Champagne and Sagaponack Village Board meetings usually never coincide, but on Monday evening board members had good reason to celebrate at the closing of the trustees monthly session. With glasses in hand, the Sagaponack officials feted the inaugural meeting in the new village hall, purchased almost six months ago.
Before acquiring the new digs, the village operated out of a tiny two-room office down the road — on the corner of Montauk Highway and Sagg Main Street. The size of the space resembled a small New York City apartment rather than a village hall and cost $2,040 a month to rent. One room served as village clerk Rhodi Winchell’s office, which she shared with secretary Pat Remkus, but it was crammed with filing cabinets, papers and two bulky desks. The other room hosted board meetings, but doubled as building inspector John Woudsma’s office, and was so small the planning board often saw applicants in shifts.
“For planning board meetings it was absolutely standing room only,” recalled Winchell. “Anytime we had public hearings we had to use another space … like the Sagaponack school house.”
By December 2007, village officials started to look around for a permanent, and roomier, location. Winchell said the village explored every available option, from purchasing land to finding a new rental location. Their first goal, however, was to stay within the incorporated village of Sagaponack.

After extensive research, the village found a three-bedroom home for sale on Montauk Highway. The house was a converted barn and previously owned by a soundtrack producer. The list price was $1.2 million.
To finance the project, the village put the purchase to a vote. In August 2008, residents approved $2 million for the acquisition of the home. The village, however, only took out a $1.5 million bond anticipation notice (BAN), and used the remaining funds for building renovations.
For the most part, the building was structurally sound, but the southern and eastern walls of the former living room needed to be shored up and the roof was heightened. Now the room will be used for village board meetings and public hearings. The first floor bathroom was made handicap accessible and the village outfitted the hall with soft recessed lighting. Other repairs made to the building were mostly cosmetic.
“One bedroom was painted a salmon pink … and the kitchen was painted a dingy yellow,” said Woudsma. The village opted to cover the walls in white and ivory. The former kitchen was converted into a lunch area and foyer, which is partitioned by French doors. The walls separating one bedroom and the previous owner’s music mixing studio were knocked out and now serve as a large office area.
The final product is a polished, yet comfortable looking building with plenty of space for village operations. In the new meeting hall, sun streams in through the French doors in the back of the room and two colorful lithographs, created and donated by local artist Robert Dash, adorn the walls.

Although the building was renovated, design details from its past remain. Dark wood beams are found on almost every ceiling. One wall in the conference room — which was an addition built in the 1980s — is lined with white-painted shingles and was the original exterior of the building.
Part of the building’s charm, said Woudsma, is its hodgepodge of architectural elements, many of which cannot be historically placed. Two closets installed in the 1980s boast vintage porcelain doorknobs with iron locksets. The cherry wood floors look original to the barn, but Woudsma maintains they were most likely installed in the 1980s.
Although the current location of the building is on Montauk Highway, it was moved there from the Raymond Magee Farm on Hedges Lane in the early 1960s. The original barn structure was built between the late 1700s or early 1800s. Arthur Baron of the Barons Cove Inn in Sag Harbor moved the building in the 1960s, hoping to convert it into an antique store. Due to zoning constraints, Baron abandoned the project and sold the building as a private home.
In a way, Winchell and Woudsma have made the space into their home. Winchell often greets visitors by saying, “Welcome to our new abode.”
The village staff is still waiting for grass seed to be laid down on the front lawn and plan to create some overflow parking on the southern portion of the property, but for the most part the project is complete.
“We are still unpacking … there is so much space we don’t know what to do with it,” said Winchell. As she continued to file papers into a series of cabinets, Winchell had a second thought.
“No, I think we will find a use for [the space].”

To allow parking or not to allow parking. That is the question for the Sagaponack Village Board as they decide whether to give parking waivers to members of the Ocean Zendo Buddhist congregation.
Members of the board mulled over the Zendo’s request to station their cars on Bridge Lane during key worshipping hours on Monday, Saturday and Sunday in the summertime — when the village strictly enforces no parking rules during the day. The Zendos gather at a small meeting house on writer Peter Matthiessen’s property in Sagaponack. Although located on a field, Zendo representative Joan Frohman told the board the long dirt path leading to the structure isn’t feasible for parking. Reportedly, the road is uneven, often muddy and riddled with holes, and bramble on the sides of the roadway scratch vehicles. Frohman argued that the members must park on Bridge Lane, adding that the cars wouldn’t be in the roadway. Trustee Alfred Kelman said allowing parking on the lane could have a domino effect and encourage others to illegally park on village property — on a street historically plagued by illegal parking.
The board asked Frohman to look into clearing the brush, grading the road and creating parking on the field by the meeting house. Frohman said this was untenable as the congregation doesn’t have the necessary funds for the initial clean-up nor the upkeep of the grounds. The board promised Frohman they would visit the site and consider the issue before delivering a verdict.
On Monday night, the board approved the 2009-2010 village budget as well as a permit for the Five Borough Bicycle Club’s run through town in May. Deputy Mayor Lee Foster also gave a brief report on the village’s project to pave the roads. Foster said she found a contractor specializing in micro-paving but didn’t have exact cost figures.
“We need to get a price and then we can decide whether or not we can do this,” said Mayor Don Louchheim.

A minor adjustment to the 2009-2010 Sagaponack budget was announced at the public hearing during the Sagaponack Board of Trustees work session on Monday, April 13. Previously the tentative assessed number, or value of all the property within Sagaponack, was estimated at $3,205, 489,175. This figure has been adjusted to $3,248,127,420 – which is the final assessment number, said Sagaponack Village Clerk Rhodi Cary Winchell.

Although this adjustment could have ratcheted up the budget and tax rate, the board was committed to keeping the budget down and tax rate low. The Sagaponack budget for the upcoming fiscal year will be $548,809, a number slightly lower than last year’s budget of $552,873. In turn, this reduction translates to a decreased tax rate for Sagaponack home and property owners. When the budget was first presented, Sagaponack Mayor Don Louchheim said an owner of a home with an assessed valuation of $1 million will pay $82.80 in village property taxes, while last year the same homeowner would have paid $83.40 in village property taxes.

In order to keep these same rates, the board made a few changes to the budget.

“What we did was adjust the revenues down on the projected revenue from mortgage tax . . . It is a big guess . . . but we certainly want to be conservative [in this area],” said Winchell, who added the economic slump negatively affected the number of property purchases from which the mortgage tax is derived. With the tentative budget, the mortgage tax revenue was estimated at $195,500.

“We are assuming sales on property has taken a plunge,” said Winchell. The projected revenue for the mortgage tax in the final budget is projected at $191,500.

In addition, the projected interest on the village’s debt services was reduced by $14.

The finalized budget will most likely be adopted during the upcoming board meeting on Monday, April 20.

“Unless the board feels they need to change something, [the budget will be adopted],” said Winchell. “But the board hasn’t given me any indication that this is the case.”

The board is also eyeing passing a local law to allow alternate members of the Zoning Board of Appeals attend meetings in the place of regular members, in order to reach a quorum on the board. The mayor would appoint the alternate members, but it would be subject to the approval of the trustees. Appointing alternate members to the board is common practice at neighboring local municipalities, including North Haven. According to North Haven Village Clerk Georgia Welch, the local law allowing alternate ZBA members was passed almost twenty years ago, at a time when many elderly board members would spend the winter months is Florida. North Haven Village allows alternates for the planning board as well. A public hearing on the adoption of this law in Sagaponack is slated for May 18 at 4 p.m.

During the Monday Sagaponack board meeting the trustees will weigh in on several outdoor assembly permits and special events permits, including one for the Five Borough Bicycle Club, who plans on cycling through the village on Town Line Road into Wainscott.

On a final note, the board announced a special memorial service for Sagaponack vintner Christian Wolffer – to be held this Sunday, April 19, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Wolffer Estate Vineyard and Stables. Wolffer, an active member of the East End community, died on December 31, 2008 after a swimming accident in Brazil. His funeral was held in January but the Wolffer family wanted to host a public memorial service “for all those wishing to pay their respects,” said the Wolffer’s in a letter addressed to the board.

 

The process for special event permits in Sagaponack is finally working the way trustees in the village intended. After several months of tweaking a newly adopted law requiring outside assembly permits for events with 50 or more guests, the village now seems to have finally perfected the effort.

The local law requiring special event permits was enacted last summer, making 2009 the first full spring/summer season the village has had to implement the permit requirements.

This week during a work session headed by deputy mayor Lee Foster, in mayor Don Louchheim’s absence, outdoor assembly permits took up the largest portion of the meeting.

Village trustees had agreed to slightly change the procedure of the application process for outdoor assembly permits at the last meeting. Now, the applicant’s letter of intent to hold the event will be required at the same time as the application. This is so the trustees will get all the required information at once.

Currently, there are five events planned within the borders of the village in June and July that have submitted complete applications. But there are three letters of intent that are still ongoing because the trustees have asked the applicants for further information —including a clarification on what portion of a charitable event’s proceeds will go to the designated charity.

Organizers of the Love Heals fundraiser, an organization focused on AIDS education, are hoping their event will take place this summer at Luna Farms. The planners sent in their application late, stating they were unaware of the new local law which requires applications be received by the village 180 days before the event. This summer would mark the 10th annual Love Heals benefit.

Although all the information was included and trustees said they would consider the application, even though it was submitted past the deadline, the representative for the organization, Jasmine Nielsen, was told by Foster she might need to provide the board with more information for consideration at next week’s regular village board meeting.

Alfred Kelman, a trustee who has been voicing concerns with non-profit events that may actually be “for profit,” asked Nielson how much of the proceeds from the event will go to the charity. She responded that 60 percent of gross proceeds and all net proceeds will go to the charity.

Charlie McArdle, representative for People, Pool Event Staffers Inc., was also at Monday’s meeting. He told the board he is working on the Hamptons Happening event — which benefits the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation.

“I know these events can be a nuisance,” McArdle said, which is why, he told the board, he has focused on finding parking for staff and vendors so as not to bother neighbors. He said he has obtained a permit for parking for the July 25 event on Wilkes Lane, and his organization will be parking cars at the Hopping House in neighboring Bridgehampton.

After he explained the parking plan, McArdle also recommended the trustees request a certificate of insurance from party planners. He said this is important because there may be people standing on village property and there could be worker’s compensation issues. Village clerk Rhodi Winchell responded that it was a good idea and said she would ask village attorney, Anthony Tohill, to look into it.

“We are really filling up the calendar,” said Foster who added that she feels people are responding well to what the village is asking for in terms of outdoor assembly permits.

Next Monday, March 16, the village will hold its regular monthly meeting at 4 p.m. 

 

Sagaponack Village officials are plugging away on requests to hold parties, due to their recent adoption of a local law pertaining to outdoor assembly permits, and are planning some changes to help the process move along faster.

At their regular board meeting on Tuesday, Sagaponack trustee Joy Sieger voiced her concerns about the way the process for obtaining an outdoor assembly permit is presently done.

Currently, the village asks for a letter of intent to hold an outdoor bash six months in advance with an application to be filled out four months in advance.

Sieger acknowledged that the village made a conscious effort to deal with outdoor events last year by adding the new local law, but now that the law has been enacted, officials have noticed missing information in the dozen or so letters of intent they have already received. Those questions surrounded issues dealing with parking, number of attendees — and for charitable affairs — the percentage that will go to the beneficiary.

Sieger said that she and village clerk Rhodi Winchell would like to suggest altering the law so that the village would require an application and a required letter of intent submitted together — both six months prior.

That way, the village would be able to get a better picture of the proposed event.

“We believe that by just submitting the application form along with the letter of intent would give us more information and we wouldn’t have to do all this waiting around,” Sieger said.

The trustees seemed to all agree that was a good idea, but trustee Alfred Kelmann said he wants to know precisely, “what proceeds are going to the local charities,” when dealing with benefits.

“We need to get to the heart of this thing,” he said, asking that parties not be run “as a business but as a local event.”

For now, Mayor Don Louchheim said the letters of intent would not be approved until the full application is filled out.

As the trustees went over a few pending letters of intent for summer 2009, they discussed which of the events are “rooted locally.”

“That is a distinction we need to make,” Deputy Mayor Lee Foster said.

“We have the right to say no, without any explanation,” argued Kelmann, “we are extending ourselves by even creating a policy.”

Audience member and Group for the East End’s Director of Development, Judy Christrup, then offered some advice.

“Can I make a suggestion,” she asked, “you could ask them what their numbers were last year, and if they’ve never had it before, they could give you a projection. It costs a lot of money to put on an outdoor event here, so you have to have some high contributors to actually make a profit,” she continued.

“Well, it costs a lot of money to stage a truly non-profit event and they may raise nothing. They could spend $5000 and bring in $250 bucks,” Kelmann said.

After going over some other letters of intent and closing that portion of the meeting, Louchheim said, “It’s a learning curve, but we are getting somewhere here.”

 

The New Village Hall

 

By the end of the week, the new village hall in Sagaponack is expected to be near completion, according to the mayor. He said the village is “right on target” with their February 28, deadline. 

There were some minor repairs being done since the village bought the property at 3175 Montauk highway in October. The sole remaining component would be the excavation of the parking lot, which will be completed by the end of March or beginning of April, when paving plants in the area re-open.

Louchheim also said there is an old sewer line at the new location, measuring 12 feet that may be replaced.

The village plans to move into the new hall in a month and half, if there are no other major problems.

 

We learned this week that the Sagaponack Village Board of Trustees is reviewing parties planned in their neighborhoods in anticipation of the summer season. It is now required by local law that submissions for those events be received 180 days in advance. And while we’re all for supporting a good cause, we feel now is also the time for all boards to look at fundraising parties with a critical eye toward the money making motives that may lie behind the intentions of the organizers.

This week, a local party planner approached the board with plans to host an event at Wolffer Estate for a charity out of Harlem. While a quarter of the proceeds from the event will go to the charity, the planner explained that he will take the remaining 75 percent of the evening’s proceeds. While we understand that much of that money will be used to pay for staff and other costs of putting on the event, we find it rather astonishing that more of the proceeds wouldn’t benefit the named charity.

Many people from other areas come to the East End in the summer to enjoy socializing, attending big events and supporting fine causes — but at a price. While we like to see our local caterers and service people hired for these gigs, there are a lot of other annoyances and inconveniences surrounding these events that we all must bear — like noise, traffic and parking. Is this public nuisance really worth it if charities are only getting 25 percent of the proceeds at the end of the day?

We would like to see all the local boards really delve into the background and beneficiaries of these parties, and if possible, insist that the charity be the true host of the event. We’re reminded of benefits hosted by local organizations such as CMEE, the Bay Street Theatre and Group for the East End. These non-profits do the planning, work and the contracting themselves — they don’t leave it to some outside planner who will take an exorbitant cut of the proceeds.

All fundraisers are not created equal, and just as a wise philanthropist will look at the background of someone soliciting money for a good cause to find out what percentage of his or her gift will actually make it into the charity’s coffers, so too should local boards feel free to poke and prod at the financials of those hoping to reap the benefits of a summer shindig in the name of charity.

With the ever-shrinking dollars that non-profit organizations are going to have to battle for in coming months, it would be helpful if our boards had a way to separate the truly deserving from the merely posing. It’s not that we don’t like the idea of supporting the children’s charity in Harlem, it’s just that we want to be sure that if our resources and nerves are taxed, then the charity in question is getting as much as they should from the event.

And if it comes to having to make choices over which charities to allow to host parties, we would opt first for truly local charities — those non-profit mainstays of the East End who in turn support us not only by providing local jobs, but by serving us all on a year around basis.

 

With new codes pertaining to events now in place, party planners hoping to host shindigs in Sagaponack this summer are coming forward to share their plans with the village board — and some are finding it difficult to get approval.

The new local law requires that a letter of intent be sent by party hosts to the village 180 days before the day of the event – which means now is prime time for those hoping to throw parties in Sagaponack come July.

Justin Taylor Ward, an event planner with a dozen years of experience who has planned parties in the area for the last eight years, went before the Sagaponack Village Board of Trustees on Monday night at the board’s regular work session. As required, Ward had sent the board his letter of intent to throw a bash in the village for 300 guests as a fundraiser for the Harlem Children’s Zone. The party is planned for July 18 and begins at 7 p.m.

The board of trustees voiced some concerns about the event, the first being that the party wouldn’t benefit a local charity. Ward told the board that he will hire local people to staff the event and added that local artists were invited to showcase their work at a silent auction and a local chef would be offering the cuisine. He also said that one of the three wines to be served at the event would be a Wolffer Estate wine.

Trustee Alfred Kelman said he was concerned how much money would actually be going to the charity, Ward said he would be giving 25 percent of the proceeds to the charity, while Ward would keep the remaining 75 percent to pay for costs of the event and his overhead.

“I am the fundraiser of it … it does take a year to put it together,” Ward said.

“Well it sounds like a profit making venture for you, rather than the Harlem Group,” mayor Don Louchheim said.

“They [Harlem Children’s Zone] get a considerable amount of money,” Ward maintained. “I’ve worked with many businesses and have volunteered my services in the past.”

Kelman said for future parties, he would be interested in knowing which events benefited charities and how much of the proceeds will go to the particular charity.

“We need to try to delineate between charity and events so they can have their party,” Kelman said.

He added after Ward left the room that during certain charity softball games, “everyone donates their time” and he said that 80 to 95 percent of the proceeds would go to the charity.

Deputy mayor Lee Foster, thought that there may be another problem that might prohibit Ward from holding his event. She explained that if the vehicles were parked in the fields at 231 Hedges Lane, nematodes, a type of roundworm that lives in the field, could pose a problem. She told the applicant to contact the Westhampton office of the State Department of Agriculture and Markets because she thought they may need to take precautions to ensure that nematodes are not transferred to other areas by cars.

 

Poxabogue

 

At their last meeting in January, the Sagaponack Village Board discussed changes to the Poxabogue Golf Course located on Montauk Highway in Wainscott, in close proximity to the Sagaponack Village Hall. The board and trustees had concerns at that meeting about being uninformed about changes to the course.

Louchheim announced on Monday that last weekend, East Hampton Town Supervisor Bill McGintee met with the Wainscott Citizens Advisory Committee and showed the CAC a four-phase plan for the Poxabogue Golf Center. That multi-phase plan includes a mini golf course and the acquisition of the adjacent Mulford property, among other changes.

Louchheim said that Southampton Town Councilwoman Nancy Graboski was “apologetic for leaving us out of the loop, but at the same time no one has tried to get us in the loop.”

By Marissa Maier

On Sunday, January 25, a noose was found hanging from a tree along a secluded hiking trial in Sagaponack near the Long Island Power Authority right-of-way. It is yet to be determined whether this incident is connected to the noose found in almost the same area in October 2008. The Suffolk County Police Hate Crimes Unit is currently handling the case.

According to Suffolk County Detective Sergeant Robert Reecks, a man walking his dog on Sunday morning noticed the noose. The location of the incident was within the jurisdiction of the Southampton Town Police. Police officers processed the scene and removed the noose from its location. In accordance with new legislation pertaining to hate crimes, Southampton Police later deferred the case to the county.

The legislation was enacted in response to a noose discovered on October 27, hanging 20 feet above the ground from a LIPA tower. Prompted by the Southampton Anti-Bias Task Force, Southampton Town Police Chief James Overton developed a formal procedure for investigating hate crimes within the town. The procedure stipulates that hate crimes will be handled by the county.

Det. Sgt. Reecks said the rope from the noose would be tested for trace evidence to see if it shares any similarities with the first noose. Reecks added that it is difficult to determine the motive behind the incident and who planted the noose because of the remote location of the crime scene. There is only one residence near the site and the trails are often impassable during the winter. The trails by the LIPA right-of-way are out of sight from the roads and are “deep in the woods” said Reecks. Two county detectives visited the site on Tuesday morning and were forced to use four-wheel drive in order to reach the location.

If a suspect is found and if the noose was planted with the intent of threatening another based on their race, gender, nationality, or sexual orientation, the suspect would face charges of aggravated harassment in the first degree, a felony.
“It isn’t really a hate crime at this point,” said Det. Sgt. Reecks. “Right now I have a noose hanging in the woods and we are investigating it at face value. [At the moment,] we are looking at this as an incident versus a crime.”

In response to the incident, Southampton Town Councilwoman and liaison to the town’s Anti-bias Task Force Anna Throne-Holst said “It is obviously a disturbing thing to find a second noose in such a short time . . . I think no matter what happens, it is important that we are investigating this and sending the message that we are a community on notice. This is an opportunity to send a message to the perpetrator that we don’t accept this behavior and that it is not a joke.”

The Village of Sagaponack is considering amendments to the village code in order to find ways to encourage historic preservation within its borders.

At their monthly work session, the village board of trustees listened as chairwoman of the architectural and historic review board (AHRB) Ana Daniel spoke of the recent demolition of historic buildings within the village.

Daniel expressed concerns about a request to demolish a historic barn-like structure on Parsonage Lane. Daniel said she felt it was “a preferable solution” to keep the house as a guest house, rather than demolish it and build a garage, which was the final decision by the AHRB. Because the owners of the property wanted to build a residential house on the rear of the property, the smaller structure would not be allowed by village code to stay as an additional residential structure.

Daniel said the owners of the property on Parsonage Lane were willing to restore the structure and then the AHRB could accept it as a historic structure rather than what she said looked like “a Hollywood set.”

 “It offends me, personally,” Daniel said about the destruction of these types of buildings overall.

The viable solution, Mayor Don Louchheim said, “is to have code amendments to encourage preservation for buildings deemed historic.”

This, he added, would give the zoning board the right to grant variances and other boards the right to offer waivers.

 “We don’t want to try and mandate,” but Louchheim added, “You have to mandate something to create incentives.”

“We want to make clear that we want historical preservation in the most extreme way possible,” Daniel said.

Trustee Alfred Kelman, said that the dialogue between the board of trustees and the AHRB is healthy, and that is the purpose of the various boards. Although he reminded the room, “They [property owners] have the right to challenge the village.”

“Somebody should get something for preservation,” Louchheim said, “in one way or another there should be a benefit.”

Louchheim said that in order to get historical preservation, the village may want to consider what the residents want and what would be a reasonable compromise “to permit one in order to preserve the other,” he said.

“What would you give?” Louchheim asked Daniel.

“What would be reasonable?” she replied, “These are very case specific.”

Trustee and AHRB liaison, Lisa Duryea Thayer said that there are three applications looking to the board for guidance.

Louchheim said that the board would like to put something in the code, but they would like to first consult with village attorney, Anthony Tohill.

“If the owners would preserve shape and volume of historic buildings, I would be in favor.” Daniel said.

 

Calling all Bids Back

Sagaponack village trustees also announced at their work session the bids they had received from contractors for work on the roof and vestibule at the new village hall have been rejected.

Louchheim announced at the meeting that the bids would be deemed defective because they did not comply with new procedures required by the state as of July 2008, which requires sealed bids for subcontractors.

“I checked with the village attorney,” Louchheim said, “and he confirmed that we needed sealed bids for subcontractors.”

The bids were opened on Friday, January 9, and as a result of the non-compliance with the New York State requirement, the village has informed all the bidders that they would need to resubmit the bids.

“There were no changes to the specifications of the bid, only to the filing of the bid and the paperwork that is required to file the bid,” village clerk Rhodi Winchell said.

Christian Wölffer, one of the pioneers of viticulture on the South Fork, and proprietor of the vineyard and horse farm that bears his name, died in a boating accident on New Years Eve while swimming in Brazil. Wölffer, who was vacationing when he was struck by a boat, was 70. According to the Associated Press, Mr. Wölffer was struck by the propeller of the boat, opening a deep cut. He was off the beach at Paraty, a colonial town about 100 miles west of Rio de Janeiro. According to reports, he had been visiting a friend’s home and had decided to go for a swim in an area where boats are restricted within 650-feet of shore. After being struck, reports indicate Mr. Wölffer waved for help and was pulled from the water by, among others, Brazilian soap opera star Rodrigo Hilbert. The Associated Press reports police have interviewed the driver of the boat, and are considering charges.

Mr. Wölffer’s rambling 170 acres along Montauk Highway in Sagaponack is a popular landmark, with rolling fields of wine grapes. He first purchased the property in 1978 as a 14-acre parcel with a farmhouse surrounded by potato fields. By 1997, he had amassed the rest of the acreage and built a state-of-the-art winery at a cost of more than $15 million. On the property are 55 acres of vineyard and the 100-acre Wölffer Estate Stables, including an 80-stall facility with the largest indoor riding field on the East Coast.

“He was one of the few guys who came and took a big financial risk with building a winery here,” said Ted Conklin, proprietor of the American Hotel. “He hired wisely 20 years ago and continued to stand by the business model, continually investing in the winery and staff.

“Had other operators been so dedicated to their business model, the future of the wine industry on Long Island would be more highly elevated. The problem is, there are very few Christian Wölffers,” said Conklin.

Mr. Wölffer, whose careers have included investment banking, venture capital, real estate, agriculture and entertainment parks, was born in Hamburg, Germany, where, as a teenager, he began as a trainee in a bank. He later worked for an import/export company, and later with the German chemical company BASF, as a manager of their sales force in Mexico. He spent more time in Mexico, Central and South America with a firm that sold printing and packaging equipment to commercial printers and publishers worldwide.

His interest in South America apparently continued to the time of his death.

According to a blog from the Wine Spectator, Mr. Wölffer was investing in vineyards in Argentina. In an interview with the Wine Spectator’s James Molesworthy, Mr. Wölffer noted, “‘You can’t make money here doing quality,’ he said bluntly. ‘You can only make money here if you do volumes.’”

Among his investments in that country are a minor share in a winery known for sparkling wines targeted at Argentina’s domestic market and 2000 acres he was developing in Mendoza, with 740 acres already planted, and plans for a hotel.

Molesworthy’s blog also says Mr. Wölffer was planning on purchasing another Argentinian winery, and a property outside Buenos Aires for a residential, spa, golf and equestrian complex.

“Christian’s vision for what Long Island winemaking could accomplish and his passion for horses that led to the building of an elite equestrian center represents an enduring legacy which the Wölffer family is committed to uphold,” the family said in a statement released Monday.  ”We have all been blessed by Christian’s strength, his charisma, his charm, and his untiring passion to live each day to the fullest.”

The family is also committed to carrying on the operations at the estate in Sagaponack.

“The vineyard and stables are fully operational and thriving businesses,” said John Nida, general manager for the estate. “The family is fully committed to upholding Christian’s legacy and continuing the operation of the vineyard and stables. We are left with the tools to move the businesses forward.”