Letters

I wanted to applaud the Southampton High School students who recommended to the mayor and Board of Trustees the purchase of the solar-powered, compacting trash cans for Southampton Village. I applaud the use of environmentally friendly technology and innovative ways to improve the downtown. These students deserve a lot of credit for proposing a great idea to their elected officials.

That said, I watched the March trustees meeting with confusion, because there was limited discussion in public about the placement and location of these receptacles.

I agree with the mayor that these solar powered cans would be better placed at the beach, where it is sunny and often where the trash bins are overflowing. What was disheartening was that no map or plan was presented to the public, or even to the trustees, who then voted on their locations, while at the same time admitting at the meeting that they themselves had not seen the plan either.

It appears that the very same students who initiated this project were also denied the opportunity to participate. Only one trustee, Gina Arresta, had seen the plan. More disheartening was that, when the mayor asked for some more public input from businesses about the aesthetic design and locations, Arresta stated that the consultants created the plan, and that “the public does not know what it is talking about.”

I disagree. The public paid for these trash cans, and the business community and general public have a good pulse on the issues.

Despite the positive project that has the potential to improve the village, the rush to get this done resulted in the new trash cans being placed in the wrong locations, and facing the wrong way, while at the same time the removal of the strategically located original cans at the food establishments where trash typically builds up will lead to increased litter and garbage around the downtown.

Lastly, I did want to also thank the members of the Southampton Village Public Works Department who worked hard to install these bins.

Frank Horowitz

Southampton Village