Government Briefs 12.15.16

East Hampton Town

C.P.F. Buy in Buckskill

The $8.6 million purchase of more than 25 acres of woodland in East Hampton’s Buckskill area will be the subject of a hearing at the Town Board’s next formal meeting tonight at 6:30.

The property would be purchased for recreation. At 138 and 148 Buckskill Road and 58 and 66 Towhee Trail in East Hampton, it is owned by Buckskill Realty, a limited liability corporation, and by the Pasquale J. Trunzo and Nancy T. Trunzo Qualified Personal Residence Trusts. 

The land has a residence, pool, two barns, and associated structures. All but one barn would be removed at the seller’s expense before the purchase. The town wants to retain one barn for use in association with the recreation to take place on the property, and for equipment storage, and will pay for it separately with $131,000 in capital funds. The open acreage will be purchased with money from the community preservation fund. 

The Bottom Line on Taxes

The 2017 tax warrant for East Hampton Town has been completed, and taxpayers can expect to receive property tax bills in the mail next week. Those eager to know the bottom line before that occurs can get the information from the town tax receiver. An online payment system is expected to be operational today.

Less Coursework for Contractors

A proposed revision to the requirements for an East Hampton Town home improvement contractors license, which is required of those who do business within the town, would change the rules regarding continuing education for contractors. At present, every board member of a company seeking a license must meet a requirement to complete at least 10 hours of coursework every two years on topics related to the construction field.

That is unnecessary and problematic, Hope DeLauter, a town attorney, told the town board on Tuesday, for larger companies with office and other staff members who are not directly involved in overseeing or doing construction. Under the proposed change, which will be the subject of a hearing at a future date, a company will be able to designate one person to complete the training. 

Two Park-Like Proposals

Recommendations from a town property management committee are forthcoming regarding both the former Boys Harbor camp property in East Hampton and the Brooks-Park site in Springs, which was home to James Brooks and Charlotte Park, two Abstract Expressionist artists.

The committee has discussed transforming the mess hall at the former camp into an open-air pavilion that could be used, much like the one at Maidstone Park, for get-togethers by members of the public who reserve the site, Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc, the committee liaison, reported at a board meeting this week. The camp’s 58 acres, which contain dirt roads and trails on largely flat topography, could be an ideal spot for a paved trails system accessible to the disabled or those less able to traverse woods terrain, the councilman said — a type of park that has been the subject of recent discussion.

At the Brooks-Park property, two studios used by the artists are to be preserved, but renovations will be undertaken after the future use of the site is better defined. An “important first step,” Mr. Van Scoyoc said, is to enter into a license agreement with a private group that advocated preservation of the site and would administer activities there. 

Bid for Airport Fuel Farm

The town will solicit bids for the construction of a new fuel farm at East Hampton Airport to replace the existing fuel facility, which was built in 1997. The new one would increase the amount of fuel on hand. It is proposed to include two 15,000-gallon tanks for jet fuel and one 12,000-gallon tank for aviation gas; the current facility has a 12,000-gallon tank for jet fuel and an 8,000-gallon tank for aviation gas. It would be gated, fenced, and set back farther from the road. The total estimated cost for the construction is $1.6 million, which will be paid out of airport revenues. J.P.

New York State

To Combat Ocean Acidification

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has signed into law a bill establishing the New York State Ocean Acidification Task Force. Senator Kenneth LaValle, a Republican, and Assemblyman Steve Englebright, a Democrat, were the bill’s sponsors. 

The 14-member task force is charged with identifying the factors contributing to ocean acidification, which threatens the ecological health and productivity of coastal waters, and suggesting ways of addressing the threat. Members will also recommend new standards to better protect marine life, animals, and plants.

Ocean acidification is primarily caused by increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by fossil fuel emissions and deforestation. As the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide rises, more is absorbed by the ocean, where it reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid, leading to a decrease in pH. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, the ocean’s acidity has increased by 30 percent. This increased acidity decreases the amount of carbonate, a vital component in shells and skeletons for marine species including shellfish, crustaceans, coral, and plankton. 

Such changes in ocean chemistry may have far-reaching ramifications for the sustainability of the world’s fisheries. 

Ocean acidification can be further exacerbated by runoff and nutrient influx from land. According to the Maine Ocean Acidification Commission, “Scientific data indicate that the rate of acidification is at least 100 times faster at present than at any other time in the last 200,000 years and may be unprecedented in earth’s history.” 

The Atlantic Ocean along the Northeast’s shore may be particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification, because carbon dioxide is increasingly soluble in cold water.