Complaints about garbage cans and trash on the beaches brought East Hampton Village officials to a meeting of the town trustees on Tuesday, with the village beach manager defending Main Beach, which is consistently ranked as one of the nation’s finest,  and one of the trustees defending her unilateral action to tag cans on the beaches for removal.

As summer approached, the trustees, who have jurisdiction over most of the town’s beaches, waterways, and bottomlands, had written to the village asking that the receptacles be removed after voting 8-to-1 on May 26 in favor of removal. Diane McNally, the trustees’ clerk, cast the sole dissenting vote.

But days before the July Fourth weekend, Deborah Klughers, a trustee, affixed red tags to the garbage cans at two village beaches, indicating that they were to be removed within a designated time or would be impounded. Her suggestion was to move them to the parking lot.

“Unfortunately, the response we got from the village was ‘The cans are staying, period.’ It was a pretty clear message that they’re not budging,” she said on Tuesday.

The controversy about trash on the beaches was spurred by Dell Cullum, a photographer and wildlife removal specialist, who has been particularly vocal in criticizing receptacles on the sand.

  Ms. Klughers said that she solicits opinion from many residents. “I haven’t heard anyone say they like the cans on the village beach,” and she noted that Mr. Cullum had provided photos showing cans at the water’s edge. “On the day when I tagged, the water was maybe 15 feet from the cans,” she said.

On the other hand, Ed McDonald, the village beach manager, said, “We have not heard anyone complain about our beaches being dirty. He spoke of his long history and emotional investment in the village beaches, telling the trustees that his first job, at 14, was at Main Beach and that he served as a lifeguard there for many years.

“I can’t imagine a beach in the country that has more manpower, more hours, more money invested in keeping the beaches clean,” he said, “and we’ve been rewarded by it regionally and nationally.” No one on his staff placed a receptacle near the water, he said. “I don’t know who did, but I’ll guarantee we didn’t. We do the right thing and it shows.”

Becky Molinaro, the village administrator, seconded Mr. McDonald’s remarks, referring to “day and night operation” to keep the beaches clean. No complaints about litter on the beaches had been registered at Village Hall, she said. “We work seven days a week very hard. Our village cares very deeply about how the village looks.”

Although the issue was not resolved,  Ms. McNally said there was no “turf war” between the entities. Village officials, she said, had been “more than willing to sit down with this board and work out some plan that would appease those who don’t like to see garbage cans on the beach.” She added that everyone should bear in mind that “when we talk about resources, we’re talking about our friends and neighbors who work in this town. When we discuss increased enforcement, it is not intended to be a criticism or to make those employees of this town feel bad. That’s the one feedback I’m getting.”

In related news from the meeting, the trustees agreed to endorse a town board proposal to require that all beach fires be contained within metal containers, as is required on village beaches. Ms. McNally said she had heard no significant opposition to the proposal. “A number of people I spoke to are in favor of it,”  Brian Byrnes, a trustee, said. The trustees will ask the town board about proper disposal of wood and ashes and how the public would be educated.

East Hampton Town’s Public Safety Division reported last week that the Ordinance Enforcement Department had opened cases on 1,076 alleged code violations during the first half of 2015, up from 621 cases opened during the first six months of 2014.

According to Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell, who commented in a press release, the department’s half-year report depicts a “notable increase in enforcement activity in the Town of East Hampton, highlighting the town’s continued improvement in enforcing the town code, to the benefit of all East Hampton residents.”

The number of cases that were resolved in the first half of this year also increased significantly over last year, according to the report, with a total of 818 resolved between January and June 30, 2015, compared to 331 during the same period last year.

Cases involving contractor license violations went from 42 last year to 94, and housing code violation cases increased to 139 from 84.

The number of issues resolved by voluntary compliance, once an alleged code violation was pointed out by town officials, jumped to 421 during the first half of this year, versus 40 in the first two quarters of 2014.

“Code Enforcement has made significant strides to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their operation with support of the supervisor and town board. New reliance on improved technology, such as our online complaint form and vehicle laptop computers, has helped us solve cases more efficiently,” David Betts, the town’s public safety division administrator, said in the press release

An incident early this month in which two dogs that swam in Fort Pond in Montauk experienced subsequent gastrointestinal illness is raising questions about the water body’s ecological wellness and whether or not a monitoring program should be implemented.

Christopher Gobler of Stony Brook University, who heads a water-quality testing program for waterways under jurisdiction of the East Hampton Town Trustees, wrote to town, Suffolk County, and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officials on July 8 to report on an inquiry from the county’s Department of Health Services. Fort Pond, like other waterways in Montauk, is not under trustee jurisdiction.

Analyses of the pond’s water, Dr. Gobler wrote, “showed moderate levels of algae, but relatively low levels of blue-green algae,” or cyanobacteria, a bloom of which caused the trustees to close Georgica Pond in East Hampton to the harvesting of crabs and other marine life for much of last summer. “There was, however, a mix of the types of blue-green algae that are known to produce toxins including microcystis and some diazotrophic cyanobacteria,” Dr. Gobler wrote. Microcystins, a class of toxins produced by some freshwater cyanobacteria, can cause serious damage to the liver.

Dr. Gobler did not assert a conclusive link between the algal bloom and the dogs’ illnesses. Given a multi-day lag between the incident and the sampling, and temporal patterns of such blooms, he said, it is possible that the algae were more plentiful when the dogs were in the pond.

Kim Shaw, the town’s director of natural resources, wrote in an email yesterday that samples from Fort Pond, as well as Stepping Stones Pond in Montauk, are being taken to Dr. Gobler’s lab in Southampton.

On Tuesday, Stephanie Forsberg, the assistant clerk of the town trustees, told her colleagues that the level of cyanobacteria in Fort Pond did not warrant a public health alert, and that the dogs may have been in an isolated area of high concentration. She also reported, however, a worrisome macro algal bloom, or seaweed, in Georgica Pond, where a dog that had contact with its water died in 2012. The bloom is worse than what was measured at this time last year, Dr. Forsberg said, and has caused a drop in dissolved oxygen and, consequently, isolated fish kills.

  “We are talking about the possibility of removing it,” Dr. Forsberg told her colleagues, “but it’s not going to happen this season.” A D.E.C. permit would be required for its removal, something she said would be discussed with Dr. Gobler. “We have to be careful, and see if this macro bloom leads to other problems.” 

Because Fort Pond is neither under trustee jurisdiction nor is a county bathing beach, it is not routinely tested at Dr. Gobler’s lab. “Were there a mechanism for samples to be delivered to my lab in Southampton,” he wrote, “we could accommodate a general evaluation of blue-green algae.”

Dr. Forsberg seconded that statement. “If the town wanted to expand this and test areas in Montauk — we’ve mentioned this casually before — it might be worth doing” in areas where human and animal health is a concern, she said.

New York State

Taking Shellfish

The Department of Environmental Conservation has announced the reopening of approximately 4,000 acres of shellfish habitat in the Towns of Southampton, Riverhead, and Southold that were closed to the harvest of carnivorous gastropods — whelks, conchs, moon snails — due to the presence of marine biotoxins in shellfish.

Effective yesterday, the biotoxin closures were rescinded in all shellfish  areas in western Shinnecock Bay in Southampton and the uncertified Terry and Meetinghouse Creeks in Riverhead and James Creek in Southold.

The areas had been closed in May after the D.E.C.’s Bureau of Marine Resources detected saxitoxin in mussels collected from sites being monitored in each area. Saxitoxin is a naturally occurring marine biotoxin found in dinoflagellates that can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, which can be fatal in humans.

The D.E.C.’s website has information and maps of affected areas. A recorded message advising shellfish harvesters of the status of temporary shellfish closures can also be heard by calling 444-0480.

The growth of solar power generation in New York State increased by more than 300 percent from 2011 to 2014, twice the national rate, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced this week. On Long Island, which has more solar installations than any other region in the state, megawatts of solar capacity increased by 154 percent over that span, with the number of solar installations rising by 122 percent.

Elsewhere in the state, solar capacity tripled, quadrupled, or quintupled in every region, while the number of projects at least doubled. The largest increase in percentage of megawatts was in the North Country, followed by the Finger Lakes, Central New York, and New York City.

A total of 314.48 megawatts of solar electric was installed statewide as of December 2014, equivalent to powering more than 51,000 homes. The growth is attributed to factors including the NY-Sun initiative, an effort to stimulate the marketplace to reduce costs associated with residential and commercial solar systems. As of May 2015, more than 304 megawatts of solar photovoltaic was under contract to be installed, with an additional 65.6 megawatts of applications accepted but not yet contracted. 

A proposed change in how landing fees are calculated for aircraft using East Hampton Airport will result in a 15-percent increase in revenue to the airport this year — enough to cover just over $212,098 in unexpected or increased airport expenses that were not budgeted for this year.

The change — basing fees solely on aircraft weight, regardless of whether the plane is a rotary or fixed-wing craft — will align the town airport’s fee structure with the systems commonly used at other airports, according to Town Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, who proposed it.

Adjustments to landing fees over the years have “unintentionally created certain discrepancies,” Ms. Burke-Gonzalez said, which have been brought to the town’s attention by many airport users, including the Friends of the East Hampton Airport coalition, which is among the plaintiffs suing the town over recently enacted airport access restrictions designed to reduce bothersome aircraft noise.

The councilwoman said she would ask the board to approve the fee change at its meeting next Thursday.

In addition to snow plowing — the cost of which came in at $53,300 over budget after last winter’s repeated storms — payments to several contractors providing services for the airport, including noise monitoring and air traffic control, rose above the expected amounts this year, Ms. Burke-Gonzalez said.

The new rates would impose a graduated fee based on weight, per thousand pounds, beginning at $10 per thousand for craft that weigh 2,600 to 4,999 pounds, and topping out at $20 per thousand pounds for aircraft that weigh 25,000 pounds or more. Light craft under 2,600 pounds would incur no charge.

Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell indicated his agreement with the shift. “I think it’s a matter of approach here that airport users and operators be paying for the airport,” he said, “and this is consistent with that.”

Suffolk County

Climate Action Plan Accepted

The Suffolk County Legislature accepted what is called a Climate Action Plan at its general meeting last month in Riverhead. The plan, a framework for efforts to combat climate change, also assessed the county’s achievements, including an estimated $5 million in recurring annual savings from reduced energy use. Additionally, greenhouse gas emissions have dropped, with the plan setting a goal of reducing emissions 20 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.

The $5 million annual savings results from energy-efficient changes in heating and cooling systems in 30 buildings. Solar panels have also been installed on six buildings, and new buildings must meet the highest green certification standards.

A hearing before the East Hampton Town Board last Thursday on a management plan for a town nature preserve on Napeague, which abuts Dolphin ­Drive on its western edge, rekindled a debate over parking on Dolphin Drive, a concept to which neighborhood residents are vehemently opposed.

Opinions are also divided among members of the town’s nature preserve committee, which presented a draft management plan to the board that includes a call for up to 25 parking spaces on the east side of Dolphin Drive, adjacent to the preserve, in order to provide the public with access to the preserve and its oceanfront stretch.

Neighborhood residents, who had complained to the town when a parking prohibition on the other side of the drive was lifted and succeeded in having it restored, painted the parking element of the plan as destructive to the preserve’s fragile ecosystem.

Those in favor of the idea, calling parking key to upholding a policy of ensuring access to public properties, said that there is ample space for parking along the road right-of-way, without harming the preserve. Beach access should be preserved for all, Brian Buckhout of the group Citizens for Access Rights, which has been advocating for beach vehicle access on Napeague, told the board.

A sand pedestrian path and a vehicle access way traverse the corner of the preserve from Dolphin Drive to the beach.

If the concern is providing an additional public beach, said Jeremy Samuelson of Concerned Citizens of Montauk, then the town board should discuss that matter directly. The management plan for the preserve, known as the South Flora preserve, should be considered on its own, he said, with a focus on the specifics of how the preserve, which contains protected species, should be maintained and protected.

The town board is to discuss the draft management plan at an upcoming session.

East Hampton Town

Coastal Resiliency Committee

A group of 10 coastal planning experts appointed last week to a Town of East Hampton Coastal Resiliency Project Advisory Committee will guide the town in its development of a Coastal Assessment Resiliency Plan, called CARP, over the next two years.

The plan will outline a long-range strategy for dealing with coastal issues so that the town will be better prepared and more resilient in the face of issues with erosion, sea level rise, and coastal flooding. It will be in keeping with East Hampton’s local waterfront revitalization plan, according to a recent press release.

The committee, comprising experts at the local, county, and state level, will help with the scientific analysis needed to underpin effective coastal management decisions.

The project, pursuant to the recent receipt of a $250,000 New York State grant, will involve the public in order to address current and future needs, and allow the town to partner with the Army Corps of Engineers as it shapes its Fire Island to Montauk Point coastal proposal, according to Town Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc, the liaison to the Natural Resources Department.

New Building Inspector

With a vote of the town board last Thursday, Ann Glennon was appointed as the town’s principal building inspector, and head of the Building Department, on a provisional basis, retroactive as of June 10.

Ms. Glennon will receive a $70,000 annual salary.

An archeological survey of close to three acres at the corner of East Hampton’s North Main and Cedar Streets could reveal the locations of wind-powered sawmills once on the site, which was a town common from about 1700 to the mid-19th century, and could turn up other artifacts and information about what once took place there.

The property was purchased in 2005 by East Hampton Town with the community preservation fund. Through the efforts of a committee of volunteers, a Revolutionary War-era house there has been set up as the East Hampton Historical Farm Museum, depicting the daily life of an East Hampton farm family in the early 1900s.

The land was once referred to as the “mill lot.” According to research by Robert Hefner, a historical consultant for East Hampton Village and Town, three wind-powered sawmills stood there, in succession, between approximately 1630 and 1860. Across the street was the residence of the Dominys, a family of skilled woodworkers — millwrights, cabinetmakers, and clockmakers — who used the mill lumber for boards, framing timbers, and the raw material needed for their finely crafted items.

There was also a blacksmith shop at the common, Mr. Hefner said this week, creating a sort of “industrial center.”

In a proposal under review by the East Hampton Town Board, Allison Manfra McGovern, an archeologist and professor, has suggested doing an archeological survey of the property that could pinpoint the sawmills’ locations, determine if the site might be eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, and guide future decisions about management and use of the property.

Dr. McGovern’s inquiry, at an estimated cost of $5,670 for a first phase, would begin with archival research, a review of historical documents such as maps, histories, and photographs, to determine past land use in the area and define the locations of any already documented cemeteries, roads, buildings, and Native American settlements.

Then a series of test pits would be dug, by shovel, on an evenly spaced grid — 16 per acre in undisturbed sections of the site as well as more tightly spaced test holes around the house and barn, some 63 to 68 test holes in all, Ms. McGovern estimates in her proposal.

In addition to the shovel test pits, two or three larger squares would be excavated. After the soils are screened and, if deemed necessary, analyzed as to sediments, botanical remains, and faunal materials, the excavations will be refilled.

Any artifacts found will be cleaned, classified, and catalogued in the lab and then returned to the farm museum for display.

The archeologist says in the proposal that “if significant intact archeological deposits are encountered, or if the foundation remains of the mill are located, recommendations will be made for either preservation of the site or additional archeological investigations. . . .”

The first phase of the survey, she says, will take about six weeks, including preparation of a final report, barring rain, snow, or a freeze.

Grants are available for such projects, Ms. McGovern said in her proposal. Additional archeological investigations may be recommended if intact archeological features are found on the property.

The cost of that is difficult to determine, she said, and would depend on whether a paid crew is used or if students or other volunteers would be relied on, but she provided an estimate of just over $7,000 up to $11,550.

  While an 1865 survey depicted a small drawing of a windmill on the area of the site, the mill no longer existed at that time, Mr. Hefner said this week.

According to Mr. Hefner, the 1715 Dominy house, which stood at the southwest corner of North Main Street and Cedar Street, contained Nathaniel Dominy’s woodworking and clock shop. It was demolished in 1946.

Five of the six windmills built on Long Island by Nathaniel Dominy between 1795 and 1815 still survive, Mr. Hefner has said, including East Hampton’s Gardiner Mill and Hook Mill.

In the early 1870s, Selah Lester bought the mill lot from Sybel Dominy for $300. Around 1876 he had the house that still stands on the site, which was owned by Capt. Jonathan Barnes, moved by sled from Old Montauk Highway, Amagansett, to the site.

According to Ms. McGovern, Selah Lester found work aboard whaling ships that sailed from Sag Harbor. He also worked as a fisherman and a farm laborer, and farmed his own small lot.

When he died, his son Talmage Lester lived there. Other Lester descendants inherited the property.

Over the last several years, the town spent $200,000 from the community preservation fund to restore the house, and a restoration of the barn is planned.

At the turn of the 20th century, the Lester family was raising seven children in the two-bedroom Cape Cod-style house, which was built in the style of Miss Amelia’s Cottage in Amagansett.

It is now filled with artifacts hailing from a number of East Hampton’s old families, including numerous pieces of furniture and other items salvaged from the Tillinghast barn in East Hampton after that property was sold and before the buildings there were demolished.

The museum, which has seen 500 visitors since it opened last fall — with a winter hiatus in between — is open on Tuesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.