Editorial: Practical Realities - 27 East
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Editorial: Practical Realities

Editorial Board on May 22, 2019
We do not reject the ideals laid out in the Declaration of Independence because Congress excised Jefferson’s condemnation of the slave trade. We do not throw out the Constitution because... more

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The Easy Stuff

The two biggest obstacles to providing affordable housing on the South Fork are cost and public opposition. But there are some affordable housing opportunities that don’t require taxpayer money and meet only mild resistance. The Village of North Haven has identified one such opportunity and is poised to pick this low-hanging fruit. The Village Board is considering “family” accessory housing, a plan that would enable homeowners to build accessory dwelling units specifically for relatives and live-in nurses and home health aides. The units could be either attached to a main house or located in a garage, pool house or other ... 31 May 2023 by Editorial Board

Rooted in the Soil

Four decades ago, as John v.H. Halsey noted in an article last week, the idea of preserving land on the East End wasn’t new: Suffolk County and the towns had started to look at doing piecemeal projects where the municipalities would ask voters to borrow funds to purchase the development rights on farmland. The idea was to keep the land in the farmers’ hands, and the soil actively in production, but allow them to exchange some of the intrinsic value in developing the lots. That would offset rising tax bills for land that suddenly was soaring in value, and to ... 30 May 2023 by Editorial Board

Air Pressure

While a massive air cargo facility being proposed in Calverton may seem too many miles away for concern for most residents of the South Fork, the mammoth size of the project and its potential impact should send shock waves across the entire East End. The environmental and quality of life tolls — not only on the undeveloped acreage surrounding the old Grumman air plant, but in increased air and truck traffic throughout Long Island — should elicit concern among residents on both forks and a desire to pay close attention to the planning and approval process to ensure the least ... 29 May 2023 by Editorial Board

Great Work

Just finished listening to the latest “27Speaks” podcast. As usual, superb. Great theme song (can’t get enough of Judy Carmichael), great crew, great topic. Great and articulate guest, Genie Egerton-Warburton [“Inside the World of ADNP Syndrome: Mother Shines Light on Autism Awareness Month,” 27east.com, April 19]. Michelle Trauring, Joseph Shaw, Bill Sutton and Annette Hinkle fully succeeded in encouraging and cultivating crucial public awareness, understanding, and needed love and acceptance for all of our developmentally challenged and God-loved citizens. I agree with you that the “thousand-worded picture” of Rowland and mom tells a great story. The love. To you and ... by Staff Writer

Defining Period

Thanks for your interview and retrospective with John v.H. Halsey of the Peconic Land Trust [“Q&A: John v.H. Halsey Reflects on 40 Years of the ‘Puzzle’ of Land Preservation by the Peconic Land Trust,” 27east.com, May 24]. The latter 20th century era that he recalls was formative of today’s “Hamptons” in ways that many of us newer arrivals can only learn from extended research. There are few easy histories available of the land-use battles that defined that period, and many of the principals of the time — names like Ted Sharretts and Roy Wines Jr. — are enshrined primarily in ... by Staff Writer

Water Quality Advocate

Water quality improvement continues to be an issue reliant on good public policy and diligent leadership for both Southampton Town and Suffolk County. Attentive to the need for clean and safe water, Southampton officials adopted a Water Quality Improvement Plan and subsequently provided the voters of Southampton Town an opportunity to vote on a ballot initiative that proposed funding for clean water projects. Demonstrating an understanding for the necessity of healthy waters, 80 percent of Southampton voters approved the initiative, which allows for 20 percent of Community Preservation Fund revenue to be used for water quality projects. It’s good to ... by Staff Writer

Gold Stars and Dunce Caps

Gold Star: Several of them, in fact, after an agreement in Albany finally will put in place long-overdue protection for historic burial sites. It’s hard to imagine that unmarked graves — whether they hold the remains of early settlers, war casualties or Native Americans — had no such protection until the moment Governor Kathy Hochul earned her star by adding her signature to the legislation. State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. gets a star, too, for doggedly pursuing a measure he has said is about “justice and healing,” particularly among Indigenous people. And big stars for the Shinnecock Graves Protection ... 24 May 2023 by Editorial Board

A Clear Path Needed

Seems like unless we are native to Paumanok, we have immigrated to what is now called Long Island. My grandparents on my mother’s side arrived to New York from Ireland in 1913, escaping from labor disputes, violence and a fallen economy due to English colonization. My great-grandparents on my father’s side arrived in the 1800s, reportedly escaping the potato famine; the “Great Hunger” killed about 1 million people and sent many survivors off to new lands in hopes that they could be saved. As did millions of immigrants, my mother’s parents dispersed to the outer boroughs of New York during ... 23 May 2023 by Staff Writer

A Little History

The recent discussion of the management of the village’s open spaces [“Express Sessions Explores Sag Harbor’s Green Spaces,” 27east.com, May 17] was quite wide-ranging. It would have benefited from inclusion of history on two sites, Cilli Farm and Havens Beach. Cilli Farm was acquired with the specific intent that it remain an unmanaged or “unimproved” open space. It is available to anyone who wants to explore it, and I recommend doing so in the winter with a dog — they get introduced to smells that are not available in the rest of the village. Development in any form, including adding ... by Staff Writer

Pleasure of a New Park

We are deeply grateful to all the voters who turned out for the school vote [“Marsden Street Purchase Proposition Fails by 75 Votes,” 27east.com, May 16]. We’re not only happy for the outcome of Proposition 2 but also pleased that the school budget and tech reserve fund were approved. There’s been a lot of talk about “going high and going low” and “misinformation,” all of which easily slips into name-calling. We want to emphasize here that neither side opposed the operating budget or tech fund. Although both sides have different visions of where some school funds should be spent, we ... 22 May 2023 by Staff Writer