Government

A statewide initiative has begun to encourage the use of electric vehicles and increase charging hubs. The initiative includes additional public fast-charger networks across the state, regulatory actions to lower residential charging rates, and rebates of up to $2,000 for the purchase or lease of a new electric car from a participating dealer.

The Suffolk County Legislature voted on Dec. 18 to amend the Residential Septic Incentive Program, a grant assistance program for the installation of innovative and alternative wastewater treatment systems, to expand the pool of those eligible to participate in it.

One month after the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act was introduced in the House of Representatives, Senators Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, and Jeff Flake, a retiring Republican of Arizona, followed suit in the Senate.

The East Hampton Town Trustees have put out a call for applicants to assist in next year’s mosquito larval sampling program in the 190 acres of marshland surrounding Accabonac Harbor.

The Suffolk County Water Authority and the Town of East Hampton announced on Friday the imminent completion of the installation of approximately 45,000 feet of water main in Wainscott, an effort to provide public water to the hamlet after numerous private wells were discovered to be contaminated with perfluorinated chemicals.

The East Hampton Town Board plans a vote tonight to authorize a bond resolution for the purchase of the building on Stephen Hand’s Path that housed the Child Development Center of the Hamptons.

The Sand Land industrial mine was denied its request to re-argue and renew its application to expand its mining operation on Middle Line Road in Noyac, another setback for the controversial plant that has been blamed for a wide range of pollutants in surface water and groundwater beneath the site.

A last-minute change in the site plan for the proposed 17,000-square-foot expansion of T.J. Maxx, a chain store in Bridgehampton Commons, was unveiled at a Southampton Town Planning Board public hearing last Thursday. The board closed the hearing, but will hold the record open for 30 days for written comments.

Multiple environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the federal government following news that the Trump administration has allowed five companies to conduct seismic surveys for oil and gas deposits under the Atlantic Ocean floor.

An informational session about the Suffolk County Aquaculture lease program, under which 10-acre parcels are leased for private, commercial shellfish cultivation, will be held at Town Hall next month, the East Hampton Town Trustees announced at their meeting on Monday.

After a plan for a water cistern on high ground in Amagansett ran into opposition from neighbors last spring, the Suffolk County Water Authority regrouped and will now hold a public hearing on a new concept on Monday at 6 p.m. in the East Hampton Library.

Immediate steps should be taken and community preservation fund money allocated to alleviate runoff of contaminated water into Lake Montauk and the Atlantic Ocean in Montauk’s downtown, the East Hampton Town Board was told at its work session on Tuesday.

Despite objections from farmers to a proposed law on the installation of eight-foot-high deer fences, which they said would be burdensome, the Sagaponack Village Board passed the measure without revision last week.

C.P.F. Revenues Up, Schneiderman Concedes, Thiele Supports Solar Expansion Campaign

Without fanfare and with no public comment, the East Hampton Town Board voted unanimously on Nov. 20 to adopt amendments to its zoning code establishing parking requirements that could affect motels’ ability to add accessory uses such as a restaurant, bar, or retail store.

The Empire State Trail, a continuous bicycling and pedestrian path that is to span the state from New York City to Canada and Buffalo to Albany upon its expected completion in 2020, may also extend to Long Island, the East Hampton Town Board was told last week, and could dovetail with a townwide goal for more cyclist and pedestrian-friendly roadways.

Springs residents turned out last Thursday for an East Hampton Town Board hearing on the future of their hamlet, however their comments were dominated by worries about the future of a commercial area just beyond the official Springs line.

D.E.C. Commissioner to Step Down. Opposing the T. J. Maxx Expansion.

Citing strong interest, the Town of East Hampton is continuing the Solarize East Hampton campaign that affords residential and commercial property owners a discounted price on solar panel installation beyond the original Oct. 31 sign-up deadline.

Residents will have an opportunity to weigh in on the proposed South Fork Wind Farm, a 15-turbine installation approximately 35 miles off Montauk Point, when the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management holds a scoping session on Monday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the American Legion Hall in Amagansett.

Dozens of campaign signs for Perry Gershon, the Democratic candidate for New York’s First Congressional District, were vandalized last weekend.

New Yorkers Against Gun Violence has endorsed Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Perry Gershon. The New York League of Conservation Voters has endorsed Perry Gershon for Congress. The East Hampton Democratic Committee and the Friends of David Lys will hold a campaign rally tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m. at the American Legion Hall in Amagansett. The Clubhouse at East Hampton Indoor Tennis will host an Election Day party, which the facility’s proprietor, Scott Rubenstein, called a bipartisan effort to encourage people to exercise their right to vote.

A proposal for the 17,000-square-foot expansion of the T.J. Maxx store at Bridgehampton Commons will receive a public hearing at the Southampton Town Planning Board next Thursday at 6 p.m.

Tuesday is Election Day, with candidates on the ballot here for town, county, state, and federal offices. Voting takes place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For many years, commercial fishermen in New York have complained about the inequities they faced in the numbers­­­ of summer flounder they could land (as well as other popular species), when compared to other states along the East Coast. The fight has gone on for nearly 30 years and continues to this day.

The East Hampton Town Trustees oversaw the traditional fall opening of Georgica Pond to the Atlantic Ocean on Monday.

Southampton Town

Owners of historic properties who are having trouble maintaining them can apply for a 2019 landmarks maintenance program award. The deadline is Dec. 28. 

Award money can be used to support projects that contribute to the preservation and long-term sustainability of designated properties. Projects can include exterior improvements, structural stabilization, window, door, and shutter restoration, and fixing water penetration issues.

The campaign funds of the two House of Representatives hopefuls in the First Congressional District are within spitting distance of each other, according to the most recent reporting.

East Hampton Town Councilman David Lys and his challenger, Manny Vilar, will meet in a debate. The League of Women Voters of the Hamptons has scheduled three debates ahead of the Nov. 6 election.

With warnings about catastrophic climate change growing ever more urgent, the Town of East Hampton has moved proactively, having set a goal to achieve its energy needs from renewable sources.