Stony Brook Medicine will open a freestanding emergency department in East Hampton, the only ER between Southampton and Montauk. First responders expect the emergency department will make it easier to help patients in a timely fashion. in the summer, East Hampton's population swells from fewer than 30,000 year-round residents to more than 100,000 people, according to the town supervisor’s office. Montauk Highway, the area's main road, is often clogged with traffic, making it hard to get anywhere fast — especially in an emergency. Lee Meyer reports in NEWSDAY that emergency medical technicians on the East End — most of whom are volunteers — often navigate those delays to get patients to Southampton Hospital, or in more severe cases, Stony Brook University Hospital. The influx of seasonal residents adds to emergency call volume and response times.The new emergency department, a freestanding facility located at 400 Pantigo Place in East Hampton that will be operated by Southampton Hospital, is awaiting approval from the NYS Department of Health. Officials expect it to open later this spring.It was conceived to improve access to emergency care and reduce ambulance response and travel times in a community where people now have to drive 30 minutes or more to reach the nearest ER. By comparison, a 2024 report commissioned by New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan) found that the statewide average for EMS call time — the duration from 911 call to hospital admission — was about 14 minutes. The idea for the facility was proposed by Southampton Hospital a decade ago, according to the Southampton Hospital Foundation. After securing town approval, the hospital launched a capital campaign in 2019. That effort was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.The foundation ultimately raised $30 million from more than 500 donors and received a $10 million state grant, according to a foundation spokesperson. Construction began in 2023 and finished late last year.***Sag Harbor Village Mayor Tom Gardella reminds village residents and visitors alike that new paid parking regulations have gone into effect for two parking lots in the Village of Sag Harbor. Stephen J. Kotz reports on 27east.com that the new rules adopted by the Village Board late last year will require non-residents to register with the ParkMobile app and pay to park in the lots at 5 Bridge Street, which is commonly known as the “gas ball” lot, and in the lot at 51 Meadow Street, which is just south of the village post office lot. The first hour of parking is free, but the second and third hour cost $4 each. The fourth hour is $6, and the fifth hour is $8. Sag Harbor Village residents or those who own property in the village will be eligible to apply for two free parking permits that will waive the new fees and allow them to park for as long as four hours in either lot. People who live outside the village, but in the Sag Harbor Fire District and School District, will be eligible to purchase up to two passes for $15 each that will also waive the fees. Both Sag Harbor Village residents and those who live in the fire and school districts will be able to purchase one additional permit for $15. “It’s going to start to be enforced,” Mayor Gardella said. “I’m not going to say they will be out there every day, but we are going to start to enforce it on a discretionary basis.” Regular enforcement will likely begin around Memorial Day weekend when traffic control officers are working regular shifts, he said.***Tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. Ellen K. Pikitch, Ph.D., Executive Director, Institute for Ocean Conservation Science, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University will present her lecture “What lies beneath: unveiling changing biodiversity in New York’s First Hope Spot during more than a decade of restoration”.This Lecture will take place...

New parking regulations are in effect in Sag Harbor Village