Fed Up With Signs at Long Wharf

Sag Harbor Village officials have been mulling how to regulate signs that are posted at the entrance to Long Wharf, with some calling for a ban on signs there altogether. The board also discussed parking after Nada Barry, the owner of the Wharf Shop, asked how it was that about a dozen spaces on Main Street had been reserved for a group of “fancy” cars late last month. 

For as long as anyone can remember, the village board has approved signs for community events, such as HarborFest or the American Music Festival, on a  40-by-50-foot grassy area at the wharf. Over the past few years, the number of requests has increased, with more organizations asking for permission to place signs there and the appearance of a number of different sizes. 

“It’s out of control, we all know that,” Ms. Barry said after Mayor Sandra Schroeder raised the issue and noted that there had been talk about prohibiting or finding another place for them.

“I’ve been opposed to signs on the Long Wharf for quite a while,” said Ed Deyermond, a board member, who has recently voted against sign requests. James LaRocca, another board member, agreed there was room for improvement, but said signs offer the community something  that he would hate to get rid of. He suggested taking the next month to consider ways to make the area more attractive.

According to Ken O’Donnell, a board member who is the liaison to the Highway Department, signs are doing irreparable damage to Long Wharf plumbing, with stakes being driven through an irrigation system. “I think it definitely needs to be looked at,” he said. 

Robby Stein, the deputy mayor, commented that the area had become a magnet for professional advertising signs. 

“It’s out of control and not all those signs are permitted,” Mr. Deyermond pointed out. Mr. LaRocca asked if tickets were issued to those who put up signs that were not approved by the board, but no answer was immediately forthcoming.  He also wanted to know how surrounding communities handle signs. “I’m feeling like, I’d hate to shut it down altogether, if it serves a purpose,” he said, adding that he likes seeing reminders for community events, like the blood drives by Sag Harbor Volunteer Ambulance Corps. 

Ms. Barry said community members may have some good ideas about how best to handle the situation, and a few ideas thrown out by the audience at the meeting were to create a community bulletin board or an electronic sign on which only the village would be able to post events. The board will continue the discussion at its Nov. 8 meeting. 

The Main Street parking issue was not unexpected. In July, the village board had approved a request from Aaron Hsu on behalf of Club 369, a limited liability corporation, reserving 14 parking spaces across from the American Hotel during the Historic Automobile Tour on Sept. 27 from noon to 3 p.m. 

Mr. Stein said the European sports cars were parked in spaces reserved through what are called encumbrance permits, which were $50 each, and that the club also made a $1,000 donation to the Sag Harbor Village Police Benevolence Association. Encumbrance permits are available to anyone, he said. He noted that parking was not reserved just to allow drivers to have lunch at the American Hotel, as Ms. Barry said she had heard, but that they had walked around and spent money in the village. Even so, Ms. Barry thought it was a bad idea.

“That’s pretty much exactly what I said, terrible precedent,” Mr. Deyermond said. Mr. O’Donnell agreed, saying he felt it was like “selling our souls” for $50. They voted against it on July 12. 

By phone yesterday, Mr. O’Donnell and Mr. Deyermond said the parking spaces had been “coned” off from at least 8 a.m. on the Tuesday they were expected. As a business owner, Mr. O’Donnell wondered how many times cars would have come and gone in the spaces with people shopping in the village that day, since regular parking is limited to two hours. “Everybody needs everything, whether it’s the weather, the spaces, to make money in this economy,” he said. “Nada could use the spaces for someone randomly coming in and buying toys. Schmidt’s could use it for someone stopping in to buy wine and liquor. Schiavoni’s could use it for someone stopping in to get their needs,” he said. He noted that his restaurant, La Superica, is closed on Tuesdays, however.

Mr. O’Donnell also said he was not in favor of closing Long Wharf again for a weekend in July for the Bay Street Theater’s fund-raising gala. “I don’t want to become the village of no,” he said, but “they could have gotten 13 spots at the end of the Long Wharf at this time of year and not adversely affected anyone.”

In other news, it seems that the purchase by Mitch Winston of Amagansett and his partners of the Morpurgo house at 6 Union Street may finally close. Tom Preiato, the village building inspector, said an investor informed him the closing is set for Oct. 25. The dilapidated, foreclosed house has been on the board’s agenda for months as it considered knocking it down due to health and safety concerns. 

Mr. Winston was the winning bidder at an auction of the house in June, and the village decided to hold off until the new owners could take hold of the property and shore it up. The closing was delayed when a Dix Hills woman went to court in July, claiming a legal interest in the property. Her claim was dismissed in August. David J. Gilmartin Jr., the village attorney, said the closing would take place after the time to appeal the decision had passed.

Correction: The minutes from July 12 reflect Ed Deyermond and Ken O'Donnell voted against the resolution, not in favor, as this article previously stated.