Lighting Code Hearing Is Scheduled
In a brief meeting on Friday, the East Hampton Village Board gave notice of three upcoming public hearings, which are scheduled for Nov. 20 at the Emergency Services Building.
One hearing concerns an amendment to the village’s lighting code, which was revised after numerous business owners and their representatives criticized the initial proposal last winter. The proposed changes are intended to update a chapter of the code, enacted in 2004, to address light trespass, regulate lighting deemed needless, maintain the village’s rural character, and save energy through new technology and reduced use. A proposed dusk-to-dawn prohibition of “nonessential” lighting in the commercial district was removed from the legislation, and another of the business community’s concerns was alleviated with a revision allowing conformance at the time a fixture or bulb is repaired or replaced, rather than upon the effective date of the legislation.
The second hearing is on a proposed amendment to require issuance of an updated certificate of occupancy upon a change of ownership. The amendment, which would codify what has become a standard practice in most of the legal community, is intended to make the village’s zoning code easier to enforce.
The third proposed amendment would enhance the village’s collection of unpaid false alarm fees by providing that any such fees become a lien on the property where an alarm was generated. The Towns of East Hampton and Southampton, and the Villages of Sag Harbor, Quogue, and Westhampton Beach have similar provisions.
In other news from the meeting, the board authorized Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. to accept the donation of the Dominy clock and woodworking shops, which date to 1797 and 1850 and have stood at 62 Further Lane since 1946. The timber-frame structures originally stood on North Main Street and were joined when they were moved to Further Lane. A timetable on the move is still to be determined.
The donor was shielded by the corporate name 62 FL but is widely believed to be Barry Rosenstein, a hedge fund manager and founder of Jana Partners who purchased the 16 acres at 60, 62, and 64 Further Lane last year for a reported $147 million. The clock and woodworking shops are to be moved from his property.
The board also voted to accept the donation of a 1935 fire truck from John Hiscock, a former member of the fire department. That donation is reported elsewhere in this issue.
Bruce Siska, a member of the board, thanked the family of Mr. Hiscock and reminded residents to change the batteries in smoke detectors when they turn clocks back one hour on Nov. 1, the end of daylight saving time. “They should be changed every six months,” Mr. Siska said. “Remember to do that, and stock up on batteries.”
Barbara Borsack, who had referred to Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the importance of mammograms at the board’s Oct. 1 work session, concluded the meeting with a message. “There are so many cancers that are so easily treatable nowadays,” she said. “Take care of your health, get your screenings done, and be well out there.”