Sand Quality Is Called Into Question
The Montauk Citizens Advisory Committee discussed the quality of the sand to be used in the Army Corps of Engineers’ repair of the downtown beaches with County Legislator Jay Schneiderman and East Hampton Town Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc for over an hour on Monday, during a two-hour meeting.
Members worried that the sand would not be compatible with the natural sand and expressed concern about the material that will fill the geotextile bags being placed on the beach as well. They feared the bags could burst and fill the beach with quarry sand, dirt, and grit. Mr. Schneiderman, a Montauk resident, did not denigrate their concerns but said there were specifications that would have to be followed. He praised the project, saying, “A significant beach is coming back to Montauk.”
After the lengthy discussion, the group agreed to ask the Town of East Hampton to retain a coastal engineer to monitor the project.
But some audience members were not pleased. Chris Poli, a surfer who often speaks out, said half the people in the room think the project is going to fail. “Why are we taking this risk?” he asked. Mr. Van Scoyoc’s response was, “There are risks all around with this project. It’s a risk not to do anything.”
With Mr. Schneiderman in the room, members asked about problems on county roads, specifically the parking situation on Edgemere Road caused by the Surf Lodge restaurant and bar and confusion at the four-way intersection in the harbor area near the Tipperary Inn. The intersection has stop signs on the north and south sides while east to west does not.
East Hampton Town Police Lt. Chris Hatch, the Montauk precinct commander, noted that there have been a lot of near misses at the site and some accidents. The county had been against having a roundabout there in the past, and Mr. Schneiderman asked for a show of hands in favor of one now. While there was no consensus, he said he would ask the county to take a look at both areas and explore using reflective tape to block parking on the corners of Edgemere where it meets Industrial Road near the Surf Lodge and the addition of stops signs on all four corners in the harbor area.
On other topics, Diane Hausman, the committee chairwoman, went over a list of items that the Montauk Chamber of Commerce has asked the town to increase funding for in next year’s budget. The list includes restoring the gazebo on the downtown green, which was said to be in terrible condition and a danger to children, and upgrading its electrical system. Also on the chamber’s list is more traffic control and police officers in the summer to monitor parking and taxis on both sides of Main Street in front of the chamber building. Other items on the list were an increase in funding for the town Sanitation Department so that it could do more daily beach cleanups, Wednesday hours reinstated at the Montauk recycling center, and lighted crosswalks in the downtown area, similar to those that are in East Hampton Village’s business district.
The committee has been asking for improved lighting in the downtown area for several years and agreed that the chamber’s list matched most of those they would like. They asked, however, for two other items to be added: extending the wood guardrail all around the gazebo and upgrading the restrooms at Ditch Plain and South Lake Beaches and one near the police annex downtown.