The Department of Parks & Recreation was recently restructured so that there are two divisions -- Parks & Recreation and Buildings & Grounds. The superintendent of Parks & Recreation oversees the beaches and the Montauk Playhouse gymnasium, as well as parks such as the Amagansett Youth Park and Montauk Skate Park. That division also coordinates recreational programs for toddlers, students and adults throughout the year.
The town maintenance supervisor oversees building, harbors, docks maintenance, street lighting and cemeteries. The office is in a building at the back of the Town Hall complex.
The Springs Fire Department is the newest fire department on the South Fork. It was formed in 1965 when a small group of men decided it was time that the Springs area of East Hampton have its own fire department, instead of being served by the East Hampton Fire Department. Helmets and gear were donated to the department, then the fire district purchased a piece of property on Fort Pond Boulevard to build a firehouse and an old pumper for just $1. In the 1970s, the department was opened to women and an ambulance company was added.
Home Sweet Home is a museum named after the famous song of the same name. The song's historic salt-box is located on the East Hampton Village green, which was founded in the 1720s and still retains the charm that once was colonial East Hampton. The Pantigo Mill, which dates to 1804, is located just beyond the museum.
John Howard Payne, an early American playwright and actor, wrote the song, "Home, Sweet Home," in the 19th century, and many have attributed his inspiration for the song to the salt-box. Payne's mother was from East Hampton and his father once taught at the Clinton Academy, which is another historic site just down the block. Payne visited East Hampton as a child.
The Buek family owned the house from 1907 to 1927 before the village purchased it and opened it as a museum in 1928. They had furnished the house with antique period and colonial revival pieces, as well as memorabilia in honor of Payne. The words "Home Sweet Home" are etched on the door- knocker. A bust of Payne is in the museum's entrance.
The front part of the house is set up as if the Bueks were living there in the 1920s. Antiques, china, and lustreware fill the rooms. The gardens -- a parlor window fragrance garden, a 19th-century pleasure garden and an 18th-century herb garden -- contain species, like antique roses, found during that time period.
Hugh King, the village's historic site manager, gives a passionate tour of the museum, and is a wealth of knowledge about East Hampton. Postcards and small souvenirs are available for purchase.
The East Hampton Town Highway Department is responsible for maintaining 300 miles of roads from Montauk to Wainscott. Highway workers plow snow and ice from the roads and sidewalks, fix potholes, supervise paving projects, sweep roads and parking lots, prune trees, clean catch basins and perform maintenance on town equipment.
East Hampton residents rely on the town assessor to determine the value of their property. There are three assessors, one elected, who work out of an office in the Pantigo Place office complex. Other town departments are housed in the complex as well. The office is open to answer any questions residents have about how their property is assessed.
East Hampton is the only municipality in New York with a natural resources department, which was created in 1981 to monitor and protect the natural resources in its jurisdiction. The department manages about 3,000 acres of town nature preserves. The department seeks out government grants for wetland restoration, open marsh water management, finfish stocking and replanting of native vegetation. It also monitors wildlife, groundwater and environmental town code violations, especially when it involves overclearing woods.
The office of the building inspector is key to the town's building department. Inspectors issue building permits and Certificates of Occupancy, as well as perform title research and offer letters stating what portions of land can and cannot be built on. The office also does inspections and issues summons for zoning violations.
The police department has headquarters at the Emergency Service Building on Cedar Street. The building has administrative offices; a emergency communications center with 911 dispatchers who dispatch the village police, Sag Harbor Village police and six fire districts on the South Fork; and facilities for booking, temporary detention and evidence storage.
The main parking lot is in the back, but the best entrance to use for the police department is from Cedar Street; there are also a few spaces available in the Della Femina restaurant parking lot next door to make it more convenient.
The Town of East Hampton's tax receiver's office handles resident's tax bills. Monica Rottach is the current tax receiver. The office is located in the Pantigo Place office complex near other town offices.
The East Hampton Housing Authority office is located in a building at the Accabonac Apartments. The housing authority board is appointed by the East Hampton Town Board under Civil Service Law. The agency administers the Accabonac Apartments, Avallone Apartments and Springs Fireplace Apartments.