Outcry Over Beach Barrier

A rising chorus of complaints about a steel barrier erected by William Rudin to protect a dune restoration project at his oceanfront residence washed up at the Bridgehampton Citizens Advisory Committee on Nov. 12.

In a unanimous vote, members asked the Southampton Town Board to rescind the temporary permit it gave Mr. Rudin to build the barrier, called a cofferdam, stating that it was responsible for exacerbating erosion caused by successive stormy weekends and destroying "precious beach property."

Fred Cammann, a committee member, urged the group to take a stand against the 300-foot-long structure, which rises 15 feet above the beach. "It's empirically obvious that this has had a destructive impact," Mr. Cammann said. "I'm totally convinced this is a failed experiment."

Town Board Gave Okay

Mr. Rudin received permission from the Town Board to erect the cofferdam at his Dune Road property while First Coastal Corporation of Westhampton Beach installed a "subsurface dune restoration system" of giant sandbags buried at a contour, and plantings.

The agreement settled a $75 million lawsuit against the town brought by Mr. Rudin and eight neighbors.

Although the Town Board held a special meeting on Monday to discuss erosion problems that have wiped out a stairway, left cesspools exposed at Scott Cameron Beach, and forced it to shore up the dune there, it did not withdraw the permit, which expires early next month.

"Hot Spot"

The erosion has forced Mr. Rudin's neighbor Edward Padula to move his house back, away from danger, while high tides have cut off beach passage around the structure.

"I understand how someone can look at this and say it's Westhampton all over again," said Mr. Rudin this week. "This problem has been going on for five or six years. The damage that was done would have happened if the cofferdam wasn't there."

He laid the problem to a "hot spot," or low point in the barrier sand bar, that he said has slowly been making its way from east to west.

"The storms that have come up have made the situation worse," he said. "Hopefully, the beach will come back as it always has and the situation will resolve itself."

Natural Or Manmade?

Mr. Rudin said contractors were delayed somewhat by the storms but are now working overtime and on weekends to get the project finished by Dec. 10.

Robert G. Dean, an oceanographer from the University of Florida, inspected the site last weekend, he said, and concluded that the scouring, which occurred on either side of the cofferdam, was a natural storm occurrence.

But committee members and a number of guests who attended an open house held by the group disagreed.

"The damn beach was there before he put this up, and now the beach is gone," said Ted Damiecki, a Bridgehampton resident.

Fears Precedent

Peter Hopping, a committee member, commented that if the structure remained in place much longer, Mr. Rudin would find himself "with a steel fortress surrounded by water."

Another visitor, Gregg Petersen, said he feared the project would set a precedent for neighbors who would want to protect their own property.

Their efforts would be doomed to failure, he said, adding, "The only people who think they can do anything are in the dune restoration business."

Neighbors, Too?

David Muller, a caretaker for Mr. Rudin's neighbors Sandy and Rona Schneiderman, said the beach had already built itself back up, but committee members scolded him for his defense of the project.

"Are they going to build one, too?" asked Mr. Cammann of the Schneidermans.

"You're condemning him and you haven't given him a chance," Mr. Muller said of Mr. Rudin.

"He's already had his chance, and it's not working," shot back Mr. Hopping.

Public Restroom

On a less controversial note, John Rand, a committee member who has led a one-man crusade for the construction of a public restroom in Bridgehampton, announced that his efforts may pay off.

Mr. Rand told the committee that Robert Duffy, the town's director of land management, has agreed a public restroom should be a priority and has offered to help find a place on town property to build it.

Earlier this year Mr. Rand canvassed business owners on Main Street, who unanimously agreed a bathroom was needed. Many offered to contribute toward the cost of construction, he noted.