Addressing Quality of Life for Noyac
VIA ZOOM – September 8, 2020
7:00 PM
To attend the NCC Zoom meeting please click the link below and enter meeting ID and Passcode
Meeting ID: 236 195 4802 Passcode: 7gFoca
GUEST: Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni
Councilman Schiavoni will discuss the Airport Noise Committee’s presentation at the Southampton Town Council Meeting
AGENDA:
Meeting called to order. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Roll Call. 4. Welcome and acknowledgement of guests. 5. Treasurer’s Report. 6. Minutes- December meeting. 7. Old Business. 8. New Business 9. Motion to adjourn.
New Business (7PM-8PM):
Join the Zoom meeting to hear the following discussions. Time will be left for questions which may be asked via “chat” or “raising hand.” It is also helpful to submit your questions to the NCC prior to the meeting and we will make efforts to address as many as possible.
Councilman Schiavoni: A firm hired by East Hampton Town has confirmed what we in Noyac already know: Air traffic in and out of East Hampton airport has grown significantly over the past 5 years, largely with helicopters and seaplanes. The increased volume had led to record numbers of complaints, totaling almost 50,000 in just 3 months (June - August in 2019). The majority of the both volume and complaints relates to the flight path over Noyac. Southampton’s Airport Noise Committee has shared this information with our Southampton Town Board and plans are being developed to determine appropriate next steps. Thanks to NCC Trustee John Kirrane, airport committee chair, for working with Councilman Schiavoni to alleviate this problem.
Nomination of NCC Officers: The Election of Officers will take place at our October 13 meeting. The following is the tentative slate. NCC members are encouraged to run for an executive committee position and nominations from the floor will be accepted at this meeting.
President: Elena Loreto
1st Vice President: Diane Hewett
2nd Vice President: Janet Verneuille
Treasurer: John Arendt
Recording Secretary: John Kirrane
Corresponding Secretary: Matt Burns
Sergeant-at-Arms: Elfie Winkle
Trustees: Sharon Bakes, Marilyn Downes, Ellie Thompson, John Anderson
Items of Interest (8PM-9PM):
Circle Beach: With concerns outlined in our last newsletter, the NCC contacted the Town Trustees and the NYS DEC to evaluate the area and water quality. The information in the NCC July/August newsletter contained some errors that Zach Schuller of the DEC clarified for us: “A team from Stony Brook Southampton was made aware of the situation at Circle Beach and arranged to check the water for a potential Harmful Algal Bloom. They found cochlodinium polykrikoides at a count of 50 cells per mL. This species is harmful to fish and shellfish species and does not die with UV exposure. UV exposure has shown to kill fecal coliforms (FC). For more specifics on algae species and testing contact the Gobler Lab.
Circle Beach also has a long-standing problem with flooding at the end of Pineneck Ave. The sumps contribute road run-off and contamination to the beach. The NCC addressed this issue with Hwy. Sup. Gregor.
Noyac Road: The NCC Executive Committee conferenced with Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni and Director of Transportation Tom Neely (July 21, 2020) to discuss the many traffic and safety problems along Noyac Rd. There are more vehicles that ever using Noyac Rd and we insisted that something be done to calm traffic, regulate heavy trucks using Noyac Rd. as a by-pass, and to make it safer for pedestrians trying to cross at various points. Particularly dangerous areas include the Long Beach Lane and Stony Hill Road intersections. Councilman Schiavoni has requested an upgraded Hamlet plan (click here to view current plan), a traffic study, more police enforcement. Mr. Neely sent a photo of signalized crosswalks, which would need Highway Dept. approval and funding and more study. The NCC has since reached out to the Police Dept. and is scheduling meetings with representatives. The NCC will notify our members of future opportunities to work with our representatives on this quality of life issue.
Sand Land: illegal activities continue… “Sand Land is in violation of the latest certificate of occupancy, local zoning laws and Southampton Town Code…”
> February 13, 2020: The Town Board sent a letter to DEC promising to “assert its jurisdiction and take all necessary legal, civil, code enforcement and police action to stop illegal operations ...”
> May 22, 2020: Southampton Town issued a “Cease and Desist Order” to Sand Land. > June 11, 2020: NYS Supreme Court issued an injunction restraining illegal activities occurring at Sand Land.
> August 10, 2020: The NCC joined Assemblyman Fred Thiele, Legislator Bridget Fleming, Group for the East End, Citizens’ Campaign for the Environment and Southampton Town Civic Coalition in issuing a Press Release appealing the Town of Southampton to enforce their laws (9 years after being cited as illegal) and follow the recent court order aimed to protect groundwater and prevent illegal industrial operations at the Mine.
> August 26, 2020: Town Attorney James Burke Press Release response: The Town is addressing the violations with additional court actions, has done many site reviews and Code Enforcement investigations, and on July 14th and July 17th the Town demanded the “immediate removal of all non-permitted materials being processed, stored, sold and delivered to Sand Land.”
> Sept. 11, 2020: Date for court dockets.
Click here to read the full press release letter, exhibit photos, and town response.
Long Beach: NCC member Carolyn Kirrane, has been in touch with Kristen Doulos (Parks Director) and Ryan Murphy (Director of Code Enforcement) to improve the conditions at Long Beach. On-going discussions include how traffic control checks for beach stickers and how to correct dog violations. Ryan said he would be in contact with Southampton Town Police to also be proactive after hours. Ms. Doulos was also going to look in to the property lines at the east end to prevent non-sticker parking and walk-ins. Other concerns include bringing attention to the deteriorated condition of the Memorial placards on many of the benches and unreadable social distancing ONE WAY entrance arrows the restrooms.
Citizen Engagement Needed! Please email NoyacCivic@optimum.net to volunteer to spearhead and/or work on an NCC Committee: Membership, Airport, Roads, Education, Parks and Recreation, Water Quality.
Virtual Hurricane Preparedness Seminar hosted by Congressman Lee Zeldin with representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), American Red Cross, Suffolk County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Thursday, September 3rd, at 1:00pm
SIGN UP HERE
With this hurricane season expected to be more active than normal, it’s critical Long Island families are prepared.For questions, call (631) 289-1097 or subscribe to e-newsletter at zeldin.house.gov.