Editorials

There is a sense that a new initiative to reset the scale of building in East Hampton Town is on the right track.

Amid celebratory statements in East Hampton Town Hall about a plan to put sand on the downtown Montauk beach, a stark reality remained: Nothing other than talk has been done to actually address coastal retreat.

All is not right. Dredging for bay scallops has mostly become not worth it, oyster populations can’t sustain themselves without human help, and skimmer clams have all but disappeared.

Supporters of a controversial plan to clear brush on town-owned land along Old Montauk Highway in Montauk have cited the plight of the monarch butterfly as among the plan's justifications.

East Hampton Town’s regulatory apparatus is not able to keep up with the staggering pace of development.

The Villages of Sag Harbor and North Haven suffer from terrible traffic, much of it originating near Long Wharf. Adding a hundred or more people stepping off a cruise ship would make the chaos unsustainable.

The East Hampton Library deserves a vote of confidence on Saturday.

While seasonal flu, as opposed to Covid-19, has yet to make a strong showing this year, now is a good time to make a plan to get the vaccine. The updated and highly advised Covid-19 shot is available, too.

Considering what the English colonists who founded East Hampton in the mid-1600s did to the land’s original inhabitants, it is a remarkable act of grace that the Montaukett Chief Robert Pharaoh agreed to be the grand marshal for the town’s 375th anniversary parade on Sept. 23.

It looks as if the goats will be coming to Montauk. This is despite concerns from neighbors of the semipublic Benson Reserve, among others, about a 10-year land-clearing plan that the East Hampton Town Board appears to support.

The volume of traffic on the East End is a constant topic of conversation, especially if anything can be done to tame our roadways. For starters, we believe the immediate goal is not making the situation worse.

For art historians and preservation-minded residents and friends looking to save at least a portion of the James Brooks and Charlotte Park house and studios in Springs, there is a ray of hope.