Citizens Advisory Committee Looks Ahead

For over two hours on Monday, the Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee and a slew of other residents went over the problems that have dominated conversation here this summer, mentioning the “horror” of taxicabs and the need for code enforcement. They praised the new online complaint form on East Hampton Town’s website, which Betsy Bambrick, the director of the Ordinance Enforcement Department, who attended the meeting, said was unbelievably effective. Members also heard promising reports about new taxi legislation and town efforts to solve some parking problems.

Ms. Bambrick arrived armed with documents filled with statistics on violations throughout town. Montauk had received the lion’s share of complaints, totaling 452 this year, with 352 filed since May 31, she said. For the most part, they were about noise, housing and zoning matters, and miscellaneous items such as parking and peddling. Ninety-two complaints resulted in charges.

Ms. Bambrick’s department has six full-time officers, one clerk, and two part-time officers in summer, some of whom work at night. Asked if the staff was large enough, Ms. Bambrick seemed reluctant to answer but finally said, “Of course, more staff would be great.”

Ms. Bambrick said once cases have been filed with the court they are out of her department’s hands, and, she said, some had lingered for years. East Hampton Town Police Lt. Chris Hatch, the Montauk precinct commander, said that in severe cases a Supreme Court restraining order can be obtained against a repeated offense.

‘Someone is going to get killed here and it’s going to happen soon.’

— James Grimes

Moving on, the committee rehashed the community’s taxi complaints, with members saying gypsy cab owners took advantage of the seasonal bloat, inflated rates, fought, and sometimes even slept in their vehicles. Lieutenant Hatch said next year should see improvement, as many two-year permits are to expire. New legislation will impose stricter limits, licenses will have to be renewed annually, and proof of residence submitted, he said.

Lieutenant Hatch reported that some cab owners had learned about the new legislation and applied for new  licenses before it went into effect. He added, however, that the one-year permit is going to “cycle people out of the system.”

Peter Van Scoyoc, the town board liaison to the committee, confirmed that the town is looking at ways to eliminate the cluster of taxis that park on both sides of Main Street near the Montauk Chamber of Commerce, and that the reconfiguration of parking at the Long Island Rail Road station is also under review. James Grimes, a member of the Montauk Fire Department, said the parking scene at the Surf Lodge, which is not far from the station and the firehouse, needed to be addressed.

“It is time we enforced some logic on these businesses. Someone is going to get killed here and it’s going to happen soon,” he said to a round of applause.

The meeting ended with a discussion of the plans put forward by a corporation called ED40, which purchased the East Deck Motel last fall. Noting that the area was environmentally sensitive, Richard Kahn, a committee member and attorney, asked if the town were going to require personal names to be submitted when special permits or variances were sought.

ED40 is not required to do so, and J. Darius Bikoff had been identified as an owner only through published reports. Mr. Van Scoyoc said the town’s ethics committee was considering the issue. The committee then voted to ask the town planning board to require a full environmental impact statement before granting any permits on the property.