A dynamic and critical relationship exists between government at every level and the press. In East Hampton Village just this month, the benefit of their natural pull-and-tug became clear once again.

At a brief work session on a quiet February weekday, members of the East Hampton Village Board made a decision to bring a change to the village proper that would have affected every citizen, taxpayer, and visitor.

As reported in these pages, the story was about a village plan to spend roughly $40,000 on mechanical devices to clock drivers parking in the Reutershan parking lot. For the board's part it was a seemingly last-ditch effort to control the uncontrollable. Many others, however, think it would have created an even greater vehicular morass.

No advance notice or public hearing was required. The Village Code allowed the board to move ahead with only a nod to its public. It was ready to do so, except for the presence of the press at that brief and quiet meeting.

Imagine, if you will, the honking of horns, the undeleted expletives from the mouths of delayed drivers, the barrier-bashing that might have occurred had these village gates been installed quietly.

With the information in hand at the last minute, the public was able to voice its opinion, which, in this case, turned out to be outrage. We don't think the Village Board intended to be stealthy or realized how ludicrous the proposal would seem. We also take Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. at his word that he is "committed to good and open government." To any aspersion that the press fomented trouble for the village, let us say instead that the press helped the village avoid it.

The national media have been taking heat in recent weeks for their coverage of Presidential peregrinations, raising the question of when the watchdog becomes a bulldog. In this case, it was a good thing that the watchdog was on duty.

When a public hearing before the East Hampton Town Planning Board draws more than 100 residents, the proposal is obviously controversial - a major subdivision on a scenic piece of land, an expansion of an already obtrusive business, or a superstore.

It came as quite a surprise, therefore, when such a crowd was brought out by a proposal to site a moderately sized nursery school on a five-acre-parcel in a sparsely populated residential area.

Sound controversial? It shouldn't be, considering that all but two of the 15 public and private schools in East Hampton are in residential zones.

In the case of Deena Zenger's plan to relocate the Country School to Route 114, however, an organized group of nearby residents lined up to speak at the recent public hearing, citing everything from traffic dangers to nesting hawks in an attempt to convince the board to deny the school a special permit. Some argued that a commercial-industrial park was the appropriate place for a school. And, while all said they were not opposed to day care or to children, they were vehement in opposition to the proposed site.

Traditionally, here and elsewhere, schools have been correctly sited in residential neighborhoods. An industrial park is hardly the place where a community's youngest children should get their introduction to education. The opposition to Ms. Zenger's school seems to be one part reasonable concern and two parts of NIMBYism.

While the neighbors raised a number of practical concerns, such as the dangers of having a school along a 55-mile-per hour road, the brunt of their objections centered on potential noise, lights, and property values. They also took strong objection to Ms. Zenger's intention to run a summer camp there, which she says is integral to the private school's financial success.

The Town Code recognizes a school as a proper use of land in residential districts, provided that a list of special-permit conditions can be met. The Country School, which plans to take children from 18 months through 5 years old and would take them up to 8 during the summer, fulfills part of a very serious vacuum here.

It wasn't easy for Ms. Zenger to find a parcel large enough that the school could afford, and she has shown her willingness to be constrained by reasonable limits on what she can do there. She has spent a year trying to address each one of the Planning Board's standards.

The application deserves to be judged on its merits.

Alarmed by the continuing loss of farmland and open space in Southampton, the Bridgehampton Citizens Advisory Committee asked the Town Board last week to beef up land preservation efforts in its proposed Master Plan update.

The committee urged the town to increase public awareness about the importance of preserving land to maintain the town's appeal as a rural resort. It suggested the town establish fair-market value for farmland, make a priority list of purchases, and take steps to find the necessary funding, including support for a real-estate transfer tax.

The committee took its stand after Ian MacPherson, its chairman, said he was concerned that the updated Master Plan, which has yet to be adopted, would actually steer the town toward greater development by favoring commercial zoning to serve second homeowners and failing to provide clear priorities for land preservation.

Land Transfer Tax

Mr. MacPherson presented his concerns at a hearing on the plan before the Town Board on Feb. 10. The board will continue the hearing when it meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Town Hall.

The committee also voiced its opposition to any zoning changes that would increase commercial development in Bridgehampton and asked the Town Board to let it review any proposed zoning changes.

Before voting, the committee heard Kevin McDonald, vice president of the Group for the South Fork, state the case for a 2-percent real-estate transfer tax, and listened to John Halsey describe the workings of the Peconic Land Trust.

Mr. McDonald estimated that it could cost $375 million to purchase up to 34,000 acres of farmland and open space in the five East End towns over the next 10 years.

Time Of Essence

In Southampton, he targeted 5,592 acres of remaining, unprotected farmland and 3,000 acres of open space at a total cost of $128 million.

He estimated that the transfer tax, which would collect 2 percent from the sale of homes worth over $250,000 and vacant land over worth over $100,000, could raise $80 million on the East End. Other funds would come from the towns, county, state, and Federal Government.

Noting that the real estate market is booming, Mr. McDonald said timing was essential.

"This is urgent," he said. "We won't have the time in three or four years."

Priorities

Last year, Gov. George E. Pataki vetoed a transfer tax that would have been limited to East Hampton Town. Since then, a coalition led by Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. has pushed for a broader law that would cover the entire East End.

"We have what we think is a good bill," said Mr. McDonald. "The Governor's office has essentially signed off."

"It's a question of public priorities," he added. Mr. McDonald pointed out that the state has planned $2 billion in road-improvement projects on Long Island alone.

Mr. Halsey also stressed the importance of public funding to preserve land and suggested "blending those funds with private tools." Among other things, the Land Trust advises property owners on such options as easements and limited development.

The Peconic Land Trust's recent purchase of land on Accabonac and Springs-Fireplace Roads, long owned by the Potter family, will preserve almost 100 acres of woodland in an important water-recharge area.

East Hampton Town Councilman Job Potter and his sisters, Madeleine Potter of Amagansett and Gayle Potter Basso of Heber, Ariz., sold the land, three parcels totaling 94.6 acres, to the trust for a price of $1.6 million on Jan. 15.

The land lies to the north of Abraham's Path and to the west of Accabonac Road, where East Hampton, Amagansett, and Springs converge. To the south and east lie the beginnings of the Bistrian family's Stony Hill golf course.

County Wanted It

The property was included almost a decade ago on a Suffolk County "wish list" of properties to be preserved, said John Halsey, president of the Land Trust.

It is primarily oak forest, with some beech trees, atop the glacial moraine.

The three parcels were purchased by Mr. Potter's parents, Jeffrey Potter and the late Penelope Bradford Potter, in the 1950s. The land could have supported 37 house lots, Mr. Potter said.

His mother donated development rights on one seven-acre parcel to East Hampton Town in the late 1970s. The family filed a subdivision waiver application for the remaining land, but never completed it.

An anonymous donor provided the Peconic Land Trust with the money to acquire the parcels - "part gift and part loan," said Mr. Halsey. The deal took about a year to complete.

"We're very pleased," he said, and "I know the Potters are pleased."

"It's a win-win situation."

Large Holdings

The transaction is treated as a charitable donation by the Internal Revenue Service. The brother and sisters will receive a tax deduction based on the difference between the purchase price and the assessed value of the land on the open market, said Mr. Halsey, who called the price a "bargain."

"We were happy with what we got for it," said Mr. Potter. "We didn't want to see it developed."

The acquisition gives the Land Trust a substantial presence in the area.

Its holdings and conservation easements include the Deborah Ann Light Preserve, 200 acres on both sides of Town Lane in Amagansett, and easements over at least 130 acres, including the Potters' Stony Hill Farm, also off Town Lane.

Link To Paumanok?

There are several trails across the newly acquired land. Two contiguous pieces just south of the former town dump, running through from Accabonac to Springs-Fireplace Road, could provide a trail linkup to the Paumanok Path, which when completed will extend from Rocky Point to Montauk.

Plans for a nearby section of Paumanok Path call for walkers emerging from Cross Highway onto Springs-Fireplace Road to head south on the paved road, skirt the East Hampton Town Recycling Center through a strip of woods, and link up to a trail heading south from town-owned Accabonac Road land.

Walkers Benefit

The trail then turns toward Abraham's Path, and would join a proposed segment through the farmland north of Town Lane.

An alternate option would allowwalkers to enter the Potter land fronting on Springs-Fireplace Road, emerge at Accabonac Road, and continue to Stony Hill Road across the street. Connections could then be made to the Archery Trail and the George Sid Miller Trail, which heads toward Amagansett's Fresh Pond.

The East Hampton Town Board and the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society, which would maintain the trails, are negotiating agreements with the landowners involved.

Old Houses, Old(er) People

William G. Thompson looked comfortable sitting beside the hearth in his 150-year-old Bridgehampton house. He has lived there for more than 30 years, and his enthusiasm for the East End and its history has never flagged.

A real estate man, Mr. Thompson has made some local history of his own, changing the landscape and breaking new ground for people who, like himself, worry about how they will manage in their later years.

Photo by Morgan McGivern

Disparaged in the early 1990s by some in Southampton who opposed his proposal for a long-term "life-care community" in Water Mill, he is well on the way to making the idea a reality on the North Fork.

Peconic Landing

It was Mr. Thompson who spearheaded the development of Peconic Landing, a 250-unit long-term-care facility on a 145-acre waterfront site in Southold. The $110 million proposal, which is making its way through the Planning Board process, to date has elicited more than 250 inquiries, Mr. Thompson said, half of them from East End residents.

A graduate of Columbia University, Mr. Thompson started out selling advertising time for NBC television in 1953, when there was "no daytime programming, and stations went off the air at 11:30 p.m. with a sermonette."

He bought his former farmhouse, called Old Fields, as a weekend place in 1966, but soon decided he "enjoyed it here more than there," and, without a job, gave up city life. He has "never looked back," he said.

Old Houses New; New, Old

He has restored his farmhouse with warmth and authenticity, filling it with antiques and portraits of his ancestors. One great-great grandfather, Hugh Smith Thompson, was Governor of South Carolina in the late 1800s; another relative, William Glasgow Thompson, was assistant secretary of the Treasury Department under President Grover Cleveland.

Semi-retired now, Mr. Thompson started out in business here by buying a circa-1730 house for $12,000, moving it, renovating it with the help of the carpentering skills of Harold King and Ray Yastrzemski, and selling it for a respectable profit.

"We made old houses like new, and new houses like old," he said. He has since developed, among other sites, Southampton Town's first clustered subdivision, Bull Head, off Ocean Road in Bridgehampton.

A Better Way

Mr. Thompson's father died in 1968, and a few years later his mother, still living in Westchester, was "getting vague." He moved her to the Todd Nursing Home in Southampton (now the Southampton Nursing Home), but thought, he said, that "there has to be a better way."

Some of his Bull Head clients, he said, thought the same, asking him periodically, "What are you going to do for me later?"

Following a series of nursing home scandals in the 1970s, "continuing care" communities, where residents move from independent to assisted living and ultimately to skilled nursing care, were prohibited in New York State. Since 1989, however, under strict new state legislation, they have again been allowed.

Head Of The List

Peconic Landing, complete with recreational facilities, meals, and cleaning services, will "give people dignity and an interesting way of life," said Mr. Thompson. His own name, he said, heads the list of prospective buyers.

If the development is approved, it will be Long Island's first with cottages and apartments for independent living ($189,000 to $450,000), assisted-living units, and a skilled nursing facility for a total of 60 people.

Owners, 62 and older, will pay monthly fees averaging $2,500 a couple, less for a single, entitling them to whatever care they need, whenever they need it.

No Place To Sit

About 1,000 such facilities have sprung up around the country, Mr. Thompson said. He called it a means of "self-insurance" against the $80,000 average annual cost of private nursing home care.

He estimated the normal length of residence at 14 years, with an average entry age of 74.

Mr. Thompson hopes for approval by April, groundbreaking by September, and occupancy by 2000.

"This will not be a place to sit in a barracuda lounge chair and never get out," said the developer, now 70. There is an existing golf course next door, buses to nearby shopping and New York City, 30 meals a week in the common dining room, a planned pool and tennis courts, and "a great view of the interesting shore line."

Historic Centerpiece

Besides all that, and appealing to Mr. Thompson's sense of history, is the 1857 Braeknock Hall, the property's historic centerpiece, slated for renovation as a community and cultural center. An Italianate stone mansion, it was built for David Gelston Floyd, a shipowner and grandson of the Revolutionary War general for whom the William Floyd Parkway is named.

Among Peconic Landing's board members are Dr. John J. Ferry Jr., Southampton Hospital's president, Thomas Doolan, chairman of the Peconic Health Corporation (the three East End hospitals), John Halsey, director of the Peconic Land Trust, and Ray Wesnofske, chairman of the Bridgehampton National Bank.

Will enough people move to such a facility?

"I think we will be overwhelmed," said Mr. Thompson.

AMAGANSETT

Meirowitz to Richard and Susan Goodstadt, Gilbert's Path, $630,000.

Hollow Oak Estates to Lauren, Emily, and Susan Fine, Holly Place, $462,000.

Ferrara Sr. to Gay Leonhardt, Shore Drive East, $212,000.

Phillips to Carol Levy and Christopher Lipman, Marine Boulevard, $859,500.

BRIDGEHAMPTON

Turchin to Doreen Atkins, Butter Lane, $320,000.

Weisbach (trustee) to Chris Mead, Montauk Highway, $165,000.

Sculthorpe to Kathryn Jones, Bay Lane, $575,000.

Fairfield Pond Assoc. L.L.C. to Clifford and Chana Chenfeld, Noyac Path, $210,000.

Acquino to 2727 L.L.C., Quimby Lane, $1,700,000.

Whiskey Hill Inc. to Scott Bartlett, Bridge Hill Lane, $175,000.

EAST HAMPTON

Pizzo to Gertrude Connors, Amy's Court, $495,000.

Arbia to Neil and Marie Hausig, Atlantic Street, $265,000.

Homes By Arbia Ltd. to Amir and Inga Ellison, Montauk Highway, $290,000.

Potter to Peconic Land Trust Inc., Accabonac Road, (vacant land) $1,600,000.

Lester estate to Samuel Lester Jr., Pantigo Road, $300,000.

Shore Retreats to Scott Payne, East Hampton Drive East, $160,000.

Cheyanne Corp. to Candy Realty Inc., Main Street (old V.F.W. building), $2,300,000.

Pudding Hill L.L.C. to Walter and Lorraine Waechter, Gould Street, $415,000.

Johnson to Virginia Edwards and Thomas Griffin, Cooper Lane, $355,000.

MONTAUK

Trakas to Saul and Judy Fisher, Jefferson Road, $280,000.

Olshey to William and Carol Taylor, Gilbert Road, $249,500.

CPTM Prop. to Michaels & MaidStone Park Ltd., South Edgemere Street, $755,000.

NORTH HAVEN

Rocky Ltd. to Richard and Susan Perry, Bay View Court, $9,000,000 (6.1 acres).

NORTHWEST

Glickstein to Phelan Wolf, Villa Avenue, $252,500.

D&A Struct. Contrs. to Stanford Sullum, Long Hill Road, $735,000.

MacFarlane to Antonia Kousoulas, Springy Banks Road, $382,500.

Lombardi Inc. to Judd and Susan Levy, Long Hill Road, $550,000.

Leisure Tech Group to Howard Goldberg, Old Northwest Road, $655,000.

Mallia to Evan Kulman and George Figliola, Chatfield's Lane, $275,000.

Grau to Homes By Arbia Ltd., Quarty Court, $165,000.

Heit to Jean and Beatrice Kauss, Three Mile Harbor Drive, $880,000.

SAG HARBOR

Bellini to Codesuco L.L.C., Millstone Road, $290,000.

McGrath Jr. to Mary Johnson, Valley Road, $152,500.

Blair to Elaine Bay, Main Street, $695,000.

Schiavoni to Elizabeth Roussel, Jermain Avenue, $190,000.

Thommen estate to Robert Barnett, Glover Street, $282,000.

SAGAPONACK

Nelkin to Sagaponack Prop. L.L.C., Fairfield Pond Lane, $879,500.

SPRINGS

Cush to Carlos and Miriam Vargas, Lincoln Avenue, $198,000.

Hassard to Lawrence Brescio, Underwood Drive, $185,000.

WATER MILL

Allison (trustee) to Elk I L.L.C., Westminster Road, $425,000.

Perry to Veronica Ho, Water Mill Heights, $200,000.

Winter to Michael Fuchs, Holly Lane, $1,134,000.

Galasso to Howard and Sarah Conway, Tanners Neck Road, $800,000.

McLaughlin to Dimitri Kessaris and Lisa Liberatore, West Trail Road, $349,000.

It was senior day at the Beehive last Thursday, and the Bridgehampton Killer Bees celebrated it to the hilt.

Carl Johnson, who coaches the two-time state Class D champions, started an all-senior lineup comprising Maurice Manning, Suffolk's player-of-the-year last season, Matt White, Nick Letcher, B.J. Walker, and Tat Picott against the designated victim, Southold, who by the end of a 24-2 first quarter was slumped on the ropes.

Extended Lead

Johnson let some underclassmen see action in the second quarter, and that crew, which included Mike and Courtney Turner, Daryl Fishburne, Nick Dombkowski, and Chris Ranum, extended the lead to 25 by halftime.

Having warmed up with a full repertoire of dunks before play resumed, Manning & Company continued to put on a show in the first half of the third quarter with Manning coming out following his second crowd-pleasing dunk of the game.

Undefeated Again

The senior guard-forward, argu ably the best all-around player in Bridgehampton's fabled history, who only played for about half the game, capped his final homecourt appearance with 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals, said the Bees' statistician, Michael Jackson.

The win crowned the Bees' second straight undefeated league season, at 12-0. Twelve players got into the scorebook. Other double-figure scorers besides Manning were Walker, with 10 points, and Charles Furman, with 12. Furman also had 12 rebounds.

Looking Ahead

"These last two games we've looked like a playoff team," said Johnson. To which Jackson added, "The boys are starting to step up now. We had to light a fire under them, but I think they're ready." While it would be nice to go back to Glens Falls for the state Class D final four, "we really have our minds set on the county small schools game," he said. "We want to play Westhampton again."

In Westchester

In, which beat the Bees by five in a nonleague game in December, Bridgehampton, which is expected to breeze by Greenport in the county "D" game on Feb. 28, will have to beat, in all likelihood, Center Moriches in the C-D game at the State University at Stony Brook on March 3.

A win over Greenport, which would be the third time the Bees have defeated the Porters this season, will earn Bridgehampton a return trip to the state tourney. With that in mind, Johnson on Friday saw Alexander Hamilton and Tuckahoe play in Westchester County.

Good Athletes

"Hamilton was down by two at the end of the first quarter, but was up by 19 by the time I left, at the end of the third," said Bridgehampton's coach. "They've got some good athletes. Tuckahoe has only two legitimate players. All five of Hamilton's can play. They remind me of last year's LaSalle team. If we play them, it will be a very interesting game."

LaSalle stayed right with the Bees through most of three quarters in last year's county Class D championship game, the Bees pulling away, as Manning sat on the bench with his fourth foul, in the final minute of the third on their way to a 78-65 victory.

Covering The Bases

Making sure all the bases in the state tourney's downstate rounds were covered, Johnson was to have seen Edwin Gould Academy play Somers on Tuesday. Edwin Gould gave the Killer Bees their toughest game of the season in last year's southeast regional Class D final.

To keep his players sharp over the winter break, Johnson lined up scrimmages this week at Bay Shore (Tuesday), Smithtown (yesterday), and Newfield (today). He was also trying to line up a scrimmage with East Hampton.

Southampton Town has been slapped with two notices of claim charging negligence and seeking damages from neighbors of William Rudin, the Dune Road, Bridgehampton, homeowner who received a town permit to build a massive subsurface dune restoration system to protect his house from erosion.

Jay Goldberg and Mary Cirillo, whose home is two doors west of Mr. Rudin, are seeking $3 million in damages, and Edward Padula, who lives just west of them, is seeking $2.5 million.

Both notices charge that Mr. Rudin's erosion-control project and a steel cofferdam that was erected to protect it "caused or exacerbated" erosion along the shoreline that damaged their homes and the dunes protecting them.

Mr. Padula was forced to move his house out of harm's way twice. His claim states that he lost his deck and beach walkway and suffered extensive damage to his home's electrical and plumbing systems and garage.

Mr. Goldberg and Ms. Cirillo's claim stated that they had lost a deck, walkway, and outdoor shower, and been forced to move from their home at least temporarily.

Mr. Rudin's system collapsed in a storm on Jan. 29. Dune Road suffered additional erosion damage in a storm a week later. That storm also destroyed the home of Denis and Carol Kelleher and damaged several others on Potato Road in Sagaponack.

After another storm hit the East End Tuesday night, the town reported no additional property damage, although there was continued erosion, in both areas.

A faction of the Montaukett Indian tribe, working with a development group, is considering a claim for the former Grumman property in Calverton with an eye toward developing a gambling casino on the 3,000-acre tract.

William D. Talmage, a real estate broker who was involved in the development of the Tanger Mall in Riverhead, said last week that he was the president of the Dreamcatchers, a group formed, he said, to "advise the Montauketts on opportunities that are out there." A casino, he said, is just one option, "but you don't want to limit yourself."

He declined further comment. "It would be more appropriate if comments came from Chief Cooper," he said.

Denial Issued

Mr. Talmage referred to Robert D. Cooper, a former East Hampton Town Councilman, who announced that he was elected chief of the tribe in the fall and would lead its efforts to gain Federal recognition. Mr. Cooper, however, denied any ties to the group.

"There is no group working with us," he said. "We are not dealing with the Dreamcatchers. I don't care what Bill Talmage told you."

That the Dreamcatchers had approached the Montauketts is clear from a letter from Mr. Talmage addressed to Mr. Cooper as chief of the tribe, which was obtained by The Star. The letter is dated Nov. 7, two weeks before Mr. Cooper said he was elected chief.

"Vigorous Effort"

While not mentioning a casino specifically, Mr. Talmage's letter describes the Dreamcatchers as an organization "actively embarked on a most vigorous effort to put all the myriad pieces of this project together, and . . . the viewpoint and welfare of the Montauketts is paramount in this endeavor."

The Star also received a copy of what was described as the minutes of a Nov. 15 meeting of representatives of the Dreamcatchers and Mr. Cooper.

The minutes note that "both money and a reputable casino operator is needed to move this project forward." The minutes also suggest the tribe "should make a statement reclaiming the land" once an environmental impact statement is completed. That study was required after the Federal Government announced that it would turn the site over to the Town of Riverhead in 1994.

Robert Pharaoh of Sag Harbor, who said he is the Montaukett's rightful chief, has contested Mr. Cooper's leadership claim.

Pharaoh Petition

Mr. Pharaoh has launched an effort to apply for Federal recognition for the tribe and has charged that Mr. Cooper's actions could undermine that goal.

"Our interests right now do not concern gaming, and we have made that very clear" to the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, Mr. Pharaoh said. "If you look at the past history, any tribe that has openly advocated gaming has not been recognized."

Ten years ago, the Federal Government allowed recognized tribes to operate casinos on their land. The Foxwoods Casino, operated by the Mashantucket Pequots in Connecticut, has been a major success, earning the tribe millions of dollars a year.

One of Many Tours

Although Mr. Cooper denied involvement with the Dreamcatchers, Andrea Lohneiss, director of the Riverhead Community Development Agency, said she toured the Grumman site with him and members of the group in September.

The tour was one of "hundreds" she has led with potential developers in the past three years, she said.

Although she said the agency had "not received a proposal in any form from either the Dreamcatchers or the Montauketts," she added, "Their suggestion of eight-figure revenues to the town I don't think could be envisioned from too many other uses and the associated development of hotels. Clearly the incentive is the potential for a casino development at Calverton."

Two Attorneys

Since the September tour, Ms. Lohneiss said she had been in touch with two attorneys, Nina Stewart and Ann Nowak, both of whom said they represented Mr. Cooper's faction of the tribe.

The attorneys had indicated that the tribe would seek to present its case before the Riverhead Town Board, she said.

'We are not dealing with the Dreamcatchers. I don't care what Bill Talmage told you.'

Robert Cooper

Ms. Stewart is director of the East Hampton Town Housing Office. Ms. Nowak, who has an office in Water Mill, is a member of the Southampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals. Neither could be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, Bob Goodale, chairman of the Riverhead Development Corporation, which was authorized by the town to oversee development at Calverton, said the Montauketts had informed the Federal Government of their intention to claim the land.

Land Claim

Although the tribe has "made an objection to the transfer [to Riverhead], we expect it to move ahead within the next several months," he said. "At the moment, we do not believe their objections have been substantial enough to delay or impede the transfer."

"The Montauketts have a very difficult problem" in making the claim, he said. "They are not recognized Federally."

But Lieut. Comdr. Martin Pondelick of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command near Philadelphia, which is overseeing the environmental impact statement, said representatives of the tribe had yet to make a formal claim and had only asked that "general statements of their concern about the land" be added to the environmental study.

Mr. Goodale said his conversations with the Dreamcatchers and the Montauketts had been limited to discussions about the possible land claim and general plans for its use. As to the relationship between the groups, he said, "It's my understanding they have not made an agreement with these guys to develop the property for them."

Other Tribal Responses

Ms. Lohneiss said the Dreamcatchers had been actively seeking an Indian tribe to sponsor a casino development for some time. The Montauketts "are the third tribe the Dreamcatchers have approached," she said.

"They're out there trying to find any Indian they can use, and Cooper's the only one who put his head up," said Mr. Pharoah. He said the Dreamcatchers had already been turned down by the Shinnecocks and the Poosepatuck, a tribe centered in Mastic.

The group also called him, he said, "and I told them point blank that Cooper does not in any way represent the Montaukett tribe," he said.

The disclosure of the Grumman land claim has widened the split between Mr. Pharoah and Mr. Cooper.

Montauk Taking

"What Cooper has done is reprehensible," said Mr. Pharoah. "Whatever he's gotten himself into, he'll have to get out of on his own."

For his part, Mr. Cooper said speculation about the casino was taking away from the tribe's efforts to right past wrongs. High on the list, he said, was the taking of the tribe's ancestral land in Montauk.

"Everybody wants to sensationalize something and make it into a big story," he said. "As Native Americans we have a right to do what we want to do as a family. If we think it's a public concern, we'll give it to the public."

A Talisman

Mr. Talmage said the Dreamcatchers include Charles Rogers, a Queens real estate developer who worked with him on the Tanger Mall, Mr. Rogers's wife, Natalie, Douglas Herrlin, an East Hampton architect, and Gigi DePasquale, Joanne Petruzzi, and Leroy (Chip) Douglas of Southampton.

"We all bring different areas of expertise to the table," he said.

Mr. Talmage is also the owner of Talmage Farms, a Riverhead greenhouse operation, and a partner in the Riverhead Trolley Corporation and the Riverhead Ramada Inn.

The group apparently took its name from a circular Native American talisman used to ward off evil spirits.

"Tick Hall" will rise again. In fact, the foundation is in. A painstakingly accurate reconstruction of the easternmost house in the century-old Montauk Association has begun under the supervision of Dick Cavett and his wife, Carrie Nye, who lost their historic shingle-style cottage last March 18.

The house was built in 1884, one of seven cottages designed by Stanford White, sited by Frederick Law Olmsted, creator of Central Park, and built for influential New Yorkers at the urging of Arthur Benson who had purchased all of Montauk in 1879. The association houses are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

A Giant, Deep Porch

Seventy-five firemen fought a losing battle against the fire that fed on the cottage. The Cavetts were at their New York City apartment at the time.

"It was a curiously Southern house, all porch, a giant, deep porch," Carrie Nye said in her native Mississippi drawl on Tuesday. "The interior wood, old Southern pine, tongue and groove, was the glory of the house. And the intricate woodwork on the ceiling. Finding that old Southern pine might be the hardest part."

Many irreplaceable things went up in the flames. Memorabilia from Mr. Cavett's many years as a talk show host, including a scuba tank given him by Jacques Cousteau, plus American Indian artifacts, paintings, and Ms. Nye's family furniture.

The Music Box

"My parents are dead. I had everything sent to Montauk. It seemed to be at home in Montauk," she said of the furniture. There was a much-loved Regina music box that turned to ash.

The shock of the loss lasted for months, until a friend called one day to say that a Regina music box was being auctioned upstate. It was purchased and the decision was made to rebuild, and to rebuild as closely as possible to the original McKim, Mead, and White design, right down to the doorknobs.

Only an anchor that had been placed atop the chimney, the chimney itself, and a brass bell that adorned a second-floor cupola remained - "and my beach glass collection," Ms. Nye added.

Plans Are Finished

The original plans were not found, but the architectural firm of Wank, Adams, Slavin Associates of New York City was able to draft new ones from photographs of the exterior and interior of the old house.

The firm's researchers even found the factory in England that made the fireplace tiles for the original house, and would make them for the reconstruction. "It's unbelievable. We have a complete set of plans and it's not a year since the house burned," Ms. Nye said.

Ms. Nye said the elevation of the bottom windows was known but not the top. A photo was found of one of her shih tzu dogs standing in one of the upper windows, its hind legs on the sill, front paws on a crosspiece. The window was thus measured and a new system of measurement invented, Ms. Nye said, laughing.

The Big White House

A photo feature story that had run in House and Garden magazine and interviews with those having an intimate knowledge of the old house helped.

She said she had but one gripe with those doing the research. "They wanted to keep it not painted. I told them it was white when we bought it." She said there was another reason to paint the house white again, recalling the time a man in oil skins came to the door to announce his lobster boat had run aground in the cove in front of the house.

He had found the big white house in the fog, and later presented the Cavetts with a bag of lobsters in gratitude for the brandy and the use of their phone.

Ms. Nye said the framing should begin in about three weeks, after the insurance company made its final settlement offer. Men At Work, a local contractor, will be doing the reconstruction.

The house was originally built for the merchant Alexander E. Orr, a member of the Produce Exchange and New York City's Rapid Transit c Board. It was dubbed "Tick Hall" in 1924 by Harrison Tweed and friends who called themselves "Ticks," "Tickesses" and "Tickettes." They had purchased the house for $15,000. Its value was estimated at $3 million at the time of the fire.

It was Mr. Tweed's yacht captain Joe Emmers who placed the anchor on the chimney.

Mr. Cavett and Ms. Nye also own the de Forest cottage next door, named for the original owners, the attorneys Robert Weeks de Forest and his brother Henry.

Ms. Nye said that Montaukers had been supportive and encouraging. "The local interest is fantastic," she said. It was Montauk's loss and it will be Montauk's gain rebuilt."