New Civic Association Forming For Southold, Peconic

NORTH FORK, NY — A new civic association is forming for residents in the hamlets of Southold and Peconic.

According to organizers Maggie Merrill, Caroline MacArthur, Margaret Steinbugler, and Mary Eisenstein, Peconic and Southold are the only two hamlets in Southold Town without a civic organization.

A first, organizational meeting, "The Time is Now," is slated for Thursday, February 3 at the Southold Town Recreation Center, located at 970 Peconic Lane in Peconic, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Issues to be discussed among members of the new group include the town's comprehensive plan, community character, zoning, noise, development, preservation, water supply, open space, traffic, conservation, the Dark Skies initiative, and groundwater concerns.

Eisenstein, who founded the Mattituck-Laurel Civic Association in 2017 and served as its first president, said when running for elected office in 2013, she became acquainted with Bob Hanlon of the Orient Association and Anne Murray of the East Marion Community Association — as well as with the critical role of civic organizations in giving residents a voice.

After she ran in 2017, Eisenstein said she once again gained knowledge and understanding "of how important civics are to a community. Otherwise, how do individuals get to voice their concerns? Where do they put all that energy?" she asked. "I believe very strongly in civics."

A 2020 effort to start a civic association was waylaid by the pandemic.

Eisenstein held another meeting in the fall of 2021 and was joined by MacArthur, Steinbugler and Merrill. "We're building on the foundation started by a dynamic group of residents just before the pandemic," she said.

In October, Eisenstein first advertised the new group, saying she wanted to formalize the civic organization and codify it, to give it structure.

Merrill agreed with Eisenstein about the importance of civic organizations.

“Civic associations serve to amplify the concerns of citizens and educate and inform those citizens on issues and challenges facing our community," she said.

Eisenstein met with the core group and mapped out a plan of action; the Feb. 3 gathering is an organizational meeting to choose officers and begin the codification process.

The goal, Eisenstein said, is to bring members of the community together so that they "have a voice at the table."

Once the new civic association begins to meet, every hamlet from Orient to Mattituck will have its own group and chance to be heard.

"Each of our hamlets have their own unique culture and personality," Eisenstein said. "What this does, what a civic association does for each hamlet, is it gives them their own entity — and that umbrella of representatives from each of the hamlet."

Civic associations, she said, can also discuss the commonality of issues impacting residents townwide.

The meetings also bring together elected officials such as Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski and Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell.

"The critical part is to inform and educate," Eisenstein said.