Letters to the Editor for March 24, 2022
A village board member bows out, the East Hampton Village government comes in for criticism, questions about a Toilsome Lane “beer barn,” and readers otherwise generally go off this week.
On the Wing: The Lesson of the Osprey
In the last two weeks, ospreys have started to return to the East End from their wintering grounds in Central and South America. They’re a sign of spring, and a constant visual reminder that our actions directly affect birds.
Y.M.C.A. Hurricanes Are State Champions
Last weekend, for the first time in its 19-year history, the Hurricanes, the Y.M.C.A. East Hampton RECenter’s 8-to-19-year-old swim team, won a state championship.
Softball’s Back on Track, Says Coach
Last year, for the first time in more than a decade, an East Hampton High School softball team, a very young squad with only two senior starters, earned a berth in the county playoffs, convincing the coaches, Annemarie Brown and Melanie Anderson, that “we’re starting to get back on track.”
Herrick Park Renovations to Start in the Fall
After years of planning and fund-raising, the East Hampton Village Board finally voted to approve the first phase of the renovation of Herrick Park. It will incorporate the southern portion of the park and includes the playing fields area.
High Schoolers Flex Hippocampus
East Hampton’s varsity Academic Team stands unbeaten this year and will next compete in the regional Quiz Bowl finals sometime in April. Having fun, while giving their brains a good workout, is the goal for the whip-smart members of this group, each with their idiosyncratic areas of expertise.
Hitting Back With Suit of Their Own
The East Hampton Town Trustees and 12 fishermen filed a class-action lawsuit last Thursday on behalf of themselves and all residents of the town, asserting that the five homeowners associations whose members’ deeds were determined to extend to the mean high water mark on a stretch of Napeague beach are unlawfully depriving them of access.
On Call: Weighing a Fourth Shot
Both Pfizer and Moderna have asked the federal Food and Drug Administration for authorization of a fourth (or second booster) dose of their respective mRNA vaccines against Covid-19. Should this be approved, how much extra protection would it provide and who would benefit?
Affordable Housing District Okayed on Route 114
The East Hampton Town Board voted last Thursday to adopt an affordable housing overlay district off Route 114 in the Wainscott School District, just outside of Sag Harbor. It also set hearing dates for a pilot outdoor dining program, and on amending the town code with respect to the “new” publicly owned, private-use airport planned to open on May 19 after the town deactivates East Hampton Airport in its current form.
A Rally for LGBTQ+ Rights
As thousands of young people rallied at Citi Field last week against Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill, which, among other things, prohibits discussions of L.G.B.T.Q.+ identities and issues in kindergarten, first, second, and third-grade classrooms, the Bridgehampton School’s Genders and Sexualities Alliance group staged its own rally on the school’s front lawn.