“I am disappointed that he shot down federal money that could have saved or helped maintain the 11th position,” Kevin Duchemin, a Sag Harbor Village board member, said on Tuesday of Mayor Brian Gilbride’s announcement last week that the village would not apply for a grant that the police chief, Tom Fabiano, had suggested as a means to help hold onto an officer whose job was eliminated last month.

    The Department of Justice grant could have provided $125,000 over a three-year period as part of a program to strengthen community policing by hiring additional officers. But, according to Mayor Gilbride, “the village would have had to put in 100-something-thousand a year to guarantee the position.” To win the grant, the village would have to commit to retaining the officer it paid for, something Mr. Gilbride said he could not do.

    “Over a four-year period,” Mayor Gilbride said at a May 29 meeting to end the fiscal year, “we would have put about $500,000 in.”

    Two of the village police force’s officers were written out of the budget last month. One was David Driscoll, who was named officer of the year in December; the other had already resigned in October.

    The chief fought vehemently against Mr. Driscoll’s layoff.

    Raising the grant issue after the mayor asked for a motion to adjourn the May 29 meeting, Mr. Duchemin questioned his numbers, reminding him of the approximate $90,000 that Chief Fabiano had reported as unused in his current budget. Although Mayor Gilbride asked again for a motion to adjourn, Mr. Duchemin continued, “Why can’t we keep Dave through the summer with that $90,000?”

    “I don’t know if he’s got $90,000,” the mayor said, adding, “it doesn’t work that way.”

    “If the chief has $90,000 left in his budget, why would a layoff be necessary at all?” Patrick Milazzo, the P.B.A. president asked on Tuesday. “At the very least,” he wondered, “why not keep him on during the summer as Trustee Duchemin had asked?”

    Chief Fabiano asked at the May 29 meeting if the mayor had made any calculations about hiring an entry-level officer, rather than one with a higher-tiered salary like Mr. Driscoll, who came to the village three years ago after several years on Southampton Town’s force.

    “It still means committing $250,000,” the mayor said. The application deadline was Tuesday. The mayor had said if it was extended until after June 18, village election day, “Sandra can make her mind up what she wants to do.” He was referring to Sandra Schroeder, who is running against him for mayor.

    With the busy months upon him and fewer officers on the force, Chief Fabiano said he now has no option but to replace two officers with part-timers and overtime. His request at the May 29 meeting to hire a part-time officer at $25 per hour was denied.

    “No,” Mayor Gilbride said. “We will discuss it at the June 11 meeting.”

    “Why can’t we hire a part-time guy now?” Chief Fabiano asked a second time.

    “This is the end-of-the-year meeting,” Mayor Gilbride replied.

    When the chief pointed out that there were other items besides fiscal matters on the agenda, Mayor Gilbride again put him off.

    “I laid off a guy on the 1st,” the chief said. “Why can’t we do it today?”

    “We’ll do it on the 11th, Tom,” the mayor said.

    How to make the Village of East Hampton safer for bicyclists and pedestrians was the primary topic at a village board work session last Thursday, when Paul Fiondella and Howard Lebwith, who had made a presentation  at the board’s April 4 work session, returned to make the case for bike-friendly streets.

    By adopting principles they outlined, the village would be “making the first small step toward a larger picture in the future of planning out how bicyclists and pedestrians can safely access and make their way through the village,” Mr. Fiondella said. The principles call for bicycle lanes to be located on public roads to promote an alternative to automobile use, reduced vehicle speed limits, warning signs for motorists, and clear lane markings.

    However, the proposals were not intended to suggest that every road in the village have a provision for bicycles, Mr. Fiondella said. Instead, he recommended two bike lanes be established, a route from the west or Sag Harbor and a north-south route that would connect with the beaches and schools.

    “If you think about starting off with two routes, you’re in a lot better shape than trying to think about every road in the village,” he said.

    The principles, Mr. Fionella said, could serve as an outline for a professional study with the goal of making changes. “Then, take the next baby step, which is to look for funding, and to look for an engineering and design firm,” he said, adding that he had researched and identified a few such firms.

    Becky Molinaro, the new village administrator, informed the board that she, along with Mr. Fiondella and Larry Cantwell, the outgoing village administrator, had met with Scott Fithian, the village superintendent of public works, to discuss the principles. She said there were two issues: “Whether the principles are acceptable to the board and, moving forward, more of a long-term, comprehensive overview of bicycles in the village. . . . There are some instances where they are not going to be feasible on certain village roads.”

    She also reported that she had already investigated funding. Referring to a State Department of Transportation grant, she said the application would be for a minimum of $200,000. “We don’t currently think that this would be a $200,000 planning project,” she said, adding, “We’re still looking for funding.”

    Safe roads would strengthen the economic well-being of the village, Mr. Fiondella said. “There’s going to be a flood of people coming out here who will use that form of transport if it’s safe, if it makes sense. This is not wasted money. If you appropriate this money, you’re doing a great deal for the future of this village. Somebody 50 years from now will look back and say, ‘This is the board that put us on the right path for the future of the village.’ ”

    “I’m optimistic that we can move ahead,” Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. said.

    The League of American Bicyclists, Mr. Lebwith said, provides incentives, assistance, and recognition for communities that support bicycling. “My dream,” he said, is to see the league award the village its gold status “for being the bike-friendly community that it could be.” Mr. Lebwith is a member of East Hampton Town’s Bike Advisory Committee, and said he would take the principles to that committee’s next meeting.

    Barbara Borsack, a board member, said she agreed with the goals, but took exception with one of the general principles, which asks the village to consider expanding paved shoulders where bike lanes are not feasible.

 “I’m always against curbing, traffic lights, and additional paving. It makes us more urban,” she said. “I don’t want to see making roads any bigger or getting rid of grass. Other than that, I think it’s all good.”

    The Town of East Hampton should authorize a hamlet study for Amagansett, the attendees at Monday night’s Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee’s meeting agreed after discussing a number of issues that they believe are receiving insufficient attention and adversely affecting residents’ quality of life.

    Nine members voted in favor of requesting a hamlet study, with none opposed or abstaining.

    Conditions at Indian Wells Beach, marked in recent years by very large gatherings and conspicuous alcohol consumption, have angered many. This was the first topic of discussion at Monday’s meeting and illustrated the committee’s frustration with the consequences of ever-larger crowds visiting the hamlet in the summer.

    Councilwoman Sylvia Overby, the town board’s liaison to the committee, reported that the town board had codified new regulations aimed at curbing the raucous atmosphere at the beach at its public hearing last Thursday. These include restrictions on access to the parking lot and prohibition of vehicles carrying eight or more passengers or greater than 25 feet in length.

    “The whole impetus for this was respect for East Hampton [and] Amagansett beaches,” Ms. Overby said. “We’re not out of the woods.” She then read from the Web site guestofaguest. com, which has been cited for mobilizing throngs of young adults to gather at the beach with large quantities of alcohol. “Indian Wells,” a post on the site read in part, “has become the de facto beach to bring your brew-skies and your bro-skies for a day of fun.”

    “This big, raucous ‘bro’ party,” Kieran Brew, the committee’s chairman, predicted, “is going to get gradually less and less well behaved.”

    “You’ve done a wonderful job,” Joan Tulp, of the committee, said to Ms. Overby. “But I still think prohibiting alcohol during the beach day is the only answer to it. They’re walking 40-abreast, coming down [Indian Wells Highway]. We can’t stop that.” Some people have also brought dogs to the beach during prohibited hours, she said. 

    “This is a shot across the bow,” Ms. Overby said of the new restrictions. “My point of view is everybody should have an opportunity to use the beach. But you cannot ruin the enjoyment that other people have of the beach. . . . If you ruin that for everyone, we can keep going.” Ms. Tulp’s suggestion to ban alcohol had support among other committee members, and Mr. Brew suggested lower tolerance and stricter enforcement of the prohibition of glass on the beach.

    The perennial topic of a proposed public restroom in the hamlet led to consideration of a hamlet study. Such a project remains a back-burner issue for the town, Ms. Overby said, though it is considering different locations than the one proposed, adjacent to the parking lot north of Main Street in the commercial district.

    Delaying construction of a public restroom, which could result in the loss of six spaces in the parking lot, may produce a better outcome in the long run, Ms. Overby said. “There are pieces of property that are for sale or that we might be able to buy development rights off of, or land swaps,” she said. “There was another way I was looking at trying to reconfigure that parking lot, because the aisle is so wide — it was supposed to be a road at one time.” She referred to discussions with town officials aimed at avoiding a net loss in parking, which some merchants feel is already inadequate.

    “Should we be looking at the bigger picture?” Mr. Brew asked the committee. “Should we be looking at what the overall picture of Amagansett should be like?”

    The Wainscott Citizens Advisory Committee, Ms. Overby said, has also requested a hamlet study. “You might want to write a letter to the town board saying, ‘We’re ready for our hamlet study because these are things we feel we’re missing,’ ” she suggested, adding that the committee members should compile a list of topics such a study would address.

    Mr. Brew instructed attendees to come to the committee’s next meeting, scheduled for July 8, with items they would like addressed. There was no shortage of suggestions at Monday’s meeting, however. Traffic flow, including bikes and pedestrians; affordable housing; drainage problems on the roads; code enforcement, including share houses; beach and business parking; public transportation and designation of a transportation hub for the hamlet; vistas and open spaces; zoning and land use; overcrowded and additional beaches, and the aforementioned restroom were among the issues cited by committee members. Mr. Brew also mused about a consolidation that would bring the post office and train station closer to the commercial district.

    The committee also nominated and elected officers at its meeting. Mr. Brew will remain as chairman. Sheila Okin, who had initially declined a renomination as vice chairwoman, agreed to continue in that role. Susan Bratton was nominated, and agreed, to serve as the committee’s secretary. They will remain in these roles until next June.

    The Hamptons Institute, a symposium on some of the most pressing issues of our time, will be back in East Hampton on Saturday, featuring three panel discussions during the course of the day on education, the economy, and the environment. The free event, organized by the Roosevelt Institute and held at Guild Hall, will provide intellectual perspectives and debate by experts in the given fields.

    The day will begin at 10:30 a.m. with “Innovations in Education.” It will be moderated by Jacqueline Adams, a former CBS News correspondent. The panelists are Kahlil Byrd, president of Students First, Josh Zoia, superintendent of KIPP NYC, a network of charter schools for children from disadvantaged communities, Reena Bhatia, vice president of education programs of LISC, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and Priscilla Campbell, a teacher at East Hampton High School who is president of the school district’s Teachers Association and chair of the Long Island Presidents Council.

    “We strive to look at various points of view and assess what kind of public policy options are available,” commented Ellen Chesler, the curator of the symposium and a senior fellow of the Roosevelt Institute.

    After a noon break for lunch in the Minikes Garden at Guild Hall for fellows, sponsors, and panelists, the second discussion will focus on climate change with experts from Columbia University’s Earth Institute and the Lamount Doherty Earth Observatory. They are Steve Cohen, an environmental policy expert, Sabine Marx, a research scientist on environmental risk perceptions, and Adam Sobel, an atmospheric scientist specializing in the dynamics of weather and climate.

    “After Sandy,” to start at 1:30 p.m., will tackle the hard question of what people and government can do. It will be moderated by Dava Sobel of East Hampton, who writes for Popular Science and is the author of the bestsellers “Longitude” and “Galileo’s Daughter.”

    The third and final panel, at 3 p.m., will cover the most talked about political topic of 2013, the economy. The focus will be China’s involvement in the economy of the United States and the global economy. Elizabeth Economy, a senior fellow and director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, will moderate the discussion between James Steinberg, former deputy U.S. secretary of state, and Frank Newman, former deputy secretary of the treasury.    Mr. Steinberg is the dean of the Maxwell School of Public Policy at Syracuse. Mr. Newman is the chair or vice chair of several organizations that focus on Asia and the author of “Six Myths that Hold Back America — And What America Can Learn from the Growth of China’s Economy.” The day will culminate at a cocktail reception.

    Asked how the panelists were chosen, Ms. Chesler said, “We went to the strongest scientists, but also to the people who know how to address complicated and technical policy issues to a public audience. It’s very rare to get panelists with high levels of public policy experience with insight as to what the future holds in their given fields. The whole point is to offer not just to the weekenders but to the entire community. We hope people can take time out of their weekends and come by.”

    Tickets are available online at guildhall.org or at the box office.

    “It is most unusual that we have gone through May and at this writing on June 1 there was very little rainfall. Agriculturally it is dry, but I am sure, as long-term records show, rainfall will be here soon.” So wrote Richard G. Hendrickson, the United States Cooperative weather observer in Bridgehampton, in his monthly report for May.

    There was light rain on seven days last month, the heaviest — just over half an inch — coming on May 28. The total for the month was 2.13 inches, as compared to a long-term average of 3.5 to 4 inches, Mr. Hendrickson said.

    “Over all the temperatures for May on eastern Long Island were rather nice; with a short cooler period of 50s late in the month.” By the end of the month, temperatures were in the 70s, though they did drop to 33 one night. The high for the month was 76 on May 21. The low was 33.

    Wind blew from the southwest on 14 days last month, according to Mr. Hendrickson’s records, and there were 16 clear, 1 partly cloudy, and 14 cloudy days.

   “The best is yet to come!” Mr. Hendrickson said.

    “The village needs a more open and responsive government,” said Pierce Hance, a former Sag Harbor Village mayor who would like to have his old job back. Mr. Hance is among four candidates in the running for the position.

    “There is too much going on behind the scenes,” he told The Star on Tuesday. “That is not in the public’s interest, in my opinion.”

    As an example, Mr. Hance cited an early-morning special board meeting to decide whether to request additional bids on Havens Beach remediation. “We’ve had problems for years and years,” he said. “Why the rush?” He wondered why there had been no discussion of alternatives, saying that the cause of the pollution was never definitively determined.

    The village is “spending a lot of money down there,” said Mr. Hance. He will run alone, in what he called “an a la carte election,” on the Economy Party ticket.

    Sandra Schroeder, another mayoral candidate, is concerned about Havens Beach “for the kids,” she said by phone this week. The retired 20-year administrator and village clerk said she had not heard much publicly about negotiations with contractors. Mayor Brian Gilbride has said, however, that remediation would be completed by the swimming season.

    A drainage ditch empties into the often contaminated and closed beach. “I had plans for bioremediation,” said Mr. Hance, involving “a marsh system . . . diverting the stream . . . biologically filtering.” Instead, he said, the board has chosen to employ a mechanical filtering system. Even with grant money, he said, “we will still spending about $250,000 of the village money,” not counting maintenance costs, which have yet to be determined.

    The water quality in Sag Harbor Cove is one of Ms. Schroeder’s primary concerns. She wants to know what the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has to say about recent closures there due to fears of paralytic shellfish poisoning. “We need to work with them to curb runoff,” she said. “Sag Harbor is important to me. I grew up here. My grandfather grew up here, and my grandchildren are growing up here.”

    Among other issues on Ms. Schroeder’s agenda are the village sidewalks, which she said are in disrepair and present a safety hazard. “Tree roots need to be ground down,” she said. “I see people fall down.”

    “I’m not looking to spend megabucks,” said Ms. Schroeder, who also would like to see an increase in grant applications. “Any money you can get . . . is money we won’t have to tax our residents,” she said. As for police contract negotiations. she said the issue had been dragged out a long time, which was expensive for taxpayers and not fair either to them or the members of the force.

    “I’m very hopeful to have the honor of being the village mayor,” Ms. Schroeder said on Tuesday. “I’m very concerned about the village. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t try.” She has strong support from people whom she worked with in her years as village clerk, she said.

    Mayor Gilbride, who won the mayoral race four years ago with a record number of votes, is seeking re-election. He has served on the village board for 19 years, and told The Star recently that he “never missed a meeting.” He said he feels he should stay on as mayor “to see things through.”

     Mr. Gilbride was born and raised in the village and has volunteered for 44 years with the Sag Harbor Fire Department.

    The fourth and final candidate is Bruce Tait, a 12-year member and current chairman of the village’s advisory harbor committee. A resident since 1972 and the owner of a yacht sales business in Sag Harbor for 32 years, Mr. Tait is a founding member of the Breakwater Yacht Club, serving on its board of directors for 25 years.

    Over the phone recently, Mr. Tait expressed frustration that the village board had not listened to its harbor committee, and said he has “not once” had a conversation with Mayor Gilbride. On his campaign’s Facebook page he says he wants the village to be more bike and pedestrian-friendly, to “alleviate traffic and parking headaches,” and hopes for progress, including village-wide input, on the future of Long Wharf. The harbor and waterfront are some of the village’s biggest and best assets, he writes, and he hopes to use the Local Waterfront Revitalization Project “as the lens through which we can view all future development.”

    Mr. Tait said his business experience made him capable of negotiating contracts that will “preserve and improve the quality of life that we all enjoy,” which, he said, “means having a police force that can do the job they are tasked for.”

    A candidate forum organized by The Sag Harbor Express will take place on June 9 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Pierson High School. Balloting will be at the Sag Harbor Fire Department on Brick Kiln Road on June 18, from noon to 9 p.m.

    Despite the ravages of Hurricane Sandy and a northeaster that followed, East Hampton’s Main Beach has been named the best beach in the United States on the 23rd annual Top 10 Beach list, as ranked Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman of Florida International University.

    Mr. Leatherman, a k a Dr. Beach, is a coastal scientist and author of books including “Dr. Beach’s Survival Guide: What You Need to Know About Sharks, Rip Currents, and More Before Going in the Water” and “Sea Level Rise: Causes and Consequences.” His evaluation of beaches is based on water and sand quality, safety, and environmental management, among many other criteria.

    “We accept that designation with quiet gratitude,” East Hampton Village Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. said of the honor. “We were fortunate to have that designation, because when you look at the tragedy of the storm up and down the Atlantic seacoast, it further manifests itself as to how fortunate we were. We are humbled and very gratified to receive that designation, and hopefully some people will take advantage of that and enjoy the beach.”

    “Mother Nature gave us a beautiful resource at Main Beach,” Larry Cantwell, the village administrator, said. “We do our best to keep it that way.”

    Most of the Sea Spray Cottages at Main Beach had their roofs damaged in the hurricane and northeaster last autumn. The brick chimneys on some of the cottages were also damaged. To date, contractors have yet to be chosen for repair, Mr. Cantwell said.

    Also damaged was the storage building used by lifeguards. Earlier this month, the village’s zoning board of appeals authorized the village to demolish the structure and rebuild a slightly larger building on the same site. A contractor has been selected, Mr. Cantwell said, but demolition and reconstruction cannot proceed until the village’s design review board has approved the new structure. The board will meet on Wednesday.

    As the structure is at the westernmost end of the Main Beach pavilion, the project will be minimally disruptive, Mr. Cantwell said, and work will take place only on weekdays. “We think we can demolish and rebuild it in three weeks or so,” he said, adding that the work should be completed before July 4.

    Other beaches landing on Mr. Leatherman’s top 10 list include Kahanamoku Beach, Hamoa Beach, and Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, all in Hawaii, St. George Island State Park, Barefoot Beach, and Cape Florida State Park, all in Florida, and Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

    Memorial Day observances begin Monday morning at 9 with a ceremony at Main Beach in East Hampton for those members of the United States armed forces who were lost at sea.

    At 10 a.m. veterans and others will begin to gather near Guild Hall for a 10:30 parade along Main Street. Traffic will be diverted onto Dunemere and Further Lanes for the duration.

    At the conclusion of the parade, people will assemble at the Memorial Green at Hook Mill, where student scholarship and award winners will be announced and local dignitaries will make remarks and offer prayers.

    East Hampton American Legion Post 419 is this year’s organizer. Its commander is Fred Overton, the East Hampton Town clerk.

    While beachgoers can still pay by the day to park at Two Mile Hollow Beach this season, there will be no parking attendant on duty at the parking lot there. Those without a village beach permit who wish to park in the lot between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. will have to purchase a daily permit from the office at the Main Beach pavilion before heading to Two Mile Hollow.

    An unlimited number of daily permits for Two Mile Hollow and Main Beaches will be available Monday through Friday. On weekends and holidays, 40 permits for each beach will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Permits cost $25 for one day; there are no weekly or longer-term passes. Nonresident seasonal permits are sold out.

    The office at Main Beach will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends beginning Saturday, and then daily as of June 21. The beaches are protected by lifeguards on weekends only through June 21.

    Good news was the order of the day at the 91st annual meeting of the East Hampton Historical Society, held recently at Clinton Academy.

     Arthur Graham, president of the board of trustees, reported that between fund-raising, memberships, and events such as house tours and parties, the society raised $560,000 in 2012 and now has net assets of $2.5 million. The money helps to fund its school programs, collections, exhibitions, and the upkeep of various buildings — in particular last year, the Mulford farmhouse and the Town Marine Museum in Amagansett.

    “We’re a very healthy organization,” said Mr. Graham, thanking the trustees — Chip Rae, John McGuirk, Maureen Bluedorn, Barbara Borsack, Mary Clarke, Frank Newbold, and Bill Fleming — for their commitment.

    Richard Barons, the society’s executive director, agreed. “It’s the best board I have ever worked with in my zillions of years in the nonprofit world,” he said.

    It was a banner year for collections, said Mr. Graham, including “an amazing amount of gifts from the community.” He singled out an early Rhode Island “banner-back” chair circa 1720, found in East Hampton about 40 years ago and still with its original red paint. It will be put on display at the Mulford farmhouse as of today.

    Among other gifts in 2012, reported Ms. Borsack, who heads the collections committee, were a pair of late 18th-century men’s brass and silver shoe buckles donated by the Corwith family, a 1912 South Fork telephone directory, and Maude Sherwood Jewett’s silk evening jacket, circa 1920, donated by Camilla Jewett of Main Street, who will be 102 in August.