Weekend Visitors East Hampton June 28, 2015 Dear Editor, I know that this is my third letter in two weeks, but this one was requested by several people. It also ties in, as it turns out, with the recent “The Mast-Head: Unintended Consequences” article, a link to which was emailed to me by a friend. First of all, I don’t think it’s elitist in any way to want to keep our community somewhat exclusive. In fact, it’s a biological and social necessity that we take a serious look at limiting the number of people who visit our area. This is a very complex and touchy subject, and I have no intention of doing more than scratching the surface. What I specifically wanted to add to the column is something I have observed personally and which has been reported to me at least once a day by service people and other year-rounders. Specifically, visitors are now commonly making two comments: “I wish the locals would shop during the week,” and “I wish the locals would use their own beaches.” To begin with the latter complaint, the beaches in the Hamptons are not owned by anyone. They are all public beaches, and none are set aside for the exclusive use of any particular demographic. In fact, we locals consider all the beaches to be our beaches, and people should feel lucky that we are willing to share them at all. As to the comment about shopping, I wish to enlighten those who make this incredibly rude and idiotic statement as to certain facts of life here on the East End. To begin with, a lot of weekend visitors decide to do their shopping for the week on their way home, and so the I.G.A.s, Waldbaum’s, and especially King Kullen, are all depleted of stock, particularly popular items like paper towels and certain foodstuffs. These stocks are often not replenished until late in the week, as most shipping companies will only schedule trips to our area on certain days, and apparently stores closer to the city get precedence. In addition, drivers are often loath to make the Hamptons run because of traffic and the fact that beyond Southampton, the roads are extremely narrow and sometimes don’t allow enough room for a large 16 or 18-wheel trailer truck to make a normal turn. Just two days ago, I nearly had a head-on collision at the corner of Newtown Lane and Main Street because a huge truck was making the turn and had to make the turn wide, without anyone directing traffic. I’m also reminded of an even longer truck — a super-long — that was trying to make the same turn a few years back and wound up scraping the sides of about 12 cars parked by Elie Tahari. This subject could form the basis of an entire article. But getting back to the supply problem, what this means is that many times, the products we all want (visitor and local) are not available on the shelves until Friday, and so we all wind up shopping on the same three days every week. There is also the economic reality that many local people are still holding down more than one job in order to make ends meet. This means that there is often no time to shop from Monday to Friday, and so, again, shopping winds up being done on Saturday or Sunday — and they have to bring the kids along (another common and idiotic complaint). This state of affairs is mostly thanks in large part to the fact that living in our area is so expensive, which is also in many ways attributable to the very visitors who make the complaints. More and more visitors seem to be making more and more inane and selfish complaints. I remember back in the 1980s, when I was working at the East Hampton Cinema, a lady once commented, “I was told by [a prominent New York City newspaper] that people like you were supposed to wait on people like me hand and foot.” (I should point out that this comment was made to a shop owner, not to me, when the shop owner refused to let the woman use the store’s private phone — there was a pay phone across the street, and she was definitely rich.) I am reminded of this woman more and more as the years go by. People may claim it’s elitist to want to keep people out of our community. My question is this: Is it elitist to want to have a decent quality of life? We’re not asking for perfection, and we certainly don’t mind sharing with people who are respectful of the fact that some of us have to live here year-round. I remind those who scoff that while you may have been in Florida in January, the rest of us were buried under four feet of snow. We live here because we love it, no matter what the season. We also love our beaches. We are willing to share, but please remember, if you don’t live here year-round, that our beaches and our stores are not just for your benefit. Maybe you can leave some space and merchandise for those of us who brave the ice and snow to really live here. And remember that you are surrounded by locals, and many of us are paying attention. There may come a time when we ask certain visitors to leave and not come back — ever. Thanks for reading. Sincerely, MATT HARNICK ‘All My Sons’ Amagansett June 28, 2015 Dear Mr. Rattray, I wish to thank the staff, administration, and board of directors of Guild Hall for all of their hard work on behalf of our production of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons,” which finished its run with today’s matinee. In particular, I want to offer a special mention to Josh Gladstone, Jen Brondo, and Corey Jane Cardoso at Guild Hall; to Steve Hamilton, our director, and to Ellen Myers and Roy Furman, our producers. Mounting a play at Guild Hall is not easy. Identifying competent actors, designers, and contractors to come out east and work on a classic and demanding piece of material requires a lot of planning and a good deal of luck. In the case of “All My Sons,” we got very lucky. A top cast of both young and veteran actors, headed by the great Laurie Metcalf, came to East Hampton and, joined by great talents in every area of theater production, I believe we did right by Miller’s great drama. And also a sincere thanks to our audience. The support of this community for serious theater in East Hampton is something we should never take lightly. I hope those who came enjoyed the show. ALEC BALDWIN To Offer Praise Amagansett June 29, 2015 Dear Mr. Rattray: This letter is dedicated to all of the people (four in total) who have been asking me, “Why haven’t I seen a letter from you lately? Is something wrong?” I have no idea what they’ve been looking for or expecting, but I’d like to offer them, in addition to this letter, the beverage of their choice the next time we encounter each other in a public place. Preferably one that serves beverages. It’s not that there hasn’t been a great deal to write about — on the contrary. But we’ve been incredibly busy lately with so many things, it’s been hard to collect, much less memorialize our thoughts. I know: excuses, excuses. Digression #1: You know Mary’s mother, Jean Hantz, passed away a number of weeks ago. Perhaps you saw the obituary in The Star. (I assume you read The Star?) Though you failed to include the photo, submitted by the family, of Jean when she was a beautiful young woman. Not enough room? A few people felt bad about that. It was a tough time, but it’s better now. Digression #2: I recently hosted the Association of Music Producers Awards for Music and Sound in New York City. I only bring that up out of excessive vanity and self-possession. (I know, what else is new? Well if you’d sit still, Mr. Rattray, you’ll find out.) Digression #3: Just a few weeks ago Mary and I completed restoration of the charming little white house at 374 Main Street in the Amagansett Historic District. This long-neglected property, which had begun to look like a Halloween nightmare, has been transformed into a magically inviting home that surprises us every time we walk in the door. Perhaps you’ll get to see it some time when you’re delivering papers on Main — we’ll have you in for milk and cookies! Digression #4: Just two weeks ago I attended a fund-raiser at Stephen Talkhouse hosted by the local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation to gather support in the fight against the government-sponsored plundering of Montauk’s beaches. To wit, the planned sandbagging of thousands of linear feet of oceanfront for the blatant purpose of saving the motels and other structures built too close to the untamable sea in the first place. Disturbing to think, people have somehow been convinced that plastic bags filled with sand, then buried with sand, could possibly be a long-term deterrent to the storms and tidal surges of the Atlantic. Want to bring in new sand and replenish the beaches? Good idea. Do it. It’ll cost a fraction of the proposed budget for the baggie folly. And while we’re at it, let’s use this apparently available money to retrofit the existing structures with Federal Emergency Management Agency-approved storm drainage at, or just below, grade to mitigate the flooding when the next named hurricane event strikes. You’re welcome. Actual purpose of this letter: I want to offer praise and congratulations to my wife, who has just retired from teaching at Southampton Elementary. She taught Spanish there in the dual-language program that she helped establish in Southampton almost a decade ago. I want to cheer and celebrate her colleagues and fellow teachers, as well. I guess I never fully understood the care, the patience, the responsibility, and steadfast dedication a teacher must have, day after day, year after year, to maintain excellence in that profession — not until I lived with one. In my 46 years in the business of advertising and commercial music I have never met a brilliant ad man who deserved to make more money than a good teacher. But of course, they do make more money. A freaking shame, I can now report with some personal experience. A few weeks ago one of Mary’s third graders came up to her and said, “Senora Greenfield, my mother told me that you’re going to retire after this year.” Mary replied, “That’s right, Kyri, I am!” Causing the little girl to say, “That’s unacceptable! You have to be here till I finish fourth grade!” Which almost brought her to tears, me as well, when I heard the story. I’ve attended a few ceremonies and retirement parties in the past several weeks, hearing the praise and good wishes of peers and administrators for the ones moving on. How gratifying to be in the audience, seeing the genuine appreciation shown for those who’ve given many years of service to a calling that few can understand fully. A good teacher in these early years is really a transitional parent — not only teaching, but nurturing, guiding a little one, safely, into the social world. No plastic sandbags under these kids. A good foundation built on care, attention, trust, and knowledge. In case you wondered what will she do now, Mary’s already established a consultancy that will allow her to continue working, not only here, but far afield in her chosen specialization, dual-language education. (I should probably learn to speak Spanish.) Adios, LYLE GREENFIELD A Special Place East Hampton June 26, 2015 To the Editor: As a parent of a 5-year-old boy, I completely relate to Mr. Bragman’s letter. After his swimming lessons, our boy loves to run upstairs to the top level of the East Hampton RECenter to play and wrestle on the gym mats — totally free-form — without any kind of adult-led class, while he is supervised by his parents. The time together is so awesome, especially in the winter months when there is little to do outside. The REC is a special place, with an amazing staff that really makes our community a special place in which to live. Sincerely, JEFF SHARP After-School Downtime Amagansett June 26, 2015 Dear David, Of course the Y.M.C.A. East Hampton RECenter will welcome a young, after-school downtime population. It is so needed. I mentored the down time of inner-city high school kids (Manhattan Playhouse) for close to 20 years. We caught the eye of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. New York teenagers lectured to doctoral candidates, and they listened! I totally support the initiative of the East End New Leaders, allowing children to regroup, after their school day, at their community space. The RECenter’s passive space must be expanded. There will be rules, of course. There should be a few experienced adults on hand who actually like children — even other people’s children. Don’t say children. Say builders. All good things, DIANA WALKER Gardenalien East Hampton June 25, 2015 To the Editor: It was with great pleasure that my wife and I submitted the entry “Gardenalien” for this year’s Longhouse planters exhibit. Not being in the landscaping business, we had not expected to win, but thought our entry would bring a spark of humor to the competition. Britta Lokting’s review of the show naturally included congratulating the winners, but was it really necessary for her to single out and denigrate our entry? Perhaps it was inevitable that an entry with a fresh, light-hearted approach and chrome tits was a turnoff to some viewers, but the “Gardenalien” seemed to have just arrived and stepped away from the Longhouse geodesic dome a short distance away! LAWRENCE and CORNELIA RANDOLPH Where Is the Goose? Springs June 29, 2015 Dear Editor, For a number of years, our East Hampton Nature Trail has had a mascot of sorts, a big white goose. This goose seemed to be the leader of whatever configuration of waterfowl we are blessed with at any given time. Once the L.V.I.S. erected the Nature Trail kiosk, we learned from our photographer and naturalist-in-residence, Dell Cullum, that it was an Emden goose. From then on, he/she became our duck pond icon. Then, without warning, the white goose disappeared. All Nature Trail fanatics frantically inquired, where is the goose? Have you seen the goose? What has happened to our goose? The goose was gone, and I must say, holiday spirits were sorely affected, but as the months passed and the harsh winter came and went, we slowly stopped thinking about the goose. And then, without warning, along with the spring came not one but six gigantic geese. Five gray ones, the likes of which we had never seen, and leading their gaggle — one white goose. Truthfully, it didn’t occur to me that it could be our white Emden goose of yore, but I was very happy to see them and watch them integrate into our duck pond family. Some weeks later, I happened on the trail at twilight and struck up a conversation with a pretty, charming, and mannerly young girl with the special name of Devyn Davis. She explained that the rustling in the woods was her father looking for turtles; they come here often to the Nature Trail. And then the startling news: The big white goose, the one newly arrived with the five gray, was named Lucky Duck when she rescued it from a hit-and-run despicable driver and brought it home over the winter to nurse its broken wing back to health! The animal-loving dad is Jeff Eames (known around here by his moniker Trees by Jeff), and now we all know of this caring, beautiful, sensitive Springs family of four naturalists who saved our goose! The older sister is said to have a special way with animals and birds and the mother misses the goose terribly (though they have several pairs of other animals at home). I am enlightened to know the Family Eames is part of our community and feel we should all be very proud that East Hampton can boast of exemplary families like this one. Only one mystery now remains. We have no idea where the other five gray geese came from but are happy they are friends to our used-to-be-alone Emden goose. As they transition into life at the duck pond, they add more beauty as their gaggle glides across the pond or stalks David’s Lane. They stick together and are very respectful of our resident ducks’ space, even seeming to allow the ducks, though a third their size, to eat first when that nutritious L.V.I.S.-supplied food is spread for them. A big win-win for all. DIANNE BENSON ‘The Truth I Speak’ East Hampton June 28, 2015 Dear David, Please allow me to reply to a few statements that I was mentioned in. First to Mr. Margolis: The garbage cans in question are the cans that actually sit on the beach, not the ones in the parking lot. The theory was, if the cans in the parking lot cannot be maintained properly during the higher trash-volume months, why add more cans halfway closer to the water, where simple litter like a balloon string could cause suffering and death to both marine and terrestrial wildlife — and usually does. If you contact the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, they can confirm the staggering statistics right here on our local beaches, including Main Beach. In fact, Mr. Margolis, you may not see a problem, but at one time the town also had cans on its beaches. They removed them because they did cause a problem and a mess, as was stated by a longtime town employee and present East Hampton Town Trustee, Bill Taylor. So my logic, Mr. Margolis, was simply to benefit the village and save the people, the beaches, the environment, and wildlife from another mistake, before it happened. My theory works this way: Fix the inevitable before it breaks and becomes a problem. Why wait until something breaks before you fix it? Why not prevention before the break? The real question should be, why haven’t the cans been removed? Hmm? I pick up an average of 35 to 55 pounds of trash from Main Beach to Two Mile Hollow Beach every week, at least four days a week, for the past three years, year round. Ten to 15 pounds from Indian Wells to Atlantic Avenue. I may not have been a patron as long as yourself, Mr. Margolis, but I go to the beach to pick up other people’s filth, while you go to enjoy the beach. I find the village crews to be extremely efficient, thorough, and at the top of their game, specifically with the trash and litter issues that do escalate each year, undeniably. But they cannot control what happens after the sun goes down. The elements and wildlife also become a factor, particularly when trash is put on the ground beside the cans at night rather than inside. If you don’t think this happens, or think I’m making this up, please email me at [email protected] and I’d love to send you a few beautiful photographs of the former Most Beautiful Beach in America. I look forward to hearing from you. In response to the deer sterilization issue: I’m glad that Mr. Rasweiler IV has confirmed I am not a doctor or scientist, therefore I know nothing. However, the entire medical reasoning that I explained for the sterilization being the cause of multiple inhumane deaths, no one is arguing. Instead, we continue to hear the repetitive “there’s no reason to think that the sterilization has anything to do with what Mr. Cullum witnessed.” Meanwhile, I just explained the correlation very clearly. It’s not arguable because it’s fact. This knowledge is a click away, folks. The opposition knows the majority won’t take the time to look for it. I found it, and I didn’t need a degree to understand it. Now, the fact that I don’t have a degree is all the opposition has to discredit me and the truth I speak. Fair enough. This “layperson” will let the obvious speak for itself. I guess doing abdominal surgery in an unsterile woodworking village maintenance shed, on a lunch table, with out-of-state volunteers in unsterile attire (not licensed in New York State, according to the state’s Professions Online Verification — a Class E Felony in New York) would be no cause for alarm in regard to infection or the fail-safe sterilization process. Heck, what do I know about abdominal surgery, sterile environments, infection, lunch tables, or woodworking for that matter. I’m just a local layperson. Oh, by the way, neither Dr. DeNicola nor Mr. Rasweiler are doctors of veterinary medicine either. Neither has taken that critical oath of ethics that doctors of veterinary medicine take. It also seems like the D.V.M., also commenting in the editor’s letters, agrees there is an absolute connection between the sterilization and the tagged deer deaths I experienced (not “witnessed”). I’ve learned a few things through this atrocity, but the one thing that stands out the most is, a lot of medical and deer-savvy folks say they’ve seen it all when it comes to deer — aborting fawns, mutated fawns, difficult births, all of which are common or “natural.” First, although they might be common they are far from natural. “Common” and “natural” do not always mean the same thing in regard to wildlife. For example, a common cause of death for deer (vehicular accidents) is caused by a very unnatural object to the deer (a vehicle). I’m also quite confident that what I saw and experienced in regard to Doe #57 was not natural or common. It was also not a breech birth like they have claimed. I know this because I was the one there, and I pulled both stillborn fawns out head first. With 25-plus years of hands-on, in the field education, I don’t need a degree to come to the conclusion that what I saw was far from normal, and quite possibly the direct result of the sterilization process. Last Monday I had two more aborted-fawns calls. One was on private property with no doe, and the other in the Nature Trail with a tagged doe. In the five years I’ve been back home working with wildlife, I’ve never had an aborted fawn, sick doe, or birthing difficulty call. This year I’ve been called and responded to four in 30 days. I took photos of this most recent aborted fawn, then called the D.E.C. I didn’t get a call back until the next day. I am not a storage facility for dead animals. The fawn’s body was pulled from a ground box and torn up pretty bad the next morning. I then brought it to the dump. If this was important, the fawn would have been addressed immediately or there would be a 24-hour hotline number and pickup arrangement. Wildlife doesn’t take holidays, weekends, or evenings off, so neither do I. DELL CULLUM Deal Only With Facts Bridgehampton June 29, 2015 Dear Editor, What’s troubling you? What questions? Who are these questions coming from and why? I’m surprised by your knee-jerk reaction to rumors and the medieval fairy tales that are being whipped up on all forms of social media. Do you ever fact-check? You write, “In recent days several tagged does have turned up dead or been found emaciated and suffering badly with aborted fetuses. . . .” This is false. How can you print this? You should have reported accurately and said, “In recent weeks, two tagged does have died.” One from septic shock, among other things, after being unable to pass two hopelessly entangled stillborn fawns. One emaciated doe that the D.E.C. decided to shoot. They are in the process of performing a necropsy to determine the cause of death. The list of possible causes is endless, in both cases. There are more agenda-driven voices here than the Salem Witch Trials, trying to drown out any reasonable attempts to find out the facts, including a certain group of hunters who want to kill the deer themselves and have put a $100 bounty on any tagged doe shot. Others want to just leave the deer alone, my favorite option but not realistic. Remember last year and the U.S.D.A. Wildlife Service’s plan to kill 5,000 deer on the East End? I will never forget that. We all need to calm down and drop the paranoid conspiracy theories and deal only with facts, not rumors and hearsay. Change is difficult and nothing is perfect, but let’s not stop progressing now. Sterilization is only one tool to help manage deer populations in the midst of overgrown human populations. Myself and a few other deer preservationists were all certified to inoculate deer with PZP immuno-contraception last week at the Center for Science and Conservation in Montana. In my opinion, this is the best solution. I can already hear the clamor building. Respectfully, WENDY CHAMBERLIN President Wildlife Preservation Coalition Of the East End Stop This Experiment East Hampton June 23, 2015 Dear David, For those who have not yet seen the photograph of White Buffalo’s ovariectomy surgery on an East Hampton Village doe, I’d like to describe some of the things I saw, as well as didn’t see, from my perspective as a veterinarian. The surgery was taking place in a village-owned outdoor shed, the kind of environment impossible to sterilize in preparation for abdominal surgery. For example, the wall was unfinished plywood, with an old dirty East Hampton parade banner hanging on it, just a few feet away from the incised abdomen of an anesthetized doe. The anesthetized doe was placed on her back (dorsal recumbency) atop a folding table covered by a couple of old bath towels. There was a sterile pack of instruments on a tray alongside the table. There were no IV fluids, oxygen, or monitoring equipment apparent for the patient. There were two volunteer veterinarians from out of state performing the surgery. A quick check at the New York State Office of the Professions website verified that neither of the named doctors are currently licensed to practice veterinary medicine in New York State. There was a surgical incision drape in use. However, there were no other surgical drapes covering the patient, allowing dirt, dander, and bacteria from the doe’s fur and hoofs to easily become airborne and further contaminate the operating space. The surgeons had on gloves and masks, but no other surgical garb such as caps and gowns. Again, this allows any contaminates on their street clothes and hats to further compromise the surgical area. This negligent surgical environment greatly decreases the patient’s chance of having an uneventful recovery and greatly increases the patient’s chance of serious post-op infection, even if a one-time shot of antibiotics was given. This was truly a low-budget operation and the does are paying the price. East Hampton Village officials should question where the money has been spent. Most important, they need to stop this sterilization experiment from going any further. Professionally yours, THERESA DiSUNNO Reasons for the Deaths Montauk June 27, 2015 Dear Editor: Dell Cullum should be lauded for bringing to our attention the unusual number of deaths of sterilized does trying to deliver their fawns. The initial step in many scientific advances is simply noticing a change in the usual state of affairs and then drilling down on the reasons for it. In a letter to The Star last week, John Rasweiler tried to minimize the importance of Dell’s observation by saying that Dell has no advanced scientific or medical training and thus it is “inconceivable” that he could be aware of all the reasons for the deaths. Dr. Rasweiler may not know that Dell Cullum is an outstanding nature photographer and participates in wildlife rescue. Dell is a careful observer of wildlife. Understanding normal wildlife behavior and recognizing an increase in deaths of sterilized does giving birth, Dell called for an investigation into a possible link between sterilization and the deaths of the does and their fawns. It is meaningless for Dr. Rasweiler to claim that based on his experience as a reproductive physiologist he doesn’t find it unusual that one or more of the sterilized does might exhibit reproductive complications. He doesn’t spend time out in the field with deer like Dell does, nor does he have any idea of the baseline rate of deaths of does trying to deliver dead fawns. Responsible science calls for a halt in the sterilization program until the reasons for the deaths are clearly understood and found to be unrelated to the sterilization procedure. ELLEN CRAIN Worse Than Ever East Hampton June 29, 2015 Dear David, The airport-noise affected had some good news on Friday. In a ruling in federal court, Judge Joanna Seybert affirmed the Town of East Hampton’s right to adopt and enforce reasonable access limits at East Hampton Airport to protect the public from noise. This is big news, as it is an acknowledgement that municipal airport proprietors do have the right to protect their citizens from noise by imposing reasonable access limits on noisy aircraft that frequent their facilities. The refutation of the so-called Friends of East Hampton Airport’s claim that the town was not within its rights to protect the public from noise by adopting reasonable airport access restrictions trumps their entitled view of their right to profit at the expense of East End residents’ peaceful enjoyment of their homes and properties. The bad news is that the town will not be able to enforce its vital one-per-week rule, until the Friends’ case against the Federal Aviation Administration to overturn the 2005 settlement that restored the town’s rights as airport proprietor to adopt such restrictions is settled. The inability of the town to enforce this restriction means that all aircraft traffic will be compressed into the new, enforceable curfew hours of operation. Given the new schedule for aircraft activity at East Hampton Airport, and the upward trend of operations at other East End airports, it is safe to assume that the numbers and concentrations of flights will be worse than ever. Consequently, it is even more important to register aircraft noise complaints. For those who have not yet taken the time to do so, please let your voice be heard. The town needs to continue to collect this data, and the scope of the problem is better identified when all of the noise-affected make their discomfort known. To register a complaint by phone, please call: 800-376-4817. To register a complaint online, log on to planenoise.com/khto. The Fourth of July weekend is upon us. While the curfews offer welcome nighttime relief, they address the smaller fraction of noise-generating operations at the airport. With a good weather forecast, and enforceable curfews, we will have numerous concentrations of flights during operating hours. East End residents must continue to record these disturbances and to urge their neighbors or others within their circle of influence to do so. We’re not there yet. Sincerely, KATHLEEN CUNNINGHAM Quiet Skies Coalition Redefine Dormitories Springs June 26, 2015 Dear Editor; I read in The Star that the town board, in light of the construction of two dormitories in Springs and protest they caused, is going to attempt to redefine and perhaps overturn the decision of the former building inspector and the nonsensical logic he used to grant the permit in the first place. Good for the town board. I can’t help but feel these dorms would never have gotten to groundbreaking if they were anywhere else in town. But that’s perhaps just my ranting. Anyway, it occurred to me that a redefinition of dormitories might be key to solving the problem of overcrowding of rental houses everywhere in town. Webster’s Dictionary defines a dormitory as a place to provide housing, with sleeping and living accommodations for a number of people, principally students. Webster’s defines barracks, bunkhouse, and flophouse essentially the same, but catering to a different class of people. I’m sure those last three terms will offend many in luxurious East Hampton, but we in Springs have them all, and we’re beyond offense. We’re angry. Besides, the code doesn’t care if you’re offended, so use whatever definition you want. In simple terms, a rental house, by our code, can only house four unrelated adults. It doesn’t matter if the rental is year round, a few months, or a weekend. The problem has always been that the town can’t prove who is or isn’t related. The burden is on the town to make the case. If the town crafts a dormitory law that defines a dormitory as against the code, or a barrack, or bunkhouse, or flophouse, as a violation, and then notifies a landlord that he must prove he isn’t operating a dormitory or barrack or bunkhouse or flophouse, then the town can act, and the burden of proof of compliance with the code is strictly with the landlord. I truly believe the first benefit will be a reduction of overcrowding in Springs, a cleaner, livable environment, and maybe even lower taxes. I also think it will force landlords to recognize houses are not some never-ending cash cornucopia but shelter, and cause the lowering of rents to competitive rates. Then perhaps our own kids can move out of Dad’s basement and afford to get a toehold in their own town. BRAD LOEWEN What Are They? Springs June 26, 2015 Dear David, Over 50 persons attended the most recent Springs Citizens Advisory Committee meeting to give their voice to the issue of proposed dormitories being built on small half-acre residential lots on Manor Lane South and Cedar Ridge Drive. Overwhelmingly, Springs residents were against the building of these structures. Two town board members, Fred Overton and Sylvia Overby, attended the meeting and spoke to the issue of single-family residences and what constitutes a family. It was heartening to hear that this 2009 concept (house parents and students constitute a family) and basement bedrooms are being revisited, and that the town board is on this case and willing to deal with it. We anxiously await this board’s determination. Since the committee’s meeting (June 22), the Ross School has announced that these two houses, with eight bedrooms plus a finished basement with two bedrooms, will not be used as dormitories. If that is the case, what are they going to be used for? Residents of both Manor Lane South and Cedar Ridge Drive are concerned about the impact of these houses and how they will be used. Other considerations are the enlarged septic system, the water use, and possible traffic. There are many, many questions that still need to be answered concerning these two structures. If they are not dormitories, what are they? We need some explanations on this subject, not secrecy. Thank you, BETSY RUTH Restaurants in Motels East Hampton June 29, 2015 Dear David, I was surprised to read your June 18 editorial where you fabricated statements claiming what I had said. The public hearing had not even taken place yet! The proposed legislation (Bars and Restaurants in Hotels/Motels) is new, so you cannot claim confusion with a prior hearing. If you had taken the time to find out what the East Hampton Business Alliance position is on the proposal you would have learned that we questioned the rationale behind the 25-guest-room minimum the town wants to require a motel to have, in order to qualify having a bar or restaurant. When discussed at a work session, no data or research was given as to why this number was selected. The direction-trend is toward boutique motels, where patrons expect room service and a bar. What is wrong with an eight or nine-room motel serving breakfast or a glass of wine? People like to go out to eat. As it is, many businesses have to close in the winter months. Why put further limits on where year-round residents can dine? (The restaurant/bar must close when the hotel/motel is not operating.) There are very few sites that have the required density to become a restaurant, including hotels. East Hampton recently lost three restaurants to office space, permanently giving up their right to be a restaurant. We feel the proposal is a reaction to issues in Montauk, and we reminded the town board that legislation impacts the entire town, not just Montauk. The town is about to embark on the business study and hamlet studies called for in the comprehensive plan, both of which the East Hampton Business Alliance has been advocating for years. The Alliance believes these should be completed first. I am the executive director of the Business Alliance, not the president. The only statement that was accurate is that I am running for town board councilwoman. I suggest in the future you actually attend the meetings or watch the tape before you erroneously report what someone said or you claim to know what their position is on a matter, or merely pick up a phone and ask. Regards, MARGARET TURNER Right to Public Access Springs June 29, 2015 Dear David, The public hearing for the South Flora Nature Preserve Management Plan will be held tonight, Thursday, July 2, at 6:30 at Town Hall. The proposed management plan, written by the East Hampton Town Nature Preserve Committee, is available on the town’s home webpage under the “Agendas/PSA” heading. The compressed web address, tinyurl.com/SouthFlora, is a direct link to the plan. A cover letter gives a synopsis. A management plan for a nature preserve tries to find the best balance between preservation of the environment and the right of public use. The proposed management plan recommends that there be no new trails or new access built on the preserve, but it does take the stance that the existing access should serve all residents. For most residents, that means some nearby parking would be required. There has been some controversy over providing parking to access the preserve and the attendant ocean beach. Currently, there is no legal parking near the two long-established access points on the southern part of Dolphin Drive. The closest legal parking is either on Montauk Highway, which is unsafe, or at a small oceanfront lot on another street, which is often full in the summer. Both alternatives are at least 1,000 feet away. The nature preserve committee has recommended parallel parking on a portion of the east side of Dolphin Drive, within a 10-foot width of the highway right-of-way that stretches between the paved road and the preserve. A large portion of that highway right-of-way is covered in invasive Japanese black pines, which are spreading across the preserve and carrying a disease with them. The proposed parking surface that would replace the pines is an all-natural material that the town used for parking beside the environmentally sensitive Pussy’s Pond Nature Preserve. Traditionally, all waterfront preserves that had existing access to the water at the time of purchase have had that access made available to all town residents and property owners, though the provided parking is often limited to cars that display a town parking sticker. A table appended in front of the management plan demonstrates this presumption of a right to public access. (The table is also an impressive list from which residents can learn about all the waterfront preserves available to them.) Our recommendation also followed the wishes of the East Hampton Town Trustees, who send an ex-officio member to the nature preserve committee meetings. The committee has always served as a conduit of cooperation between the trustees, who own and/or protect the waterfront, and the town, which owns the upland where parking and access for all residents can be placed. The South Flora Nature Preserve Management Plan is long and detailed and provides reasons for the committee’s choices. The committee has taken extra care in writing this plan, and we support the procedure that requires a public hearing so that the entire public can be heard. Public comments, including new ideas, not only help the town board when making its decisions, your comments also help the committee in our future work. ZACHARY COHEN Chairman East Hampton Town Nature Preserve Committee On Dolphin Drive Amagansett June 25, 2015 Dear Mr. Rattray, Letters to the editor are by their very nature expressions of strong opinion that their writers must be allowed to express. When letters express opinion bereft of fact, however, it is sometimes important to fill in the blanks so that the general public can make a better decision on the merits of the expressed opinion. Just last week I noticed several letters in the East Hampton newspapers on the subject of Dolphin Drive parking that fall into this category and that need to be enlightened by fact rather than opinion. The general opinion expressed in the letters is that any harm inflicted by the construction of parking adjacent to the South Flora Nature Preserve and the primary dune that abuts it are a small price to pay for beach access. None of the letters provided any information by which the extent of harm that might be caused could be balanced against the value of access that might be gained. While I am no expert on the value of beach access, I can claim some expertise in the area of assessment of project impacts on the natural environment after more than 30 years of professional environmental planning experience. But such expertise is not a necessity for the general public to form a strong, and probably accurate, opinion of the harm that might be done to this nature preserve and primary dune by the construction of parking facilities if only provided a few relevant facts. Notwithstanding the fact that “No Parking” on Dolphin Drive has been a fixture in the town code for over 40 years, I believe that the following facts are most important to know: 1. Primary coastal dunes and their back dune areas (which this preserve is) are fragile systems and need to be protected in order to ensure that they continue to provide protection from severe storms, a feature of great importance to those who live in this very low-lying and narrow area. 2. The most effective way to protect coastal dunes, and their fragile back dune areas that support them, is through the creation of buffer zones. The State of New Jersey recently developed guidelines, post-Sandy, that require buffer zones in coastal dune and back dune areas of a minimum of 150 feet. New York State provides for 100 feet and 300 feet, respectively, for freshwater and saltwater wetland areas. 3. The recent scientific literature (Desbonnet et al., 1994) recommends buffer zones of 91 meters for significant fish and wildlife habitat and 600 meters for critical species. 4. The only buffer zone for the preserve, and therefore the primary dune, is the highway right-of-way to the east of Dolphin Drive that is approximately 20 to 23 feet wide and of which any proposed parking scheme would, at a minimum, take 10 to 15 feet. 5. Significantly, there currently is four-wheel-drive beach access from Dolphin Drive, which will remain, as well as beach parking at nearby Atlantic Drive, which will remain. 6. To be dedicated into the East Hampton Town nature preserve system, a property must meet only one of eight environmental criteria. The South Flora Nature Preserve may be unique in this system, in that it met all eight of those criteria. The preserve contains an abundance of wildlife and botanical species that are categorized as protected, special concern, threatened, or rare. 7. The South Flora Nature Preserve is designated by New York State as a significant coastal fish and wildlife habitat. The state has defined it as “irreplaceable.” 8. East Hampton Town environmental surveys indicate that most of the plant and animal communities of concern on the preserve are located on the western portion of the preserve, near to Dolphin Drive. 9. The New York State-protected pink lady slipper orchid is located both along the length of and within 15 feet of Dolphin Drive. 10. The East Hampton Town Nature Preserve Committee unanimously recommends in its draft management plan for the preserve that no trails be developed so that pedestrian access can be limited. I urge anyone interested in the issue of parking on Dolphin Drive to carefully consider these relevant facts before forming their opinion. NORMAN EDWARDS South Flora Ecosystem Amagansett June 26, 2015 To the Editor: This is in response to Reg Cornelia’s letter calling me a liar in last week’s paper. The point of contention between us is whether the area adjoining Dolphin Drive, which Mr. Cornelia and the nature preserve committee advocate turning into a parking lot, is part of the South Flora dune ecosystem or not. This is really easy to settle, with your own eyes. Turn off Montauk Highway onto Dolphin (it’s on the Napeague stretch), drive part way down until you reach Leeton, and look to your left. Where the pavement ends, Mr. Cornelia’s parking lot begins, and it is visibly dunes and dune vegetation. The committee’s plan calls for about 5,000 square feet of this area to be leveled, stripped of vegetation, and covered with crushed stone. It couldn’t be simpler: you can call it the Dolphin Drive right-of-way or any other name you please, but it’s still the South Flora dune ecosystem. Sincerely, JONATHAN WALLACE Beach Fire Law Amagansett June 28, 2015 Dear David, The East Hampton Town Trustees are elected to care for our beaches on behalf of the best interests of the residents of the community. But the current majority has been less than responsive to the issue of beach fires. At the trustees’ June 9 meeting, I presented information about the town board’s concern with the existing beach fire law and the need to add language adding metal containers to strengthen it. At that meeting I requested input from the trustees on the subject. Unfortunately, the trustee leadership appeared complacent with the existing law and took no action, and this past week, a 4-year-old child, Jana, was badly burned walking on sand-covered burning embers. The trustees are entrusted to protect our beaches and residents. One reason that I have decided to run for the office of trustee is to ensure that important issues are fully discussed and acted upon, and that collaboration between the town board and the trustees is encouraged. Hopefully we can look forward to adding “Jana’s Law” to the existing beach fire law so that no child will be burned again as a result of uncontained beach fires. RONA KLOPMAN Never So Excited Southold June 13, 2015 Dear Editor, In the second grade our sister walked in the class and rapped the black board with her knuckle, rosary beads rattled against the chalk rack. I got up, never so excited in a class, I was usually very quiet, and was sure there was, quickly, a change of people under her habit! Loudly I exclaimed as I jumped up and pointed at the nun. I yelled, “It’s Paul Winchell!, It’s Paul Winchell,” and turned around and loudly told those behind me. The nun sat down with a big Paul Winchell smile. No words were said, and the class proceeded. That made me wonder still today if it was true. Many years later I was watching Paul Winchell on television, smiling big and talking about a leather heart he invented from a leather bag! He flapped the top of the pocketbook up and down that could be placed in a cow. That cracked up the whole set. ANITA FAGAN A Little History Seattle June 25, 2015 To the Editor, It has been a while. Seventeen years. A little history. The Confederate flag was brought into use again after the Civil War in the mid-to-late ’40s as a reaction against a small but growing civil rights movement. It was not used at the North Carolina State capitol until the early ’60s, as a direct symbol of defiance against integration. And why am I telling you this now? Seventeen years ago I wrote a letter to The Star about seeing the Confederate flag flying on two vehicles in the East Hampton Christmas parade. In a response to my letter, which expressed outrage at the presence of the flags, C. Kramer said: “It is clear that Mr. Danyluk displayed the flag as an icon to a television show, ‘The Dukes of Hazzard,’ which is popular with kids of all ages. The fact that troubles me the most is that children who are taught ‘prejudice’ will practice ‘prejudice’ for the rest of their lives. The keyword here is ‘teach.’ What are we teaching our children?” Many of you know I spent several years teaching in the Hamptons. The inference here is that pointing out acts of racism and bigotry to students will make them bigots. While teaching in the Hamptons, there were several instances where I had students use the N-word, refer to things they didn’t like as “gay,” and in one instance a prominent employee made a grotesque reference to the myth that Jews have horns. I am quite sure I did not teach this behavior to them, and the inference that I did is — I don’t have the words. “Dukes of Hazzard” my foot! The Confederate flags at the parade were flown directly behind and in front of the only predominately black contingency marching that day, a rehab center or halfway house of some kind with Apple in the name. Coincidence? I think not. Let’s face it. The incident was an overt act of racism that the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Kramer, and anyone who read our letters to the editor chose to ignore. I can now just hear people saying, “It’s been 20 years, John. Shut up already!” That’s what I was told back then. So I shut up. My only regret now is that I didn’t push harder when it happened and make people see. And if you think now, 20 years later, “of course these attitudes don’t exist in my community,” think again. That isn’t true in any community. My father, who was born in 1919, fought the trend of his generation and was fiercely intolerant of any expression of bigotry. He taught me the psychological, social, and political origins and devastating effects of these behaviors. And I dare say, doing so did not make me a bigot. He taught me to see my natural bias and overcome. JOHN BEUSCHER If We Could Patchogue June 23, 2015 Dear East Hampton Star, How wonderful it would be, if we could from sea to shining sea abolish hate and poverty and live in liberty, and let love thrive eternally in heartfelt solidarity. How wonderful it would be, if we would from sea to shining sea rejoice in siblinghood and strive eagerly toward the common good. How wonderful it would be if we all could from every sea to shining sea, live in peace and be free to not have to flee from rising level of shining sea. Sincerely, FRED GASREL Racism Is Alive East Hampton June 26, 2015 To the Editor: The events in Charleston and the seemingly endless number of black men being killed by police, as well as the disproportionately bizarre incarceration of black males, should not mistakenly be viewed as aberrant behavior, but, sadly, business as usual in America. While we have made substantial strides in allowing African-Americans to exercise their constitutional rights, we tend to downplay the enormity of the gap that has to be bridged. Electing Barack Obama seemed to be a step in the right direction, yet Mr. Obama has experienced a level of derision, disrespect, and unabandoned hatred like no other president before him. Even the most patriotic white trash in the Republican Congress have been willing to throw the presidency and the country under the bus, demeaning Mr. Obama and everything he stands for, for the simple reason that he is black. Calling Mr. Obama a Muslim, a socialist, a foreigner (by demanding his birth certificate), were simply substitutes for the N-word. Comparing him to George W. Bush, who orchestrated two wars and our economic collapse and was derided for being stupidly disengaged from reality, is the best case. We never questioned Bush’s patriotism, nationality, or intellectual emptiness. We never used the N-word even when he appeared to be the biggest nincompoop on the planet. We could call Bill Clinton a slut but never a socialist, for defiling the presidency. We gave Ronald Reagan a pass despite his destruction of America’s middle class. Would John Boehner and Mitch McConnell have been arrested for treason if their comments about Mr. Obama were directed at any other American president? Racism has always been a core component of the American social system. We replaced lynchings with police shootings, segregation with defunding public schools, and poll taxes and literacy tests with the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act. We elected Mr. Obama and took a giant step backward. Racism is alive and well in our country, especially when the emperor is black. NEIL HAUSIG Changes Are Coming Sag Harbor June 25, 2015 Dear David, A caption in The New York Times today: “Most U.S. Attacks are Homegrown and Not Jihadist/Terror Toll Since 9/11 A Greater Threat From Domestic Radicals Law Officers Say.” There on the streets, others are spectators. In the 14 years since Al Qaeda carried out attacks on New York and the Pentagon, extremists have regularly executed smaller lethal assaults in the United States by explaining their motives in online manifestos in social media. The whole world knows. Since Sept. 11, 2001, nearly twice as many people have been killed by white supremacists, antigovernment fanatics. But it is the latest in a string of lethal attacks by people espousing a racial hatred and hostility to government. Are we pursuing the wrong people? Changes are coming. President Obama has lamented what he called the easy access to guns as an issue he has tried and failed to address with legislation. At some point we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of violence does not happen in other advanced countries. Do we know how or why? Other voices have spoken out unexpectedly. The U.S. Supreme Court has given Mr. Obama another health care victory with a 6-3 ruling, then approved of same-sex marriage, followed by no discrimination in housing, already the law, reinforced. And more to come. Yes, changes are coming. I’d like to end by listening to the voices of Elizabeth Warren and then Bernie Sanders, both of whom will make a huge difference in the future of our government, not knowing what to do next. Usually with no strategy, only tactics, but can’t stop the killing, an ongoing process. The children, women, and innocent civilians that become refugees numbered by the U.N. as 50 million, all over the world, who never stop suffering — usually a slow death. How long? How long? Will it take reverence for life, anyone’s life? Some are tired of killing. A good sign. Senator Warren, who has made Wall Street banks a target, has complained of slow action by financial regulators. She knows what they know. I believe almost every voter in America knows also, and understands that we the people are literally owned by corporate powers. The 1 percent preys upon the 99 percent. We have the power to tame Wall Street, but Wall Street controls us and threatens us. Money corrupts. Ms. Warren has questioned the chairwoman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mary Jo White, who was suspected of having a conflict of interest when she got the job and is now being taken to account for S.E.C. matters she had to recuse herself from, because of a political conflict of interest in more than four dozen investigations because of her past work and the work of her husband’s firm, a big-time investor. Again, a caption The New York Times and elsewhere: “Sanders An Unknown Among Black Voters.” On the contrary, Mr. Sanders will be open to, especially, blacks and poor who share common ground. Mr. Sanders led sit-ins as a civil rights activist in the 1960s and helped the Rev. Jesse Jackson to pull off a surprising campaign victory in his home state of Vermont in 1988. Mr. Sanders in a recent interview reaffirmed his call for a “political revolution” to change an array of policies, such as ending tuition in public colleges. Thousands of people are supporting Mr. Sanders, and his followers, black and white, will grow steadily as his voice is heard by others. Seems like everybody likes his message, way overdue. Things are moving fast. I’m more hopeful than ever before. The right people are in place to do the right thing. Only the spirit can drive out the money-changers once again. Change is coming. Hang in there. LARRY DARCEY
Published 5 years ago
Last updated 5 years ago
Letters to the Editor: 07.02.15
July 2, 2015