In the same breath, Cablevision of the East End has announced the addition of several new channels and a rate hike for its basic Family Cable package.

Family Cable subscribers in East Hampton will see another $1.45 on their bills starting next month, bringing the cost of that tier to $22.79 per month. The rate change, which affects all of Suffolk, goes into effect March 1.

The new rate, said the Woodbury-based company in a press release last week, "covers inflation and increases in programming and operating costs." It explained that large cable networks are charging more for their channels to be carried. The rate hike is in line with the Federal Communications Commission's regulatory formulas.

The newest additions to the Family Cable lineup are the 24-hour FoxNews channel (Channel 47) and Q2, a new home-shopping network on Channel 56. In the past eight months, Cablevision has also added the MSNBC network (44), America's Health Network (55), the History Channel (59), and ESPN2 (63).

Cablevision also announced that it is again offering a $2,000 college scholarship to a graduating East End high school student. The company offers the scholarship each year to a student planning to major in business, communications, or engineering.

To be eligible, students must show financial need and involvement in extracurricular activities and/or community activities. Interested students can pick up an application at their high school guidance office or one of Cablevision's walk-in offices. The deadline for entries is April 18. The winner will be announced in May.

Since hiring a private contractor last month to provide custodial services, Southampton College has been enmeshed in a labor dispute that has included allegations of racial bias and the filing of a complaint against it with the National Labor Relations Board.

Laro Maintenance Service of Bay Shore took over maintenance of the college's facilities on Jan. 17. All of the college's 17 custodial workers, who are unionized, were shifted to Laro's employ. The workers were informed that they were no longer employed by Long Island University four days before the change became effective.

College officials said the change was necessary to improve the quality of maintenance and noted that there had been no staff layoffs.

Betrayal Or Solution?

The union representing the custodial staff, United Industrial Workers Local 424, has been negotiating with the college and the new employer to insure job security and benefits for the transferred workers. Critics of the move allege, however, that it was a betrayal of loyalty to longtime employees.

"There are no guarantees to layoffs, but the firm agreed to pick up 100 percent of the existing work force," said Tim Bishop, college provost.

Mr. Bishop said the college had not been able to get the level of cleanliness in the buildings that was appropriate. "Hopefully, with a seasoned management team with better equipment, they will do a better job," he said.

"Custodial care has been experiencing ongoing problems and we're trying to address the problem," he added. He stressed that the decision had not been a "cost-saving" measure.

Accord Reached

Kevin Boyle, the general executive vice president of the union, said it had filed a complaint with the N.L.R.B. alleging that the college had failed to appropriately notify the employees of the change and to bargain with the union over the decision and its impact.

However, Mr. Boyle said the union would withdraw the complaint if the college and Laro Maintenance abided by agreements reached in discussions last week. He said the union received assurances from both parties that the workers would not lose any wages, benefits, or pensions and there would be no layoffs.

While satisfied with the assurances and noting that the provost had been "very supportive" of the custodial staff in the discussions, he criticized the "very inappropriate way" the college had dealt with longtime employees, only telling them about the change at the last minute.

Called "Bogus"

Christopher T. Cory, a spokesman for Long Island University, of which the college is a part, termed the N.L.R.B. complaint "bogus."

He said the collective bargaining agreement with the union stipulated that the college had the right to contract out custodial work, provided the new employer assumed the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. (Mr. Cory, the university director of public relations, is married to The Star's editor, Helen S. Rattray.)

The allegations of racial bias were expressed by Melissa Arch Walton, a student at the college and recent candidate for the State Assembly, who, with Corey Dolgon, a professor at Friends World College, has organized the Coalition for Justice in response to what some students, faculty, and employees see as a racially motivated decision.

Bias Denied

Ms. Walton claimed the transfer of the custodial workers had been made in response to union complaints alleging discriminatory treatment and mismanagement over the past several months. She said that the workers are African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and women.

The provost emphatically denied that the change was racially motivated. Contracting with private firms "is extremely common at higher educational institutions," Mr. Bishop said. "Hundreds and hundreds of colleges are doing this around the country." The campus book store is operated by Barnes and Noble, it was pointed out, and food service on campus also is managed privately.

Mr. Cory also refuted Ms. Walton's claim, saying, "The college's action had nothing to do with anything other than that we weren't getting our money's worth."

Federal Case

Mr. Boyle, the union representative, said that while there may not have been formal union grievances, there had been several complaints of racial discrimination brought to the college's attention. He cited one particular case that has been pending for a year or two, which he said was now being adjudicated at the Federal level.

Mr. Cory noted that the pending case, brought by an employee who was suspended after being arrested on felony charges, had been arbitrated in the college's favor before going to court. In the only other discrimination complaint of which he was aware, he said, a Federal court fully exonerated the college.

Some students have supported the custodial staff with petitions and flyers posted throughout the campus. They expressed unease at the thought that new workers they don't know may be given keys to dorm rooms and asserted that it was hypocritical for the college to market itself as a family and a caring place and then "fire" employees who have worked for the college for up to 30 years.

"I have no intention of changing at this time," Mr. Bishop said. "We are going to try this firm, and, if it doesn't work out, we will try something else." P.R./S.M.

Calling all descendants of the Rough Riders, the First Regiment of the United States Cavalry Volunteers, who fought in the 1898 Spanish-American War: The Suffolk County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation is planning a September reunion at Camp Wikoff in Montauk, where the Rough Riders camped after returning from Cuba almost 100 years ago.

The reunion is part of the county's centennial celebration of the war, which was sparked by Spanish policies in Cuba at the time. The Rough Riders were organized largely by Theodore Roosevelt, who was a lieutenant colonel when he and his Rough Riders arrived in Montauk aboard the transport Miami on Aug. 14, 1898.

Camp Wikoff

According to historical accounts, the Rough Riders consisted mostly of ranchers and cowboys from the west, with a few adventurous easterners thrown in. Due to transportation difficulties, the cavalry regiment abandoned their horses in Florida and fought largely on foot in Cuba. Their most publicized and famous of skirmishes was the Battle at San Juan Hill.

At the end of the war, the Rough Riders and other troops pitched their tents at Camp Wikoff, a 5,000-acre area on Great Plain and North Neck, named after a colonel killed during the war. When the Rough Riders arrived here, "First the[y] . . . cheered themselves hoarse for their leader, then the crowd along the shore broke into a thunderous roar for the men from Santiago," according to Jeannette Edwards Rattray's "Montauk: Three Centuries of Romance, Sport and Adventure."

Brought Illness

Many of the 29,500 men who came to Montauk on their return to the United States brought with them yellow fever and typhoid and were quarantined here, but according to Mrs. Rattray's book only 263 died here.

The Rough Riders were eventually disbanded in Montauk, where the name lingers on at the Rough Riders Landing Condominiums on Edgemere Road.

Any descendants - and anyone who knows or has any information about a descendant - have been asked to call the Parks Department or write to it at P.O. Box 144, West Sayville 11796. The department is also interested in borrowing memorabilia and artifacts to display at Third House, which was the headquarters of Camp Wikoff, during its centennial celebration.

The Coalition for Safety in North Haven issued a press release this week listing the names of property owners in the village who have obtained nuisance deer permits, allowing the killing of deer on their property.

The names were obtained, according to the announcement, under the Freedom of Information Act, "in the interest of safety," since North Haven does not require the posting of properties on which hunting is allowed.

The Coalition for Safety was formed two years ago, said Jean Burke, a member, by residents concerned about hunting taking place close to where they live.

Hunting Extended

"This is not an area where shooting should go on - it's not the Adirondacks or the Catskills," Ms. Burke said, adding that she was "plagued with the sight of wounded deer" and concerned about unwary hikers who may enter the unposted hunting areas.

Hunters who wander off the sanctioned hunting grounds are a concern as well, she said.

According to the release, those who hold nuisance deer permits are Gale Alfred, Lorraine Anderson, Frank Brehmer, Gary Feinberg, Peter Schub and Robert Bear, North Haven Acquisitions, and the Village of North Haven.

The village's deer management policies were discussed once again at a Village Board meeting last Friday. Ms. Burke brought an arrow and a hunter's hat to the meeting, which she said she had found on a friend's property - proof, she said, that hunters are straying out of approved areas.

After listening to public comment, the Village Board voted to extend the hunting season until March 31.

Also at the meeting, the board heard a report by Glenn Ficorilli, the village engineer, on the decrepit Coles Creek bridge, and authorized him to apply for the permits needed to do the necessary repair work.

Questions regarding the ownership of the bridge (it may be owned partly by Southampton Town) will be investigated by the village attorney.

Residents of Cove's End Lane, a private road, have expressed interest in its becoming a village road. To that end, Janice Hines, the Village Clerk, was authorized to solicit bids on bringing the road up to village specifications.

English Patois

Sag Harbor

February 8, 1997

Dear Editor,

Ebonics or Ebonix?

This letter is to express appreciation for Henry Clifford's decision to put his oar in the muddy waters of the Ebonics debate (letter to The Star, Feb. 6). His brief letter clarified and purified the waters of a debate into which few of those who eagerly jumped in precipitately have any knowledge at all about the background and origins of so-called Black English or Black (English) dialect in the United States. Mr. Clifford is one of the few.

So-called Black English or Ebonics (better written "Ebonix" - "nix" because its origins have nothing to do with black Americans) is, in origin, a white American thing (appropriately called "Ivonics") that black slaves from Africa copied from their condescending, white, educated slave owners, uneducated white overseers, and white slaves (also known as indentured servants because there was a fixed term to their servitude, but slaves nonetheless).

This was the main source of the "black" dialect, as Clifford rightly points out. In other words, "Ebonix" is the early dialect of English spoken in the American south (just as Canadian French is an early dialect of French) and has survived throughout the evolution of American English to its present "standard" form.

Thus, ironically, African Americans are blamed, ridiculed, and credited with a dialect they did not invent and that - apart from containing words of African languages - has as much connection with the structure of African languages as it has with that of Chinese, for example. African slaves had no knowledge of the English language before they were shipped directly from Africa to the American colonies and did not have the luxury and leisure to construct a uniform dialect of English - a foreign tongue to them - on the pattern of any of their indigenous languages. It would be nice to think that they had the genius to do it, but it is not humanly possible.

Incidentally, the early English dialect spoken in the South was enriched by the African slaves with words borrowed from African languages and developed into a patois that now survives as Gullah in the isolated Carolina Sea Islands and the middle Atlantic coast. The strong similarity of Gullah to the patois spoken in the West African country of Sierra Leone is no mystery. It is due to the simple historical fact that many southern slaves speaking this English patois fought on the side of the British against the colonies in the War for American Independence and, at the end of the war, were settled by the British in Nova Scotia and England, and eventually shipped to, and settled in, Sierra Leone starting in 1787. (So much for the touted "African origins" of Gullah.)

The slaves' pronunciations of words were borrowed from their white interlocutors and include, as Clifford states, the most frequently cited examples like "ax" for "ask" (a literal transposition of "ask" to "aks"), "dat" for "that," etc. (French speakers of English substituted "d" for "th" while the "der" and "die" of German speakers came out as "da" and "de." Following these examples, the slaves accordingly substituted "d" for "th.")

Bad grammar or solecism is not a necessary feature of "Black English," contrary to popular misconception. Many educated standard English speakers today also make grammatical errors in speaking and writing, many of which have been adopted into the language, even while purists may turn up their noses at them - such as "ain't" and "aren't," each of which stands for "am not" as well as "are not."

What may look like bad grammar on the part of black speakers of "Ebonix" often turns out, on closer examination, to be proper, grammatical standard English of the time (King James English) and is usually an elliptical way of speaking.

An example taken from the King James Bible, which was standard English text for slaves who managed to learn English (despite legal interdiction), is the apparent indicative use of "be" as in: "They be blind leaders of the blind." (Matthew 15:14). But on closer examination, this turns out to be an ellipsis for: "They (happen/seem to) be blind leaders of the blind," and thus, is standard English when fully expanded. On this basis, "I/you/he/she/it be" or the plural "We/you/they be" frequently used by African Americans is not necessarily ungrammatical.

The frequent use of elliptical expressions by African Americans originates in the era of slavery when slaves were forbidden to speak their indigenous languages (for fear of revolt) or to learn standard English - or even to speak at all to one another while at work in the fields (conversation time was money for the slave master). Therefore, economy of words was of the essence. When they spoke they had to cut out unnecessary words, using only those necessary to convey their meaning.

Many such examples are found, for instance, in Toni Morrison's "Beloved": "I'm too old and I [have] seen too much, "I [have] got big plans." (The omitted words are in brackets and without which these perfectly grammatical expressions seem ungrammatical.) Or take the common expression": "What/whose child (happens to) be this/dis?"

All this, of course, does not imply that African Americans do not commit grammatical errors of speech. But this is common to uneducated or illiterate whites as well as blacks, then as now. But there is more to "Ebonix" than merely an uneducated white English dialect. In the mouths of African Americans, it has been transformed into a colorful, idiomatic lingo as well: "give the high five" for greeting someone; "all that jazz" for "all that nonsense." This is because in slavery days the language had to be transformed into an "in" (esoteric) language to disguise the slaves' meanings and intentions from their overseers and masters, and from whites, generally.

Thus, the use of Biblical and otherworldly metaphors and expressions to disguise escape plans by the underground railroad: "River Jordan" for the Ohio river, "sweet chariot" for boats and other secret means of conveyance by the underground railroad, "heaven" for up North, etc. The modern equivalent is "hip talk" used by those who are "with it" or "in the know," that has become a significant contribution to American English.

It is not the intention, here, to delve exhaustively into the current confused controversy launched by the misguided decision of the Oakland, Calif., School District to recognize "Ebonix" as a "black language" (thus betraying the ignorance of the School Board, and its academic linguistic supporters, of the origin of "Ebonix") to be learned by teachers as a medium for leading African American children to a knowledge of standard American English.

Suffice it to say, however, that the ignorance of standard English on the part of the black children of the Oakland School District stems, in part, from a misguided and willful, negative attitude fostered by adults and peers toward standard English as "white language," the speaking of which is to be resisted. They mistakenly believe "Ebonix" to be the "black language"; just as some of their elders, in resistance to the Christian religion espoused by the slave masters and their descendants, mistakenly espoused Islam as an "African" religion. This may serve as a healthy catharsis but is, nonetheless, historically erroneous.

Once this misguided attitude is exposed for what it is to both adults and children, and the proper origins of "Ebonix" revealed, the children should easily and readily take to standard American English.

I myself, being from Sierra Leone, speak the Sierra Leone Gullah. It is the lingua franca of the country, and first language for those of its citizens descended from the resettled free slaves, and spoken in the home and outside, but not used in school or university, in government, or in business; for all of which standard English is de rigueur and as well the official language of the country which boasts about 13 different tribal languages.

The Sierra Leone Gullah and standard English are learned separately. No attempt is made to establish equivalence or correspondence in school because, like "Ebonix," it is unwritten and changes rapidly - same as with Swiss German, with only High German being used for education and as the official language. But most important of all, it is procedurally defective to learn the original language through its derivative dialect, instead of the other way round.

One does not, for example, learn standard English by way of cockney. The "Ebonix"-speaking members of the Oakland School Board should reflect on this elementary fact and consult their own educational experience, instead of doing a disservice to the children of their school district. Most educated African Americans speak "Ebonix," as well as standard English, but keep it in its proper place and do not confound the two. There is nothing wrong with "Ebonix." Only those are wrong who are ignorant of its proper origins and seek to make more of it than it really is.

Yours sincerely,

DAVID CARNEY

On Behalf Of Youth

Amagansett

February 17, 1997

Dear Helen:

With regard to the news from the Feb. 13 issue about the unfortunate stabbing of several youths at the conclusion of the concert at the Whalers Church in Sag Harbor, I want to add what often is overlooked in such matters, that the 200 youths who attended the concert otherwise behaved well and undoubtedly had a very good time together.

In our propensity to focus on the dramatic we usually miss what is more commonplace, and in this instance, it is the ongoing successful youth ministry of the Sag Harbor Presbyterian Church. I know from years of experience that when any church has a successful youth program it is an occasion to rejoice, and especially is so when a church can attract so many youths who are not otherwise in any religious institution.

Adults can sometimes cluck-cluck when things go amiss, or when they do not conform to an adult perception of what youth ministry should be. It is another thing to support the work of those men and women who throughout the year provide a welcome place where young people can hang out and enjoy programs that are of interest to them.

This letter is not meant to dismiss violence, as among the few who were so involved, nor I hope will it be seen that I am simply supporting a colleague here (though I am happy to do so). I am writing really on behalf of youths who find religious association sometimes strange and who will flock to adults who they believe understand them and who provide a place for youths to be themselves.

Sincerely,

ROBERT STUART

Pastor

Amagansett Presbyterian Church

Watch What They Do

Albany

February 17, 1997

Dear Helen:

The headline and text of your Feb. 13 story on the Sag Harbor Golf Club were both quite inaccurate. No doubt you relied on the less-than-accurate representations of some state bureaucrats. While it is true that the state has expressed no present intention to expand the course from nine holes to 18 holes, other changes that I certainly would term as "expansions" are being encouraged by the state.

The fact that the state is calling for a minimum of $500,000 and a maximum of $1.2 million in so-called "improvements" makes it clear some substantial development is being considered. Among the things that are being actively considered, in addition to the irrigation of the fairways, which would result in increased use of fertilizers and pesticides, is the construction of a driving range, a new clubhouse, a full service restaurant and bar which would be allowed to operate at night, and other accessory buildings for storage of things such as electric golf carts.

Make no mistake about it, at least a portion of the woods at Barcelona will be cleared for these "expansions."

The problem, of course, is that the state is being quite secretive in the types of improvements it is considering. The reason: There is no management plan or environmental assessment for the 350-acre Barcelona property. This entire request-for-proposals process is being structured so that these expansions can take place without proper planning and State Environmental Quality Review Act compliance.

Just as important is the fact that the Department of Environmental Conservation misled the public and me by stating six weeks ago that the fee structure at Sag Harbor would not be altered. At the meeting a week ago Friday, we found out that the fee for 18 holes would more than double. This will effectively deny access to golf for many seniors, youth, and working class people. Right now the state's credibility is not very high.

In short, when it comes to the state and the Sag Harbor golf course, watch what they do rather than what they say. So far, any similarity between the state's representations and the truth have been purely coincidental.

Sincerely yours,

FRED W. THIELE JR.

Member of Assembly

Open A Superstore?

East Hampton

February 15, 1997

To The Editor:

I went shopping at the East Hampton A&P today and found the store seriously understocked. There were many empty shelves, it was dirty, the produce was limp, and just about all the melons were going to seed.

I took the few items I did buy and proceeded to the checkout only to find only two aisles open. I asked the clerk what was going on. He informed me the store let most of the store employees off because it's the end of the fiscal year and it wanted to show a better bottom line.

This is disgraceful! These are the people who want to open a superstore?

JIM DAVIDSON

Please address correspondence to [email protected]

A lawyer for Trinity Transportation, the Central Islip firm that has had the contract from East Hampton Town for the last two years to remove trash that cannot be recycled or composted, has accused two bigger competitors of bidding "irregularities" in trying to win the 1997 contract, worth more than $1 million a year.

Trinity is a regional company fighting for position on Long Island among a growing number of national and multinational megacarters. It earned nearly $1.2 million from East Hampton in 1996. Its contract expired on Jan. 31, but was extended last week by the Town Board through Feb. 28.

Two Other Firms

In a Feb. 10 letter to Town Supervisor Cathy Lester, Anthony E. Core of Westbury, the lawyer, accused Residential Services, a Great Neck firm, and Waste Management of New York, based in Brooklyn, of what he called "substantial" bidding "irregularities," and suggested they be disqualified. Trinity then would be next in line for the contract.

Trinity has been charging the town $54 a ton for its remaining trash, taking it to a private recycler or an incinerator, depending on market conditions. It inherited the contract from a sister firm, Jet Sanitation, which charged $65 a ton.

Supervisor Lester was at the annual Association of Towns convention in Manhattan this week and unavailable for comment. Robert Savage, the town attorney, said yesterday he had referred Mr. Core's letter to an outside lawyer, Frank Isler of the Riverhead firm of Smith, Finkelstein, Lundberg, Isler & Yakaboski.

The Bids

In proposals opened two weeks ago, Residential Services made the lowest bid, $49.90, and Waste Management came in at $55.94. Trinity bid $56.43. State law requires the town to award the contract to the lowest reputable bidder who meets all the specifications. Five bids were submitted in all.

Among the specifications is one that requires the carter to bring organic waste into the town composting plant as "fuel"; another is that it take away recycled newspaper for a nominal fee. Town officials have begun sampling the bidders' organic waste, to be sure it would meet safety standards.

Mr. Core's letter stated that his client's competitors were owned by the same firm, Waste Management, an Illinois-based division of WMX Technologies, which is a multinational conglomerate. He alleged that this was a violation of the noncollusion clause in the town's bid specifications, required by state law.

Islip Venture

He added, however, that his intention was not to accuse the firms of wrongdoing but to remind the town it had the responsibility to avoid "the appearance of impropriety."

Will Flower, a vice president of Waste Management of New York, confirmed his company was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Waste Management. Robert Donno, the head of Residential Services, said his was owned entirely by Eastern Environmental Services, one of the largest garbage handlers on the East Coast.

Common Trend

They told The Star in separate interviews their only connection was a joint venture between Waste Management of New York and a sister firm of Residential Services, called Residential Services of Suffolk. It holds a contract to collect garbage from about 20,000 houses in theTown of Islip.

The connection was spelled out in their respective bid proposals, as required. They also explained the joint venture was a contractual obligation left over from a company acquired last year by Waste Management, and said other connections between them had been ended some time ago.

Waste Management and Eastern Environmental are major players in the consolidation movement that has swept across the solid waste industry in this country, and each is known for gobbling up small and medium-sized companies.

"It's happening all over. The corner drug store is competing with C.V.S. and Revco. . . . It's good for competition and it's bringing prices down," said Mr. Donno.

Last Frontier

Mr. Flower said his company, which recently won the contract to run Brookhaven Town's recycling plant, was eyeballing East Hampton as part of a plan to saturate the region by offering competitive prices, acquiring quality companies, and by helping municipalities find markets for their recyclables - a field East Hampton has found particularly rocky, he noted.

"Long Island is one of the last markets of the United States where we have not been, and where we are growing," he said, agreeing that the East End was the Island's last frontier.

The owners of local carting companies were bitter when companies like Trinity started showing up here, saying that smaller local firms were better equipped to offer quality service. Mr. Core sounded a similar complaint this week.

"The town must pick a vendor with experience in East Hampton. . . . A bigger company wouldn't have the town's true interests at heart. And, let's say it's a very demanding community," he said.

Noncollusion Clause

The noncollusion clause signed by Mr. Donno of Residential and Charles Gusmano, Waste Management of New York's director of business development, states each bid proposal was "independently arrived at without collusion with any other bidder or with any competitor or potential competitor."

Trinity's lawyer called Residential and Waste "competitors as both have submitted proposals," but alleged they "have common ownership interests."

He further charged that Residential's $49.90 a ton bid was below cost, calling it "a red herring" in a subsequent telephone interview.

"If they find in favor of either Waste or Residential, Trinity will abide by their decision. All we did was bring out the facts," he said.

Vehement Denials

Both Mr. Flower, the Waste Management vice president, and Mr. Donno of Residential vehemently denied discussing their bid proposals at any time.

"I don't have lunch, dinner, or sleep with Mr. Donno," said Mr. Flower. "This is an example of an attorney grasping at straws to get his client's very high bid selected. Guess what? It's not going to work."

He added his firm was "growing very rapidly in New York City and Long Island. They are shaking in their boots and saying whatever they have to to cast aspersions."

Mr. Donno offered a similar assessment, and said he would stand by his firm's bid of $49.90 a ton. Eastern Environmental owns landfills in Pennsylvania, giving it a financial edge over carting firms that would have to pay a tipping fee to some other company's landfill or incinerator.

"We would do well with this contract," he said.

Federal Probe

Meanwhile, Mr. Flower cast some aspersions of his own. "Trinity, with its association to Jamaica Ash, should be the last company to raise questions of collusion," he said in a telephone conversation.

Trinity, founded four years ago, is the long hauler on contracts where Jamaica Ash and Rubbish Removal is the collector. Jamaica Ash, along with its principal, Emedio Fazzini, were among the many defendants in a 1989 Federal racketeering case.

Trinity also shares ownership of a Central Islip transfer station with Jet Sanitation and is part owner of the Omni recycling center in Babylon.

The racketeering case involved members of the Lucchese and Gambino crime families, the region's three major trade organizations, the Teamsters, and several carting companies and their owners. Earlier criminal charges against Mr. Fazzini had been dropped, and he became the first carter to volunteer for a Federal monitoring program that continues to keep watch over the carting industry on Long Island, said Mr. Core.

Trinity was not part of the probe and is not being monitored, and Jamaica Ash has never been involved in bid rigging, he added.

Adam Deutsch, an investigator with the monitoring program, said none of the bidders for East Hampton's contract was being monitored. In addition to Trinity, Waste Management, and Residential Services, the other bidders were R.P.S. Environmental, based in Brooklyn, and American Ref-Fuel of Uniondale.

Legislation that would allow a binding referendum on the creation of Peconic County from the five End End towns was filed last week in the State Assembly by Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. of Noyac. Mr. Thiele said the bill was a "comprehensive" measure on the establishment of new counties drafted "not only by myself but by numerous municipal attorneys and bond counsels."

Also last week, Peconic County Now Inc., the entity created to lead the fight for Peconic County, reached out to State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, asking for a meeting to "personally discuss this issue and hopefully set in motion the legislative procedure that will result in a state-sanctioned binding vote on Peconic County."

Open Mind?

Last year, Mr. Silver blocked legislation providing for a binding referendum on Peconic County from being voted upon by the State Assembly, even though the bill was overwhelmingly passed in the State Senate. The Manhattan Democrat reportedly was concerned about setting a precedent for the secession of Staten Island from New York City, which he opposes.

However, Mr. Thiele is hopeful that Mr. Silver now has a more "open mind" on Peconic in the wake of two recent developments. First, the Staten Island effort has been stymied by a recent court ruling that a "home rule" message from the City Council approving its secession was necessary. Second, a permissive referendum on Peconic County in November showed that East Enders overwhelmingly endorsed it, 71 to 29 percent.

Uniform Procedure

The new Peconic County legislation seeks to get around the home rule issue by creating a new, uniform procedure for the creation of new counties in the state. There is now no such procedure, said Mr. Thiele. Counties have been created in an ad hoc fashion heretofore.

Further, to allay any concerns that the new law might encourage an explosion of new counties, it sets several threshold requirements, including minimum population and size, a petition and referendum process, and a state-authorized or funded economic feasibility study.

New York State joined with the East End towns in funding such a feasibility study for Peconic County, completed in 1995 by Public Financial Management Inc. of Philadelphia. It found that secession would be economically advantageous to East End residents -resulting in an average saving of $250 per taxpayer.

A memorandum accompanying the legislation notes that "there exists a great deal of uncertainty regarding legal issues relating to the creation of new counties. This legislation would eliminate this uncertainty." The proposed law closely mirrors existing state law relating to the creation of new villages and towns.

Requirements

The bill sets the following requirements for new counties:

A minimum population of 75,000;

A minimum area of 250 square miles;

A feasibility study either authorized or at least partly paid for by the State of New York "to insure that petitioners and subsequently voters in a proposed county will have the information necessary to make an informed decision."

A petition and referendum process whereby 1) a petition with the signatures of at least l0 percent of the number of people voting in the last gubernatorial election in the area seeking to become a county would be submitted and 2) a binding referendum would be held at the next general election.

The proposed Peconic County, of course, already meets the first three criteria.

The bill includes a "sunset provision" under which the law would expire at the end of the year 2005 to "allow these uniform procedures to be reevaluated."

The legislation provides for the division of assets and liabilities between the existing county and the area seeking to break away from it, following a formula that New York State uses for "municipal annexation." Unless it was "agreed otherwise, all property would become the property of the county in which it is located."

Meeting Sought

The letter from the Peconic County Now board of directors to Mr. Silver, signed by 17 people, says: "We support a referendum on Peconic County because home rule is the best way to protect the unique rural character of life on eastern Long Island from the suburban sprawl that has overtaken the rest of Long Island, and to maintain the area's traditional economic bases of agriculture, fishing, tourism, second homes and small businesses." The board asks to meet with Mr. Silver in Albany to discuss the issue.

The signers of the letter include East Hampton Village Administrator Larry Cantwell, president of Peconic County Now; James Daly, its secretary; Russell Stein, a former East Hampton Town Attorney; Shelter Island Supervisor Huson (Hoot) Sherman; Quogue Mayor Thelma Georgeson; Hal Ross, a political adviser to Southampton Town; former Southold Town Supervisor Thomas Wickham, and Mr. Thiele.

Robert Cooper and Elaine and Todd Jones have taken their call for an independent investigation of the East Hampton Town Police Department to higher authorities.

Armed with the complaints and cases of 22 people who say they have been improperly treated by the police force, Mr. Cooper and company are seeking to focus state, even national scrutiny on the department's practices.

Mr. Cooper and the Jones family have packaged the complaints and sent them out to the State Division of Criminal Justice, the New York State Attorney General, and the U.S. Department of Justice's Eastern District and Civil Rights Division.

January Mailing

"We intend not to allow this to be stalled any longer," stated Mrs. Jones in a letter accompanying the Jan. 27 mailing. "It is the feeling of many people that we go to Washington on a bus to address our concerns, because no one in New York State seems to care."

The mailing consisted of a box of manila file folders, each documenting a separate case and containing newspaper articles, official civilian complaints, and other documents critical of the force.

In a cover letter drafted by Mr. Cooper, the former Town Councilman, himself a retired town police detective, renews his call for an investigation and urges the state not to renew the department's accreditation.

Renews Police Criticism

The East Hampton Town Police Department was the first on Long Island to be accredited, under a 1992 state initiative aimed at "professionalizing" local forces. Because the department successfully met a long list of state guidelines, the town is eligible for a discount on police liability insurance.

The state accreditation expires on March 12 and is up for renewal.

"This town and this government have to wake up to the fact there are people out there that have legitimate complaints that are not being heard," wrote Mr. Cooper. "My call for an independent investigation still stands as if it was made yesterday."

Todd Jones's Case

In 1994, while Mr. Cooper was on the Town Board, he made his concerns about the Police Department public, generating a maelstrom that ended in three lawsuits and raised public suspicions about the police.

The case of Todd Jones helped plant the seed.

Mr. Jones was accused of running an automobile chop-shop after an August 1993 raid on his parents' Amagansett property. Mr. Jones and his mother, Elaine Jones, blasted the police afterward for what they called an improper, illegal search.

All the charges against Mr. Jones were eventually thrown out after a well-publicized trial, prompting the Jones family to file a $92-million lawsuit against the town.

Amid the publicity of the Jones/Cooper saga, Town Police Chief Thomas Scott asked the County Public Integrity Bureau to conduct an investigation.

County Investigation

After spending six months on it, the Suffolk District Attorney's office decided there was "insufficient evidence" of any misconduct within the department.

Mr. Cooper and the Jones family were critical of the way the investigation was handled. Complaints about the probe are included in the Jan. 27 mailing to the state.

"The county had its opportunityand they said I wasn't credible and Todd Jones wasn't credible," Mr. Cooper said. "Now, it's not the Todd Joneses and Bob Coopers, but everyday people trying to make a living . . . Before, the complaints were stray ones that dribbled in. Now, it's 22, 23 people that are all saying they have complaints."

"You have to honor the numbers."

"Constitutional Rights"

Asked if any thread tied the individual complaints together, Mr. Cooper said, "There's no respect for people's constitutional rights."

If the Criminal Justice Department does not take any action, he said, "We'll take it to the White House if necessary, we'll make it a national issue if we have to . . . until it's done."

Chief Scott said yesterday he had not heard of the mailing, and thus it was "very difficult to comment." He offered, however, that aside from the Public Integrity investigation, Todd Jones had already brought complaints to numerous agencies, including the Attorney General's office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"We've been pretty well investigated and we've come out with no problems," the chief said. "I can't see that they have anything new to add."

Twenty Folders

Apart from the details on the Jones and Cooper matters, the box of folders contains complaints about the accreditation procedure, and 20 individual cases involving criticism of the department in the past several years. They include:

Julio and Diana Vasquez: Julio Vasquez sued the town claiming he was harassed and his Jeep confiscated as part of the Todd Jones investigation.

Frances and Judah Johns: Frances Johns filed suit following a burglary investigation in which, she claimed, police entered her house without permission and improperly questioned her son.

Alcibiades German: Now deceased. Had been an informant and was allegedly threatened for refusing to cooperate further, then arrested by the East End Drug Task Force.

Greg Monaco: Claimed he was beaten by a town police officer during a 1993 interrogation.

More Cases

Also:

Benjamin Schwartz: Acquitted of harassment charges, after which he filed a complaint alleging racism.

Kent Gaugler: In Public Integrity Bureau testimony, he alleged his ex-wife, "with policemen from East Hampton," robbed his house while he was in jail.

Julia Bifulco: Springs teen's family accused police of intimidating, and coercing a confession from her, though she was innocent. The charges against her were dismissed.

Allison Collins: Arrested and charged with assault the day after an altercation. Found not guilty on self-defense grounds.

Patricia Shaw: Complained about police handling of the arrest of Orlando Vera, a man charged with harassing her daughter in Amagansett.

Colleen Herrera: Complained about department's handling of a sexual assault she reported.

Allen Gregg: Charges of injuring a 4-year-old child were dismissed in Town Justice Court.

Still More

And:

Jack Ciancimino: Sued the town for malicious prosecution after being acquitted of menacing.

Kathy Gray: Her 11-year-old son was hit by a car while on in-line skates. She complained there was no police prosecution, though the driver was identified.

Joanne Havens-Gant: Filed a complaint about a police search of her son's room and later complained the police would not give her or her lawyer a copy of the complaint.

Renee Dunn: Filed a complaint that she was threatened during an interrogation and coerced into making a statement.

Eileen Oliver: Complained she was arrested for assault, while police refused to hear her side of the story.

Stuart Vorpahl: Complained about improper reporting of an accident several years ago involving his daughter, Susan Vorpahl.

Two groups interested in creatures of and from the sea are vying to assume responsibility for New York's stranded marine mammals and sea turtles program. On one hand, officials of the newly formed Coastal Research and Education Society, which has set up shop at Southampton College, believe the stage has been set for it to do so. On the other, directors of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, which has the contract now, say they expect their contract to be renewed.

The society was formed in December by former members of the Okeanos Ocean Research Foundation, including its former research director, Sam Sadove.

The society has stressed its association with the college and research capabilities in its proposal to win a three-year, $120,000 state contract. The award is expected to be made within two weeks.

Bankruptcy Petition

Mr. Sadove announced on Tuesday that he and other Okeanos creditors were petitioning the United States Bankruptcy Court in Hauppauge to force the nonprofit corporation into bankruptcy. Mr. Sadove said he was owed $88,000 in salary and benefits by Okeanos. The North Fork Bank is reportedly owed $590,000 excluding interest and penalties.

The Riverhead Foundation was created last fall to protect the stranding program when Okeanos itself, after Mr. Sadove had been fired, found itself with a reported $3 million in unpaid bills.

The foundation's directors characterize Okeanos as "disbanded," Mr. Sadove said on Tuesday. "You can't do that. They have . . . not filed for Chapter 11 or Chapter 7," he said, referring to the sections of Federal bankruptcy law that allow businesses in default to reorganize and to pay off creditors.

$40,000 Grant

However, Fred Towle Jr., a Suffolk County Legislator who is a spokesman for the Riverhead Foundation, said the group's finances were improving. It was announced on Friday that it had received a $40,000 grant from the State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Places "to support our education program and research," Mr. Towle said. "We were just given an Isuzu Trooper by Garsten Motors [and] $20,000 in contributions last month," he added.

Mr. Sadove charged that the $40,000 grant from the state was proof that the Riverhead Foundation was a front for the debt-laden Okeanos. He said that new organizations were not eligible for such grants for three years after their founding.

Mr. Sadove charged that the foundation would not be able to continue operating for long if Okeanos was formally disbanded because the state permits to conduct stranding operations and discharge wastewater from marine tanks into the Peconic River had been issued to Okeanos rather than the foundation.

Riverhead Support

Michael Tortorice, an adviser to the Riverhead Foundation, admitted the foundation was using Okeanos permits, but added that a request had been made to reissue the permits in the foundation's name.

"We will get the contract," Mr. Tortorice asserted on Tuesday.

Okeanos's troubles came to a head last October when Riverhead Town declared the nonprofit corporation in default on the $14,000-per-month rent it was supposed to pay for a town-owned parcel on East Main Street. The foundation was then formed, and received a $260,000 grant from the Riverhead Town Board to continue its operations.

Riverhead officials supported Okeanos, and then the Riverhead Foundation, in the hope that the organizations would build a world-class aquarium that would become a tourist attraction and improve the town's economy.

Other Endorsement

Mr. Tortorice said the foundation had an experienced staff, a facility, and the endorsement of the Aquarium for Wildlife Conservation of New York, otherwise known as the Coney Island Aquarium.

The Coney Island Aquarium itself had submitted a bid to take over the stranding work but had withdrawn it in support of the foundation after touring the Riverhead facility, Mr. Tortorice said.

Kenneth Zahler, president of the foundation, who was on vacation this week, has reportedly said that loss of the contract would not deter plans for a Riverhead aquarium.

On the other hand, Mr. Tortorice said on Tuesday that should the foundation lose the contract - a remote possibility in his view - "there will be no purpose for the foundation."

Seal Survey

Mr. Sadove was philosophical about the possibility of the new society's not winning the state contract. "If we don't get it, we will move ahead. There are a lot of other projects," including, he said, surveys of seal populations like the one he led last week on board one of the 20 boats of the Trade Winds Environmental Restoration company, which has offered to help the society.

"I saw something I've never seen before: 400 seals on the beach at Great Gull Island [between Fishers and Plum Islands] and a dozen adult grey seals - monsters," Mr. Sadove said.

"It almost looked like the pupping beaches of Sable Island, males and females. A possible reason there are fewer strandings this year is because this has become more of a core range of seal distribution, so there are fewer marginally healthy seals around."

Mr. Sadove said this type of "broader picture" was typical of what the new society could offer as the state contractor.

Improved Morale

Back at the Riverhead Foundation, Kim Durham, a biologist who was trained by Mr. Sadove, was busy on Tuesday transferring a 60-pound loggerhead turtle from the Riverhead facility to the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service's marine facility in Southold. The sea turtle, injured by a boat, outgrew its tank and was moved to larger digs to complete its recuperation.

Ms. Durham said she couldn't see how the state contract would not be awarded to her group.

"We have the vets, the staff. We're doing it," she said, adding that the recent contributions had improved the staff's morale.

Asked if she would consider joining forces with the Southampton group should it win the contract, Ms. Durham said, "No, I would look at it as an opportunity to move on. I know that the animals will be taken care of, and that's what's important."

The LongHouse Foundation in East Hampton has just been awarded $40,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation to support its initiative to develop a classification system for the decorative arts.

Jack Lenor Larsen, renowned textile designer and the founder of LongHouse, long ago recognized the difficulty of cataloguing the decorative arts without a common classification system, such as libraries use.

Each of the American decorative arts has an unusually diverse vocabulary, according to Mr. Larsen. Both historically and today, different terms are used to describe similar processes, materials, or construction.

He proposes a classification system based on method of fabrication and/or embellishment. Using the decimal system, catalogue numbers will be followed by a code of provenance and date of execution, similar to the library system.

LongHouse will use its own extensive collection of pottery, glassware, textiles, metalware, and other decorative arts as a case study. Mr. Larsen will direct the project and Matko Tomicic, LongHouse's director, and Sonja Nielsen, consultant librarian, will organize the cataloguing effort, which is already under way.