Dan's Papers - September 21, 2007 -

Dear Dan,
I wish to comment on your article "Proposed Offshore Windmills Are Cancelled" in the August 31 issue.
It is most disheartening to find that LIPA cancelled their plans to build windmills off the beaches of Long Island. I can understand concern that the cost grew to far exceed initial estimates. But think about what a barrel of oil cost twenty-five years ago versus what it costs today. Now think about what wind cost twenty-five years ago and what it costs today. Even if the cost to build windmills is high, the fuel to run them costs nothing.
I hope that some day Long Island will have wind generated electricity - in the long run this is a vastly superior alternative to our reliance on fossil fuels.

They'll come up with something. - DR

Dear Dan,
In an effort to ward off the continual marring of the landscape by residential builders, construction across both the North and South Fork has lessened while towns continue to search for ways to control overdevelopment. By instituting moratoriums and tighter building regulations, local officials have temporarily softened the persistent beat of hammers and whine of circular saws across their once bucolic communities.
Unfortunately, this unfamiliar quiet is being fought with a vengeance by builders who are furious over these temporary impasse measures. I find this rather tense situation filled with irony. In their voracious quest to devour pristine land and alter the landscape, builders are unwilling to recognize that residents of the East End are equally angered by their insatiable appetite for acreage. While this battle continues, East End residents continue to deal with the unwelcome change brought to their communities by profit-driven developers. Once known for its abundance of land and rural character, the East End continues to steadily lose claim to these attributable qualities. To protect the remaining charm and spaciousness of the East End, we have to curtail development and the raping of our precious land by instituting permanent restrictions. Had more stringent regulations aimed at impeding overdevelopment been imposed years ago, we could have prevented this dire situation.

Hindsight is always better than sight. - DR

Dear Dan,
A number of us small-boat types on the North Fork and elsewhere have been talking about a restaging of Meigs raid sometime in mid-September, in which we'd cross the sound by oar and sail, portage over the North Road and put into the bay, then proceed on to Sag Harbor (where, ideally, we would be stood to numerous free drinks by the locals).
I read your very entertaining account of the raid in your newspaper's archives, but was startled by a couple of details which seemed at odds with all the other accounts I've read. You say the party departed mystic and crossed the North Fork at Truman beach, which is in between East Marion and Orient. The other accounts I've read say Guilford, Ct. was the departure point and Hashamomuck Pond in Southold, the site of the crossing. (Of course I suppose it's possible that both accounts are accurate - that is, that the Americans may have departed from different places in Connecticut, crossed the North Fork in different places, and then joined forces in Noyac Bay).
Just curious as to what your source was for this information, and how confident you are in it.

Just my memory from history books of the area I read years ago. - DR

Dear Dan,
As a furniture salesperson at Hildreth's for over four years, I was surprised at your misrepresentation of the "sofa- buying process."
One thing we at Hildreth's take great pride in is the immediate availability of beautifully displayed furniture. I've had literally hundreds of customers see a sofa they like and receive it that same week, if not in a couple of days.
While it is true that sofas can be special ordered in myriad fabrics, our in-stock inventory is vast. And an interior designer is not required, although we have several excellent ones on our staff if the customer wishes.
The bread and butter of my business, and I am NOT an interior designer, is customers who need furniture now - and many of them DO own multi-million dollar houses.
I just wanted to clarify to your readers that there is large showroom of immediately-available furniture here, unlike the impression you created.
Thank you for passing the word.

Dear Dan,
THANK YOU, Dan's Papers, for your insightful analysis of the situation of Montauk surfers vs. the NY State Parks Department. Dan's correctly reports that the squabble is not between the surfers and the fishermen.
The fact of the matter is that the surfers and the fishing community are both passionate environmental groups who care deeply about the surf zone, the beachfront and the surrounding watery regions. They just so happen to have a passion for the same location, at the same time of year for different reasons. Yet, their similarities far outweigh their differences.
The situation cries out for an intelligent, compromised solution. At this point, the hurdles to overcome seem to be ones erected by the NY State Department of Parks. Let's hope that cool heads prevail at proposed meetings that will soon take place between all concerned parties.
In the meantime, choose your news sources wisely. Dan's Papers seems to be right on the mark with this issue.

If we can get those fishermen on surfboards, they could surfcast from way out. - DR