And on Saturday, Supervisor Scott Russell will be in Orient, holding an information meeting at Poquatuck Hall to discuss a variety of issues, including the possibility of water mains.
Water authority CEO Stephen Jones is scheduled to meet with the board during its Tuesday morning work session. He said he'll update the board on the $3.6 million project to run 17,000 feet of 12-inch mains from East Marion to the Browns Hills neighborhood -- work funded largely by stimulus money. Mr. Jones noted his private meeting with the supervisor last week "was very productive."
But those good feelings are in marked contrast to the verbal jousting between town and authority during the past several months. Town board members have accused the authority of having a "collusive" agreement with the county health department to expand its reach, and of having been less than forthcoming with its plans for the Orient peninsula, a charge the authority adamantly refutes. Responding to local demands for an environmental assessment of the expansion project, the SCWA's board of directors recently called for an Orient drinking water supply plan to include an environmental review of the addition of new mains. It also declared the new lines a transmission main, which means that only those living along the route could connect to the service.
The authority's actions came after a group of residents, fearing that the availability of public water could open the valve for a flood of new development, filed a state Supreme Court action demanding a full environmental assessment. The court has yet to issue a ruling.
Mr. Jones has said there is no evidence to justify the concerns over development and there's no need to look beyond Southold to realize public water hasn't induced new construction.
The supervisor said he invited Mr. Jones to meet with the board so the authority can better understand the town's position, which is that the SCWA cannot proceed with the project without first requesting a change to the local public water supply map. Mr. Russell has frequently said that process must include a public hearing. Mr. Jones contends that since his agency currently supplies individual water filters in Browns Hills, that part of Orient is already on the water map.
The Town Board will press the authority for project details "that have been lacking in the past," Mr. Russell added. Additionally, the board wants to schedule a public hearing on amending the water map, which the supervisor said "would bring better dialogue and a better understanding of what our goals are and what their plans are."
As for this Saturday's community meeting in Orient, which begins at 11 a.m., the supervisor said it is the first of many he'll hold across the town. "I want residents to know what the town's position is on public water, whether it's inevitable or not," said the supervisor. "It's to get a discussion going in an atmosphere that will get rid of a lot of the hyperbole."
Other issues expected to be discussed include a recent request to create a special groundwater protection district for Orient and potential zoning changes.
tkelly@timesreview.com