| Recommend |
| Comment |
| Email this article |
| Print this article |
| Get news alerts |
| RSS Feeds |
 Share
|
Digg
Mixx
Linked In
Facebook
Twitter
Delicious
Related Articles
Critic urges East Hampton to examine use of CPF money
Jan 12, 10 4:00 PM
East Hampton CPF plan under scrutiny from public
Dec 8, 09 5:38 PM
East Hampton Town is still working to untangle CPF charges
Oct 20, 09 7:35 PM
McGintee remained defiant on use of CPF in comments to auditors
Oct 13, 09 8:23 PM
Hearings will be held on controversial CPF purchases
May 12, 09 7:53 PM
more
Preservation-minded residents successfully lobbied the East Hampton Town Board for several hours on Friday, November 20, to preserve two significant tracts of land in Springs.
The two purchases include three separate parcels owned by Claire and Pietro Nivola on Old Stone Highway totalling 27 acres, which will be bought in a phased plan over the next three years, and a 1-acre parcel on Accabonac Harbor owned by Andrew Potter that is just south of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center.
The purchase of the Nivolas’ property will cost the town’s Community Preservation Fund $850,000 this year and next year, as two of the smaller 2-acre lots are purchased, and $1.48 million in 2011 after a subdivision process that will allow the Nivolas to keep two houses on the property, and selling the remaining 23 acres to the town,
The Potter property, which is on Springs-Fireplace Road, will be purchased for $1.2 million through a public-private partnership with The Nature Conservancy, The Kate Branch Foundation, Stony Brook University, which runs the study center, and other private donors, who have raised a total of $562,000 toward the purchase price. The town’s CPF fund will contribute $638,000 toward the purchase of the property.
Neither property was on the town’s CPF acquisition list, and both were added to the list after public hearings on Friday.
John Talmage, a frequent critic of the town’s CPF policies, was the only speaker opposed to the purchases.
“I do not want money drawn from the CPF except to pay off debt,” he said. “If you are driving a car and the headlights go out, what do you do? Stop! The system is broke and broken. Stop everything.”
The town’s land acquisition director, Scott Wilson, said that his department is closely monitoring the debt service on the CPF fund, which has borrowed roughly $50 million in order to preserve land now. He said that the town currently has $10 million in the fund and will pay $4 million next year for the debt service.
Mr. Wilson also touted the innovative partnerships behind the purchases, as did the dozen speakers who attested to their value at Friday’s public hearing.
“Despite everyone’s awareness of the financial problems in East Hampton, I do not believe they want this board to stop making purchases,” said Randy Parsons. “This fund was used to subsidize the rest of the town. It’s pretty healthy.”
Mr. Parsons also advocated that the piece next door to the Pollock-Krasner House be preserved in order to protect the breathtaking view from the famous artists’ home across the harbor. The Potters have permits to build a 5,000-square-foot spec house on the site.
“I suspect they bought the property when they did because they were inspired by it. They were soothed by it,” said Mr. Parsons of Mr. Pollock and his wife, Lee Krasner.
“It also warrants addition as an environmental parcel,” he said, adding that the preservation of the property would protect the harbor from excessive nitrogen caused by development.
“A 5,000-square-foot house was slated for development on the property,” said Helen Harrison, the director of the study center. “For us to let this go in that way would be a terrible blow.”
Sara Gordon, a project manager with the Peconic Land Trust, touted the Nivola purchase as one that would provide trail access and connections throughout Springs. “We’re quite excited about the possibilities for this,” she said. “It’s one of the very small handfuls of properties available.”
Mr. Nivola, whose parents bought the farmhouse on the property in 1948, said that it had been his family’s goal to preserve the property surrounding their house.
“My sister and I have long wanted to conserve this property,” he said. “We hope we’re within striking distance of achieving that goal.”
The board voted unanimously to approve both purchases.
Add a comment