Amagansett Restroom, a Study in Patience

They said it could not be done: A public restroom in Amagansett. Now, on Monday, if officials are to be believed, the ceremonial first flush will take place. It will have been a long time coming.

Providing a place to go in the hamlet’s central business district has been a struggle going back to the 1980s, if not longer. Over the decades, ideas were floated for a site in Amagansett Square, which is privately owned. More recently, the town parking lot north of the highway appeared the obvious choice, though issues with neighbors and groundwater flow complicated matters. Throughout, businesses and, especially, the Amagansett Library have had to accommodate visitors in need. Headline writers’ puns over the years (“Finally, a Place to Go in ’Gansett!”) have been both unbearable and premature.

Despite Monday’s expected opening, work at the Amagansett restroom is likely to continue. As concerns about groundwater contamination grow, public facilities like this should be among the first to be fitted with new, low-nitrogen septic systems. Let’s hope that doing so does not take another 30 years.