hampton side of the village. Instead, the properties on the East Hampton side of the village would have to be assessed based on the East Hampton Town assessments. It was at this point that the village became aware of the implications the law would have had, considering the discrepancies in values on the East Hampton side of the village.

If the local law had been enacted, 63 percent of property owners would have had an increased assessment and 23 percent would have had a decreased assessment. Of the properties with an increased assessment, 47 percent would have seen their assessment increase by 50 percent or more, and 15 percent would have seen their assessment double. Of the properties with a decreased assessment, some would have decreased by 98 percent.

“Its scary,” said board member Tiffany Scarlato of these drastic discrepancies. She added that she has seen assessment discrepancies of some $20 million in the same area in East Hampton.

In a letter to East Hampton Town Supervisor Bill McGintee last week, Sag Harbor Mayor Greg Ferraris urges the town to do a complete and full assessment of the town to begin addressing the discrepancies.

“As you can see, these wide fluctuations of assessed value among properties with similar market values would create havoc within our Village,” wrote Ferraris.

The supervisor agrees.

“An assessment is long overdue. It is something that has to be done,” said McGintee in an interview this week. He cited a lack of political will and public resistance as the reason a whole town assessment has been shelved for decades.

“I think people fear that their taxes might go up … I can’t speak for past administrations but I believe a lot of elected officials are afraid of tackling [an assessment] because of political fall out … Many elected officials don’t seem to survive a reassessment,” McGintee added.

McGintee hopes to sway public opinion by educating them on the full implications of the assessment – including its good points. He believes, for example, an assessment would level the playing field for East Hampton taxpayers by evenly and fairly distributing the burden of property taxes.

Many residents already agree with McGintee, like Sag Harbor Board of Trustees member Brian Gilbride. Gilbride lives on the East Hampton side of the village and believes an assessment would help rather than hurt blue-collar families.

“Some of the Further Lane and ocean front homes pay less in taxes than some of the working class homes in Springs and Amagansett,” said Gilbride.

Board member Ed Deyermond, who is also the Southampton Town Assessor, estimates an East Hampton Town assessment could be completed in one year. Deyermond says the initial Southampton Town assessment included 50,000 homes - roughly double the number of homes in East Hampton Town - and was completed in two years. 

McGintee, however, is worried about finding funding for an assessment project. The 1992 Southampton Town assessment cost $1.8 million dollars to complete. Deyermond says that although East Hampton is a great deal smaller than Southampton Town, costs associated with conducting an assessment have increased since 1992. McGintee guesses that an East Hampton assessment would cost over $1 million. Although a portion of this money will be reimbursed by the state, East Hampton Town will be required to provide the up front payments for the assessment company.

McGintee plans to broach the subject of an East Hampton Town assessment at the second East Hampton Town board work session with the other members of the board. The meeting will be held in mid-January. He also would like to educate them on the process of an assessment. Meanwhile, McGintee plans to gather more information on exactly how an assessment will affect members his constituency.

Despite funding worries and possible public resistance, McGintee said, “We will find a way of getting [this assessment] done.”

Map above illustrates potential changes in assessments for specific property for specific properties on the East Hampton Town side of Sag Harbor Village.

In light of the current economic climate, the Sag Harbor school district has decided to begin delivering the expected budget for 2009-2010 to the community in chunks, prior to board of education meetings over the next few months.
There will be five or six budget meetings in total. The first of these meetings was on Monday when the school’s business manager, Len Bernard, presented a proposed budget for certain departments of $9.7 million — up from $9.4 million for the 2008-2009 school year.
Departments included under this portion of the budget are the board of education, district clerk, district meetings, chief school administrators, auditing, treasurer, purchasing, legal, personnel, public information, transportation, recreation, employee benefits, and insurance and debt service.
According to Bernard, the district is expected to lose 11.6 percent in state aid next year, the highest amount among East End schools. In response, the district has been looking at ways to reduce costs.
One cost saving plan the district is considering is the purchase of a school bus and a van for the transportation department, which would lower the total of this portion of the budget from $9.7 million to $9.6 million.
Currently, the school district contracts for bus service and in his report, Bernard outlined the benefits of purchasing the two vehicles, indicating that a savings of $684,133 could be realized over the next six years.
“You are talking about quite a bit of savings,” Bernard said on Monday, “It’s kind of a no-brainer.”
Bernard presented two different analyses, one for the bus and one for the van. The bus, he said, can be used for school trips, while the van could be used for sports activities and transportation of BOCES students, which Bernard said is expensive through contracted bus service, even for one-way trips. The van could also be used for district students who travel to the Ross School or Stella Maris. Bernard explained the district is expecting teaching assistants and custodians to become the drivers.
“We could pay them to do the extra work,” Bernard said.
In his analysis, Bernard included $10,000 for the cost of the drivers, which he added could increase if the district has to find outside drivers.
School board member Ed Haye asked if those numbers reflected vehicle insurance and maintenance that the school would have to pay on both the van and the bus. Bernard said that he talked to the district’s current bus company and found that it would fall under the umbrella of insurance they already have.
Superintendent Dr. John Gratto said the useful life of a bus is 10 years, “But in all likelihood, it would last longer.”
Bernard also said that he talked to the bus vendor and said the company was willing to give the school a bus for lease for a trial run.
The van could transport up to 30 kids and would be wheelchair accessible, according to Gratto.
“We have a lot of flexibility here,” said Gratto.
A few weeks ago, the school district held focus groups for different community groups, parents, students and faculty asking for suggestions on how to cut costs in light of the reduction in state aid. Some of the ideas generated from the forum were also mentioned in Monday’s presentation. Of those suggestions, the bus and van were the most frequently mentioned idea, according to Bernard.
In the chief administrator’s office both the superintendent and the superintendent’s secretary and the administrators in the business department will all receive five percent raises in next year’s budget. Bernard also said that there was a reduction of one full time staff member in the business department that will not be filled for next year. The two departments combined are projected to cost just over $530,000 for 2009-2010.
Another idea that came from the focus groups was to explore health insurance and dental coverage options, which Bernard said is being considered; but some of that depends on the on-going contract negotiations with teachers, custodians and secretarial unions. Bernard said during his presentation that the school does have another health insurance provider that could give better rates.
Of the departments that were presented on Monday, health and dental insurance had the biggest portion of the proposed budget. It is projected to cost the district $2.7 million for 2009-2010, up from $2.6 million for 2008-2009. Bernard said that this number was determined from an estimate of a five percent raise for the teachers, custodians and secretarial contracts that are still being negotiated.
Of the departments talked about on Monday, debt service represented the second highest dollar amount for next year’s budget.
“We sold a note the first week of September,” Bernard said and then talked about the economic climate crisis that hit the following month. “Then everything hit the fan, now rates are down again.”
He said the interest rates keep coming down and “it will change on a day to day basis.” Next year, Bernard said, will be the last payment of the 1997 bond — which was used to make improvements to the high school.
When asked if there is any consideration for changes to the other existing bonds for new interest rates, Bernard responded, “No, but we are always looking for windows of

Realizing there is both financial and social value to going green, many Sag Harbor business owners are looking at their options, from recycling to integrating solar power.

The Sag Harbor Business Association hosted an evening of four speakers on Monday, December 15, at the American Hotel to get their peers thinking about ways they can be more economical and more friendly to the environment.

“It’s depressing how much waste you create,” said Gigi Morris, chairperson of “725 Green” a local environmental advocacy group that is working with business, community and school groups.

Morris told the 40 or so at the meeting that being green can save local shop owners money and create an attractive impression to customers.

“It’s hot,” she said.

Pointing to the Eco-Fair held at the Whaling Museum last summer as an example, she said she would like to see Sag Harbor have a reputation as a green village.

“Let’s work together and research our options,” she said, noting that they hoped to join other sustainable communities. “We should be promoting biking and walking and alternative energies.”

To that end Morris noted there were many flat roofs on Main Street that would be ideal for installing solar panels to provide electricity for the various buildings. An illustration provided by one of the guest speakers, George Engelbrecht of The Solar Center, showed an aerial view of the village’s downtown with installations on about two dozen buildings, which could produce about 500,000 kilowatt hours of electricity.

On many commercial installations, solar panels can provide up to about two-thirds to three-quarters of a business’s electric, said Engelbrecht. In addition, the cost of installing a system can become economical when taking advantage of rebates from LIPA and tax credits. The minimum size system would be 3000 watts and the maximum size, that would still be able to take advantage of all the rebates, would be 10,000 watts.

For the purpose of the meeting, Engelbrecht presented a cost analysis of a typical 10,000 watt system that would cost $80,600. With a $35,000 rebate from LIPA, a $13,680 Federal investment tax credit and a 13,178 depreciation credit, the net effective price of the system would come down to about $18,742, and would represent a breakeven on investment in about 7.9 years.

“Much of the savings will depend on actual electrical usage,” said Engelbrecht, noting that savings will increase as electric rates increase.

Business Association member Jeff Sander wondered what possibilities existed for businesses sharing roof space for solar generation, and mentioned some had thought a private utility could be established.

While there is no provision under LIPA for establishing a separate utility — LIPA wants to see electricity flow through one meter per use — it is possible for a third party to lease space on a roof and share in the cost benefit.

In addition to efforts in solar, the firm Green Logic, which is based in Southampton and has four other offices on the East End, also offers wind and geothermal installations. To help encourage young people to understand the importance of alternative energy, Green Logic will also be attending a Morning Program at Sag Harbor Elementary School for a “Green Minute.”

Cee Scott Brown, chairman of the village’s Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review, noted that solar panels are currently not allowed in the historic village where they will be visible from the street.

“When do you think technology will catch up with the federal guidelines (for historic places),” he wondered, and was told that a solar “slate” for roofs had been developed with a membrane, but some designs did not meet fire codes.

“The board is extremely interested n finding ways of allowing solar energy,” said Brown noting how slow action had been, “but it’s like being on two icebergs.”

There is more to the effort of going green and reducing the carbon foot print than solar though, said Morris, and she is hoping businesses in the village will become more sensitive to issues they can more easily control, such as recycling and choosing biodegradable food containers.

She also said that buildings can become more energy efficient simply by changing light bulbs, and suggested that business owners have someone conduct an energy audit of their buildings.

“725 Green is not just one organization, it’s all of us finding a way of pushing this forward,” said Morris. “We’re all in it together.”

By Marissa Maier

With the hiring of an engineering firm to complete preliminary plans, Sag Harbor Village is one step closer to creating safer roadway travel to school for local children.

At a special work session held by the Sag Harbor Village Board of Trustees last week, the board signed off on hiring Dunn Engineering Associates (DEA) to develop initial plans for sidewalk and roadway improvements for an area stretching from Jermain Avenue and Division Street to the Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike.

According to Mayor Greg Ferraris, DEA has extensive experience with these kinds of projects.

“This evolved out of the Safe Routes to School Program, which was developed almost a year and a half ago,” said Ferraris. “We can’t move forward with the entire program, but we are going to take on the most important part now.”

Ferraris and village registrar Sandra Schroeder have already met with Ronald Hill of DEA to discuss the firm’s proposal. DEA’s proposed plans are comprised of three main components — a sidewalk from Jermain Avenue and Division Street to Mashashimuet Park; implementation of traffic control devices at the intersections of Jermain Avenue and Suffolk Street, and Madison and Division streets; and implementation of traffic strategies to reduce accidents and increase pedestrian safety at problematic intersections.

DEA is still exploring ways to make the problematic intersection at Jermain Avenue and Suffolk Street safer. One idea, DEA suggests, is to prohibit right turns for eastbound and westbound traffic at this intersection. If this plan were implemented, it would be necessary to extend the curbs of the sidewalks which would better delineate the sidewalks for pedestrians. DEA is also looking into increasing safety at the intersection of Jermain Avenue and Madison Street by eliminating the existing crosswalk and replacing it with a crosswalk to the north and south side of the intersection.

Although, DEA has yet to present these conceptual plans, which will give the village a better estimation of the cost of the project, Ferraris said, “Both the village and the engineer believe this can be done in an inexpensive manner … a lot of this can be accomplished in a cost effective way.”

For their services in creating these plans, DEA will be paid a fee of $3,500.

By developing the plans for the project now, Ferraris hopes to be “shovel ready” in the new year. Ferraris is optimistic that more federal and state funding grants will be available to fully complete this project. “We have been in contact with Tim Bishop. The federal economic stimulus plan is looking for infrastructure projects that are ready to go . . . and will create jobs right away,” said New York State Assemblyman, and Sag Harbor Village Attorney, Fred Thiele, Jr.

“We will be submitting ideas to local senators and congressmen to hopefully gain funding on a project like this,” said Ferraris.

Once the board has approved the plans, and funding for the project has been found, DEA will begin construction on a new sidewalk and will begin to replace existing sidewalks that are damaged. During this phase of the project, DEA will also install sign changes and create new pavement markings, two features of the plan which are inexpensive, but effective, and will reduce the overall cost of the plan.

“This is money well invested,” said board member Tiffany Scarlato.

By Marissa Maier

The Suffolk County Legislature is in the process of purchasing a 27.8 acre parcel of land in North Haven for preservation, but, according to county legislator Jay Schneiderman, will most likely need Southampton Town to lend some financial support to complete the buy.

“I met with [Southampton Town Supervisor] Linda Kabot and explained to her that purchasing this land without a partnership with the town would be very difficult,” said Schneiderman.

A partnership between the county and town would be a marked change in the way land is purchased for preservation. As of now, says Schneiderman, land preservation purchases are often completed independently by either the town or the county, but not typically as a partnership between the two. But with a troubled economy and money becoming scarcer for many local governments, Schneiderman believes it will be necessary for both parties to provide joint funding for land preservation projects in the future.

The North Haven parcel —known as the Lack property — sits on 27.8 acres of land in the southeast part of the village off Fresh Pond Road and was rated high under the Suffolk County Open Space Rating System for its natural environments. The property contains tidal and freshwater wetlands and is part of the Peconic Estuary.

According to North Haven Village Mayor Laura Nolan, Randy Parsons, the finance and policy advisor for The Nature Conservancy, was approached by the owner of the Lack property about selling the piece of land to the county. Parsons then contacted Schneiderman about the possibility of the county purchasing the land.

The resolution to begin the acquisition process of the property passed the Suffolk County Legislature on December 16. Previously, on December 4, the Suffolk County Executive, Steve Levy, had vetoed the resolution arguing that if the property was developed, the developers would be required by law to preserve 15 acres of the parcel. But Schneiderman, who sponsored the resolution, was able to gather enough votes to override the veto. According to Parsons, the resolution to acquire the land is pending a final signature from Levy. When it is signed the County Real Estate Division will order an appraisal, says Parsons.

The passing of the resolution authorizes the county to begin its planning steps for purchasing the property, including making an offer. Schneiderman adds that the Environmental Trust Board also needs to review the property and agree upon the price with the appraisers. He adds that once a final price has been agreed upon with the owners, the county legislature will still need to authorize the purchase, meaning it will have to come before the legislature for a vote.

Schneiderman believes the project will not pass this final vote, unless the county forms a partnership with Southampton Town to finance the purchase.

“Because of money everything is difficult right now,” said Schneiderman. “No one wants to spend money. [The county legislature] looks at all of the preserved properties on the East End and they say ‘Haven’t we done enough?’ especially considering the price of land here.”

Though he’s hoping for a joint purchase of the North Haven property, Schneiderman is concerned that Southampton Town may not be able to commit the necessary funds due to other parcels already at the top of the town’s Community Preservation Fund (CPF) wish list.

The CPF monies come from a two percent tax on all real estate transfers in town. With less revenue coming in to the CPF due to a decline in real estate sales, the town may not have as many funds available for these projects as it has in the past.  Schneiderman estimates that the town CPF revenue has decreased by nearly a third this year.

The owner of the Lack property — who has not been publicly identified — has been in close contact with Schneiderman and is eager to sell the land to the county for preservation. Schneiderman hopes an alliance can be struck between the county and the town before the purchase of the property goes to a vote in the Suffolk County Legislature.

In the meantime, Schneiderman will continue to work on developing a partnership with Kabot and the Town of Southampton with an eye toward the purchase.

By Marianna Levine

About a year ago Bridgehampton Citizens Advisory Committee member Jeffery Vogel realized the Southampton Planning and Zoning Boards were using an out-dated hamlet study as a guideline for further development in the hamlet. 

“Even though the study was done in 2003 and 2004 it only really talked about the Commons and the commercial downtown area. It didn’t address anything else,” said Vogel in an interview this week.

Vogel explained that Bridgehampton’s actual residents were more concerned about preserving the rural and residential nature of the hamlet rather than commercial ventures and that a new study was needed to address these issue.

After discussing the hamlet study and the CAC’s concerns with Town Board member and Bridgehampton resident Nancy Graboski, they both came to the conclusion that the CAC should make notes and suggestions for a revised hamlet study rather than hire an outside professional planning organization to do it at great cost. It is an expense of time and money that the Town of Southampton can ill afford at the moment.

Vogel came up with several specific items that the CAC feels need to be addressed in any future hamlet studies. Vogel said in a November CAC meeting that the study needs to define the hamlet’s boundaries. At the moment there are several districts within Bridgehampton that don’t agree on the hamlet’s boundaries such as the school, fire, and park, and postal districts. 

“We have the line drawn by Sagaponack on the east, and the ocean on the south, but the northern and western areas have no definite boundaries” he explains.

The CAC would also like the hamlet to remain primarily a residential and rural community. This then brought up the fact that the hamlet needs some sort of historical designation in order to protect Bridgehampton’s charm and character. Vogel stated in November that, “other communities have this protection and so should we.”  The CAC also hopes to keep local retail merchants on Main Street and not have them flee to the nearby mall. In the end, Vogel feels none of this will come to anything if there isn’t a better and a more formal liaison between the Town Board, Zoning Board and the CAC in the future. 

Vogel does realize that the CAC is not an appointed or elected group of people, unlike the other boards, but rather a collection of volunteers with a variety of experience to draw from. As a matter of fact anyone who lives or works in Bridgehampton can become a member of the CAC, they just need to put their name in so that the Town Board can formally approve them. Fred Camman related at a recent meeting that he doesn’t recall anyone being denied membership. Vogel feels this is a very democratic process and that the CAC represents the opinions of people who actually reside in the hamlet.

“The town of Southampton is so large and diverse, it is very hard for the board to focus on our town. We’re not a large population although we do represent a large tax base. Through the CAC we’re trying to give voice to Bridgehampton’s concerns.”

It is because the CAC members know and cherish their hamlet so well that Vogel feels they can best accomplish a revised hamlet study for the town board use in the future. Recently he gathered a group of four other CAC members to work on the revised hamlet study from now until March. The committee will include CAC chair Fred Camman as well as Weezie Quimby, Kathy Gendal, and Ian MacPherson. He said they have already a working list of concerns, and hope to have a written report to give Nancy Graboski in March. Once they hand in their revisions to Ms. Graboski, he hopes she’ll review them and present them to the town planning board in the spring. Vogel sincerely hopes the planning board will take up some of the CAC’s concerns and approve the revised hamlet study sooner rather than later before he sees any more unwanted changes to the hamlet he cherishes.