HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB-07/16/2024 PH 1
1 TOWN OF SOUTHOLD
COUNTY OF SUFFOLK : STATE OF NEW YORK
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3
TOWN BOARD
4 REGULAR BOARD MEETING
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Southold, New York
8
July 16, 2024
9 4 : 30 P .M .
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14
15 B E F 0 R E :
16
17 ALBERT KRUPSKI JR, SUPERVISOR
18 LOUISA P . EVANS , JUSTICE
19 JILL DOHERTY, COUNCILWOMAN
20 BRIAN 0 . MEALY, COUNCILMAN
21 GREG DOROSKI , COUNCILMAN
22 ANNE H . SMITH, COUNCILWOMAN
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24
25
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 2
1 PUBLIC COMMENTS
2 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : So the
3 purpose of tonight ' s public hearing, and
4 I ' m going to summarize if I may, is to
5 review the record, and review the
6 purchase of an Early Rising Farm,
7 located at 1555 Cox Lane in Cutchogue ,
8 New York . This is a 8 . 5 acre parcel of
9 a 11 . 57 acre parcel to be a 2 . 99 acre
10 reserve area, which will remain linked
11 to prohibited from being subdivided from
12 the subject area . The purchase price is
13 $ 69, 468 per acre for an estimated total
14 of $ 537 , 602 . 32 . In the folder here, I
15 have an affidavit of publication of the
16 legal notice setting tonight ' s public
17 hearing . I have a copy of the legal
18 notice itself . I have a copy of a
19 letter from the LWRP Coordinator, Mark
20 Terry, stating that this is a Type II
21 Action and therefore not subject to
22 SEQRA review . I have an affidavit that
23 the legal notice was posted on the back
24 bulletin board signed by our Town Clerk
25 Denis Noncarrow . And I have a copy of
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 3
1 the resolution that the Town Board used
2 to set tonight ' s public hearing . That ' s
3 what I got .
4 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Is the
5 record complete, Paul ?
6 TOWN ATTORNEY P . DECHANCE : It is .
7 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : All
8 right . Thank you . All right . So we
9 have a public hearing tonight, duly
10 noticed, on property acquisition
11 purchase for farmland preservation . Is
12 there anyone here who would like to
13 speak for that public hearing? Our Land
14 Preservation Coordinator Lillian
15 McCullough, will put it up on the screen
16 for us , to give us a description of the
17 project .
18 LILLIAN MCCULLOUGH : So my name is
19 Lily McCullough . I ' m the Town ' s Land
20 Preservation Executive Assistant . The
21 project we ' re here to talk about today
22 is Early Rising Farm, LLC, located in
23 Cutchogue . It ' s on the west side of Cox
24 Lane and Cutchogue between the North
25 Road and the Main Road . Is roughly
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 4
1 11 . 57 acres . About 3 acres right now
2 are planted in vines . And it is part of
3 the adjacent vineyard operation that
4 abuts the property to the northwest and
5 is across the street to the northeast ,
6 and it ' s located in the Agricultural
7 Conservation Zone . The Town would be
8 using Community Preservation Funds to
9 acquire 8 . 5 acre development rights
10 easement, which restricts use of the
11 property to agricultural production .
12 The dashed white line on the map, which
13 unfortunately is a little hard to see
14 because we ' re kind of a zoomed-out image
15 but it ' s in the southeastern portion of
16 the property, is a 2 . 99 acre development
17 rights intact reserve area . The
18 purchase price for this project is
19 $ 69, 468 per buildable acre . The
20 easement area contains roughly 7 . 74
21 buildable acres , which brings the
22 estimated purchase price to $537 , 682 .
23 Final purchase price is subject to a
24 final survey of both the easement and
25 reserve areas . Zooming out, this is a
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 5
1 high priority preservation project .
2 It ' s part of an active farm operation
3 and homestead . It contains a hundred
4 percent prime agricultural soils and
5 it ' s adjacent to a tremendous amount of
6 preserved farmland . If you look at the
7 map books in front of us and on the Zoom
8 screen, you can see that the property is
9 a significant piece in a large block of
10 preservation between the North Road and
11 the Main Road in Cutchogue . It abuts
12 just , you know, looking right at the
13 property, it abuts 34 acres of preserved
14 land on that west side of Cox Lane , and
15 it ' s across the street from 11 acres of
16 preserved farmland . And that are part
17 of the same vineyard operation . And
18 then looking at that entire corridor,
19 this is roughly 426 acre corridor
20 preserved farmland between Bridgehamton
21 and Depot Lane . And about 300 acres of
22 that are Town development rights
23 easements . And so this is a significant
24 continuous block of preserved farmland
25 in a significant agricultural area in
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 6
1 town . I want to thank the landowners
2 who are participating in the program.
3 We can ' t do this work without the
4 landowners . It is a voluntary program.
5 They ' ve preserved land in the past with
6 the Town and I ' m glad that they came
7 back . So I am pleased to present this
8 project today . It ' s an important piece
9 of the Town ' s land preservation puzzle,
10 and you know, it ' s agricultural . It ' s
11 significant agriculture . So the Land
12 Preservation Committee and I request
13 that the Board proceed with this
14 acquisition .
15 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
16 you .
17 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : If I
18 could also add, Lily did bring this to
19 the Agriculture Committee for their
20 input and review as well .
21 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Thank
22 you . And they were in support of it and
23 support of the project design, which I
24 think is for the future of agriculture .
25 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 7
1 you . And would anyone like to speak to
2 the application or certainly ask
3 questions about the project?
4 RANDY WADE : I guess I ' m curious
5 because I know there ' s a goal to --
6 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Oh, I ' m
7 --
8 RANDY WADE : I ' m sorry, Randy Wade ,
9 Greenport . The goal of Workforce
10 Housing, Community Housing, this
11 property happens to be 0 . 6 miles to King
12 Kullen . This is an incredibly walkable,
13 potentially walkable area . So I ' d just
14 like to understand how you are
15 separating out -- oh, this is going to
16 be where -- the water catchment area I
17 actually think you should have only
18 conservation subdivisions allowed . I
19 don ' t think you should do standard ones
20 when waters is an issue . I don ' t know
21 if this is part of that rectangle . Do
22 you know if it ' s part of that DEP water
23 catchment water preservation area that ' s
24 centered on 48 ?
25 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Special
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 8
1 groundwater protection area?
2 RANDY WADE : Yeah, is it part of
3 that?
4 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : I don ' t
5 believe so . I think that ' s further
6 north and further west .
7 RANDY WADE : Okay . Well , I guess
8 I ' m just curious how you balance these
9 things since this -- it ' s great . It ' s a
10 farm . It ' s great, it ' s walkable . It is
11 completely where you ' d wanna be putting
12 community if you were going to put it
13 anywhere in the town?
14 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Sure .
15 The short answer is that this has been
16 reviewed by pretty much all the Town
17 staff, including Planning staff . And
18 you ' re part of that zoning update . So
19 you ' re well aware of where the Town ' s
20 trying to put housing, especially --
21 RANDY WADE : Well , actually, at
22 those meetings , I was really surprised
23 that they couldn ' t answer the question,
24 what ' s a 20 minute walk away from the
25 school , the railroad, or whatever . And
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 9
1 so, yeah, I think those are very
2 important considerations .
3 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : So
4 yeah, to that point , this is considered
5 to be a piece of the puzzle on big
6 blocks of preserved farmland, because
7 you wouldn ' t want to put a housing
8 development in the middle of a farm
9 field, basically . And this is basically
10 what that would do if you look at the
11 map .
12 RANDY WADE : Okay .
13 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : So it ' s
14 more desirable to preserve that as
15 farmland and keep it in production than
16 to try to put housing there where you
17 really don ' t have the infrastructure .
18 Certainly that road doesn ' t, Constance
19 Lane does not support walkability or
20 bike mobility .
21 RANDY WADE : There ' s no sidewalk on
22 it .
23 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : It is a
24 homemade road with ground road and with
25 no shoulders .
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 10
1 RANDY WADE : Okay . Well , thanks
2 very much .
3 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
4 you, Randy . Anyone else like to speak
5 about the proposal ?
6 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Make a
7 motion we close the public hearing .
8 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Second .
9 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : All in
10 favor?
11 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Aye .
12 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Aye .
13 COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : Aye .
14 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : Aye .
15 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Aye .
16 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Aye .
17 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
18 PUBLIC COMMENTS .
19 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : All
20 right . So that ' s the end of the agenda .
21 Would anyone who would like to speak to
22 any other item at all ?
23 MAYOR KEVIN STUESSI : Good evening
24 everybody . Mayor Kevin Stuessi , Village
25 of Greenport, 420 Clark Street . Very
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 11
1 nice to be here this evening, Mr .
2 Supervisor, Town Board, Town Clerk, and
3 Town Attorney . It ' s a wonderful evening
4 because we have a number of people here
5 from the Village Greenport . We have our
6 entire Board, our Village Attorney, and
7 then we have a number of other folks
8 from the community, from young
9 elementary and middle school students ,
10 to the high school class president , to
11 oyster farmers , a boat captain, a boat
12 builder, screenwriter, kind of an art
13 center, realtors , and many others . Come
14 to you, as we first did in May of last
15 year, when we held a joint meeting with
16 the prior Town Board . There ' s a number
17 of you up here who were on that . One of
18 the things that came up in the election
19 of last April that three of us
20 participated in, we have two long
21 standing Board members , is our community
22 came out and said we want to see CPF
23 funds brought into Greenport for uses
24 that we need in the Village of
25 Greenport . In our 1 . 2 square miles , we
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 12
1 have a population of just over a couple
2 of thousand people, which represents
3 about 100 of the constituency of this
4 Town Board . As our representatives , we
5 are respectfully requesting again, as we
6 did back in that May meeting and as we
7 have over many months in several
8 different meetings on the subject of
9 CPF, asking for your help and your
10 support in bringing forward the 2016 Law
11 that was signed by Governor Cuomo to
12 allow for the use of water quality fund
13 -- the use of water quality money up to
14 20% towards things that will benefit the
15 Village . And so as part of that, we
16 would all have to sit down at the table
17 and figure out a plan and work with the
18 Town on what can be done as part of
19 that . As I said publicly in a letter
20 recently in a talk with this Board and
21 our own Board, these lands that we all
22 live on are a huge benefit to every
23 single one of us . I genuinely believe
24 in land preservation . What we just saw,
25 I think is important to what we ' re all
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 13
1 trying to do here . I grew up in
2 Northern California playing the hills
3 and the beaches and mountains with lands
4 that were preserved . I know how
5 important that is . It ' s one of the
6 reasons I moved here . But at the same
7 time , water quality is every bit equally
8 as important . And so we are asking you
9 to please expedite with us the planning
10 and use of this funding . So that we can
11 work together on issues that are so
12 important to the Village . We have a
13 number of them that are houses that are
14 flooding because of poor drain off . We
15 have water that is running down to Front
16 Street and into businesses and basements
17 every time it rains . We have pollution
18 that is going into our beds , and we need
19 this as part of a toolkit of options for
20 our Village to use in order to solve
21 some of our problems , which also
22 includes an antiquated sewer system that
23 we ' re in the middle of a study on . So I
24 ask you again, please listen to the
25 people that you ' re gonna hear tonight ,
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 14
1 and act quickly and swiftly and work
2 with us on a plan to protect the Village
3 of Greenport . Thank you .
4 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
5 you .
6 MARY BESS PHILLIPS : Good
7 afternoon, everyone . My name is Mary
8 Bess Phillips . I live at 110 Atlantic
9 Avenue . I am part of the commercial
10 fishing industry, a big part of it ,
11 especially in the Village of Greenport
12 to be honest with you, and one of the
13 lowest points in the Village of
14 Greenport that deals with a lot of road
15 runoff . I ' m also the Deputy Mayor of
16 the Village of Greenport, and I ' ve been
17 in this elected position since 2009 .
18 I ' m also born and raised in Southold .
19 So I know a lot about of the family farm
20 land preservation . I ' ve worked with a
21 couple of you, especially the Supervisor
22 in the Farm Bureau . So my experience is
23 a little bit stronger than others ,
24 especially being close between the two
25 ideas of how the funding should be
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 15
1 spent . But I just would like to put a
2 couple of ideas on the table . And then
3 I will let others speak . It ' s my
4 understanding that the previous
5 legislation passed dealing the CPF
6 collected from the Peconic Tax allowed
7 but not mandated the towns to separate
8 some amount of their CPF toward
9 equality . This also required updating
10 the Town of Southold Community
11 Preservation Project Plan created back
12 in 2016 . And I checked that and went
13 back on the website . Southold Town
14 chose not to update their code and plan
15 to set aside any funding, which probably
16 would have involved Suffolk County
17 Planning and a long drawn out process .
18 They created a program via code without
19 any funds to be spent . Our central pump
20 station is an example of a project that
21 should have been funded through their
22 water quality code . Southold was
23 unwilling to make the changes at the
24 time . Since 2009, I along with the
25 previous Mayors and Board of Trustees --
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 16
1 TOWN ATTORNEY P . DECHANCE : Mary
2 Bess , may I interrupt you? I ' m sorry,
3 we are getting the messages that you
4 can ' t be heard . Can you take that
5 microphone? Just put it lower than you
6 are --
7 MARY BESS PHILLIPS : How about
8 that? Okay . Since it seems to be a
9 common problem, I think it goes with my
10 allergies , but that ' s okay . Since 2009,
11 I along with previous Mayors and Village
12 Trustees have tried to overcome the
13 resistance of the previous Town of
14 Southold governing boards of this
15 funding, that we contribute with each
16 property sale within our village . There
17 is no doubt that land preservation and
18 the other hamlets in the Town of
19 Southold have benefited us . But the
20 basic facts are the following . We do
21 not have the land, but we have direct
22 access to the Peconic Bay estuary, to
23 the storm water runoff on sewer systems
24 that the Central Transportation Project
25 fit within the criteria of the law . No
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 17
1 update, not to expand prevention of
2 pollution issues , well-being issues , and
3 other topics and situations that come
4 being a waterfront community . Thank you
5 for taking the time to listen to my
6 opinions . And if this brings about many
7 joint meetings and discussions between
8 the two ports , it ' s a positive for
9 everyone . So thank you very much .
10 Thank you .
11 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
12 you . Thank you for coming . And I just
13 have to say, you know, the Town has a
14 long history of being concerned about
15 water quality . And if you look in
16 the -- we just got a notice yesterday
17 from Suffolk County Health Department ,
18 68 beach closures in Suffolk County
19 yesterday announced . And it ' s been,
20 right -- and it ' s been a constant, low
21 summer long . How many in Peconic Bay?
22 Because there ' s been a concerted effort
23 over the past few decades to manage
24 storm water . Because we take it very
25 seriously, not only the commercial
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 18
1 oyster growers , but also residents who
2 want to either catch a fish or go
3 swimming . And if the beach is closed in
4 the Summer, especially when it ' s this
5 hot, it is a big problem. And as far as
6 spending money on work quality
7 improvements , the Town has made the
8 commitment not to use the CPF money, but
9 instead is using bonded money where I
10 just signed a purchase on $ 60 , 000 with a
11 drainage just east of Greenport High
12 School . A drainage -- kind of a redo on
13 some of the old drainage there and it ' s
14 going to take place that the Town ' s
15 conducting, the Town that will be
16 engineering . The Town ' s going to do the
17 installation and upgrades . The Town ' s
18 is very committed to doing that kind of
19 drainage work . You know, I do welcome
20 the outreach from the Village
21 Government . It is very positive and I
22 don ' t know -- keep taking more comments .
23 I just wanted to respond to that because
24 we ' re very conscious of that . And we
25 know that, you know, the stormwater is a
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 19
1 big issue . I could go on and on about
2 stormwater, but you probably heard me
3 before . Anyone else like to comment?
4 PATRICK BRENNAN : Good afternoon,
5 Supervisor Krupski and Council members .
6 My name is Patrick Brennan . I live at
7 620 First Street in Greenport . I am a
8 Village of Greenport Trustee . My
9 comments tonight are my own . So I
10 respectfully disagree with your policy
11 position on the appropriate use of CPF
12 funds . Water quality is an issue that
13 impacts every resident of Southold Town
14 from the Bay to the Sound, from Laurel
15 to Fishers Island . No one is untouched
16 by the impacts on health and welfare,
17 habitat and wildlife, business and
18 recreation . Greenport has water quality
19 challenges that reach beyond the Village
20 with potential impacts to the wider
21 township . In my view, the notion that
22 this Board might elect to not use CPF
23 funds directly to address water quality
24 issues is a false choice . I believe in
25 fact that you are obligated to secure
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 20
1 readily available funds and deploy those
2 resources judiciously and effectively
3 for the benefit of your constituents . A
4 reasonable person might argue that a
5 failure to employ CPF funds for water
6 quality initiatives is actually a
7 failure of leadership . So the time has
8 come . Let ' s not ignore, delay or
9 obstruct . Let ' s be leaders in
10 protecting our world quality . It ' s
11 within your grasp . Thank you .
12 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
13 you .
14 ELIZABETH TALERMAN : Elizabeth
15 Talerman, 304 Sterling Place , Greenport .
16 I ' m also a Planning Board member in
17 Greenport Village, but these opinions
18 are my own . I took some time to look up
19 what community preservation funds are
20 for and what they ' re about . And I
21 found, on the New York State Senate
22 website , that , and I quote, "The purpose
23 of the fund shall be exclusively to
24 implement a plan for the preservation of
25 community character . " Community
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 21
1 character in this community is a
2 confluence of open space, water and our
3 rich history . The Community
4 Preservation Fund, therefore , should be
5 used for all three of those things . We
6 all benefit by living here in a very
7 historic place on the water, and with
8 open space . I don ' t believe this is an
9 either/or . I believe this is both/and .
10 And I hope that you will allow us to
11 preserve the character of the community
12 as a whole . Thank you .
13 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
14 you .
15 FAITH WELCH : Hi everyone . My name
16 is Faith Welch . I live on 502 Living
17 Street in Greenport . I ' m the student
18 council president at Greenport High
19 School . I grew up here in this
20 community as did my mother, father,
21 grandparents , and even
22 great-grandparents . And I ' m here today
23 to talk about the potential of the
24 Community Preservation Fund in
25 Greenport, and why Southold should
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 22
1 consider adopting a long instituted
2 changes that other East End towns have
3 embraced . The Community Preservation
4 Fund has been an incredible tool for
5 preserving open spaces , which we all
6 know are essential for our environment
7 and our community ' s well-being .
8 However, the Community Preservation Fund
9 can be so much more than just a way to
10 save land . By adopting the changes that
11 other East-End towns have made, Southold
12 can unlock the full potential of the
13 Community Preservation Fund, to benefit
14 our community in even more ways . While
15 growing up here, I ' ve partaken in
16 activities like swimming in our bay, and
17 watching local oyster farmers and
18 fishermen do their jobs . Because I ' ve
19 experienced these things , I know how
20 important this issue is . While our
21 little Village deals with rising tides ,
22 increasing flooding from stormwater and
23 sewerage issues . The Community
24 Preservation Fund can help fix our water
25 quality and possibly even save jobs .
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 23
1 Imagine using the Community Preservation
2 Fund to preserve historic buildings like
3 the AME Zion Church, which celebrates
4 its 100th birthday this year or maybe
5 even the old Greenport auditorium on
6 Main Street . These places have the
7 stories of our past , which is why it ' s
8 important to keep them alive and around .
9 The Community Preservation Fund can help
10 to create Affordable Housing for
11 families who want to stay in our
12 community, and to develop recreational
13 spaces where kids like me can play and
14 grow . These are all possibilities if we
15 expand the use of the Community
16 Preservation Fund . Other towns have
17 seen great success with these changes .
18 They ' ve been able to preserve not just
19 land, but also the character and
20 diversity of their communities . We can
21 do the same in Greenport and Southold .
22 By adopting these changes , we can ensure
23 that our community remains vibrant ,
24 inclusive, and full of opportunities for
25 everyone . I urge our leaders to look at
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 24
1 the examples set by our neighboring
2 towns , and consider how we can make the
3 most of the community preservation fund .
4 Let ' s work together to preserve not just
5 our own open spaces , but also our
6 history, our homes , and our future .
7 We ' re asking the Town Board to adopt the
8 long instituted of changes to allow us
9 to draw down the Community Preservation
10 Fund for needed water quality
11 protections , and historic preservation .
12 So we ' re asking you, Supervisor Al
13 Krupski , and the Town Board to ensure
14 Greenport receives its rightful
15 proportion . Our historical Village, and
16 environment need protection . And while
17 we may lack large open spaces , we have
18 significant needs for Community
19 Preservation Fund support for water
20 quality and preserving our heritage .
21 Thank you .
22 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : We
23 encourage to see young people coming .
24 Thank you . And to your point about the
25 housing part, the Town did vote for the
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 25
1 half percent extra on the CPF and we are
2 actively engaged in trying to spend some
3 of that town-wide . Not excluding the
4 Village . Anyone else?
5 RUSSELL MCCALL : Russell McCall
6 from Cutchogue . And I ' m a farmer and a
7 benefit from the Community Preservation
8 Fund . And I -- it seems so sacred to
9 me . It seems that there are constantly
10 needs -- certainly there are valid needs
11 for all these things the Suffolk County
12 Health Department should be involved in
13 and community should be involved in
14 itself, but it ' s so important to
15 preserve these farming communities . And
16 we have this one way to do it . I think
17 it ' s very sacred . And I think every
18 time you know there ' s a driving need to
19 erode it, one way or another, I just
20 suggest solving the problem another way .
21 Do a bond issue . Do something else . I
22 don ' t mind growing the money . Let ' s
23 solve it . List -- you got problems ,
24 they should be solved right away . But
25 then having this fund go to preserve
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 26
1 farmland is probably the very best way
2 to achieve water bond . Thank you .
3 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
4 you . I ' d just like to say Mr . McCall
5 was instrumental -- really instrumental
6 in a big way that preserving not only
7 farmland in Cutchogue, but also all that
8 open space on Downs Farm that contains
9 some really culturally important work
10 for Cutchogue . And that could have
11 been -- that was slated for development
12 and because of Mr . McCall ' s acts , that
13 is preserved forever .
14 MICHAEL OSINSKI : Well , I ' m Michael
15 Osinski , 307th Street in the Village of
16 Greenport . My wife and I are almost as
17 far as that, as a matter of fact, we ' re
18 wet, because we just got out of the
19 water . And I ' d like to say, just in a
20 general sense , two things . One , I think
21 that the Village and the Town should
22 cooperate . I ' ve had excellent response
23 from the Town . Anytime I ' ve had a
24 problem . Not so excellent response from
25 a Village, but the Village -- the
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 27
1 existence of the Village of a
2 high-density village . I ' m going to
3 quote it to -- the 100 or the 90% allows
4 there to be low density outside of the
5 Village . Without the Village you
6 wouldn ' t have high low density . Not the
7 high density of the Village . You would
8 not have low density outside the
9 village . You need the Village and the
10 Village is paid into this fund quite a
11 bit . And you know and we need, you
12 know, we need to have our retain water
13 quality . You know the Village in our
14 own individual case , we have stormwater
15 goes into property and right into the
16 wetlands . There ' s never enough money
17 out . As the Village, many times there ' s
18 never any money to fix it . So pollution
19 just keeps , I mean, you know, we always
20 choose for the finest restaurants in the
21 world . You know, finest chefs that will
22 come to visit you . And we think that
23 water quality is intrinsically important
24 to not to -- and I know the Southold has
25 been very helpful . We ' ve talked to your
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 28
1 engineers about, you know, putting storm
2 drains in and whatever . And we rely on
3 your engineering expertise, which we
4 don ' t have in the Village , which we
5 can ' t afford . But, you know, my general
6 point here is I ' d like to see the
7 Village and the Town work together on
8 these common things . And the Village
9 has a real playing on it contributes a
10 lot to that fund . And there are -- we
11 don ' t preserve land . But we want to
12 preserve the quality of our water and we
13 need some financial assistance with that
14 I think it ' s only fair -- Village and it
15 is a -- and we ' re all in this . I ' m a
16 resident of the Southold Town . I think
17 it ' s fair that the Village, you know,
18 since it contributes so much has some
19 saying to how that money especially --
20 especially toward water quality . Thank
21 you for your time . We appreciate it .
22 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
23 you . I have to say that -- so the Mayor
24 reached out to my office about meeting
25 in August . And I don ' t know if you saw
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 29
1 the response . We have our work session
2 all day today . Responses that we could
3 be happy to host you at our work session
4 of the Village Board in two weeks . And
5 we can flesh out some of these details .
6 We would like to make public -- and it
7 is public, I suppose the online website .
8 The breakdown in that -- because I think
9 a lot of people are thinking about the
10 amount of money that ' s been collected
11 over $2 billion dollars collected spent
12 in the five East-End towns . I think
13 it ' s important to see the breakdown of
14 the five East-End towns of how much
15 money ' s been collected out of that money
16 and where it ' s been spent . And kind of
17 the kind of puts a lot of this in a lot
18 more perspective . And certainly we ' ll
19 make sure that the Mayor and the Village
20 Board get this information prior to the
21 meeting so we can have a good
22 discussion .
23 MAYOR KEVIN STUESSI : Can I just
24 say one more thing, please? I ' m a
25 nervous speaker many times , and I didn ' t
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 30
1 get to say a couple of things . And one
2 of the things I think is important to
3 mention, and you raise that, is the
4 difference between how much has been
5 collected in the Town of Southold versus
6 the towns on the south side . And so
7 what ' s important to realize as part of
8 that , and we saw it so perfectly
9 illustrated by Lily this evening . We ' re
10 looking at purchasing an acre for
11 $ 69, 000 . I can ' t drive my truck to the
12 south side getting the ferry for
13 $ 69, 000 , practically . You ' re looking at
14 acreage on the South Fork that is
15 millions of dollars . So the equivalent
16 purchase is exponentially higher on the
17 South Fork than it is on the North Fork .
18 And when the Board meets , and we ' re very
19 much looking forward to having a joint
20 meeting to talk about this , I think
21 that ' s important to consider . And again
22 we ' re not suggesting that you use one
23 minus the other . It ' s about looking at
24 all these things together and what our
25 community needs . And we ' re simply
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 31
1 asking for our fair share for the
2 Village of Greenport and to utilize a
3 portion of that funding, which is
4 allowed .
5 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
6 you .
7 ELLEN NEFF : Good afternoon . My
8 name is Ellen Neff I have lived here for
9 50 years at 629 2nd Street and maybe a
10 little longer . I have benefited from
11 the awareness in the Town . The
12 awareness in the Village of the
13 necessity to preserve what makes us
14 special . I think that -- what I want to
15 talk about , if you think of certain
16 places , like the fuel depot at the foot
17 of 4th Street , the fact that it is now a
18 park . How many people at the Town,
19 County, especially State level , made
20 that happen . The sewage outfall , the
21 sewage system of the Village of
22 Greenport, the sewage outfall into the
23 Sound, that you can still swim at 67
24 steps , all the work that was done to
25 make it viable for people . A necessity
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 32
1 becomes the servant of what ' s good for
2 the health and welfare of people . I
3 think if you also think about the
4 number -- I know how small the Village
5 of Greenport is , the 2 . 1 square miles .
6 How many separate parcels that is . I
7 know what I paid for my parcel 50 years
8 ago, and what my neighbor is negotiating
9 about a price which is it 40 times more?
10 It ' s a big number . I ' m glad that I came
11 50 years ago because I ' m no way I could
12 afford to live here now, but to see and
13 to continue to have a dialogue about
14 shifting the bar about what are we
15 negotiating about and negotiating for .
16 Yes , the Village is very small . But
17 what we think of as a Greenport walking
18 the wider sense and its importance to
19 the Village is -- it does have to be
20 looked at . And I think the amount of
21 money put into the CPF Fund and the
22 share . I know that I share and what
23 land is preserved in Cutchogue and
24 Southold . Certainly . But what could be
25 done , more could be done, about the
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 33
1 Village that I value . Thank you all .
2 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . :
3 ( Inaudible ) in Greenport that ' s been
4 preserved and it ' s not all CPF money .
5 We use partnership . We use Suffolk
6 County as a partner, Peconic Land Trust .
7 And these are really good partners . And
8 there ' s a whole area around ( inaudible )
9 there ' s a lot to talk about the gateway
10 to the Village . The reason there ' s a
11 gateway to the Village is because
12 there ' s no suburban sprawl and strip .
13 It ' s going all the way to Southold
14 Hamlet . So all that land going in, all
15 through ( inaudible ) , has been preserved .
16 And it ' s because of this program that ' s
17 been preserved . That ' s because it ' s
18 been a dedicated effort to preserve
19 that . It hasn ' t been random . So if you
20 look at the gateway to Greenport, I hope
21 you appreciate that , because that was
22 done intentionally to preserve all that
23 farmland there . So now we get to talk
24 about the Village as a Village . We ' ll
25 bring the maps when we meet once again .
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 34
1 Sorry, go ahead .
2 LISA GILLOOLY : Hi . I ' m Lisa
3 Gillooly . I ' ll live at 178 Sterling
4 Street, Greenport . And first of all ,
5 thank you all for deliberating on these
6 important issues . And I know it ' s tough
7 sometimes . And I really just wanted to
8 join the effort of collaboration . And
9 to really hear out the pros and cons of
10 this particular issue . I feel like
11 rather than asking for Greenport ' s fair
12 share, I would be asking for the ability
13 to ask for money along the way . And it
14 seems to me that in 2016, the amendments
15 were passed by the legislature . They
16 were adopted, but not by Southold . They
17 were adopted by Southampton,
18 Bridgehamton, but not by Southold . And
19 just by adopting those amendments , it
20 seems it would give the opportunity,
21 should a crisis arise, should something
22 worthy -- it would still keep the
23 control in Southampton to weigh in
24 against a branch out on Oregon Road
25 around a mansion versus a crisis in
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 35
1 Greenport Village . And maybe there
2 would be a year or a moment that that
3 could happen . It just seems that by not
4 adopting those amendments , there is no
5 opportunity for water quality
6 preservation and historic preservation .
7 I know that East Hampton Town fixed
8 their beautiful windmill in town . With
9 part of the funds . Maybe some feel land
10 preservation is more important . Water
11 preservation is more important . In that
12 moment, they felt that was the character
13 of their town . So I think it gives an
14 option . And I don ' t understand the
15 downside of adopting the amendments and
16 just leaving it there . So that there
17 could be some movement along the way .
18 That ' s all . Thanks .
19 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
20 you .
21 RANDY WADE : Hi , Randy Wade again .
22 Sixth Street in Greenport since 1983 . I
23 just wanted to step out into the bird ' s
24 eye view . Greenport is one square mile,
25 but if you were there on Monday night
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 36
1 for which you were Anne, Dances in the
2 Park, all of Southold Town came out . So
3 the thing about this one square mile is
4 it ' s the heart of all of Southold Town .
5 It ' s for Southold Town -- everybody
6 likes to shop . Everybody likes to eat,
7 everybody likes to walk around Mitchell
8 Park with their dog . Even if they are
9 from a different town, hamlet, whatever
10 it ' s called . And then the other thing
11 about Greenport is , for decades , we have
12 been the low-income housing for the
13 entire town . And our school taxes have
14 been higher than any other town . For
15 instance, the only affordable housing of
16 any significance was 50 units at
17 Vineyard View, which sent dozens of new
18 students to Greenport School . And what
19 did Greenporters say? "Yay . " And what
20 did they saying now let ' s try to figure
21 out how to get more community housing
22 and affordable housing and workforce
23 housing . And just so that you
24 understand -- and then at that Zoning
25 Code Meeting, where there was talk --
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 37
1 well , Greenport has the sewer . So -- oh
2 great, we ' re going to put more housing
3 there . That ' s where we can put more
4 density, which, okay and probably
5 Greenport ' s going to keep saying yay .
6 But my point, and I ' m frankly
7 sympathetic to what Mr . McCall said .
8 Don ' t spend this money, bond . And
9 Greenport deserves a good-sized bond .
10 And whether it ' s 10 million to the sewer
11 system, or whatever it is , you guys are
12 going to negotiate it . But you can
13 maybe use this as a benchmark, but I
14 don ' t really care . The bottom line is ,
15 Greenport is the heart . So figure out
16 how much that heart is worth to the rest
17 of self hometown . Thanks .
18 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : We ' ve
19 seen in my lifetime a lot of changes in
20 Greenport . So it ' s a lovely place
21 today . There ' s been a lot of talk about
22 the sewers though . There ' s a lot of
23 other partners in both in preservation
24 and in infrastructure costs . So I think
25 they all have to be considered and not
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 38
1 dismissed because they ' ve been valuable
2 partners in the past . Karen?
3 KAREN RIVARA: Thank you . Karen
4 Rivara, 628 Carpenter Street , Greenport .
5 I am the former president of Long Island
6 Farm Bureau . So the CPF program is
7 extremely important . And like you know
8 the land that you preserved today is
9 very important . When I was president ,
10 we were dealing with nitrogen issues and
11 the farmers were blamed for excess
12 nitrogen . This actually comes from
13 residential areas and the preservation
14 of farmland kept down the housing
15 density, and the amount of septic
16 systems that we have in our town, and
17 near our village that would contribute
18 nitrogen into our waters . So the
19 program has been important as a water
20 quality measure from that standpoint .
21 In looking at the State Law around
22 Community Preservation Funds for the
23 Peconic Estuary, it sounds like , to me,
24 a couple of things that I ' ve heard from
25 people . One is it sounds like there ' s
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 39
1 some public will for Greenport and
2 Southold to work together around this
3 issue, which I think is great . I like
4 collaboration . I think it ' s what makes
5 the world run . So I think that the
6 Southold Town Community Preservation
7 Project Plan, when I read the law, it
8 sounded like it needed to be reviewed
9 every five years . So I guess my first
10 question is , is it up for review? And
11 is that a process where we can involve
12 people from both the Town and the
13 Village to just, you know, spitball and
14 look at the funds and come up with an
15 overarching plan? And then my other
16 that is with the stormwater management
17 plan because that seems to me to be one
18 of the main issues that people are
19 talking about here along with affordable
20 housing and historical preservation . Is
21 that also an area where we can have some
22 folks from the Town and the Village work
23 together to come up with a plan?
24 Because there is other funding besides
25 just the CPF funding available for those
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 40
1 projects . And if we can leverage one
2 source of funding with another and get a
3 huge bang for our buck that seems to me
4 to be a potential for the future . So
5 just a few simple ideas . And thank you
6 for listening to us . I think it ' s
7 really important that we all talk and
8 work together .
9 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
10 you . As far as review, of course, all
11 comments would be, you know, would be
12 welcome and helpful . And as far as the
13 stormwater, just to remind everyone
14 Southold Town ' s would ( inaudible )
15 $ 50 , 000 every year for stormwater
16 instead of using CPF . We ' re borrowing
17 that much every year . Last few years
18 the Town Engineer at the Town Highway
19 Department with a dedicated crew cut off
20 77 outfalls . Mostly into the Peconic
21 Bay -- in the Peconic Bay watershed .
22 And I know last year and nobody got
23 funded out of that fund from Suffolk
24 County, but down on 4th Street there
25 were those projects funded by Suffolk
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 41
1 County that prevented the stormwater
2 from directly entering Peconic Bay . So
3 there are a lot of good partners out
4 there to work on this . The Town
5 certainly is taking advantage of money
6 from Suffolk County Soil Water
7 Conservation District in the past couple
8 of years to cut off all the outfalls
9 into Richmond Creek by . And also money
10 from Peconic Estuary Program to cut off
11 outfalls going into Goose Creek . So
12 there is money out there . There are
13 partnerships available . And, you know,
14 we should keep -- there ' s only so many
15 outfalls . So you have to just take one
16 at a time . And New York State DOT and
17 Suffolk County DPW have been very good
18 partners in drainage and stormwater .
19 Well , I want to thank everyone for
20 coming -- go right ahead .
21 LORENZO HEIGHT : Lorenzo Height ,
22 235 Linnet Street in Greenport . In
23 Greenport, technically . Outside the
24 Village . I just want to ask kind of a
25 general question . The passing and the
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 42
1 change that Mayor Kevin and people are
2 proposing, wouldn ' t really restrict what
3 you guys are going to do . What it would
4 do is open more possibilities . And I ' m
5 saying, why would we not want to give
6 the Village of Greenport and Southold in
7 general more tools to be able to
8 organize the funding for the projects we
9 think are valuable? So I think the
10 adoption of that would expand the
11 democratic base . Because you ' d have
12 more voices coming in and might be able
13 to be used to leverage more money .
14 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Yes ,
15 sir .
16 GARY SHARFMAN : I ' ll be brief . My
17 name is Gary Sharfman . My husband and I
18 live at 3 5th Street in Greenport . The
19 comments tonight have been informed to
20 me as well . I just want to get an idea
21 when you talk about that there ' s going
22 to be a working group in about two
23 weeks . If there ' s some idea about what
24 timeline is being looked at of when any
25 resolution would be expected -- I mean,
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 43
1 I know it ' s just starting this process .
2 It sounds like it ' s starting today and
3 going forward . But sometimes things get
4 way late because , they end up being just
5 more and more meetings and more and more
6 conferences or talks or what have you .
7 And so sometimes things just get kicked
8 down the road for years . And I just
9 appreciate any enlightenment on what
10 this could look like for resolving, you
11 know, this -- this looks like
12 collaborative approach to the
13 preservation of Greenport and the North
14 Fork in general .
15 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : I think
16 that ' s the hardest question that
17 anyone ' s asked all night . This Town is
18 385 years old . And so here we are
19 today, right? So, and we got here for a
20 reason . There was a lot of planning
21 that went into what this town looks like
22 today . Just as like, it was a lot of
23 planning that went into the success of
24 revitalizing Greenport as a port . And
25 so, you know, moving forward, we ' ll move
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 44
1 forward . I can ' t -- there ' s no timeline
2 of what actionable items we ' ll see next
3 week or next year . This is part of our
4 overall planning strategy for water
5 quality, surface water . And don ' t
6 forget groundwater quality . Don ' t
7 forget all the Greenport drinking water
8 wells are located outside of the
9 Incorporated Village, where the Town ' s
10 spend great effort to preserve all the
11 land around those wells . So it ' s been a
12 long -- long go at what it looks like
13 and our community of what it looks like .
14 And we ' ll continue down that road, but
15 you know, comments are always welcome
16 and the outreach by the Village
17 officials are very welcome .
18 GARY SHARFMAN : Thank you . And
19 I ' ll just ask you to followup and I
20 understand, yes , you can ' t look into the
21 future and no one will be held to that
22 either . That will not be fair to you or
23 to anyone in that situation . But I
24 guess there are certain mechanisms that
25 help move things along . And I guess in
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 45
1 the planning of how this moves forward,
2 whether that ' s task force sort of
3 committees or whatever they might be, if
4 that ' s part of the process to say, if we
5 have these things in place or we think
6 about having these things in place
7 sooner than later . We know we can
8 accelerate the process in a meaningful
9 and measurable way .
10 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : So a
11 lot of this is also tied into a process
12 that the Mayor ' s part of, the Zoning
13 update . And so if you look at all the
14 parcels that aren ' t preserved, then
15 what ' s happening is the Town ' s taking a
16 look at the uses that are allowed there
17 currently that probably are taking
18 place . But you look at the land use
19 today, it might be a house, it might be
20 zoned for something quite intense, but
21 just today it ' s a residence . So we ' re
22 looking at all the underlying uses that
23 could take place in those parcels in the
24 future . And I see there ' s a number of
25 people who will participate in those
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 46
1 meetings here . And so to take interest
2 in that also going forward, because this
3 preservation business is kind of like a
4 foot race right now . And we thought
5 pace of the law pretty well to the COVID
6 hit, and there ' s a lot of people
7 breathing down her neck right now as far
8 as preservation goes . So if you look at
9 the map and then if you want to engage
10 in the process of that zoning update
11 because a lot of that ' s going to dictate
12 how the Town looks in the future, those
13 uses .
14 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : I just
15 want to say to first part of the
16 question I ' ve been on the Board a while
17 and keep in touch with the Village . To
18 have the Village Board and the Town
19 Board get together on different issues .
20 We finally started that about a year and
21 a half ago . So when the new Mayor got
22 on a while ago . So we ' ve been anxious
23 and waiting to figure out when we can
24 meet again . It sounds like we ' re still
25 negotiating a date when we ' re all
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 47
1 available because it ' s important that
2 both, you know, the full Board, both
3 Boards are together . And I think we
4 have a commitment from both Boards that
5 we ' re going to, you know, meet . Start
6 the dialogue -- start -- it ' s a complex
7 issue . There ' s different -- once you
8 have one idea, you have to look at , you
9 know, how does it affect this , how does
10 it affect that? I can say that what I
11 would like to see is once we figure out
12 that one meeting, before we leave that
13 meeting, let ' s figure out the next date
14 we ' re gonna meet and continue and make
15 sure this conversation continues and we
16 come up with different solutions that we
17 don ' t know what they ' re gonna look like
18 right now, because we need to talk in
19 detail . We need to come up with an
20 agenda and we have to start somewhere .
21 So I think we ' re -- it ' s been a slow
22 start to get this up and going, but
23 we ' re getting there and, you know, I
24 think we can come up with many different
25 resolutions .
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 48
1 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Anyone
2 else?
3 TONY SPIRIT : Tony ' s Spirit on 78th
4 Sterling Street, Greenport, New York . I
5 just wanted to say -- what I think he
6 was saying -- I think the point is , is
7 there any appetite to adopt that same
8 resolution from 2016 in the Town of
9 Southold?
10 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : We have
11 to see what that looks like for the Town
12 of Southold and the Village of
13 Greenport . And we have to -- like I
14 said, it ' s a complex issue . It ' s
15 something that we ' re willing to --
16 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : We ' re
17 willing to meet and talk about it, but
18 we want to try to educate and inform
19 also how we got here people . A lot of
20 people are trying to move here because
21 of the quality of life . A lot of people
22 have mentioned the South Fork and how
23 they ' ve managed their CPF Fund and the
24 South Fork certainly is a beautiful
25 place . But you are challenged driving
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 49
1 there because of this -- there is so
2 much development as a result of so much
3 traffic . That ' s a direct correlation .
4 And so that ' s not -- that ' s not like it
5 happened independently . A lot of
6 development equals a lot of traffic .
7 I ' ve been to Queens . All right . So I
8 know that this is going there .
9 TONY SPIRIT : And now I live here .
10 But that ' s all -- that ' s all perfectly
11 well and good . I just want to reiterate
12 one thing that I heard a couple of times
13 is to adopt that doesn ' t mean you have
14 to implement it . It means you get to
15 preserve when you think it is deserved .
16 Not to put us in front of farms , which
17 we all love and want to preserve . It ' s
18 the way that I think we ' ve seen other
19 people implement it . That ' s the best
20 one thing I want to reiterate . And the
21 last thing is , Greenport, I hear, it ' s
22 revitalized . But it ' s not that
23 revitalized . I just took over an old
24 theater that I ' m trying to revitalize
25 and it ' s going to kill me . Because it ' s
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 50
1 hard to take a Village that ' s that old
2 that people look to . Remember,
3 Greenport is the downtown for the North
4 Fork . And it really does absorb many,
5 many visitors and we have the
6 waterfront , which is a big issue and a
7 problem the Mayor ' s dealing with . So I
8 just wanted to say that we do get a
9 little -- a big benefit to the farmland
10 that we preserve and we would also get a
11 big benefit to preserve the integrity of
12 Greenport Village . That ' s -- that ' s all
13 --
14 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : I know
15 and I appreciate that, but just the
16 reason I think it ' s important that we
17 need to talk . Because , you know, and
18 tonight was just a coincidence .
19 Preserved a nice piece of farmland in
20 Cutchogue . Not a big parcel . But a
21 parcel that was important because the
22 way it fit in with all the other
23 presentation of product and plant around
24 it . But in the past, the Town has
25 passed on preserving parcels of
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 51
1 farmland . Because they just didn ' t meet
2 them because our resources are so
3 limited . We were taking in about 70 of
4 all the revenue right . It ' s only 7% in
5 our Town . And so if you think about
6 that , our resources are limited . We
7 passed on farmland parcels because they
8 just didn ' t meet that criteria of
9 building big blocks of productive
10 farmland .
11 TONY SPIRIT : Well , I thank you for
12 just giving Greenport a seat at the
13 table to have those conversations . So I
14 applaud you all for that . So thank you .
15 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Anyone
16 else?
17 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : Can I add
18 something?
19 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Please
20 do .
21 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : First of
22 all , we did a lot of listening tonight,
23 and we appreciate the thoughtful
24 comments . I know it takes a lot to get
25 up to the microphone . And what I am
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 52
1 kind of hearing is this sort of notion
2 that the themes that stand out to me are
3 this notion of partnership . You hear
4 the word " collaboration" and
5 " cooperation" and " consensus " . You hear
6 those words tossed around . Nobody
7 actually knows what they mean sometimes .
8 And so I think my takeaway in -- and I
9 think I speak on behalf of the Board,
10 because understand we ' re also coming
11 together as a new team, right? And
12 working on collaboration and partnership
13 and educating ourselves as a new Board .
14 Even if you ' ve been on the Board, we ' re
15 still a new group . And this Zoning
16 project is enough to keep us all busy .
17 So I just want to express that gratitude
18 to this notion of partnership and
19 communication, and this idea of helping
20 us , because we work a lot of individual
21 hamlets in a village, but we ' re one
22 town . And I think together we will
23 solve lots of really important things
24 that are happening and set priorities
25 together . And I want to thank Lily and
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 53
1 thank Al for, you know, really being
2 steeped in that history of how the CPF
3 Fund started and how Southold approached
4 it, and what we ' ve accomplished as a
5 result . And here we are having a new
6 conversation session . I appreciate the
7 coming out and giving us thoughtful
8 comments .
9 ERIC MCCLURE : Sorry to change the
10 subject to something not nearly as
11 interesting and probably not really as
12 important . I hope more easily solvable
13 at some point than the issues facing
14 Greenport . Eric McClure, Westview
15 Drive, in Mattitick . And I ' m really
16 here tonight just to followup from, I
17 sent you folks an e-mail a few days ago .
18 I hope you got it . And I know Anne been
19 having some problem with your e-mails to
20 you . Keeps bouncing back, but I hope it
21 found its way to you . Just subsequent
22 to my last time being here where, we had
23 found out that the music events at
24 Strong ' s Water . We ' re going to be up
25 around 80 this summer from 50 . We since
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 54
1 have found out that they started doing
2 live music on Wednesday nights as well .
3 So it ' s now six separate events , 18
4 hours a week, of really rock concerts .
5 It ' s not string quartets or folk singers
6 with a guitar . It ' s full-on bands . And
7 so I just wanted to raise it again, make
8 sure that you guys have gotten an
9 e-mail . I ' ve been trying to record and
10 show the decibel levels , which
11 unfortunately, in addition to the events
12 being more frequent , they ' ve also --
13 they ' ve just gotten louder . A number of
14 the recordings that I posted are above
15 the Town Code level . It seems pretty
16 consistent . And Paul , I know you had
17 asked about the way I ' ve filled out the
18 code complaints . And the box says , when
19 is the best time to observe this? And
20 there really is whenever they have
21 music . It ' s starting at 6 : 30 and ending
22 at 9 : 30 . And anytime within that
23 window, there ' s a good likelihood that
24 they ' re going to be exceeding the Town
25 Code for noise . So thanks again for
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 55
1 listening . And I hope at some point we
2 can maybe sit down and try to find a
3 solution . I know Jeff has told you that
4 he wants to be a good neighbor, but
5 every action that he ' s taken indicates
6 otherwise . Certainly to us over in
7 Brower ' s Woods .
8 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : No,
9 thank you -- thank you for coming
10 tonight .
11 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : And I
12 know you ' ve gotten on going . It ' s a
13 quality of life issue, right? So, like
14 any other quality of life issue , we are
15 taking it seriously . We did have the
16 discussion today at the work session
17 about noise complaints . This one in
18 particular is -- we try to separate
19 amplified music versus other noise , like
20 fireworks noise or construction noise
21 and that sort of thing . Because I know
22 people are very concerned about all
23 those different kind of noises .
24 Tomorrow I ' m going to the Suffolk County
25 Supervised Association meeting in
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 56
1 Suffolk County and the top item on the
2 agenda is noise . Noise complaints ,
3 origin of the noise itself, and of
4 course, how to get compliance and
5 enforcement . So that ' s something that
6 all 10 towns in Suffolk County are
7 struggling with right now, but I think
8 we ' re gonna have to consider amplified
9 noise . It ' s like a separate category
10 from other day-to-day, because, you
11 know, we get traffic noise and
12 helicopter noise . We got everything .
13 But they all affect quality of life .
14 But the amplified music is something
15 that ' s quite, you know, intentional .
16 ERIC MCCLURE : Yeah . And certainly
17 we understand people do a lot of work in
18 their yard or the trucks make a certain
19 amount of noise, but the amplified music
20 is something that can be controlled .
21 There are plenty of places that have
22 entertainment without having full-on
23 rock concerts six times a week . So
24 thanks .
25 MS . RALEIGH : I ' m Lumi Raleigh .
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 57
1 I ' m Eric McClure ' s wife . So we reside
2 at 435 Westview Drive . I feel like he ' s
3 been carrying the load for our entire
4 strip in the neighborhood . So I thought
5 I would sort of buck my early bedtime
6 and come and support what he ' s been
7 saying . And speaking about early
8 bedtime , I work in the agricultural
9 industry . I work with livestock . I
10 work with horses , and especially when
11 it ' s really hot . We actually have to
12 get started earlier, which means ,
13 especially if you ' re working for
14 dangerous animals , you have to get to
15 bed earlier . So last week when they
16 started at Strong ' s on Wednesday, I went
17 over there because it was very loud and
18 there was no way for me to get to sleep .
19 Even with the windows closed and the air
20 conditioner on and running fans . And it
21 was actually very enlightening to me,
22 despite my frustration . The
23 conversation went so I ' m somewhat
24 like -- I get there and I said, "Excuse
25 me, Ken, is there a manager on duty
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 58
1 here? " And the person who was working
2 there leaned in to listen to me because
3 she couldn ' t hear me over the band . So
4 we were like shouting at each other into
5 each other ' s ears . So as soon as the
6 band stopped playing, she said to me
7 that they actually asked them to turn it
8 down and they went over it . So the
9 staff is trying to be accommodating and
10 they went over and asked them to turn it
11 down to which the band replied a couple
12 of members that they said we already
13 turned it down . So what I ' m saying is ,
14 it ' s not like nobody ' s understanding the
15 issue . Even people who worked there .
16 But then the subsequent conversation I
17 thought was even more enlightening, and
18 that was the more I thought about it,
19 because it was after my nerves had
20 cooled down . The singer had said to me,
21 she goes , "We ' re a 60 ' s band, the horn
22 is not even amplified . " What she ' s
23 saying is we can ' t turn it down anymore .
24 And later I realized she was right . In
25 other words , they are actually hiring
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 59
1 music entertainment that can ' t even
2 comply with code . You know, the code .
3 And so it ' s -- in other words , they ' re
4 even -- so if I call the cops on them,
5 which they -- they ' re really not
6 helpful . And, you know, unfortunately,
7 but if I do that just to get my
8 complaint in because people say, you
9 know, you need to make the complaint in
10 order, you know for this to be
11 addressed . Even when I do that , then
12 we ' re all just going around in circles .
13 Because the whole situation is set up to
14 fail . And I think where it actually --
15 where my little micro issue relates to
16 the macro issue of what I heard tonight,
17 was it ' s actually -- it ' s not just
18 quality of life, it ' s community
19 character . So I like what I ' m hearing
20 that maybe amplified music should be
21 different . I think we have to consider
22 as far as zoning is concerned, if you
23 allow for these type of events , is it ,
24 you know, Strong ' s is -- I understand
25 it ' s Commercial Marine Zoning, but it is
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 60
1 tucked in a residential zoning . So
2 there ' s no way that any of their
3 activities don ' t affect the residential
4 areas . And whether it is garbage
5 pickup, you know at five in the morning,
6 which everybody understands , but
7 amplified music -- yeah, it should be
8 something different . It should be
9 considered, you know, a different
10 category . You know, we ' re transplants
11 from New York City and even though we ' ve
12 been out here for 20 years , this doesn ' t
13 happen in New York City . And New York
14 City if a bar opens up and they play
15 music like this , the neighborhood is an
16 uproar and it gets addressed . So I
17 think as -- as there ' s a lot more
18 pressure you know people moving into
19 this area . This really needs to be
20 addressed . So it ' s not just our right,
21 I think it ' s -- I think it really goes
22 to some wider issues . Thank you .
23 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
24 you . Anyone else?
25 (No Response ) .
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 61
1 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : All
2 right . Thank you for coming .
3 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Brian,
4 did you want to say something?
5 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Oh, of
6 course .
7 COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : It ' s all
8 right . I try not to be the laborer of
9 something, but it ' s important to me just
10 to say that people in Greenport , you ' re
11 well represented with the Mayor and Mary
12 Bess , and Lily and Patrick, and Julia .
13 And it ' s been an honor for me to get to
14 know the Mayor because advocating for
15 the things that are going on in the
16 Village . And many nice talks with Mary
17 Bess over the years . Just so I feel
18 like we ' re beginning to have an
19 understanding of the need . And I ' m glad
20 that the Mayor reached out for a meeting
21 with all there . It ' s not just the Mayor
22 and us or Al and the Mayor . It ' s all
23 the elected ' s of our great community .
24 And I feel like, it ' s inevitable for us
25 to come to a solution if we put our mind
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 62
1 together . If we have cooperative
2 effort, if we listen to one another, if
3 we have an open mind where you don ' t
4 just come and bulldoze and blast
5 somebody with your perspective, but you
6 can receive an answer or a suggestion .
7 So I am heartened by this meeting, and
8 this is special for me . People think I
9 live in Greenport because of my work at
10 the library . I don ' t live in Greenport .
11 I ' m from Mattituck . But I feel like I
12 know the heart of Greenport because of
13 you all . And we are friends . We do
14 offer people rides , and we try to help
15 people when they need help . So I ' m just
16 blessed that we have a beloved
17 community, and I think we can come
18 together . I think we can come to terms .
19 And everybody is a smart person in their
20 own way . Everybody has their own unique
21 background . And I think if we
22 coordinate that and we can have a
23 solution .
24 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : I just
25 want to recognize the importance of this
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 63
1 collaboration that we ' re talking about .
2 Just today we met with the Riverhead
3 Town Board to talk about some issues .
4 Mostly tied around a resort proposal
5 that they have, but also related to
6 traffic and Suffolk County Water and a
7 number of issues . I do see, you know, I
8 know it ' s been suggested that, you know,
9 this collaborative process is starting
10 today, but I ' d like to move back a
11 little bit further and look at the
12 collaborative effort of the previous
13 Board of having a joint meeting that the
14 mayor mentioned . I think looking at the
15 effort that Jill advocated to have a
16 member of the Greenport community on the
17 Housing Plan Board to put Village input
18 into that plan . I think looking at the
19 Zoning Update Committee and having Mayor
20 Kevin on there, and just looking you
21 know at the discussion we had last night
22 that centered on Greenport Village . I
23 think this Town Board recognizes the
24 importance of Greenport Village as part
25 of Southold Town . And just like any of
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 64
1 the Hamlets , it ' s own unique identity
2 with its own unique needs . And speaking
3 for myself, and I know speaking for the
4 Board, we look forward to collaborating
5 with you to figure out a plan to address
6 these needs . As some folks have
7 mentioned, these needs are there . We
8 just need to figure out the way to solve
9 them . Is the CPF Fund the best way to
10 do it or are there other avenues? And I
11 think that work -- I know I look forward
12 to it and I look forward to working with
13 this Board and continuing discussions as
14 a Board, and continue having coffee with
15 the Mayor on the side because it ' s a
16 good excuse to go to Aldo ' s . So thank
17 you .
18 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : I make
19 a motion to adjourn .
20 COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : Second .
21 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : All in
22 favor?
23 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Aye .
24 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Aye .
25 COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : Aye .
JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 65
1 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : Aye .
2 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Aye .
3 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Aye .
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5 (Whereupon, the meeting concluded
6 at this time . )
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JULY 16, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 66
1 C E R T I F I C A T I O N
2
3 I , Jessica DiLallo, a Notary Public
4 for and within the State of New York,
5 do hereby certify :
6 THAT , the within transcript is a
7 true record of said Board Meeting .
8 I further certify that I am not
9 related either by blood or marriage to
10 any of the parties to this action; and
11 that I am in no way interested in the
12 outcome of this matter .
13 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto
14 set my hand this day, July 16, 2024 .
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17 ( Jessica DiLallo )
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