The ever-increasing volume of aircraft traffic and the disruption caused by aircraft noise associated with East Hampton Airport have plagued our residents for more than two decades.

The FAA grant assurances, which prevented us from regulating the airport, have recently expired. According to the FAA, to fully gain control of the airport we must close the East Hampton airport “for a period of time” to reopen as a publicly-owned private-use airport. My plan is to close the airport for the shortest period necessary, likely from 1 – 30 days, and then immediately reopen, with restrictions that are highly targeted to give the greatest relief without causing diversion to Montauk. Solving a problem in one part of town, only to displace it to another is no solution at all. And this was outlined in my public statement issued 3 weeks ago and sent to Montauk United.

I do not support Councilman Bragman’s plan, a “one-year holiday” on all commercial jet and helicopter traffic at East Hampton. This would clearly be no “holiday” for Montauk. Mr. Bragman says the town could monitor and adjust the impacts on Montauk throughout this period, but I don’t believe we should make Montauk a “guinea pig” for aircraft restrictions.

I support a more cautious and deliberative approach to airport traffic from the start. Rules and regulations must be tailored to specific operations, with goals of limiting volume, frequency, noise, and environmental impacts. We must always keep an eye on possible diversion. Restricting helicopter flights to daylight hours at East Hampton’s airport should not cause diversion to Montauk, as similar restrictions there already apply. Jet traffic doesn’t pose any risk of diversion to Montauk because the runway there is far too short to handle jet aircraft. I have engaged with the ownership of the Montauk Airport and I believe there is a path forward that will relieve concerns in both East Hampton and Montauk.

As you know I love and respect the hamlet of Montauk and the people in it and for twelve years I ran my own charter fishing boat, the “Dream Catcher,” out of Montauk Harbor. My connection to Montauk includes the many years I was the Town Board liaison to the Montauk Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC) whose regular monthly in-person meetings enable constructive feedback from Montauk’s residents on issues and solutions. I am happy to report that the CAC grew to become an active 50-member committee during my tenure. The Montauk CAC still very effectively serves this purpose with David Lys as the Town Board liaison and continues to meet the first Monday of the month at 6pm and we expect will shortly resume as an in-person forum for Montauk. I would welcome even more participation from Montauk’s residents in these meetings. Of course the regular Town Board work sessions also provide another forum for us to jointly work on the solutions to the pressing issues of climate change, housing affordability and economic and environmental sustainability.

There is much that we can be proud of including comprehensive planning efforts such as the Montauk Hamlet Plan, Montauk’s Coastal Resiliency Plan, saving and restoring Fort Pond House, Second House and now the Carl Fisher House. Private/public partnerships in Montauk have also led to funding for “The Gateway Project,” the undergrounding of utility wires, the Montauk skate park renovation and funding for the Montauk Playhouse Community Center. But of course there is still much to be done and I look forward to continued honest and respectful dialogue about all the issues including the airport. I remain committed to ensuring that happens.

Best regards,

Peter Van Scoyoc
EH Town Supervisor
CONTACT PERSON: Peter Van Scoyoc
631-324-4140