Voters will consider separate proposals in Southampton and East Hampton

Voters in two Suffolk County towns will decide on separate proposals that could pave the way for measures to calm traffic at a busy East Hampton intersection and remove toxins from Lake Agawam in Southampton.

The proposals will appear as the third proposition on the ballot in East Hampton and Southampton following a statewide and countywide referendum. Voters will be able to cast their ballots during early voting and on Nov. 5, Election Day.

The Southampton Town proposal would allow Southampton Village to install a filtration system on a piece of preserved land. In East Hampton Town, voters are being asked to approve a land swap that would allow Suffolk County to build a roundabout at the intersection of two county roads.

In Southampton Town, voters are being asked to authorize a land swap with Southampton Village as part of a years-long effort to clean up polluted Lake Agawam. If approved, the village would be allowed to build a harvester on the protected area to purify and filter the lake’s water.

The system removes cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. A 10-day pilot program in 2019 was effective in treating toxins in the lake, according to a 2020 report released by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Under the proposal, contaminated water would be drawn from the northern end of the lake and discharged to the healthy end.

According to the report, an average of 13 harmful algae blooms were reported there annually between 2013 and 2019. The number of those with “confirmed high levels of toxins” in the lake ranged from 3 in 2014 to 18 in 2019, the report said.

As part of the exchange, the village will acquire a vacant 4.8-acre parcel on the opposite side of the lake, which will be preserved as parkland.

The village received a $10 million grant to install a water filtration system. The site, known as Dosher Park, is located behind a parking lot and is the only suitable location to install the system, officials said.

The algae harvesters will “clean up approximately 3 million gallons of contaminated Lake Agawam water every day,” City Councilman Michael Iasilli said at a village council meeting earlier this month.

Village Trustee Roy Stevenson said the proposal is a “win-win” because there is no additional cost to taxpayers.

The Lake Agawam Conservancy, formed in 2019 to revitalize the lake, supports the proposal.

According to the Nature Conservancy, the lake could become safe for recreation within three years.

East Hampton proposal

In East Hampton, voters will decide to hold a separate referendum to allow the town to transfer a two-acre site at the intersection of Three Mile Harbor Road and Springs Fireplace Road to Suffolk County. In exchange, the county will give East Hampton a similar-sized site at 16 Swamp Road.

City officials say the exchange will allow the county to “significantly improve traffic flow” at the intersection. The roundabout will solve “long-standing traffic delays, public safety and congestion issues,” city officials said.

The triangular area separating the two roads is known as Lyons City Park or Sherrill Triangle and is considered part of the city’s nature preserve. Councilman David Lees said the property was donated to East Hampton and added to the nature preserve in the early 1980s.

The property is protected land and cannot be altered unless the state approves the taking of the parkland, officials said.

In July, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation authorizing the process.

The Suffolk County Department of Public Works has begun work on reconstruction of Three Mile Harbor Road, also known as County Road 40. The county is repaving roads, constructing new curbs and sidewalks, and repairing drainage systems.

City consultants, using state Department of Transportation data, surveyed a large area in 2020 known as the Chimney Springs Road Corridor. The report states that over a three-year period, 88 accidents were reported throughout the study area.

About seven of these crashes occurred where the roundabout is supposed to be. The consultants’ latest traffic study has found that vehicles experience “extreme delays” at the junction during peak hours.