East Hampton Town Supervisor issues statement on ICE actions in Minneapolis

The Southampton Town Board yesterday approved the $25.8 million purchase of an oceanfront mansion, which the town plans to demolish to create a beach access point.

The three-story, 11-bedroom home at 1950 Meadow Lane — a stretch of multimillion-dollar oceanfront estates in the Village of Southampton — will be acquired by the town, razed and ultimately replaced with a small public parking lot, officials said.

Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that Southampton Town officials have framed the purchase as a rare opportunity to secure prime beachfront land for passive recreational use and protect the area's maritime dune habitat. The removal of the home and its pool meets the state's goal of moving people and structures away from the shoreline, which are at risk of flooding during an extreme storm, said Jacqueline Fenlon, the director of the town's Community Preservation Fund, during a hearing earlier this month.

The unanimous vote by the board authorizes Southampton Supervisor Maria Moore to sign the town’s contract with the seller, Frances Katz, to buy the 2.2-acre property.

"It's going to be used for generations," Councilman Bill Pell told Newsday. He called the purchase a "good investment" and said the town is pursuing more waterfront properties for acquisition.

Some town residents have said they were elated at the prospect of expanded beach access in Southampton Village. Town residents who live outside of the village are subject to high beach fees.

Supervisor Moore told NEWSDAY most town beaches are west of the Shinnecock Canal, Southampton Town's geographic midpoint. Residents who live further east will now have a closer beach to enjoy.

Money for the purchase comes from the Community Preservation Fund, which generates revenue for land preservation and water quality projects through a 2% real estate tax. The fund can be used to purchase properties for a variety of reasons, including open-space and parkland preservation.

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North Fork residents came to the Southold Town Board’s meeting last night urging the board to make a strong public statement of their support for the local immigrant community and their grave concern about federal immigration enforcement actions here and around the country. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that they brought with them a petition signed by 800 residents, which many said they’d continue to carry. The crowd was unimpressed with a statement read by Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski, who said it was drafted during a lengthy discussion with the town’s police chief about public safety earlier Tuesday.

Supervisor Krupski’s statement discussed the town police department’s commitment to fair enforcement of the law, “treating all individuals with dignity” and ensuring that everyone in town feels comfortable interacting with town police.

“We pledge to work proactively to ensure all community members, regardless of background or immigration status, feel safe calling 911, participating in school, shopping for needs and accessing health care without fear,” said the supervisor, adding that the Town of Southold plans to follow up on a letter it sent to federal immigration officials in early December “expressing concerns about public safety with immigration enforcement.”

Though immigration enforcement has been quiet out on the North Fork in recent months after two reported raids in Greenport last summer, ICE agents have been deployed to Riverhead, Riverside, Hampton Bays and Westhampton Beach in recent months.

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The Eddie Westfall Arena - the ice rink at Veterans Memorial Park in Calverton - is closed while the operator works to remove ice and snow from portions of the dome and its perimeter.

Rink staff are working to reopen the facility as soon as possible, Peconic Ice Rinks said in a social media post yesterday.

Denise Civiletti reports on...