Dan's Papers -November 21, 2008 - Montauk Plan: Just Stop the Ocean, Please

The timing - as timing seems to be lately - was most curious. As the Town of East Hampton is struggling to get its financial house in order, the Town's Planning Board was in Montauk seeking input on what that village can do to make things better, particularly in the business area.

The Montauk locals slowly arrived the evening of Thursday, Nov. 13 to the Montauk Fire House to complete a sort of "open house" for ideas. Under the direction of East Hampton Town Planning Director Marguerite Wolffsohn the meeting, attended by many members of the health, engineering and Town Planning departments (including Town Engineer Thomas D. Talmage) was called to order.

The number one concern of all who showed up was beach erosion, or as one fellow repeated, "If we don't do anything, one storm will come by and wipe out the downtown, making the rest of these plans irrelevant." The quagmire is that the ocean, which made all who own businesses in Montauk successful, is also the looming threat to the livelihood of those same people.

Huddled around the table labeled "Recreation Parks and Drainage," the residents seemed to be led by John Keeshan, Montauk's Chamber of Commerce 2008 Person of the Year. The soft spoken, well-informed Keeshan was direct and poignant, and Wolffsohn expressed that she heard what was being said. Everyone at the table realized that the cost of any plan to restrain the ocean - like getting more sand, having sand bags readily available, building necessary structures - flew in the face of the fact the town finances are already stretched. But the thought that even a severe Nor'easter could cause severe damage to the Town of Montauk as we know it was sobering. Lorraine Creegan, Director of the Montauk Chamber of Commerce, was all over this issue saying something must be done soon.

At the "Parking, Alleys and Public Transportation" table, Principal Planner Tara Powers listened to ideas to increase beach parking legally in town, as well as perhaps adding a beach shuttle for a simple reason: more legal parking means more visitors in town longer. At the "Sidewalks and Traffic" station, Assistant Planning Director Jo Anne Pahwul said the issues discussed were "free parking at Nick's Beach and perhaps a small beach boardwalk there."

With Eric Schantz from the Town Heath Department and Director of Housing Tom Ruhle manning the "Motels, Housing and Business" station, the issues were affordable housing for seasonal workers and year round employees, as well as the difficulty in completing timely renovations on old buildings. At the "Design and Architecture" station, Maureen Ryan of the Planning Department stressed the integrity of the town's appearance, hoping to foster more of the Carl Fisher Era look for downtown. Ideas were discussed about future building proposals to limit to the creative process within the borders of good taste and legality.

Even though the ocean, storms and erosion were the big topics, the meeting elicited suggestions on other areas and allowed East Hampton Town government and Montauk hamlet residents to communicate about Montauk's needs, ills and future. Wolffsohn stressed that this sort of meeting was to be held in all the hamlets of the Town of East Hampton. Her report may help procure grants and support decisions made by the Town Board. Wolffsohn said that ideas and recommendations from all the hamlets would be discussed at a meeting of the Planning Board and a document would be drafted. Before being finalized, that document would be presented to residents for public discussion. At the end of the meeting, Wolffsohn said, "I was happy with the turnout. We got lots of great comments and now we will list the priories, and come back with the draft resolutions."

The town staff worked tirelessly to answer every question. They listened to all suggestions and made notes throughout the evening. It was the best of town democracy at work - an example of small town America's ability to participate in decisions and make a difference.

When the meeting ended, I realized this was perhaps the most civil of all the Town Meetings I've covered in recent memory, perhaps because those in attendance were concerned forward thinkers who came together to find solutions.