Bird Is the Word, Maybe
At its meeting to end the fiscal year on Tuesday, the East Hampton Village Board came alive during the final scheduled task — a discussion related to naming a private road off Montauk Highway.
Kenneth Sheinberg, a resident on the street in question, said that his first choice was the name Little Plains Lane, but because there is already a Little Plains Road in Southampton, the board requested that he offer a different moniker.
He presented the name Avocet Lane.
“It’s a bird native to the area,” he said, after which his attorney, Carl Irace, whispered, “Anything that sounds nice.” Mr. Sheinberg reiterated his lawyer’s counsel aloud to the board, stating that he would be amenable to anything that sounds nice.
Barbara Borsack, the deputy mayor, expressed concern that emergency services might be confused by the name, because of its short, homophonic syllables. She suggested naming the road Judson or Banister, paying homage to a former East Hampton Village mayor. The board bantered further about other possible options.
Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr., eager to close the conversation, again asked Mr. Sheinberg, the only person present who lives on the four-property road, if Avocet is what he prefers. He said it was.
Because there is often befuddlement surrounding instances of similar addresses on the East End, Anthony Long, a village police lieutenant, stood and requested that the board “make absolutely sure” that there are no streets named Avocet in East Hampton.
Larry Cantwell, the village administrator, reminded the board that the resolution would be adopted on Aug. 15, and interested parties have until then to determine if Avocet is a viable choice.
According to “Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification,” the American avocet primarily resides in the western United States, Florida, and occasionally makes a cameo as far north as Delaware.
Osborne Reborn
The board approved a bond resolution Tuesday allowing the village to borrow up to $800,000 for the reconstruction of the Isaac Osborne House on Newtown Lane. Work on the 19th-century house is expected to begin early this month. According to Mr. Cantwell the space will be used for village offices.
Before the start of the meeting, Mayor Rickenbach presented a plaque containing a vintage photograph of Hook Mill to Jim Fields & Sons for their donated time painting the windows on the restored early 19th-century landmark.