East Hampton Town Board Work Session 06/16/2026

001[clears throat] Yeah. So yesterday, >> oh dear me. [sighs] two, one, and back in. >> Great. Thank you, LTV. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the East Hampton Town Board work session of Tuesday, June 16, 2026. Michael, if you could please read the roll call. >> Council member Flight. Deputy Supervisor Lee, >> present. Council member Rogers >> present. >> Council member Calder Pedmont >> present. >> Supervisor Burke Gonzalez >> present. If we could all please stand for the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> So this morning we start with public portion. We ask you to kindly keep your comments to three minutes. And then we

002have five work session topics. First is bids with Jeannie Corrosa. Then we're going to have a presentation by David Lee, John Rooney, and Matt Jeda on the Lieutenant Lee Hayes Youth Park redevelopment. That'll be followed by a presentation from the folks from the Nature Conservancy. We welcome you, Nicole uh Mahar. Am I pronouncing that correctly? >> Mah. Will Bowman. And we've got Sam Klein here, too. Welcome Sam. Uh that'll be followed by an ADU construction loan pilot program recommendation by Mark Morgan Perez and then we'll have an afterhearing discussion of chapter 255 accessory staff housing. That'll be followed by liaison reports and we have a few resolutions today. So we are going to start with public portion and I have two folks signed up. So s Canella welcome. Oh, you know what? Can we just

003let me just adjust the podium? I usually do that when I come in. [clears throat] >> All right, we're set. >> Okay. Sure. >> Supervisor Burke Gonzalez, I have two questions. I hope you'll forgive me if I run a little over. >> Thank you. We just need you talking into the microphone. Just make sure that that's directed up here. Great. >> Is that better? >> Yes. Thank you. >> I have two questions. I hope you'll forgive me if I run a little over the three minutes. My first question pertains to perr and polyfural alocal substances PAS substances contaminants specifically perluropaninoic acid detected by Suffach County Water Authority [clears throat] South and down gradient of the East Hampton uh battery center. Uh during the recent town board meeting on June 2nd, uh you said, and I

004quote, "I refuse to ask families to wait years for a court to decide who is to blame before their water is protected. Accountability matters. But a lawsuit does not test a private well or groundwater, nor does it ensure water uh enough water is available. That work has to start now. I know who is to blame. It's you. I blame you for unnecessarily exposing residents to harmful PE saf contaminants by failing to test the groundwater 2 and 1/2 years ago in January 2024 when I brought to your attention that the East Hampton storage center fire that occurred in May 2023 would have contaminated our soul source aquifer. As you observed, [clears throat] accountability matters, and I hold you accountable for failing to protect those families from ingesting toxic chemicals. In January 2024, I sent you a

005detailed analysis with supporting documentation, which I also sent to over 1,000 other residents, showing that the East Hampton Energy Story Center is a 4,100 square foot unit that houses thousands of lithium ion battery cells in tightly packed racks. Based on LG Cam's safety data sheet, I estimated that there were 98,328 individual battery cells, individual units containing lithium ion. For reference, that's well over a ton of lithium ion salt. You were aware that the lithium ion batteries caught fire on May 31st, 2023, destroying the battery storage unit. I provided you with documents showing that toxic PAS chemicals are essential components of lithium ion batteries including electrodes, cathode and anode binder, electrolytes, main components and additives and the separator the porous membrane and that the industry itself acknowledged that commercial alternatives to such PAS chemicals were over

00613 years away. That was in 2024. So that's 11 years away today. You knew that to qu to quell the fire, an emergency sprinkler system ran for 30 hours, releasing approximately 2.2 million gallons of water to extinguish the fire. So much water, in fact, that it flowed out of the building onto the adjacent road. The town buildings department evidently approved the facility's plans without a containment system for the voluminous amount of water needed to extinguish a thermal runaway chain reaction fire. Consequently, it flowed on into our sole source aquifer carrying high concentrations of toxic PAS chemicals. The analysis and documents I showed uh the analysis and documents showed that the unavoidable consequence of such excessive water use is that airborne particular matter soot soot and toxic PAS from the decomposition of the batteries and the

007incomplete combustion of the electrodes binder electrolyte and separator washed outside of the building adversely impacting our groundwater. My analysis concluded, even if you disagree, and I'm quoting, even if you disagree with some of this information, submit sufficient evidence still warrants a full transparent investigation to ascertain the facts. We owe it to our families to assess the risks before recommissioning the East Hampton Energy Storage Center. Kathy, had you heeded my warning and tested the groundwater, residents living down gradient from the facility would have had the opportunity to mitigate the risk and avoid exposure to PAS contaminants. Sadly, because you ignored my warning and the documents I provided, residents have been unnecessarily ingesting PAS contaminated water for years. You said that you refuse to ask the families to wait years before their water is protected. But that

008is precisely what you did. You waited for 2 and 1/2 years until the water contamination was detected and it was too late to mitigate the risk before residents started drinking the contaminated water. So my first question is this. If someone in a family who had been ingesting water from any of the 30 contaminated wells gets sick, perhaps gets cancer from ingesting the toxic PAS chemicals. How would you explain to the family that you were the person responsible who had the information at hand but refused to test groundwater 2 and a half years ago? Accountability matters. >> Thank you. That was a question. >> This is public comment where we hear from the community. It's not a discussion. We can have a conversation offline. Sai, >> I would like an answer and I'm sure the people

009of the town would like an answer as to why you failed to test the groundwater when this was brought to your attention 2 and 1/2 years ago. You knew the facts. They were irrefutable. I took considerable effort to outlay them. I provided the substantiating documentation. I [clears throat] provided links. I provided my work schedules, my sheets, everything that was required for you to make an informed decision. I don't get paid. I did this because I wanted you to make an informed decision, but you failed to do so. And I think it's only fair that the town, especially those living south of the battery energy storage facility, receives an answer. Why didn't you test the water, the groundwater? >> Sai, I'm not going to answer you right now. We can have a conversation offline. I have

010an update in my liaison report and you know we have uh other folks that want to speak today. So, >> okay. Uh I have a question and second question if you'll permit me. >> No, we're not taking questions. I like I said, you can call my office and we can have a conversation, but this is public comment. There are other folks that want to address the board today. >> Okay. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Sai Mike Mahoney. >> Welcome Mike. >> Thank you. My name is Mike Mahoney. I live on Beach Lane in Wayne Scott. And just to reiterate, I support one of the most important jobs that you all have is to maintain the good quality of water, the drinking water. All life, human, animal, whatever, needs that. That being said,

011the reason why I came today is uh I have a gripe about South Pork, the agreement that the town side of them, and what's not been done on Beach Lane. There is a pile of millings on the street down from my house a little bit towards the ocean that is higher than the grade all around. When it rains, we get significant amount of flooding across the street. Sometimes um it's very uncomfortable to walk through that flooding. I'd like that to be resolved and addressed. I don't care if you want to pave that property. that don't don't object to that, but you got to end the water runoff from that piling millings that floods our street. Next is more personal. When South Fork went wanted to take part of our apron to make a road for

012their construction, I met with them and I agreed to it, providing that they restored it to what it was before. and they assured me and assured me and assured me that it would be. I have sent and met with uh Kate Rogers. I've had people from the uh Eversource. I've had people from uh South Pork Wind Farm all come to my property and notice the gravel that they threw in at the end of that driveway at the apron. One, they put too much down. Two, they didn't do what they said they would. Our driveway is a hard driveway with small pea stone crushed into it. If you attempt to ride a bicycle across our apron, it is scary is the only way to put it. It It's unsafe. The the stone is just too high.

013I have fallen walking across the apron of my driveway. My wife walks with a cane. I really insist that that be resolved and resolved quickly. When I pull out of the driveway with my cars, and it doesn't matter which one, I spit stones down the road from the rear tires, picking up the size of the stone that is in my driveway, and the tires expense it out. That's what I'm here for. I hope you'll address these concerns and uh get back to us. Have a great day, and thank you for your work. Thank you, Mike. Would anyone else like to address the board during public comment? >> Barry, >> welcome Barry. >> Hello. >> Just want to talk a little bit about water quality preservation. I mean, it's come to light that there's contamination based

014on the fire, the batteries and so forth. [clears throat] And of course, as I noted in the WCAC meeting to Kate, um there was reason to believe that there would be some serious pollution resulting from that. and Sai Canella pointed it out 3 years ago. And uh so for anyone to say they're surprised that it resulted in contamination is odd because you know a thinking person would have to assume that contamination contaminants of that size and amount are going to leech into a groundwater through what is basically pretty porous soil around here for the most part. So with that in mind, um we see a pattern here of neglect and I think negligence when it comes to protecting groundwater. Uh despite some claims that protecting water purity is a priority for this board. I think

015it's tends to be after the fact. I think often we're being protected from finding out [clears throat] about the pollution that exists rather than being protected from it. The way to protect from pollution of the aquifer is to prevent it when you have activities at the airport such as selling leaded gas which is a known contaminant in the atmosphere in the environment. When you don't investigate [clears throat] fires of batteries that are going to leech into the groundwater. When you have a gun club above the soul source aquifer. When everyone knows that the byproduct of outdoor shooting is intensive, intensive pollution of soil and eventually water. Because again, you have it in a very poorest part of the town in terms of the the soil and it's sandy and to say if you're finding lead

016contamination at the surface level, you can expect that after 40 years, uh, some contamination has most likely leeched into the groundwater. having a Suffach County well carved out from the gun club property in 1993. It's and when you tell people this stuff, it's like it's like a bad Love Canal nightmare drama. You you kind of can't make it up. I mean, you have the byproducts of shooting cartridges, expended shells, etc. Just coating a massive amount of area, acres and acres and acres. And to say this is the best use of a of a property owned by the public is is really bizarre that you want to continue to go back there and contaminate that property. And the fact that the town has never investigated, never done a serious investigation, let alone a cleanup. And right

017now it's just some people gotten scraped together some cartridges and put them in plastic bags. Uh that's negligence again. So we see a pattern here and I think it's unacceptable. >> Thank you Barry. Would anyone else like to address the board? >> Zach, is there anyone on the line? >> Yes, we got some people on the line. Give me one. >> Great. Thank you. Please put them through. Caller 779, you are live. Call 779. You are alive. Caller 4761. You are live. >> Chamber of Commerce. Um, calling for comment on two things. One, to thank you for your help on fighting for more money returning to Montalk from that hotel motel tax in Suffach County. I think it's a big win that that money uh is returning for the lighthouse and that we got the

018infrastructure line passed. And then two, um I just want to let you guys know that we sent an email from the entire board of directors in support of the proposed accessory staff housing amendment that's on your agenda to speak about today. Um so thank you all. I appreciate it. >> Thank you, Leo. Are there others, Zach? >> Um, there was one person that was um we couldn't hear them but u they had left. I'm not sure if they um want to call back but we couldn't hear them. >> So they so they hung up or they're just not answering. >> No, they um they hung up but we couldn't hear them. >> Okay. Yes. So we are going to move on to our topics. First up is bids with Jeannie Carrosa. Welcome, Genie. >> Hello.

019Good morning. >> Um, >> Morning, Jeannie. The first bid to accept today is for t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other uniform items. ABC custom sales is the apparent low bidder, and that's on for resolution for today. Um, resolutions on for Thursday. Um the first is accepting the bid for surplus oyster seed sales. The apparent high biders are John Nicholas from East Hampton Oyster in the amount of $23 per,000 for 3.3 millimeter and Michael Coel $35 per thousand for 516 inch. Um next is the accepting of the bid for Fort Hill Cemetery interament and maintenance contract. The apparent low bidder for that is Peter Joyce Seaside Landscaping and Pools. Annual cost is $30,12464 for the first contract year. And um for the intermits, it's 1300 per and 650 for incomplete. Next is the purchase and delivery of personal

020watercraft. We did a rebid for that. The apparent low bidder is Long Island, Kawasaki, and Yamaha. The [clears throat] amount for that one is $17,94. And I have three notices um going on. The joint fuel facility maintenance service, tractor for the parks and recreation department, and um HVAC repairs service and installation for the communication towers. And that's it. Questions for Jeanie? >> No. >> Thank you, Jeanie. Thank you, Jean. Okay, next up is a presentation on the Lieutenant Lee Hayes Youth Park redevelopment. So, David, if you want to kick us off. >> Sure. I'll just wait. I'm going to bring up uh our superintendent of uh recreation, John Rooney, and then also Matt Jelica, who is our engineering outside uh uh consultant from LK Mlan Associates, and Chelsea Winsow is assisting us. Um Matt, you

021can come on up. Also, uh overall, uh this is another development within the town of East Hampton in which we are looking to uh increase the town's recreational uh capacity. Thank you for that. >> All right, you're done. >> Done. We're out lunchtime, everyone. Uh and recreational opportunities. What makes this a little bit different than the groundbreaking that [clears throat] we just did in which it was for pickle ball, eight pickle ball courts and basketball courts at Stephen Han's path just this week? This specific park is more dedicate is dedicated to youth uh and to their youth experiences on there in a very safe environmental environment also with supervision. Uh this location I know very well. It actually used to be a tennis facility that the town uh swapped land back in the day. I

022actually used to lay clay on the on on here back as a job in the early 1990s. And what you'll see some of the information here as it uh transformed and opened in 1993 that actually uh the rollerblading rink used to be square. I think JB Verga was there at one point then too but since the early 1990s to today it is a very active location. Again this is discussion about Lee Hayes Youth Park. Uh they let the board and discuss discuss with the board which is located at 306 Abrahams Path Amaganza. I also want to thank uh Miss Sharon Bacon for being here too, who is one of our great uh uh uh uh ambassadors of youth recreation within the town of East Hampton. Uh your son was a mentor and a friend also

023and he's missed every day. Thank you. Lieutenant Lee Hayes, next page, please. Uh the youth park timeline very simply. In 1993, the youth park uh opened in July. Uh much of what was there again was a square skating rink, a little basketball, tennis courts, but the youth of East Hampton found their way there, including myself and many of my friends. In 1994, uh bids for construction uh came in for the clubhouse, which was installed there, too. Little expansion of it. In 1995, the recreational programs began at the park. In 2021, the town board approves the renaming of the park uh in in memory of Lieutenant Lee Hayes Youth Park, which happened in October. Following that, in 2021, the town purchased the neighboring property at 190 uh Town Lane. This is actually purchased from the uh

024the Gilbert family. Mrs. Gilbert was a wonderful educator in the John Marshall uh middle school school system for for decades. I didn't h have her uh but she worked with the town on that property to be able to expand the youth park onto the property uh that we finally are talking about today. In 2022 uh park part of the Jun uh Junth commemoration the town unveiled a memorial plaque at the park uh along with a history kiosk highlighting Lieutenant Hayes's biography. 2022 we John Rudy and I started full discussions for the park and building expansion and that began then. Next, Lieutenant Lee Archer Hayes. Mr. Hayes was an Ambiganza resident and a member of the 477 bombardment group with a famed Tusky airman, the first all black aviers in the United States military. Uh his

025legacy is will be left here for generations to come. uh many of uh uh many of his of his family still live in town. We see him on a daily basis and it's a legacy of honor, compassion, uh and and in fortitude. Uh I've never met Mr. Hayes, but I know that through many of his family members that we met either on that day or or throughout school then too. And you can only see what Mr. Hayes taught to them all. Uh John Rooney, do you want to go through the next couple slides for us, please? >> Sure. Good morning. I didn't know that you worked at the park uh putting clay down and everything. I didn't know. >> Yeah, it was sport time over there. We used to play a lot of tennis and

026you know, you make a couple bucks, maybe like $7 an hour putting down clay. It was a job. >> Yeah. >> You know, you got to go buy your tops tops, you know, baseball cards somehow, >> right? >> Um so the youth park amenities as they stand today, um it's the park is located at the corner of Town Lane in Abraham's Path. Um and this facility offers a multitude of activities including tennis. Uh there's two courts there, an oval track for walking, jogging, rollerblading, uh riding bikes, uh an inline, uh hockey rink, um which is in need of repair at the moment, a basketball court, um and a playground, and a skateboard park, which is ramps and apparatus for uh which includes halfpipe rails. And um and then we have picnic tables and a clubhouse.

027in the clubhouse we use um for like indoor chest during the winter time and just uh to allow folks to come in and just get a break if the weather is is not happy. And then we also have ADA um accessible restrooms and changing table and parking there as well. That's the way that the park stands at the moment. And the park rules are generally it's a youth park so it's mostly geared mostly geared towards the kids in grade school through grade 12. And uh children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult and adults uh must be accompanied by a child to play tennis or basketball. This way um the park is always available for kids that arrive and we don't have adults hogging up, you know, spaces and um they can go to

028other other locations, something's across the street if they're tennis players or whatever. >> Uh park hours, we're open year round, uh weather permitting, Monday through Sunday. When school's in session, we're really open after school until it gets dark. weekends and holidays, we open up at nine o'clock. Um the only days we're closed the whole day is Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and then uh in the summertime about this time now through Labor Day, we open up every day at 9:00 and open till it gets dark outside. And we have a twoh slides just showing aerial photos uh two different directions of the park where it stands now. If we could just stay right on this one. So the current park is at the intersection of Abraham's path road and town lane road as you see here

029uh there's tennis courts on there. Uh part of the discussion happened where you'll see where uh to the south sorry to southwest where it says current is that's the property that the town purchased. Uh we looked into rehabilitating the um again engineers estimate for rehabilitation of the actual skating area there and we found out that the cost in there was it was high and it led us to start having greater discussions about the youth park and where better uh better use of funding might be uh and how we can maybe address some of the greater needs for the user groups. With that, I want to thank John Rudy and his staff for uh starting a user survey in a community outreach plan in that year on the next page if you don't mind here, Chelsea.

030Then too, knowing that this location actually uh directly across the streets from another major recreational facility being uh where it's indoor facility currently licensed by Sport Time and and also the Terry King ball field. We did a user survey, community outreach. Um this started in May of 22. It was done by East Hampton Towns recreational staff and asked users users the children and family members to complete a survey questionnaire to help guide potential expansion plans. What we found there is that 36 pe 36% of the respondents on there wanted a playground for larger playground um swings and a jungle gym because the one there is currently mostly geared to uh a younger youth I think is up to eight potentially being the age of eight. 22% wanted greater gathering spots or picnic tables, sitting areas,

031and shade. I can only think that might be some from the parents on there that go with their children on there that want to rest out of the the sun after, you know, while they're watching their kids. Also, maybe even the kids themselves when they are exercising there. Uh lastly, uh another large percentage wanted a turf or a soccer field that would be there. uh then two or also making a multi-use uh aspect on the skating rink that was currently there. Other listed requests were for uh basketball court refurbishments, hockey rink refurbishments and Wi-Fi then too. So next before I bring up Matt Jelica, uh we started developing a plan working with John Rooney and LK LKMA and staff to see what we can potentially fit into the space there that would start to address

032some of these larger requests from some of our user groups and to be able to offer more opportunities and programming which is what we're looking at currently. On the left, you'll see how the park lays out. And what we were proposing on the right hand side is uh is a redevelopment and addition of playgrounds uh and other facilities which we'll talk about very shortly then too. Um let me go into this. Matt, do you want to start going on to the next slide which be take us through some of our proposed site plans and options for the town board to uh address? Um, so you know, we took the information that the uh that you provided as far as what some of the residents would like. Um, and rather than try to refurbish the hockey

033rank and refurbish the basketball, the the undersized basketball courts, uh, the decision was made to do a full um regulation court basketball court with adjustable rims, um, 8ft rims on the side, you know, for kids that that, you know, can't shoot a 10-ft hoop. Um, >> we and we're seeing that. Sorry to stop. So Howard Wood uh who's worked for the town, you know, also helped us address that when we did that at the Montalk skatepark with the eight foot rims. We're al also as a supervisor knows we're doing that in and wingskit also because again some children just can't shoot on a 10-ft rim and we're seeing that being pretty successful. A lot of kids are using that in >> Montalk one is very successful and the one that we'll do at Fredfield >>

034athletic facility, it'll be the same. So same deal here. It'll be the same type of uh basketball setup. Ignore the green colors. You know, that's just hypothetical. Um it'll be an acrylic coated asphalt lot. Um rather than rebuild or refurbish the hockey rink, um this is going to be a new um multi-use rink. So, it'll be striped for inline hockey. It'll be striped for soccer, and there'll be pickle ball courts that are striped. Um so you know residents or children can use the courts for pickle ball courts. Um this is a slightly older rendering of the site plan but there's a shade shelter which will be near the uh playground area and the playground area is going to be an inclusive playground and swing area that'll be fenced in. Um that way parents don't have

035to worry about their kids running. Um, so that's in the southwest corner of the uh property. Um, it's hard to see on this particular rendering rendering, but there's an addition to the um youth building and then there is a small um 16T by 244 foot uh garage for maintenance and and other things like that. Chelsea, if you want to switch. Okay. So, we went through through all these different things, but the new regulation basketball court with the 10- foot and 8ft rims >> because the the current one there is not a regulation court. It's more just an asphalted area for individuals to shoot hoops. >> Yeah, that's a it's a small um and it's also got significant cracks in it. So, it's in need of something. So, this plan proposes to remove that, relocate to

036a bigger a bigger court, but in its place, we're going to pour a concrete slab so that it'll be a flat area for the kids that are skateboarding on the skate park. And rather than be in the area of the ramps, they can skate on the flat area. So, that footprint that the basketball court used to take up will still be some sort of hard surface for for kids to to skate on. Um, as I said, the multiport court is for soccer, hockey, and pickle ball. Um, there's the playground and swing set area will be inclusive and fenced. Um, there'll be the new shade shelter similar to the shade shelter that is at the Fredfield athletic facility. There's another one that's going to be built at the Fredfield facility and another one at the MAK

037skate park. So, this will be the same as those. Um we're expanding the clubhouse by 520 ft. Um to improve activities and you know the area for activities um some office space and the current setup now if the people in the office have to use the restroom they have to go outside and use the public restroom. So we're adding a bathroom inside for the uh staff. Um there's currently a nice um jogging and walking trail around the facility. Now that we're expanding into the adjacent area, we're expanding that that trail and looping it around and and going past the uh the playground area and looping back in. Um the extended gate flat area, we discussed that. Um the storage garage. Um, and we're going to extend obviously everything's fenced in currently and controlled access. So,

038we will continue the fencing to fence in the larger part of the property. Next slide. So, this is just um 2D on most of the stuff except for the the the the uh two buildings, the addition on the on the clubhouse and the storage building. Next slide. Again, shows the same thing. locations of the two buildings. Next slide. Okay. So, this is the proposed rendering of, you know, what we're looking at. Um, in this one, we changed the color on the, um, court surfaces. And that's something that during the construction, we can make the decision on whether we want to have a blue and gray basketball court or maroon or, you know, whatever. That's it'll be an acrylic surface um, proposed for that. We are not proposing to continue the um blue acrylic coating on

039the on the walking trail. Um so that'll just be an asphalt trail that connects to it and extends into the property to the west. Um next slide. Okay. So the clubhouse edition, like I said, it's 520 ft. We're also working with natural resources um as far as swapping out the sanitary system and upgrading to an IIA sanitary system. So that'll be part of this project um paid for with water quality money. Um so as far as the um footprint or the the plan of the building with the addition, the current setup has in the lower right corner which is the southeast corner. That's where the two restrooms were and they will remain there. Um, the way it currently exists, if you as somebody working in the office have to use the restroom, again, you have

040to go out and go to the to the public restrooms. So, in the center area, um, we added a, you know, singleuse ADA accessible bathroom. Um, we kind of reconfigured some of the existing space to add an office space. Um, and then we added a kind of like a reception area where files can be stored and whatnot. And then a large recreation area. The look will, you know, the addition will, you know, acknowledge the aesthetics of the existing building, the cedar shingles, similar windows, the whole thing. Um, when it's all said and done, we'll have re-roofed the existing structure to tie in with the new structure. So, the whole thing will have a new roof. Um, we'll likely resside it so that when you look at it, it looks like a a brand new building,

041but it'll be an addition on the existing building. >> Thanks, Matt. So, overall, uh, I just took out these two snippets of what our potential site plan would be looking like. Again, uh the discussion was to make sure that the the one of the primary focuses was going to be the playground, uh an inclusive playground, but also allow for or multiple multiple families have multiple children to do multiple things. I hope that makes sense, right? In which one child might be playing basketball, but a younger child might want to be on a play set and two. Uh some kids might be doing programming on the tennis courts on there through the uh through the uh town's recreational programming. Uh but another child might want to shoot hoops or or just go for a walk on

042there or the parent might want to go for a walk. What you'll see a lot of times on the program that there are for tennis and such. Yes, there might be some drop offs, but a lot of parents will stay there under the shade and wait on there or go for a walk. So, we tried to develop a a park that could address a lot of individuals recreational desires and uses and try to keep people connected to uh health and fitness and recreation, maybe deconnect some which ways off the off their phones and their tablets. Uh, one of the things is a lot of this is always weather dependent. So by looking at it as if we're going to be investing as the town into this facility as a whole, we wanted to make sure

043that the facility could be used during inclement weather or maybe colder weather by a place that we could offer uh offer greater amount of programming inside uh and also for greater storage. Again, when you're starting to invest into a facility like this, how is this facility going to be used for the next 30 years on there then too? Uh next steps if you don't mind. Next steps again it's a town board presentation for comments not just from the town board but from others in the community. We'll incorporate these comments into final engineered plans. Uh we will look to finalize playground uh apparatus selections on there which has hasn't been done yet. And then again when we get uh confirmation that the board is comfortable with uh with what we're presenting here like to move forward

044on there we will put forward RFP for construction. time frame on that is we don't know and construction uh scheduling we wouldn't know also uh until that time the youth park might be closed for a little bit or we might be able to do construction methodology that we could keep certain elements open that still be discussed at a later later time on there then too but overall again this park was open nearly over 30 years ago on there I think it is an appropriate time for appropriate time for the town to invest into the park based on the amount of use that the park gets and let's hopeully hopefully the next couple of generations if not more can enjoy the Lieutenant Lee Hayes Youth Park. It's welld deserved. It's well named after a great man.

045And Madam Supervisor, that's what we have for the board's discussion. >> Okay. Uh can I just can we go back to page 10, please? And and it might be helpful because we went through this rather quickly. So for folks that are just seeing this for the first time, if we could just >> compare current versus proposed and go, you know, um individual component by component about what's what's changing and what's not changing, right? So the parking lot is staying as is. >> Parking lot stays as is and this gate area which is on the west side of the the walking track. >> Matt, you want to point it out if you come to screen that you don't mind? So yeah, the parking area that all stays and the skate area stays. So the skate area

046is the same >> and the walking trail loops around currently onto the, you know, the west side of the skate area and around on on the east side. So, we're keeping part of that trail on the west side of the skate area, but then beyond that in the woods in the area that you purchased, that's where the new playground will be and the swing sets, >> right? >> So, then if you if we head north on on the main area of the the park, you know, we're not doing anything with the tennis courts. So, the tennis courts all stay as is. Um, but if we go to the to the small basketball area, that's the section that's will be removed and reppoured as a nice flat skating area for the skateboarders and anybody using, you

047know, scooters or whatever. Um, then once you move north of that, that's where the rink currently exists. And the rink, we changed the layout of the rink um so that it faces east west. the pickle ball courts will face north south in the rank. Um, but that made sense in being able to fit that and a new regulation basketball court in the north corner of the of the >> So, we've got it got rotated. >> It got rotated >> 90 degrees. >> Yep. 90 degrees. So, you know, currently it's lengthwise facing north south. Um, so it was rotated. So, that takes out the back side of the track. So that's why the track then heads to the west, further west, and will be a new trail that then loops around on the west side of

048the rotated rink. >> And this new, you know, the the rotated uh is going to be lined for you had said hockey, soccer, and pickle ball. >> Hockey, soccer, and pickle ball. >> And the pickle ball is again, it's for youth, for adults would have to accompany a child, right, to be able to play pickle ball there. still comply with the park rules. >> Okay. >> Um >> they won't be fixed nets. That's the only thing. One thing we will be rolling we'll have to get the equipment to roll in nets on there. >> Right. So, one thing we didn't touch on, but um it might be important to something like this is the current building. She can't really see behind trees here, but the current building has a a full basement for storage. And

049the decision was made that let's increase the storage. It's really not that much more expensive to just do the excavation and a full foundation under the addition. So, the plan is to to have a full basement under the addition as well. So, the whole building will have full basement where they can store the pickle ball nets and any other, you know, um recreation things that that are needed to be stored there. Um, there is an area outside of the rink to store like the soccer goals so that you can open the new dasher boards. There'll be a double gate to be able to remove the soccer goals, take them out and set them in a stored area outside of the rink so that if people are playing inline hockey or whatever, um, they're unimpeded. >>

050Um, >> so as we're So now that now we get to the the new basketball court then, right? going to be. >> So, the new basketball court will be in. So, we're not pushing, we can't really push any further north because the property line and fence line are essentially running right [clears throat] along here. And so, in this curve, in that radius right there, that's where the basketball court will be set. >> Okay? And then if you go back over to the area with the [clears throat] existing play structure, the existing play structures will stay as is. There'll be some reworking of the building for access and entry and that sort of thing. You know, currently there's ramp and stairs that'll [snorts] require a little bit of reworking to, you know, maintain handicap accessibility into

051the um into the addition. Currently there's a platform on the west side. So you get up there and then enter into the western facade of the building. Now it'll be you come up and enter into the south facade of the addition. >> Okay. And then if you could just show uh where the shade shelter is going to be. >> Okay. The shade shelter is this location right here, which is just >> got it >> between the the play structure and the um and the rink. And it's sort of tied into the slab outside of the rink. But again, you know, I've said this on other presentations. These are really just lines on paper at this point in time. So, if it made sense to pull the shade shelter closer to the playground, we could do

052that. One thing I did not mention and it's, you know, would be hard to see in this water fountain proposed over by the shade shelter. That way there'll be, you know, water for the kids playing on this on anything out there. Um, but yeah, we can we can shift that over um the the actual playground itself. We'll have to work with you to come up with, you know, all the different features that that >> Ian's an expert at that now [laughter] >> after doing Maidstone Park playground, >> right? This rectangle over here is just a a large swing set. >> Okay. >> Which will have different, you know, different types of swings. So accessible and >> and then where would the new storage garage be? New storage garage is in the northwest corner. >> Okay,

053got it. See it >> accessible from town lane. >> So part of the site plan here was also have sensitivity to uh the residential neighborhood then too and try to keep uh everything as condensed as possible uh but also allow for open open play. Uh so that's why we kept everything where it's already been developed. there'd be less tree clearing that way and also a greater amount of buffering than to to the areas to the west on there. Um, and we may leave some trees like you know some of it's when you're doing a rendering and trying to show features [clears throat] sometimes you don't want to have all the trees in there. So like that might be something that around the storage building some of the trees and and again we can work through

054that as we work through the plans. >> Thank you Matt. And then I'm just trying to remember how much we put in the capital plan for this. Was it 2 million or 2.5? >> I thought it was Well, we might be up to 2 million. >> 2 million right now. Uh we looking for a grant for that also potentially. There's 2 million the capital plan for that. >> Um yes, that's correct. We'll be working with Nicole on submitting a grant >> right [clears throat] for the >> consolidated funding for that's due at the end of July. >> Yep. >> Great. So we we'll work with her and get her all the information. >> So yeah, that so that thank you for the synopsis of it. But again, before we do that or go to any

055final engineering, wanted to make sure that the board had any other questions on there or design elements. >> No, I think it's a long overdue upgrade. I'm glad to see it. Um I know the park not not living far from the park. I know it really gets a lot of views from our young people uh and children and it's great to see more amenities for them actually. David, I know it's very dark green grass, but I guess that's not going to be manicured fertilized grass that you're showing there, right? >> No. And and I mean that's something that we can again work with you if you want to see certain areas that are that are nice and maintained and other areas just kind of you know naturalize. Um it depends on what you want. And

056again >> yeah part part of the structure that was at 190 town there was a house there. >> There was a small small house there. It was 800 ft maybe. We initially at one time thought about turning that into sto storage but you know we decided to take it down take it down but that area has been open but it does allow for an area to be reveated as as as desired. We're you know and we can continue to look into that. It's mostly trying to develop what the the the apparatus programming would be. Basketball courts uh you know uh multi-use parks. What do you want to see? What don't you want to see out there then too? And uh because it's not a tremendous amount of space, but it's a well-used space. >> I

057really uh appreciate the idea of pickle ball for for young people too, for youth because I'm sure they have trouble getting on to all the other courts because I know it's very popular with the adults um of all ages. So um I'm glad to see something specifically for them as well. >> John, could you just talk a little bit about the programming that we offer there now? And I know that you've got a lot geared up for when school gets out. Yeah, sure. Um, we're finishing up uh our spring tennis program at that location and then we'll be starting up our summer tennis program might be sold out already. I don't know. I have to look. Um, we also have a basketball program in evenings that's running there and then we have other various programs

058all around town. So, just at that location, it's mostly tennis and basketball, morning tennis, evening basketball, and we leave the weekends free just for use of the park. >> Great. Thank you. as I just know taking my kids there back in the day for tennis clinics and basketball clinics with Howard and >> and all that a shade shelter would be welcomed. >> Yeah, I think it looks it looks great. I got a question about the the the court where the pickle balls will be. Is that controlled by staff then or do users get to move? So >> um I guess we'll have to also kind of see how that goes at the time. Um, in my head right now it's like ask staff. Staff would move that back and forth. Um, cuz like I got

059the playhouse and we have the indoor program there. There's some time slots that might not necessarily need staff running it and sometimes folks wheel out and set up, but being this being the youth park, it's my vision is to have the staff do it. So, um, you know, just having staff take care of >> or certain days that are schedule so people know when pickle ball's available versus >> it might not necessarily it could be a scheduled time. We got to see how it's used. Um, it could be most of the time there could be a soccer group that wants to be out there, you know, and if there's like 12 soccer people and there no one shows up for pickle ball, we'd want to let them play soccer. So, I don't know. We'd have

060to over time see them. If we need to schedule it, we'll schedule it. >> But the flexibility is built in that it'll work for either. And >> Oh, yeah. as time goes on. I mean, recreation is always changing with popularity of different activities year to year, who wants to do what, and I think we just need to have it open to whatever folks want to do. >> I think it's great to have that flexibility. I know we did a similar thing at uh the Fred Theel Recreational Facility where there's fields that can be used in all different types of ways depending on the interest of the time. >> And we also depend on the users a lot of times to like at Fredfield The is to like move their equipment off the field, put it

061on the side so everyone can share that space and everybody but pretty, you know, workable. Everybody works together and, you know, cleans up and whatever. >> Then one last question. The the storage shed with access to Town Lane, is that just to make it easier vehicular access to to drop off? >> Yeah. So, when we were talking about having [snorts] storage, um, if you put a storage building and you didn't access it from Town Lane, where would you access it from? The parking lot. And that means you'd have to displace something that already exists. >> So, the only way to get, but we need some sort of storage. Plus, we thought that this would be better. I don't know, let's say we decided, you know what, we're going to be a garbage pail at a

062certain location deeper into the park. Then those crews can come in the back of the park and maybe come in that way. We also um we want to make the the walking trails to be wide, like 10 ft, so we can continue to plow those during the winter so folks can use it. Maybe there might be an entrance from the back corner for that. We don't know. And also if there's going to be storage, let's say beyond the rec department, it's the parks department. They want to store some things there. They can have easy access from town lane with not disrupting the operation of the park. So we that was the most logical spot. But you'd have to displace something to enter in from the parking lot because right now it's all >> there's no

063way to get in there. >> Right. >> No, that makes sense. And then you also have some green area over there. Is there any plan for that or just open? I think this is part of the renderings as Matt was saying and then however you know maybe it's the future space for beyond me and beyond all of us where you know there could be expansion in the park and who knows you know >> picnic tables or you know >> botchi >> it [laughter] could be but unless the town decides to leave it more natural who knows you know that that's part of the ongoing discussions so yeah >> no I think it looks great thank you Dave uh thank you John thanks Matt >> so can I ask so the multi more multi-purpose uh facility.

064Is that going to be fenced in? >> Yes, it's going to have dasher boards. >> Dasher boards. >> Does that mean it's like to here? What is a dash or board? Yeah. So, like if you're playing soccer, the ball is and there's something to stop it from flying out towards the goal. Yeah. So, um >> yeah, I think a dashboard might be like 4ft dashboard with fencing over top. It might take you eight or 10 feet. >> Yeah. goes up higher at the end of where the goals are, but it's, >> you know, similar to how the the existing >> rink is. >> Okay, great. >> Correct. So, I will um if you digest it, anyone in the community digest it, please reach out to my office, John's office, then too. Uh if we hear

065any comments on this, see in the next couple weeks, we'll bring it back to the town uh town board for discussion on there. Uh and then hopefully we'll get into some final engineering, some final picks on that. We wanted to make sure everyone understood where we were progressing on this because we've been working on this for a couple years, but we're we're on the precipice of getting this done potentially the next calendar year. Sooner than that, maybe. >> Just a question. So, I know we're we'll have to do a resolution to be able to submit the consolidated funding application for this project and I'm I'm guessing we're far enough along in engineering we have what we need to to submit for that application. >> I think we'll have a strong application. Yes. >> Great. Yeah,

066we're we're definitely far enough along for the application. >> All right. Beautiful. >> Like I said, I'll Nicole's already reached out to us and we're providing information to her. >> Okay. Terrific. All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. Perfect. Thank you. >> Okay. So, now we're up to the uh presentation by the Nature Conservancy of the Akabanic Harbor Restoration Project. Welcome, Nicole. And uh Zach, if you could let Will into the meeting. Good morning and uh thank you to the town board for welcoming me to your work session this morning and thank you to Kim Shaw from the natural resources department for putting this topic on your agenda this morning. I want to share um the status of a project that the Nature Conservancy or TNC has been working on in Akabonic Harbor for a

067number of years uh in partnership with the Pakonic Estuary Partnership. Um we have been assessing the condition of the salt marsh in Aabonic Harbor um to design a strategic light touch restoration to restore the natural processes to that marsh so that it will we can keep this system functioning uh and resilient into the future. And this work has been further uh advanced by crucial involvement from the East Hampton Town Trustees and the East Hampton Planning Department both in the early stages by volunteering themselves and their staff to the Monday morning mosquito samplers um and attending our first workshops in 2021 and 2022. and more recently when Brian Frank from the planning department has been helping us engage with the DEEC regulators to help them understand the different approach we're taking with this project. Um so

068today I'm starting the conversation with you to seek the town's consent and partnership to implement this work. Next slide please. So, we've been working with a group of uh salt marsh restoration researchers and practitioners that go by the acronym smart teams for salt marsh adaptation and resiliency teams. This is a partnership of practitioners, scientists, and agency personnel across the northeast uh who are working together for holistic salt marsh restoration and designing new approaches that um take a light touch to restore the hydraology and improve the resilience of tidal marshes, especially those that have been impacted by relicked agricultural features. as we know on the east end of Long Island and now realizing even more um widespread um we have an agricultural history here that utilized these productive environments um for salt hay and and other

069and timothy and other things. And now as sea level rise is accelerating the hydraology in our marshes is causing them to not keep up with sea level rise. So we have the opportunity to take a light touch and get them on a positive elevation trajectory. Next slide. So the goal, the overall goals in Akabonic Harbor are to efficiently restore ecosystem function, change the elevation trajectory, which our research has shown is not keeping up with sea level rise to a positive elevation trajectory so that it can keep up with sea level rise. uh facilitating marsh migration, reducing mosquito production and pesticide applications, supporting at risk species such as um obligate salt marsh nesting birds that are out there, and promoting climate adaptation. And this image is from uh one of our um hands-on workshops uh in

070East Hampton from the spring of 2022. Next slide. So in Akabonic Harbor, we have a fantastic restoration opportunity to restore the many benefits that salt marshes provide for nature and people. We can switch that marsh platform trajectory from negative to positive like I described. We can further reduce the mosquito production and pesticide application in the harbor. We can increase the native vegetation cover, facilitate migration, and provide long-term habitat for wildlife. And Aabonic Harbor has got is really well placed for success here because we have the long-term monitoring data. We have the historical trends analysis completed. We have future marsh migration projections calculated. We have detailed mosquito breeding maps from those Monday morning mosquito um samplers. We have successful salt marsh sparrow population breeding in the marsh telling us where it's working, where it's starting to

071fail. And we have highly motivated partners, a proactive vector control agency, engaged government partners, and a highly engaged citizenry such as the MS Monday morning mosquito samplers, citizen scientists, and the acabonic protection committee. So the map on the right, thank you. Um, shows the properties around the the harbor that are part of this restoration planning effort. And you can tell it looks like a patchwork quilt because our property ownerships are just that way. And many time So the two colors I want to draw your attention to are the red parcels that are East Hampton Towned parcels and the blue parcels that are the Nature Conservancy or TNCowned parcels. And as you look at this map, you can see many places our properties abut one another. And so doing an ecological restoration in this system really

072suggests that we should be actively engaged partners on this. The next slide. Um this map you have probably seen before. It shows the trends analysis of the changes in the salt marsh from the regulatory maps created by the state in 1974 to 2005. In yellow is the high marsh habitat that doesn't get flooded as frequently. And in bright green, it's a low marsh habitat that gets flooded twice a day. In this time period between 1974 and 2005, we've had an 18% loss of marsh area overall. This has been a 50% reduction in the high marsh area. So 90 acres of that high marsh habitat lost. And not only is this among the highest rate of high marsh loss on Long Island in this time frame, it is twice as fast as the average loss of

073high marsh in the piconic estuary which is 25%. We've also seen a dramatic increase in fragmitees especially in the southern part of the harbor that you see there in blue. Next slide please. So, in addition to all the traditional um ecological monitoring and scientific monitoring that normally goes into informing a restoration project, what's really cool about this project is that we are being informed by art, mosquitoes, and birds and art. Um, in particular, landscape paintings. Um, go to the next slide, please. This is a landscape painting uh in Newberry, Massachusetts by American painter Martin Johnson Heade. Uh this painting was completed in 1876 to 1881. And what is important about this is that we were using we people were using our salt marshes for centuries longer than we have appreciated. As a trained coastal ecologist,

074my training said mo and in our coastal ecology books, we think the first time that people manipulated our salt marshes with for those mosquito ditches that went in during the public works projects in 1930. But art historians knew more about this history than we coastal ecologists did because in the 1880s, landscape painters were capturing how farmers were not only harvesting hay on these marshes. They were manipulating the way water moved into and out of these marshes to optimize the production of the what they were trying to grow. They were freshening the marshes by coming up with um polarization and uh abattoza. They were using uh European techniques uh since the 1600s here to control water flow to freshen these salt marshes. They were full sun, so great places to grow crops. They could even freshen

075a salt marsh by preventing the salt from coming in and allowing the fresh water to come in. So they could grow higher value timothy hay for their livestock than just salt hay. But even with the salt hay, they could increase the production from one ton per acre to four tons per acre of salt hay by manipulating the way the water flows into and out of these systems. And what these landscape painters showed was that farmers in the 17 and 1800s were not just farming on a natural landscape. They were farming on a human um optimized landscape in the salt marsh. Um, so these l uh these landscape paintings from Martin Johnson heed in the 1880s any art historians in the room would know were decades before Monaet's famous haytock paintings from Germany. So it's really

076a fun so um meeting of different siloed um expertise. So next slide um and this is just to show that we know that the east end of Long Island um was heavily farmed by colonists. um um starting in the 1600s. We skip to the next here and we can see the remnants of these hydraological agricultural um manipulations in the salt marsh today. Anytime you see some of these straight lines um they are old embankments that were used for terracing the marsh and controlling the water flow in and out of these panels of marsh to optimize their um productivity. But now with accelerating sea level rise and because these structures are not maintained, we are seeing water getting impounded on certain sections of the marsh and rotting it out from below ground. It's changing the growing

077conditions for these plants. So the native plants can't grow their below ground biomass and keep the marsh platform up with sea level rise. Um so we see these um structures impacting the function of the marsh today. Go to the next slide. Um, here's just some more evidence. Any of you who've been out in East Hampton, especially if your families have been here for generations, know the history of cattle farming. And I found a number of places in Akabana Harbor where there must be old loading and unloading docks on the edge of the marsh. So, these are not just pristine natural systems. They are human. They're social ecological systems. And that's a fantastic thing. And so it suggests to us that we people have a role to play helping them persist into the future. >> It's

078a corduroy path. >> Yeah. Corduroy path. Exactly. Um and so mosquitoes um mosquitoes have informed these restoration designs. Citizen scientists led by the East Hampton Town Trustees have mapped the breeding locations and timing of u mosquitoes with a cell phone app developed by my colleague Adam Stark at the Nature Conservancy. These um their data that they have generated on Monday mornings have revealed hydraological impairments causing these breeding hotspots and blocking marsh migration. So far, just knowing when and where mosquitoes are breeding and where they are not has dramatically reduced the amount of pesticide and the frequency of helicopter spr spraying in Akamonic Harbor. It used to be weekly from May to October, 21 weeks in a row, every Tuesday, Wednesday morning, residents would be woken up by noisy helicopters spraying. Last year, they Anyone want

079to guess how many times they sprayed? twice. They only sprayed twice and when they sprayed twice, they only sprayed the hot spots that were actively breeding that week. So now what we um can this these data have also because they've informed where these persistent mosquito breeding hotspots are and we can see what the hydraological impairments are there. Now, they have informed our restoration design so that we may be able to take these mosquito breeding hotspots off the list um almost entirely. So, next slide. Um here's a a photograph of uh former trustee Susan McGraber with my colleague Kevin standing out in notorious mosquito hotspot number three. And now knowing what you know now, you can see that linear line of IVA and Higher Marsh that is obstructing the connection between this marsh parcel that is

080rotting out behind Susan and Kevin. And anyone who was part of the mosquito Monday morning mosquito sampling is probably feeling like they're itchy right now because you can tell that's a mosquito breeding hot spot. But that line is a relic embankment from the time that Akabana Harbor was actively farmed. um and their piconic estuary partnership staff in the in the back there by the the magnets. Go to the next slide. This is another mosquito breeding hotspot. So that last one was on TNC property in northern Kaplan Meadows. This um my colleague Adam is standing here in um the eastern part of the Nancy Kelly Preserve owned by the town of East Hampton. And you can't tell in this photo, but he's standing in a puddle of water that's breeding mosquitoes and all the larve are

081buzzing around him. And when I took this photo many, many years ago, I didn't appreciate that the reason that the rainwater is accumulating here at this end of the Nancy Kelly preserve is that there is an earthen embankment to the right of your screen that is blocking the connection between that coastal meadow and the coastal salt marsh. And now the town of East Hampton purchased the Nancy Kelly Preserve property and the um residential property adjacent to it in part for open space preservation but also for marsh migration potential. And this earthn berm that is causing the mosquito breeding hotspot to be there is also blocking marsh migration through that coastal open space that was purchased for that in part for that purpose. Um next slide. It's hard to see the map here. Um, but what

082this shows is 11 mosquito breeding hotspots in black hashed polygons on the map and the restoration designs that we are proposing for the Aabonic Harbor system. And these restoration designs tap into all of those mosquito breeding hotspots. So, next slide. And many of those mosquito breeding hotspots are at the upper edges of the marsh. Also uh connecting to where our our models um project we're going to have marsh migration into the future. So in hot pink in this slide you can see over 80 acres of marsh migration potential around Aabonic Harbor under a three-foot level sea level rise. So next birds. So salt mar sparrows we talked about when I when I met with you last year they are an extreme salt marsh specialist. They are endemic to the east coast of the US. They

083exist nowhere else in the world except on the east coast of the US. They spend their entire lives in salt marshes. They even build their nests in the intertital zone and that makes them they're so specialized but they are a really good indicator if when they're doing well our they tell us that our marsh is doing well both for them other birds and all of the things we want our marsh to do for us and um so let me go to the next slide and their population is declining. they are under consideration for the endangered species list because flooding of the marsh platform that's not keeping up with sea level rise is their leading cause of population declines of flooding nests. So these extreme salt marsh specialist birds are telling us there is a problem

084with our marsh. Uh this photo is a of a hatchling from the Merrill Lake Sanctuary in Akabanic Harbor from 2023. Um, success for these sparrows suggests that level of coastal resilience with the capacity for to support a diversity of species and all of the functions we want the marsh to do for us. And they are, we like to say that these sparrows are the canaries in the coal mine and we are now the farmers in the marsh to help them and to help ourselves by protecting these habitats. Next slide. So, the last time I spoke with you, it was a work session Tuesday, uh, July 8th last year. And I told you, these birds are so secretive after having studied them and sampling the flying adults since 2011. I had never found one of their

085secret nests, one of their hidden nests out in the salt marsh. But the very next morning, I was out in Kaplan Meadows in this spot here. It's not far from that mosquito hot spot number number three. And there I found my first nest. So you can go to the next slide. So on Wednesday, July 9th last summer, I found a gorgeous little nest. Uh it's probably only about 2 and 1/2 3 in across and it had four speckled eggs in it. 5 days later, my team went back to the site and found those hatchlings. They had just hatched. In fact, when they first showed up on site, one had hatched and there were three eggs. And at the end of their sampling that day, they peaked back and they saw all four eggs had hatched.

086Next slide. Um, this I don't think was going to play the video, but Jade Blenau from the Pakconic Essteroid Partnership was one of my team that morning and she was just amazed at how tiny these little birds are. So, she said I didn't think they were going to be that small. The next slide. >> Oh, it is playing. All right. So small. She says, you can read her lips. Then you'll be able to see this is great. Um, down in those grasses, you can see how these nests are so hard to find. And those little chicks with their yellow rimmed beaks are saying that that this is the target for the mommy bird. Put food here. [snorts] So, you can advance to the next slide. In the next day in Napig Harbor, we found a

087a nest um full of hatchlings that were a few days older. And so, they're old enough to band. And so you can see in the hands on the right the first bling that those birds are wearing their um uh unique ID bands so that when when they come back um we can catch them again, figure out how they're doing. So next slide. Um so the techniques that we're using for this light touch restoration are referred to by the Massachusetts Department of Natural Resources as as the trio. There's basically three techniques that we're looking to use. The first is ditch remediation to restore single channel hydrarology to the marsh to get rid of all of those linear what we have been calling mosquito ditches but they're overlaid on agricultural ditches so that the water can all

088come into the marsh through a single dendritic branching channel with the energy enough to deliver the suspended sediments to the surface of the marsh instead of clogging the mosquito ditches. You can imagine the volume of water coming in has an certain amount of energy. It keeps sediment suspended. But if it that energy and water is split 10 12 different ways to go through 10 12 different mosquito linear mosquito ditches, the water slows down, the sediments fall out of suspension and it starts to clog instead of delivering those sediments up onto the surface of the marsh. Um, and so it also relieves oxidative subsidance by having too many cuts in this organic rich pete that we want to be sequestering carbon, not releasing it to the atmosphere. The second technique is runn. These are shallow drainage

089features. They are not new ditches, but they are shallower and wider. And they just drain enough water because even though the salt marsh grasses can grow in the intertital zone, they cannot grow fully submerged. So when the tide goes out, the water table needs to drop enough so that the plants can use oxygen to pull the nutrients out of the water and soil and grow and do their thing. Um, renelss are also used for breaking through those barrier embankments to facilitate marsh migration or to facilitate connection to those mosquito hotspot areas at the upper edges of the marsh. And the third technique that will be used uh here is the creating microtopography. It's a beneficial reuse of the pete, marsh pete that's cut out usually by shovels um to put to make tiny marsh mounds

090or just slightly elevated habitat patches so these birds can find successful places to build their nests. And finally, the fourth not included in the trio is an innovative fragmitees control approaches which which is strategically designing the channels and using channels that will have fresh water from the land come out into the bay instead of staying trapped on the marsh and fueling that dense high growth fragmitees and having allowing the salt water to come in to push the fragmitees back. So the next slide um so that um ditch remediation this the the um graphics on the left show how before the ditch is treated the the groundwater has is lower um um below the surface and it allows oxygen to degrade the marsh pete. Um so you can go ahead and advance to the next slides.

091This is great. I didn't know that my slides were going to be moving like this. The ditch remediation is done by mowing. That's great. Um the thatch or the grass at the end of the growing season on e any on the sides of the ditches that we want to essentially slowly erase um the grass is mowed and then it is rad into the ditches that we want to retire. And the dark colors in bands and the second graphic you can see show that this will be done over a series of three years. And it essentially uses the material that naturally builds the marsh pete to to rebuild the pete. So the pete grows itself from the bottom up. And when the elevation is sufficient, the marsh grasses will colonize the top of those and essentially

092their roots and ryomes below ground will weave themselves together into the adjacent pete, creating a nearperfect match for the pete that's there. So >> you're essentially trying to prevent root rot. >> Yeah, it is exactly trying to prevent root rot and it's changing. So these are some pictures showing the um uh treated uh ditch with ditch remediation on the left side and the reference or untreated ditch on the right. And you can see that the ditch on the left is slowly disappearing as the pete and the plants are able to grow itself back together. >> And do you have a count of the ditch how many ditches um there are in total? >> We do. I don't know it off the top of my head, but it's in the calculations of the plans. Yes. The

093next slide. Um the second technique sort of runs to relieve the opposite um problem where there are areas that it's over drained and areas that are under drained in the marsh where we're getting these um expanding unveated pans on the surface of the marsh. We would use runels um to have that shallow drainage so that when the tide goes out the water goes all the way out and lets the plants have growing conditions there. Um there are photos on the right. Um those are the plants respond very fast to uh the the runal placements. U this picture I think is three and a half years um between a fully impounded area on the surface of the marsh being fully vegetated by native grasses. Next slide. So another example um from um the coast of Rhode

094Island which like our area has a very small tidal range. Um you can see the the the towers in the background or the the trees in the background showing these same two places uh just a few years after um drainage uh natural reveation of that area. So next another example you can skip past that um and this is where at the end of the Nancy Kelly preserve you can see that dead patch of grass that's where the water tends to accumulate after a rainfall and breed mosquitoes. A runel cut through that elevated earth and berm between the marsh and the coastal meadow will relieve that mosquito breeding hot spot and connect the marsh to eight over eight acres of marsh migration potential. Next slide. Um this is just demonstrating that very same thing. You can

095go to the next slide. Um and structured microtopography. So the reunnels are dug mostly by shovel by hand but in some places where they're long we could bring in light uh machinery to do that ditch to do that digging and those shovel fulls of marsh pete are placed in small clumps on the surface of the marsh so that those areas don't flood with every um high tide um every day and so the birds have a little bit of refuge to build their nests. And you can see after this is just one year later, the high marsh grasses have grown over the surface of that um microtopography mound. And I I think at this spot the sparrows haven't found it yet, but the willlets have. And I think in other locations the sparrows have found these

096marsh mounds to to build their nests. Next. Um so on to the designs. We are proposing a phased approach to implementing these designs and I'll share some of the examples of the restoration designs with you. I believe will have the application packages complete by the end of this week. But for the northern and central part of Akabana Harbor, we're calling that phase one where we would address the restoration over the next 5 years. And circled in red is the western part of the Merrill Lake Sanctuary adjacent to the Nancy Kelly Preserve that we are seeing as our uh first implement first implementation phase one that we expect to implement as soon as we have permits in place. Um so next slide. Um this is the full marsh complex is about 250 acres of publicly owned

097and publicly accessible um parcels within Aabonic Harbor. Um, and those areas are are numbered 1 through 11, I believe. Um, next slide. This is the example of the East Hampton owned parcel at the northern end of Aabonic Harbor, uh, inside of Gerard Drive. It's all red because it's all owned by the town of East Hampton. Go to the next slide. Um, these orange lines are our proposed access paths for doing the restoration techniques that we plan to do on that property. The next slide, this shows the a the historical agricultural embankments that my my team, Smart Teams, has identified out in that parcel um in the northern part of the harbor. And we are not looking to erase all of these old agricultural footprints. We're seeking to identify them so we can understand the the

098landscape that we're working with so that we can strategically design light touch restoration approaches in those areas. So the next slide, these short lines that you see are the actual places that we're planning to do restoration and they are colorcoded by what's planned to happen there. Whether it's shallow rentals or the ditch remediation, mowing and laying grasses into the ditches to retire the ones that we want to um have heal themselves from the bottom up. The next slide. This it's hard to see in this color but the dark the bright the dark blue on the black and white image is is shows where the um resulting water courses are going to be. This is even though it looks like there are a lot of channels there. This is single channel d uh hydraology through tide

099sheds which are like a watershed but within the inner tidal marsh. And next um okay so that was that was the example for the eastampton parcel to the north. This example shows the same series of images in red. Um 633 24.4. You can see the Nancy Kelly preserve in red and TNC's Merill Lake Sanctuary in light blue. To next slide, um these are the access paths we're proposing in that region. So next slide. These are the agricultural embankments um that we have detected out there. It suggests really overwintering of cattle which seems to fit with the history that we've been hearing about in that area. And I see you nodding. That's great. >> Our historian concurs. >> Yeah. Well, the original the 13 settlers, they all got land here, you know, on this preserve and

100also George. Anyway, yeah, >> I'd love to chat with you about that some more. That's that's super >> grazing grazing lands. >> They were given land here in the >> Yeah. Yeah. They got the houses they got the houses down James Lane. And then they got cattle and areas in the in the plains of Georgia and the plains of Akabonic. >> Absolutely. That's great. Um so it fits with what we're finding the signatures we're finding in the marsh. The next slide this shows the very light the minimal um restoration techniques actions that we um propose for these areas to um restore that single channel hydrarology and connect to the coastal meadow. And next slide to restore a single channel hydrarology through here. Next slide. Um and and so that that's what I sort of brought

101to share with you today. In some this light touch restoration approach for Aabonic Harbor is really at the forefront of restoration science. So thinking about how the marsh works and we're restoring it forward. We're restoring the natural processes that will help the marsh maintain itself into the future. And um so this is restoring natural processes. It's not re-engineering the marsh. Um and so we value the town's continued uh collaboration on this and partnership to steward this valuable resource that that we both treasure. So thank you and I look forward to sort of getting this uh implemented once we figure out our our our permitting structure and and way to go. I'm happy to take any questions about the approach, the restoration designs, the rationale, and Will Bowman from Landuse Ecological Services who's walking our permits

102through um is online to answer any permit related questions. So, thank you. So, so the request of the town right now is to allow for the use of the town lands to try to restore this and you would need our approval as a land owner for any type of permitting for DEEC permitting or or consistency LWRP consistency. >> Yes. And so for this project, we're looking to submit a joint permit between the Nature Conservancy and the town of East Hampton for that joint permit from the DEC and the Army Corps of Engineers. And it makes sense because our properties are adjacent to one another and the ecological restoration would be across those borders. >> And then who what who's funding it? Are you are we looking to use our water quality money to fund it

103or are you >> at this point? I'm not asking for any funding from the town. Um but staff time to help us when we're out there with shovels and rakes and mowers would be fantastic. Um we have uh the nature conservancy has funded sort of the first round of designs. Um there is a Suffach County uh capital fund grant that the Pakconic estuary partnership is stewarding now for the for finalizing these designs and for seeking permits and that's sort of where we are now. And I have an EPA u watershed development grant that will fund the first implementation of this project. And it's going to start with a two-day hands-on implementation workshop where the trustees or any citizen scientists who want to come out with us and learn how to use the mowers and the

104rakes and shovels to implement these designs and help us monitoring them. We've got sort of funding to cover that. And from that first implementation phase, we'll learn how much people power does it take and how long does it take take us to put in certain lengths of rentals and ditch remediation. And down the road there may be sort of a request for sort of funding to help bring the town folks out and implement on your properties or with us on ours. Um probably mostly on your property, you asking the town for help on your properties, but at this point that's not what we're asking for. We're trying to get the permits approved and so make sure that people in the town are aware of this collaborative project that we've been planning and is on the

105horizon. So, I'm going to go with a long answer to to get to my short answer if you don't mind. Uh, first of all, your energy and your knowledge is infectious, a little overwhelming, which is which is amazing, Ben, too. And to show the history in all of the phased approaches to getting the information to us here, >> uh, is great. I've spent hour, hundreds of hours if not thousands, paddling >> in the creek and all all through there. There's not there's not a touch in there that I don't I don't know. And I've always wondered when I'm going to get to this point to hear a person that wants to do this, okay? An organization that wants to take this on because it is a large investment of time on their energy and effort

106on there. But the science approach that you're doing this right now, it's something I've been waiting nine years on the board to hear and you know, and I I wish you the best and I I completely support it. I like how you're doing the phase and approach down at, you know, the Nancy Kelly preserve, the former Maloney property that we purchased where we removed a lot of the bamboo in that area also. Then too, uh it also shows how man, you know, and human being try to manipulate the land for their own uh their for their own use uh so that they can survive right >> out here. It's not bad at the time, but we're recognizing it did have long generational effects that we have to restore or reurture. I think the creek here

107is a perfect place to start. I'm very happy that you chose East Hampton for this. Also then too, um the north side be very interesting to see if the trustees ever were going to take the initiative to pull back the water and see what get the water flow underneath the bridge anymore on there. there were benefits in that area for clamming at that time uh for filtering. Uh I do like the approach you're saying to try to push back the fragmitees on there by put pulling in the salt water into those areas and where the you know the the poor water the fresh water is coming in and it is just feeding on them too. How can we use the natural tidal influences to try to push back fragmitees because unfortunately it changes the salt

108marshes as you're discussing then too. Um I think one of the places you might want to look for some citizen scientists is our high school. Uh there's sorry am I taking that from you? >> I just brought notes to myself >> you know um uh Dr. Stephanie Forsber Dr. Talage Stephanie Forsber uh she has a great initiative program with Dr. Ribbito also uh uh where this might be something that you might get a citizen scientist from the high school for three years on there and multiple ones. It's a wonderful program that they run. She's a former Eastampton town trustee. Also, >> uh I I don't really have much to say that I'm not supporting here. Uh and let me know how else I can help. And that's >> that's my long story to get a

109short thing. Very happy to see you again. >> Wonderful. Nice to see you too. Thank you for that for providing that historical context and for your enthusiasm >> to see to see this harbor sort of restored. >> Well, it's it's still a jewel. >> Yes. Oh, it absolutely is. And that's sort of >> but we're going to keep making even better then. Yeah. >> And by by um acting sooner rather than later, we can use a lighter touch to set it on a positive trajectory. >> Sure. Thank you. So, it's such an important project as as for restoring the harbor to where it was historically, but you've touched on it a number of times in your rationale, and that is we need places for our salt marshes to migrate to. Um, and uh because of

110climate change, we're having issues with the natural reoccurrence of of our salt marshes. And if you would just lightly just let folks know why salt marshes are so important and what they do for us particularly with flooding and why this project, you know, it is uh well done in the way that you're explaining it, but also critical uh to fight the impacts of the climate crisis that are we're surrounded by um in this town. So I hearing you say talk about that and the impacts of sea level rise no and that the marsh can no longer meet it. um and continue is such an important rationale uh for me for any project. I'm supportive of it obviously. Um but uh that rationale is critical I believe as well for our whole community. >> Thank you

111so much. Did So you wanted me to describe how Yeah, sure. So in addition to sort of fueling our coastal food web and being sort of valuable resources um for nature, they um salt marshes are important for climate adaptation for two main reasons. One of which, as they grow vertically, ideally like they find that Goldilocks height, they're growing uh fast enough to keep up with sea level rise. They're trapping organic matter and carbon, and they're sequestering carbon in their marsh pete to alleviate future um acceleration of climate change. But in the shorter term, these grasses growing across these extensive marshes slow down storm surges and flooding along our coastline, trapping sediments and attenuating that wave energy so that um the flooding is not as severe and doesn't have the wave damage that it would if

112those salt marshes were not present. So, those are the two main ways that a healthy, firm, solid um salt marsh that is building and keeping pace with our current sea level rise conditions can protect coastal development and and people in the future. >> Thank you. And thank you for bringing this project forward. Uh I first heard about the need to do this. I didn't know about the these uh salt hay farming but from the ditches during the depression that were created um from sealed downs uh in accommodic protection committee 20 years ago. And it seemed at that time she was searching for uh through the local newspapers the star for pictures to be able to show how it was before to be able to access some kind of ability to even have scientists come and

113look at it. So the fact that we're so far ahead right now I know she's smiling down upon us and uh so this has been a project that's been in the minds of people in Springs for for over 20 years to my knowledge. So again thank you and I love the light approach. I think it's the best approach. >> Thank you. And thank you for bringing up Seal Downs. My very first presentation um when I joined the Nature Conservancy 20 years ago was at the invitation of Seal Downs in her living room to the Aabana Protection Committee. Yeah, >> it was great. Thank you so much. >> Yeah, thank you. I think this is a great project. Um I think we learned about this a little bit but was more salt marrow based before. Exactly.

114>> I also was lucky enough to have uh Brian Frank and Morgan Slater give me an overview I think of a previous meeting with you. Yes. that went over this and I really appreciate all the thought that has gone into this uh but also action. So the light the light hand is great realizing that we're talking about very small gradients. I'm not a hydraologist but I gather that the the work that needs to be done if it's well thought out is like you said you can take a light hand and and make a big difference. So um you know fewer mosquitoes a healthier environment healthier habitat that's a pretty easy sell. Um, so that I think the town is very very happy to to support this project. Um, I also think it's it's it's important

115to note that the fewer mosquitoes has resulted in less spraying and people from I think the town trustees, Aagonic Protection Committee and others have have done a lot of volunteering to test that area. you touched on that, but I think it's important to recognize that that has led to really good results, which is, you know, I don't remember the exact number of sprains that you said were happened last year, but way reduced >> two versus 21 because I get those reports every week and it like I, you know, I'm afraid to open it because, you know, we put it out on social media so that folks know where, you know, Suffach County vector control is spraying and folks also have to understand that we don't have a say in the matter and that's why, you

116know, I have had community members come to me and say, "Why can't the program that you're doing on Akabanic Harbor be translated to Beach Hampton or to other areas where they're spraying?" Because we're getting such good results. >> It's because of residents of the town of East Hampton and the trustees, they are putting in the leg work that is required to generate the data that Suffach County Vector Control does not have without your help. And so it's really the the active citizens and trustees and town staff from the planning department um Mike Dalio and Sam uh Klene and residents like Edwina Vongal who were out there Monday mornings collecting that data making this possible. That's the bottleneck and that's why it took so many years to get here until legislator Bridget Fleming said find a

117solution to the impass between the environmentalists saying don't spray and Suffach County vector control saying our risk assessment says we have to spray because otherwise we'd miss the opportunity to stop human vectorbor disease in time. And so this is that data this is it's that that people power that your community has provided that made this possible. And we know that spraying just doesn't impact mosquitoes. We know it impacts very important species uh for our existence, our fish box, the birds. Uh so uh cutting that down is essential as well. >> Yes, absolutely. >> Yeah. I just want to conclude to say this. I think uh you know we have a difficult job. There's a lot of challenges we face and we certainly don't have all of the answers. But I think that this project and

118this presentation sort of highlights some of what's really beautiful about the town. A we have an environment and I mean Akabonic Harbor is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Um, and then we have people who care about it. You know, to hear Brian, Frank, and Morgan, how passionate they were after hearing your presentation outside of town and relay it to me was uh really encouraging just how excited they were. The trustees, the work that they I think they've really driven that mosquito larva testing uh and other volunteers. So, um I I just very very great presentation. I'm very excited to see it go forward. I also just want to mention speaking of uh you know people who care about East Stampin Resources, LTV, the local TV station has a lot of old

119archives and maybe they've got something that would deal with salt marshes because certainly this would have been an area that would be you know appealing for a long long time. So I'll look into that and if I can find anything to share I I'll do that. But thank >> that would be wonderful. Thank you so much. >> Yeah. So, it sounds like we've given you a lot of good leads. >> You have. Yeah. The high school students um that program I that if you haven't met Dr. Stephanie Forsber, I mean that's um David knows it's a program that it's a three-year program, isn't it? They start the the young people start as sophomores and they pick a project to work on and they work on it for three years and it's a research project and

120a lot of it young people you know are picking projects that pertain to our community, our environment, climate change. Um and it's remarkable the research that they've done and they need to be working with a mentor someone and you know so it would be great as you know as a climate scientist a coast what is coastal scientist maybe something that you could bring some of the the students along >> I would love to tap into their them their >> and I'm happy to send you Dr. forsburg. We can send that from our office >> and then you decide this is what they should get their degrees in. >> Absolutely wonderful careers in which is >> win-win win-win. >> Yes, absolutely. >> And I did send Nicole, I did send your presentation to the acabonic protection

121committee last night. So they had it. >> Excellent. >> Representation here today um so that um because I know how important this is to it's their raise on detra right is harbor. So thank you for joining us. >> Thank you very much. Thank you. >> All right. >> Okay. So, we're moving right along. Next up is our housing director, Mark Morgan Perez, and we're going to discuss the ADU construction loan pilot program recommendation. Welcome, Mark. >> Nice to see everyone again. >> Hi, Mark. >> Okay, so I'm here uh with updates to the ADU construction assistance program, which is funded by the community housing fund. Um the recommendations are very similar to ones uh that we had previously. Would you like me to give a program overview? >> Sure. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> So

122the proposal is basically to have 10 construction assistance loans each in the amount of $100,000 or up to I should say $100,000. And the idea is that these would fund uh residents to build accessory dwelling units. Um the people who um the owners of the homes would have to have the home as their primary residence. The tenants [clears throat] of the ADUs would have to have the ADU as their sole legal resident residence. Uh leases would be for a minimum of one year. There's no restrictions on the incomes of the owners. Tenant incomes would be restricted [clears throat] uh by the community housing fund law um in the amount of $197,880 for households that are one or two people and up to $230,860 for households of 3 to four people which is basically approximately 150%

123and 140% AMI. Uh the funds would be again it would be a loan uh interest free should be combined with other grants and loans would be repayable upon the sale of the property. Um what else? Um basically the idea would be to launch the program. The recommendation would be to launch the program as soon as we can. Uh assuming that's acceptable to the town board. Uh the proposed roll out would be to have the application materials ready and posted on OCD's website around June 22nd. We would be accepting applications for a 30-day window. Uh OCD would um do a preliminary screening of the applications and then the idea would be to have a public lottery uh to establish the order in which elible eligible applications could be reviewed. Um, I've submitted all of the application

124and ancillary documents uh for your review and I'd love to hear what you think about the program um the rollout timeline and any improvements we could make to it. >> Yeah, I thank you Mark. Um I am very supportive of this program. Um and I I can't wait to get it launched. I also want to recognize, you know, we've spoken about this a few times in terms of the the big picture and the guidelines, uh, income requirements, things like that. Uh, I just want to publicly acknowledge how much more work goes into a program like this and getting ready for launch. Uh, Mark Morgan Perez, Joanne, Ed Rally, I've asked a lot of you over the recent weeks to get this ready and I appreciate all your work that has gone um into that. I

125originally I was not thinking of this being a lottery um because I wanted to get it launched and thought of first come first serve. think that there's now a thought that there will be quite a bit of interest and so the idea there um I did ask um them office of housing to prepare a potential timeline um so that we knew when this could be ready to get put online and there's a 30-day um window opening. I've spoken with some of you about this, you know, since it's been distributed and we might want to extend that a little bit. But the >> the reason we had um a lottery to begin with is because if there's more than 10 applicants, we didn't want somebody who heard about this first to have, you know, a totally

126unfair advantage and somebody who, you know, one week from now applied was already number 11 or something like that. That said, I want to balance that with the need to get it launched so we can start, you know, helping to fund actual projects. Uh but the 30-day window, we'll hear what the board wants to say, has to say, I'd be happy to extend that a little bit. And the idea would be if we don't fill all 10 uh loans, we don't find 10 eligible people, I would propose that we keep the program going on a rolling basis, you know, at that point, it'll be public knowledge um that it's out there. And so I don't think we would need to take as much care to make sure that, you know, we were fair to everybody

127at the same time. But I think that's the point of a pilot program is to be determined. we'll whatever the period is, we'll launch this hopefully and then see what the interest is and and frankly if there's a lot of interest, I think we should talk about potentially additional funding, but I don't want to get um too far ahead of myself. Um I also, you know, some things that have some of the details that have come up. We do have uh technically only eight places left, eight ADUs left in the town of East Hampton. We have a 40 >> in the East Hampton School District. >> Eastampton school district. Um, we have a 40 uh ADU cap in each of the school districts and that is the one with the most ADUs. I think Mark

128has those numbers. Springs is second uh with I think 14 spots available. Uh so just want to acknowledge that we you know something to consider. um in case all 10 applicants come from >> does that um I don't remember does that uh the if we want to change the cap is that by board resolution or public hearing >> I believe by board resolution but I don't >> or is it is it codified it >> a resolution >> okay >> u I will I can look into that and confirm um you know there are a couple of small details that have come up to add uh that actually Joanne Pilgrim sent these around. Um just for clarity um for example um letting people know that there's a limit to 90% of of mortgage financing on this.

129We don't want somebody to be overleveraged and you know borrow more money and this 100,000 puts them over what they you know what they really own or equity in the house. Um so there's a place to add that. Um, and then also clarifying just some details that are already codified, but in the interest of of full information, the properties need to be a minimum of 15,000 square feet. Again, that's already the law, but there was a suggestion to add that. Um, so it's very, very clear in the application. And that's all I have for now. I might have more comments after others potentially have questions, but uh, I, you know, thank everybody who's involved in this. I think ADUs are going to be a very important piece to our our big affordable housing problem and

130I think that the CH funds and making these loans available as soon as possible will be a big step in the right direction. >> Thank you. And I I also want to second uh what Ian said uh Joanne Pilgrim's work and Edri Alli's work on this uh was great. It was really heavy lift and everyone you know rose to the occasion and did a great job. Uh for some clarification on statistics of the permits available for ads about 68% are still remaining. So it's really only u East Hampton which has which is sort of reaching the limit but there are 38 left of 40 in Aanzit. >> I'm sorry. Can we do can we just if you could just give us the numbers that would be helpful. >> Sure. Um of the number available. >>

131Yeah. No the number of I'd rather not available. I'd rather have the absolute number that have been built or in the process of being built. >> There are there are 69 uh permits that have been issued and there are 131 available up to 200. >> Okay. So, we said East Hampton has already had 32 >> 30. >> Uh it's either 31 or 32. I have to confirm that number. So, there's either eight or nine. >> Okay. >> And how many has springs done? >> Springs has done 25. and there's 15 available. >> Okay. What about Amigans? >> Two and there's 38 available. >> Uh Monttok >> nine and 31 available. >> And Wayne Scott >> 2 and 38 available. >> Okay. >> Got it. >> Yes. I I'm glad to I my concern was actually

132the um the uh dates between the program launch. This is on the first page of your memo and the date the application period closes because a month I know uh if folks have gone for HELOC or re finance their house getting all those supporting materials ready can take a while particularly when you have to go to some place uh an agency or your job to get those that information that's going to be required. Sometimes the turnaround time can be longer than you would think it would be. Um, so I'm glad that people wouldn't get their application wouldn't get to if if the time period was a little longer for people to provide those. I know that uh in getting a heliloc because I recently applied for one uh you they always have to do extensions

133because you could never get the the documentation back in time. So whether we do extensions for existing applications or or however you want to handle it, I just think that time period's too short. Um, I uh think everything was really well done and really well thought out for this uh as we can when we're creating something new. The only other comment that I had and I don't even know if this is a necessity is is there a requirement for either a mortgage insurance or a homeowner's insurance for protection of folks if something happens >> to the unit and uh it it's not habitable and they can't pay their mortgages or this loan anymore. That's that's my only question. I didn't see that as a list in the pre-construction costs. So, I was wondering if there's

134any kind of requirements. >> So, if you could get to the So, you're on the mic, Ed. >> Uh the we we also have a note mortgage that goes with this. There's going to be a mortgage filed to secure the $100,000 that's going to be uh subordinate to people's main mortgage and their heliloc if they get one, too. But there will be there is a requirement in those documents like in any mortgage that it remain insured. >> Yes. >> Okay. Yes. >> Yeah. That was my only concern uh that people would not be able if God forbid something happened to the property, people would be burdened with paying it without any insurance. Other than that, I I'm looking forward to seeing this program get started. >> So, I think the application is very clean. Uh

135a couple small additions as you just mentioned would be great. Mark, uh, I do also agree if we could for the initial one right now to roll out immediately as Ian would like to see, but if we can extend that maybe to 60 days, uh, I think for the first time that that would be a great start. I like the lottery part. I hope we get to a point where it's needed. Uh, but again, a lot of this I look at how it was the first couple years of CPF water quality in which, you know, we didn't know what was going to be coming in or not then, too. And in the way it all worked out really well. I think it would the same we'll do here. Uh and then we can you know

136after this first 60 days and uh the first mounts go out if they are all doled out we'll have that discussion. That might be a good discussion you know if we get to that in in the fall on there then too. But I don't mind reassessing it. I don't have many other questions. Ed Joanne Mark I think you did a very well job on on this application. you answered all the concerns that I had uh on here specifically through the last previous discussions and Ian, thank you for shephering it. >> So, John, if you could go to page four in the deck. So, Mark, I know you've got I mean, you've basically thought of everything, right? So, you've got the program overview, the application, and then there are nine attachments. So what documents need to

137be supplied to be you know to have your application in and either be entered in the in the lottery if that's necessary >> only up to attachment four everything else is later in the process. >> Okay. So um when you in in part one of the application the applicant of property information. So, you're asking folks if their property uh has a valid certificate of occupancy for all structures and then so they just have to check yes or no, but then it looks like you it's on the office of community housing and development that then go to the building department and pull the CFO. So, we don't want to ask folks to do that themselves. You guys are your department, your staff is going to do that. The goal is to confirm what confirm what the

138applicant has stated. Um, >> so is does is that going to require an inspection to make sure that the CFO that's on file is updated? >> I don't think it's an inspection. Let me ask. >> Well, because the thing is we don't we don't know what the interest is going to be here. And so what we're trying to what we tried to balance was you know getting all the information we need um from the applicants but not necessarily reviewing every applicate application in a full way. If we have 90 applications but only 10 loans to give I wouldn't want to have 90 inspections. So the idea is we want the confirmation from them and as the process goes once the lottery happens that'll be placed and and presumably there may be applications that don't don't

139actually get these at the end because there's some issue that comes on as we get into the full full vetting. Um, so >> the intent at that point was just kind of a cursory verification by our office that the property would be eligible and I was anticipating using the records in govern which would confirm the property size met the minimum and that there was a CFO on file. Um, you know, they're obviously going to have to deal with the building department with all of those details when they submit for a permit, but just in order to verify that the application should go to the next step and be part of the lottery. >> Okay. >> And we have timelines for the issuance of a building permit and the CO so that anybody who, you know,

140has somehow an legal pool and gotten this would be wouldn't get the loan. I think there's ways to to to vet this out as the process moves forward without burdening the housing department. I mean, there's going to be a lot of work that goes into this for sure, but instead of reviewing again 90 applications in detail, it's making sure that people know exactly what the expectations are and they have to to, you know, to agree that that's what they're going to do and it's, you know, trust but verify, >> right? I guess it's a balance between, you know, how much work is going to be for the department. I mean this sounds like a lot of work if you get if we get 90 applications that have to go through. So you know just trying

141to balance you know >> the workload. Um so question then for so attachment two you're asking folks to put in what their you know gross annual income is and whether they work full full-time or not. And then uh attachment three is any non um wage income. So at this point we're not asking folks to give their tax return. We're going you know basically on the honor system, right? And then is there a is it later on in the process where you're actually verifying um what their income is or is this the step that verifies their income? >> We we are asking them to submit documents. I on attachment two I should clarify that we are requesting uh that documentation. It's actually on attachment one we state uh in 5A income verification look at attachment two

142and then we do request current employment and income verification documents for the property owner and spouse. So that is listed on attachment one. Attachment two was just more of a sheet to kind of list it separately so we could see it all in one spot. [snorts] >> Okay. Sorry Mark, there was one question I had to ask. It was it was about um if if a grant was actually given to a property owner and they don't complete the task, >> is there time frame to complete the installation of the ADU uh or is there uh a a request for a certain amount of time frame extension on there? Yes. The the time frames that we outlined was basically that a building permit must be obtained and submitted to OCD within six months of the loan

143approval. >> Mhm. >> And then construction must be completed and a CFO issued within 30 months of the loan approval date. >> 30 months of the loan approval date. >> Construction completed within 30. Correct. >> Two and a half years. >> Mhm. It's a little generous, but I Okay. >> Well, we're asking for a CO and so that there was a lot of talk that went into that. And the idea was if it takes you 6 months to get a building permit because you're making the plans because we don't want to require full plans that cost people money. They need an estimate from a contractor, but you have six months to get your building permit and then assuming you took all six months, you have two years to build it and get a CO. Um

144there was a lot of conversation about the appropriate time frame with concerns both about you know are these going to be constructed fast enough and giving people a realistic amount of time. Um so certainly open to discussion there. >> Not I said generous but overall let's go with it because we could always come back to it. I mean it's the same thing as the pilot program. Let's see how this works. You know if we need to tighten it we loosen it up. That's what could be January 26 type thing. But yeah, I'm I'm going to just I want to get this going, but the same same time want to make sure it's, you know, it doesn't hold things out. I know even back going back to the water quality, there's there's sometimes there's hundreds of

145thousands of dollars out there that don't get enacted upon on there and it takes up even more valuable time of your office and funding that could go to other locations that was certainly >> that's my little cynical. >> No, it was certainly a concern, but in another part and I'm these are all really good questions because they're things that we we talked a lot about. there's we also wanted to make sure that if we you know there's going to be a contract and so we didn't want to put a shorter timeline that triggered something in the contract um you know because we weren't sure of the timelines. I hope that people who get these loans are going to want to build it and you know house whoever they need to house or rent it for

146for income. So, um, and just one other thing to the income verification. The idea was to make sure people knew and understood and declared what their income was. But there will be a future verification of that that we we outsource as long as everybody agrees with that. That's what I would think should happen. But >> that step I didn't think made sense before we knew who the, you know, the 10 first 10 eligible applicants are because we don't want, this is a town outsourcing that we do. we'd rather do it for for somebody who is actually ready to get the loan as opposed to just somebody who applied for it. >> David, I just wanted to mention in terms of the question about the time frame that's also tied to the way we've built in

147progress payments on the loan. So presumably someone will have a um >> you know they'll they'll be motivated to get the project done because uh the the payments are only made at certain um progress points that they'll have to ver you know tell us that they've reached um and show what they've what they've spent to date. >> Yeah I thought that was very sorry I apologize. I thought that was very reasonable time frames that you gave people very and it's sustainable. I'm I'm good with it. And then the the payments are going to the homeowner, right? >> And then they're turning around and paying their contractors or subcontractors. >> I I just have one more quick question. Um on page four, uh part F, annual per um annual rental permit. The second bullet, uh to

148obtain your ADU rental permit, you must submit a temporary certificate of occupancy from the building department. I don't know that we have temporary certificates of occupancy, do we? The way that the program now works is sort of a um a u checks and balances that when someone reaches the end of their ADU project rather than getting a full CFO because they they do they are required to get a rental permit. So the building department will issue a temporary CFO we have a shared database and so our department will then know that that's been issued making the person eligible for their permit so they come to us for the permit. Okay. And once the permit is issued, the building department goes back and issues the final CFO because they know that they've complied with that aspect

149of the requirement. >> And that tracks with all the other ADUs that was >> and when we did the we did open Gov 2.0, we put in right there's a box you can check if you're doing an ADU because affordable housing uh gets expedited. Correct. >> Yeah. I don't know if it's its own bucket, but there's a box to check that alerts the building department because this like other affordable housing projects are are prioritized. >> Yeah. >> And also just just you know to wrap this up, this is a very good conversation and I I appreciate it. It's was it's very difficult to strike the balance and this is the balance I was trying to strike of you know fiduciary responsibility and making sure $100,000 loan is significant. We don't have unlimited CH funds but

150also you know being as user friendly as possible. We want everyday ordinary people um to be able to do this and and go through a process that makes sense. And I think a lot of effort went into making this program work that way. And full disclosure, it's not going to be perfect. I hope it it's successful and we do it again next year. Um there are going to be changes to make and if there are, I'll you know, that can be on me for not getting it totally perfect. But I think that there's this is a really good foundation to what I think will be a successful pilot program and and very important for the town. So I I have just two comments and and I agree with you Ian is we're launching this at

151the time where our working families are the busiest, right? We're we're you know people are working six days a week, two jobs, you know, and that's my only concern about the timing. 60 days is is better than 30 days, but it's basically you got July and August to get this application together when folks have got kids out of school and there's just a a lot for folks to to manage. Um my other question and and Ed, I don't know if you know the answer to this. When we first set this pro program up and we put caps for the five school districts, you know, we didn't include Sag Harbor. And I know we've used community housing fund money in Sag Harbor when we gave a grant to the uh East Hampton Housing Authority for 1.5

152million for 109 Hampton Street. So if I live on the east side of Division Street and I know the village has their own ADU code, am I eligible for a CHF construction loan for an ADU? And I know we may not have the answer to that today, but that's just something >> that's a town board policy question. >> Okay. >> I think if if if you do make Sag Harbor School District uh Eastern part, you know, the East part, >> uh we probably would have to impose our rules on what qualifies as an ADU. I mean, in S Harbor, you could put an ADU on a postage stamp. We're not agreeing to that. So, I think the if you agree to extend it to that school district, this program I think would have to be

153using the ADU uh other rules for ADUs and apply it to the Sag Harbor ADU if you follow that. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Okay. >> I'll look into that more. You know, honestly that we since I've been on the board, we haven't changed sort of the ADU that part of it and so I hadn't I hadn't thought of it, but it's a very good point. I'll look into the details because if we can do something to support, you know, Eastampton part of Psych Harbor, great. >> And I I well, I think we're going to be probably bringing back a conversation hopefully next month on um you know, are we looking to increase the cap for certain school districts? My my thought when we went from 20 to 40 is that we should have done it

154on a weighted basis because, you know, some school districts have more um parcels. you you know housing units than others and that should be part of the the matrix. So, um maybe we could um work with planning and um figure out how many parcels are in each school district and if it makes sense to do it weighted. I remember Tom saying when we discussed it last time that you know for the next round we should probably maybe look at that since you've only got two in Amigans and Wayne Scott there they're smaller uh school districts. The big ones are East Hampton and Springs and >> that's where the the need and the demand has been. >> Just wanted to add a point of clarification. As board members have mentioned, there's various factors that go into

155a decision about how long to keep the application period open. But Kate, you mentioned, you know, the time it might take to get a heliloc, etc. Those steps would not be required to get your application in. That's kind of the next stage. So, the the initial application is fairly simple. I mean, it will require kind of digging up your mortgage documents and and your income documents, but um you know, the the banking part of it that could take a considerable amount of time wouldn't have to be within that application period. >> And again, that that that is is tried to strike the balance of making sure we have the information that we need so that people we're not wasting people's time. They know the requirements that are going to be, you know, asked of them.

156Um but instead of all of them having to get that information to submit it when they're applicant number 70 after the lottery you know we don't want to waste their time through that. So everything has an initial step and the the the application the complete application is not that ownorous but to the everyone's point 30 days isn't very long. So are we comfortable launching this you know on the 22nd and then if so should we move it 60 days or more than that? Well, it is the busiest time period for for folks working folks. So, I would I would extend the time period if you want to la I get wanting to launch it, but I think the application period has to be longer. >> I guess I'm just Yeah, that to sort of put

157a Sounds like everyone's comfortable moving forward. So, today I think today's the day to decide. I'm open to all ideas. >> I'm good. And I'm I'm good with the 60 days because what that does, it's the it's the first try, right? It's the first pilot. We're going to come back to this within a couple more months p it. So let's see what we get in 60 days, what the interest is and that will guide our decisions as we move forward then too. I mean there we're if we get if we're fortunate to get applications, let's decide on those applications and then have that moving forward on a parallel track to what the town board then decides on how to open up another round then too. I don't mind looking at it that way. Let's see

158what we get in 60 days and if not we'll come back to it right after. That works for me. >> I'm good with that. >> I don't know if it's like the word another round. If because the proposal is now it's rolling, right? So, if I don't get my application in with in the 60 days and we get 90 applications, if I get it in the day after, I'm then number 91. I'm assuming, right? If you're doing it as a rolling, >> yeah, that is mentioned in here that you can at the disc following the application period, applications may continue to be accepted on a rolling basis at the town. >> And we we again we use may very very you know int uh deliberately because if we've only received eight applications, we would want

159to, you know, allow for for others to apply until the funding's out. Speaking of which, we did have the public hearing about the the funding. Um, I'm assuming that we all approve formally the million-dollar, >> right? So, you're going to put the resolution on for Thursday. We'll we'll launch this program. And if we do have there, there will be another conversation because if we have more than 10 eligible applicants, there's not funding after that. So, I don't know if the rest of the people stay on a list and we fund more. At this point, that hasn't been determined. >> Right. And that requires the public hearing if we want to add more money. Right. >> Yeah. I mean, I'm open to, you know, increasing >> so >> the the the pot, so to speak, for

160for 2026, >> but that's why we use makes. I don't think that we would continue to take applications if, you know, there were so many on, you know, we then need to consider whether we wanted to fund some people who already applied, start a new program I, you know. >> Okay. >> All right. >> What else you need on this? Anything? Is there any other decisions you need from us today? No, I don't think so. >> So, you're going to go back to work on your fillable PDFs? >> Yes. [laughter] Lots of lots of details. Lots of details to do the roll out. >> And one other person to thank is Linda Norris, who I know is very involved in all things housing and gave a you know, final overview, a review of this and

161had some good comments as well. >> Yes. Thank you. >> Great. All right. Thank you. >> Thank you, Joanne. >> All right, Ed, you're up. I guess you're you're going to take us through the um the memo that you prepared. >> Hi, >> good afternoon. Um, so just by way of context and background, uh, we're discussing the response to the public and planning board comments to the public hearing on the proposed accessory staff housing local law, which uh, for context is uh, this local law would allow for local businesses to create housing opportunities uh, and housing units on their property in the form of either a boarding house, an apartment, or a single family home. uh subject to the department of health's septic standard standards and site plan and special permit from the planning board.

162Uh there was a public hearing held on the proposed local law on June 4th. One member of the public spoke at that hearing. That speaker's comments were not specific to any provision of the local law uh and were generally negative regarding the enactment of any affordable housing laws in the town. But notwithstanding we address those comments. Um, first comment is who gave input on drafting this local law. Uh, there was no input whatsoever from anyone who is not employed by the town of East Hampton. The accessory staff housing local law came about as a response to local businesses seeking to find additional ways to house their employees and to address the overall need within the town community for housing opportunities for those who live and work in town. The text of the local law was

163drafted primarily by Eric Shance and myself. Uh substantial input from the town planning director, the town housing director, Councilman Calder Pigante. Uh we had a work session with the town board where there was some changes and some discussion and the town planning board has reviewed and commented on the law as well. Uh again there was no involvement whatsoever by anyone lawyers or otherwise outside the employee of the town other than we had a consultation with the Suffach County uh health department to talk about deceptic standards and how that might work. Second comment is the workforce housing law and accessory staff housing are intimately related and affect each other presumably by work for work workforce housing. The speaker is referring to the rent restricted employer sponsored housing local law that is also under consideration by the

164town board. [clears throat] Excuse me. Uh there's no real substantive connection between the two proposed local laws other than the town's effort to try and address a housing crisis through different regulatory approaches. The rent restricted housing law may be implemented only on properties that carry both the AHO and LBO zoning designations which significantly limits the number of sites eligible for that development. In contrast, the law that we're talking about today, the accessory staff housing law permits housing solely on existing properties, business properties, sorry. Both law require both laws require considerable review. Applicants need to obtain site plan approval and special permits from the town planning board. In addition, permits for the accessory staff housing must comply with the Suffach County Department of Health Services regulations governing septic flow. Each proposed local law contains its own

165distinct provisions governing the operation and management of those special permits. Um there's many many itemized way we can uh distinguish the two, but they're very different. Um both generally offer businesses a way to house employees the accessory staff housing in a more direct manner for those uh that have the space within their businesses. Uh comment again is the cap is the limit of 25 special permits in the town law an annual or a general cap? The cap of 25 special permits contained in this law uh has no time limit. Uh, of course, as we were discussing, a change to that number would require an amendment to the code to fix that. Um, next comment. Should employ should employment be tied to housing? Who is the beneficiary, the employee or the employer? Employer provided housing has

166a long tradition on the east end of Long Island. Because of the extraordinary cost of housing in a high-end resort, secondhome market, employers have been offering housing to employees in the agricultural, hospitality, construction, landscaping, and retail businesses for decades. Housing provided by employers benefits all parties and the community in general. This law allows residents to remain living and working in East Hampton, helps ensure that businesses in town can function, and provide needed services. Such housing arrangements also keep local workers involved in the local community and helps reduce daily traffic on the local roads. [clears throat] Next comment is who can reside in these units? The response only employees of the businesses that obtain the special permit to site plan and the Suffach County Health Department approval for accessory staff housing would be permitted to reside

167in these units. Uh next comment, uh what will the rents become? The local law expressly states the rent the rent amounts for units must meet the town's affordable housing standards which is in 255-1-20 which sets forth the maximum rents. So that's the end of the comments in response to the public hearing comments. The planning board uh had filed a memorandum with the town board on April 23rd uh regarding its comments on this local law as well. Uh the planning board stated that it generally supports the accessory staff housing program and recognizes its potential to help address workforce housing needs. First comment from the planning board uh had to do with tenant eligibility. consider establishing a minimum age requirement for tenants to discourage misuse of units. Uh short answer to that is discrimination in housing against

168any age group in New York State is expressly prohibited. Uh but moreover, occupants and landlords of rental units created under the local law will have the same rights and responsibilities as any other tenant or any other rental uh arrangement and will be regulated by New York. New York specifically says will will be regulated by New York landlord tenant law. Uh, additionally, the number of occupants in any housing that, excuse me, any [clears throat] housing that's uh done pursuant to this local law will be limited by the Suffach County Sanitary Code as well. Um, a permit for the town office of housing and community development is required of all accessory staff housing and the town and code enforcement office, the fire marshall and the building inspector also have jurisdiction over any town code violations. Next planning

169board comment is the current first come first serve structure may create unintended equities and logistical issues. Larger employers with greater resources may secure slots ahead of smaller employers with potentially greater need. Uh our response to that is having an open application process treats applicants equally under a neutral objective standards. This process avoids subjective decisionmaking and the risk of sub subjective criteria for selecting who gets a special permit. The town board's purpose is to address urgent housing needs in a variety of ways in an expeditious manner. Adding a subjective criteria criteria or reserving claimed unclaimed places for potential applicants in a limited pool of 25 will further delay the process. Um, some smaller businesses on smaller lots may not qualify for larger numbers of tenants due to health department limitations. We've discussed that here in the

170board previously. Um, smaller businesses currently have the option of applying for existing special permit that allows apartments and commercial structures. Next, planning board comment. Uh, it's a long one. The planning board requests clarification regarding the rationale for limiting the program to 25 applicants. A concentration of applications from a single hamlet could lead to localized density or crowding concerns. While there is an interest in avoiding overconentration of staff housing units, current conditions suggest the town is well below such a threshold. It's unclear whether this cap is intended as a temporary wait and see measure that could be adjusted over time. The board recommends eval the planning board recommends evaluating alternative allocation methods and further justifying or revisiting the proposed cap. It's a what's known as a compound question. >> [laughter] >> the maximum occupancy limit of

17116 persons per property together with the strict septic capacity requirements imposed by the Suffach County Department of Health Services, which by the way must include the existing business septic use as well as the housing uh will constrain the total number of occupants permitted on any site. In addition, the typical lot sizes associated with with most business uses in town will further limit overall density. As the planning board noted in its own question, uh the current condition conditions suggest the town is well below such a threshold. Uh the cap of 25 special permits has been included in the law for two primary reasons. First, because the town has no prior experience with this type of housing, it's uncertain how the business community will respond to that opportunity and it so it's therefore prudent to evaluate that

172response before permitting additional density. Second, establishing a finite number of permitted uses allows for a meaningful and quantifiable environmental assessment of the impacts of this proposed law. So, there will be uh an extensive EF that will be prepared by the planning department on this local law. Uh the cap is not intended as temporary, but the language of the local law specifically allows for a possible increase in the number of permits after due investigation and consideration. Next planning board comment is the board also notes that is currently envisioned the program does not appear to be geared toward families and therefore is unlikely to generate impacts on school enrollment. Uh the local is not designed to favor or disfavor families. Provisions are made to allow for single family residences and apartments both of which easily accommodate families.

173The law is designed to offer employers alternative forms of housing that would best suit their specific needs without creating any preference or familiar relationships or status. Uh next comment is a definition of vacant land. The language should be clarified to ensure that commercial use is established prior to submission of a application [clears throat] rather than allowing standalone residential development under this provision. Uh I would refer everyone including the planning board to the language of the actual proposed local law which first of all identifies this is an accessory use. An accessory staff housing development shall only be located on a property which contains a legally pre-existing principal use or which is applying for site plan to establish a separate principal use and in all cases shall shall be deemed an accessory use. That's a quote out

174of the current law. Also the the current local law or the proposed local law says to ensure that the housing is accessory to the principal use only the owner of the business for which the tenants are employees may apply for the special use. Planning board's next comment is additional guidance is needed regarding whether accessory staff housing approvals run with the land or remain tied to the property owner particularly in cases of sale or business closure. The board assumes that these provisions would run with the property and require compliance by subsequent owner but request confirmation. [clears throat] Again, section 8 of the proposed local law makes it very clear that the special permit may be transferred to a subsequent property owner by application. uh in the same manner as the original application. Uh if there is

175such a transfer, uh it will not take effect until the new owner submits a complete application in the applications approved by the office of housing and community development. Uh and there are some other provisions in the code that also address that question. Um, next comment from the planning board is the board seeks clarification on program administration, specifically whether the housing office will be responsible for ongoing oversight and enforcement. Again, section 8 of the proposed local law provides that the owner must apply annually for a permit to operate the uh the housing unit. The owner must submit a copy of the leases and supporting documents. uh and it provides for ongoing uh oversight by the housing office and annual checking and annual applications. Um they're also subject pursuant to this proposed local law, all units are

176subject to inspection for compliance with the town code and [clears throat] the building code by the fire marshall, the building department, office of housing, community develop, and the co code enforcement officers. That's all in this proposal as well. Next, planning board comment. Design standards. The board recommends establishing clear design specifications or minimum standards. In addition to ARB oversight, the incorporating aesthetic guidelines directly into the town code may provide greater consistency and predictability. Given that the response is given that the planning board and the architectural review board will be acquired be required for all special permits for accessory staff housing and that implementation of this design and specification is going to need to be tailored to whatever particular property it's at and we have a wide variety of business looks and sizes and everything else. Uh,

177this proposal currently allows for creative solutions and avoids overly prescriptive requirements and is still subject to the approval of both the planning board and the ARB. Um, next planning board comment is has to do with minimum lot size. The board questions whether the proposed 1acre minimum lot size may be more restrictive than necessary. Uh many potential participants in this program, particularly employers located in Hamlet centers or commercial districts, operate on smaller uh lots, smaller parcels. Um the the planning board recommends eval re-evaluating whether reduced lot size would better align with existing development patterns and programs. Um we had that conversation among this board uh when we first considered this law. Uh Eric Shance spent a a good deal of time working through the septic loads and the septic standards that would be required on a

178smaller lot and what it would take to even get one or two housing units once you have you look at what's there for almost any business. Um and we we all met by Zoom with the health department representative on the same issue. Um and it was we had we spent a lot of time considering going less than one acre. Um but essentially because of the health department requirements for for the septic standards um it would be almost prohibit adding dwelling units to anything under an acre. It' be very difficult to do that under the current standards. Um again some opportunities uh for creating housing on smaller lots may be found with the apartments and commercial structures. Um, this was was a question we gave a a great deal of consideration to. Um, next comment from

179the planning board had to do with non-conforming uses. The provision allowing eligibility for properties with non-conforming uses that have received a use variance or quote other relief close quote should be clarified. Specifically, it should be determined whether a CO qualifies as other relief. Um, this is a little bit of a legal answer, but under New York law and the town code, a CO does not relieve a non-conforming use of its nonconformity. It's still non-conforming. The issuance of a CO to a non-conforming use makes the non-conforming use a legal use, but does not change the non-conforming status. So, if it's non-conforming, it's non-conforming. uh a a a non-conforming use with the CO may not be enlarged or expanded except to a conforming use and ceases to exist once the use is discontinued. A use variance which

180they raise um on the other hand is a formal permission graded by created by the S zoning board to allow a property to be used in a way that is not permitted under the current zone that runs with the land. The proposed law actually states and they cut it off that one must obtain a use variance or other necessary relief to remain in the zoning district which is located because a non-conforming use with a co ceases once the use is discontinued does not have the right to remain in the zoning district. [clears throat] Uh next comment from the planning board. The plan board requests an estimate of how many properties townwide would qualify under the proposed criteria to better understand the potential scale and impact of the program. Response is the proposed local law expressly

181limits the number of permits that may be issued for accessory staff housing to 25. The secret analysis of the local law will assess the impact of the law based upon the issuance of 25 permits. That's the end of the response to the comments. Okay. >> Thank you, Ed. >> Well, I just want to say thank you, Ed. Um, you know, Ed put a a ton of work on this and has been a huge help to all things housing in East Hampton. Um, and Eric Chance as well who who put in a ton of work as well as uh Tina and Mark from planning and housing. Um, and look, I I I really appreciate the public process, the public comment from the one member of the public who spoke as well as the planning board. Um,

182I think that we've it's help it's helpful so that we know we've addressed all the possible concerns because sometimes we might miss something. Most of these, as Ed just laid out, I think have been addressed. David also brought up the smaller lots and worried about commercial districts. We spoke at length about that and the fact that we have commercial accessory apartments already available in those areas made it easier to keep this, you know, at at a 1acre gap. Frankly, I'm somebody who pushed for a smaller lot size on this as well. Uh, so I I understand those questions, but um I'm happy to say that I think that we've uh thought about and addressed all of the questions that have come up in this law. And you know, sometimes we haven't and we require another

183public hearing. In this case, I don't think we do. My opinion that this is ready to be uh to be approved. I also want to acknowledge one of the callers, Leo Daunt Chamber of Commerce, called today uh in support of this. I I wasn't expecting that and he also sent an email this morning. I did speak to the Montalk Chamber recently about this and other housing opportunities because they asked me to. Um, and in his letter to us, he's supportive, but also says, "Make sure you make it easy." And so that just illustrates, I think, the balance that we're trying to strike. Um, we want these to be realistically attainable solutions for people, but we also want to protect neighborhoods, the community, and the and the town as a whole. and and just like we

184went through on the ADU loans, uh that's the balance we're constantly trying to strike. There's not a clear line anywhere that gets it perfect every time. But I just want to acknowledge sort of that support, but also concerned that they don't want it to be too difficult. And I know others are going to be concerned that it's too permissive. And I think that the current law, while certainly is not going to be perfect, is is a really good step forward in the right direction for affordable housing. And I think that the typologies um the rooming house for example that we're including in this which doesn't exist in the town and I think is you know recognizes the reality of the the type of situations that employees can most comfortably live in and it's not always

185a single family home. So um I'm excited about this and and I hope the board will agree and we can pass it. >> I always find that easy and difficult is depends on the eye of the beholder. uh at the moment if you're a neighbor, you're concerned about your quality of life and you want to see that you're protected and I also get that it can get arduous for people that just want to get it done. Um I think this law as it is is uh perfect for the moment uh and for considering a new um a new code in our town. Um I also just you know looking at that comment uh that that people get concerned about tying housing to employment and I can't think of a more clear uh transparent type of

186housing than housing actually on the business property that clearly states what type of housing to the to the tenant they are in. And I I think there's there can be no misconception about whether this is you know general housing. It is built on the location. It clearly states its intent. I'm supportive of moving forward on it. >> Thank you, Kate. >> But I mean, more comments than you two had. So, thank you, Ed, for bringing this back and actually addressing all the public's comments then, too. >> Yeah. And I think you did a tremendous job in response to the public's comments and and to the planning board's comments. Um, as I read it, I'm like, I couldn't say that better myself. So, [laughter] well well done. So um >> it's a good example of Ed's

187standard work. >> Yeah, I that I can see. Um so I think we need to do uh SRA, right? >> And Eric has started the process in anticipation of the conversation. It's not ready yet, but >> Okay. So it's looking like it's something we're going to adopt in July hopefully. >> Yep. >> All right. >> Okay. >> Beautiful. >> Thank you. >> Thanks, Ed. >> Thanks. >> All right. We're all through our topics and we're up to liaison reports. David. >> Yes. Uh I want to let everyone know that uh the Playhouse roof, which is a $1.1 million project, that those repairs or renovations fall underway, they're actually taking a little pause this week at the request of the Playhouse um um Mont Playhouse Foundation on there because they have some events happening there. But

188I still continue to go. Uh I want to let everyone know that the Army Corps of Engineers, the Montalk crossover projects, uh their final engineering for the one cross over the Loenstein uh park entrance is been uh has been approved and that she should be um they're going to be installing that next week and they start the demobilization. So it should all be complete by the end of next week. Um, we'll let everyone know that u over at Steven Hanss Path, we will be uh the parking actually that we installed over there actually was well used. And how did I know that? Because Little League held their championships on this past Friday. There are hundreds of family members there. It was actually a great turnout and a great barbecue. Congratulations to all the little league

189teams that won and the softball teams there then too. Uh, and it was a very nice evening that went long into the evening on there. I want to let everyone know that at sanitation sanitation is uh temporarily not accepting construction debris uh from commercial carters uh the clearups in the room that uh that's needed over there. Uh the confluence of events on there. It seems like the building industry is doing pretty well right now or the that the weather is weather is doing well and the construction debris is increased. Uh we can only have a certain amount till we get it trucked out. We're hoping that will be complete by potentially Thursday. Um, this is also leads into the about $1.8 million project that the town has been undergoing the last year uh in our

190construction debris lean to which will make it easier for their town staff to remove construction debris and I know they just poured the concrete on the apron this week. So hopefully that can be done in the next month. Maybe we can get an update on that from our less on for sanitation. Uh want to let everyone know that um water me? Yeah, you can do that. Uh in Montalk, there was a water main break last night that was in the area of uh Edgemeir, sorry, Flamingo and Westlake Drive. Suffach County Water Authorities was on site all evening and most repairs were done by 8 a.m. this morning, but there's still some residuals there. Uh anyone has more questions on that, please contact Suffach County Water Authority if you're in an affected area. And two, uh,

191want to let everyone know that, uh, the the Metap Peak fire reduction project, that which is a New York State project, is still going well. Then too, again, there was a $2.2 million uh grant from the governor to the actually state parks for for emergency tree felling. Uh, that project's a three-year project. It wasn't granted to the town of East Hampton, as is misinformed by many or some, uh, but it went to the state. Uh the town has actually completed sorry the state has completed their tree felling in the area and prescriptive burn piles currently right now that uh there the state is working on the emergency access via the palm path and uh and that that is almost complete from full from the west to east was completed by a forestry multer that was

192a multer that actually state parks purchased out here in the spring and uh and and the fire chiefs that were on site. The fuel reduction work chipping and hauling way by the substation was completed as well. And as of now, uh we're in the current bat restrictions that be the states and current bat restriction for cutting. But they are still identifying priority areas for this winter's felling under the multi-year service contract that they procured and have in place. And still the state is monitoring of the areas uh areas that the work has been done meaning they're tracking data for pine regrowth versus possible invasive species which is very important as this progresses. This was all very well stated in the multiple multiple public meetings that the state had on this subject. Um let me see

193here. I only have one other thing. I want to congratulate all the graduates. Uh there are multiple graduates from kindergarten. uh you know from kindergartens to prek happens to eighth graders to seniors in high school and these are going from all our school districts within the within the town of East Hampton. I specifically want to congratulate congratulate the senior class of East Hampton High School and their class president for graduation and their class president is my daughter Brinley Lee. Congratulations to them all. They're are wonderful grad kids. Uh, and it's nice to see them all go all the way through to all to their new ventures in life and next chapters. Uh, as parents, we all will be saddened a little bit, but uh, congratulations to the kids. It's it's a really a fun time

194of year for them all all to be uh, uh, accepting um, all their salutations for all the hard work they put in from kindergarten all the way through. Thank you. And that's all I have. >> Thanks, David. Kate, yeah, I'm gonna uh, skip mine until next week. Okay, Ian, until next week. >> Just a very brief um brief laz report. Spring CC meets tonight at Ashwag Hall at 6:30. Conveniently enough, their main topic of conversation is Akabonic Harbor. I've got a lot of good things to say now thanks to our presentation today. Um again, 6:30 tonight at Ashwalk Hall for Spring CC. All are welcome and we're always looking for new contributions, new members. Uh and then Chab Community Housing Advisory Board will meet next Wednesday, June 24th, in the planning department conference room at

195300 Panago Place. Um and again, that's open to the public as well. So, anybody wants to attend, you're welcome. >> Great. Thank you, Ian. So, as I stated last week, POS, the so-called Forever Chemicals have been detected in the S uh Suffach County Water Authority public drinking water supply wells just south of the battery storage facility on Cove Hollow Road. I called for a coordinated task force and yesterday we had our second call with over 40 participants including staff from the governor's office uh New York State DEEC including the DEEC commissioner Amanda Leftton, New York State Department of Health, the county executive's office, Suffach County Department of Health Services and Suffach County Water Authority as well as town and East Hampton Village officials. And these calls will occur weekly. Again, to those folks, if you're

196on a private well in the immediate area, you may be contacted by the county as part of the door-to-door testing. And if you have questions or believe you may be affected, please reach out to the Suffach County Department of Health Services, and we will keep you updated as we learn more. David touched on the water main break in Montalk. Uh 2027 budget, it's that time. We've started our 2027 budget process. >> [sighs] >> Department heads must submit personnel requests by June 30th, and they must input their budget requests by July 7th. After that, we conduct our one-on-one meetings during the month of August. And we'll have a tenative budget to the town clerk by September 30th, and then we do our public presentations. You don't realize, Michael, the role you're going to play in this.

197Um, and uh, so that'll happen. Uh, pre public presentations will be in the month of October. And then we hold the public hearing in November and then we must adopt the budget by November 20th. And we are currently folks have seen around uh our outside uh accounting firm, they've been doing the annual audit that's going to be completed in the coming weeks and we're going to have a presentation at a work session in August. Um also just want to talk about um work being done here at town hall. Folks may have noticed that we've got a presence here in a dumpster here at Town Hall. We're in the middle of a window and facade restoration project. Ronald Web Builders is doing the work. They started by removing each individual window from the east and south

198sides and they are being rebuilt. Uh we plan to stage the project so that eventually every side of this building will be completed. We just want to thank folks here at town hall for their patience during the workday. It can get pretty loud at times and um this project this phase of the project project is estimated to be completed in about six weeks. We also um are going to be starting after the 4th of July on the peach house restoration. That's project we've talked about here at work sessions and it's the the future um home of our HR department and we're excited to have these projects move forward. Um lastly, I just want to mention that um the East Hampton Town Police Department in conjunction with Sad Harbor and East Hampton Village departments will be

199hosting an East End Youth Police Academy from July 27th through July 31st for kids in grades 8 through 12. Students will be exposed to a variety of learning and hands-on experience related to police work. Lieutenant Kennel Versa and school resource officer Devin Toyer Toya are our town department liaison. And if folks are interested, we ask them to visit the town's police department website for more information and to download an application. So that's we've had such success with our citizens police academy that we've now um it has been decided that we want to do you know a week long interactive summer educational program for for students in grades 8 through 12 and that's what I have for my liaison report. So we can now move on to resolutions. David >> my privilege to offer resolution 2026997

200is amend resolution 2026 270 to change the funding line uh from which invoices will be paid. Second. All in favor? >> I. >> 998 is amend resolution 2026 988. Uh this is to hereby amend the correct budget code. >> Second. All in favor. >> I 9999 is appointed additional members of the 2026 water quality technical advisory committee and revise the membership. Uh whereas Rebecca Holloway resigned from her appointment as CCOM. She's no longer representative and and Frank uh Jaciso resigned as the village of Sag Harbor representative and where the village of Sag Harbor nominate Mary and Eddie to be the candidate for the village of Sag Harbor. >> Second. All in favor? >> I 2026 10000 is amended resolution 2026 945 for the water quality grant for 151 North Main Street where it was actually

201no set forth that it was 51 North Main Street. >> Second. >> All in favor? I >> I resolution 1001 which is the acceptance of cityscape consultants 2026 proposal for professional services resolve the town hereby enters in into an agreement um for the telecommunication wireless telecommunications facilities processing of applications for services outlined in the cityscape proposal. They shall be assigned work on an all call on an on call basis and paid in accordance with their fixed rates and a free ske schedule shown in their proposal. Uh this is a not to exceed amount of $25,000 and this is retroactive January 1st, 2026 and is through December 31st, 2026. >> Second. >> All in favor? I. >> Resolution 1002 is the list appointment and promotion to chief building inspector for Richard Nurmoil Jr. whereas Richard Normile

202Jr. is the principal building inspector and the department head of the building department and whereas Suffach County Department of Civil Services has given an examination for chief building inspector and Richard Nmoile Jr. is reachable on the said list. Therefore, be it resolved that Richard Nmoile Jr. is hereby promoted to the full-time position of chief building inspector, department head with the building inspector's department for a 48 hour work week and an annual salary of $140,000 [clears throat] effective retroactive to June 15th. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Resolution uh 1003 is to authorize the town attorney to commence legal action against appropriate parties seeking injunctive relief and other legal remedies relating to the use and occupancy of 435 East Lake Drive in Montalk. >> Second. >> All in favor? I >> I. >> Resolution

2032026 100004 is to authorize an employee agreement. >> Second. All in favor? >> I. 10005 is to accept bid EH26034 for t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other uniform items. This was a rebid and it goes to ABC Custom Sales, Inc. Second. All in favor? And that's all the resolutions I have. Right, Michael? Just want to confirm. >> Okay. >> I'd like the motion to go into executive session for CPF uh litigation real estate personnel >> contracts >> and contracts. >> Second. All in favor? Thank you everyone for joining us and thank you Zach at LTV.