Fight Underway for Historic Windmills to Power the Hamptons

For the last five months, Southampton resident Priscilla Cole has headed up a nonprofit group devoted to getting our 11 beautiful East End windmills up and running as tiny power stations. The wind will push the sails attached to the blades — she’s already bought the canvas for those that have no sails — and the blades will cause an armature inside each mill to pivot rapidly back and forth and thus power the festive lights attached to the blades of each mill.

Her nonprofit fundraiser called “Light Up the Mills” has been highly successful and two weeks ago she announced that the goal had been reached. As a result, the work at each mill is being rushed to completion for the summer season. There will be a grand opening celebration at each mill at 9 p.m. on July 1.

Of course, she’s had to get the approvals from the town, which owns the mills and preserves them as historic sites. It’s a wonderful project and everyone’s been in favor of this. The mayor is excited about it.  Our County Legislator is in favor of it. And the business owners, local Lions Club and summer people are all on board. Or almost everybody. As usual, there are a few grumps who always oppose things.

These windmills were all built between 1795 and 1820 to grind grain into flour and are the trademark and pride of our community. Standing 30 feet tall — 45 if you count the blades — they are the largest assemblage of historic windmills in the country. You’ll see one in Shinnecock, one in Southampton, Bridgehampton, Shelter Island, Gardiner’s Island, Wainscott, Water Mill and then four in East Hampton, and they all served the local farmers until the invention of the combustion engine around 1835 made them obsolete. Small inexpensive iron farm engines powered by gasoline could do the same thing at each farm instead.

In any case, when Cole gets done, these mills will all be almost living things, providing power from the wind. Though on a very small scale — together they will produce only 0.05 kilowatts — they will be an endorsement of such power.

It’s been a remarkable crusade for this energetic woman. But she has been up to the task.

Cole is a descendant of the Heinz ketchup fortune, and was in residence until five years ago at Pittsburgh Heights, Pennsylvania. At that time, she pulled up roots and is now a resident of Southampton’s busy summer colony, with a home on First Neck Lane and memberships in the Southampton Bathing Corporation and the nearby Meadow Club. She winters in Palm Beach.

Endorsements of her have come in from everywhere.

“I think she is doing wonderful things for the Hamptons,” said Vicki Gentry, the president of the Garden Club.

“She is a remarkable woman and there’s no stopping her,” said Maggie McLaughlin, the president of the Chamber of Commerce.

But now something did. It came as an order from the administrator of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin.

Cole has been quite shaken by it.

“It has come to our attention that a group called ‘Light Up the Mills’ intends to hold a grand opening on July 1, 2025 at which time a new wind power project shall commence simultaneously at 11 windmills throughout the Hamptons with crowds of people at each location,” it reads.

“This wind power project is unlicensed, not eligible for a license, and is in violation of the law.

“On Feb. 1, 2025, President Trump’s executive order made it illegal for any new power source to be created unless it is powered by gas, oil or coal. ‘Light Up the Mills’ is not an operation powered by gas, oil or coal.

“Those responsible for this project will be charged with a crime and subject to fines up to $1 million for each day this operation continues. Perpetrators will also be sentenced to up to eight years in jail.”

“This is not a joke,” Cole told this reporter. “A notice was delivered to me at my home yesterday by a man from the EPA in uniform. They wear uniforms. And the EPA man was accompanied by an officer from the Hampton Police Department.”

“What are you going to do?” I asked.

“We are going ahead with the plan,” she said. “And we are going to fight this order. I’ve hired the Heinz company’s top attorneys to file a lawsuit. I’m taking a full-page ad in Dan’s Papers next week and I’ve contacted the mayor and lots of others to seek help. I have also posted a petition online where citizens can sign that demands the EPA reverse this order. You can sign it at ipetitions.com.  Look for “Stop The Madness.”

Among others this reporter talked to was Carl Justinbach of the Justinbach Swimming Pool Company.

“We all know Lee Zeldin. He ran against New York Governor Kathy Hochul as the Republican candidate two years ago and lost.

“He lives in Shirley, Long Island, just 20 miles west of the Hamptons, and I recently installed a new Olympic-sized swimming pool on his property. His tiny old one with the plastic liner was heated by propane. The new one is heated by solar panels he put on his roof.   Know what he said? ‘That was before Trump’s executive order.’ That’s what he said. And he stood by this decision. Times have changed, he said.”

The mayor had this to say. “We stand behind Ms. Cole. Trump gave Zeldin this plum job for running against the governor. If Zeldin wants to arrest us, he will have to arrest all of us. Thousands of us. Come clean out the Hamptons, Mr. Zeldin. Or reverse this decision.”

To sign the petition, use the link ipetitions.com/petition/stop-the-madness-light-up-the-mills. You do not need to be a Hamptons resident to help get this grievous error reversed.