East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc will hold a hearing on the petition for the incorporation of Wainscott on Friday at 11 a.m. via Zoom, and broadcast on LTV's channel 22. Comments on the legal sufficiency of the petition can be called in to 351-888-6331.
Motivated by opposition to a plan to land the proposed South Fork Wind farm's export cable at the ocean end of Beach Lane, a group called Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott is leading an effort to create an incorporated village in a 4.4-square-mile expanse of that hamlet. A petition supporting that move was submitted to the supervisor, as required by state law, on Dec. 30. It was signed by more than 200 residents, exceeding the threshold of at least 20 percent of residents in the proposed territory.
Pursuant to legal requirements, the supervisor had 30 days to review the petition, determine whether or not it met the requirements of the village incorporation law, and to certify it or not.
Mr. Van Scoyoc said at the town board's work session on Tuesday that the purpose of the hearing is to hear objections to the sufficiency of the petition, and not one's support for or opposition to incorporation. But, he added, he will "welcome anyone who wants to speak at that hearing. You can make whatever comments you like, but in order for them to be considered by the supervisor, they have to relate to the sufficiency of the petition itself."
The petition can be viewed on the town's website and is also available for public inspection by calling Carole Brennan, the town clerk, at 631-324-4142.
Objections to the legal sufficiency of the petition must be in writing and signed by one or more of the residents of the town, and must include the addresses of the objectors.
Comments regarding the petition's legal sufficiency can also be delivered via email to [email protected], or sent by mail to the Town Clerk, 159 Pantigo Road, East Hampton 11937. They must be received within 20 days of the virtual meeting, after which the hearing will be closed.
Within 10 days after the hearing is closed, the supervisor will determine whether the petition complies with the legal requirements. If it is found to be legally sufficient, the proposal will proceed to a vote by residents of the proposed village.
An incorporated village of Wainscott has aroused activism both for and against the idea. Following the formation of Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott, an opposing group called Wainscott United formed. Along with the wind farm itself (portions of which the town board and trustees recently voted to authorize in the form of easement, lease, and host-community and revenue-sharing agreements), the incorporation effort has dominated discussion at the Wainscott Citizens Advisory Committee's monthly meetings. The committee's next virtual meeting will closely follow the hearing, on Saturday at 9 a.m.
Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind and Eversource Energy, the wind farm's developers, would pay approximately $29 million over the wind farm's 25-year life span as part of the host-community agreement. Town board and trustee members have indicated that the money, to be divided between the town and the trustees, would fund environmental remediation projects, including dredging of waterways, among other improvements.
The developers hope to construct and operate the South Fork Wind farm in a federal lease area approximately 35 miles east of Montauk Point. They assert that it will generate electricity sufficient to power 70,000 average-size houses. The proposal is now before the New York State Public Service Commission and the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
