Albany – State Senator Ken LaValle and State Assemblyman Fred Thiele have passed three pieces of State legislation that will benefit the Sag Harbor community.

The first piece of legislation (S.2926-B/A.4264-B) would allow the Village of Sag Harbor to reduce the speed limit on Main Street, Bay Street, Madison Street and Jermain Avenue to 20 mph. Sag Harbor’s narrow and congested roadways are dangerous, especially in the busy summer season. The additions of new traffic calming measures are not always feasible in the Village due to the landscaping configurations and desired community character. In these cases, the best way to achieve the safest streets possible for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians is lowering the speed limit.

The second piece measure (S.7992/A.10561) would allow the Sag Harbor School District to go back to the voters to repurpose a previously approved bond proposition for a new synthetic turf field at Pierson High School. The initial funding amount approved in the 2013 however, was not sufficient to cover the proposed project after bids were received. Simultaneously, there were community concerns about the potential health risks associated with synthetic turf. As such, the Board of Education is exploring alternatives, and because of this legislation would be able to bring this back to the voters to decide.

Lastly, this bill (S.4799-D/A.7002-D) would grant the Village of Sag Harbor jurisdiction in establishing a vessel regulation zone and regulating vessels in waters more than 1500 feet from shore. There has been an exponential increase in the number and variety of transient vessels occupying the waters surrounding the Village which has led to a greater demand for anchoring and mooring locations. Vessels are haphazardly mooring themselves outside of the current 1500 foot boundary, posing a safety hazard to fellow boaters, swimmers, and other watercraft users. This legislation would allow the Village of Sag Harbor to create a well-organized and regulated mooring field to ensure the future safety and enjoyment of Sag Harbor's waters.

All three bills must now be delivered to the Governor for consideration.