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Town of Southampton looking to purchase 30 acres at 130 Old Country Rd
Thursday, 29 January, 2026
Long Islanders cleared their sidewalks of ice and snow this week, obliged by neighborly custom and, sometimes, the law.Like much else in this land of 13 towns and two cities, the relevant details — residential or commercial property, size of fine, extent of grace and enforcement — depend on the jurisdiction. Most, but not all communities have laws on the books about a property owner or occupant’s obligation to clear "obstruction by snow or ice and icy conditions."Many municipal officials said they issue warnings before tickets and that the laws exist to keep sidewalks safe, not raise revenue.Nicholas Spangler reports in NEWSDAY that some towns also have laws on the books that let them simply do the snow and ice removal themselves, billing the property owner for "direct and indirect costs of repairing, removing and/or remedying the condition," as Huntington code puts it. To ensure payment, the town places a lien against the property and collects "in the same manner as real property taxes."In Southampton, no law is needed because, at least for now, Highway Department workers do the job, funded by the $300 to $500 most property owners pay annually in highway taxes, Highway Superintendent Charles McArdle said. But significant sidewalk expansion over the last several years has increased the snow clearance workload for highway workers so much that the practice will likely have to end, McArdle said."Everyone thinks they pay taxes and should have every bit of service done, but there’s a point where we wouldn’t be able to manage," he said.Southampton Town leaders are expected this spring to take up new rules putting the responsibility on property owners, perhaps modeling the legislation on Brookhaven’s, McArdle said.Finally: if, in the course of snow clearing, a Long Islander is tempted to throw the stuff into the street, they should not. It makes extra work for plow crews, it's explicitly prohibited in many municipal codes, and their neighbors may give them more than just nasty looks if such a move should result in personal injury.***Early discussions have been held between Southampton Village, the Southampton Fire District and the Southampton Fire Department about potentially building a new firehouse to serve the village. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that the talks — which according to Trustee Roy Stevenson, the village’s liaison to the fire department, have been happening for a few months — have centered on a piece of property on North Sea Road off County Road 39 that is owned by the fire district. Stevenson said that since many of the volunteer firefighters live north of County Road 39, it is difficult for them to get to the village’s three firehouses — located on Windmill Lane, Hampton Road and St. Andrews Road, all south of County Road 39 — during the summer due to traffic congestion.David Price, the chairman of the district Board of Fire Commissioners said that a new firehouse would lead to better coverage and make it easier for firefighters to get to the station, as well as to house larger vehicles that the older Windmill Lane station cannot accommodate.Stevenson also noted that the Windmill Lane firehouse’s location in a floodplain “is not an ideal place to have a firehouse when you need to get it and you have an emergency” like a flood or hurricane.Stevenson said that he estimates that “anything that we decide now probably isn’t going to even happen for four or five years,” though he noted that the village is continuing to pursue the idea as the population grows.If the new firehouse is eventually built, Price floated the idea of turning the historic Windmill Lane firehouse into a museum featuring old firetrucks that the village owns.“We have these beautiful antiques that no one gets to see except on the Fourth of July,” he said. “If they could be put in a house right there where they...
