Two significant farmland development rights easements were approved by the town board last night following public hearings.
The board approved the purchase of a development rights easement on approximately 20 acres of farmland owned by William Zebroski on the north side of County Road 48 west of Kenney Road in Southold for the purchase price of $971,360. The price is approximately $250,000 less than the appraised value of the easement, land preservation coordinator Melissa Spiro told the board during a presentation. Once preserved, Zebroski will sell the property to the landowner on the east, who is already farming it and will continue to do so.
Zebroski is “one of the most decent people I’ve ever met,” Supervisor Scott Russell said before casting his vote in favor of the purchase, which was unanimously approved by the town board.
The second development rights easement acquisition approved last night was on 23 acres of active farmland owned by Sacred Heart Church adjacent to the church cemetery on Depot Lane in Cutchogue. The church will subdivide its 35.5-acre parcel and convey the development rights easement to town, which will pay $63,000 per acre, a total of about $1,449,000, Spiro said. The property is adjacent to a large block of already-preserved farmland, she said.
Both purchases will be paid with Community Preservation Fund revenues.
In other action last night, the town board:
- approved stop signs on Schoolhouse Road at the intersection with Depot Lane and on Griffing Street at the intersection with Schoolhouse Road in Cutchogue.
- appropriated nearly $600,000 in state funding for road paving.
- authorized the Oysterponds Historical Society’s Heritage Day Parade in Orient on Sunday, Jul 2 beginning at 12 noon.
- approved a fireworks permit for the Greenport Fire Department Phoenix Hook and Ladder Company for a fireworks display on Tuesday, July 4 at 10 p.m. (rain date Wednesday, July 5 at 10 p.m.) at the Greenport High School athletic field.
- appointed a variety of seasonal staff, from beach attendants and managers to lifeguards to work at town beaches and parks this summer.
The board also set a public hearing on July 5 at 7:31 p.m. on a proposed code amendment to amend the dates on which town parking permits are required in designated areas. The change would require town parking permits in designated areas between May 1 and Nov. 1, instead of the current Memorial Day to Labor Day.
