Letters

Also An Impact

The unexpected visual impact of the HVAC equipment on the roof of the Sag Harbor Cinema is one thing, but does anyone have an idea of how much noise that equipment is going to make? Softening the visual impact is important, but please consider softening the acoustic impact as well.

Ethan Feirstein, Sag Harbor

Grab A Shovel

Winter is officially just about on us: The village has sent out the annual code enforcement letter notifying all property owners that Section 235-4 of the code demands that those blessed with sidewalks adjacent to them must clear snow and ice within 24 hours. Do not do so, and a code enforcement officer will stick you with a summons. You are warned and notified.

Those with sidewalks are forming a game plan: self-shovel or hire. Those without sidewalks (most of the village residents) are adjusting the chairs to view their neighbors racing the clock to avoid a summons.

Always makes me wonder, as one of the blessed residents:

When you come out to shovel, does the snow and ice that the highway plows have thrown onto your sidewalk count? Do you have to clear that as well, or do you get a pass for that stuff?

Why does the village cart away the snow and ice from the business area but not do the same for the rest of the streets blessed with sidewalks?

Why is the effort and cost of clearing sidewalks borne only by the adjacent property owner, since the benefit of clearing is for all residents to enjoy? The village owns the sidewalk, right?

Why doesn’t the village assign sections of sidewalk to non-adjacent property owners so that they can help and share the joy of clearing? Community service project?

There are many people who earn a part of their living clearing snow. Why not contract with them to clear the sidewalks on behalf of all village residents?

This will be our 36th year clearing our patch of Main Street. Each year, these questions; never answers.

People complain every year if some sidewalks aren’t cleared, but you never see any of them coming up the street with a shovel to help you.

Pierce Hance, Sag Harbor

Mr. Hance is a former Sag Harbor Village mayor — Ed.

A Special Team

It has been an amazing varsity volleyball season for the Pierson/Bridgehampton girls, and it is a bittersweet feeling now that our season has come to an end.

Our league season record was 9-3, and the overall record was 11-3. The most exciting time was postseason, when the rotations are finalized and practices are intensified, and the girls do “whatever it takes” to keep moving ahead.

Playing against our biggest rival — the Mattituck Tuckers — for the Suffolk County Championship was an incredible match, and the victory really propelled the girls to keep pushing hard to prepare for regionals. They went on to beat Oyster Bay at “The Battle of the Counties” to send us back to the state finals for the second time in Pierson history!

I am overwhelmed by the amount of support the community of Sag Harbor has shown during our season. Thank you to the administrators, the Board of Education, my Sag Harbor Elementary School and Pierson school family, from students to teachers to scorekeepers to the parents; to the photographers and sportswriters; to Goldberg’s, Sag Pizza and Jeff Peters, for helping to feed the girls; and to the Sag Harbor Fire Department, for escorting the team in their victory parade downtown.

The athletes love and appreciate all that everyone has done to support them. I am honored to be a part of such a special team in such a special community — the Team of Sag Harbor Village.

Yours in volleyball,

Donna Fischer, Varsity Coach: Pierson/Bridgehampton Girls Volleyball

A Festive Event

The Sag Harbor Historical Society’s open house last Sunday afternoon was a truly festive event for all. The Annie Cooper Boyd House heralded the event with a wonderful banner created by Peter Solow and his students and was decorated with wreaths and garland thanks to the generosity of Phil Bucking’s Sag Harbor Nursery.

Between 2 and 4 p.m., children and adults listened to the magical stories of Sag Harbor author Billy Baldwin, including “The Cookie That Saved Christmas,” decorated Christmas ornaments, and enjoyed cider and cookies while singing Christmas carols to music played by Nancy Remkus and Peter Cummings. Billy brought homemade sugar cookies, and the Sag Harbor Bakery donated a huge plate of holiday cookies. Billy also sold copies of his book and graciously donated a portion of the proceeds to the Society.

The Trustees of SHHS want to thank everyone for their generosity and wish one and all a very happy holiday season.

Nancy French Achenbach, President: Sag Harbor Historical Society