Town Board to Consider Major Environmental Reorganization
In resolution to be considered Thursday in East Hampton Town Hall, Supervisor Bill Wilkinson was to propose a major reorganization of land-use review for the Town of East Hampton.
A copy of the resolution appeared on the town's Web site Thursday as part of the agenda for tonight's town board meeting, which was to be at 7 p.m. It described a sharply reduced Town Planning Department and the creation of a new Environmental Protection Department.
If the new town agency is authorized, oversight of environmental protection, the Natural Resources Department, and Aquaculture Department would be under the town's natural resources director, Kim Shaw. Ms. Shaw would also oversee the Community Preservation Department, which advises the town on land purchases and stewardship.
In all, 10 town staff members would be moved from their current positions to the new department, it appears from the resolution.
Marguerite Wolffsohn, the planning director, and Brian Frank, the town's chief environmental analyst, would remain in the Planning Department.
No public discussion of the reorganization preceded the resolution's release Thursday. Mr. Wilkinson was unavailable for immediate comment.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
Full resolution:
Department: Town Attorney
Category: Personnel Misc.
Functions: Personnel
Sponsors: Supervisor William Wilkinson
Body
WHEREAS, the Town Board of the Town of East Hampton has been reviewing the manner in which the activities of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources, Aquaculture and Community Preservation are provided with a goal of increasing efficiency and operation of such services; and
WHEREAS, recognizing the positive contribution towards such services the Town’s Director of Natural Resources can add in the manner of stewardship, competencies and organizational efficiency, the Town Board would like to restructure the provision of the above services so that the activities of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources, Aquaculture and Community Preservation will be under the leadership of the Director of Natural Resources, Kim Shaw; and
WHEREAS, the Town Board believes that the proposed reorganization will allow environmental issues, one of the Town’s top priorities, to be addressed in a focused, cohesive and comprehensive manner; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Environmental Protection Department will now include 4 groups:
* The Environmental Protection unit will include Mark Abramson - Sr. Environmental Analyst and Margaret Cary-Smith, Sr. Clerk Typist;
* The Natural Resource Reviews group will include Joel Halsey - Sr. Environmental Analyst, Lisa D’Andrea - Environmentalist 1, and Tyler Borsack - Environmental Technician. As a result of this reorganization, the Planning department will no longer be responsible for natural resource reviews.
* Aquaculture will be headed by John Dunne - Bay Management Specialist II, with Katherine Rossi-Snook-Bay Management Specialist 1 and Peter Topping - Bay Management Specialist 1 reporting to John Dunne, and
* Community Preservation will include Scott Wilson - Land Management Specialist and Andrew Gaites - Sr. Environmental Analyst.
and be it further
RESOLVED, that William Taylor - Waterways Management Specialist - will be transferred to the Harbors and Docks department reporting to Senior Harbormaster - Ed Michaels, and Brian Frank - Chief Environmental Analyst- will remain working for Marguerite Wolffsohn in the Planning Department.
Source: http://easthamptontown.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?Frame=&ID…
This article has been updated from the version that originally appeared online.