By: Lieba Nesis

“Southampton residents are up in arms,” said one local as I inquired as to whether the proposed construction of a Peter Marino designed public park was a welcome addition to the community.  Billionaire investment banker John Paulson recently announced an offer to sell off parts of his 10-acre Old Trees Southampton estate for a paltry $13 million to the Lake Agawam Conservancy after buying the parcel to prevent the construction of another luxury mansion-the last thing the Hamptons needs.  State of the art water treatments to restore the polluted lake for swimmers and boaters as it was 150 years ago is the expressed goal.

However, rumors of pickleball courts and migrant habitats in an already overcrowded village are scaring off locals some of whom purchased $50 million homes on Pond Lane-which will be permanently closed. A petition of more than 1600 people has been signed opposing the construction of the 11.3 acre park along Lake Agawam-three times the size of the current area. The August 22nd meeting at the Southampton Village Hall which was attended by park advocates John Paulson, Chuck Scarborough and Peter Marino was expected to be a go ahead for the planned presentation and instead turned into a firestorm of controversy.

The next hearing will take place September 14th at the Southampton Cultural Center on Pond Lane at 6 PM where throngs of billionaires will clash with one another at the thought of closing Pond Lane which will increase traffic congestion, close a road Hamptonites and their children treasure, make space for vagrants, create shutdowns and increase expenses and crowds for years to come.  “Keep Pond Lane Open” is the rallying cry for those who love their quiet walks along Lake Agawam.

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is the thinking as locals contend wealthy Hamptonites have more than enough space in their backyards without the necessity for excess expenditures requiring multiple millions to be extracted from community preservation funds. The likelihood of the proposed Peter Marino garden and fountains coming to fruition is becoming increasingly small as the unexpected backlash continues to gain steam.

Some other unpleasant Hampton occurrences include the September 1st death of Sag Harbor resident Jimmy Buffett at the tender age of 76 from a rare form of skin cancer.  The beloved icon was often seen politely greeting neighbors and fans in East Hampton village as he quietly ran errands. Another unfortunate loss occurred Saturday September 1st when 50-year-old Water Mill resident Christopher Briscoe was struck by a car on Montauk Highway at 11 PM. Saturday afternoon socialites mourned someone closer to home-social staple Patty Raynes who passed in April and whose memorial was held at the Hampton Classic-as Raynes loved competing in Long Island equestrian events.

On a lighter note the very alive Hailey and Justin Bieber enjoyed the Hampton shores on Friday September 1st while Sarah Jessica convalesced on the beach with her two daughters, Tabitha and Marion on Sunday.

The conclusion of the summer is always melancholy especially after I rented an apartment in Southampton village for three months.  The Hamptons is eminently livable with its crisp air, top grade restaurants and vibrant nightlife.  Hair and nail salons abound and Hampton Arrow Cleaners did a spectacular job on 7 pieces of my clothing for a reasonable $125 cash.

There were some drawbacks of residing in the South Fork including many make-up free runs to Citarella which always had me bumping into minimally three lovely ladies. Taking the Jitney multiple times which the New York Post recently called “a disgusting old Greyhound bus” was also less than optimal with its dirty seats, awful goldfish snacks, long wait times and unpleasant seatmates.  The pre-Covid days of delectable snack mixes, impeccable cleanliness and excited crowds are history-and yet I am still grateful for its $40 prepaid price tag and somewhat reliable service.

The Hamptons astronomical home prices continued as a record $4.4 million was requested for a trailer park home in Montauk shores in late August-there is no middle class in this enclave.  This summer was more jam-packed with shindigs than any other with nearly ten events per weekend but the party of the summer remained Michael Rubin’s white party.  My final weekend was epic beginning Thursday night where philanthropist Jean Shafiroff held a Rebecca Seawright fundraiser at her home honoring Fern Mallis, Lucia Hwong Gordon, Mar Morosse, David Hochberg, Patricia Silverstein, and Ken and Maria Fishel.

Seawright is the most fashion forward and delightful Assembly Member looking smashingly colorful at every happening.  Reality star Julia Haart graced the evening with her outsized presence and gorgeous blue gown-as she revealed she has two upcoming reality shows in production one which includes making over people internally-this dynamo can’t be stopped.

The Shafiroff evening concluded with a birthday celebration for legendary photographer Patrick McMullan whose magnificent pictures and personality delighted the 100-person crowd. His humble, positive and effortless demeanor continue to amaze all those who have the privilege of knowing this icon.  Saturday night was a perfect culmination of the summer as socialite Josephine de Moura celebrated her 60th birthday in epic style.

Welcoming guests to her Southampton Wickapogue mansion de Moura’s all white event was thrown together in four days by her superman husband Alexandre de Moura-a renowned orthopedic surgeon.  Long Island legend Susan Lucci joined de Moura and more than a hundred partygoers for an elegant cocktail hour, a magnificently tented dinner and a DJ and dancing-is Dr. Alexandre available for party planning.

The great Josephine was feted for her multitudinous talents which include cooking, tennis, mothering and being a great friend to all those she encounters.  Competing for Saturday night’s calendar space was Julie Macklowe, whose end of year Labor Day extravaganza is a coveted invite.  85 of Macklowe’s closest confidants including John Paulson and Josh Harris enjoyed the perfectly orchestrated Sagaponack evening.  They were even lucky enough to sample her eponymous single malt whiskey which has been heralded for its effervescent flavor constructed from 100 percent Kentucky barley.  Another billionaire wowing the Labor Day crowd was Andy Sabin who concluded the weekend with his annual Sunday evening Amagansett fest where pizza, and ice cream abounded. The weekend concluded with Dottie Herman’s Sunday Barbie birthday bash, a Hampton Classic extravaganza and some much needed Monday rest for those partied out from a monumental Hamptons summer.