Hamptons Zoning Board plays impromptu baseball game to settle dispute

Zoning board disputes are not usually settled by sport, but that didn’t seem to deter the members of the Hamptons Zoning Board at a disorderly meeting last week. According to Dan’s Papers, the nine-member board was unimpressed with an application from Springs resident Marcus Willbury who is seeking to install a hot tub in his backyard. Angered by the response, Willbury suggested a baseball game to settle the matter. It was a joke but members of the public in attendance supported the idea, and in a surprising turn, it was embraced by the board. Undettered by the rainy weather — or common sense — the game was moved to the board room: a grand space with antique furniture and leaded glass windows. The game, which caused several broken windows, smashed furniture and cracked plaster, lasted two innings before dissolving into dispute. The zoning matter was left unresolved, the report noted. [Dan’s Papers]