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Sharkey Memorial Ride

Sharkey Memorial Ride

By
Star Staff

A benefit will be held Saturday for the Donald T. Sharkey Memorial Community Fund, established in honor of the late East Hampton Town building inspector.

The day will begin with the community fund’s fourth annual motorcycle ride with the Red Knights Chapter 25. Registration will take place at 9:30 a.m. at the Bridgehampton Fire Department, with coffee and bagels provided by Goldberg’s. A ride to Montauk Point will begin at 11 a.m. A donation of $30 per rider has been requested.

At 12:30 p.m. at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, a memorial tree for Mr. Sharkey will be dedicated, and food and beverages served. A 50-50 raffle will raise more money for the organization’s community projects.

In case of rain, the events will postponed to Oct. 5.

 

Citizens Advisory Committee Looks Ahead

Citizens Advisory Committee Looks Ahead

A show of hands at a Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee meeting Monday indicated support for a detailed environmental analysis of a proposed redevelopment of the former East Deck Motel at Ditch Plain.
A show of hands at a Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee meeting Monday indicated support for a detailed environmental analysis of a proposed redevelopment of the former East Deck Motel at Ditch Plain.
Janis Hewitt
By
Janis Hewitt

For over two hours on Monday, the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee and a slew of other residents went over the problems that have dominated conversation here this summer, mentioning the “horror” of taxicabs and the need for code enforcement. They praised the new online complaint form on East Hampton Town’s website, which Betsy Bambrick, the director of the Ordinance Enforcement Department, who attended the meeting, said was unbelievably effective. Members also heard promising reports about new taxi legislation and town efforts to solve some parking problems.

Ms. Bambrick arrived armed with documents filled with statistics on violations throughout town. Montauk had received the lion’s share of complaints, totaling 452 this year, with 352 filed since May 31, she said. For the most part, they were about noise, housing and zoning matters, and miscellaneous items such as parking and peddling. Ninety-two complaints resulted in charges.

Ms. Bambrick’s department has six full-time officers, one clerk, and two part-time officers in summer, some of whom work at night. Asked if the staff was large enough, Ms. Bambrick seemed reluctant to answer but finally said, “Of course, more staff would be great.”

Ms. Bambrick said once cases have been filed with the court they are out of her department’s hands, and, she said, some had lingered for years. East Hampton Town Police Lt. Chris Hatch, the Montauk precinct commander, said that in severe cases a Supreme Court restraining order can be obtained against a repeated offense.

 

‘Someone is going to get killed here and it’s going to happen soon.’

— James Grimes

 

Moving on, the committee rehashed the community’s taxi complaints, with members saying gypsy cab owners took advantage of the seasonal bloat, inflated rates, fought, and sometimes even slept in their vehicles. Lieutenant Hatch said next year should see improvement, as many two-year permits are to expire. New legislation will impose stricter limits, licenses will have to be renewed annually, and proof of residence submitted, he said.

Lieutenant Hatch reported that some cab owners had learned about the new legislation and applied for new  licenses before it went into effect. He added, however, that the one-year permit is going to “cycle people out of the system.”

Peter Van Scoyoc, the town board liaison to the committee, confirmed that the town is looking at ways to eliminate the cluster of taxis that park on both sides of Main Street near the Montauk Chamber of Commerce, and that the reconfiguration of parking at the Long Island Rail Road station is also under review. James Grimes, a member of the Montauk Fire Department, said the parking scene at the Surf Lodge, which is not far from the station and the firehouse, needed to be addressed.

“It is time we enforced some logic on these businesses. Someone is going to get killed here and it’s going to happen soon,” he said to a round of applause.

The meeting ended with a discussion of the plans put forward by a corporation called ED40, which purchased the East Deck Motel last fall. Noting that the area was environmentally sensitive, Richard Kahn, a committee member and attorney, asked if the town were going to require personal names to be submitted when special permits or variances were sought.

ED40 is not required to do so, and J. Darius Bikoff had been identified as an owner only through published reports. Mr. Van Scoyoc said the town’s ethics committee was considering the issue. The committee then voted to ask the town planning board to require a full environmental impact statement before granting any permits on the property.

 

Presbyterian Church Plans More Parking Spaces

Presbyterian Church Plans More Parking Spaces

By
Christopher Walsh

A historic property in a historic district was before the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals at its meeting Friday when it considered an application from the Presbyterian Church for variances to add 11 parking spaces and realign its driveway. The applicant also seeks permission for the continued existence of four air-conditioning units along the rear wall of the church.

Two of the additional parking spaces would be designated for the handicapped. They would be among seven diagonal spaces, while four others would be perpendicular to the rear of the church. The additional parking would for the most part be used only on Sunday mornings and during weddings or funerals, as church employees park at the rear of the property near the Session House.

Because the church is in a historic district, approval by the design review board will also be required. Frank Newbold, the Z.B.A. chairman, said the additional spaces would not adversely affect drainage. The potential removal of an evergreen tree 24 inches in diameter was also mentioned, and of concern to some board members. However, at the suggestion of Linda Riley, the village attorney, the board seemed amenable to granting permission for the 11 spaces and allowing the D.R.B. to consider their exact location. Mr. Newbold said the board was inclined to approve the application while allowing the D.R.B. flexibility if it sought to preserve existing landscaping. A decision is expected at the board’s next meeting, on Sept. 26.

The board also announced a number of other decisions. Shahab Karmely won approval to construct a tennis court on his property at 127 Main Street, which drew the ire of one neighbor and then another after its proposed location was moved. The board approved the first location, proposed at the western side of the property and the John M. Marshall Elementary School playing fields. It was conditioned on the plans submitted by the tennis court’s designer, Hamptons Tennis Company, being implemented.

Other approvals went to John Griffin of 20 Gracie Lane, who will be able to maintain sculptures within required setbacks as well as a pool house, hot tub, patio, stone walls, a concrete base for a generator switch, and a barbecue.

A freshwater wetlands permit was okayed at 40 La Forest Lane for Matthew Mallow. He plans to demolish a residence, swimming pool, driveway, and sanitary system, and construct a new residence, retaining wall, swimming pool, patio, equipment shed, driveway, and sanitary system.

Also granted were variances to permit the continued maintenance of a generator, slate pavers, and a trellis with a swing, all within setbacks, at 6 Lily Pond Lane, which is owned by the musician Jon Bongiovi of Bon Jovi fame. Variances to allow interior and exterior alterations to a pre-existing nonconforming pool house at 146 Newtown Lane went to Elizabeth Peabody, on the condition that no cooking or sleeping facilities will be added.

Lastly, Christopher and Sarah Minardi of 12 Conklin Terrace were granted a variance to permit an existing basement to be replaced and a new window well and exterior stairway added. The construction will increase the lot coverage from 2,104 to 2,194 square feet where the maximum is 1,741 square feet. Mr. Minardi, an alternate member of the board, had recused himself from the hearing.

 

Board Turns Down Schultz

Board Turns Down Schultz

Hampton Pix
A hearing that stretched across several months was concluded on Friday
By
Christopher Walsh

The East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals has ruled that Howard D. Schultz, the chief executive officer of the Starbucks chain, has an accessory structure on his property that violates the village code and cannot be maintained in its present condition.

A hearing that stretched across several months was concluded on Friday with the denial of an appeal Mr. Schultz made to reverse a determination denying a certificate of occupancy for the structure, which contains a garage and caretaker’s apartment. The board found that the building contained habitable floor area in excess of what a prior zoning board had allowed. The board also denied Mr. Schultz’s request for the apartment’s continued existence.

In 1986, nine years before the Schult­zes bought the property at 14 Gracie Lane, the board approved a 650-square-foot apartment attached to a four-car garage in a single-story structure. Subsequently, three garage bays were converted by the prior owner into three additional bedrooms, more than doubling the size of the apartment.

In 2012, the Schultzes were granted a variance and coastal erosion hazard permit to add two bedrooms and two bathrooms to their main house. The building inspector, however, noted that the accessory structure did not match the description in the certificate of occupancy, and the zoning board asked that the caretaker’s apartment be reduced to its original size, a condition to which the applicant agreed, but did not honor. Most recently, however, the Schultzes applied for a special permit, offering to remove two bedrooms and two bathrooms but adding another bedroom and bathroom. “Is that so unreasonable,” asked Leonard Ackerman, an attorney representing the Schultzes, “for people who acted in good faith?”

Board members apparently thought that it was. The board’s determination on Friday was that the apartment must be restored to its original 650 square feet and that the additional bedrooms be reconverted to garage bays and storage areas.

Mr. Ackerman did not return a call seeking comment. He may, however, take the matter to court. The violation could remain during litigation, Frank Newbold, the board’s chairman, said in an email.

The board also denied an application by Paul and Rena Stallings to permit the conversion of a third-story attic to living space at 9 Lockwood Lane. The conversion would have resulted in 1,464 square feet of habitable space on that floor and a gross floor area of 6,232 square feet, one-third more than the code allows. The code also restricts single-family residences to two stories.

On the other hand, the board approved an application by its former chairman, Andrew Goldstein, to allow the continued maintenance of a shed within front and rear-yard setbacks at 87 Jericho Road. The board had granted a variance for the shed in 2008, but it was installed in the wrong location. The board agreed on Friday that the shed causes no detriment to the character of the neighborhood.

The board also gave its approval of the continued maintenance of slate pavers and walkways, arbors, and a brick barbecue at 48 Huntting Lane, although they are within property-line setbacks. A variance was also granted to permit 512 square feet of excess lot coverage.

Not Your Usual Fund-Raiser

Not Your Usual Fund-Raiser

A “Hampton Bar Crawl”
By
Joanne Pilgrim

In what is perhaps one of the most unusual fund-raising efforts among the many that occur during the summer season here, Peter Honerkamp, an owner of the Stephen Talkhouse club in Amagansett, and his friend Dan Tooker have embarked on a “Hampton Bar Crawl” across East Hampton Town.

They have promised to have one drink in every bar here, and for each one he has, Mr. Honerkamp will donate $10 toward the cost of “Welcome to Soldier Ride,” a documentary about the Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride program, which grew from an idea hatched at the Talkhouse.

After a 2003 fund-raiser there for a Rocky Point soldier who was injured in Iraq, Chris Carney, who was a Talkhouse bartender, embarked on a cross-country bicycle trip the next year to raise money and awareness for wounded soldiers. His 4,400-mile trip began in Montauk and ended when he dipped his bicycle tire in the Pacific Ocean. He was accompanied by another Talkhouse employee, Tek Vakalaloma, who drove a slow-moving support vehicle the entire way. The trip raised more than $1 million.

The next year Mr. Carney reversed the journey, riding from west to east, and was joined by two soldiers, Ryan Kelly, a single amputee, and Heath Calhoun, a double amputee. The idea of Soldier Ride as not only a fund-raising vehicle but a form of mental and physical rehabilitation for veterans injured during their service took shape.

Under the Wounded Warrior Project, Soldier Ride now offers 20 bike ride programs across the United States. More have taken place overseas, in England, Germany, and Israel. The events raise more than $200 million a year; more than 45,000 soldiers have participated.

The film centers on the 2005 cross-country trip. It was created by Nick Kraus, a Soldier Ride co-founder, and Matt Hindra, both of East Hampton.

Mr. Honerkamp and Mr. Tooker are documenting their fund-raising effort on a Facebook page of that name. The quest began on Aug. 15 at Inlet Seafood in Montauk. With a 15-minute stop to down one drink at each watering hole, the team went on that day to the Fish Bar, Rick’s Crabby Cowboy Cafe, the Crow’s Nest, and the Star Island Grill.

The mission continued the next day at Cyril’s, with the drinkers again heading east. As of earlier this week, they were still working their way through the many bars in Montauk, and had hoisted an elbow in 36 of the 42, Mr. Honerkamp said.

Daily and ongoing itineraries are posted on the Facebook page, so that those who would like to raise a glass with the fund-raisers may find and join them. They have pledged never to leave a bar before the stated time. The quest continues each Monday and Tuesday.

Soldier Ride “just changed and empowered a lot of people,” Mr. Honerkamp said. “It revolutionized how we treat the wounded.”

Twenty-two veterans reportedly commit suicide each day in this country, he said, and several Soldier Ride participants have told him they had been contemplating taking such a step before their participation in the ride, which profoundly affected them.

Members of the Talkhouse staff will join Mr. Honerkamp as he works his way through the bars in East Hampton Village, between 5 and 7 p.m. on Labor Day. Friends and supporters have been invited to join them.

Additional information, and an opportunity to make a tax-deductible  donation, can be found at welcometosoldierride.com.

 

Sabin Foundation Gift to Columbia

Sabin Foundation Gift to Columbia

The Sabin Foundation is headquartered in East Hampton
By
Star Staff

Columbia Law School announced this week the receipt of a $3.5 million gift from the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation to support and expand its Center for Climate Change Law. The center, which will now be known as the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, was established five years ago with the help of funding from the Sabin foundation.

Mr. Sabin, an environmentalist, philanthropist, and longtime resident of Springs and Amagansett, is the president and sole owner of Sabin Metal Corp., a global precious-metals refinery company. The founder of the South Fork Natural History Museum, which celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier this summer, he has a species of frog, discovered in New Guinea, named for him: Aphantophryne sabini.

The Sabin Foundation is headquartered in East Hampton. Mr. Sabin’s gift, Columbia said, will expand the climate center’s groundbreaking work on climate change law, allow it to hire a full-time executive director, and, among other things, support the annual Sabin Colloquium on Innovative Environmental Law Scholarship.

East Deck Owner Is Named

East Deck Owner Is Named

J. Darius Bikoff, the multimillionaire owner of Vitamin Water, is among the principals of ED40, a limited liability corporation that purchased the East Deck Motel at Ditch Plain in Montauk
By
Janis Hewitt

An article in The New York Times on Tuesday reported that J. Darius Bikoff, the multimillionaire owner of Vitamin Water, is among the principals of ED40, a limited liability corporation that purchased the East Deck Motel at Ditch Plain in Montauk in the fall for a reported $15 million. It seeks to develop the property as a private club with a restaurant, spa, 8,000-square-foot pool, underground parking, and other amenities. None of the names of the corporation’s shareholders had been made public.

Mr. Bikoff owns an oceanfront trailer at the adjacent Montauk Shores Condominium and keeps a boat at the Montauk Marine Basin. He is said to surf at Ditch Plain, and Lars Svenberg of Main Beach Surf and Sports and Scott Bradley of Paddle Diva have been the public faces of the corporation. It is represented by Andy Hammer of Biondo and Hammer, a Montauk law firm.

Several Montauk residents have said they had been asked to sign nondisclosure agreements, by which they agreed not to talk about any work they may have done for Mr. Bikoff. Mr. Svenberg, Mr. Bradley, and Mr. Hammer did not return calls for comment this week, and Mr. Bikoff could not be reached.

ED40, which has applied to the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals for the various permits that would be required for construction, has an application pending to trademark the East Deck name. Approvals are also being sought from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. C.C.O.M. has asked town officials to require a full environmental impact statement under the State Environmental Quality Review Act.

The Z.B.A. application states that the club would have 179 members, who would be allowed to have guests. The new East Deck would be a two-story building, and it would have parking for 136 vehicles. Its septic system would be designed to handle the waste of 537 people, and 3,661 cubic yards of fill would be required to elevate  it.

Concerned Citizens of Montauk, which has 1,300 members, and the Ditch Plains Association, with over 350 members, are protesting the project. The Ditch Plains Association posted an online petition on Aug. 18, which had almost 2,000 signatures as of Wednesday, asking the town to deny the application. It can be viewed at ditchplainsassociation.com.

Protesters are concerned that the new East Deck would encroach on the public’s use of the popular surfing beach and block the view of those living across the street. On Saturday, a group of over 100 surfers will protest in their own way — by paddling out in front of the motel.

 

Met in Montauk, Married There, Too

Met in Montauk, Married There, Too

By
Star Staff

Ryan Scott King and Rosemarie Elizabeth Cicalese of Montauk and Williamsburg were married on June 14 at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church in Montauk by the Rev. Michael Rieder.

The weather started out foggy that day, then turned beautiful before the wedding, a blessing the bride and groom attributed to his late mother, Debra King, and her late father, Patrick Cicalese. An outdoor cocktail hour and tented reception at the Montauk Lake Club followed the ceremony.

The groom’s father, Wayne King, lives in Montauk. The bride’s mother, Linda Quinn Cicalese, lives in Seaford.

The groom is the founder and president of King Integrated Solutions. He graduated from East Hampton High School and earned an associate’s degree in applied arts in audio production from the Art Institute of Seattle and then a bachelor’s degree in professional studies in audio engineering from Five Towns College in Dix Hills.

The bride is a vice president at JPMorgan, where she has worked for the past 10 years. She graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in West Hempstead and earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.

The couple knew each other from a young age. Her family spent summers in Montauk at the Montauk Shores Condominiums, and he grew up in Ditch Plain. They reconnected at a show by a mutual friend’s band in New York City in 2007.

The bride’s twin sister, Erin Cicalese of New York, was her maid of honor. She was also attended by the groom’s sisters, Heather King of Montauk and Jamie King of Naperville, Ill., and by Meghan Finazzo of Montauk, Melissa Montineri of Glastonbury, Conn., Aubrey Farnham of Santa Cruz, Calif., Elizabeth Lubnina of New York, and MaryAnne Eskandani of Warren, N.J. The groom’s niece, Kaylee King, was a junior bridesmaid.

The bride wore an ivory mermaid-style gown with a single shoulder strap and carried ivory and pink flowers. Her attendants wore navy blue gowns and carried similar bouquets.

Mr. King’s best man was his brother, Wayne King Jr. of Naperville. His groomsmen were the bride’s brother, Patrick Cicalese of Seaford, and Charlie Weimar of Montauk, Washy Duke of East Hampton, David Jankowski of Jay, Vt., Ryan Persan of Montauk, Ray Houseknecht of Massapequa, Tom Mahl of New York, Shawn Eckhardt of East Hampton, and Frank Tuma of Montauk. His nephew, Parker King, was the ringbearer.

The bride’s friend Kelly Corcoran of New York was the vocalist at the church. At the reception, the bride surprised her new husband by serenading him with their first song, “Heaven” by Bryan Adams. The best man and maid of honor gave speeches, and Mr. Houseknecht performed a comedy act.

The newlyweds honeymooned in Bali.

 

Tennis Court Raises Hackles

Tennis Court Raises Hackles

The tennis court is to be built on the former Gardiner estate, at 127 Main Street
By
Christopher Walsh

In the heart of East Hampton Village, a plan to build a tennis court angered one neighbor and, when its proposed location was changed in response, drew an objection from another neighbor. The tennis court is to be built on the former Gardiner estate, at 127 Main Street, which is now owned by Shahab Karmely. His property and that of the first neighbor who objected, Kenneth Kuchin of 123 Main Street, are for sale.

The appeals board resumed a hearing on the application at its meeting on Friday. The initial location was on the west side (or back) of the 5.4-acre parcel, a deep lot that runs from Main Street to the John M. Marshall Elementary School’s playing fields. At the prior hearing, Mr. Kuchin worried about its proximity to a cottage he uses for meditation, massage, and reading. The new location, which is to the east, however, drew objection from Thomas J. Osborne, who owns adjacent vacant property. Both proposed locations would require setback variances.

“We did explore a conforming lot area and determined that it would have an unnecessary impact to the historic Gardiner house setting,” Andy Hammer, an attorney representing Mr. Karmely, said. He noted that the new location would spare several mature trees. The court must be built in a north-south configuration, according to the applicant, because an east-west layout would render it unplayable for most of the day due to sunlight.

Mr. Karmely “has been a very good steward to this property,” Mr. Hammer said, referring to the applicant’s reported $10 million renovation of the house and grounds. “This stewardship ethic is why we’re here asking for a variance rather than just trying to comply with the village zoning code.”

Referring to the potential for noise, Mr. Hammer said, “We’d submit there is much less, if any, disturbance” from what would be the backcourt area. The new plan would also sink the court four feet below grade and feature a Har-Tru surface to minimize noise. Adjacent lots are screened with hedges and mature landscaping, and Mr. Karmely would consider additional screening if the board deemed it necessary, Mr. Hammer said.

But Mr. Osborne’s objection was noise. The land he owns is vacant, but buildable. “We don’t have a house there; someday someone will,” he said. “We’re looking at it from the point of view of, ‘what would a reasonable person think of having the court where it is,’ and we think it would be objectionable.” The applicant’s proposed noise-mitigation measures would be insufficient, Mr. Osborne said. “I’ve played a lot of tennis in my time. I know the noise it creates.”

Regardless of the board’s decision, however, Mr. Karmely said that a court would be constructed because an east-west configuration, although less appropriate, would not require a variance. Therefore noise would not be eliminated if the application were denied, he said, although he added that in any case noise would be minimal. He also challenged Mr. Osborne’s concern. “Did you consider that when you subdivided your property and sold off a piece on which there is a big house right on your property line? That house . . . creates far more noise on a regular basis than a court that is screened and sunken and is played on occasionally would.”

Lys Marigold, the board’s vice chairwoman, said noise is a fact of life in the heart of the village. “I would actually want to consider moving it back to your original location, which is next to the playing field,” she told Mr. Karmely. John McGuirk and Larry Hillel, other board members, agreed.

Both the Gardiner estate and the Osborne family property go back to East Hampton’s original settlement. Of the Osbornes, Frank Newbold, the board’s chairman, said, “They have certainly paid their dues there.” The board’s purpose, he said, is to uphold standards. “Mr. Osborne feels there would be a strong impact on his building lot. In the rear location, Mr. Kuchin felt his meditation room would be disturbed. So we are in a quandary.” 

The hearing was closed, and a determination is expected at the board’s next meeting, on Sept. 12.

Powwow Weekend

Powwow Weekend

The event, said to be the 68th in the tradition, features drum and dance contests, authentic native dress, and over $50,000 in prize money
By
Taylor K. Vecsey

Labor Day weekend brings not only the end of the summer rental season but also the Shinnecock Indian Nation’s annual powwow, which will take place on the reservation from tomorrow through Monday.

The event, said to be the 68th in the tradition, features drum and dance contests, authentic native dress, and over $50,000 in prize money. The Shinnecocks will welcome members of many other tribes as well as the general public, and native arts, crafts, and foods will be for sale. There will also be raffles and a sunset fire-lighting.

The powwow will begin tomorrow at 3 p.m., with dancers and dignitaries making a grand entrance at 7. On Saturday and Sunday, the grounds open at 10 a.m., with “grand entries” at 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. both days. On Monday, dancing, featuring dancers from the Teacopan and Aztec dancers, begins at 12:30 p.m.

The powwow goes on rain or shine. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors, the disabled, and children ages 6 to 12. Children under 5 are free. Pets are not allowed on the grounds.

The entrance to the reservation is on West Gate Road, off Montauk Highway in Southampton Village. Parking is free.