Board meets on wetlands construction issues

At its work session Tuesday, the Town Board  looked at the case of a property on Peconic Avenue, owned by William King, which Building Inspector Chris Tehan had discovered violated environmental law by building in restricted wetlands.

Mr. Tehan issued a stop work order on construction when he discovered that the owner was building a patio in the restricted area without a wetland or a building permit.

The board agreed on a $1,000 and the owner must remove the ongoing construction. Councilman Peter Reich said there should be a strict deadline to remove the construction and suggested December 1, which his colleagues agreed to impose.

In another wetlands application, William Anderson of Montclair Avenue, who was tearing down an old house and building a new one with a pool, will be required to mitigate building in a restricted wetland area.

In other business, Supervisor Jim Dougherty said the insurance bill for the town next year will be $241,900, and the board has budgeted $267,000 for insurance.

The board scheduled December 30 at 1 p.m. as the final meeting of 2015.

Mr. Dougherty noted that the East End Supervisors and Mayors Association, which he chairs, was scheduled to meet Wednesday, October 28 in Southampton at what the supervisor termed a “Peconic County Lite” gathering. Elected officials, Suffolk County Health Department Services personnel and real estate professionals will discuss legislation giving power to regulate the upgrading of septic systems to the individual towns.

Also, East End elected officials along with county and state representatives are expected to sign on to “the Peconic Estuary Protection Committee,” an inter-municipal affiliation to lobby as one voice on water issues.