As of New Year’s Day, the task of providing Long Island and the Rockaways with electricity has been assumed by PSEG Long Island.

       The change was set in motion two years ago, when the Long Island Power Authority awarded the company, a subsidiary of the Public Service Enterprise Group, which is based in Newark and the largest utility in New Jersey, a long-term contract to manage Long Island’s electrical grid. PSEG Long Island replaces National Grid, a London company that has been criticized for its customer service and especially its response following major storms such as Hurricanes Irene and Sandy.

       PSEG plans a four-step process focusing on exceptional customer service, reliability, improved responses to storm outages, and involvement in the community, according to Jeffrey Weir, the company’s director of communications.

       “Our top goal is to give the people of Long Island what they deserve,” he said.

       PSEG in New Jersey has been cited as a top performer in terms of customer satisfaction, and Mr. Weir said its new Long Island subsidiary had set a goal of being “in the top quartile” for customer satisfaction among utilities nationwide by the end of its first year in operation.

       The utility will begin with a three-year rate freeze, take steps to improve customer communications through the use of smartphone applications and social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, and introduce what Mr. Weir described as a “more aggressive” tree trimming program that would clear power lines from tree limbs while protecting the health of the trees.

       “We have to get growth pruned away from those wires. It’s the top cause of power outages on Long Island,” he said.

       PSEG Long Island experienced its first storm response test when a blizzard dumped about 10 inches of snow and brought frigid temperatures to the region last Thursday and Friday. Fortunately, Mr. Weir said, “Hercules wasn’t quite so Herculean,” referring to the name bestowed upon the winter storm.

       He said PSEG Long Island responded to a total of approximately 2,200 power outages during the storm, with no more than about 800 people without power at any one time. The average outage, he said, was less than an hour.

       State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. said PSEG would be a “welcome change” from National Grid.

       “It will do a better job as far as customer service,” he said. “It would be hard to do a worse job.”

       Mr. Thiele said legislation intended to reform and scale back the Long Island Power Authority, signed into law last summer by Governor Andrew Cuomo, fell short of the mark.

       Mr. Thiele said that LIPA continues to operate with a board whose members are appointed by the governor and state legislative leaders and that the state Public Service Commission still has no regulatory authority over it.

       LIPA, he said, has too long kept electric rates low by borrowing money to cover costs and, despite recent efforts to encourage green energy, had still not done enough to reduce Long Island’s reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity.

       “PSEG is a good company, but their responsibility is to their shareholders,” he said. “There still isn’t proper oversight of the electrical system on Long Island.”

       Almost two months after it was issued, the temporary restraining order halting construction of a rock revetment on the beach in front of 11 West End Road in East Hampton remains in place.

       Pending a determination in thµe lawsuit filed by the East Hampton Town Trustees to halt the project, David Eagan, an attorney representing the trustees, is now seeking to reduce the $1 million bond that Justice Hector LaSalle instructed them to post with the county treasurer’s office. The bond, which Mr. Eagan called excessive, would be used to reimburse Mollie Zweig, who owns the property, for any damages incurred as a consequence of the temporary restraining order.

       The trustees have retained Stephen Leatherman, director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University, to provide expert testimony. To date, Ms. Zweig has relied on the testimony of Aram Terchunian of First Coastal, the contractor that is to perform the work, Mr. Eagan said. Stephen Angel, an attorney representing Ms. Zweig, did not return a call seeking comment.

       “A lot of what they’re arguing is that the whole property could potentially be flooded,” Mr. Eagan said, referring to Ms. Zweig’s legal representation. Dr. Leatherman, who is also known as Dr. Beach, will testify that any flooding on Ms. Zweig’s property would happen regardless of the existence of a revetment and should not be taken into consideration, Mr. Eagan said. “The only damage she could incur is further erosion,” he said. “We’re trying to get that [bond] reduced to something more reasonable, and we have expert testimony to that effect.”

       Additionally, Mr. Eagan said, “we’re going to re-argue the fact that a bond is not required as a matter of law on the grounds that municipal corporations are exempt under state law from giving bond, and [that] a recent amendment to the general municipal law, which gave the trustees municipal corporation status for the purpose of receiving ownership of public lands, was enough to put them in that category for this purpose. We think it’s a bad precedent to have a government agency have to put up a bond.” Furthermore, he said, “the law says the amount can’t be excessive and can’t be related to speculative damages.”

       The East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals approved Ms. Zweig’s application, which also included removal of a rock groin, restoration of an eroded dune, planting of beach grass, and installation of sand fencing, on Oct. 11. The trustees, who oversee the town’s beaches, waterways, and bottomlands on behalf of the public, strenuously objected to the project, contending that most, if not all, of the property on which it would take place is within their jurisdiction. Prior to the zoning board’s determination, Diane McNally, the trustees’ clerk, appeared before the board to argue against the project.

       On Nov. 7, Mr. Eagan filed a request for judicial intervention on behalf of the trustees against Ms. Zweig, East Hampton Village, the village Z.B.A., and the Village Department of Code Enforcement, as well as the Town of East Hampton and the town Z.B.A. The petition sought to nullify the village Z.B.A.’s Oct. 11 decision.

       First Coastal of Westhampton Beach  commenced the project on Nov. 11, Veterans Day, when the courts were closed. Late on Nov. 13, following five hours of arguments over two days, Justice Paul L. Baisley Jr. issued a temporary restraining order. The case, Mr. Eagan said, was then assigned to Justice LaSalle, who, after a brief hearing in November, determined to continue the temporary restraining order.

       Testimony to resolve the bond dispute is due to Justice LaSalle by Friday, Jan. 17, Mr. Eagan said.

       Unless someone steps up to the plate, Montauk could be a little less merry and bright next Christmas.

       After decorating the 70 small pines that run on both sides of Montauk Highway in downtown Montauk for the last 12 to 15 years, Jimmy Daunt, an owner of the Albatross Motel, and his crew of employees that includes his brother Richie Daunt, his cousin Joseph Horton, and his office manager, Cindy Dess, have decided it is time to step down from the project that was started 20 years ago by John Keeshan when the old-fashioned light posts were installed.

       At that time Mr. Keeshan formed a Christmas committee to decorate trees supplied by the Town of East Hampton. The chamber provided the lights and the committee decorated the trees each year until Mr. Daunt took it over.

       But now he is downsizing, he said, with regret, because he loves seeing the trees all lit up. “It looks so beautiful when it’s done,” he said, but it’s also become too much for him to do each year.

       Each tree was hung with two sets of lights in a specific color formation with a white light at the tip of each to signify an angel, said Mr. Daunt.

       It takes a lot of work that starts weeks before the trees are even delivered, as each set of lights has to be checked for burned-out bulbs. Once they are decked out, Mr. Daunt takes it upon himself to check the trees every few nights, looking for bulbs that have blown.

       Some years, the wind took its toll on the trees. Last year was particularly windy around Christmas, forcing the crew to give up, he said.

       His crew put up most of the lights, and they were paid for the job from Mr. Daunt’s own pocket. He stayed behind the scenes, he said, and focused his energy on the elaborate Christmas village and a display of lights at the motel.

       Montauk Chamber of Commerce officials said Mr. Daunt was meticulous with his lights and purchased, again with his own money, huge plastic tubs that were used to store the strings of lights. Chamber officials have put out a call for someone to step forward and take over. But do not be surprised if Mr. Daunt checks on the newbies. He said that he cannot help but check for outages as he drives through town.

       “I roll back into town and drive toward the [Catholic] church, turn around and drive back through because it just looks so beautiful,” he said.

       The results of a survey conducted by the Montauk Playhouse Community Center Foundation says that the majority of the 800 Montauk households that answered want a pool — and soon!

       The survey was sent out to more than 1,600 households in early fall. It was put together by several board members, including Tom and Helene Griffin and Wendy and Jeff Samuelson, all of whom have worked in marketing and for other not-for-profit projects.

       “They brought the experience to the table,” said Maureen Rutkowski, the project’s director, who was at the playhouse on Sunday with her husband, David Rutkowski, setting up a batting cage for the public to enjoy during the holiday break.

       Ms. Rutkowski said the survey intended to reassess what the community wants now that the playhouse has been up and running since 2006. “We got great feedback, considering the winter population‚” she said.

       Online and as a booklet, the survey asks 12 questions, starting with how interested residents are in an aquatic center and including how many in each household would use it, how often, and at what age. It also asks general questions such as where do people stay when visiting the East End and in which hamlet or village.

       It is still possible to participate in the survey online at montaukplayhouse.org/survey.

       The aquatic center was separated out from the second phase of the playhouse project in 2012 to get it moving along. Groundbreaking for the center, which will be on the ground level, where now there is a massive space with a dirt floor, is to start in 2014, with completion set for 2016.

       The cost of the pool, its infrastructure work, two meeting rooms, and other contingencies is expected to be $4 million, half of which is already on hand thanks to a variety of fund-raisers the group holds throughout the year, including dinners in private homes with Lisa DeVeglio, the board’s president, as host.

       Coming up, a number of board members will trek to the Meadowlands in New Jersey to attend a workshop with USA Swimming, an organization that offers professional tips. “Basically, they teach us how to build a pool,” Ms. Rutkowski said.

       Outside suggestions come in handy, she said, and have helped the board decide to downgrade a 240-seat theater project that had been included in the original phase-two plan. Instead, the group went with building a multipurpose space where theater events as well as other activities could be held. “It leaves open the possibility of other things,” Ms. Rutkowski said.

       The playhouse is open daily and includes activities for senior citizens, children’s day care, exercise programs, an open gym (depending on scheduling), the Body Tech fitness center, and Manual Sports and Physical Therapy.

       To get back to the batting cage, Montauk Youth purchased it for the playhouse. Holiday hours can be checked online at montaukyouth.org or on its Facebook page.

       Some visitors actually gasped as they walked into the gym on Sunday, saying they couldn’t believe what it offered. “Can we use this?” several young boys asked in amazement while eyeing the batting cage.

       “I love coming in and seeing the life in here,” Ms. Rutkowski said as she guided a guest into the elevator.

John Reinbold, a summer resident of Montauk, was the lucky winner of the East End Classic Boat Society’s annual raffle, which took place at the society’s holiday open house on Dec. 7. Mr. Reinbold won the Goeller dinghy that the society’s volunteer members had constructed at the Community Boat Shop.

The society is planning another boat to construct for next year’s raffle, a sailboat modeled after the Cape Cod Oyster Sloop, a popular boat in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It will be called the East End Sharpie.

The society is a not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to sustaining the skills and traditions of small wood boat building and restoration on the South Fork. It conducts programs on small boat design, building, and restoration at the Community Boat Shop, and offers lessons in navigation, lofting, sailor arts, boat repair, and maintenance.

New members, from beginning to advanced skill level, are welcome. Membership is $35 for an individual and $45 for a family. The boat shop, at 301 Bluff Road, is open Wednesday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. year-round.

The East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals has  announced that a revised draft environmental impact statement submitted by the Maidstone Club for a new irrigation system is complete and ready for public review. A copy will be available at Village Hall and online at easthamptonvillage.org.

The Maidstone Club has been seeking to upgrade irrigation on its golf course, a project that would include new piping, an additional well, a pump house, and the creation of a .65-acre holding pond, for more than a year, although club officials have said the idea goes back for six or seven years. Public hearings were held on the project in the summer of 2012, when opponents argued that noise might emanate from the pump house and said the system would have a detrimental impact on the environment, and in particular Hook Pond. The club is adjacent to the pond and the Atlantic.

The East Hampton Village Board has scheduled a hearing on the D.E.I.S. for 11 a.m. on Jan. 11.

    Joe Lenahan, who will be sworn in as the next chief of the Montauk Fire Department on Jan. 1, has written and illustrated a book called simply “Fire House.” The book, though entertaining, was written to show children what happens at a firehouse and what types of tools are used to fight fires.

    Since he was a little boy, Mr. Lenahan always knew he would someday be a fireman, and 27 years ago he accomplished that dream, following in the footsteps of his father, Robert Lenahan Sr., to whom the book is dedicated.

    A Montauk native, Mr. Lenahan has risen through the ranks of the department and taken a special interest in rescue operations and technical rescues. He also trains others.

    He wrote the book because he was frustrated when he would read to his two young children and found that the books he was reading them were either not focused enough for youngsters or too hard for them understand.

    “Once I decided to write a book, I always knew it would be about a firehouse,” he said.

    The quirky illustrations appear childlike and were purposely drawn that way to appeal to toddlers who might just be starting to learn how to count, Mr. Lenahan said. Each page features a piece of equipment and its function, and on the following page the pieces are illustrated with numbers beneath them for children to count. For example, one page asks, “How many fire hydrants do you see?” and a child is then expected to count the four happy-faced, dancing hydrants.

    Since he is a busy man, working with the department and a construction company, it took Mr. Lenahan about a year to complete the book. “It was just so much fun to write. And now I can call myself an author!”

    Self-published through Trafford Publishing, the softcover book sells for $17 and is available at the Montauk Library and on Amazon.com.

    Mr. Lenahan is already at work on another book about construction tools that he plans to call “Little Joe’s Tools.” But taking over as fire chief next year could very well delay the writing process.  

       After distributing 363 meals for Thanksgiving at its East Hampton and Amagansett locations, the East Hampton Food Pantry on Tuesday was estimating that it would distribute 400 food parcels to its clients for Christmas dinners.

       Reached that afternoon, Gabrielle Scarpaci, the pantry’s executive director, said that the pantry, which was running short of money as Thanksgiving approached, is starting to receive donations in response to its annual appeal letter.

       “The money is starting to come in,” she said. “We are nowhere near where we need to be, but the checks are coming in. Most are small, but every little bit helps.”

       There was one notable exception. Ben Krupinski, an East Hampton builder and entrepreneur, made a $10,000 donation earlier this month.

       “That was incredibly generous of him,” said Ms. Scarpaci, who before Thanksgiving said the pantry, which spends $4,000 to $5,000 a week buying food, was down to its last $20,000.

       The food pantry, which is located in the community room at the Windmill II apartments on Accabonac Road and at the St. Michael’s senior housing complex in Amagansett, will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

       It will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 7, when it serves clients in East Hampton from 2 to 6 p.m. and Amagansett residents from 4 to 6 p.m.

       Ms. Scarpaci said donations are always welcome. Checks can be sent to East Hampton Food Pantry, 219-50 Accabonac Road, East Hampton 11937.

    Even if you’ve never seen Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” you’ve probably had its most iconic song, “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” stuck in your head at some point this holiday season. Two local companies will present their versions of the Christmas classic this weekend.

    Studio 3 in Bridgehampton will bring “Mixed Nuts” to the Bay Street Theatre stage in Sag Harbor tomorrow and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2. The Hampton Ballet Theatre School, also in Bridgehampton, will perform “The Nutcracker” at Guild Hall tomorrow at 7 p.m., Saturday at 1 and 7, and Sunday at 2.

    Studio 3’s production, described as “a holiday ‘Nutcracker’ with a twist,” is set in the 1920s. Professional dancers from Festival Ballet Providence will dance the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $15 for students, and can be purchased at the door or in advance by e-mailing [email protected].

    Sara Jo Strickland, the director of the Hampton Ballet Theatre School, did the choreography for the Guild Hall production, which features costumes by Yuka Silvera and lighting design by Sebastian Paczynski. Adrianna de Svastich and Nick Peregrino of Ballet Fleming in Philadelphia will dance the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier.

    Advance tickets cost $25 for adults and $20 for those under 20 at hamptonballettheatreschool.com. Tickets at the door are $30 and $25.   

“November is often our wettest m1onth of the year,” but this November, we had less than two inches of rain, Richard G. Hendrickson wrote in his monthly weather report from Bridgehampton. “There are many years when a November month has given us our four inches, and sometimes over six inches of rain and some snow.”

Mr. Hendrickson, a United States Cooperative weather observer for eight-plus decades, reported rain on six days last month, for a grand total of only 1.79 inches.

The warmest day of the month was the first day, when it was 66 degrees, and the coldest night, he said, was Nov. 25, when the temperature dropped to 17.

“From now on there should be many northwest winds of 30 to 40 miles per hour. The night temperatures might make for skating by the Christmas vacation. The turkey has flown away until next year, but Santa and his sleigh will come with snow.”