A request by the Three P. Corporation to add approximately 400 square feet to a 1,400-square-foot contemporary saltbox located on a .1 acre on Collins Avenue was denied by the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals on Friday.

    “It’s just too big,” said John L. McGuirk III, who sits on the board.

    “You’re looking for a variance of almost 30-percent gross floor area,” Andrew Goldstein, the chairman of the zoning board, said. “That’s a substantial variance.”

    Regine Starr, the owner of the property, said that she found the house, that she purchased five years ago for her mother, to be “architecturally distasteful.”

    Her mother has moved to Florida, and Ms. Starr told the board she wishes to take tenancy. “Fourteen hundred square feet is too small,” she said. “I would not be able to live in it.”

    “We have to balance the benefit to you and the detriment to the community,” Mr. Goldstein said. “It positively looms over the street. That’s a detriment.”

    In other applications, the Ladies Village Improvement Society’s special permit for interior improvements to the garage was approved, with a parking plan added as a condition. An addition at 3 Lily Pond Lane, where the certificate of occupancy had been revoked, was okayed by the board as having been constructed in good faith.

    The next meeting of the zoning board of appeals is on Friday, Feb. 24, at the Emergency Services Building on Cedar Street.

    On Jan. 31, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared the Atlantic sturgeon an endangered species. Both industry leaders and fishery regulators oppose the listing, saying it will have a severe impact on a number of fisheries, the near-shore gillnet fisheries for striped bass, bluefish, and monkfish in particular.

    The designation applies to four distinct populations of the prehistoric creature, the source of meat and caviar before a complete fishing ban was imposed a decade ago, including the New York Bight, Chesapeake Bay, the Carolinas, and the Atlantic off the U.S. southern coast.. Fish living in the Gulf of Maine have been given a more optimistic “threatened” designation.

    The life cycle of the Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus, leaves it vulnerable to boats, pollution, dredging (a project in the Delaware River has been put on hold due to its potential impact on the fish), and fishing gear, gillnets in particular. That is because the species, which can grow 15 feet long and weigh as much as 800 pounds (although most caught these days are smaller) is anadromous, swimming into the brackish water of estuaries to spawn and returning to the ocean to feed — close to the coast. According to the nation’s Endangered Species Act, any interference with an endangered animal — even, in the case of fish, a catch-and-release  — constitutes a “taking” of it.

    Arnold Leo, secretary of the East Hampton Town Baymen’s Association and the town’s former fisheries consultant, attended a meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission earlier this month. He said the sturgeon listing, announced by Lisa Manning of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s office of protected resources, “was met with hostility” by representatives of the coastal states.

    Mr. Leo and others said fragmented and incomplete data was used in making the designation. “What’s got people concerned is that the designation could eliminate gillnet fisheries for monkfish, cod, and other species, from 25 fathoms offshore into shore,” he said.

    In a memo to the office of protected resources sent on behalf of the Baymen’s Association, Mr. Leo wrote that the data used to make the “endangered” decision seemed to mix sturgeon populations that have been proven genetically distinct. He also questioned the reliability of “bycatch” data; that is, information generated by reports of sturgeon caught while targeting other species. “The impact on coastal commercial fishing from such an unwarranted listing is unacceptably high,” Mr. Leo wrote.

    Bonnie Brady, director of the Montauk-based Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, also criticized the listing, saying it was based on 25-year-old data. She said New York and New Jersey had much more recent surveys that showed sturgeon populations actually growing. Sturgeon were an important source of meat in Colonial times, and in the not-too-distant past East Hampton baymen netted them and harvested caviar.

    A meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s ad hoc Atlantic Sturgeon Committee will be held on Tuesday in Baltimore, to discuss ways to minimize incidental catches of sturgeon, given the endangered species listing. Lori Nolan of Montauk, a New York delegate to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, will chair the meeting, which will be attended by officials of the various states’ bureaus of marine resources.

    Ms. Nolan said there seemed to be agreement that the endangered designation was not based on adequate science. “We’re waiting to hear how it’s going to be classified, jeopardy or non-jeopardy,” she said, explaining that the former classification raised the possibility of closing down a fishery in the case of a sturgeon encounter with fishing gear. “We want all fisheries to show up in the non-jeopardy” types of encounters deemed less harmful, Ms. Nolan said.  

    Although trawl (dragger) fisheries that target species including summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass, as well as groundfish such as cod, pollock, and yellowtail flounder, and even the separate squid fishery, are mentioned in the listing as a possible hindrance to sturgeon, dragger-and-sturgeon  encounters were less of a concern. At most risk by the ruling are the near-shore gillnet fisheries for bluefish, monk, and striped bass, said Ms. Nolan.

    Sybil Christopher, a founding member of the Bay Street Theatre and its co-artistic director, is stepping down after 20 years.

    Approaching her 83rd birthday next month, Ms. Christopher remains a strong supporter of the Sag Harbor institution, and is staying on as a consultant. But, she said on Tuesday, “I had to decide how I was going to leave — was I going to be carried out feet first?”

    “I love the theater,” Ms. Christopher said. “But every summer I was starting to feel like I was missing out on family fun.” Her grandchildren Morgan and Charlotte, children of her actress-daughter Kate Burton, and Scarlett, the child of her daughter Amy Christopher, are first on her mind now. Ms. Burton has made overtones about a trip to Russia in the fall, and Amy Christopher may want to travel to London with her mother in the near future.

    “I certainly won’t be idle, unless I want to be,” Ms. Christopher said with a smile.

    She has the utmost faith in Murphy Davis, the artistic director of Bay Street, and Tracy Mitchell, the executive director, to continue on without her, she said. The summer season is already decided upon, and a move to a new location is in the works for the fall.

    “We’ve had such fun,” Ms. Christopher said on Tuesday, “but it’s time to slow down a bit and enjoy myself. I’d like to be able to spend a day curled up in my house with a good book and a cup of tea, if I feel like it.”

    “Sybil has been a treasured colleague who has been generous with her knowledge, insight, and love of the theatre,” Murphy Davis said. “We’re thrilled she will remain with us as a consultant.”

    The ongoing saga of the 16-foot “Legs” sculpture on the Lehr-Vered property in Sag Harbor has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New Yfork Times, newspapers in Australia and New Zealand, and on “News 12 Long Island” and the CBS affiliate in New York.

    Now the village’s zoning board of appeals will hold a hearing on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. to determine whether the structure can remain where it stands, at the corner of Madison and Henry Streets.

    In a petition, Janet Lehr describes her home, a former church, where the sculpture stands as being part of a “splendid historic district of uniquely original structures.” As an art gallery owner, she said, she feels that “the presence of the arts are meaningful everywhere, few places more than in Sag Harbor . . . a region that has attracted artists and writers for several centuries.”

    Ms. Lehr and her partner, Vered, said the Larry Rivers sculpture is the work of a significant artist who has pieces in major museums worldwide. In their opinion, this makes it worthy of a “special exception” that may be permitted and has been requested by the couple’s attorney, Andy Hammer, after a prior hearing’s decision had “denied without prejudice” such an exception.

    “Free speech is allowed, but not regulated,” Mr. Hammer said by phone Monday. He hasn’t found many cases that compare, he said.

    Having formerly served as a lawyer for the East Hampton Town Zoning Board, he understands the regulation of structures for safety, health, and welfare of the community, he said, but not based on one’s opinion of what art is.

    “I hope all the people who’ve been supportive privately speak up publicly now in support of the arts,” Ms. Lehr said in an e-mail. She anticipates being supported at the hearing and through a petition that she said is available for signing online and at the Vered Gallery in East Hampton    

    What will take place on the downtown green in Montauk on Memorial Day weekend is now up for determination by the East Hampton Town Board. Two groups, the Montauk Artists Association and the Montauk Memorial Committee, have filed applications for gathering permits to use the site for a full weekend of activities.

    For many years, the Montauk Artists Association has held a show on the green in August that is highly rated in art periodicals. But about four years ago, Bill Kinney, a noted photographer who produces shows across Long Island, suggested that a show be held on Memorial Day weekend. He received support from the Montauk Chamber of Commerce, whose members thought it would be a good weekend activity for guests, and the fair was held on the west side of Lions Field.

    The following year, however, the show was moved to the downtown green under the auspices of the chamber, which faced some backlash from business owners in the hamlet who claimed it was taking away from their businesses and monopolizing parking spaces downtown.

    Shortly after, the art fair was turned over to the Montauk Artists Association, whose members exhibit their work at the Depot Gallery at the Montauk railroad station. But residents were vocal at civic meetings, saying they didn’t like that nonresidents were selling jewelry, art, framed photography, and other items that might compete with their own work. They asserted that the green should not be used as a site for a moneymaking enterprise. What’s more, they pointed out that traffic on Memorial Day weekend was already congested and said the fair downtown made it even worse.

    Two years ago, Ken Walles, a motel owner, formed the Montauk Memorial Committee. The veterans staged a two-day event on Sunday and Monday, with a parade, speeches, and a flag-raising ceremony. The Boy Scouts conducted a proper flag-burning ceremony for torn and tattered flags. The first year they burned more than 150 flags while smoke filled the air under the watchful eyes of Montauk Fire Department volunteers, who had a fire truck parked nearby.

    Last year, Mr. Walles wanted to extend the Memorial Day festivities for the full weekend, Saturday through Monday, but was told the artists had already been granted the permit from Friday to Sunday. He said this week that he compromised, with a caveat that this year the veterans could stage more activities on the green by the war memorial, near the American flag.

    Mr. Walles applied for a three-day event in November but was told the town board could not vote until the new board members were sworn in in January. The veterans’ plan is for activities to start on Saturday with a re-enactment group performing, a Civil War encampment, war vehicles, and a board depicting scenes from each war and showing the dates and numbers of soldiers who were killed in action. There may be 1940s-style music, he said.

    On Sunday, the display would continue, and Mr. Walles would host a breakfast for veterans on the grounds of his motel, the Oceanside Beach Resort, at the entrance to the hamlet. At the appointed time, parade participants would line up to march on Main Street to the eastern end of town near Montauk Fuels, then turn north toward the Montauk Post Office and proceed to the green. There are to be speeches, political guests, a patriot guard, possibly a bluegrass band, and picnicking.

    At sunrise on Monday, the flag would be hoisted halfway up the flagpole until later in the morning, when Coast Guard members would raise it the rest of the way while reveille is played. At sunset, the flag would be retired to taps. And then worn flags would be burned, with the ashes disposed of in a respectful manner.

    Although he is not a war veteran, Mr. Walles said, his father was in the Army and had two very close calls that could have killed him. He also watched friends of his go off to war only to return battered and bruised. “This country has taken a beating from all sides of the world. America is under attack and we need to support our vets.”

    Anne Weissman, the organizer of the art fair, said she submitted an application for a gathering permit on Jan. 2, stating that she expects 60 to 70 vendors from around the world to exhibit their work. She said the artists are proud to wave their flags with enthusiasm and last year even bedecked the gazebo with dozens of flags. Her husband is a veteran of the Korean War, she said.

    The art group’s purpose, she said, is to bring art and art education to the residents of Montauk and the many visitors who come out east. The art fair gives an early economic boost to all businesses, she said. It was her understanding, she added, that the veterans group had not yet planned all the weekend events but is “only trying to tie up the Montauk green so no one else can use it.”

    “Will this also apply to the farmers market, the library book fair, and the Oktoberfest?” she asked. “We are sure that the residents of Montauk would prefer to avoid the confrontation.”

    Mr. Walles said the Montauk Historical Society has already agreed to allow the art fair to be held on the grounds of Second House Museum — a statement that surprised Ms. Weissman. “They’d never allow that,” she said when told of it.

    If the fair were moved it would give visitors and residents two events to partake of on Memorial Day weekend, Mr. Walles said. “This is the time to be strategically smart.”

    Paul Monte, the president of the chamber’s board of directors, said he doesn’t know of any other community that observes Memorial Day for three days. “I think it’s disingenuous to plan a three-day event just to move the artists from the green. Of course Memorial Day should be observed, but not by negating the other group,” he said, adding that the compromise that was made last year seemed to work. “I think it didn’t provide any conflict. Veterans certainly need to be recognized in a solemn and respectful manner.”

    Other locations have been suggested for the art fair. Bill Becker of Becker’s Hardware, which is just feet from the downtown green, said fairgoers “end up using all the parking spaces in the lot behind my store and on the street. It certainly doesn’t help my business. I don’t think the green should be used for profitable events at all,” he said.

    Moving the art fair to the baseball field on the east side of Lions Field, where there is plenty of parking, electricity, public restrooms, and good lighting at night, would be ideal, Mr. Becker said. If the weather is nice on fair days, visitors who spend the day at the beach would still be able to ramble through the art show at night, he said.

    Ms. Weissman said experience has shown her that an art fair at night is entertaining but not profitable: “There are no sales at night,” she said.

    Organizers are careful not to allow vehicles to park on the edge of the green, she said, adding, “And the fair on the green is already billed as ‘the fair on the green.’ ”

    The subject came up at the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee meeting on Feb. 6, and after a discussion a vote was taken, with the majority of members voting in favor of the veterans using the green.

    East Hampton Town Police Lt. Christopher Hatch, the Montauk precinct commander, said the fair is known as a traffic nightmare for police. He, too, said the fair would be better off at Lions Field.

    The new configuration for entering and exiting the Montauk I.G.A. parking lot has locals, the East Hampton Town Police Department, and motel owners perplexed. While on the checkout line recently, a group of Montauk women even joked about staging an Occupy I.G.A. Parking Lot in protest.

    South Elder Street faces the grocery store and is owned and maintained by the town, but many shoppers mistake it for the store’s official parking lot. Bill Clark, an owner of the I.G.A., said he is hearing complaints from customers blaming the store for changing the street to a one-way entrance from Montauk Highway and a one-way exit onto South Emerson, a road that is often traversed by beachgoers and is especially crowded at night by youngsters and pedestrians. The parking lot at the back of the I.G.A., south of the building, is owned by the store.

    Diane Hausman, an owner of the Sands Motel on South Emerson Avenue, told members of the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee on Jan. 9 that traffic near the motel had increased tremendously. “It’s a disaster,” she said. “In summer, kids are all over at night, going back and forth from the beaches.” She later added, “Locals and local businesses are being punished because of 7-Eleven.”

    Laraine Creegan, the executive director of the Montauk Chamber of Commerce, said many people had been coming into the chamber office to complain and have asked that the configuration be changed back to the way it was. “They’re putting all that traffic back there on South Emerson and there are no sidewalks. Because there are no sidewalks, people tend to walk in the middle of the street,” she said, going on to point out that the new sign at the entrance to the I.G.A. changing it to one way has a stop sign above it, which is confusing.

    The change was made at the end of last year as part of a town project in the hamlet that added new parking spaces. The plan also included measures to reduce the amount of traffic on Montauk Highway, since a 7-Eleven moved in across the street from the I.G.A. and the number of cars increased. Residents feared that someone might get hurt in the crosswalk, which is close to both stores to the east. Also, the fact that Puff ’n’ Putt, a miniature golf course, is on the same side of the street as 7-Eleven means pedestrians are frequently crossing the highway, sometimes late at night.

    Part of the strategy was to change the exit-and-entrance pattern at the 7-Eleven, making the entrance on the east side and the exit on the west side, with no left turns allowed. Although Pete Ferraro, who owns the building and leases it to the convenience store chain, agreed to that, the tenants are now stalling, according to Police Chief Edward V. Ecker Jr., who appeared before members of the town board on Jan. 17 to ask them to intervene and get the state involved, as the highway is a state road.

    The chief said that as of now drivers exiting the newly one-way South Elder Street are not being ticketed. “We’re not enforcing it yet. We’re waiting to get to the point where people understand it,” he said, adding that there is serious consideration being given to moving the crosswalk farther east. “We’re going to give it a chance and see what happens,” he said.

    Mr. Clark said most people who drive out of the I.G.A. lot live and exit to the east. (There is a no-left-turn sign posted on the highway.) And, he said, the new setup will make for more of a safety hazard for those coming from the beach. “You’d be better with a light out there.”

Daniel Okin of this hamlet has been named to the dean’s list at Emerson College in Boston for the fall 2017 semester. He is majoring in marketing communications. To make Emerson’s dean’s list, a student must carry a grade-point average of 3.7 or higher.

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Rotary Dinner

The East Hampton Rotary Club will host its annual spaghetti and meatball dinner on Sunday from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the American Legion Hall. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children. A vegetarian option will be available.

The dinner supports the Rotary Club’s youth service projects, including its interact book scholarship, dictionary project, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program, Police Athletic League football and basketball teams, and East Hampton Little League.

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Paint Like Pollock

How can a splash of paint become a great work of art? Adults can discover how Jackson Pollock and other modern artists have expressed their emotions with paint on Sunday from 2 to 3:15 p.m. at the Amagansett Library. Participants will create their own Pollock-inspired drip painting.

Looking ahead, Linda Capello will lead figure-drawing classes on Feb. 3, 10, and 17 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the library’s community room. Students will practice rendering clothed models in an open studio setting through gesture sketches and longer observation. The classes will focus on anatomy, proportion, foreshortening, mass, and line quality.

All skill levels will be welcomed. Classes are open to adults, and attendees must take their own materials for all sessions. The fee is $10 per session. Ms. Capello can be called at 631-725-1117 for more information.

New nonfiction titles at the library include “History of a Disappearance: The Story of a Forgotten Polish Town” by Filip Springer, translated from the Polish by Sean Gasper Bye, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” by Michael Wolf, “A Surprised Queenhood in the New Black Sun: The Life and Legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks” by Angela Jackson, “Fresh From the Garden: An Organic Guide to Growing Vegetables, Berries, and Herbs in Cold Climates” by John Whitman, and “My Lai: Vietnam, 1968, and the Descent into Darkness” by Howard Jones.

In fiction, “Sing, Unburied, Sing” by Jesmyn Ward is now available for checkout.

    Need some preliminary screenings but are a little short of scratch after the holidays? The East Hampton Healthcare Foundation, in partnership with the South Fork Community Health Initiative and Southampton Hospital, is sponsoring a free community health fair on Friday, Jan. 6.

    The event, which will take place at the Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church school building at 44 Meadow Way in East Hampton Village, offers information about disease detection. Highlights include testing for glucose, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and sexually transmitted infections, as well as H.I.V. screenings.

    “We’ve been doing it for about 10 years now,” said Sheila Rogers, the executive director of the healthcare foundation. Having a health fair in January makes sense, she said. “A large number of people who attend are landscapers, or restaurant workers, who come in to take care of their health in the off-season,” she said.

    “Southampton Hospital does a great job . . . whole families come in, from grandparents to children.”

    Attendees at the health fair will also have an opportunity to discuss health insurance and get information about HEAP and Project Warmth, which are home-heating assistance programs. Appointments can be made for no-cost mammogram and Pap tests, and applications can be filled out for colorectal screenings.

    The event is free and open to all and will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Healthful refreshments will be served. More information can be had by calling the South Fork Community Health Initiative at 329-2425.

    The East Hampton Healthcare Foundation was formed in 1998 by a group of concerned citizens to address the need for health care services on the East End, especially for the uninsured and the underinsured. The foundation, through donations, built the East Hampton Healthcare Center, which opened in 2002. In 2008, the foundation established the East Hampton Walk-In medical facility, serving patients of all ages with non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries.     B.L.

A beach scene featuring a blue sky, a lifeguard chair, beach umbrellas, and dogs and cats playing together will soon grace a loft area at the recently renovated thrift shop run by the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons in Sagaponack. The mural, a gift from Carol Saxe, a Springs artist, will be installed tomorrow.

    Ms. Saxe, who illustrated and co-wrote “A Dog Lover’s Guide to the Good Life,” has provided art to ARF before, including for the first ARF pet calendar in 2006. “I have a whole line of work, a series, featuring animals at play,” she said this week. The paintings, which feature dogs surfing, sunning, and relaxing in Adirondack chairs on the beach, can be seen on her Web site, saxestudio.com.

    “I did a painting, 18 inches by 48 inches,” she said, referring to the basis for the mural, which is called “Paw Daze of Summer.” A mural company scanned the work to approximately 5 feet by 16 feet and will be at the thrift store on Montauk Highway tomorrow morning at 9 to install it.

    The mural was originally going to be on a wall, “but the light wasn’t good there,” Ms. Saxe said. She noticed a higher area, “starting eight feet off the ground,” that had good light and would have otherwise been an unused white space. It was decided the mural would go there.

    Ms. Saxe said her own two rescue dogs, Aspen and Vail, both terrier mixes with strong personalities, inspire her.

    “It’s going to be lovely,” said Wendy Peterson, the manager of the ARF store. “It will adorn the building and be a terrific focal point.” In more ways than one: “It’s a great reminder of why our store is here,” she said. “People will remember that what they spend here goes to support the Animal Rescue Fund.”

    Although the store is listed on the ARF Web site as closed for the weekend, Ms. Peterson said she anticipates opening on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. “It should be ready for viewing then.”

    Members of the Ladies Village Improvement Society, along with the organization’s attorney, Theodore Sklar, appeared again before the East Hampton Village Zoning Board on Dec. 9 to discuss a parking plan for the L.V.I.S. headquarters off Main Street.

    At an earlier hearing, the L.V.I.S. had discussed turning a garage formerly used for storage into a retail space. As a result, several neighbors raised concerns about parking. One of them, Sue Feleppa, described a situation in which emergency vehicles were unable to get to her house, which shares a driveway with the L.V.I.S., because of illegal parking.

    At the meeting on Dec. 9, Mr. Sklar presented a parking plan to address neighbors’ concerns. The East Hampton Village Police Department had already reviewed it and offered input, he said.

    “We met with very positive response from our neighbors,” said Nancy Andrews, the president of the L.V.I.S.

    “You’re 80 to 90 percent there,” said Andrew Goldstein, the chairman of the zoning board. “But you have to be willing to be unpopular and have someone towed away once or twice to enforce it,” he said. It was agreed that the plan would be redrafted with a change in some language, and the board would make a decision in January.

    Also on Dec. 9, the board heard from a neighbor who is unhappy about the Three P Corporation’s plans for a residential property on Collins Avenue.

    The property has been used as a rental for some time, and to the great consternation of the neighbors, who claimed that the police have been called to the property several times because of noise infractions. The Three P Corporation needs a variance to demolish a front porch, rear deck, and storage shed, and to build a two-story addition and several decks. The house, which has a gross floor area of 1,451 square feet, would increase to 1,874 square feet, when a maximum for the lot size is 1,443 square feet.

    “It already has a stop-work order on it for illegally expanding the foundation,” said Tom Steele, a neighbor, who was also concerned by a proposal to move the entrance from the front to the side, “less than 10 feet from our backyard.” He provided pictures to the board of other alleged zoning violations at the property.

    Mr. Goldstein seemed to agree. “It’s pretty graphic testimony for a neighbor that this would be a detriment to the neighborhood.”

    “It’s a burden on a property that’s already burdened by being next to the railroad tracks,” he said. “I see this as a problematic application.”

    The hearing was adjourned until a later date.