makefile stomps on ./configure options

["Andrew D. Fant" <fant@xxxxxxxxx>]

In the course of trying to build 2.4.0 on a system here, I noticed some
strange behavior.  After running configure with some options set to
conform to local layout standards, it appears that the first thing the
makefile does is to rerun configure with no variables set at all.  Is
there a reason for this, and if so, is there a recommended workaround
that doesn't require manual repatching of the makefile at each build?

Thanks,
        Andy