In CPF Agreement, Room For Interpretation

By T.J. Clemente

The reported agreement between the supervisors of both the Towns of East Hampton and Southampton and the State Representatives who helped create the Community Preservation Fund has ended in a settlement that Lynn Ryan, who works in Superintendent McGintee's office, called a situation where,"we got about 98% of what we wanted as did Southampton." The new agreement insures that the salaried employees of both towns who work exclusively on CPF projects can be paid from the 10% amount stipulated in the original State law. However the agreement also allows spending to purchase and repair historic buildings as well as other community assets, such as the Bay Street Theater for example. With all the swirling controversy in the political environment of the two towns - especially East Hampton - some people have voiced concerns there are loopholes in the agreement that may lead to misappropriation of CPF funds.

Over $530 million has been raised for the CPF since the 2% tax on all new home purchases over $250,000 went into affect 10 years ago. Who will decide on the level of maintenance to be done? Who will get the contracts to do the restorations? What is the cost of authenticity? Can a roof on a historic building cost $20,000 or $300,000, like the one on Second House in Montauk? The decision of the type of roof added and the price of all restored historic buildings is now covered in the CPF agreements.

What about the roads, restrooms and walkways in the new parks? Who decides who gets to pour the cement and at what price? At a party last weekend, even non-McGintee fans admitted that, in this politically charged environment, it would be ludicrous to think McGintee or Linda Cabot in Southampton would be crazy enough to take any blatantly abusive actions concerning CPF funds. However, in the real world, only one company gets the nod to do the work, and who really will be monitoring the quality of the work for the price that will be paid with CPF money? It is true that the board approves most actions in executive sessions, but it is also true that they oversaw the town budget, too. This is something the East Hampton Town Board seems to have forgotten as they point fingers only at McGintee and not themselves.

Back to Contents