Montauk land swap stinks: Parks panel

Suffolk County commission rejects proposal for sewage plant

East Hampton town supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc (Town of East Hampton, Getty)
East Hampton town supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc (Town of East Hampton, Getty)

The Suffolk County Parks Commission flushed East Hampton’s proposed land swap down the proverbial toilet, scuttling a plan for a sewage treatment plant.

The commission unanimously rejected the proposal, which would have transferred county parkland in Montauk from the county to the town, the East Hampton Star reported. East Hampton’s disappointed town supervisor, Peter Van Scoyoc, vowed the town would continue looking for solutions to Montauk’s wastewater problem.

The proposal called for the town to get 14 acres in Hither Woods, next to a former town landfill, which the town and its contracted engineering firm identified as the only viable site for a new treatment plant.

In exchange, the county would get a 19-acre parcel off East Lake Drive, next to Montauk County Park.

Sewage is an ongoing issue on the East End. In East Hampton, many properties rely on septic systems. Wastewater in older ones can leach into the ground, potentially damaging water quality in the community.

The town has been trying to create a wastewater treatment plan for its downtown for seven years. All else being equal, property values are higher for homes connected to a municipal sewer system.

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Despite the need for wastewater treatment in the area, the land swap faced fierce resistance.

Two state senators said they would not support the necessary “alienation” of the parkland — which only the state legislature can grant — until a full analysis of the proposal was completed. Nonprofit environmental group Coalition for Hither Woods opposed the plan.

“We don’t know if the parks trustees’ vote will end East Hampton Town’s almost obsessive two-year quest to build a centralized sewer system for Montauk, but we hope so,” president Richard Whalen said in a statement following the vote.

The cost of the deal beyond the loss of some parkland was also a mitigating factor. Town engineers estimated the buildout of a centralized Montauk sewer system would cost up to $75 million.

Holden Walter-Warner

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