Government Briefs 12.20.18

Southampton Town

Sand Land Expansion Denied

The Sand Land industrial mine was denied its request to re-argue and renew its application to expand its mining operation on Middle Line Road in Noyac, another setback for the controversial plant that has been blamed for a wide range of pollutants in surface water and groundwater beneath the site.

The decision against Sand Land was rendered on Dec. 10 by the New York State Office of Hearings and Mediation Services, an independent office within the Department of Environmental Conservation. Sand Land unsuccessfully argued during the proceedings that its expansion request was permitted under Southampton Town code.

A study of water samples taken under court order at Sand Land by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services was released earlier this year. It confirmed for the first time the presence of contaminants in the water table there. The D.E.C. subsequently ruled that Sand Land must stop its mining and mulching operations and confine itself solely to remediation work at the 50-acre site. 

State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. issued a statement hailing last week’s mediation services ruling as “a win for the environment and public health.” But, he added, “The real victory will come when Sand Land is closed permanently.”

Sand Land’s attorney, Brian Matthews of Matthews, Kirst & Cooley in East Hampton, did not return a request for comment. J.H.

New York State

Thiele to Chair Committees

Carl Heastie, the speaker of the New York State Assembly, has appointed Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. chairman of the assembly’s standing committee on local governments, among others. 

According to Mr. Thiele’s office, the committee considers “legislative needs” of “counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts, fire districts, and other special districts and local agencies” with regard to open space, transportation, housing, local land-use, water quality improvement projects, and the Peconic Bay region septic replacement loan program, among other things.

“Local governments directly impact the daily lives of residents, from roadways and schools to public water, law enforcement, and fire protection,” Mr. Thiele said in a release. “It is the level of governance closest to the people, who have placed their trust in local officials to maintain the community’s well-being.” 

Mr. Thiele knows of what he speaks. Prior to his long and continuing tenure in the assembly, he was a Southampton Town attorney, Southampton Town supervisor, and Suffolk County legislator. More recently, he also was the Sag Harbor Village attorney.

Mr. Thiele has been chairman of the assembly small business and its libraries and educational technologies committees. He sits on its ways and means, environmental conservation, transportation, and oversight analysis and investigation committees.

 Recharging the Parrish

The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill will benefit from an economic development and discount power program called ReCharge NY, according to an announcement from Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele. In exchange for low-cost clean energy, the museum leaders have committed to retaining 44 jobs at the museum and creating six new ones, while investing $125,000 in capital improvements.

The announcement is part of the latest round of the New York Power Authority’s ReCharge NY power allocations, which look to create more than 520 new jobs and result in capital investments of more than $400 million throughout the state, Mr. Thiele said.

“As a premier, year-round arts and cultural institution for the East End community, the Parrish runs extensive and costly programming in its 34,400-square-foot facility. The museum will greatly benefit from a reduction in energy costs,” Mr. Thiele said in a release. 

Terrie Sultan, the museum’s director, said she was “thrilled to be a part of this essential program that not only provides us with clean energy, but helps us keep our operating costs low and ensures that we can create and maintain employment opportunities for the many members of our community who work together to make Long Island a star in the firmament of New York State.”

A Peconic Bay Heritage Area

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has signed legislation designating the Peconic Bay region — which includes the Towns of East Hampton, Southampton, Shelter Island, Riverhead, and Southold — as a New York State Heritage Area.

The heritage area program is overseen by the state’s Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and recognizes places “where unique qualities of geography, history, and culture create a distinctive identity,” according to a joint statement from Assemblyman Thiele and State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle, who sponsored the Peconic Bay legislation. 

The Peconic Bay region will become one of 20 heritage areas in the state, each representing one or more important themes in New York’s history: labor and industry, immigration and migration, defense, the natural environment, and reform movements. “This allows the community itself to be the ‘park,’ dedicated to the preservation of its unique cultural heritage through programs such as ethnic festivals, waterfront walks, lively theater, provocative exhibits, and neighborhood walking tours,” according to the lawmakers. 

The state-local partnerships encouraged by the program give communities access to new state funding and grant opportunities “to promote the preservation, restoration, and enhancement of the resources that make each heritage area so unique and essential.”