After Sag Harbor Fire, Lawmakers Call for Special Disaster Declaration

SAG HARBOR, NY — After a recent devastating fire swept through Sag Harbor Village, lawmakers are asking New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo for a special disaster declaration that would help local residents and businesses secure loans to help them get back on their feet.

New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele, who lives in Sag Harbor, and New York State Senator Ken LaValle sent the request to Cuomo, asking for the U.S. Small Business Administration to grant the Village of Sag Harbor a special disaster declaration that would allow residents to apply for the SBA Disaster Recovery Program.

The program would give residents and business owners access to low interest loans, and help them recover after the blaze wiped away businesses and homes.

Following is the letter to Cuomo, in its entirety.

"As you are aware, on Friday, December 16, 2016, a terrible 12-alarm fire swept through the historic Village of Sag Harbor. Thanks to the excellent work of our brave police officers and firefighters, everyone was safely evacuated from the buildings and there were no physical injuries reported. However, a significant number of Sag Harbor’s homes, businesses, and cultural institutions were damaged or destroyed by the fire. We are writing today to respectfully ask that you formally request an SBA agency-level special disaster declaration.

"In total, five buildings, home to seven businesses and four apartments suffered significant fire, smoke, and water damage. Two of those building have already been demolished due to extensive structural damage. One of those demolished buildings was the beloved and iconic Sag Harbor Cinema, which has been a venue for shows and movies for more than a century. The cinema’s large screen and eclectic slate of films from all over the world brought joy and culture to the Sag Harbor community and those who visited the region. It was a unique, historic, and irreplaceable institution, and its loss in the fire has greatly saddened our entire community.

"At least 50 businesses on Main Street and Washington Street have suffered a direct financial loss due to the closure of streets, eliminated parking spaces, and blocked access during one of busiest times of the year. Parking still remains limited, even one week after the incident, due to ongoing demolition activities. The owners of these small main street businesses are now facing the loss of their livelihoods for an indeterminate amount of time and an arduous recovery and rebuilding process that will affect the entire village.

"Sag Harbor only claims approximately 2,200 residents, so the economic disruption caused by the fire has a much broader and more crippling impact than the direct damage from the fire. The damage to the Sag Harbor Village District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and contains most of the retail establishments in the village, will negatively impact tourism during the summer and cause further economic harm to the village.

"Given the limited resources for economic recovery and the fire’s economic impact on a small, yet vibrant and historic community, we should do everything in our power to help these small business owners recover from their tragic loss. Therefore, we would like to ask that you formally request the U.S. Small Business Administration to grant the Village of Sag Harbor a special disaster declaration to allow residents to be eligible for the SBA Disaster Recovery program, which will give them access to low-interest loans to help them get back on their feet.

"Thank you for your consideration of this matter. We look forward to working with your office in the future to help this community recover and ask that you consider the impact of this fire in determining the allocation of future economic development projects and resources."

Patch photo courtesy of Arnold Tilton.