People at a well-attended virtual meeting of the Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee Monday night cheered and applauded East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc as he relayed encouraging news about the numbers of town residents vaccinated locally over the weekend. Several of those present were among them, and showered the supervisor with thanks.
On the same subject, Seth Turner, superintendent of the Amagansett School, announced, also to sustained applause, that 65 percent of the school's "essential workers" — teachers, administrators, support staff, school bus drivers, janitors, and others — have had their first shots. On Tuesday, asked if any teachers had refused the shots, he said that "there are some people who did not wish to be vaccinated at this time," but declined to be more specific, lest it become "personally verifiable information," beyond the bounds of confidentiality. Amagansett is a prekindergarten through sixth-grade school "with only one teacher at each grade level," he explained, so "pretty soon you'd be able to know" who had passed on a shot.
A short-lived directive from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, issued on Feb. 21, had required school officials to ask their teachers if they'd been vaccinated, and to report the answers to the state week by week. Two days later, the State Department of Health rescinded the executive order, making it clear that only the Health Department and not employers should collect such personal information. "We'd wanted to trumpet the good news, but also wanted to be sensitive to bona fide reasons," Mr. Turner said, citing, for example, staff members of childbearing age who might be awaiting more information from medical experts before deciding to be vaccinated.
Michael Jordan of the town's nature preserve committee reported to the group about the committee's latest deliberations on the vacant town-owned land at 555 Montauk Highway in Amagansett. The property is being eyed not only for farming but also for community gardens, he said, with an eye to keeping it "primarily as it is," with the fence on Montauk Highway in place. An analysis of the soils there was made recently by the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Riverhead, and the verdict was not good, said Mr. Jordan. Mr. Van Scoyoc recalled that almost all the topsoil was stripped away years ago by would-be developers, but said that "soil amendments could be made." The land could still be used for certain events — Soldiers Ride and the East Hampton Library's Authors Night and Children's Book Day, for example — but no more than eight days a year. And, as in the past, emergency medevac helicopters would still be allowed to land and take off there.
Early in the meeting, Deborah Wick brought the committee up to speed on the continuing campaign to bring home-mail delivery to the hamlet. A total of $1,050 has been contributed to the cause, and will pay for the printing and associated costs of postcards informing residents of the drive. "Should there be enough interest, we will be in touch," they will say. The cards are being worked on now, and will be ready to show members at their next meeting, on April 12; meanwhile, petitions await signatures at Stony Hill Stables, Vicki's Veggies, and Amagansett Wines and Spirits.
