G’port mayor pitches idea for alternative energy park
Greenport Mayor David Nyce’s push for public support for his eco-friendly energy park project at Clark’s Beach brought him to Town Hall Tuesday.
Mr. Nyce presented the plan to the Southold Town Board during its morning work session. It was more than a simple courtesy call since he must gain town approvals to build the proposed solar and wind generating systems. Although the village owns the 8.7-acre Soundfront property, it lies outside the village and so the town’s zoning and building codes apply. At present, an energy farm is not a permitted use there.
Mr. Nyce first unveiled the proposal last month. It calls for combining wind turbines and solar arrays generating two to four megawatts of electrical power, which could make the village energy independent and stabilize residents’ electric bills. The mayor has not offered a cost estimate or suggested ways the project could be funded.
But Town Board members voiced concern about the project’s feasibility and its potential impacts.
“You may learn that residents don’t find it beneficial because it is just helping the village,” Fishers Island Justice Louisa Evans said.
The mayor said the park would bolster regional tourism and create better use of the waterfront land, which is currently the site of a sewage treatment plant’s outfall pipe. The area would serve as a public park, with trails and camping facilities plus educational and conference facilities, he said.
The park would need a number of variances and site plan approval from the town Planning Board.
“If you start to firm this up, submit something to our Planning Board,” Supervisor Scott Russell said.
The mayor said construction would depend on grant availability and financing scenarios. If the public supports the proposal the next step would be applying for planning grants to assess the park’s feasibility, he said.
Residents can weigh in on the idea when the Village Board holds the first of its community forums on the topic at Greenport’s Floyd Memorial Library on Wednesday, April 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
HEARING ON FARMLAND BUY
The Town Board will hold a public hearing later this month on its latest proposed farmland preservation buy.
The town has agreed spend $65,000 per acre to acquire the development rights to a 13.8-acre parcel at 3340 Horton Lane in Southold, near the intersection of Route 48.
The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 23, at 4:30 p.m. in Town Hall.
LEASH LAW FORUM SET
The board also scheduled a community forum regarding the continuing dispute over how, or whether, to regulate dogs at town beaches and parks. The meeting will take place at Town Hall Thursday, April 25, at 7 p.m.
