Letters

In a stunning display of total disregard for the principle of representative government, the entire Southampton Town Board voted first that they approve of the park swap in Hampton Bays and, second, to put it on the ballot. This after an entire room full of people spoke out against the proposal as being an ineffective means of addressing traffic issues in the hamlet of Hampton Bays.

It was pointed out that the entire town, not just Hampton Bays, gets to vote on an issue that will significantly affect only the residents of Hampton Bays. To the uninformed and unaffected, it might seem a good deal: 13 acres in place of 3. Other items that came to light include the fact that the board voted in the overlay district on February 25, 2020, likely the last thing done before lockdown. This was just chance? How many people were present to discuss it?

It also appears that Jay Schneiderman’s comment about the possibility of a sewer plant as perhaps having a site near the cemetery [“Money Is On The Table For Hampton Bays, Southampton Village Sewer Districts,” 27east.com, June 29] is in fact the result of two years of study paid for by the town. One wonders how a barely single-lane road into a cemetery could be improved sufficiently to accommodate construction traffic and the subsequent truck traffic needed at a sewer plant. How could the oldest portion of the cemetery, immediately behind the church and adjacent to this route, be protected? It seems at best cold-hearted. (I admit prejudice; my entire family is buried there, back to the early 1800s. We created the Good Ground Cemetery.)

The board’s entire argument seems to be that their job is to keep the opportunity for growth open. Persons present at the meeting are not opposed to redevelopment of the downtown. I will venture that we are and were interested in sustainable change. Neither growth nor diminishment but attractive improvement of the area.

It should be abundantly clear to anyone that growth in the sense of more people in the area is inimical to the health of the environment on which we all depend. Mr. Schneiderman bemoans the addition of people post-pandemic, yet votes for more?

To the all the members of the board, but especially Rick Martel and Julie Lofstad, residents of this hamlet and our elected representatives, I ask: Where are your hearts, your minds, your souls?

Amy S. Paradise

Hampton Bays