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ALL ABOARD THE SOUTH FORK COMMUTER CONNECTION!

A new Long Island Railroad commuter service is now running on the South Fork. The South Fork Commuter Connection drops passengers off at South Fork train stations where shuttle buses transport them to various work destinations, including Southampton and East Hampton Town Halls, schools, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and downtown destinations. There are two morning trains and two afternoon trains to help workers get to and from the South Fork without having to deal with traffic. “The train ride from Hampton Bays to Southampton is just ten minutes, while it often takes one hour or more to drive through heavy traffic,” said Supervisor Jay Schneiderman. “It makes perfect sense to get on board and give it a try.” To learn more about schedules and bus connections go to WWW.SFCCLIRR.COM .

STEMMING THE TIDE IN PLASTIC POLLUTION

There will soon be no more plastic straws, stirrers and polystyrene packages such as “clamshells,” at food establishments in the Town of Southampton. The Town Board unanimously adopted a local law to place restrictions on the use of expanded polystyrene, plastic straws and stirrers. This law takes effect on May 8, 2019 to give businesses time to use up their stock of these items. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, providers may possess up to 20 plastic straws for use by persons who specifically require them.

Councilwoman Julie Lofstad stated her reasons for bringing this legislation forward: “The environment is so very important, not just because it is the engine of our economy, but because the health of our environment directly impacts the health of our community. Single use items such as plastic straws and polystyrene containers are used for a very short period of time – usually only minutes. Styrene has been identified as a possible carcinogen by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Plastic items, such as straws, are made from petroleum and do not biodegrade, and the quantity of plastic litter causes significant environmental clean-up costs - these items end up on our roadsides, in our landfills, and in our waterways. And micro plastics are now found in marine life and humans. Soon, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean if we don’t start changing our behaviors. The time has come for reducing the use of these single use throw-away items. Restricting polystyrene and allowing only non-plastic straws and stirrers upon request is a great start!”

COMMUNITY CHOICE AGGREGATION ENERGY PROGRAM

The Southampton Town Board voted unanimously to enable a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Energy Program. The New York State approved CCA program may give ratepayers, as a group, the ability to find lower rates, through a competitive bidding process than currently available from the Long Island Power Authority and provide greater access to renewable energy sources,other than fossil fuels. “This is a perfect opportunity to advance the Town’s goal to achieve 100% renewable electric energy by 2025 and to make a significant impact on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Councilman John Bouvier, sponsor of the resolution. Westchester County adopted the CCA program in 2016 with 26 municipalities and it has saved 125,000 ratepayers over $13,000,000 in aggregate. Participants in the Westchester program are receiving all their electric energy from renewable sources. Currently the Towns of Brookhaven and East Hampton are exploring the CCA program as well.

A LESSON IN LEADERSHIP

Some Southampton Town high school students traveled to Albany to participate in the Youth and Government Program, joining 800 students from across the state. Under the leadership of Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni and Youth Bureau Director Nancy Lynott, the teens got a chance to find out what it’s like to be a New York State lawmaker at the State Capitol. Juniors from Southampton High School and freshmen from Pierson High School presented two bills to the mock body of youth legislators for approval. One piece of legislation, to ban plastic straws at restaurants across New York State, was presented and debated in the Chamber of the New York State Assembly and passed. Another bill to require all secondary schools in the State to open after 8:30am was presented and was defeated. The Youth and Government Program is coordinated through the NYS Alliance of YMCA and the Southampton Town Youth Bureau. Since October 2018, the group has been preparing for the March 2019 student Assembly in Albany and their presentation on the floor of the State Capitol. For more information contact: tjschiavoni@southamptontownny.gova>

SOUTHAMPTON TOWN RATED EXCEPTIONAL BY MOODY’S

The Town of Southampton continues to impress investors. Moody’s Investor Services has recently issued its highest designation, Aaa. The rating agency noted, “The credit position for Southampton Town is exceptional and its Aaa rating is notably higher than the US cities median of Aa3.” Key credit factors include: a very healthy financial position; an extensive tax base; a strong wealth and income profile; negligible debt burden and moderate pension liability. Moody’s also called Southampton’s economy and tax base “exceptionally healthy” with a $67 billion full value assessment for 2019. “This latest profile gives us confidence that our conservative financial budget measures, under the leadership of Comptroller Leonard Marchese, and supported by the Town Board, are working,” said Supervisor Jay Schneiderman.

POSSIBLE ANCIENT BURIAL GROUNDS PROTECTED

The Town’s Community Preservation Fund purchased the Hawthorne property in Shinnecock Hills after remains were found last August on what is believed to be ancient burial grounds for the Shinnecock Indian Nation. The remains were found during excavation and the property owners immediately stopped work. KB Southampton LLC, agreed to sell the property to the Town for $450,000. Because the site had already been significantly disturbed, the Indian Nation raised an additional $50,000 for the restoration and preservation of the burial site. The findings prompted the creation of the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Heritage Committee within the Town of Southampton. The Committee is considering recommending that formal procedures be adopted when ancient remains are found in the future

RIBBON CUTTING FOR TWO NEW HOMES FOR WORKFORCE HOUSING

The American Dream is now reality for two families, the proud owners of two new homes in the Town of Southampton. A ribbon cutting was held for “Tuckahoe Woods,” two 3 bedroom/2 bath homes located at 409 Moses Lane and 296 Magee Street. The families were chosen by lottery to purchase the new homes for $332,400. The Town of Southampton donated the land, the Southampton Business Alliance Housing Initiative Corporation built the homes and the Long Island Housing Partnership administered the lottery to help income eligible families. “We are truly blessed for this opportunity, we wanted to stay out here near our families,” said Stacey DiStefano, the owner of one of the new homes at Tuckahoe Woods.
The two new homes plus 15 units at Southampton Point, along County Road 39, will bring 17 units of workforce housing for sale by the end of the year. Soon there will also be 66 rental units available when Speonk Commons and Sandy Hollow are completed by the end of the year.

NEXT ROUND OF APPLICATIONS FOR CPF WATER IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS ACCEPTED

The Town is now filtering through the next round of applications for water quality projects under the Community Preservation Fund. The Water Quality Advisory Committee will rank and score projects on scoring criteria contained in the application materials. The deadline for the applications was March 15th. The Committee received applications ranging from storm water and drainage improvements to wastewater treatment and aquatic habitat restoration projects. The Town Board will hold public hearings for projects that exceed $50,000. The funding source, up to an estimated $10 million per year to help restore water quality, will come from 20% of the annual 2% CPF real estate transfer tax on properties that was approved by voters.

Southampton Town Opioid Addiction Task Force

POISONOUS OPIOID WARNING

“Just one try and you could die!” That’s the powerful message being presented in a new Public Service Announcement recorded by the five East End Town Police Chiefs in the latest round in the battle against the opioid epidemic. The PSA also features former News 12 anchor Drew Scott, who lost his granddaughter to opioids in 2017, and some Westhampton Beach High School Students. The warning zeroes in on the dangers of fentanyl, a deadly heroin synthetic that is widely available. The PSA was produced pro-bono by American Portfolios in Holbrook. The Southampton Opioid Addiction and Recovery Committee also launched a new website for those looking for help to battle addiction. Log onto WWW.FINDHELPSOUTHAMPTON.COM to learn more.