Oh, Those Flimsy Bags
Sag Harbor Village is considering a ban on plastic bags, just as the Towns of East Hampton and Southampton are mulling proposals to prohibit the single-use bags.
Mayor Brian Gilbride, who started the discussion at a board meeting on Tuesday night, said that Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst had raised the issue at the last East End Supervisors and Mayors Association meeting in an attempt to get all of the municipalities on board. East Hampton and Southampton Villages have already implemented such bans.
Editorial:
Joining the Fight Against Plastic Bags
“Both Paul Rickenbach and Mark Epley spoke very well of it,” Mr. Gilbride said of his fellow mayors.
Village board members seemed in favor of the proposal, though they had some concerns. “It’s going to affect 90 percent of the stores downtown,” Ed Deyermond said. “I’m sure there’s going to be some sort of issue with them.” He pointed out that Bob Evjen, a former Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce president, was in the audience. Still, he said, “I support it — I support that concept.”
Another board member, Robby Stein, said he would like to know how many stores in the village had already done away with using the thin plastic bags. He said he thinks there are several stores that already offer reusable ones.
The board’s Sandra Schroeder said she would like to give stores an opportunity to use up the plastic bags they have already bought, since they often buy in bulk. “They’ll be throwing them out otherwise,” she said.
Mr. Gilbride agreed. He said that Ms. Throne-Holst is hoping to celebrate bans throughout the South Fork by Earth Day 2015, which is April 22.
Fred W. Thiele Jr., the village attorney and state assemblyman, made the board aware that there is pending litigation against the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester County from a national food organization over a similar ban. He was directed to draft legislation for the ban for next month’s meeting. A public hearing will be held at a future date.
In other news, the village accepted a proclamation recognizing Main Street’s designation as one of the “Great Streets in America.” Deborah Alaimo Lawlor, a nationally certified planner, made the presentation to the village board and members of the various advisory boards on behalf of the American Planning Association, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that honors 10 streets each year.
The board went on to discuss lowering the speed limit in the historic district from 25 miles per hour to 20. The village would need approval, in the form of legislation, from the state to do so, similar to the legislation created for NewYork City recently. The board also wants to ask the state’s Department of Transportation that the speed limit be reduced from 40 miles per hour to 25 at the entrance to the village from Route 114 in East Hampton.
Also during the meeting, a formal presentation was made to the public about plans for a new park on the south side of the Marine Lance Cpl. Jordan C. Haerter Memorial Bridge.
Ed Hollander, a Sag Harbor homeowner who is the head of Hollander Landscape Architects of New York City, donated his time to come up with a proposal to turn the unused area into a space the community can use.
The plans include a dock, paths, sitting areas, greenery, and a boardwalk to other waterfront spots, like Long Wharf.
“It’s a design that needs the input of everybody on the board and the community to flesh out the details,” Mr. Hollander said.