Mattituck Chamber of Commerce members met at Michelangelo’s restaurant Wednesday night to discuss local business, town and school issues. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo photos)

Local business owners, elected leaders and school officials addressed Mattituck Chamber of Commerce members Wednesday night and discussed several topics, including land use, finances and tourism. Here are some of the highlights:

BUSINESS

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell’s news that a bank has expressed interest in moving into the vacant building on Route 25 received praise from attendees, who described the current state of the property as an eye sore.

The building has been fenced in since work stalled in 2009 on construction of a Hudson City Savings Bank branch at the site.

While Mr. Russell didn’t disclose which bank was eyeing the property, he said he believes a new bank will move in “very soon.”

SCHOOLS

Mattituck School District Superintendent Anne Smith was also a guest speaker at the dinner event and discussed how she’s collaborating with David Gamberg, superintendent of both the Greenport and Southold school districts, to share services and cut costs.

“It’s not just about efficiencies,” she said. “It’s about finding ways to provide more opportunities for students.”

Ms. Smith said residents are also looking into starting an educational foundation to help support school programs.

Southold school district residents recently launched the Southold School Educational Foundation, a nonprofit group that acts like a booster club to raise funds for enhanced learning opportunities in the district.

TOURISM

Abigail Field, the new director of the North Fork Promotion Council and its tourism website gonorthfork.org, said her group is planning events for the last two weeks in April.

Ms. Field said some of the ideas include having Clovis Point Wines organize a wine event featuring artifacts from the Southold Indian Museum and Noah’s restaurant would offer a prix-fixe menu and invite a representative from the Oysterponds Historical Society to talk about the notorious Wickham ax murders.

PARKS

Mattituck Park District Commissioner Russell Williamson discussed how his group is grappling with the expense of maintaining the parking lot on Pike Street.

He said the park district purchased it in the 1940s for $3,400 and is now looking for someone else to take it over.

“We’re in the park business, not the parking lot business,” he said, adding that the park district isn’t equipped to maintain the lot in a cost-effective manner.

Mr. Russell hinted that the town may be interested in taking it off the park district’s hands and said the town has the resources to maintain the property at a lower cost because it already has the equipment and staff.

“Southold is very motivated in making sure it stays a parking lot,” he said.

From right: Mattituck School District Superintendent Anne Smith, Cutchogue East Elementary School principal Kathleen Devine and sixth grade teacher Ilana Finnegan.

Anne Smith discusses school finances and student programing.

From left: Bauer’s Love Lane Shoppe owner Pat Moriarty and Elissa Miles, owner of Groom+Gear.

From left: Paul Romanelli, owner of Suffolk Security, and Times Review Media Group sales executive Bill Peters.

Mattituck Parks District Commissioner Russell Williamson.

Abigail Field, director of North Fork Promotion Council discusses the organization’s website gonorthfork.org.

From left: Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell and Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski.

Long Island Power Authority workers dig the intersection of Bay Shore Road and Island View Lane in Greenport. (Credit: Carrie Miller, file)

Southold Town is prepared to sue PSEG Long Island should the company revisit a failed and controversial underwater cable project intended to boost Shelter Island’s power supply.

Southold Supervisor Scott Russell said the town is considering all its options, including legal action, to halt any attempts made by the company to resurrect the stalled multi-million dollar project, which residents nearest to the drilling site on the mainland strongly protested.

“We are not going through this again,” Mr. Russell said. “[PSEG] had their opportunity to get this project right… they didn’t.”

Meanwhile, on Shelter Island, Supervisor Jim Dougherty earlier this week said he is in talks with PSEG to continue the project, which he said is needed for “enhancing future power capacity for Shelter Island.”

Mr. Dougherty said at the Town Board’s work session Tuesday that in discussions he’s had with PSEG, the power company is moving away from a concept of building a substation on the Island and returning to the idea of a cable under the bay.

Following an outpouring of backlash from residents, PSEG ditched a proposal to spend $10 million last year to build a substation in a residential neighborhood at the Old Highway Barn site on Route 114 on Shelter Island.

The substation proposal came on the heels of a disastrous attempt by LIPA to drill a cable tunnel under the bay from the North Fork for backup power when the contractor failed to complete the job. A drill had broke about 500 feet from Greenport’s shore.

Mr. Dougherty said a PSEG official had told him “the top thing on their list was to start having conversations, or continuing conversations, with Southold and Greenport folks on acceptance that doesn’t benefit them but benefits the region.”

Mr. Russell said he has not spoken to Mr. Dougherty about the matter, but plans to do so in the immediate future.

For the residents who have suffered through the months of construction outside their windows, Mr. Russell’s strong stance against the project is a comfort.

“I am so glad that he supports us,” said Greenport resident Jessica Kerr, who lives next to the drilling site. “That project was a total disaster, inconvenience and mess to all of us who live there. I am thrilled.”

cmurray@timesreview.com

A crosswalk will soon connect Unity Baptist Church in Mattituck to the shopping center across the street. (Credit: Grant Parpan)

Parishioners at Unity Baptist Church in Mattituck will soon have an easier — and safer — path to church each Sunday morning.

Southold Town is planning to install a crosswalk on Factory Avenue that would connect the church property to Mattituck Plaza, a small stretch of road many from the church’s congregation walk across before and after services.

Councilman Bill Ruland said painting the crosswalk — which town engineer Jamie Richter said would be angled to reach curbcuts on both sides of the road and therefore fully handicapped accessible — a good alternative to more costly solutions.

“This is an option that will meet everyone’s needs,” he said.

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell credited Mattituck resident Leroy Heyliger with bringing the safety matter to the attention of the board.

gparpan@timesreview.com

Damon Rallis is making his first run for public office. (Credit: Courtesy photo)

Damon Rallis hasn’t exactly been quiet about his discontent with Southold Town Hall in recent years. And now, the Democrat — who, as it turns out, works in Town Hall — has made his intent to run for supervisor official.

Mr. Rallis, 40, created a Facebook page this week that states he’s “actively seeking the Democratic nomination as a candidate for Southold Town Supervisor in 2015.”

The Mattituck resident is the first formal opposition to arise this year to incumbent Supervisor Scott Russell, who has not yet committed to seeking re-election.

A Southold Town building permit examiner since 2001, Mr. Rallis has also served as a code enforcement officer for three years in between.

Mr. Rallis, a graduate of Greenport High School, said he hasn’t been shy about his intent to run. Creating the Facebook page was just a natural next step.

“I haven’t been hiding anything,” he said.

In an interview Thursday, Mr. Rallis pointed to his experience working in Town Hall as one major reason he would be a viable candidate.

“I’ve been on the inside for 15 years,” he said. “I know what works. I know what doesn’t work.”

He said he wants to run because he sees single-party rule as a threat to effective operations in town government. Councilman Jim Dinizio is enrolled as a Conservative, though among four other Republicans, Mr. Rallis said, “We don’t have one elected official that has a different voice.”

As reasons why he would be an asset to town taxpayers, he pointed to a recent state audit that found financial shortcomings in town, and said town officials lack a long-term plan for the town’s real estate assets.

Noting a Suffolk Times cover story about a $3 million plan to build a new justice court, he asked, “Why aren’t we sitting down with a long-range plan for what we are going to do with all these government facilities?”

Mr. Rallis, who is married and has two sons, was a managing editor at the now-defunct Traveler-Watchman newspaper before moving to Town Hall in 2001.  He was a building permit examiner from 2001 to 2010, then a code enforcement officer from 2010 to 2013 before returning to the examiner position, according to his resumé. He never held the two positions at once.

Mr. Russell, who has won his two races as an incumbent in landslides in 2011 and 2007, first defeated Democrat Bill Edwards in 2005. In 2007, Mr. Russell defeated Chris Baiz, owner of Old Field Vineyard, gathering 82 percent of the vote.

Four years later, he took 76 percent of the vote over Bob Meguin.

Reached this week, the supervisor said he’s still unsure if he’ll run for re-election, and declined to comment in much detail on Mr. Rallis’ candidacy.

“If and when he is a candidate, I would be glad to have a substantive discussion on the issues,” he said.

Town Republican Committee Chairman Peter McGreevy said the town committee would support Mr. Russell if he chose to run again.

Southold Democratic Committee Chairman Art Tillman said that so far, Mr. Rallis is “the only one who overtly expressed that he will screen with us.”

He said the screenings will start in May or June, depending on when the county conventions are held.

“He’s an insider and knows how it works,” said Mr. Tillman of Mr. Rallis. “He’s also extremely intelligent and very personable.”

jpinciaro@timesreview.com

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell is giving his sixth annual State of the Town address Thursday night.

The speech is expected to focus on the town’s accomplishments in 2014, as well as its goals for 2015 and beyond.

Mr. Russell also plans go over the town’s fiscal status and discuss how the state’s property tax cap and unfunded mandates has impacted the budget.

Legislative updates, environmental and planning initiatives, and an evaluation of town facilities, assets and capital needs are other topics included in the supervisor’s speech.

Written reports of town departments will be available for distribution.

The public meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall meeting room.

jnuzzo@timesreview.com

Kevin McAllister, founder of Defend H20, and Councilwoman Louisa Evans at Tuesday’s Town Board work session. (Credit: Cyndi Murray)

Wastewater management advocacy group Defend H2O is urging the Southold Town Board to follow in the footsteps of Brookhaven Town and adopt more stringent sewer discharge regulations.

Board members, however, say Brookhaven’s law may not be the solution for Southold. 

During Tuesday morning’s Town Board work session, Kevin McAllister, founder of Defend H2O and former Peconic Baykeeper, continued his push for East End towns to enact regulations similar to Brookhaven’s, which are aimed at reducing nitrogen pollution associated with sewer systems.

High nitrogen levels in area waters have been feeding harmful algal blooms — the red tide the area sees each summer — which in turn have damaged the local ecosystem by depriving water bodies of oxygen. As a result, area fisheries have suffered.

Supervisor Scott Russell said Mr. McAllister’s proposal “has merit,” but said the law wouldn’t address Southold Town’s primary source of nitrogen discharge: septic systems and cesspools serving single-family dwellings.

Under Brookhaven’s law, which passed in January, existing buildings within the Carmans River watershed have 10 years to replace or upgrade their systems to comply with stricter regulations — three parts per million of nitrogen for structures generating 1,000 to 3,000 gallons of flow per day — and require new businesses in the same watershed to install them upon construction, Mr. McAllister said.

Single-family homes average 350 to 500 gallons of flow per day, so they would not be affected by the stricter regulations, he said. Since Southold Town comprises mainly single-family dwellings, Mr. Russell said the town would need to research the proposal further before moving forward.

“The problem Southold has with nitrogen loading is: How do we retrofit a community of 11,000 houses?” Mr. Russell said after the meeting. “Southold’s real challenge isn’t new development, it is existing buildings. Basically what [Mr. McAllister] has proposed, which is a sound idea, would pertain in most instances to new development or construction.”

With development projects including a proposed senior living community called the Heritage at Cutchogue in the works, Mr. McAllister said any step the town takes to strengthen its septic discharge standards is a move in the right direction.

“Towns have the ability to change standards on a local level,” he said. “We should strive for the best available option of [septic] treatment.”

Board members said they hope to make strides by working with Suffolk County instead of enacting local laws that supersede current county regulations.

“The goal you have is absolutely stellar … but it’s about ‘How are you going to get there?’ ” said Councilman Bill Ruland. “We can use the big stick or everybody can work together and we can get this done.”

Mr. McAllister agreed to continue working with the Town Board and Suffolk County. Board members also directed town engineers to review the proposal, which will be readdressed at a later date.

cmurray@timesreview.com

Scott Russell responds to questions following his State of the Town address Thursday. (Credit: Grant Parpan)

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell stressed the need for community input on several key issues, including affordable housing and helicopter noise, in his sixth annual “State of the Town” address Thursday night. 

Speaking before a crowd of more than 30 audience members at Town Hall, Mr. Russell led an informal one-hour meeting that also included remarks from other Town Board members and questions and comments from audience members.

The supervisor first spoke of the town’s accomplishments in 2014, before looking ahead to his goals for 2015. Below are a few of the issues discussed at the event:

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Affordable rentals are the key to solving the affordable housing crisis in Southold Town, Mr. Russell stressed during his address.

Mr. Russell said that while the affordable housing mission in Southold Town was once about new construction of affordable single-family homes, the demand has shifted to rentals.

He called a withdrawn proposal for 75 apartment units across from the former Capital One building on Main Road in Mattituck “far-fetched,” but said it’s the type of new construction the town should be exploring.

“Seventy-five apartment units in one hamlet was probably too many to absorb at one time,” he said. “But I do think we need to understand that concept was an excellent one for Southold Town. Affordable apartments are going to solve the problem.”

Councilman Jim Dinizio supported the supervisor, saying the town’s Affordable Housing Commission has worked hard on this issue only to hit “road block after road block.”

“We need some imagination [from the public],” he said. “I urge all to learn more about [affordable housing.]”

At the end of his speech, Mr. Russell emphasized the need for community members to participate in an affordable housing seminar the town is hosting at the Peconic Lane Community Center at 6 p.m. March 11 to better understand “what the town’s affordable housing program is all about.”

“This will be the first of many community meetings on this subject,” he said.

HELICOPTER NOISE

Mr. Russell and Councilman Bob Ghosio also encouraged community members to sign a petition supporting a ban of commercial air traffic at the East Hampton Airport.

The petition is an effort of the Southold Town Helicopter Committee, which was formed last year. Mr. Russell and Mr. Ghosio praised the committee and member Teresa McCaskie for continuing to put pressure on East Hampton and federal officials.

“Helicopter and low-flying planes have been a detriment to our town,” Mr. Ghosio said.

Ms. McCaskie addressed the audience following the supervisor’s address to urge community members to attend the March 5 East Hampton public hearing on a proposed weekend helicopter ban. The meeting is set for 4:30 p.m. at LVT Studios.

“For the first time East Hampton Town is listening to all of us,” she said. “They’re recognizing the pain.”

AQUACULTURE

Mr. Russell said land-based aquacultural operations known as shrimp farms belong in Southold Town so long as they’re located on properties that will not cause them to be “detrimental to surrounding neighborhoods.”

“They do belong here and I’m intent on changing the code to make these happen,” he said.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

The supervisor stressed that Southold Town needs to be at the forefront of alternative and renewable energy production during his address.

He pointed to legislation last year that permits solar arrays as a special exception use on light industrial properties and said the town needs to stay focused on alternative energy.

“There is a huge demand out there,” Mr. Russell said. “There are investors looking to site these types of facilities. Southold has the land, we have the sun and we want to be a part of that equation.”

SHORT-TERM RENTALS

Mr. Russell said the Town Board will soon consider legislation to possibly limit or prohibit short-term rentals in Southold Town.

Mr. Russell said he believes the town code needs to be updated to consider the growing market of vacation properties listed on websites like homeaway.com and airbnb.com.

“The current code doesn’t speak to the use,” Mr. Russell said. ”I think it’s clear from the Town Board’s perspective that we need to do something.

“We hope to have some legislation drafted and proposed shortly.”

LAND PRESERVATION

While he did not discuss specifics, Mr. Russell said the town has its eye on purchasing several properties for the purpose of preservation.

Mr. Russell said the town received more than $6 million in Community Preservation Fund revenues in 2014 and anticipates matching that number again this year.

The town purchased 78 acres of farmland in 2014 to the tune of nearly $4.8 million, about half of which was reimbursed through federal grants, he said.

“We need to ambitiously protect lands we’ve long desired,” the supervisor said.

DEER MANAGEMENT

The town’s deer management program reported that 285 deer were harvested in 2014 with 108 hunters taking part in the town’s program, which spans 600 acres of huntable land, according to a handout at Thursday’s event.

Mr. Russell said during his speech that the town’s deer management program has now eclipsed more than 1,100 deer harvested since its inception in 2008.

Solid waste coordinator Jim Bunchuck reported that an additional 388 deer were delivered as road kill in 2014, down 12 percent from the year prior, according to a handout.

gparpan@timesreview.com

Long Island Power Authority workers dig the intersection of Bay Shore Road and Island View Lane in Greenport. (Credit: Carrie Miller, file)

PSEG officials have reached no decision about whether to push forward with a substation on Shelter Island or cables linking the Island to the North Fork.

But when they do, how to proceed  their call to make, they say — even in the face of community opposition.

The decision will be informed by which project provides the most reliable service to Shelter Island and the least risk, said a PSEG spokesman, Jeffrey Weir.

“I’m fine with that,” Shelter Island Supervisor Jim Dougherty said, declining further comment until he has received more information from PSEG.

He expects to hear from them within the next couple of weeks, he said.

Southold Town residents, who took the brunt of the punishment in noise, dirt and disruption to their lives when the cable project was attempted in 2013, have been vocal enough that Supervisor Scott Russell threatened to take PSEG to court if it made a second attempt at that project.

But if the company decided a cable is the best solution to ensuring reliable power for the Island, it has the legal right to proceed, Mr. Weir said.

Editor’s note: Some information was deleted from an earlier version of this story, due to an attribution error.

Mr. Russell said Friday he’s already made it clear to PSEG officials that the town would not allow the company to set up a construction site on the mainland.

PSEG would need to obtain easements from Southold Town to use public road ends during the construction process, something Mr. Russell said is not going to happen.

“Southold simply isn’t going to grant those easements,” he said. ”I am not going to pretend to be a judge, nor should they.”

Many Shelter Island residents who visited a Jamesport substation last July were adamantly against siting a similar facility in a residential neighborhood adjacent to the Historical Society on South Ferry Road.

As for the route of the cabling, the original attempt from Crescent Beach to Greenport remains the most viable since it’s the shortest distance between the two towns. 

What’s more, PSEG already knows the makeup of the soil and rocks on that route, said Vincent Frigeria, a PSEG district manager. 

Most of Shelter Island’s power comes through an aged cable on the north side delivering 11 megawatts, while a cable from the south delivers three megawatts, Mr. Weir said.

jlane@timesreview.com

with Cyndi Murray

The site of a proposed business center on Route 25 in Mattituck (Credit: Cyndi Murray, file)

A plan to build a 75-unit affordable housing complex on a wooded 20-acre property across from the Capital One office building in Mattituck will not go forward.

Mattituck developer Paul Pawlowski has scrapped his idea to build North Fork Cottages and instead plans to construct commercial buildings on the property that would contain accessory apartments.

Mr. Pawlowski said Friday he hopes to create a campus-style retail center on the three acres closest to the Main Road. The business center, he said, would contain four or five detached commercial storefronts that would each have second floor accessory apartments.

Though he has not submitted a formal site plan with the town Mr. Pawlowski said he envisions the development would be similar to Feather Hill in Southold.

Mr. Pawlowski plans to donate the remainder of the property — roughly 17 acres — to the town for land preservation.

Mr. Pawlowski, a lifelong Southold Town resident who owns Cedars Golf Club in Cutchogue, said his new idea is a the second-best use for the property, saying his original plan lacked support from the Town Board and the public.

“There was negative feedback from the town and the people that live in town, so, we came up with another option,” Mr. Pawlowski said. “Hearing all the concerns, such as clearing too much property, I thought the next best thing for the property and for the town was to preserve 17-acres and build out the rest of the property for business.”

One problem residents raised when the project was first introduced in October, is that stretch of Mattituck has already seen much more development than other hamlet centers in Southold Town.

Within a quarter-mile of the site there is a 7-Eleven and a CVS. The last affordable housing community was built right down the road, and there is uncertainty about what will come of the now-vacant Capital One building.

Additionally residents feared the complex could burden the Mattituck-Cutchogue School District.

The newly formed Mattituck-Laurel Civic Association had identified the original proposal as a top priority for the group to take under advisement.

The organization’s founder, Mary Eisenstein, said Thursday that members had not yet formulated a stance on the new project.

One sticking point for Mr. Pawlowski was creating accessory apartments to help solve Southold Town’s housing shortage. Unlike the original plan, the three or four apartments included in the new proposal would not be built to meet Suffolk County’s affordable housing standards.

However, Mr. Pawlowski said the rent would be kept reasonable.

“The town has an issue with people living in illegal apartments, whether they are in basements or above garages, but because of the price-point they have no choice,” he said. “Architecturally speaking [the proposed apartments] would be built in a way where you’d never know there are apartments up there.”

Supervisor Scott Russell stressed during his State of the Town address Thursday night that affordable rentals are the key to solving the affordable housing crisis.

And while he called the withdrawn proposal for 75 apartment units  “far-fetched,” he said it’s the type of new construction the town should be exploring.

“Seventy-five apartment units in one hamlet was probably too many to absorb at one time,” he said. “But I do think we need to understand that concept was an excellent one for Southold Town. Affordable apartments are going to solve the problem.”

Mr. Russell declined to comment on Mr. Pawlowski’s pending application.

Housing Advisory Commission member Michael Herbert said he was saddened to see the idea for the affordable housing complex withdrawn, adding that just a handful of new apartments would have little impact on fixing the problem.

“[Mr. Pawlowski] didn’t want to create controversy in the community, but if his intention was to assist in developing affordable housing for Town of Southold residents, I don’t understand the objections,” he said. “Adding only a few apartments has no impact.

“We need a residential complex to service the community.”

Mr. Pawlowski is currently seeking a zoning change for the new project. In order for the development to move forward, the Town Board would need to approve a land use change in order for commercial businesses to be used on the 3.8 acres.

Currently, the entire 20-acre property is limited to only residential buildings.

“If the zoning change is approved, I would work closely with the Planning Board to ensure that the development is keeping with the character of Southold Town and improves the look of the area entering Mattituck,” Mr. Pawlowski states in his Feb. 10 zone change application.

The Planning Board is reviewing the zone change application and is expected to submit its recommendations to the Town Board within the next few weeks, town officials said.

cmurray@timesreview.com

A little over six months ago, we used this editorial space to call for stronger leadership on affordable housing in Southold Town.

At the time, the Town Board had just approved zoning changes that could lead to the building of higher density affordable housing complexes within the town. 

In that Aug. 28 editorial, we urged Supervisor Scott Russell to make affordable rental housing for young professionals a priority of his administration.

Affordable housing — and development in general — are topics that lend themselves to a lot of rhetoric and, as we noted in August, words like “risk,” “hurdles” and “difficult” get thrown around a lot.

We were encouraged to see Mr. Russell — and Councilman Jim Dinizio — stress the importance of affordable rental housing at the supervisor’s State of the Town event last Thursday. It is critical for local families and businesses that our working young people have places to live on the North Fork. Our housing stock needs to consist of more than half-million-dollar homes our children cannot afford. An inventory of reasonably priced rental housing is an essential piece of the modern-day real estate market, but it’s almost nonexistent east of downtown Riverhead, where a pair of recently constructed apartment buildings stand as larger-scale models of what Southold Town needs.

That’s why it was disappointing to learn that a proposal to build 70 affordable rental units on Main Road in Mattituck has been withdrawn in response to community feedback and concerns from the town. While we recognize that this particular plan was not without its problems, we agree with the supervisor when he says the “concept was an excellent one for Southold Town.”

One concern about the Mattituck proposal was that one hamlet and school district would be forced to absorb all the burden of development. We’d argue that the need for affordable rental housing on the North Fork is such that every hamlet should help carry the load. We strongly encourage all of our readers to attend the affordable housing seminar the town is hosting at the Peconic Lane Community Center on Wednesday, March 11, at 6 p.m.

Now is the time to work together toward a solution on this very important issue.

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell (center) speaks during a panel event Feb. 26 hosted by the Long Island Board of Realtors at Greenport’s Townsend Manor Inn. He’s flanked by Riverhead Town attorney Bob Kozakiewicz (left) and Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski. (Credit: Rachel Young)

For many North Fork residents, this winter’s proliferation of snow, ice and slush has made summer feel like a far-off, even illusory prospect. But local realtors say the area’s tourism season has already started — and they’re wondering how changing rental laws could affect the way they do their jobs.

To help clarify those regulations, the North Fork Chapter of the Long Island Board of Realtors hosted an event Feb. 26 featuring local politicians and insurance agents at Greenport’s Townsend Manor Inn. 

“We try very hard to make sure all of our members are informed,” said the group’s president-elect, Mary Alice Ruppert. “We need to be in the conversation.”

One of the most pertinent issues currently facing realtors, and the area at large, said Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell, is how to manage short-term rentals. They’ve become increasingly popular in the wake of websites like airbnb.com, which allow homeowners to rent out their properties for as little as one weekend.

“I’m getting a lot of pushback from the community, a lot of calls, a lot of concern about short-term rentals,” Mr. Russell told an audience of nearly 80 people. “The town is wrestling with this. We’re trying to figure out what’s fair.”

In addition to Mr. Russell, the event panel consisted of county Legislator Al Krupski (D-Cutchogue), Riverhead town attorney Bob Kozakiewicz and Joe Stepnoski and Randy Morreale, both of The Neefus-Stype Agency in Aquebogue.

The discussion was moderated by Ms. Ruppert and LIBOR’s Mary Ellen Ellwood.

“A lot of people feel that this is converting homes into a commercial use,” Mr. Russell continued. “I’m also getting important guidance from others who say [short-term rentals] are good for the economy.”

In early February, the Greenport Village code committee opened a 90-day public comment period when they were unable to reach a consensus about how to manage short-term rentals. They hope to begin drafting legislation in April.

“What we’re weighing is the need for year-round rentals versus the demand for seasonal rentals based on the increasing popularity of Greenport as a tourist destination,” said village Trustee Julia Robins, who is also a realtor with Century 21 Albertson Realty in Greenport.

One realtor at the event asked panelists to specifically define “short-term.” Another asked if homeowners are required to obtain town permits for short-term rentals.

Under Riverhead Town code, Mr. Kozakiewicz said, “anything that’s 29 days or less is banned” and permits must be purchased if tenants are renting for a period of 30 days or more.

In Southold Town, Mr. Russell said, the definition of short-term depends on how town officials end up structuring the code. The town has no permitting process, he said.

“I think the IRS — and I’m not an expert on this — I think they have a 14-day threshold,” Mr. Russell said. “But the short-term rental is for us to decide. We’re being very thoughtful and deliberate. We’re not rushing because we understand there are good points on both sides of the issue.”

Following the panel, Ms. Ruppert said realtors “need to ask for a seat at the table” when it comes to discussing rental legislation with politicians.

“These kinds of meetings that bring in the local municipalities to speak to the people who are doing business here are so vital,” she said. “That really was the goal of today — to find out ‘What is Riverhead doing? What is Southold doing?’ ”

Mr. Krupski urged realtors to approach him with any questions about current or future regulations.

“Going forward, if there’s anything that anyone has any suggestions on, please feel free to come to me,” he said. “The law should work for everybody and there’s no reason we can’t try to accommodate you.”

ryoung@timesreview.com

Congressman Lee Zeldin speaks to reporters and concerned members of the public at a press conference on helicopter noise at Southold Town Hall Sunday. (Credit: Vera Chinese)

Congressman Lee Zeldin asked the Federal Aviation Administration to do its part in reducing helicopter noise on the East End before the busy summer season in a letter he sent last week. 

On Sunday, officials representing the towns most directly impacted by low-flying aircraft backed him up at a press conference inside Southold Town Hall. The “united front” stressed the importance of helicopters maintaining a minimum altitude of 2,500 feet until they have reached their destination.

“We have to unite together to pursue common sense solutions to reduce helicopter noise,” the freshman congressman said.  ”My constituents cannot afford to have another season ruined by disruptive noise.”

In Mr. Zeldin’s letter, which was sent to FAA administrator Michael Huerta on Monday,  he wrote that helicopters are currently beginning their descent as they cross between the forks, creating an immediate need for relief in the towns of Southold, Riverhead and Shelter Island.

Mr. Zeldin (R-Shirley), who has been appointed vice chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation, an extension of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, also asked that the FAA establish clear transition points for aircraft crossing from the north to the south forks or pursue an all-water route around Orient Point.

The letter and press conference come days before the March 12 East Hampton Town Board public hearing on proposed aircraft restrictions at the town’s airport, the epicenter of the battle over helicopter noise. Mr. Zeldin stressed Sunday the importance of local control of the airport, saying it’s essential that local municipalities lead the fight against helicopter noise and that policies not be dictated in Washington, D.C.

The East Hampton legislation, which is expected to be voted on later this month, would:

• ban all helicopters on weekends during the summer season;

• impose a mandatory curfew for all aircraft from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.;

• extend the curfew on what the board has determined “noisy” aircraft from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m.; and

• limit operations of noisy aircraft to one trip, either arrival or departure, per week during the summer season.

East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell — one of three supervisors along with Scott Russell of Southold and Jim Dougherty of Shelter Island to attend Sunday’s press conference — shared statistics about helicopter activity and noise complaints. He said helicopter arrivals and departures jumped 47 percent in 2014 to a total of more than 8,400. The town also handled about 15,000 noise complaints, he said, adding that was more than the number of complaints at major airports in Boston and Chicago.

“The degradation of people’s peaceful enjoyments of their own homes on the scale that’s now occurring throughout the East End threatens quality of life and the core of the economy,” he said.

Mr. Cantwell said research shows the new laws would restrict an estimated 75 percent of helicopter operations at the airport, while reducing helicopter noise complaints by more than 80 percent.

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell praised Congressman Lee Zeldin’s role in fighting helicopter noise. He was joined at Sunday’s press conference by fellow Southold Town Board members Bob Ghosio, Jill Doherty and Bill Ruland. (Credit: Vera Chinese)

Mr. Dougherty and Mr. Russell both said Mr. Zeldin’s appointment to the House Subcommittee on Aviation should help get the attention of the FAA.

“The FAA holds the keys to the kingdom,” Mr. Russell said. “[Mr. Zeldin] is right to hold [their feet] to the fire.”

While Mr. Dougherty said his town has seen very little brushback from a helicopter ban it enacted seven years ago, he acknowledged that the situation is different in East Hampton.

Assemblyman Fred Thiele suggested that costly litigation from helicopter pilots and their wealthy clients will slow progress on the noise issue, but he said it’s a battle worth fighting.

“If anybody thinks this isn’t going to be a major fight from beginning to end, there’s a lot of money on the other side,” he said. “It is imperative that we win that fight and the way we do that is by sticking together.”

County legislator Al Krupski, and representatives of several helicopter noise advocacy and civic groups, also attended the press conference Sunday.

Noticeably absent was representation from the Southampton Town Board, though Zeldin staffers said they were invited to attend. Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter was also not in attendance, but council members George Gabrielsen, Jodi Giglio, Jim Wooten and John Dunleavy attended in his absence.

Mr. Gabrielsen said after the press conference that the helicopter fight to the east has pushed the problem closer to Riverhead and the time is now for the town to get behind an all-water route around Orient.

gparpan@timesreview.com

Trucks, trucks and more trucks.

A plan by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council that could recommend redirecting 3,000 heavy freight trucks per year from I-95 in Connecticut to the North Fork via the Cross Sound Ferry has Orient residents up in arms. 

Especially since the freight management plan could be approved without a local public hearing.

“This plan is off everyone’s radar,” said Orient Association president Robert Hanlon, who has scheduled a March 14 meeting of his organization to discuss the proposal. “If not for one person alerting us to it, no one would have known. Yet this could have a significant impact on our roads.”

The language in the proposal that has Orient residents concerned is in a section of the plan titled “marine highways.” It lists several projects that could alleviate freight congestion on New York metropolitan roadways by sending trucks along waterways, including the Cross Sound Enhancement Project. Sponsored in 2012 by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the U.S. Maritime Administration project proposed, in part, to improve three ferry boats to allow for a 25 percent increase in truck capacity, increasing the annual number of trucks traveling from New London to Orient to an estimated 15,000 per year. Those trucks would then travel across routes 25 and 48 to the Long Island Expressway in Riverhead.

Mr. Hanlon said he fears that if the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council approves its Freight Management Plan as currently proposed, it could pave the way for implementation of the Cross Sound Enhancement Project down the line.

“It sets a policy goal for the region for what legislators can do [in the future],” Mr. Hanlon said of the Freight Management Plan, likening it to the comprehensive plan Southold Town officials have been working on. He worries that in future years such a document could be viewed as local approval from 2015, when, in reality, the issue has not been discussed locally.

Cross Sound Ferry spokesman Stan Mickus said there are currently no plans in the works to improve ferry capacity. He said the only element of the Cross Sound Enhancement Project completed to date entailed repowering three auto ferries for lower emissions and cleaner burning engines. He said he was not aware of the details of NYMTC’s Freight Management Plan.

The NYMTC, which describes itself as “the metropolitan planning organization for New York City, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley,” is hosting a public hearing on its plan March 18, but that hearing is taking place in New York City. The public comment period on the proposal closes March 31, according to the planning organization’s website.

The Connecticut State DOT said in 2012 that rerouting 3,000 trucks to the New London and Orient Ferry terminals would save 500,000 truck miles per year, leading to a reduction in emissions and infrastructure maintenance savings.

But how does such a plan help the North Fork of Long Island? Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) says not at all.

“I have some very deep concerns with the Cross Sound Enhancement Project,” Mr. Zeldin said in a statement Monday. “This plan is ill advised as it obviously fails to properly assess the North Fork’s road system. The North Fork is not designed to support this diversion of I-95 corridor traffic and I will work hard to prevent this scheme from unfolding to the detriment of my constituents.”

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said planning staff is currently reviewing the NYMTC’s proposal and he’s also checking with the town’s transportation committee to see if it’s weighed in on the plan in the past. He also said counsel is reviewing if such ferry service expansion is outside the scope of any past agreements.

“I anticipate having more information in the coming days,” he said.

Both Mr. Russell and a representative from Mr. Zeldin’s staff are expected to attend the Saturday, March 14, Orient Association meeting at 10 a.m. inside Poquatuck Hall.

Mr. Hanlon said the Orient Association has not yet taken a position on this issue, but could do so at Saturday’s meeting. He said civic members plan to attend the March 18 hearing in New York City.

Mr. Hanlon said it’s the lack of information about the Freight Management Plan and its potential impact on the North Fork that has him so concerned.

“I’m very prejudiced being that I live on Main Road in Orient,” he said. “But I can tolerate the amount of trucks now. I don’t want to see any more.”

gparpan@timesreview.com

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 5 p.m. March 10 to include comment from the Cross Sound Ferry.

Roadways across the town sustained “substantial” damage this winter, the highway superintendent said. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

The Highway Department may need between $300,000 and $400,000 more than originally budgeted to repair “substantial” damage to town roadways this winter. 

The historically cold weather and icy conditions have lead to potholes and frost heave, which causes the pavement to be pushed up by the freezing of water in the soil, Highway Superintendent Vincent Orlando told board members Tuesday.

The town has already allocated $450,000 toward such repairs, however, that amount will not cover all the costs, he said.

He said the final price tag for the fixes would depend on how fast the ground thaws out.

Though most resident are hoping for a fast warm up, Mr. Orlando said slower rising temperatures increases would actually cause less damage to town roads.

“We need a plan in place to finance [the fixes],” he said. “There are some roads out there that just can survive this and will just crumble.”

Supervisor Scott Russell suggested a joint meeting with Mr. Orlando and the town comptroller to come up with ways of funding the road repairs.

Mr. Russell also noted that the state could be providing more money to towns and village for repairs, but the town wouldn’t find out how much until April.

cmurray@timesreview.com

Orient Association president Robert Hanlon polls the room Saturday morning, asking who opposed a proposed freight truck plan. (Credit: Paul Squire)

If you were trying to find someone who supported the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council’s plan to divert tractor trailers through the North Fork, the last place you’d want to look was Saturday morning’s meeting at Poquatuck Hall in Orient.

The residents, elected officials and community leaders gathered there called it “ruinous,” “pointless,” and “an absolute disaster waiting to happen.”

“Maybe this, at the end of the day, might provide an opportunity for them to clean up this plan and to get rid what can only be described as a boneheaded idea,” said Town Supervisor Scott Russell.

During the meeting, Orient Association president Robert Hanlon took a poll of the room, asking who was opposed to the plan — which could add more than 3,000 heavy freight trucks to North Fork roads via the Cross Sound Ferry.

Everyone raised their hand.

The proposal comes from a section of the plan covering “marine highways” that outlines several projects to reduce freight congestion on roads in the New York metro area.

The project — called the Cross Sound Enhancement — was sponsored in 2012 by the Connecticut Department of Transportation and proposed to upgrade three ferry boats to allow for a 25 percent increase in truck capacity, bringing an estimated total of 15,000 trucks from New London to Orient each year.

Those trucks would then travel across routes 25 and 48 to the Long Island Expressway in Riverhead.

But Legislator Al Krupski said this very plan had been discussed five years ago and dismissed then.

“I think this is an artifact,” he said. “Somebody put something in a study and then years later somebody else uncovers it.”

Mr. Russell said Southold Town had numerous issues with the proposal. The extra 3,000 trucks a year would add 11 or 12 trucks a day to roads that couldn’t handle it, he said. The board also has “serious” concerns over safety and quality of life, noting trucks would pass within 30 feet of some residents’ front doors.

“I truly believe the people who crafted this plan never spent one day traveling from Orient Point to 495,” Mr. Russell said. “They have no idea about the 30 miles in between.”

County Executive Steve Bellone, who also serves as co-chair of the NYMTC and wasn’t able to attend the meeting Saturday, sent a statement in which he also opposed the idea.

“I appreciate the diligence of this community in unearthing this footnote, which may have been used as a basis for poor planning and poor public policy,” he wrote in the statement. “I will urge removal of any reference to the Cross Sound Enhancement project form the regional freight plan and will not vote in favor of the plan until such language is removed.”

In a statement, Congressman Lee Zeldin also denounced the plan and State Senator Ken LaValle asked for residents to share their opinions on the controversial proposal.

Locals at the meeting had many chances to do just that, slamming the project as a poor idea.

Anne Hopkins of Orient said freight trucks driving along Route 25 could “shake old houses apart.” East Marion Community Association president Robin Imandt also said the roadways were a coastal evacuation zone, which could be compromised if a tractor trailer crashed during an emergency.

Others questioned how the proposal was only revealed to the public earlier this month.

“How this came to be appalls me,” said Linda Apostle of Orient.

But elected officials said they were confident they could scrap the plan. And Mr. Hanlon — who said the Orient Association would also oppose the plan — said the response from legislators has been encouraging.

“Usually the wheels of government turn really slowly,” Mr. Hanlon said. “This is a good example of everything kind of working together.”

psquire@timesreview.com

Scott Russell responds to questions following his State of the Town address earlier this month. (Credit: Grant Parpan, file)

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said Tuesday he is seeking a fourth term in office, stating that he would bring “purpose, vision and vitality” to the Town Board if elected in November.

The supervisor, who in recent months has been non-committal when asked if he’d run for a new four-year term, announced his intentions in an emailed statement.

“The decision to seek re-election has not been an easy one,” Mr. Russell stated.  “I am confident that I can and will bring purpose, vision and vitality and therefore I am seeking the nomination to continue to serve as Southold Town Supervisor. I will ask the people of Southold to continue to put their faith in me and to continue to offer me guidance as I strive to do the best that I can on behalf of this town.

“I have thought long and hard to assess if I could continue to serve as supervisor with the vigor and sense of purpose that I brought to the position every day since January 1, 2006,” the statement reads. “To be sure, there have been successes and there have been setbacks. We continue to try to build on those successes and continue to try to learn from those setbacks. I am fortunate to work with employees who put their best foot forward each and every day and work tirelessly to serve the people of this town.”

Mr. Russell has experienced personal setbacks in his two most recent terms in office.  He took a leave of absence following a domestic disturbance at his home in May 2011. He also dealt with domestic issues in 2014 and was criticized after he fell asleep at a Town Board meeting in October.

But in an email Tuesday, Mr. Russell noted several highlights of his most recent term, including  purchases of farmland development rights and environmentally fragile parcels, maintaining a strong credit rating and guiding the town through several major storm events.

Mr. Russell — who won his first two bids for re-election in landslides in 2007 and 2011 — initially defeated Democratic candidate Bill Edwards in 2005 to succeed Josh Horton as town supervisor.

Town GOP chairman Peter McGreevy  said the committee “has full faith and support in Scott Russell,” but no official decision on which candidates to back will be made until April.

There are eight town seats, all controlled by Republicans, up for grabs in the Nov. 3 election. On the Town Board, incumbent councilmembers Jill Doherty and Bill Ruland are up for re-election.

Incumbent Trustees Jim King and Dave Bergen are also up for re-election.

The terms of tax receiver George Sullivan, assessor Rich Caggiano and Justice Rudolph Bruer are also expiring in 2015. All have previously run on the Southold GOP ticket.

Mr. McGreevy said the committee is in the process of confirming who wants to run for re-election before deciding if it will screen other possible candidates. He said Tuesday afternoon that he is still awaiting word from the other seven incumbents.

Southold Democratic Committee Chairman Art Tillman said last week that his committee has not begun the screening process, adding that supervisor hopeful Damon Rallis is the only one to formally express interested in running on the Democratic line so far.

cmurray@timesreview.com

Residents asked the Southold Town Board Tuesday night to curb short-term rentals. (Credit: Tim Gannon)

A number of residents asked the Southold Town Board Tuesday to enact new regulations to curb short-term rentals.

The short-term rentals are gaining an unfair advantage on hotels and bed-and-breakfasts’, which must pay commercial taxes, obtain permits from the town and be subjected to regular inspections, residents said.

“The quality of life for residents of the North Fork is being increasingly affected by an unregulated short-term rental market,” said Lori Hollander of Southold. “People who’ve bought their homes in residential neighborhoods can now find themselves living next to an unregulated, unsupervised and unlicensed property functioning as a commercial business.”

She said speculators are buying lower priced homes to be used as rentals, and in the process, they are depleting the area’s supply of affordable housing.

Residents say the homes are advertised on websites like airbnb, Home Away and VRBO.

Ms. Hollander said there are about 300 rentals in Southold Town advertised on both VRBO and Home Away.

Mike Griffin of East Marion said that while B&Bs are highly regulated and require the owner to live there, obtain a license and insurance and pay commercial taxes to the town, the short-term rentals are not subject to those requirements.

“The proliferation of party houses will only degrade our neighborhoods and change a very beautiful place,” he said.

The towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Riverhead require homeowners to obtain rental permits from the town in order to rent their houses.

Some residents are urging Southold to do likewise, and board members say they have been discussing the idea and planned to do so at a code committee meeting Wednesday.

Miriam Bissu of Orient said that some of her neighbors have recently been renting their properties for one or two weeks, or weekends, at a time.

“There have been parties at all times of the day and night with loud music,” she said. “Unruly groups or what appear to be unrelated adults have rented homes for the sole purpose of partying all weekend.”

Some of the people renting homes are second home-owners who find they can no longer afford them, she said, adding that this brings down property values of neighbors.

Marybeth and Tom Edmonds of Mattituck say they rented their property on airbnb last fall and feel it helps the community and supports the local economy.

“We regulate who comes to our house,” Ms. Edmonds said. “We are there, in attendance, and we offer them local North Fork treats, like North Fork Potato Chips and Catapano’s cheese, and we send them out in search of North Fork treasures, like the carousel, the observatory and all the restaurants.”

She said they support regulations, “but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”

Mr. Edmonds said they also live in their home themselves when they rent it.

Councilman Jim Dinizio said that what the Edmondses are doing is actually a B&B, which Southold allows and encourages, although it requires a permit from the town.

Attorney Abigail Field said she represents about a dozen Southold Town homeowners who do short-term rentals of their properties through VRBO.

“They use their homes part of the year themselves, and generally hope to retire here,” she said.  “They love their homes and Southold, which is why they carefully screen their renters and they support responsible regulation of short-term rentals.”

She said she did a survey in which short-term rental owners polled their former tenants, with 91 people responding. It found that 57 percent of the rentals were for one weekend, and 33 percent for one week. Two-thirds of the respondents said they would only come back if a short-term rental were available, she said.

The surveyed groups spend an average of $1,850 in town during their stay, Ms. Field said.

Anne Murray of East Marion urged the Town Board to take action quickly, because some of the homes are already rented for the summer.

“These homes are negatively impacting our quality of life,” she said. “Unless the town takes action, party houses will exist in every hamlet.”

Ms. Field said most of the short-term lease houses are “high end” properties, and have no impact on affordable housing.

Supervisor Scott Russell said the town code committee, which is the Town Board, plans to discuss prospective legislation on short term rentals at its 4:30 p.m. meeting Wednesday in the town annex.

“I think we recognize we need to act,” Mr. Russell said. “We certainly would like to act as expeditiously as we can, but that conflicts with out intent to be deliberate and thoughtful in doing it.”

Mr. Dinizio believes most residents are opposed to short-term rentals.

“To me, it’s not a question of whether you want to make money,” he said. “It has to do with residents. It has to do with people’s expectations of their neighborhoods.”

tgannon@timesreview.com

Ms. Stulsky leaving court last year. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch, file)

An independent arbitrator ruled last week that a former Southold Town employee convicted of stealing over a quarter million dollars from the town’s justice court is not entitled to health insurance provided through the town.

However, the arbitrator’s decision has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she unlawfully took $231,791 over the course of about five years.

According to a written decision by arbitrator Robert Grey issued on March 17, the reason for declining Christine Stulsky’s health insurance lies in the fact that she “must have been employed by the town on April 7, 2014, the last date immediately prior to retirement into the New York State Employees Retirement System.”

Ms. Stulsky, however, issued her retirement in mid-March.

“This was not impacted by the criminal cases,” Supervisor Scott Russell said of the ruling on Friday. “Some would argue it should be, but it’s not … One has nothing to do with the other.”

Ms. Stulsky, who worked for the town since 1980, submitted to the board a handwritten letter announcing her intent to retire last March. The board then approved a resolution accepting her “resignation.” Because Ms. Stulsky said she retired and did not resign, she claimed she was entitled to retiree health benefits.

The town disagreed with Ms. Stulsky’s reasoning.

In fact, during a Feb. 26 arbitration hearing the town argued Ms. Stulsky, a convicted felony, was “seeking permission through arbitration to steal several more thousand dollars from the town by claiming a benefit to which she is not entitled,” according to the arbitration decision (see below to read it in full).

The state requires that an application to enroll in benefits must be on file with the retirement system for at least 15 days before the retirement is effective. It also mandates that employees must continue to work up to and until the day before the retirement goes into effect.

In Ms. Stulsky’s case, her retirement would have gone into effect on April 8, 2014. However, the Town Board accepted her resignation on March 21, 2014, effectively terminating her employment.

Since was not considered an employee of the town on the last date immediately prior to retirement into the New York State Employees Retirement System, her request for benefits was denied, according to the arbitration decision.

The Town Board agreed to adopt and implement Mr. Grey’s recommendation during Tuesday’s regular meeting.

“The [CSEA] contract says you’ll retain your medial benefits if you are vested and if you retire from the position,” Mr. Russell said. “In this instance [Ms. Stulsky] resigned from the position, so it was the town’s determination she was not entitled to medial coverage. The issue went before an arbitrator who agreed with the town.”

Ms. Stulsky, who is currently jailed, pleaded guilty to felony grand larceny charges in January, admitting that she stole money from the town justice court’s bail fund, which she helped to manage.

Through her plea deal, Ms. Stulsky was sentenced to six months in jail and five years probation March 11.

She also agreed to pay back $231,791 in funds that were stolen from the bail account over many years. A first payment of $50,000 has been received by the town.

Defendants in town court who did not have their bail money properly returned to them due to the theft can contact the town justice court to have their money returned.

With Joseph Pinciaro

Stulsky Arbitration Decision

Southold Town Board members were puzzled to learn Tuesday that the town has spent roughly $50,000 over the past five years to participate in a renewable energy initiative program that expired in 2009.

The surcharge, which breaks down to roughly $10,000 annually, appears on the town’s electric bill to support LIPA’s Community Energy Program, which was intended to encourage the company to purchase energy from renewable sources. 

In 2004, the Town Board enrolled in the program, which provided incentives to municipalities to use green energy materials.

In late 2008, however, the town received a letter from LIPA stating that the initiatives would no longer be available as of Jan. 1 2009, but the company would “look forward to [the town’s] continued support” of the program, said Jeff Standish, the Southold director of public works.

The town never opted out, Mr. Standish told board members Tuesday morning.

“So, the program ended but they still charged us for the program?” asked Councilwoman Jill Doherty . “Is that what you’re saying?”

Mr. Standish said that was accurate.

“It is a lot of money,” he said.

Supervisor Scott Russell said it wasn’t a secret the town had been paying the surcharge. He stood by the previous payments into the program — which is now called the Long Island Green Choice Program under PSEG Long Island.

Between 2006 and 2008 the program provided the town with roughly $17,000 in green energy incentives, such as to install more efficient lighting, he said.

He pointed out that even after the incentives ended in 2009, the program continued to support the electric company’s investment in alternative energy systems.

“The idea was to become a good consumer,” he said. “But one of the problems we have is it’s costing us money and they haven’t been investing in alternatives and renewables.”

Later on Tuesday afternoon, during their regular session, board members voted 6-0 in favor of canceling the town’s involvement with the PSEG Green Choice Program.

After the meeting, Mr. Russell said if PSEG recommitted to funding alternative energy systems to power Long Island towns and villages, he would support the idea of re-enrolling in the Green Choice Program.

cmurray@timesreview.com

(Credit: file)

Proving public opinion is still a force to reckoned with when it comes to policymaking, a plan to redirect 3,000 heavy freight trucks per year from Interstate 95 in Connecticut to the North Fork via the Cross Sound Ferry has been dropped fewer than six weeks after Orient residents noticed it and protested the plan.

During a March 14 meeting of the Orient Association, dozens of residents met to publicly decry the plan, known as the Cross Sound Enhancement Project. It was contained in a section of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council’s Regional Freight Plan.

The Orient community’s vocal opposition continued at an April 22 NYMTC public hearing on the matter.

Their outcry rallied local, county, state and federal officials to pressure the state to revise the proposal. And on Thursday, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone’s office announced all references to the Cross Sound Enhancement Project had been removed from the plan.

“This has been an amazing example what an engaged community is capable of doing,” said deputy county executive Jon Schneider. “The fact is, this Cross Sound Enhancements Project was a footnote that was buried in a highly technical document. You never know when things get buried like that.

“If not for an engaged community, it is very possible this footnote could have remained in this document and at some point down the line some policymaker in Connecticut could have used this as the basis to move forward with something that anyone who is familiar with roads on the East End knows to be an absolutely terrible idea.”

Southold Supervisor Scott Russell, who attended the March 14 meeting to voice his opposition to the plan, also commended the public Thursday for raising the issue.

“It wasn’t just about them changing peoples’ minds, it was about … having people pay notice to it to get it removed rather than just overlooked,” Mr. Russell said.

Orient Association president Bob Hanlon said he was “delighted” by the news.

“We are especially thankful,” Mr. Hanlon said. “We had a very large turnout at the public meetings on this, as well as people taking part online to universally voice strong opposition and concern.”

Still, there is more work to be done, he said.

The proposal is still outlined in a U.S. Department of Transportation’s freight plan. Though that plan is currently stalled, lacking funding to continue, Mr. Hanlon said residents are still working with federal politicians to remove any mention of diverting trucks en masse from I-95 and onto the ferries and the North Fork.

“While it is not active at the moment, our concern is that if it is left on the books at some point, when funding does become available, it might then resurface and we will be facing the same set of problems,” he said. “We are calling on our elected officials, in particular our federal elected officials, to help us work to have this project completely eliminated.”

Mr. Schneider assured that Mr. Bellone, for one, “would do anything he can to make sure this legislation never sees the light of day.”

Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) has already come out against the proposal in the NYMTC’s freight plan and said he would continue to block the proposal on the federal level.

“As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, as well as working directly with United States Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx and Maritime Administer Paul Jaenichen, I will fight to take this project off of the list of Maritime Administration Marine Highway Programs, ensuring this misguided idea is done away with once and for all,” Mr. Zeldin said in a statement Thursday evening. “The Cross Sound Ferry from Orient Point to New London, CT is an essential part of the East End tourist economy, but it was never meant to carry large trucks, nor was Route 25 ever meant to be a highway clogged with trucks.”

cmurray@timesreview.com

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 7:30p.m. Thursday to reflect Congressmen Zeldin’s comments.