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Letters to the Editor: 05.23.13

Letters to the Editor: 05.23.13

Our readers' comments

Sad Commentary

    Springs

    May 19, 2013

Dear Editor,

    We’ve all read a bumper sticker that says “My [son or daughter] is an honor student at [one school or other].” Good for that proud parent and that hard-working student.

    Today, on a street in East Hampton Village, I read a bumper sticker that said “My yellow lab is smarter then your honor student.” That’s a sad commentary indeed.

BRAD LOEWEN



More than Double

    Amagansett

    May 15, 2013

Dear David,

    Summer has already begun. Up until a month ago the spread between gasoline prices at the Manorville Mobil station and all the various stations in the Hamptons was about 11 cents per gallon (higher in the Hamptons, of course). Now it is 25 cents. And between the Mobil station at Manorville and the one in Amagansett, it is 60 cents.

    Convenience and necessity (and delivery costs) are worth a price, but for the spread to more than double from what it was a month ago delivers a different message, and a tough one for local residents.

JACK RIVKIN



Shakespeare Group

    Sag Harbor

    May 20, 2013

Dear Editor,

    Many thanks to The Star for its Letters section. This service allows the community to express itself, a very important function.

    My previous letter referring to the continued existence of the late Harry Carson’s Shakespeare Group brought a great response. The next meeting will be at the Amagansett Library on Saturday, at the usual time of 10:30 a.m. We will be discussing “Henry V.”

    All are welcome.

    Sincerely,

    ROBERT BORIS RISKIN



Piles of Paper

Packed in an office like salty sardines

in touch with each other love lives, love lies and sicknesses

happiness comes from a return of a stapler

sorrow finds a loop hole with the rise and fall of laughter

I stare through this hole in the wall catching a fish too small to keep

life’s rhythmic sequence of repetition

life’s way of kicking you in the teeth.

JAYMES WESTFALL



More Serious Problem

    Springs

    May 20, 2013

Dear David:

    I was chagrined to read in last week’s East Hampton Star about the town’s new plan to control last summer’s rowdy crowds by limiting the weight and length of vehicles that are allowed to use the Indian Wells Beach access road. Last Thursday Councilwoman Overby introduced proposed changes to the town code that will prohibit commercial vehicles over certain weights, lengths, and/or passenger capacities from using Indian Wells Highway.

    Wow! For more than two years members of the Springs Concerned Citizens group have been requesting the town board amend the town code to establish meaningful and enforceable restrictions on the overnight parking of heavy-duty commercial trucks in residential zones. The town has simply ignored our request. This is made even more shocking because on two occasions the town’s public safety administrator, Patrick Gunn, has communicated to the board that the absence of a definition of a “light [duty] truck” has rendered vague, and therefore unenforceable, the current code provisions that prohibit the “establishment or carrying on of any new business, trade, commercial operation or other nonresidential activity or use‚” because an exception is allowed for “light trucks” to be parked overnight on residential lots if used by an occupant of the residence.

    When a serious problem was recognized that adversely affects the town’s residents that use a beach in Amagansett, the board speedily drafted new code provisions to provide those residents relief. How come this can be done for Indian Wells Beach while a more serious problem, one that affects all residential areas of town, is allowed to fester, adversely affecting our quality of life, but the town board takes no action?

    We can only hope that someday soon the town board will get around to making the necessary code changes to prohibit the overnight parking of heavy-duty commercial trucks in all residential zones, and thus help to eliminate nonresidential activity in residential areas, which is the intent and purpose of the zoning code.

DAVID BUDA

    P.S. Please see attached file containing copies of two Pat Gunn memos to the town board.



Housing and Zoning

    Springs

    May 20, 2013

Dear David,

    I received a position paper, “Time To Enforce our Housing Laws,” in the form of a newsletter from the local Democratic Party last week. This is a subject dear to my heart as I live in Springs. After four years of an administration that has refused to acknowledge the problem of overcrowding and illegal construction and renting, an administration that pats itself on the back for doing a great job in ordinance enforcement and really has only scratched the surface — this is a welcome change.

    If you live in Springs, you know the problems. They have not gone away. They have increased. Our population has swelled. The Springs School is grossly overcrowded, and projections for the future do not show any immediate relief. Neighborhoods are showing signs of blight. It is not unusual to pass a house packed with cars in the driveway, the front lawn, on the side of the house, and see illegal fences, gates, sheds, and all sorts of questionable structures. Code enforcement does not seem to be able to deal with these clear violations of town code. It’s like the wild, wild west, anything goes. The town has turned a blind eye to these violations, either through incompetence or on purpose. The results are the same.

    The newsletter has some very good suggestions. The committee that investigated code problems did their homework, took a look at reality, studied other townships’ laws, and came up with some cogent suggestions. It has recommended a better-trained, organized, and full-time code enforcement department. A department that is professional and has an interest in staying and working in East Hampton. The turnover in this department, and, I might add, in the town attorney’s office, seems to indicate problems from within. These turnovers weaken the adjudication process and prolong and weaken cases in court. Several code court cases have been handled in court by three different town attorneys over a three or four-year span. There is very little continuity and incentive in these departments, and as a result a weak and ineffective enforcement has evolved.

    It has already been suggested by local residents to the current board and again is being suggested that there be an inter-agency task force to foster collaboration among town agencies, councilpersons, police and fire departments, and building and ordinance departments, as well as knowledgeable town residents, to focus on the housing and zoning problems of the town. Not just Springs, there are many areas showing blight, and this is a direct result of overcrowding due to neglect and lack of law enforcement.

    Southampton has a rental registry law which encourages compliance with zoning regulations. Landlords must register the names of their renters, a floor plan of the house is helpful, and landlords who cannot comply with the law should have greatly increased penalties. Surely when breaking the law becomes so expensive, it is not worth the cost of doing illegal business. It will make it all the more difficult for the landlord to add an illegal second kitchen, Sheetrock the cellar adding illegal rooms with no direct exit and/or windows, creating health and safety issues, and/or renting single-family homes to multiple unrelated persons living in locked bedrooms and closets and overusing the septic system of a single-family home.

    Zoning and rental laws need to be looked at and revised and enforced to be more punitive for repeat landlord offenders — and there are many. We have laws and we have standards, and both are being ignored.

    The town also must consider and act on the issue of affordable housing. Driving this illegal renting and overcrowding of neighborhoods in East Hampton is the lack of affordable housing in our town. It’s time to deal. Where are people who work here supposed to live?

    The voters in Springs are very aware of the lack of progress on this issue. Each candidate running for the board in the upcoming election will be questioned. We shall express our discontent with the current state of affairs in November. We shall carefully vet every candidate on this subject. It is not easy, it is a complicated, difficult issue and no doubt expensive to deal with, but at some point one hopes the town board will realize it only gets worse by denying its existence.

    At the town board meeting last week the subject was again presented, with tepid response or silence from some on the board and outright hostility from others. Most of the speakers during public comment spoke eloquently to the subject, and once again the response was underwhelming at best, if you discount the theatrics.

    Thank you.

BETSY RUTH



For Town Board

    Springs

    May 16, 2013

Dear David,

    I am truly humbled to have the opportunity to represent the Democratic Party and its ideals in a quest for a seat on the East Hampton Town Board.

    My gratitude goes out to Jean Frankl, the Democratic Party chairwoman, and Betty Mazur, its screening chairwoman, for a very fair and very deliberate screening process.

    To the members of the screening committee, thank you for your commitment to the process and for recommending me for town board. And to those who used their vote at the nominating convention to express their confidence in me, I am truly grateful.

    I look forward to having meaningful dialogue about the issues facing our town. Together, we can see to it that East Hampton remains a beautiful, healthy, and extraordinary place to live and work.

    Sincerely,

    KATHEE BURKE-GONZALEZ



To Fill Her Shoes

    Springs

    May 15, 2013

Dear Mr. Rattray,

    My name is Carl Irace, a local East Hampton attorney, and candidate for East Hampton Town Justice.

    I would like to thank the East Hampton Republican and Independence Parties for their respective nominations. I am looking forward to running and know that I will bring my enthusiasm and energy to the campaign trail and bench.

    Also, I would like to congratulate the Hon. Justice Cahill on her 20 years of service to the Town of East Hampton. She was a strong justice that sat on the bench during a period that saw a lot of changes. It will be hard to fill her shoes, but I am looking forward to the opportunity to try.

    My courtroom experience and judicial temperament will help my efforts to fill her shoes. Since starting my East Hampton law practice, I have represented numerous clients in Supreme Court, County Court, and the Justice Courts of all five East End towns. Prior, I served as East Hampton’s deputy town attorney and counsel to the Zoning Board of Appeals, as well as being appointed special prosecutor by the Suffolk County District Attorney. For almost nine years before that I was an assistant district attorney in the Bronx. As an A.D.A., I prosecuted nearly 3,000 cases, handled an additional caseload of violent felonies, litigated narcotics evictions in Housing Court, and for over three years, was on-call 24 hours on homicide beeper duty.

    Our court has changed in recent years. It now is among the busiest justice courts in the state and frequently and routinely sees serious felony arraignments. I have the experience to handle this caseload and the judicial temperament to ensure the fairness that the justice system and community require.

    I look forward to campaigning and meeting even more of the citizens of East Hampton.

    Yours very truly,

    CARL IRACE

    Candidate for East Hampton

    Town Justice



All the Qualities

    East Hampton

    May 17, 2013

Dear David:

    I am honored to have received the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee nomination for Town Justice.

    I have over 35 years of experience as an attorney: as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan, as a civil trial attorney, and, for the past 25 years, as a solo practitioner with a local general practice, including criminal defense in Justice Court. I have the benefit of having served as both a prosecutor and defense attorney in criminal matters, as well as having handled all of the other types of cases that appear in Justice Court including zoning violations and landlord-tenant disputes.

    I have been committed to public service in the Town of East Hampton since we moved here: former Chief of the East Hampton Fire Department and active member for nearly 25 years; appointed member of the board of assessment review, pro bono attorney for Citizens for Access Rights  and the East Hampton Sportsmen’s Alliance, Little League coach for 10 years and umpire thereafter.

    My wife, Stephanie (“Steph’s Stuff”), and I have raised our two children here. They attended East Hampton schools, went away to college and returned to East Hampton to live and work. Alexander owns a house in Springs and has his own landscaping business (“Tek Turf”). Kylie is a certified teacher who substitutes at the John M. Marshall Elementary School and is working on her master’s degree in bilingual education at Hofstra.

    I believe that I have all the qualities to be an excellent town justice: 35 years of broad legal experience, a history of dedicated public service and involvement in the community, strong character, and judicial temperament. I campaigned for this office in 2007 and lost by only 330 votes, the closest race against an incumbent town justice in nearly 20 years. I look forward to campaigning again and, with the support of the voters, to be elected as the next East Hampton Town Justice.

    Sincerely,

    STEVEN TEKULSKY



Airport Operations

    Wainscott

    May 16, 2013

Dear David,

    It was very disappointing and frustrating to find that after trying for four weeks in a row to have a letter to the editor published concerning East Hampton Airport, it was edited with a major misquote that completely confused the point I was trying to make.

    My original letter stated that “townspeople have been misled into believing that after December 2014 something magical will happen and we will get our airport back and be able to impose noise and traffic restrictions.”

    “The F.A.A. has jurisdiction over air operations because East Hampton Airport is a public use airport, not because of grant assurance obligations. The actual expiration of all grant assurances is 2021.”

    “The F.A.A. has never allowed restrictions to airport operations to be imposed by municipalities and is highly unlikely to set a precedent with East Hampton.”

    In response to several letters this week from airport opponents quoting more disinformation and exaggerations I would like to state the following. The town cannot close the airport anytime it wants “solely by an act of the town board” as long as grant assurance obligations exist. Even after grant assurances expire, there are long-term leases that previous town boards have signed with all airport tenants, and any attempts to close the airport will certainly be vigorously opposed by those tenants.

    East Hampton Airport operations are paid for out of the airport budget with funds derived from airport-generated revenue such as landing fees and lease payments. The Industrial Park on Industrial Road was created from airport property with F.A.A. approval, with the sole intention of making the airport self-supporting by leasing property to tenants, with revenue going directly to the airport budget. In fact, for many years this property was undervalued and leased to non-aviation tenants at well below market value, with the revenue diverted to the town’s general fund. The leases for these commercial lots are still well below market value and are actually about 10 percent of what airport tenants pay for similar size property.

    To claim that supposed airport revenue shortfalls are the responsibility of current management is to ignore the reality of years of poor fiscal planning and property management of airport assets by previous administrations.

    Landing fees are set by averaging area rates and, according to F.A.A. regulations, cannot be punitive, selective, or arbitrary. It seems rather hypocritical that airport opponents who were so much in favor of a control tower when first proposed now take every opportunity to criticize its operation and funding as being fiscally irresponsible and an operational failure.

    Thanks to airport opponents’ continued legal challenges and environmental demands, the cost of operating a seasonal control tower has now become a political issue as we approach the campaign season. The most recent public meeting on the control tower was intended to address environmental concerns only and was proposed by the F.A.A. to make sure that all environmental issues were covered to avoid legal challenges that they have become all too accustomed to when dealing with East Hampton Town. Nonetheless, airport opponents tried their best to manipulate the meeting into a platform for expressing their opposition to the airport in general.

    It troubles me to hear talk of “secret meetings” of airport opposition groups when those same groups complain of supposed closed-door meetings among town representatives any time the town tries to discuss airport issues.

    Town residents are entitled to make their decisions based on real facts, not be misled by confusing claims made by hardcore individuals intent on closing a facility that serves the town.

    Cordially,

    GENE OSHRIN



Another Smoking Gun?

    Bridgehampton

    May 20, 2013

Mr. Editor:

    Kudos to Larry Penny, who, in his latest “Nature Notes” column, calls attention to the environmental degradation, specifically to our avian population, caused by the onslaught of helicopters and jets in our skies.

    Like Larry, I have observed first-hand the cowering of wildlife on my property as these interlopers pass overhead, specifically ducks and turkeys. Other birds constantly flee to the safety of the nearby dense woodland until the noise has passed, but many have, as Larry notes, disappeared altogether.

    I live in a deep woodland and wetland setting surrounded by scores of undisturbed acreage, yet many bird species have disappeared altogether over the last five years or so. Among them, all owl species, bluebirds, yellow finches, tanagers, and the bobwhites. A parallel to the increase in noisy aircraft overhead would not be a stretch.

    The so-called and highly controversial “power-line route” for helicopters, some aircraft, and, of late, some seaplanes, passes over three protected and environmentally sensitive wildlife preserves, Jessup’s Neck and the Morton National Wildlife Refuge in Noyac, and the Long Pond Greenbelt in Bridgehampton. While I am not sure what the New York State standards are for flying above these environmentally sensitive areas, the Federal Aviation Administration itself issued an advisory in 2004 calling for minimum altitudes of 2,000 feet in “noise sensitive categories which, include recreational areas, particularly those with wilderness characteristics, wildlife refuges and historical sites where a quiet setting is a generally recognized feature or attribute.” With all the recent controversy over the seasonal tower at the airport, perhaps it’s time to bring in the F.A.A. to implement its own edict and to restrict flying over those areas it has seen fit to single out as protected.

    Given that I live a half-mile south of the power-line route, I can vouchsafe that aircraft approaching East Hampton Airport rarely if ever meet this 2,000-foot minimum over the Long Pond Greenbelt, which is four and a half miles from the airport. Ira Rennert’s massive helicopter, as large as Marine One, moves slowly and noisily at roughly 300 feet. His is just one of the dozens of examples every weekend.

    I read recently that the Department of Environmental Conservation had established its annual plover protected habitat at Jessup’s Neck (the entry and exit point for helicopters for the power-line route), yet no plovers had shown up for nesting. Could this be yet another smoking gun in the demise, or relocation, of our avian population? Time will tell. Let’s all just hope it’s not too late.

    Thank you,

    PRESTON T. PHILLIPS



Why Is It Allowed?

    Wainscott

    May 20, 2013

Dear David:

    Here is a question for the East End: If there was no such thing as East Hampton Airport, and a corporation came forward with a proposal to create East Hampton Airport as it is presently constituted — 24-hour flights, minimal landing fees, huge jets swooping in and out over East Hampton Village and Georgica Pond and our beaches, and a year-round helicopter assault with as many as 80 flights per day on summer weekends — would it be embraced as a welcome addition to our once-rural resort community? Duh. . . .

    So, of course, it would not be allowed. Then why is it allowed now? Ask your elected officials what in hell they are doing to protect what is best in our community: natural life, peacefulness, aesthetic sensibility, pristine environment, preservation of what remains of this magnificent place.

    East Hampton Airport is an environmental disaster. It is by far the single most negative factor in the degradation of the regional environment: outrageous pollution in the form of noise, air, scenic vistas, overall quality of life, and decrease of property values and tax base in a time of fiscal need.

    When just in the past week the U.S. Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration in Hawaii is noting the largest carbon dioxide accumulations in history, and The New York Times’s front page states how insurance companies are now planning for huge annual environmental disasters as a result of global warming — this past year being the worst on record — why does East Hampton Town allow people to travel to cocktail parties by helicopter and jet airplane? That is as environmentally degrading as anything imaginable. What pathetic irresponsibility.

    Forget the horrific noise for a moment, if you can (a hell-copter is a military metaphor for fear and violence). We need to ban the hell-copters and jets for the sake of our planet. Those who deny global warming, and man’s responsibility for it, are the same ones who believe that their personal interests and greed make their infantile whims superior to our collective future. They are ignorant, they are selfish, and history will prove that they are wrong. What is best for them is not best for the habitat of the East End and the vast majority of its inhabitants, nor is it at all good for the planet beyond us. Why do deer and wild turkeys on the East End have more rights than people?

    So, as for the airport, control it or steamroll it.

    Sincerely,

    BARRY RAEBECK



Never ‘In Chaos’

    Springs

    May 15, 2013

Dear Editor,

    I read the article in last week’s paper regarding Springs School and I found it in poor taste. My children attend the Springs School and I am proud to say I did as well.

    First I would like to say that at no time was our school “in chaos.” Mr. Mucci jumped in with enthusiasm to help out while Mr. Casale got a clean bill of health.

    The children were always in good hands as they always are. And the parents were kept in constant contact via e-mail as the situation regarding Mr. Casale’s health was being addressed.

    I am proud of our school, as I am of the staff that runs it! Thank you, Springs School!

JULIE TERRY



Stealthily in the Night

    East Hampton

    May 20, 2013

Dear Editor,

    I just wanted to thank the early-morning village crew that has been combing (finely) the streets and sidewalks for litter, throwaway summer periodicals, and cigarette butts. It seems they are out earlier and are doing a really great job.

    Even after the past couple of horrific weekends, with village streets overflowing with people who apparently have never seen a garbage pail before or have no functioning knowledge of the purpose of a crosswalk, these morning crews are preserving the pristine nature of East Hampton in the springtime.

    For the past 15 years, my three golden retrievers took pleasure in meandering the sidewalks picking up trash and butts. We always stopped for coffee and egg sandwiches just as the morning crew arrived. Now, with just one pup at my side, I have decided not to pick up other people’s garbage anymore. I felt we had earned the privilege of “shepherding” the village and always felt joy in the tasks we performed toward her preservation. We have grown weary!

    Verbal commitment was made to provide cigarette receptacles throughout the areas most heavily insulted by neglectful smokers. They never materialized. A proposal was made whereby throwaway magazines would be addressed in a manner that would make the creator, provider, and recipient responsible for maintaining an orderly presentation to the public. The past two seasons have seen a monstrous problem with these periodicals. They are dropped stealthily in the night to random and inappropriate locations. They are left in shop doorways where owners and staff just dump them away from their storefronts, creating garbage piles which blow through the streets like tumbleweeds. This issue, simply corrected, has not been addressed.

    Our village streets and sidewalks have not been properly policed for many seasons. The foot patrol is generally too young or simply not assertive enough to handle this new, more aggressive quality of tourist we have inculcated with our desperate need to survive the substantially shortened season. They seldom direct pedestrians to crosswalks. Jaywalking is the number-one safety issue here. Bikes are on the sidewalks, and I have seldom seen riders forced to dismount and walk.

    It is not difficult to demand that someone pick up their litter, yet it seems of little concern to the foot patrol. Illegal vehicular behaviors flourish and there never seems to be police presence to stop or correct these dangerous maneuvers.

    We love the village. We treat her with respect and enjoy our quiet, private moments there. We’re getting on in years and so this season we are just going to relax and let the world spin on around us.

MICHAEL DICKERSON



Still Not Answering

    Springs

    May 15, 2013

Dear Editor,

    It seems finally the news media is angry, as it has been targeted by the Obama administration to have its phone calls listened into. The Internal Revenue Service has its own scandal, and the administration is still not answering for Benghazi. Not too much to write in this letter except I’d like some real truthful answers, if only the president would stop partying, golfing, playing basketball, and taking vacations. If only he would lead and stop being the manager doling out the work.

    Remember, the phone rang in the middle of the night, and Susan Rice was told to answer it. Let’s hope in two weeks all is not forgiven as we need to get this country on the right track.

    If the buck stops with the president why is he blaming everyone else? Chicago bullies in the White House and he doesn’t know how to tell the truth, just blames everyone else.

    Best,

    BEA DERRICO



What Questions?

    Springs

    May 13, 2013

To the Editor,

    I have been involved with the Springs School for five years as a parent and volunteer, and now as an employee. To say that I am upset with last week’s article, “Quick Exit for Springs Administrator,” would be an understatement. Amanda Fairbanks’s reporting sacrificed accuracy and balance for sensationalism. Using phrases like “unprepared for chaos,” “went missing,” “adding to the confusion,” and closing with “questions remain” leads the public to believe that the school was unable to run properly and administrators were hiding something.

    There was never a feeling of “chaos” with either the departure of Dr. Byrnes or with Principal Casale’s medical leave. There were concerns amongst the staff in both cases, which were addressed immediately. No one “went missing.” Both sets of circumstances were kept private because it would have been highly unprofessional, insensitive, and possibly illegal, to share such information. All school programs continued to run properly because our superinten­dent, Dominic Mucci, immediately changed his schedule and both he and the Springs School Board went right to work finding the right candidate, Louis Aiello, to fulfill other school obligations.

    Ms. Fairbanks correctly stated Mr. Aiello is known to Springs, “having served as an interim director of personnel services and special education. . . . He also is the chair of Southampton School District’s interim committee on special education.”

    As to the parents Ms. Fairbanks spoke with, that has not been my experience. Two of my duties at the school include managing students and visitors arriving before the official start of the school day, and working the greeter’s desk for an hour each day. I speak with many parents. Of course I have been asked questions about all that has happened. However, once I explained our school’s desire to protect the privacy of all involved, all nodded in agreement and/or understanding. Many made kind comments of concern, as one parent stated, “Eric [Mr. Casale] lives and breathes Springs School.”

    Moving on, Ms. Fairbanks also wrote that Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, the board president, stated that the board wishes Dr. Byrnes much success: “We [the school board] will be hiring a new assistant principal for the 2013-14 school year . . . by Aug. 1, 2013.”

    So, Ms. Fairbanks, what questions remain?

LINDA KERNELL



Confusion Personified

    East Hampton

    May 17, 2013

Dear Editor,

    An ambassador and others were killed during an attack by terrorists in Ben­ghazi. That ambassador had turned down additional security when it was offered, probably for the best of reasons. The Congress had cut security funds for our diplomatic missions around the world.

    The Department of State and the C.I.A. issued descriptions of the assault that were called “talking points.” These were changed and colored for security reasons and for cover-your-ass reasons and other inter-departmental reasons now shown in the e-mails between officials. It was confusion personified. Not a directed cover-up by anyone.

    So what do the Republicans, joined by our own dedicated Obama-haters, do? They try to embarrass and damage Hillary Clinton and President Obama with spurious, off-the-wall exaggerations about the entire matter. And now look stupid!

    Someone, maybe me, should tell Mr. Michael Bouker he is as wrong now as he has been for years about Obama and that he will continue to look foolish every time he opens his mouth if he doesn’t follow facts and just spouts rhetoric.

    Obama was born in the U.S., is a Christian, is not a Communist, and is doing a great job as president — and Hillary will, too, if she runs.

    So shut up, Mr. Bouker and others, crawl back into the bosom of George W. Bush where you can watch another war commenced and thousands die!

RICHARD P. HIGER



Written in Secret

    Amagansett

    May 13, 2013

To the Editor:

    Every week since it was introduced, we learn about another toxic provision of S.744, the massive Senate amnesty bill that was written in secret.

    Buried deep within the 800-plus pages is Section 2101, an especially dangerous provision. It gives broad new powers to discredited Department of Homeland Security boss Janet Napolitano.

    If the Senate amnesty passes, Ms. Napolitano can bypass Congress, ignore public safety, and pass out green cards to criminal aliens and illegal immigrants who were previously deported.

    The National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council describes Section 2101 as giving virtually unlimited discretion to waive any manner of crimes that would otherwise make an individual ineligible for legal status‚ for such expansive reasons as family unity, humanitarian purposes, or what the Secretary believes is in the public interest.

    Remember that several days before sequestration spending reductions took effect, it was Napolitano’s department that ordered criminal aliens already being held for deportation to be released.

    Now, can you imagine Ms. Napolitano getting sole and unreviewable discretion to approve entire classes of otherwise ineligible illegal immigrants? Any bill that Congress passes with permanent and society-changing impacts can’t be written in secret.

    Nothing about S.744, the Senate’s secret amnesty bill, deserves negotiating or compromising. This legislation is so dangerous and so filled with harmful provisions, it must be rejected entirely by the House.

    Don’t we have enough problems already without this kind of amnesty bill?

LYNDA A.W. EDWARDS



 

Prescribe $250 Relief For Parking Headache

Prescribe $250 Relief For Parking Headache

Susan Rosenbaum | February 6, 1997

East Hampton Village plans to amend its parking and traffic laws before the high season arrives, and may decide to charge nonresidents an annual fee of $250 to park their cars in the long-term lot near the railroad station off Lumber Lane.

An analysis of cars parked there showed 90 percent of them belong to people who do not live in the village, according to a committee that has been studying the situation.

Larry Cantwell, the Village Administrator, said the figure was obtained by checking the beach stickers on the cars.

"People using the Long Island Rail Road park there for as long as a month," said Mr. Cantwell. "It has become a storage area for second-home owners."

Free For Residents

The Village Board will meet at 10 this morning to hear the committee's report, and will hold a public hearing before making changes in the law.

Among other things, the report recommends the establishment of a permit system allowing village residents to use the long-term lots for free, with their beach stickers as evidence of residency.

One possible alternative to the $250 fee, said Mr. Cantwell, would be to impose a daily charge on cars lacking permits. The latter system would be an accommodation to the occasional user, he noted.

"We don't want to discourage people from using the train," Mr. Cantwell said, "but the parking lots were not designed for that."

Unexpected Company

The two lots, the westernmost with 175 spaces and another just east with 220, were primarily designed for businesses and employees, to provide unlimited parking within a four-minute walk of the shopping district, as well as for those who enjoy Herrick Park.

It was also expected that they would free spaces on Main Street and Newtown Lane for shoppers, particularly in season, when two-hour parking limits apply.

Instead, said Mr. Cantwell ruefully, "People from other municipalities come to use our nicely lit facility."

There are 30 spaces along Railroad Avenue, where the trains stop, that might be "better utilized" as long-term parking, the report suggests. As matters stand, railway passengers' use of the long-term lots is "rapidly becoming a conflict with other parking needs."

Besides Mr. Cantwell, committee members included Elbert Edwards and David Brown, Village Board members, and East Hampton Village Police Chief Glen Stonemetz.

Gingerbread Extension

Traffic on Gingerbread Lane Extension is also on the board's agenda this morning.

Mr. Cantwell described matters in that area as "a mess." Gridlock and confusion have been increasing since September, when the John Marshall Elementary School moved its entrance driveway from Church Lane to Gingerbread Lane Extension.

The new Learning Center, which houses the East Hampton Day Care Center, adult day care, and the East Hampton prekindergarten program, opened its doors at the same time, at the end of Gingerbread Lane Extension.

Even more traffic is expected after Feb. 24, when the School District's 100 kindergarteners return from temporary quarters at the former Most Holy Trinity School on Meadow Lane to new classrooms in the John Marshall building.

The village asked Dunn Engineering Associates of Westhampton Beach, to recommend improvements in the neighborhood's traffic pattern, which board members will review.

Among the firm's suggestions are a center left-turn lane for Lumber Lane and both school driveways, additional parking on the north or south sides of Gingerbread Lane Extension, and the removal of the island at the intersection of Gingerbread and Race Lanes.

This morning's deliberations will take place in Village Hall.

 

 

Latest Golf Imbroglio

Latest Golf Imbroglio

Stephen J. Kotz | February 6, 1997

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is moving quietly and swiftly - some would say too much so - to upgrade the Sag Harbor Golf Club.

Last week, the D.E.C. released a request for proposals for a new, long-term concession contract at the club. Bidders would be required to invest up to $750,000 in capital improvements and pay the state at least $25,000 annually for a 10-year deal or invest $1.2 million and pay the same annual fee for a 20-year deal. The D.E.C. would also seek to turn the management of the course over to the State Department of Parks and Recreation later this year.

"This is a new type of venture for the D.E.C.," said Mark Levanway of the department. "We don't want to shut it down. We're hoping to get some bids on this." He declined further comment on the proposal.

Bidders' Tour

Tomorrow, at 10:30 a.m., prospective bidders have been invited to the 50-acre course at Barcelona Neck to tour the facilities. Bidders are not likely to be the only ones present.

State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., charging the state has gotten things "ass backward" by seeking a concessionaire first without a well-thought-out plan, said he would attend. While the proposal does not specifically spell out what the state wants, it suggests that a new operator would be encouraged to build a bigger clubhouse and restaurant, install an irrigation system, hire a professional, raise greens fees, and possibly expand the course to 18 holes or add a driving range, he said.

And Marshall Garypie, president of the not-for-profit club which has operated the course on a year-to-year basis since the state acquired the property in 1989, said his members were "mobilizing" to fight the state's plans.

Modest Fees

The brewing battle is the latest in a series of contretemps over golf courses in recent months. Plans to build a course at the former Bridgehampton Race Circuit, expand the South Fork Country Club in Amagansett, and proceed with development of the Bistrians' Stony Hill Country Club have brought the environmental issues related to golf courses to the fore.

The Sag Harbor course, with its modest annual membership fee of $230 for an individual or $350 for a family and daily greens fees of between $10 and $15, is a favorite of senior citizens and other golfers who cannot afford to join a private club.

When the state first acquired the property, it announced it would close the course "and let it grow wild," said Mr. Garypie. Angry golfers, with Mr. Thiele's support, thwarted that effort.

Thiele "Suspicious"

Noting that the proposal was only released last week and carries a Feb. 18 deadline, Mr. Garypie said, "It looks like it may be some kind of an inside job, as often is the case with the state."

Mr. Thiele said he had been assured in a recent letter from John Cahill, acting D.E.C. Commissioner, that the state had low-key plans for the site. However, he became "suspicious" when he saw the 50-page proposal.

"Unless someone has been given inside information, no one can come in and give a fair proposal in that time," agreed Mr. Thiele. "It leads me to believe this process is tainted."

Mr. Thiele has written the state, asking it to extend the Sag Harbor club's permit another year, review the situation, and come up with a new proposal that "is more consistent" with what currently exists.

Possible Lawsuit

"If they don't do that, I see the likelihood of litigation and the likelihood that I would participate in it," he said.

Mr. Thiele said he had both environmental and social concerns with the state's plans. The golf course is part of the 341-acre Barcelona Neck preserve. "I don't want to see something that draws water for irrigation and increases the use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers," he said. "I am particularly disturbed because there has been no environmental review."

According to Mr. Garypie, as part of its permit, the Sag Harbor club has agreed not to irrigate the course, clear trees, or use pesticides or fertilizers.

Mr. Thiele also cited social aspects. "This place has been a tradition in Sag Harbor for the better part of 50 years. This is where young kids learn; in fact, I learned to play on that course," he said. "This is where the seniors and working-class people go. This facility is going to be turned into just another state golf course."

No More Sand Greens

Mr. Garypie said the club, with a great deal of volunteer labor, has slowly made modest improvements to the course, replacing, for instance, sand greens - soaked with fuel oil to keep the surface compact - with grass ones.

"All the money we took in, we put back into the course," he said. "We did it all with a minimal amount of money and no bother to the state. I guess we did too good a job."

 

Shinnecocks Prevail

Shinnecocks Prevail

Pat Rogers | February 6, 1997

Southampton's Shinnecocks won a victory in court last Thursday, when County Court Judge John J.J. Jones Jr. determined that most, if not all, of a half-acre parcel purchased by William R. Pell 4th and his wife, Sarah Fitzsimons, belongs to the Shinnecock Reservation.

"I am hesitant to dash a person's dream," the judge said to the crowd in the Riverhead courtroom after meeting with lawyers for both sides in chambers. But according to the evidence presented, he continued, the defendants were intruding upon Native American land. He ordered a warrant of removal under Section Eight of the New York State Indian Law.

The decision was met with cheers from the 28 members of the tribe who had faithfully attended the two-week-long court proceedings.

No Boundaries Set

"We accept this decision with a sense of thanksgiving," said Marguerite Smith, a Shinnecock who was active in pursuing the case, several days after the trial. "Based on the facts . . . it confirmed our long-held beliefs. We have been here and we will always be here. This is our home."

"I'm relieved the whole thing is over," Mr. Pell said.

However, his lawyer, P. Edward Reale of Twomey, Latham, Shea & Kelley, pointed out that the decision didn't resolve the issue of "where the reservation ends." The ruling applies only to the Pell site and does not establish fixed boundaries that could be used to determine whether other property encroaches on Shinnecock land.

If the court ruling stands, the Chicago Title Insurance Company of Riverhead, which insured the property, will have to reimburse Mr. Pell for the amount he paid for the lot. The thousands of dollars spent on clearing are not covered, however.

An Appeal?

Mr. Reale was hesitant to say his client would appeal. "It depends on what's in the best interest for all parties," he said.

The court fight was the second the Shinnecocks had brought to defend their reservation. The first, in the 1950s, also was successful.

Suffolk District Attorney James M. Catterson Jr. said the issue in the case was a simple one: "Did he [Pell] have the Indian blood. If he didn't, he couldn't stay on Indian land."

The dispute centered around a half-acre piece of land on the northwest corner of the reservation, south of Old Fort Pond. The lot was part of a subdivision drawn up in 1949.

1992 Conversation

Charles Seaman purchased the property in 1991 and was granted a building permit and variance from Southampton Town to build a house and pool on the lot in 1992. Mr. Seaman testified that he never went through with the plans because "I didn't have the money to do it."

He owned the property until 1996, when he sold it to Mr. Pell for $60,000. Sometime in 1992 a conversation took place among Mr. Seaman, Kevin Eleazer, a Tribal Trustee since 1989, and Roberta Hunter, an elected member of the Shinnecock Tribal Council, regarding the work Mr. Seaman was planning. Mr. Seaman testified, "They did not say it was their land a couple years ago."

However, Mr. Eleazer testified that he had told Mr. Seaman that "where he planned to put the cesspool would be on tribal land. . . ." In court, Ms. Hunter recalled that the three parties got into Mr. Eleazer's car to go to a higher elevation on the reservation "to get a different angle."

She said that the parties had agreedto be "in touch with each other. Nothing would happen on the property."

After hearing the conflicting testimony, Mr. Pell told The Star he had known Mr. Seaman through the Pell seafood business for some time before he sold him the property. "He would have told me," Mr. Pell said, if he knew the ownership . . . was in dispute.

When Mr. Pell began clearing the lot in October, however, the work was interrupted by members of the tribe. Mr. Pell then spoke with Ms. Hunter and Peter Smith, chairman of the Tribal Trustees, and the parties agreed that no work would be performed for two weeks while a survey was done.

The Shinnecocks then contacted the County District Attorney's office, which is authorized to defend Native Americans in land disputes under New York State's Indian Law. A restraining order barring further work was issued.

A countersuit was filed on behalf of Mr. Pell for "slander of title" and for damages to compensate him for architect's and contractors' fees.

Earlier Case

The tribe was represented by Edward Bracken and Karen Petersen, assistant district attorneys, in court. Their case was based on a portion of the State Indian law used to evict trespassers from Native American land.

The same section brought the Shinnecocks success in 1954 when the Great Cove Realty Company attempted to claim ownership of nine acres on the northern side of the reservation. The case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. It ruled in 1961 that the property was part of the Shinnecock Reservation.

The 1954 case was an important precedent in the Pell case, since it established that oral testimony as to the reservation's boundaries was legally sufficient.

Where's The Creek?

Although there is documentation of Shinnecock holdings - deeds in 1859 and 1872 were accepted by the Southampton Town Trustees and the Trustees of the Shinnecocks as defining the boundaries - the deeds describe the boundaries in relation to land features. Defining boundaries this way creates a problem because land features change over time. and therefore the oral history comes into play.

These include a ditch, the "Stephen Post Meadow," and "the meadow to Old Fort Pond where the water fence formerly stood.

Determining the location of the creek referred to in both deeds created a dilemma since it no longer exists. The 1938 hurricane, the formation of an artificial lagoon in the 1940s, bulkheading of sections of the coastline, and filling of wetlands for residential construction all have changed the topography.

"Water To Water"

Promising to "elicit evidence to prove where the creek once ran," the D.A.'s office called seven Shinnecock witnesses, who all testified they recalled a creek or wetlands in the northwestern part of the reservation. They said they had been told their land ran "water to water" by older members of the tribe.

On the other hand, Mr. Reale opened his arguments with a motion to dismiss the Indians' claim. He said an ejection action depends on the "strength of their own title, not on the weakness of the defendant's deed."

"The only thing that's ambiguous is the plaintiffs' claim. There is a clear unbroken chain of title."

Mr. Reale called a series of witnesses to demonstrate a clear chain of title, which was accepted and recorded by Suffolk County. They included John Holden of Squires, Holden, Weisenbacher and Smith, the firm that did the subdivision map in 1949, Lance Pomerantz, a title examiner, and Dr. James Colins, who surveys large land holdings for governments around the world.

East End Eats: Bay Street Cafe

East End Eats: Bay Street Cafe

January 25, 2001
By
Carissa Katz

When snow is forecast and the skies are gloomy and there's a howling wind coming off the harbor, it's hard to drag yourself away from the comforts of home, even for a promising meal in front of a fire. Remember, though, that dining out in wintertime, you have the chance to experience what V.I.P. treatment feels like, especially at a smaller restaurant like the intimate Bay Street Cafe in Sag Harbor.

The elements, nasty and chilling outside, were working in our favor on a recent visit. We had the best seats in the house, right in front of a flickering gas fireplace. White Christmas lights decorating artfully arranged branches in the rafters gave the place a warm glow. And because everyone else had fallen prey to the hibernating impulse, the place was ours and the service was as attentive and welcoming as we could ask for.

Chef From Spot's

The Bay Street Cafe, run by Judy Simonson, her son, Justin Levine (the chef), and his fiance, Diana Nolan, opened just over a month ago in what was, until recently, the All Seasons Cafe. If the name sounds familiar, it's because it is. A restaurant at the same spot a few years back was called the Bay Street Cafe. If Ms. Simonson and Mr. Levine also seem familiar, it's because they briefly ran the now defunct Sag Harbor brunch and dinner place called Spot's.

As he proved at Spot's, Mr. Levine is a talented chef with a broad repertoire. He seems able to make chicken wings as interesting as beef carpaccio, and that's no small feat. Even the few dishes we sampled were enough to hint that everything on the menu is likely to be first-rate.

Great Wings, Plump Mussels

The staff is still working on a wine list. "I'm it," the bartender said with a smile, when we asked for one. She recommended a pinot grigio that fit well with the meal.

The Bay Street menu is Asian-French and is quite varied for such a small place. From a savory Asian barbecue sauce on the chicken wings to a delicate parsley and Dijon cream sauce that flavored a wild mushroom ragout in pastry to an exotic coconut-red curry broth for the mussels, the chef proved that he can deliver what the menu promises.

The wings were the best I've ever had - the sauce spicy and sweet with bits of ginger. The mushroom ragout was subtle and pleasant. The mussels were as plump as can be in a sauce that was delicious but not overpowering. The tasty pepper-seared beef carpaccio, a fourth appetizer, was sliced paper-thin and served over baby spinach with black truffle oil and balsamic reduction.

When it came to entrees, filet mignon, grilled salmon, and duck breast won out. Each was cooked to perfection. The duck was served with stir-fried greens and rather dull rice, but was covered with a fantastic ginger barbecue sauce. The filet mignon with pink peppercorns was stellar. It came with a huge mound of truffle whipped potatoes and spinach that was cooked just to wilting, as it should be, but was a bit over-salted.

Souffles A Specialty

A piquant and zesty grilled salmon steak had a lemongrass soy glaze and was accompanied by a cous cous zucchini timbale. Wonderful.

We were tempted, too, by the Bay Street bouillabaisse and the tuna with a sesame seed crust and coconut ginger sauce, but decided to save those for next time.

Grand Marnier, chocolate, and praline dessert souffles for two are a Bay Street Cafe specialty and must be ordered by the time your entrees arrive. We took the bait and discovered that a chocolate souffle for two will easily serve four. Don't say we didn't warn you. In addition, we sampled a wonderful banana creme brulee and fresh raspberries with a white chocolate sauce.

The meal was a winner from start to finish and surely it won't be long before the place is packed every Friday and Saturday night. All the more reason to try it before the crowds descend.

While prices are on par with some of the more expensive local restaurants, the Bay Street Cafe is one of those where the food is well worth the indulgence. At dinner, appetizers range from $7 to $10; entrees are $21 to $28. On Wednesdays and Thursdays the restaurant has a three-course prix fixe starting at $28.

Given the scores of dinner deals this time of year, the cafe may want to consider going a bit lower, just to get those first-time patrons in the door. The food is special enough that they're sure to return and spread the word.

I know we will.

Talks And Exhibits On Black History

Talks And Exhibits On Black History

Michelle Napoli | February 6, 1997

Various aspects of the African American experience on the South Fork will be explored and celebrated during Black History Month in February. Activities will include discussions, an exhibit, a slide presentation, and a dance performance.

This month the John Jermain Library in Sag Harbor will feature a small exhibit on one of the East End's more intriguing pieces of history as well as one of the key events in the emancipation of black slaves in America - the Amistad revolt.

The exhibit is sponsored by the Eastville Community Historical Society, which will offer a special program and discussion on the revolt on Feb. 15. Quentin Snediker, the coordinator of a Mystic Seaport, Conn., project to build a replica of the Amistad schooner, will talk about the program from noon to 3:30 p.m. at the Christ Episcopal Church in Sag Harbor.

Slave Revolt

The Amistad, a Portuguese slave ship, was carrying a consignment of Sierra Leone natives to Cuba during the summer of 1839. Under their leader, Sengbeth, or Cinque, the 49 Africans mutinied, taking control of the ship and beginning a course that would eventually lead to the waters of Block Island Sound off Culloden Point in Montauk. After brief interactions with some South Fork residents, the Africans and their ship were taken into custody at gunpoint.

Their journey would continue, through the courts of pre-Civil War America, until eventually they were freed. The inspiring story of the Amistad group's struggle for freedom is the subject of Steven Spielberg's first film for DreamWorks, the new production company he started with two partners, including another part-time East Hampton resident, David Geffen.

Kathy Tucker, the historian of the Eastville Community Historical Society, will be busy during Black History Month. She was scheduled to speak on the society's quest for its own museum at a dinner Tuesday night at the East Hampton Town Senior Citizens Center, sponsored in part by the town's Youth Services division.

Varied Experiences

On Monday, Ms. Tucker will lead a panel discussion of the history of black communities on the East End beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hall in Southampton. The talk, sponsored by the East End Chapter of the National Organization for Women, will concentrate on the varied experiences of African Americans here, from affluent summer residents to the year-round, born-and-raised East Enders, as well as the racial tensions they have faced.

In addition, Ms. Tucker will offer a slide presentation on the families of early Eastville, a predominantly African American section of Sag Harbor, on Feb. 22. Sponsored by the Eastern Long Island Branch of the National Association for the Ad vancement of Colored People, that event will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the St. David A.M.E. Church in Sag Harbor.

A monthlong program of activities at Southampton College will begin Wednesday with a discussion on "The Black Male Experience on a Predominantly White Campus." The talk, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in room 122 of the Montauk Building, will be given by Dr. Philip Johnson, a staff psychologist at New York University's Counseling Center.

African Heritage

Michael Jefferson, considered to be one of the most powerful voices on black radio in America, will be the keynote speaker for an African heritage celebration on Friday, Feb. 14, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the college's Fine Arts Theatre. His topic will be "Building Consciousness - Moving to Action."

The following day, Abou Mangara and Dalys Torres will tell the tale of their ancestors with music and percussion as part of a program on the oral tradition of African folklore, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre. Workshops on "Understanding the Legacy of the African Heritage" and "Africa is Not a Country, It's a Continent" will be led by Yinka G. Stanford in the Fine Arts Theatre beginning at 1 p.m.

Also on Feb. 15, at 7 p.m., the Wanichigu (which means "our pride") Dance Company will give a performance, also in the Fine Arts Theatre. Tickets are $10 for the public and $5 for students with I.D. Also on Feb. 15, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and continuing Feb. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will be an African collective artists' expo featuring food, clothing, jewelry, books, furniture, and art, in the Fine Arts Center.

The Rev. Henry Faison of the Bridgehampton First Baptist Church will lead a spiritual unity day service, along with clergy from other East End African American churches, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre on Feb. 16.

Cotton Club Visit

A trip to the famous Harlem nightclub the Cotton Club for dinner and dancing will take place on Feb. 22. The cost is $20 for students, $25 for nonstudents, and $45 for couples. Reservations can be made by calling the Spectrum of Unity, a student organization at the college.

Lastly, "African Womanism," the importance of women of color and their inclusion within the larger society, will be discussed by Dr. Denise M. Loew on Feb. 25.

Dr. Loew is the assistant principal of Riverhead High School. Her talk, sponsored by the Center for Cultural and Racial Diversity, another Southampton College student organization, will start at 7:30 p.m. in room 122 of the Montauk Building.

Larry Osgood: The Writer As Wayfarer

Larry Osgood: The Writer As Wayfarer

Sheridan Sansegundo | February 6, 1997

"I like to do things I don't know how to do," said Larry Osgood. "To do something so new that I have to learn about it while I'm doing it."

Mr. Osgood was not talking about computer programming, but of kayaking down a white-water river in the Arctic Circle, writing deathbed scenes for soap operas, directing "Krapp's Last Tape," making a television program about a politically incorrect lemming, trudging three miles with a caribou carcass over his shoulders.

His has been a life of seized opportunities and prudence ignored. The kind of life many of us wish we could lead - except we don't have the guts.

After Rejections

It was an unsuccessful love affair in the late '60s, and a professional setback or two, that launched him upon the biggest adventure of his life, in the dark winters and endless summer daylight of the Arctic Circle.

Twenty years out of college - years marked by a series of ocean-hopping peregrinations dictated by death or other misfortune - Mr. Osgood had become part of the booming Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway theater world, with several short plays produced and two published in anthologies of new American theater.

His short stories had also found a receptive audience. But a full-length play met only with rejection, and so did a novel.

Even today, almost 30 years later, he has not forgotten. "My life seems to be full of small successes and large failures," he said.

A Complete Change

Feeling at a dead end, Mr. Osgood "wanted a complete change. It was time to get out, meet new people, do something active."

With happy memories of childhood summers on a Canadian lake, he sought out and joined the Kayak and Canoe Club of New York. A summer trip with the "new people" he met there led to a monthlong white-water kayak trek down the Coppermine River in the Northwest Territories in 1972.

Mr. Osgood discovered an affinity for the Arctic barrenlands, with its 24 hours of sunlight, unrivaled wildflowers, caribou, musk ox, wolves, waterfowl, and deep silences.

"Just being there was an absolutely ecstatic experience for me," he said. "I've never had a religious epiphany, but that's what it must feel like. I felt as if I had come home."

Canadian Arctic

Over the next six years he became more and more obsessed with the Canadian Arctic. He spent more and more time there, often with the same group of canoers, and when he wasn't there, he was reading, planning, and thinking about it.

"Finally, in 1977," he said, "we did a river that came out in Paulatuk, a village of 150 Inuit. No one had ever come down their river before - we were quite a tourist attraction."

Up to then, he had visited the Arctic only in summers. The next step was to stay a whole year.

Preparing for it, Mr. Osgood took his first solo Arctic kayak trip, down the Anderson River.

"It was very solitary. I found myself singing aloud to keep myself company." But he also learned that one travels with others for reasons other than companionship.

Narrow Escape

One morning he spotted a grizzly bear on the shore. As the bear hadn't seen him, he decided to get nearer, to take a photo. He had got quite close and was just focusing for his shot when the bear looked up and saw him. In a blur of movement, she plunged into the river after him.

"I really learned what fear was about - I made eye contact with an animal with death in its eyes - mine!"

Only by paddling furiously did he escape. Afterward, he was obsessed by the image of being mauled and left helpless and alone, with no one any the wiser.

Nonetheless, at the end of the trip Mr. Osgood ordered a year's worth of food and supplies, furniture, and a stove, and moved into a small shack in Paulatuk.

Everybody Stared

"Being a romantic, I also wanted a dogsled team, even though all the Inuit had snowmobiles. One Inuk told me that once, they had all come to stare at the only snowmobile. But now that all the dogsleds had gone, they all came out to stare at me."

On a recent afternoon, when mist swept down on the Amagansett dunes where the writer is renting a house, the dim afternoon light and the stubby windswept shrubs seen through the window could almost have been the Arctic tundra.

He spoke warmly of the cultural differences he had encountered during his years working with the Inuit (Inuk is the singular, Inuuk is two Inuit).

Cultural Differences

He recalled how children learn by watching rather than by instruction, the fierce sense of humor necessary to a hard life ("People would roar with laughter when someone got hurt - I could never quite adjust to it"), and the Inuit sense of time, known as the Mukluk telegram, whereby people know instinctively when it is time to do something.

Lacking this sense, Mr. Osgood spent much of his own time arriving either too early or too late.

His 50th year was the most active of his life: trekking for miles, living in spartan conditions, and learning how to hunt, shoot, skin, butcher, dress, and cook caribou and other game. But during the year he also became deeply involved in the political issues of Inuit land ownership.

Land Ownership

At the end of his Arctic year, Mr. Osgood returned to the U.S., applied for a working visa, and then went back to the region to work as communications officer for the Committee for Original People's Entitlement.

In the late 1960s, big oil companies had discovered vast reserves of oil and gas in the Canadian Arctic, and by the beginning of the '70s a drive to protect Inuit property and other rights was under way.

Among other successes, Mr. Osgood obtained Federal money to start linguistic research and brought linguists from Quebec to study the three local dialects spoken around Inuvik, the town where he was living.

Resurrected Dialect

"One of the dialects turned out to have been one that was thought extinct," he said. "The linguists were delighted - it was one of the oldest, if not the oldest dialect of Inuktun."

That job led to another, helping to teach the native language in schools. English had long since been the primary spoken language, but the Canadian Government had finally launched a project to save the disappearing Inuktun.

Over five years, Mr. Osgood and his team developed dictionaries and grammars for each of the three dialects as well as teaching materials for first, second, and third-graders and summer language camps for children.

"At the end of five years, working nine or 10 hours a day, I was totally burnt out," he said. "It was fascinating, but exhausting."

Inuktin For Children

He was disillusioned, too, he said, with general educational practices - teaching about Dick and Jane on the subway and other irrelevancies - and more and more convinced that there was a secret Government program of assimilation.

But hardly had he returned to New York City in 1985 when he had a call from the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation, offering him a job developing children's TV programs in Inuktun. It was an offer he couldn't refuse.

"It was a joy from beginning to end," he said of his two-year stint, during which he made 22 programs for 5 to 7-year-olds and trained writers and directors to continue his work.

"Swamped" As Freshman

Mr. Osgood had a ideal preparation for a life of Arctic adventure: "an idyllic Midwestern childhood" in Buffalo, home of six-foot snowdrifts. He entered Harvard in 1946, part of a huge freshman class with a preponderance of demanding and experienced World War II veterans attending college on the G.I. Bill.

From being a cosseted student and talked-about poet at his high school, he suddenly found himself a floundering 17-year-old among hardened adults. He was also beginning to worry that he was homosexual.

Given the era - gay lib was not even on the horizon - and older parents with an Edwardian outlook, he took it hard.

"I was swamped," he said. He dropped out for a "difficult but fascinating" year of psychoanalysis before resuming his studies.

Classmates And Teachers

The young poet could hardly have been in more stimulating surroundings. Frank O'Hara was a student, as were John Ashbery, Kenneth Koch, Robert Bly, and Donald Hall. Among the professors were Richard Wilbur, Richard Eberhart, and John Ciardi.

Harvard led Mr. Osgood to his lifelong involvement with the theater. There was the Veterans Theater Workshop on the one hand, and on the other Jerome Kilty's Brattle Theater Company, which performed classic rep featuring invited stars such as Hermione Gingold, Ian Keith, Louise Rainer, and Hurd Hatfield.

"I was able to see four years of classic theater - all the great plays."

Introduction To O'Hara

As to his sexual identity, fate intervened in the form of his roommate, Lyon Phelps, the gay grandnephew of a famous Yale professor, who introduced him to O'Hara. An intense affair ensued, ". . . and all the psychoanalysis in the world wouldn't have prevented it," said Mr. Osgood.

It was through Mr. Phelps, who started the Poets Theater in a church basement in Cambridge, that the budding playwright first saw experimental theater. The group's first production was O'Hara's "Try Try" and a short play by Mr. Ashbery.

"Frank's play was wonderful. But it was just so new, so different, that there was a lot of nervous laughter from the audience."

At intermission, Thornton Wilder, who had promised to make an appeal for funds, laid into the audience and berated them for failing to appreciate what they were seeing.

Hated New York City

" 'You have seen the theater of the future, and you can't recognize it!' " he shouted, to Mr. Osgood's delight.

With a stopover at the University of Michigan to get a master's degree in creative writing, as did Mr. O'Hara, Mr. Osgood's inevitable next goal was New York City. He rented an apartment in Little Italy for $11 a month, hung out with the poets and painters of the New York School, worked in a bookstore - and hated it, hated the grimness of it.

Then his grandmother's death (and a $2,000 bequest), followed by a series of other deaths, started him upon several years of zigzagging travels.

A Jamesian existence as a culture-hungry young American in Italy, France, and England was cut short by the sudden death of his mother, forcing a temporary return to Buffalo. No sooner did Mr. Osgood go back to Paris than a close friend, Thea von Ripper, a World War II Resistance fighter who had been an inmate of the Ravensbruck concentration camp, died as well. "Everything that was glamorous and cultured in a European woman," Mr. Osgood said of his friend.

Inured To Loss

He was in London, working on a novel after having had his first story published, when he received the news that his elder brother had had a nervous breakdown and was suffering from schizophrenia. That took Mr. Osgood back across the Atlantic to Buffalo, where he remained until he felt his father could manage without him.

Then he moved to Boston to be near V.R. Lang, a poet friend of O'Hara, and her husband. But she, too, died unexpectedly.

By now well educated in both culture and loss, Mr. Osgood returned to New York City. There, he worked for the McGraw-Hill publishing company, acted in summer theater, and settled down to write plays.

Gathered No Moss

He was accepted into the playwrights unit of the Actors Studio, run by Molly Kazan, and she agreed to stage one of his plays. And on the strength of an earlier play, "The Ox on the Roof," a comedy of errors set at a cocktail party, she invited Moss Hart to attend the opening.

But the new play wasn't a comedy, it was an experimental work about three women who meet on a vacant lot, strongly influenced by Ionesco, whom Mr. Osgood had met in Paris.

When the curtain came down, the impresario Hart turned to the young playwright and said stonily, "Just what, exactly, is this play about?"

World Of Theater

Over the years, Mr. Osgood has supplemented his income by writing for soap operas and teaching. It was in the '60s, while a member of the drama department of the University of Connecticut, that he first turned his hand to directing.

He did Restoration comedies, plays in French, and, in a newly discovered enthusiasm for Samuel Beckett, directed Ken Tigar in "Krapp's Last Tape."

"I was consumed with Beckett," he remembered. "It wasn't just that I admired his work - I wanted to BE Samuel Beckett."

The Next Adventure

When he finally came back from the Arctic for good, Mr. Osgood received a grant to work on a novel inspired by his years among the Inuit; he is now searching for a publisher.

Recently, he directed Ken Tigar in a one-man play about James Boswell.

"I sometimes feel a little guilty about not having pursued one career, as was expected of us when we were growing up," he said. "I've done all kinds of things at different stages, but that is what fascinates me."

"Now I'm waiting for the next adventure. It will probably be something completely different from anything I've done before. That's what I love."

Cellular Towers, Necessary Evils?

Cellular Towers, Necessary Evils?

February 6, 1997
By
Editorial

Technology has cut millions of people free from the wires and cables of the communications industry, but it also has unleashed an escalating demand for facilities. Some threaten to change the face of the landscape.

Representatives of Bell Atlantic NYNEX Mobile appeared before the East Hampton Town Planning Board recently to describe a proposed 100-foot radio tower here, but before the discussion was more than half an hour along it became apparent that wasn't all they wanted. Over the next three years, NYNEX plans to seek at least two more such towers, which the company says are needed to improve its cellular phone service.

Nor is NYNEX the only game in town - just one of the first. There will be competitors knocking on the door in the months ahead, and each player will bring in its own bats and balls. One Planning Board member, Job Potter, foresaw a series of "100 and 150-foot towers popping up around town."

Responding to board members' concerns, NYNEX maintained that its towers were a necessary evil. The Federal Communications Commission, said a company attorney, "obliges" cellular service suppliers to "provide seamless service."

The F.C.C. does not, of course, oblige a municipality to put the interests of wireless phone users over those of the environment, at least it didn't the last time we looked.

However hideous a network of towers is to contemplate, there may be something of a silver lining here. Some in the industry predict these communications towers will be superseded in the not-too-distant future by unobtrusive alternatives such as satellite bases. If that is the case, the current proposal and those expected to follow warrant study rather than defiance, even if outside consultants have to be hired to help local officials make judgments about the requirements of cellular technology.

There is little in the master plan to guide the town in deciding whether there is a place here for such towers. Should there be just one? Four? Eight? Where should they go, and when does the door close? Can they be given temporary permission, under the condition that they come down when and if they become obsolete? Or will they become treasured relics, like the sole remaining radio tower on Napeague or the water tower on the Bell Estate in Amagansett?

These are legitimate questions. They deserve considered answers.

Zenbock, Intergalactic Icon

Zenbock, Intergalactic Icon

Josh Lawrence | February 6, 1997

"I am Zenbock. I am the son of Scone." So begins a press release introducing the East End's newest public access television personality. Anyone doubting the existence of aliens might want to tune into LTV one Thursday night to catch "Zenbock's Fantasy/Fi," a variety show which has an interesting hook - the host is a Vulcan.

Well, half Vulcan actually. Zenbock's mother was an earthling, and Zenbock (a.k.a. Barry Nijel) resides in the very earthly realm of Patchogue.

Launched on Jan. 17, the quirky show is beamed out each week from the bridge of Zenbock's "spaceship." Meanwhile, the Vulcan host beams himself out into the community to perform such tasks as buying a pizza or applying for a car loan. He also does interviews and plays music with a group called Zenbock and the Galactic Boogie Band.

All Ears

Zenbock and his producer, Russell DePhillips, were in an editing room last week polishing up the second episode when The Star caught up to them. Zenbock was uncharacteristically out of costume.

"Hold on, I have to ear-up!" he said and then disappeared down the hall. He returned 10 minutes later with the requisite pointy ap pendages, as well as a gray cape, a gray polyester-blend shirt, gray slacks, black boots, and some eye makeup.

There wasn't going to be any more shooting that day, but Zenbock seemed to be more comfortable in costume anyway. His persona may not be familiar yet on the public access circuit, but Zenbock is a household name at the numerous Star Trek and fantasy/science-fiction conventions he attends every year.

Convention Circuit

As a vendor, Mr. Nijel sells "earthly antiquities" at conventions up and down the East Coast. His company, Celestial Sights and Sounds, deals in a line of Egyptian art, notecards, postcards, statuettes, and other items, as well as Celtic art, T-shirts, and various novelties.

When night rolls around at the conventions, he brings out the Galactic Boogie Band - that is, Zenbock on blues guitar, vocals, and keyboards standing in front of a mural of backup aliens. The music sounds like a cross between Willie Dixon and Devo.

It was when he was playing music at the fantasy conventions that Zenbock's character was born. It happened about three years, ago, he said. "I wanted to play at these things, but everyone said I should develop a persona." He started hosting an open-microphone night, then went on to become his own act.

"They didn't know what to do with me, so they gave me my own segment," he said. "That's the way these conventions go. By Monday, you don't know who you are."

Zenbock keeps a convention photo album, which is filled with shots of him and various Romulons, Kling ons, elf maidens, and other sci-fi/fantasy buffs. "It's like a mobile family," he said of the group.

Hosting a television show seemed a logical step. A friend told him about LTV's state-of-the-art facilities and open-door policy, and he decided to inquire. Mr. DePhillips, LTV's chief engineer, was on board in no time. The show is fun to work on, he said, calling it "the best thing I've seen come across public access in a long time."

To Fierro's, Scotty

"I think I'd like some pizza," Zenbock says from the bridge of his ship on the inaugural episode Jan. 17. Without further ado he steps into the transporter and, with a B-movie special effect, suddenly reappears in front of Fierro's Pizzeria in East Hampton.

He orders a "Vulcan pizza" and a long segment of the pizza in progress ensues. Customers seem perplexed.

In another episode, Zenbock beams into Country Imports in Southampton to apply for a car loan. When "Star Trek: First Contact" opened at the East Hampton Cinema, he was on the scene interviewing fans outside the theater. Few seemed to realize they were speaking to the self-proclaimed half-brother of Dr. Spock: Zenbock says his 175-year-old father was also father to Spock.

Type Cast

One person slated to become a regular guest on the show is Zenbock's son, Tibock. "He's an earthly 8, but he's a very old son," said the proud father.

Though he said he has had a lot of encouraging feedback over the show (including from other restaurants interested in learning Vulcan cuisine), Zenbock is worried about being misunderstood. Dan's Papers referred to him as a "vampire" in a review of LTV's annual video festival.

"Do I look like a vampire?" he asked. And he fears that "Zenbock's Fantasy" will be dismissed as simply a "Star Trek" thing. "It's a little bit of everything," he said. "The theme is fantasy and fiction."

Alas, though, he sighed, "I'll probably get locked in as a Vulcan." If he had it his way, he'd ditch the pointy ears, but his producer insists they stay.

For those who don't mind, "Zenbock's Fantasy/Fi" is shown on LTV every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and on Riverhead's public access TV Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. Both can be found on Channel 27.

C.I.A. Considerations

C.I.A. Considerations

February 6, 1997
By
Editorial

If Anthony Lake, President Clinton's nominee to head the Central Intelligence Agency, is "a closet leftist," as some Republican senators have charged, does that mean the C.I.A. would reverse course under his leadership and foment rebellions against oppressive regimes in Central and South America?

The Pentagon's notorious School of the Americas since 1946 has guided military, police, and intelligence operatives of other countries in how to retain power and control populations - courses that have emboldened more than a few of its 50,000 or 60,000 alumni, some with continued C.I.A. links, to commit immoral acts in the reputed furtherance of democracy. Would it become a training ground for counterinsurgents?

Throughout its cold war history, the C.I.A. worked to maintain, promote, and, in some cases, install through military coups what it viewed as the forces of order. Stability has been the goal, not democracy.

United States Representative Joseph Kennedy has for the past few years sought to ban further funding for the School for the Americas, which has been in residence at Fort Benning, Ga., since 1984. It has been a comparatively lonely cause.

Americans are loath to consider whether the continued existence of the C.I.A. is advisable or necessary in this post-cold-war era, but they just might be stirred to fight for its becoming fully accountable to Congress. At the very least, the C.I.A. must be redirected so that the agency can no longer be said to be an agent of oppression.

Intelligence-gathering to protect national security is one thing. Clandestine programs that contravene proclaimed foreign policy and countenancing torture and murder are quite another.