Library Makes Plea with Morpurgo Developers Over Safety

[caption id="attachment_62146" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The former Morpurgo property on Union Street, right, with a rendering of the proposed renovation. Rendering by Gary Sanders, photo by Anthony Vermandois[/caption]

By Christine Sampson

As the Sag Harbor Zoning Board of Appeals took its first look on Tuesday at the plans for the restoration of the historic Morpurgo house at 6 Union Street, representatives of the John Jermain Memorial Library made a plea for the board and developers to consider parking issues and the safety of its patrons before the construction work begins.

During a public hearing, library board president Nick Gazzolo read a letter stating the library has concerns about “patron safety during construction, construction vehicles blocking access to sidewalks surrounding the library, construction vehicles using Jefferson as a two-way street, construction vehicles using limited parking, adherence to vibration limits set by village … [and] feedback from fire and emergency medical service departments about access to back of library, given the very narrow setback proposed along the library property.”

He said between 200 and 300 people visit the library each day, according to traffic counters installed in the doorways. He said he conservatively estimates that half of them drive to the library and seek parking spaces nearby. The library had been required to provide off-site parking for its crews during its own construction process.

“We know a little something about big construction projects in the village,” Mr. Gazzolo said in an email on Wednesday. “It is never simple or easy and we had many patient neighbors over our long haul. We wish these folks well with their ambitious restoration efforts and we just wanted to get off on the right foot.”

ZBA chairman Tim McGuire said during the meeting Tuesday that it’s possible the board can “find some way to insure that library patrons don't have to be the ones who park two or three blocks away.”

Earlier in the meeting, he had asked Mark Egerman, who, along with his son Lee Egerman and their friend Mitch Winston, purchased the Morpurgo house last year, if rumors were true that they had purchased 5 Jefferson Street, located behind the Morpurgo House.

Mr. Egerman then confirmed they are in contract to buy 5 Jefferson Street, which itself “needs substantial upgrading,” he said, and will use it to support some of the construction work at 6 Union Street.

“The acquisition of Jefferson allows us to substantially mitigate the construction problems that we would have if our only access was to drive around Union,” he said. “We will certainly work with the library and all the neighbors to meet their concerns. We will take every step we possibly can take to make the experience as least painful as possible.”

However, library director Catherine Creedon told the ZBA that “switching the access from Union to Jefferson actually creates more of a safety risk.”

“I'm concerned not just with vehicles parking there,” she said. “We have a lot of senior citizens and a real parade of local students. Please take that into consideration.”

The Morpurgo plans, which are basically the same as the outline presented during the January 26 meeting of the Sag Harbor Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review, do require a few variances from the ZBA. The port cochere, which the ARB first objected to, has been scaled back and moved farther down the property away from the street but still requires a variance, according to the project’s architect, Anthony Vermandois. It also needs approval for the back porch and overall lot coverage, but the ZBA members were amenable to the plans, with the stipulation that parking will be worked out. A written decision is expected at the April ZBA meeting.

“Everybody's thrilled that this building is going to be renovated, brought back to life and be part of the Sag Harbor community again,” Mr. McGuire said.

Mr. Vermandois was scheduled to appear before the ARB Thursday for its stamp of approval.

“I’m very pleased with the way the ZBA hearing went. They were pretty fair,” Mr. Vermandois said. “We’re pleased with how the project is progressing so far. We’ll just keep our fingers crossed and hope it moves forward.”