About North Main Parking

Befitting the quiet of a South Fork winter, the East Hampton Village Board’s meeting on Friday was brief. The board set a date for three public hearings involving parking restrictions and moved to appropriate money for village employees’ compensated absences.

The board set Feb. 19 for hearings on proposed amendments to the village code. One proposal, affecting the parking lot behind the Lamb-Baker House at 88 Newtown Lane, would limit parking along the rear row to two hours, and in the front row to those on official village business only, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. At present there are no restrictions, and Richard Lawler of the board told his colleagues last month that village employees with offices in the building are sometimes unable to park there. “Some people in the area are parking there all day,” Mr. Lawler said.

Another hearing concerns a proposal to restrict parking to one hour on the west side of North Main Street, beginning 25 feet south of its intersection with Talmage Lane and continuing south for 100 feet. The third amendment would prohibit parking on the same side of North Main between the south corner of Talmage Lane and a distance 25 feet to the south. At a Dec. 3 work session, Bruce Siska, a board member, said that vehicles are often parked on that section of North Main Street for the entire day, and that the ones parked at the edge of Talmage Lane make it difficult for drivers on that street to see oncoming traffic when turning onto North Main.

Those restrictions would be in effect from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

As Becky Molinaro, the village administrator, had recommended, board members approved a transfer of $485,000 from the unrestricted fund balance to a reserve fund covering future retirement benefits. The reserve fund, Ms. Molinaro had explained earlier, is for money due employees who retire or resign with accrued sick leave, vacation time, and the like. Compensated absences at the end of the 2014-15 fiscal year amounted to $2.67 million, an increase of $52,663 from the prior year, she said.

Also on Friday, the board voted to accept a $77,682 bid from Carter-Melence Inc. of Sound Beach for a project to expand the women’s restroom facilities at the Main Beach Pavilion. Drew Bennett, a consultant to the village, told the board last year that Ed McDonald, the beach manager, had identified a need for expanded facilities.