Letter from Bill and Chris Eisenreich, reprinted with kind permission:
We are property owners on Pipe’s Creek, in Greenport, and belong to Peconic Bay Estates Homeowners’ Association. After reviewing some of the topics on the website, our concerns are:
- The complicated permit application for the Trustees. It was fairly straightforward for our initial building in 1998, but the current application is confounding. We are looking to put on an addition to our house, (garage and second bedroom/bathroom above; nothing elaborate – no pool, no deck, no dock). We don’t know what they want, especially in regards to the Local Waterfront questions that weren’t on the application 9 years ago – like how our addition will affect the historic value of the neighborhood?
- Doing the right thing in general when it comes to building/buffer zones, runoff/ natural landscaping/invasives.
- Moorings. We do not have a moorable boat (we are on wetlands, no dock, too shallow), but for those who want a mooring and are not waterfront property owners: where are these people parking their cars, anchoring their dinghies, disposing of their trash, and disposing of their human waste? They have no “home base to use the facilities” as a homeowner would. I have never seen this question addressed, in the paper at least. The end-of-the-road boat landing on Pipes Neck Road is becoming so clogged with cars and dinghies at times that kayakers and beach goers cannot get through, although surprisingly, it is not as bad this year as it was in prior years. I see where some of the moorings in Pipe’s Cove do not have boats attached this year – the unoccupied moorings are none the less navigational hazards to boaters, water-skiers, etc.
Just a side note:
We have owned our property since 1996. A few years ago, the water in Pipe’s creek was getting a little murky; crabs were dying off, etc. But in the last two years or so, the shore grass has been filling in, the water is more clear, the crabbers and clammers are more numerous, we now have fiddler crabs on our shoreline, and the osprey are coming over to our side of the creek more often. We think that the water quality has actually IMPROVED! Did they dredge Pipe’s Creek inlet 2 years ago? Or did a nor’easter naturally dredge the creek? We are just curious and would like to know where we can find out information on this. I feel badly for the other creek front property owners whose waters are becoming murkier rather that getting better.
As far as Pipe’s Creek goes, these are only subjective observations that my husband and I have noticed, (we are not scientists or experts), but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and we are pleased with what we are seeing. We are also extremely happy to see that so much of the Pipe’s Creek area is/will be preserved and thus help to continue the trend of water quality improvement. We were also appalled at the sewer pipe in Pipe’s Cove and are glad that the town TOOK ACTION!
Bill and Chris Eisenreich
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