Pavilion Considered for Parrish Grounds

To bring more summer activities downtown, the Southampton Village Board is considering a seasonal pavilion for the grounds of the building, expanding the options the village will have for the facility once the Parrish vacates it later this year and moves to Water Mill.

Mayor Mark Epley said at Tuesday’s Village Board meeting that Rockwell Group, a New York City firm that specializes in determining the best use of space, is working pro bono to help the village select the pavilion design and where to site it. Rockwell Group representatives presented some options to the board Tuesday: four potential sites, which could involve removing trees, and a few different kinds of pavilions that can be boxed up at the end of the season. A permanent platform would be put in place, which could be used for an ice skating rink in the winter.

While it is still unclear what will happen with the facility once the Parrish leaves — village officials are considering establishing the “Southampton Center of the Arts,” and are also courting to relocate there — Epley said no matter what the building is used for the village will want to have an outdoor space for theater performances, concerts and benefits.

Trustee Bonnie Cannon envisioned the Hip to Hip Theatre Company moving its annual from to the pavilion. She added that a nice pavilion would fit in on the grounds. “You want to have something upscale that is at the Parrish,” she said. “You don’t want to have a showmobile.”

Resident Susan Stevenson told the Village Board she is concerned that noise from an outdoor stage would disturb residents who live nearby and restaurant patrons dining on the sidewalks.

But Siamak Samii, the chairman of the Southampton Village Planning Commission, said that would not be the case. “This is not a stage for rock concerts, for sure, in the village of Southampton,” he said.

Samii said that his commission has received bids from many firms for the restoration of the Parrish building to bring in natural light and upgrade the HVAC system, among other improvements. He said the goal is to have a multi-use facility.

Also At Tuesday's Meeting:

• Dennis Schmidt, the owner of on North Sea Road, requested that the Village Board urge the U.S. Postal Service to move the public entrance to the , which is right across the street from his business. He said that he is losing lunchtime customers, who do not want to pull into the Schmidt's parking lot midday because of all the cars that are pulling in and out of the post office at the same time. "They have been a nightmare for me and my store,” he said of the post office, which opened in July 2009. He suggested the post office swap its public parking lot with the lot for postal trucks and employees, so his main entrance and the post office entrance will not be directly across from each other.

• The Village Board approved a request from the to seek price quotes for purchasing a new Ford Expedition to replace a 2004 Expedition used as a chief's vehicle.

• Critics of a proposed law that would allow for supermarkets to be built in the highway business zone .