Town Preserves Northwest Kennels Property for $875,500

The property that houses Northwest Kennels will be preserved and eventually opened to the public for access to Northwest Creek.

On Thursday night, the East Hampton Town Board approved the use of the Community Preservation Fund to acquire the 4.1 acres of land located on the corner of Red Spring Path and Swamp Road for $875,500 from Charles Wade & Cynthia Loewen.

Councilwoman Theresa Quigley recused herself from the vote, as she lives next door.

"For those who haven't had the pleasure of witnessing the view from the headwaters at Northwest out to Northwest Harbor, you're missing one of East Hampton's hidden treasures and we'd like to expand that view," said Scott Wilson, who heads up the town's land acquisition department.

He said his department has been exploring buying this property since early 2006, but with the sale of the Curtis property next door, they have taken a closer look on how the Northwest Kennels property "would fit into the mosaic of the 800 plus preserved acres" in the area. Three sides of the property are bordered by preserves.

There are several buildings on the property at 3 Red Spring Path, including a house, detached garage and dog kennel. Wilson said that the plan is to demolish the house and the kernel.

The detached garage, however, may be left for possible future uses of an interpretive center, storage for kayak's or canoes and kiosk for trail maps.

A parking area is planned for the ease of accessing existing trails and small vessel launch, Wilson said.

He also noted that the purchase would eliminate animal waste from that property washing into the creek.

A public hearing held earlier on Thursday night yielded no opposition for the proposal.

Chris Haak, who lives on Northwest Landing Road, appeared on behalf of Jim Matthews and the Northwest Alliance to support the proposal. "The creek is one of the nicest spots in the town, I think, and its preservation is critical."

Patricia Hope, who also lives in Northwest, said she supported the acquisition for the good of the shellfish beds. "As science teacher of many years and a dedicated environmentalist, I believe it will help to scrub those shellfish beds and give them back to the people."

East Hampton Town Trustee Bill Mott, who is also running for a seat on the town board in the 2011 election, agreed it is important to look for ways to open the harbor up again to shellfishing.

The proposed purchase price was $887,500. The town will also have to pas survey, title, prorated tax, and recording charges.