Town inks deal with cable company

At the Town Board’s Tuesday work session, Town Attorney Bob DeStefano Jr. said that the town and Altice USA — formerly Cablevision — had reached an agreement.

The contract, which allows Altice to put infrastructure on the Island and provide cable TV and internet service, is for five years. The deal calls for 3 percent of every resident’s cable TV bill to go to town coffers as a franchise fee, or approximately $80,000 annually.

The cable company will also provide free internet services to town offices, and provide a $14.99 discounted fee for internet service to those households where a family member is eligible for the National School Lunch Program or is 65 years old or older and a recipient of Supplemental Security Income. The discounted fee provides 30 Mbps of high-speed broadband service.

To apply, visit alticeadvantageinternet.com or call (844) 358-3147.

Also at the meeting, Councilwoman Amber Brach-Williams reported that the United States Geological Survey (USGS), which records water levels in test wells around the Island, found all levels were up except for the Menantic Road well.

Councilman Albert Dickson said the Town’s contract with the USGS , to perform water level monitoring, runs out this month. However, service will continue uninterrupted. He has spoken to officials about installing recording equipment at some of the Island’s perimeter monitoring wells to better understand tidal impacts and any variations due to seasonal drawdown.

At a recent meeting to discuss a budget for capital planning, a proposal was made that the town would expend $62,500 to pay half the cost of installing license plate readers and cameras at North and South ferries, with the other half coming from the Police Department’s 2019 budget

The license plate readers and cameras are needed to improve security, Police Chief Jim Read told the board. The still unsolved homicide of Reverend Canon Paul Wancura last March in Silver Beach robbed the Island of its sense of security, the chief said.

He and Councilman Jim Colligan visited Southampton this month to see how effectively plate readers and cameras work there.