Covid-19 orders to close schools, businesses, and houses of worship have revealed surprising aspects of contemporary life in our region, aspects worthy of a deeper look at how readily eastern Long Islanders have taken to the outdoors.
With gyms and fitness studios closed, it is not surprising that the segment of the population that is most regularly active would find alternatives in biking, jogging, and brisk walking. What has been somewhat of a revelation is that so many non-fitness types would do the same. Here in East Hampton, visitors at unprecedented levels have filled the state and county parks. Beaches, too, have been well used, especially for early spring. The sidewalks at our end of the village have had their users, too, people passing dutifully at least six feet from one another. And once the advisory to wear masks when in public came down, roughly a third of the pedestrians we saw appeared to comply.
What this embrace of the out of doors indicates is a widely shared eagerness among many residents and visitors to engage with the East End’s still extraordinary landscape. It also should be a reminder that long-shelved ideas about improving accesses and opening new ones ought to be dusted off and revisited. Conditions at existing parks, roads, and other places should be carefully evaluated with an eye toward improving visitor experience. One East Hampton resident recently described the parks here as “depressing,” saying they were the kind of place “to hang out in only if I was trying to score drugs.” We know our East End communities can do better.
One proposal that immediately comes to mind as we reflect on the new passion for the outdoors is a bicycle and walking path that would wind through Springs near Three Mile Harbor. This was part of a hamlet study commissioned by the Town of East Hampton, and has not been acted on. The narrow, often-crowded roads all over the East End are hardly ideal for bicyclists or pedestrians. Vehicles still rule after decades of talk about alternatives. Now would be a good time for officials from state to village levels to get serious on this.
Another long dormant project was creating another public ocean beach, perhaps on town-owned land at Napeague. This would relieve pressure on the existing beaches by spreading people out, maybe even assuring places to park on busy summer days.
Think, too, of young people — East Hampton Town’s two skate parks could benefit from freshening. Even existing facilities could use better upkeep. It was disappointing, for example, that one of the two nets at the tennis courts at the Abraham’s Path Youth Park had fallen and was left there for months unrepaired. Unfortunately, the message to kids who wanted to play tennis was that town workers had better things to do. Meanwhile, the town board had no problem handing over its centrally located Little League fields off Pantigo Road for a planned Stony Brook Southampton small-scale medical facility.
Upkeep of existing woodland footpaths — and opening new routes — has been almost exclusively the work of independent preservation groups. It would be wonderful if in light of their sudden popularity, local government in East Hampton and Southampton might lend more support in the form of manpower and equipment. After this is all over, new trails volunteers would surely be welcomed for regular weekly maintenance.
Montauk presents a special challenge. Through a quirk of East Hampton Town law, commercial development was allowed to proceed nearly without constraint. This is why there are nearly no sidewalks in the main business area, and the waterfront is almost entirely cut off from public view at Lake Montauk, except on private property such as Gosman’s. Going forward, as redevelopment plans come to the town for approval, improving access and pedestrian and bicycle options must be a primary consideration.
Local leaders have chattered long enough about changes of the sort described here. The rush outdoors that has accompanied the Covid-19 crisis should be seen as a message too loud to be put off.