Gold Stars And Dunce Caps

Gold Stars And

Dunce CapsTo the Maurice Amado Foundation and the Southampton School District, for continued efforts to make sure children in the school district don’t start off the day distracted by hunger. The district announced plans this spring to institute a new “Breakfast in the Classroom” program this coming fall, in which a simple breakfast will be served to all elementary school students in the classroom, for free, regardless of their family income. The idea is that no one would be shamed to claim a free meal—and it’s not just economic hardship that keeps some kids from eating in the mornings anyway. Hearing of the planned program, the Maurice Amado Foundation, a California-based philanthropic organization, pitched in $10,000 to jump-start the program. An apple a day will help keep the F’s away—it’s a simple strategy that is easy to support.

To the Suffolk County Department of Public Works, for its “fix” of the Montauk Highway and North Road intersection in Hampton Bays. As part of the Canoe Place Inn renovation and its attached condominium project, the state dictated to the developers that the intersection, as well as the one at Newtown Road, needed to be retooled. But the reconfiguration of the North Road intersection has created a much more unsafe situation—it would have been better left the way it was. Worse, the “T” intersection is causing traffic to back up during peak times in several directions, to a degree it didn’t before. Work on the second intersection will begin after the summer, and it’s infuriating that the new configuration will not address the most significant problem—that eastbound traffic must make an illegal, unsafe U-turn at the light at Canoe Place Road. All in all, it’s an unsafe, inefficient way to cross the canal. Let’s hope it won’t take a tragedy to force a reconsideration.

To a young entrepreneur from East Hampton who recently graduated from Stanford University, for developing and marketing a product with young female athletes in mind. With a business partner, Amanda Calabrese developed what they say is the first advancement in tampon design in more than 90 years, and while its no-leak benefits make it a natural to market to athletes, it could be an advance for any woman. All signs point to a successful launch in Europe this fall. If it becomes popular, she can rest assured that she improved quality of life for many girls and women in a tangible way.”

To the growing family of bald eagles nesting at Accabonac Harbor—a first for Springs—and belated congratulations to the proud parents! Neighbors say the Bonac birds have improved their own lives by encouraging them to touch base with one another and to find out more about the history and behavior and physiology of our country’s national bird. Bald eagles were once on the verge of extinction, and it’s encouraging to see not only that the population has grown more abundant but also that it, too, appreciates the value of East End real estate.

To whoever deployed the rodenticide suspected of having poisoned a young eagle recently found in poor health on an Amagansett porch and subsequently transported for treatment to the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays. Perhaps one of these days we all will realize that a single link in the food chain—or, more correctly, the intricate and fragile ecosystem—cannot be targeted without unintended consequences to many other links. Perhaps, too, we’ll realize that we don’t really need to use poisons on the natural environment to the point that it is no longer natural at all.

To the Southampton Town Board, and Julie Lofstad and Christine Scalera in particular, for tackling an issue that arises every summer: transient residents dumping household garbage at the beaches. Renters and seasonal homeowners have been guilty of the practice for decades. For various reasons, many seek the lowest common denominator and cart bags of weekend refuse to the beach and dump them in the already overflowing town trash cans. Ms. Scalera and Ms. Lofstad realized that there is currently no way to penalize the obnoxious dumpers, and they have set out to change that by including illegal dumping of household trash in the town’s littering law, which would let code enforcement officers cite anyone caught in the act. Violators could face steep fines—up to $5,000. It’s a small way the town can begin to demand responsibility from everyone who enjoys what the region has to offer.

To the Southampton Town Board, and the State Legislature, for that matter, for setting aside $4 million to help fund a water main extension project in East Quogue that will allow residents to get public water. The residents, who have been using bottled water for a number of years after contaminants—most likely the result of firefighting foam used at Gabreski Airport years ago—were discovered in their private water wells. The money will come out of the town’s Community Preservation Fund coffers, which voters in recent years agreed could be used for water improvement projects. For a struggling homeowner previously unsure how they would afford to connect to public water to ensure the safety of their family, the measure is a godsend.

To Jimmy Buffett, for making a nice memory for some local kids and parents. It’s fun when a celebrity with South Fork roots lets them show, and when the musician showed up at North Haven Village Hall recently for the unveiling of a new playground there, and agreed to surprise those gathered with a few songs, it was a lovely moment, and a reminder that it’s not big names that make a small town great, it’s what they’re willing to do to be part of the community.

To members of the clergy in Sag Harbor Village who continue to be particularly active in social justice causes, working across denominations as a community to offer a network of support for any group of people being marginalized—this month evidenced at gatherings in the village, including Sunday’s Interdependence Walk, which aimed to build support and show solidarity for families of immigrants separated at the southern border of the United States. As this portion of our community faces the future with fear and trepidation, it’s reassuring that they find many of their neighbors not only saying they care but showing it. The interdependence among so many organizations, including OLA and the Shinnecock Indian Nation, and so many different people was a moment of pride in diversity at a time when America’s immigrant soul is under assault.

To Kathleen Mulcahy, the new mayor of Sag Harbor Village, for moving public comment at the monthly Village Board meetings where it belongs—at the beginning of the meeting. The former mayor, Sandra Schroeder, had pushed it to the end of the meetings, which seemed to carry symbolic weight: It suggested that the board would listen, grudgingly, but often only after action had already been taken. A public meeting should be a two-way conversation, and the new mayor stepped off on the right foot by putting the collection of input right at the start of the meeting.

To Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, for a nice surprise. Earlier this week, he informed three Gold Star families—including the parents of Lance Corporal Jordan Haerter—that they have been picked to take part in the New York Jets’ “Salute to Service” game on November 10 at the Meadowlands, a game against the Giants. The event will give everyone a chance to remember Lance Cpl. Haerter’s story one more time, and to honor his mother and father for his sacrifice.

To Suffolk County, energized by Legislator Bridget Fleming, for pledging to dedicate money to restore the somewhat forlorn Cedar Point Lighthouse in East Hampton, which has sat deserted for decades but which is rich in history and architectural interest and could potentially someday become a key component of Cedar Point County Park. As is typical with the wheels of government, and construction projects in general, the restoration has been taking quite some time to pick up momentum. The good news, however, is that the county seems to be on verge of putting out a request for proposals to finally get the job started. It’s one worth undertaking and seeing through to completion.

To the Southampton History Museum, which is celebrating 120 years of preserving vestiges of the village’s past. Back in 1899, despite the lack of a physical location for the venture, a group of concerned citizens had the foresight to create an organization with a mission of saving the objects, furnishings, tools, artwork and textiles that once made up the fabric of daily life in Southampton. Today, the museum is a virtual repository of the past. The vibrant and vital organization now oversees and manages four properties: the Rogers Mansion Museum Complex, with its 12 historic buildings; the Thomas Halsey Homestead; the Pelletreau Silver Shop; and the Conscience Point Historic Site. Trends come and go, and things change quickly in this part of the world. But thanks to the Southampton History Museum’s dedication to history, we can bravely face the future without forgetting our past.