February 19, 2004
January 12, 2004
MTA shortchanges eastern Long Island
M.T.A. Collects, Neglects Assemblyman Thiele proposes local authority
By Amanda Star Frazer
"Arrogant," "unresponsive," "not designed for us local folks," "the worst." East
End officials have no love for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the
quasi-public parent company of the Long Island Rail Road.
Just how public the authority is depends on who you ask. It collects millions of
dollars in taxes each year from the East End, but there is no guarantee any of
that money will be used to pay for trains to and from the two forks. Projects such
as the L.I.R.R. tunnels at Grand Central Terminal in New York are often a higher
priority.
State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. says that the five East End towns should
take matters into their own hands, particularly since public transportation is
becoming more critical as the roads are choked by traffic.
"The M.T.A. and the L.I.R.R. are perhaps the most unaccountable agencies in
state government," he said. "They're really almost immune from the Legislature
and the public."
Mr. Thiele has proposed a bill to establish a Peconic Bay Regional Transportation
Authority, which would either supplement or completely take the place of the
M.T.A. in directing East End transportation. He said he proposed the new agency
"because it was clear that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has no real
interest in solving East End transportation problems."
He is not alone in that opinion.
"One is not going to get cooperation from the M.T.A.," Southampton Town
Supervisor Patrick A. Heaney said. "That's an organization that has its own
mission that has nothing to do with public transportation. It marches to its own
drumbeat."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
M.T.A. Collects, Neglects Assemblyman Thiele proposes local authority
By Amanda Star Frazer
"Arrogant," "unresponsive," "not designed for us local folks," "the worst." East
End officials have no love for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the
quasi-public parent company of the Long Island Rail Road.
Just how public the authority is depends on who you ask. It collects millions of
dollars in taxes each year from the East End, but there is no guarantee any of
that money will be used to pay for trains to and from the two forks. Projects such
as the L.I.R.R. tunnels at Grand Central Terminal in New York are often a higher
priority.
State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. says that the five East End towns should
take matters into their own hands, particularly since public transportation is
becoming more critical as the roads are choked by traffic.
"The M.T.A. and the L.I.R.R. are perhaps the most unaccountable agencies in
state government," he said. "They're really almost immune from the Legislature
and the public."
Mr. Thiele has proposed a bill to establish a Peconic Bay Regional Transportation
Authority, which would either supplement or completely take the place of the
M.T.A. in directing East End transportation. He said he proposed the new agency
"because it was clear that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has no real
interest in solving East End transportation problems."
He is not alone in that opinion.
"One is not going to get cooperation from the M.T.A.," Southampton Town
Supervisor Patrick A. Heaney said. "That's an organization that has its own
mission that has nothing to do with public transportation. It marches to its own
drumbeat."
Calling the M.T.A. arrogant, Mr. Heaney said, "It has made it very, very clear
that its mission is more about profit than providing trains to communities. This
agency is acting with total disregard for these communities. It's just wrong."
He suggested the authority had "to be leashed somehow, and that has to happen
at the state level." The supervisor added that he would give Mr. Thiele's bill
"1,000 percent of my support."
As would Southampton Councilwoman Linda Kabot, who tried to take the railroad
to task in 2002. "They're not really paying back into our community in terms of
service," she said.
Ms. Kabot had sent letters to the M.T.A./L.I.R.R. president, Ken Bauer, while
Southampton was in the midst of its own transportation study, encouraging the
Long Island Rail Road "to be a more energetic and cooperative player on the
East End."
She said the authority had been collecting half of all mortgage tax revenue and
"untold sums of money" from various telephone and energy surcharges on the
East End. In 2001, the M.T.A.'s share of mortgage tax from the East End alone
was $12.6 million, she said.
"The reality is they are investing this money in metropolitan New York," she said
later.
"We are shortchanged," agreed Mr. Thiele.
Mr. Bauer and representatives from the L.I.R.R. met with Ms. Kabot and Mr.
Heaney in 2002. While the meeting was cordial, Ms. Kabot said, it was fruitless.
"These railroad presidents come and go. Ken Bauer and his people recognized
our needs exceed what they can give right now. We need a better advocate, a
better voice that's getting to the railroad."
A Peconic transportation authority would do the job, she said. "You don't want to
form a whole 'nother super-agency, but if the super-agency you've got doesn't
work for you, you resort to these things."
Recommendations for improved rail service were included 10 years ago in
former Gov. Mario M. Cuomo's "Blueprint for Our Future." The document called
for additional railroad stations between Westhampton and Montauk, weekend
park and rail trains, an inter-hamlet rail shuttle, and integrated bus service.
None of it happened, Mr. Thiele pointed out. "Instead, the M.T.A. cut services.
Stations and ticket offices have been closed." And the authority still won't let
buses on its property.
Mr. Thiele said he had an idea why. "The L.I.R.R. still views itself largely as a
commuter railroad to move people in and out of New York. Consequently the
participation of the railroad in any East End transportation planning is zero.
They'll talk you to death but they do nothing."
L.I.R.R. officials disagreed. "We've made considerable improvements over the
last year," said Sam Zambuto, a railroad spokesman. He pointed to the
replacement of the diesel fleet, from mid-level to bi-level trains, improvements
at several East End train stations, and parking upgrades in Bridgehampton.
Of Mr. Thiele's legislation, he said, "We have not seen the bill so we couldn't
comment on that at this point."
Hank de Cillia, a transportation advocate with whom Mr. Thiele credited the idea
of an authority, said that in the New York area the railroad does its job fairly
well. "The L.I.R.R. credits itself as being the nation's largest commuter railroad.
It brings well over a million people in and out of the city every day."
On the East End, however, it is a different animal, he said. "Who knows, maybe
it's a numbers game. I can see why improvements on our end of the system are
always on the shelf or in the long-range plan. To be fair to them I don't think our
region has done a very good job communicating our wants and needs."
Like Mr. Thiele, he pointed to the Sustainable East End Development Strategies
initiative, which is exploring transportation possibilities with input from the five
towns and their villages. "Although SEEDS is moving painfully slow," he said, "I
still think it's the best chance we have."
Gerry Bogacz of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council said the
M.T.A. was indeed "at the table with SEEDS," whose concepts, he said, were
strictly in the idea stage. "Right now we're not looking at costs or hard
engineering," he said. "We're trying to get a sense of what everybody's willing to
look at for the future."
Jay Schneiderman, the former East Hampton Town supervisor who was sworn in
as a county legislator this week, said any M.T.A. improvments here would have
to be economically driven. "It's definitely going to come down to money. They're
going to tell you there's not enough ridership."
He said the railroad was designed to "bring people to the Hamptons from New
York but not to bring them back. It's not designed for any of us local folks."
"It's kind of like the L.I.R.R. missed the boat," he added. "Look at all the people
going to Manhattan by bus."
As town supervisor Mr. Schneiderman supported the concept of Mr. Thiele's bill.
With things the way they are now, "I just don't think anything will happen
because we want it to," he said.
Mr. Thiele said he expected to introduce the legislation in the Assembly next
week.
October 28, 2003
Hampton Jitney Boston
Bus Service:
Hampton Jitney Boston runs from Southampton, NY to
Boston via the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Ferry. It makes one round
trip per day and costs $59 one way/$98 round trip. I assume the bus
is carried on the ferry, though it's possible that a different bus
meets passengers on each side. For some reason they leave half an
hour of padding meeting the ferry southbound, but an hour northbound
(90 minutes on Friday and Sunday).
Hampton Jitney's service is somewhat luxurious as buses go -- there's
an attendant that serves drinks and snacks. The bus makes some
intermediate stops on Long Island and also stops at the Riverside T
station in Newton, MA. This service makes things very convenient for
people who want to travel from eastern Long Island to Boston.
October 04, 2003
Village Of Sagaponack
In an apparent attempt to pre-empt their oceanfront neighbors, a group of
Sagaponack residents filed a petition yesterday to incorporate their community
into a village. The petition, signed by 100 residents, is the second filed this year in
Southampton Town.
Petition For 'Village' Of Sagaponack
Residents seek to halt drive for Dunehampton
By Katie Thomas, STAFF WRITER
2003 October 03
In an apparent attempt to pre-empt their oceanfront neighbors, a group of
Sagaponack residents filed a petition yesterday to incorporate their community
into a village.
The petition, signed by 100 residents, is the second filed this year in
Southampton Town. In July, a group of beachfront homeowners proposed the
Village of Dunehampton, which would have shaved a sliver of shoreline off the
hamlets of Sagaponack, Bridgehampton and Water Mill. The effort was defeated
last month when Town Supervisor Patrick Heaney invalidated their petition.
Lee Foster, who helped organize the Sagaponack effort, acknowledged that the
move was an attempt to prevent Dunehampton supporters from trying again.
"It's like fighting fire with fire, in a way," she said. Dunehampton opponents say
they fear the proposed village would prevent their access to public beaches and
could raise property taxes.
While state law allows residents to form their own village in unincorporated areas
of towns, no provision seems to exist for forming a new village inside an existing
village. "If this village gets formed, I think it totally stymies the attempts of
Dunehampton," said town board member Steve Kenny, who earlier this spring
spearheaded the town's new shoreline protection law. The law spurred the
Dunehampton effort after beachfront homeowners claimed it prevented them
from rebuilding their homes after a storm.
Kenny said he would support the Sagaponack residents' efforts. "I don't think
they're out to harm the town. This is a group I know the town can work with," he
said.
Joe Prokop, a lawyer for the Dunehampton supporters, declined to comment
yesterday.
After sitting through hours of spirited debate on the Dunehampton issue, Heaney
said yesterday he was shocked that its opponents were now trying to create their
own village. "It came to me as a complete surprise," he said. "When the
opponents of one village decide that the cure is the formation of another village,
I'm left shaking my head."
Town board member Dennis Suskind agreed. "I'm having a feeling that I'm in an
episode of 'The Twilight Zone,'" he said. "It doesn't seem to be the way to go."
To create a village under state law, proponents must first submit a petition
signed by at least 20 percent of the area's registered voters. The area must
include at least 500 residents and cannot be larger than five square miles.
According to the Long Island Power Authority's 2002 population survey, 606
people live in Sagaponack.
Foes of Dunehampton have said they opposed that village because it didn't
coincide with any historic community - the new village would have no school, no
post office, not even a store. For that reason, many said they saw no hypocrisy
in supporting the incorporation of Sagaponack - and maybe even Bridgehampton
and Water Mill.
"We have inhabitants, we have a church, we have a school, stores, a fire
department," said Patti Goldstein, who lives in Bridgehampton and is a member
of Friends of the Community, a group that opposes Dunehampton. She planned
to attend a meeting last night of Bridgehampton residents who were themselves
discussing incorporation. "If it was a way to stop Dunehampton, then I'd be in
favor of it."
Al Colina, co-chairman of the Water Mill Citizens Advisory Committee, a group
appointed by Southampton Town, said incorporating Water Mill has come up for
discussion at least twice at meetings. Colina said he was "interested" in the issue
but couldn't take a stand because of his position on the committee.
"Anywhere you go, there are people who are talking about it," Colina said.
Copyright © 2003, Newsday, Inc.
September 16, 2003
East Hampton plan
Topic Tonight: East Hampton Blueprint
By Katie Thomas, STAFF WRITER
2003 September 18
Three years after work began on a blueprint for East Hampton's future, the town
board will give residents tonight what may be their last chance to speak out on
the town's proposed comprehensive plan.
To get to this point, board members have sat through dozens of public meetings
and perused hundreds of pages of committee recommendations, not to mention
two consultants' reports.
But even though the proposed plan, which will guide development for the next 20
years, is nearly complete, residents are still divided about whether it should be
adopted. Most of the debate centers on whether the town can aim to reduce
future "buildout," a technical term for the maximum number of housing units the
town might eventually hold - and hence the total number of people who might
live there.
While the town's planning consultants, Manhattan-based Horne Rose, say their
report aims to reduce buildout by passing more restrictive zoning and other
measures, they say that limiting buildout, as an end to itself, is illegal. Instead,
they argue that decreasing the town's future size is possible if it's justified by
other goals, such as protecting groundwater.
"We absolutely can limit or reduce our buildout," said Republican town board
member Diana Weir, whose party holds a slim 3-2 majority in Town Hall. "The
plan clearly says that."
But opponents - including Democrats, who are trying to win control of the board
in this November's elections - say the plan may lead to an increase in buildout
because it suggests intensifying growth in hamlet centers while limiting it in
outlying areas.
"I think what everybody in town is saying is, 'Look, we want less [growth] in the
hamlets and we want less outside the hamlets,'" said David Gruber, the town's
Democratic Party chairman. "To a large extent this document is not usable."
While Weir said she is determined to pass the plan while her party holds a
majority, town board member Pete Hammerle, who like Weir is running for
re-election this fall, said he would favor hiring yet another consultant if
Democrats win control. "I have a strong sense that the people I talk to don't want
to see this adopted," he said.
This kind of back-and-forth has exasperated many residents, said Robert
DeLuca, president of the Bridgehampton-based environmental organization, the
Group for the South Fork. "Some kind of action, after all of this chewing on the
process, would make people feel a lot better," he said.
September 15, 2003
dunehampton petition
The mere idea of Dunehampton, a thin sliver of mostly oceanfront property that
would run from Water Mill to the East Hampton town line, had been criticized by
one town councilman as "Richampton" and attacked as an entity that was being
created only so the people who lived there would not have to follow the laws of
Southampton Town.
But its supporters argued they had as much right to control their own destiny as
do the residents of any other village in Southampton, and feared that town
coastal protection regulations would prevent them from rebuilding their homes if
they were damaged in a hurricane.
Southampton Rejects Dunehampton Petitions
By Mitchell Freedman, Staff Writer
2003 September 15, 8:34 PM EDT
Southampton Supervisor Patrick Heaney ruled Monday that petitions calling for
the creation of a new oceanfront village in his town -- Dunehampton -- are
invalid.
In a highly anticipated decision, Heaney ruled that the petitions were deficient
because the proposed village did not contain the minimum 500 residents required
by state law.
The petitions calling for the creation of the new village were filed in no particular
order, neither by name nor street address.
When the town cross-indexed the names, Heaney said, they found 193 people
were listed as residents of just 11 houses. Heaney noted that one Sagaponack
resident found herself listed as a resident of the proposed village although she
told the person carrying petitions that she lived and voted in Princeton, N.J., and
would not change her residence.
The new proposed village's supporters, Heaney noted, did admit that six people
listed as residents in their petition were dead and should not have been counted.
The supervisor's ruling, which Southampton officials expect to be challenged in
court, means that no vote will be set on the creation of what might have been
one of the richest villages in the nation.
Heaney said he expects to be sued by supporters of the village, just as he
expected its opponents would have sued him if he had decided the other way.
And while this set petitions appears dead, Heaney noted there is no reason to
believe the idea of forming the village will end. "It's an open-ended process," he
said. "They [village advocates] can always correct the defects and resubmit."
Joseph Prokop, the attorney for the petitioners, has 30 days to appeal Heaney's
decision in court. "We continue to believe the petitions were sufficient," he said,
adding that no decision has been made on whether to appeal or file new
petitions. "We intend to do either one or both."
The mere idea of Dunehampton, a thin sliver of mostly oceanfront property that
would run from Water Mill to the East Hampton town line, had been criticized by
one town councilman as "Richampton" and attacked as an entity that was being
created only so the people who lived there would not have to follow the laws of
Southampton Town.
But its supporters argued they had as much right to control their own destiny as
do the residents of any other village in Southampton, and feared that town
coastal protection regulations would prevent them from rebuilding their homes if
they were damaged in a hurricane.
The question of residence is not a simple one because there is no definition of
residence in the part of the state law that applies to the creation of villages.
And because many of the houses in the proposed village are used as summer
homes, some property owners argued they could use any of their homes as a
residence for voting purposes.
But no one can vote twice in the same election, and Heaney said the Suffolk
Board of Elections showed only 212 registered voters in the area of the proposed
village. He reduced that number to 194, removing people who were registered as
voters but no longer lived in the proposed village.
Heaney said each couple would need 3.2 children to reach the population target
of 500 people. But voter registration rolls show 126 voters who are 55 or older,
and unlikely to have many school-age children living with them.
The supervisor said it would take an average of more than seven 8.74 children in
each remaining house to get to the population target.
There are 260 houses in the proposed Dunehampton area, but 183 of the 243 tax
bills for them -- some people own two or more houses and get just one bill -- go
to out-of-town addresses.
Dunehampton was strongly supported by a number of local residents, but just as
bitterly opposed by others -- some of whom feared they would no longer be able
to park on the new village's streets and would be kept from the ocean beaches.
And, they added, Dunehampton would have split communities that date back to
the 1640s. "They were attacking history," said Alfred Kelman, who opposes the
new village.
Copyright © 2003, Newsday, Inc.
newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lidune0915,0,4734846.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines
September 05, 2003
Idling trains in Montauk
Sound Off About Noise
By Kitty Merrill
A new Montauk group is making noise about noise. Last week, members of the
Montauk Anti Pollution Coalition demanded that the MTA cease what they call "the
single largest source of industrial noise pollution" in Montauk -- the continuous
idling of the Long Island Railroad’s diesel engines. A law firm hired by MAP may
even pursue litigation if the noise doesn’t stop.
A hefty report prepared by MAP includes a CD of the noise, pictures of trains
stored at the Montauk station, and a petition boasting 1000 signatures. "The
noise levels created by long term idling engines pierce the air and invade closed
windows and door dwellings up to miles from the station," the petition states.
Letters of complaint about the noise from the Concerned Citizens of Montauk and
the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee are also included, as is a letter from
the general manager of the Montauk Manor, Janice Nessel. Noise has contributed
to the loss of thousands of dollars for the Manor, as guests who come to enjoy
Montauk’s beautiful sunset views and fresh air "are outraged at the sound levels
that go on throughout the night." They usually demand a room change or a
refund, Nessel’s letter reports. At the outdoor area of the Manor’s restaurants,
"First and only time customers complain of an excellent meal ruined by the nerve
wracking noise level."
The LIRR stores as many as seven trains at one time in Montauk, according to
MAP documents. They are permitted to idle indefinitely, and a number of them
don’t even provide service to Montauk.
MAP also takes issue with the condition of the LIRR site. "The area is garbage
strewn, with a variety of overflowing dumpsters, various old, rusted equipment,
and a general run down shanty-like appearance," the report states. Fifty
five-gallon drums, which appear to contain chemical or petroleum products, are
stacked haphazardly along the tracks, unfenced and open to access.
MAP provided the MTA with research, demonstrating that idling engines is both
unnecessary and inefficient. It also pointed out that the utility has ceased the
practice when confronted with complaints.
On Monday LIRR spokesman Sam Zambuto issued a statement in response to
MAP’s contention. It reads: "The Long Island Rail Road makes every effort to
reduce the sound coming from trains that are at Montauk Station awaiting their
return trip. The LIRR has implemented procedures, and has supervision
monitoring the trains at Montauk, to help limit the length of time that trains idle at
the station. We will continue to look for ways to reduce the sound coming from
trains while they wait to leave the station."
They better look hard. According MAP’s chair Tom Bogdan, "There’s been a
tremendous groundswell of public support for (the group’s efforts)." While the
problem has been around for a long time, complaints to the LIRR and MTA came
from "individual people who aimed too low and took ‘No’ for an answer," Bogdan
explained, adding, "We’re not going to do it."
from
http://www.indyeastend.com/detail.asp?cat=news&article=1188
September 02, 2003
May 28, 2003
May 14, 2003
Affordable Southampton
But after calculating the median cost of housing on a community-by-community
basis, town officials learned the only place in Southampton where moderate-income
families could afford to buy a home is the one place where the town already has
promised not to build more affordable housing. That is the
Flanders-Riverside-Northampton area, which has the highest density zoning in
Southampton, the lowest median income and already has more than its share of
low- and moderate-cost housing.
April 22, 2003
March 18, 2003
Montauk vs Freeport
Dan Stavola, a mason contractor and resident, demanded to know why
the town board "would want to turn Montauk into the Bronx of the East
End.
We don't want Hampton Bays out here. We don't want Freeport out here.
Montauk, he added, "is turning into a hole.
Newsday, 2003 Feb 05