In a second try vote yesterday Montauk School District residents voted to approve renovations to Montauk School by passing a pair of referendums – one for a $34.8 million bond, the other for a $2.9 million savings expenditure. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that the former passed in a vote of 508-262, and voters approved the latter in a vote of 546-160, both of which mean turnout was about 100 voters higher than in the spring, when the community sunk a $38 million bond in a vote of 361-318 and the same $2.9 million savings expenditure in a vote of 342-334. When that measure failed earlier this year, school district officials regrouped and ironed out the more modest $34.8 million plan, which they said was a better overall plan, even outside the cost reduction. Now passed, district officials have the green light to pursue a string of renovations, which will entail a new gymnasium, HVAC upgrades and the removal of a set of portable classrooms – essentially double-wide trailers – that date back to the 1970s and are at least 20 years past their expected lifespan. Next will be the planning phases, and Montauk School District Superintendent Josh Odom said the community will continue to be involved in that conversation, which will see officials work out the nuts and bolts of the renovations before they send plans up to the state for approval. Then the project will go to bid, and during a series of workshops in the weeks leading up to the vote, Odom said he hopes to see construction begin in advance of the school’s 100th anniversary in 2027, with completion ideally coming in 2028.

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Heavy tree-clearing equipment rolled onto the roughly 4.13-acre lot on Marsden Street in Sag Harbor last week to prepare the site for the construction of four houses proposed by developer Matthew Pantofel and approved by the Sag Harbor Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review earlier this year.

Stephen J. Kotz reports on 27east.com that Pantofel bought the property right across the street from Pierson High School, which had already been subdivided into four lots, from its owner, Pat Trunzo, after voters turned down a proposal to purchase the land for the Sag Harbor School District in May 2023. He and his representatives appeared before the board several times over several months, tweaking the designs of the four large houses he wanted to build on the site. In the end, despite the objection of several neighbors, the board approved all four houses, as well as a landscaping plan for the entire site that allowed Pantofel to remove virtually every tree on the property in exchange for replanting with trees and shrubs. Sag harbor Village Mayor Tom Gardella said he “was horrified about what happened” when he drove past the site last week. He added that his daughter had seen a large number of squirrels running around the property “in a panic” after numerous trees were knocked down. But he added that the development of the property was largely a done deal after Southampton Town backed away from a plan to spend $6 million from the Community Preservation Fund to purchase the property with the school district, and voters rejected a referendum that the school district put up on its own. “What was the alternative?” he asked. “What did they think was going to happen?”

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The Peconic Baykeeper and the Peconic Estuary Partnership host their monthly Watershed Walk at the Seal Haul Out Trail at Montauk Point this coming Friday at 10 a.m. You’re invited to join Peconic Baykeeper and Peconic Estuary Partnership for their fourth year of the Winter Watershed Walk Series! Friday’s walk features four new and different locations around the Peconic Estuary. This is a great chance to learn more about the coastal habitats in the watershed. Walks are open to all ages, please register ahead of time so we may contact you in the event of a cancellation or rescheduling. This event is Free. The next Winter Watershed Walk is this coming Friday, December 12th 10:00am- 11:00am at Montauk Point Trail – Seal Haul Out Trail. Driving instructions and parking details will be sent out prior to the walk.

Register at https://peconicbaykeeper.org/event/winter-watershed-walk-series/

Questions contact: [email protected] or [email protected]

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Bridgehampton School Teachers Association co-leaders Joseph Pluta and Caitlin Hansen in late November described a “toxic working environment” at the K through 12 school. This week, they came forward with specifics — laying the blame directly at the feet of Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mary T. Kelly, in the midst of negotiations over a new contract after the previous one expired at the end of the last school term. The teachers have been working without a new contract, carrying on under the terms of the old contract, since June. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that Bridgehampton teachers showed up en masse at the School Board meeting in November, in matching union shirts, and have been outspoken recently about what they say are their struggles. “The main reason why we’re unifying and wearing the shirts and making more of a presence at the meetings is more so about the hostile work environment,” Pluta said earlier this week. That has been the “bigger concern,” he said, than the inability to ink a new contract. Pluta gave Superintendent Kelly credit for work she’s done in the Bridgehampton School District to increase services and add new programs for students. But he said that, as time went on, he and Hansen had started to hear from teachers about “concerning behavior” from her, particularly in meetings. “She has said she has an open-door policy, and that’s absolutely true. But we’ve heard reports of staff going in, and they say something she doesn’t like, and they’ve been berated,” he said. “Some of them have come out in tears.” On Tuesday morning, Kelly responded to the allegations. “With respect to the allegation of a ‘hostile work environment,’ it is important to recognize that this is a legal term with a very specific definition under federal and state law,” she said. “No complaints or incidents rising to the level of a legally defined hostile work environment have occurred. “I am very disappointed by the way in which the union leadership has thrown around such language, and I strongly refute such unsubstantiated allegations.” She accused the union leadership of “adopting a markedly adversarial posture” and “promoting a negative tone, creating unnecessary alarm, and engaging in conduct that has strained relationships. “A further concern has been the union leaders’ pattern of filing grievances that lack merit and are ultimately withdrawn,” she added.

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An undercover hidden camera investigation by an animal welfare organization documented disturbing conditions at Sportsman’s Kennels, a Manorville dog breeder. Robert Brodsky reports in NEWSDAY that Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society, sent an investigator to work at the breeding facility for about five weeks in September and October. The investigation found sick and matted puppies with congenital health issues that were reportedly kept in "decrepit" roach- and feces-filled conditions. Several puppies were diagnosed by a veterinarian with kennel cough while others had ears filled with brownish or blackish debris or had eye and nasal discharge, the report found. "This is the exact opposite of what we expect for companion animals, and that's why it's important for organizations such as Humane World to shine a light on this," said Brian Shapiro, the group's New York State director. "This definitely falls under the category of puppy mill cruelty."

In a statement, Sportsman’s Kennels said it "strongly disputes" the allegations and said the facility employs eight full-time employees responsible for daily care, cleaning, feeding and monitoring of all animals while a licensed veterinarian visits the location on a weekly basis. Hanna Birkhead, a NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets department spokeswoman, said yesterday they're aware of the Humane World report "and take the concerns raised very seriously. We sent an unannounced inspector to the facility again today to conduct an inspection following up on the claims made." The results of that inspection were not immediately available. Sportsman’s Kennels said inspectors found no issues related to the care of the animals but that officials did raise concerns about incomplete or missing sales paperwork. Sportsman’s Kennels, which is owned by Helen Camlikades, has been listed five times on Humane World's annual Horrible Hundred report of problematic puppy breeding or puppy brokering facilities.

Late last year, a statewide law halting the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet shops statewide went into effect.

Sportsman’s Kennels, which previously operated as both a pet store and a breeding kennel, is permitted to continue selling animals directly to the public because its puppies are bred on the premises, as opposed to being brought in from out-of-state.

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As a federal judge in Massachusetts struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order freezing all new wind-energy permits, two Long Island-centered projects continued to make advances. The judge found Trump’s January executive order freezing new wind-energy permits and leases "arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law" and vacated the order.

Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that last week, work to install a 106-mile cable between Long Island and the site of an offshore wind array off New England began off Smith Point in Shirley, as the developers of Sunrise Wind work toward a goal of providing power to the grid by mid-2027. All the project’s estimated 924 megawatts of energy, enough developer Orsted says to power about 600,000 homes, will come to Long Island’s grid.

Access to Smith Point beach and marina will be maintained through cable-pulling operations, though a large section of the Smith Point County Park parking lot is fenced off for the work.

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With an urgent need to replace the crumbling Southampton Town Justice Court buildings, engineering consultants have begun drafting a long-term master plan for upgrading other town facilities on Jackson Avenue in Hampton Bays and, eventually, moving most town offices there.

Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that the Town of Southampton has talked for decades about moving the bulk of its administration to Hampton Bays, but has never advanced the ball because of the daunting costs and logistics of decamping from the current Town Hall building in Southampton Village. But as it plans how to relocate the court — which has been housed for more than 15 years in what were supposed to be temporary trailer buildings — and the headquarters for the Southampton Town Police Department, the town has the opportunity to reimagine the Jackson Avenue complex in a way that would allow it to use the new court building and police station as the jumping-off point to start consolidating town departments there and lay the groundwork for a gradual shift of facilities to Hampton Bays. “There’s a lot of property there, it does not seem to be well laid out, and we all know the justice court needs to be replaced, the police department needs to be replaced, so why not take a look at the whole property and see what we can do?” Supervisor Maria Moore said. Southampton Town engineers and the design consultants the town has hired to draft the master plan, Arcadis, said that envisioning everything the town may someday want to do at the property is an important first step before deciding where and how to refresh the court and police headquarters. Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara said the board resolving to move all of the town’s offices to the west would seem to be “abandoning” the eastern half of town. But Councilman Bill Pell said he saw it more likely the town would keep a presence in the Southampton Village area. “I don’t think we’d abandon the eastern half. We have sub-offices now in Hampton Bays … so we’d just switch that. Maybe we’d sell this building and get something small on this side of town.”