Sag Harbor Village to Declare a State of Emergency

On Tuesday afternoon, it is expected that the Sag Harbor Village Board of Trustees will declare a state of emergency in the village, similar to what town governments in East Hampton and Southampton announced in the last week.

During a teleconference with department heads, members of the village board and residents on Tuesday, Sag Harbor Mayor Kathleen Mulcahy said the village board was exploring what kind of power declaring a state of emergency would give village officials and police amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We still have no reported cases in the Village of Sag Harbor that we are aware of,” said Ms. Mulcahy, noting village officials are in daily contact with county health officials and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone’s office to obtain outbreak numbers and information.

Ms. Mulcahy urged residents not to contact police or emergency service personnel in any case that is not a true emergency.

“There could be an overwhelming number [of cases] as time goes on and we need to keep our ambulance and emergency services available,” she said.

Sag Harbor Fire Department Chief Steven Miller and Sag Harbor Volunteer Ambulance Corps President Debbie O’Brien urged residents contacting emergency services to let them know if anyone is experiencing symptoms, so personnel can prepare.

Sag Harbor Village Police Chief Austin J. McGuire said his police department was in the process of limiting all non-essential services. Ms. Mulchay said village hall was adopting a similar policy: all regulatory board meetings are cancelled for the time being, she announced, with only the village board of trustees planning to meet via teleconference. Any plans that need to be reviewed by Building Inspector Thomas Preiato can be dropped off at village hall, where they will go through a quarantine process and be reviewed after they are deemed safe, she added. Residents can email Mr. Preiato at tpreiato@sagharborny.gov if they have questions about their application or the process moving forward.

Ms. Mulcahy advised residents who do feel they may have come down with the virus to first reach out to their primary care physician for next steps as to not overwhelm Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

Members of Save Sag Harbor, she added, are working on a system to provide groceries or prescription pick-ups for the elderly or those otherwise in need, she added. Save Sag Harbor Co-Director Bob Weinstein encouraged those in need and those able to volunteer their time to help to email info@savesagharbor.com. He also encouraged residents and vistors to buy gift certificates from local businesses — a website is being developed to aid local businesses in Sag Harbor — as a means of supporting the local economy while most places are shuttered as a result of the virus outbreak with residents being encouraged to stay home and practice social distancing.

“We have a meeting at 2 p.m. with the mayors of the East End villages specifically,” said Ms. Mulcahy, “to discuss people coming to this area from other areas that may be under quarantine and what we can do about that and how we can keep track of that, as well as how we can keep our stores stocked. As many noticed, many are running quite low as we did not expect a summer crowd in March.”