Marsden Street Purchase Proposition Fails by 75 Votes

A proposal to purchase properties on nearby Marsden Street, with plans to expand Pierson Middle-High School’s footprint, was rejected by voters on Tuesday night, May 16, by just 75 votes.

As part of the Sag Harbor School District budget vote, the proposal, which involved a $6 million bond and the withdrawal of $3.425 million from capital reserves to buy 4.13 acres, was voted down, 1,156-1,081.

The district’s proposed budget passed, 1,619-570. Proposition 3, the establishment of a security and technology capital reserve fund, passed, 1,559-622, and Proposition 4, a vote on appropriating funds for the Sag Harbor Historical Museum, passed, 1,684-504.

The Marsden proposition led to what was believed to be record voter turnout in the school district balloting. The question of whether to acquire the land was a divisive and emotional issue in the community for months, with several residents — including many parents of children in the district, as well as teachers and the board of education — expressing support for the purchase. Another group of residents — including several who live on or near Marsden Street — repeatedly expressed opposition to the purchase at School Board meetings and public forums.

School Board President Sandi Kruel said after the final tally was announced that seeing the Marsden proposition go down was “heartbreaking.”

“It’s a missed opportunity,” she said. “But it’s a democracy and the voters voted, so we have to accept it.”

“It’s sad, no doubt about it,” she said. “But, when they go low, we go high, so we’re not done. What the next step is, we have to regroup and see and go from there.”

John and Leah Oppenheimer, who live on Marsden Street, as well as another resident, Douglas Newby, were on hand to hear the outcome announced by District Clerk Mary Adamczyk, and were happy with the results. The Oppenheimers and Newby were part of a group of outspoken critics of the plan to purchase the land.

“Obviously, we’re pleased, and this is the time now for the community to come together and figure out what to do with that land,” Newby said.

Kathryn Levy, one of the vocal opponents of the purchase, shared her thoughts about the vote on Wednesday morning.

“Obviously we’re gratified by the vote, but we hope this will be the beginning of a constructive dialogue with the board of education and proponents of the purchase,” she said. “I think there’s a way forward for all of us.”

Levy said that she and other residents who had mobilized together in opposition to the purchase still would like to see the property developed into a passive park for the community, and are hopeful that Sag Harbor Village officials will urge Southampton Town to reconsider purchasing the property with community preservation fund money.

The land is owned by Pat Trunzo III, who has said publicly that he would go back to his plans to develop and sell homes on the land if the district was unable to purchase it, despite the hope by some residents that Southampton Town would step in and purchase the land and turn it into a passive community park.

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman has said publicly several times that the town is not pursuing a purchase with CPF money. Whether or not that will change remains to be seen.

Superintendent of Schools Jeff Nichols and members of the School Board had emphasized in recent weeks that there was no specific plan for what the land would be used for if the community voted to acquire it, although many residents believed it would likely eventually be developed into an athletic field, because that was the original proposal when the district was in talks with Southampton Town to jointly purchase the property with money from the Community Preservation Fund.

When that partnership broke down, the district decided to pursue purchasing the land on its own, which opened up the possibility of using it to address a different number of facility needs, a process district officials said would have been driven by the community.

In School Board meetings and community forums leading up to the vote, Nichols and board members characterized the purchase as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to acquire much needed land for a school district that has been restricted in many ways over the years by its small geographic footprint.

With that opportunity no longer on the table, it remains to be seen how the district will address various facility needs going forward, but in the immediate aftermath of the vote, Nichols tried to strike an upbeat note.

“The school has been here for years, and the community has been very supportive, at least during my time here and extending beyond my time,” he said. “I expect they will be supportive again, and we just have to continue to do the best we can to provide for the students.”