East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen scrapped a proposal to charge for additional hours of parking on the streets of the commercial district and in the Reutershan and Schenck parking lots, and is now proposing to charge non-village residents for each hour of parking in the lots, and to forgo allowing any additional hours for street parking, he said at a board meeting last Thursday.
The details of the initial proposal were presented by East Hampton Village Police Capt. Anthony Long at a meeting last month. The plan had been to provide two hours of free parking in the lots, and allow drivers to pay for up to two more hours at a cost of $10 for the first additional hour, and $20 for the second. Village residents with beach permits would have received the first additional hour for free.
That proposal was rejected, Mr. Larsen said, out of concern that it would not generate enough revenue. "I'm not sure how much money we'd make with the third and fourth hour," he said. In the new proposal, nonresidents will be charged about $2 per hour immediately upon entry from May 15 through Sept. 15, and only two hours of parking between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. will be allowed.
One-hour parking is now permitted on Main Street, Newtown Lane, Pantigo Road, Lumber Lane, and Gingerbread Lane Extension between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. The proposal had been to allow two hours of parking in spaces in the heart of the commercial district, and four hours in those farther away with the first hour free, the second and third hours at $10 each, and the fourth at $20.
The existing street parking regulations would remain in effect according to the new proposal. Rose Brown, a trustee, said she preferred the new scaled-down approach, and her colleague Arthur Graham said keeping the one-hour street parking limit would prevent the village from missing out on a potential financial windfall. "We have to be careful about not losing revenue from parking tickets," he said.
The board discussed the extensive repairs that are needed on the village-owned Sea Spray Cottages at Main Beach. In addition to the buildings being damaged by the elements, some tenants have taken it upon themselves to make ill-advised renovations to kitchens and bathrooms, said Sandra Melendez, a trustee. In one bathroom, American plumbing has been replaced with European plumbing "and now we can't get the parts to fix it," she said. "If we're going to renovate it, it should be done by the village the right way."
Ms. Brown noted that some tenants rent the same unit for years, and the village may want to take advantage of the chance to have them pay for renovations. Still, she agreed that the village should approve any changes.
Chris Minardi, the deputy mayor, suggested winterizing the cottages. "One reason they're so battered is because there's no heat or insulation," he said. If the cottages were habitable in colder months, he noted, the village could lease them year round for a far higher rent.
Mayor Larsen asked Drew Bennett, the village engineer, to inspect each cottage and compile a list of the needed repairs.
The village charges an annual $50 fee to those who have a fire or police alarm on their property, and is due nearly $30,000 in outstanding fees, said Marcos Baladron, the village administrator. To retrieve those funds, the board agreed to have Beth Baldwin, the village attorney, provide another written notice to those who haven't paid. If the village doesn't receive the payment in 60 days, it will take a lien on the property.
The board accepted a bid from the Seekamp family, the owners of the Beach Hut at Atlantic Avenue Beach in Amagansett, to take over the concession at Main Beach, and agreed to allow a food truck to operate at Two Mile Hollow Beach.
It resolved to apply for a $50,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security to enhance the village's cybersecurity, and it approved the procurement of the village's first credit card. It will be used exclusively by Dominique Cummings, the village treasurer, Mr. Baladron said.
The board accepted a bid from National Waste Services to provide recycling services at the five village beaches and six locations in the commercial core. The company will pick up recycling twice a week, Mr. Larsen said.
The newly elected officers of the Ambulance Association were approved by the board. They include Lisa A. Charde, chief, Ann Grabowski, assistant chief, Mary Mott, captain, Marcia Dias, assistant captain, Olger Araya, lieutenant, and Ian Hoyt, second lieutenant.
As part of the celebration of the centennial of the village's 1920 incorporation, Mayor Larsen proposed honoring previous mayors by installing ceremonial street signs on the roads on which they reside or had resided. The effort will kick off on Saturday at 6 p.m. with a tribute to Paul F. Rickenbach Jr., the longest serving mayor in village history. On Maidstone Avenue, where it intersects with Gingerbread Lane, a sign will note its alternate name: Hon. Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. Road.
