Letters

The proposed construction of Little League baseball fields on Stephen Hands Path in Wainscott to replace the Pantigo Place ballfields is a bad idea.

The months of April, May and June are several of the worst months for traffic on Stephen Hands Path, coinciding with the Little League season. Most of the participating children will be coming from the other side of town: Amagansett, Springs and East Hampton north. The most densely populated areas of town.

Parents will be forced to drive home from work, most likely crossing town, while navigating heavy springtime traffic, pick up their children, and then drive them back across town during peak traffic times to the fields on Stephen Hands Path. Contractor traffic leaving town at that time makes that drive daunting.

Adding even more vehicles to that intimidating traffic scenario is a bad idea from a planning standpoint, as well as an impediment to participation in the Little League programs.

The existing fields on Pantigo Place are excellent for a number of reasons. The fields are centrally located between Amagansett and East Hampton, with easy access from Springs. They are on a cul de sac with no through traffic, and with shops nearby in which children and parents can buy food and refreshments. It is easy for parents to run into the village to grab groceries or do a few errands while the children are playing baseball. Too, the venue is extremely safe due to its proximity to the Town Police station and existing medical facilities.

The very idea of moving these well-placed community fields to Stephen Hands Path and Montauk Highway makes little planning sense.

Stephen Hands Path is an inferior venue, especially for non-driving children dependent on their parents for transportation. No amenities, heavily trafficked during the local rush hours and too far from the neighborhoods they are intended to serve.

Keeping our children and their families safe and in their communities for after-school recreational programs is just good planning. The ballfields at Pantigo Place have served the Little League well for years. Leave them where they are — safe, sound and nearby.

Charlie Whitmore

Amagansett