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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB-03/29/2022 PH 1 COUNTY OF SUFFOLK : STATE OF NEW YORK TOWN OF SOUTHOLD -------------------------------------------------- TOWN OF SOUTHOLD REGULAR TOWN BOARD MEETING -------------------------------------------------- Southold, New York March 29, 2022 4 : 30 P . M . B E F 0 R E : JILL DOHERTY, COUNCILWOMAN LOUISA P . EVANS , JUSTICE BRIAN 0 . MEALY, COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI , COUNCILMAN SARAH E . NAPPA, COUNCILWOMAN 2 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Is there anybody who would like to approach the Board with any subject? KERRI FRIEND : My name is Kerri Friend . I live on Peconic Bay Boulevard, and I live in Laurel . And normally I speak on behalf of Peconic Bay, Bay, Zigby and Bray . I named all of them. And I am the one who usually speaks . I am the one who sends the e-mails . Today I decided to bring a lot of them with me . You will see many of them are on Zoom. I think I have about 9 or 10 of them via Zoom. But I got as many as I could, I realize it ' s people have to work and they cannot take off . What I would like to do is go through a few things . As always , I will speak on behalf of everybody here . I do have a few words and I do apologize, when I ask for -- there are some concerns and I am going to speak on their behalf . We are concerned about people passing over the double yellow line, tailgating while going over the limits . Trucks and cars speeding, local delivery people, Fed-Ex, even large oil trucks , 3 school buses , etcetera . From walking my dog, many people on the other side of the road, passing my road, they do not slow down . When they pass me on the correct side, they are very close and fast . It ' s nerve wracking . Every passing, they will continue to speed even faster . Texting while speeding . Speed enforcement needs to be backed up for the signs . Especially from 3 : 00 P .M . to 6 : 00 P . M . Those are the busiest times . It seems that every pickup truck, contractor, they all speed . Mostly locals . And those vehicles should be using the highway . This is just one . I am going to go through a few because we still have many reasons based on our roads . I think some people are actually speeding up as they hit the speed signs . I have watched a lot of driving back and forth from Mattituck and almost antagonizing some . Someone else has mentioned Hubbard has a high fine and community service if caught speeding on that road . That is a huge deterrent . Signs are not working . The only other options are either cameras that ticket or police or 4 speed cushions or any combination . Since I walk every day, I try to get to the side streets quickly . I noticed that the older population watches the speed limit or even crosses the double yellow line to give me some birth . And young people are speeding and tailgating, if you are not driving fast enough . No accountability . No change . That is clear . Like I keep saying, speed cameras are the only things that work besides police, but you will not spare the manpower . You get caught with a speed camera, you will have to pay $ 85 . 00 and you will think twice again . These speed signs only work for us , who are abiding drivers . Not the criminal element driving down the boulevard . Someone wrote a nice letter, " I have been living on Peconic Bay Boulevard for many years and I have yet to see any law enforcement spend any meaningful time here . Meaningful means equipped with radar on very busy days , during heavy traffic time . Evenings and rush hour in mind, with persistent and effective policing, it could spread the word that the boulevard is 5 ( inaudible ) known for heavy ticketing . An occasional drive-by does absolutely nothing . Someone should work on getting the boulevard police consistently, if anything is going to change . If the police department is under staffed, then maybe that needs to be addressed because there is no meaningful police presence when it comes to traffic enforcement on our roads . It ' s pathetic . It ' s pathetic that our representatives can ' t get a handle on this . I am having trouble -- someone did e-mail and send me a text . Short, sweet and to the point . Summer is coming . How difficult is it to install ticketing cameras or do we have to wait until someone is killed bu a speeding vehicle . This debate has gone on long enough . I am sorry, somebody else texted me . I didn ' t get a chance to read it . I would have to find it in my long lengthy messages . This is just a few of the concerns coming from the people on the roads , Peconic Bay Blvd . I am going to give you an update on the radar signs . The last time I was here, several weeks ago, and Ms . 6 Nappa, thank you, because you did . You took the initiative to put something up . But as I stated, if there are no consequences , it ' s going to become a joke . We have sat there . We have watched . I have personally seen someone doing over 60 miles an hour . It was clocked . When I turned around, someone -- when I turned around to look . I saw them. It was a maroon colored BMW . Any of you? When I turned, 62 miles an hour . That is a disgrace . That is a death waiting to happen and I pray that it ' s not one of your family members . Many people don ' t care . They are not going to get a ticket . Twice in the last two weeks did we see a police force with radar . Pulled up at 4 : 00 o ' clock . It was gone by 4 : 45 . Is this a local problem? Are there locals that are speeding? Yes . They can get away with it . I teach High School . If you establish rules , you don ' t enforce them, can you imagine what the High School ' s would look like? I wouldn ' t want to be there . Even the locals are a threat . February 20th, whether the person was reckless , drunk, distracted, driver ran up 7 on a residential lawn on Bay Avenue . Ran over the mailbox . Proceeded to hit two trees . Kept going . If that resident was standing on their front lawn, they would have been killed . The car was driving with that much force . Three weeks to the day . Even around the same time, which was March 13th, someone hit when of our brand new signs . To give you an extent of how hard they hit, they ran over the sign, hitting half . Broke the wood stake in half . They ran through that into the telephone pole and took off . Do you know how many residents walk the boulevard? Do you know how many people push their kids in strollers ? How many people walk their dogs , which are their children . This is a residential neighborhood . No commerce . There is no need for the amount of traffic that goes up and down any of our roads . About a month ago, I sent you an article . Whether you chose to read it or not, it was up to you . Now as a teacher, I am going to tell you the highlights of this . I don ' t know if any of you are familiar with Patchogue . I know 8 many of you don ' t go past Riverhead . Patchogue is very, very populated . Has a lot of main roads . They have a trustee there by the name of Joseph Keys . Patchogue Village Trustee described what he can only say as maniacs . I am in agreement, you ' re in agreement . Thank you . As a resident, his concern for the safety of residents in schools zones . We ' re not a school zone . But children in general . Within a few months , they installed 25 speed humps . I was told by Mr . Russell that cannot happen . It ' s amazing . We have all been fighting you for over two years . And if you have noticed, I am not budging . I am not moving . They ' re tired of hearing from me . And I am going to tell you and I don ' t know if you know anything about Patchogue, there are no small roads like we have out here . But they put in 25 speed humps . And do they have some feedback from it, yes . Yes emergency vehicles . Speed cushions . Like I told everyone . They have gaps for emergency vehicles to pass over without any interruption . The roads that they put speed 9 humps on, Cedar Avenue because that is very busy . West Avenue, West 4th . East 4th . Ocean Avenue . Ridiculous busy . They Village Highway Superintendent said that it had to be calculated very carefully . Respectfully so because they ' re not suitable for every area . The roads that they put them on, a little bit more busy than what we have here . And they ' re on a straight away . We are on winding roads . They plan on launching a program called No Need for Speeding . We are the ones that are pushing for it . Phase I included lawn signs . That said no need for speed . I am the one that I make the signs . I have nothing else to do with my time . My husband suggests otherwise, but it gets me out of painting . I make up the signs . I put them on my credit card . I use my promo code . And I just had to order ten more . I had to lay out over $300 . 00 for lawn signs . They get blown by the wind . They get stolen . They get run over . If anybody tries to run mine over, I am getting them new stakes with screws in it . Done . Phase II . They are 10 going to alter or restrict certain roads to make them visually look smaller . Phase III . They are -- the Town is coordinating some campaign where the residents are going to be asked to be park their cars on the street to force speeders to close down . Don ' t worry . Let ' s see, they are going to get the portable digital sign for the speed . Another Trustee is joining in . Trustee Patrick McEffy . And he said after hearing several residents safety concerns , he is on board . I think I have given 50 , 60 . They said that they know -- let ' s see, I am sorry . If the Village of Patchogue was able to place speed humps on their roads , busier than ours , with fewer complaints then I had given and they did it within a few months , why haven ' t you? You have a neighborhood . No commerce . You have people with deeded beach rights who are crossing the street . They are walking to get to the beach . Extra taxes on . Their lives are being put at risk and they ' re walking children across the street . There are elderly people across the street . As a matter of fact, age should not 11 matter . It ' s a human life that can get taken . I am sitting here and I am working for them. I work a full-time job . I commute three hours a day . I am doing this because our lives are being put at risk . You ' re using our roads as a scape goat because the roads cannot handle the amount of traffic that is coming in . Main Road is very congested . People get frustrated . The line of traffic get frustrated . They are stuck all the way back to Love Lane . Where do you think they ' re going to go? They ' re going to cut down Bay Avenue and excuse the expression, Haul Ass , so they don ' t have to sit in traffic at our expense . Would you want that in front of your home? Because I can make arrangements to have us all continuously loop around in front of your house and I will be happy to get 25 groups of motorcycles that come down, where I have to turn my television up . Who is going to stop the tour buses? We have a four ton limit . Who is going to sit there and tell them? Tourist season is quickly approaching unfortunately . What is being done to 12 preserve our roads? What is behind done to give is the safety that we deserve and to give us the quality of life that we are entitled to? Peconic Bay, Bay, Marleen and Zigby, are not an answer to alleviate traffic . This is not our problem but we ' re going to suffer the consequences . We are taxpayers . Do we enjoy paying taxes? No . But the money goes to the Town anyway . Some people $ 10 , 000 . Some people $20 , 000 . Some people pay $ 30 , 000 in taxes to live on a dangerous road and at times , with noise pollution that would rival any main thoroughfare . This is not fair . This is not the way that we want to live . We should not fear going out into our street . Even getting our mail . Why do we have to sit with our windows closed on a beautiful day because I can ' t even hear myself think? The constant road noise . Anything over 25 miles an hour, we hear . Over two years . It ' s painful . And the weekends ( inaudible ) they enjoy it, when do I get my time off? I work . I commute three hours a day . I work in Nassau County . And what does it look 13 like on our roadways , Nassau County . Don ' t let Nassau County ruin our North Fork . Don ' t let our residential roads become Main Road or Sound Avenue . We do not have a shoulder . We do not want a shoulder . We ' re not expanding our road . We are going to find a way to alleviate the traffic and slow people down . And whether it ' s ticketing cameras and there needs to multiple ones . Once they figure out where they are, once they pass it . They will fly . It ' s up to you, but I am not even close to being tired yet . Don ' t tell my husband yet . I am not done because this is where we live . You have turned around and hear from me time and time again . Kerri Friend brought some friends . And brought some friends up there . We don ' t deserve that . No one deserves that . There is no commerce there . There is no need for anyone to use that road except for the people that reside there . So this is on you . And if I have to, I will keep bringing people with me . I don ' t think I have to . I think I have proven my point . So this is now up to you . Preserve our 14 boulevard and preserve all of the connecting roads and preserve where we live . Thank you . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Thank you for your comments . Just a couple . Regarding the speed bumps , we haven ' t really talked about that as a solution -- as part of a solution . As you said before, there is going to be many things part of the solution . The Village of Patchogue is a Village and not a Town . There are some differences . And it didn ' t take a few months . They had to get State approval . So they have been working on that project for a while . And I know a few of the bumps have been removed . So they don ' t have all of them that they put in . It ' s a work in progress . So it ' s not something that we can just say let ' s put speed bumps and they ' re there . New York State takes a long time to approve such things . Any sign or thing that we put on our roads , if we change speed limits , we have to get approval from the State . (Audience Commotion . ) 15 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : As I said in the beginning -- let me finish please . We sat here and listened to this . We know the situation at Peconic Bay Boulevard . It ' s like many other side roads in our Town . There is not one solution . And I want to talk to the Chief, because Scott said the last time that he was going to talk to the Chief about enforcement . Enforcement is definitely needed on every code that we do . So we do need to -- we ' re trying things . Nothing is going to work overnight unfortunately . We ' ve tried many things . We ' re getting the one speed sign fixed . Talked about cameras . There is laws about how we have to -- maybe the Town Attorney can speak to the camera laws , we have to establish a code first . There is a process for that too . Unfortunately these things take a while too . We can ' t just go to Best Buy and put them up that afternoon . It ' s a process -- KERRI FRIEND : I know that there is a process but I need to know when this is being done . I know when Mr . Russell was 16 discussing it, he said he knew someone in New York that he was going to speak to . We need to be told -- you know, where we are in the process . And we keep referring to speed bumps and speed humps . Speed bumps not even -- not even a thought because one you have to come to a complete stop . A speed hump they had to remove because of emergency vehicles . And I keep telling you, it ' s called a speed cushion . But I need to know, has there been any communication with New York State regarding this because we have already seen within three weeks reckless behavior . I sent you a video when I pulled out of my driveway . I box truck was so close, I could not even see the front end of the truck . They were so close, I could see them smiling . I went into the back seat, as soon as I started videoing, they slowed down slightly . I was glad, because I wanted to get their license plate . When they saw the camera, they swerved onto oncoming traffic and onto a lawn . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : I saw your e-mail . 17 KERRI FRIEND : I am not here to yell . I am here to vocalize a concern and something needs to be done sooner rather than later . Being proactive rather than reactive . This is going to save a life . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : You can speak come up to the microphone and state your name, please? ELLEN WAGNER : I moved here -- TRUSTEE MEMBER : Can you state your name, please? ELLEN WAGNER : Ellen Wagner . I live in Laurel . I moved a year ago from Sag Harbor, where they actually lowered the speed limit in the Village and it made a significant difference . It also happened in Greenport, I am sure you know recently . It just made that 5-10 , it made a difference . COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: In Village ' s , they are allowed to lower their speed limit to 25 . Town ' s are not . Our lowest is 30 we can go . ELLEN WAGNER : What I wanted to address is what you said about the police chief . A year ago when I moved here, I was 18 painting . And there was an elderly couple riding their bikes . And a local truck, pickup truck, almost killed them. I was so horrified, I called the police . A lovely young man showed up . I told him what happened . I am a nurse at a local hospital . I don ' t want to see these people coming in with multiple fractures . When I lived -- worked in Southampton, we saw it multiple times . There was so many people getting hit by cars . On bikes . On scooters . He was a lovely young man . I said, why is it so loud when you speed by? He said, that is the road and you have to get used to it . I said, what about this problem? He said, well , you have to move off this main road . I moved to a dead-end street . I said, is there any enforcement? He said, ma ' am, the problem is , these guys over, these are our cousins . That is what he said . With all due respect, I moved here because it ' s a nice community . Everybody looks out for one another . I work in a hospital . I am part of your community . I love that . But a line has to be drawn . I am not a dramatic 19 person . It ' s really dangerous . ( Inaudible ) . It ' s just -- COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Well , I am sorry -- ELLEN WAGNER : That is the police officer . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : That is a little disturbing what the police officer said because he should treat everybody -- if your cousins are breaking the law, then he deserves -- that is how I feel anyway . ELLEN WAGNER : Thank you . COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: I know that Scott via e-mail has asked the Chief for more enforcement there . So that request -- the last time you were here, he did send that e-mail . I was copied on it . So it ' s not -- it ' s not going unheard . It ' s coming up with solutions . And you and I have spoke . And as Jill has said, multiple, you know, variety of things to fix some of these problems . KERRI FRIEND : Right after the signs were put up, there was no one -- COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: I made 20 that request to the Chief that after the signs were put up and said, it would be really great if you could do some enforcement . KERRI FRIEND : Twice . And they sit in the same spot . Closer to the beach . They can fly past our homes at 50/ 60 . See the police officer, slow down and keep going . Believe me, I love my police department . I am a huge supporter of the police department, but when they showed up twice for 45 minutes -- COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : We will talk to them again about the enforcement, but before I let you go, I just want to said one experience and put speed bumps down and we got complaints . And it didn ' t last long but we ' re not talking about the big length of Peconic Bay Boulevard . They complained of the thump, thump because the cars were going fast over the speed bumps . So one solution might cause another problem. KERRI FRIEND : No speed cushions you can hit at 30 miles an hour without disruption . 21 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : You still hear a little bit . KIM CALDWELL : Kim Caldwell . I don ' t think anyone is denying an obvious problem. I think it exists in our community but on all the roads . On Cox Lane, Pequash . So it seems to me that it needs to be a community effort . Not just our neighborhood . Multidisciplinary approach that is pragmatic . What can be done? What to do and who is doing it? People have been coming here for two years complaining . No one has said to us , we have reached out to the State . We have done the following . I am the one who wrote the letter about being here since 2013 and watching the conditions deteriorate . We ' re complaining and complaining and things are getting worse . People -- it ' s great . We know what the problem is , but what is the resolution? Can you increase finds and require community service? As has happened to me, I was speeding on Hubbard . I never speed on Hubbard ever, ever, ever . I paid a huge fine and had to do 10 hours of community 22 service . Stopped me dead in my tracks . Increasing fines , is it a possibility, yes or no . What is involved in doing it? Do it . Signs that record speed and tickets . What ' s involved doing it? Who is on top of that? Who is pursing that? Who is looking out to what ' s in doing it? Consistent police presence . It ' s a nightmare in the morning when all the -- you know the problem. All the construction workers are coming through Peconic Bay Boulevard in the morning . And they ' re coming in after their day is done . There are no police there during the most important times . Ear luy morning, rush hour, weekends . Somebody needs to be there . If we can ' t afford, well , hire a police officer who ' s job is to give tickets , whose salary is paid by all the tickets he writes . It ' s everywhere . More stop signs on the boulevard . The fact that it ' s an open -- can we do it? Can we get more stop signs ? Again, a person hired by the Town strictly for traffic enforcement . Recover the costs of the salary . What about articles in the newspaper? What about a campaign? It ' s 23 ironic that everybody comes to the North Fork to slow down . What is -- you know, what about a public movement -- COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : We do that in the fall . We do our quarter page ad that Denis gets out . And we often have a speeding thing, but if people are not getting the paper, they ' re not going to see the article . KIM CALDWELL : -- without stop signs and it seems to me that if we can ' t do all of these things because we ' re a Village or Town, where ever we are, we need to do the things that we can do . And if what we can do to enforce our speed limits , then the police need to be out there every day writing tickets . I never see anybody getting a ticket . There needs to be -- again, I know you got to work within the constraints but somebody needs to take this on . This is our project . This is how we ' re going to do it . These are the steps that we have taken . Not just hear us but say these are the things we ' re allowed to do . These are the things that we ' re actively doing . 24 Appreciate the signs . I think they work a little more than people are getting the credit for . I have seen people jump on their brake when they see the sign . Once they don ' t ticket though, they go on as they are . Lawn signs . The other thing is , it ' s a detraction . It lowers our property value . It ' s looks horrible on everybody ' s lawn . We need help . We ' re asking for help . COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: I am the person that is sort of taking on this charge . When I became the liaison to the transportation commission, my big thing right away was to pick up Peconic Bay Boulevard . I think some of the things that you are asking for, I have been working on . I have laid out different things . The first thing I worked on was the weight restriction . Everything comes with enforcement . But the first thing is to get that law passed . I have worked hard to get that done . KIM CALDWELL : Thank you . COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: The other thing was the speed signs . The other thing 25 you mentioned, Peconic Bay Boulevard is one but we have the other roads to think of as well . Speed signs , we budgeted . We moved some money from last year to get those signs ordered before the budget came out, where we budgeted more to do more signs . The pilot program was for Peconic Bay Boulevard . So we worked to get those four signs . And we need to work with the rest of the Town too . So we budgeted for those signs . Those signs need to go to other roads . As you said, we are rolling out those projects . I am now looking into those cameras . The cameras are another thing . But that -- there is some legal issues with those . KIM CALDWELL : So why aren ' t we seeing police officers out there every single day? COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: I agree with you . We ' re writing to the Chief and the Chief and has his opinions -- put his police force around . We ' re asking for more Peconic Bay Boulevard . I will continue to ask . He also has to have all officers all around the time . 26 KIM CALDWELL : But I don ' t see him ticketing officers anywhere . COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: Agreed . I will be sure to make a point of that . KIM CALDWELL : I see the cops speeding at the boulevard . I see them drinking coffee . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : I would like to get a report from the Chief . I would like to ask him what is getting down . KIM CALDWELL : We should be seeing that count go up . I mean, does it not create revenue? I mean, really dangerous situation . I do notice for the first time in 9 years that there have been tiny changes , but let ' s move it faster . Let ' s do everything that we can . Can we park on Peconic Bay Boulevard? I don ' t know . AUDIENCE MEMBER : Yes . Yes , you can . COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: Can we all -- can we all -- I just want to touch on a few more things . We ' re looking into cameras . There is a few more legal work on, as far as being able to send tickets . We have to collect data . There has to be a 27 program. That is the -- AUDIENCE MEMBER : Can you close the bridge for a while? COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: From my work from transportation, people don ' t like stop signs . That is a possibility -- COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Please , one person at a time . And Sarah has the floor right now . Please . COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: You all have locations where you would like stop signs , I can bring that to the transportation commission . That is how it works . And the transportation will review them and put them in . The other thing I will touch on, the solar signs because you mentioned it . The Highway Department worked hard and placing those signs and making sure they ' re not in peoples yards where people don ' t want them. The few places that they are in the yard, they spoke with those people and make sure they were okay with it . I know some people view them as decreasing property values , but we do have some great care in doing this and putting those signs 28 KIM CALDWELL : Sarah, I was not talking about those signs . I was talking about the signs that the residents are putting out . COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: Okay . All right . KIM CALDWELL : I have no problems . GUIDO DESENTA : I am Guido Desenta . I live on the boulevard . I have been living here for the past 20 years . The traffic in the past 20 years has significantly increased . You all know that . I have heard a lot of excuses on why almost nothing has been done, except the speed limit signs . I appreciate that . I think they were very well located . I was really impressed . The one that got knocked over, it was put back up in one week . I was very, very impressed . I keep hearing that Flatley had been asked multiple times to do things . Who does he work for? COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : He works for you . GUIDO DESENTA : He works for you . 29 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : He works for all of us . GUIDO DESENTA : We elected you . So he works for you . So instead of asking, why don ' t you just tell him? During the summer, there is four or five police cars at Harbes COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : They pay for that . GUIDO DESENTA : I ' m sorry, they don ' t pay for the traffic . The last summer, as I was driving by, there were three traffic control units and two patrol units . The patrol units were -- we ' re paying for . I actually checked . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : No -- GUIDO DESENTA : Check again . Last summer I was told the patrol units -- traffic units are right . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Patrol units -- GUIDO DESENTA : I would love to see how much they are paid . How many hours on the weekends for the patrol? COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : We can 30 get the reports . AUDIENCE MEMBER : I spoke to that young police officer and he told me they were short staffed . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : We need to not talk from the audience because we ' re recording this . GUIDO DESENTA : If Flatley works for you, why is he not responding to you? COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : That is a good question . GUIDO DESENTA : You ' re the boss . Folks , do your jobs . That ' s all we ' re asking for . Do your jobs . Remember, you were all elected . There is elections in Town . Last time, a lot of people changed . Let ' s see what happens next time . I hate to make threats but let ' s get things -- again, thank you for the signs . That has happened in two years . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : We have changed codes -- KERRI FRIEND : If you can see my frustration . It ' s been over two years . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : There is 31 certain roads that always -- KERRI FRIEND : I had my reasons and I had to move here . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : My point is , it ' s been -- it ' s always going to be an issue -- excuse me . We ' re recording this and we can only have one person speaking at a time . I am not sitting here and saying that enforcement is the key to anything . I always talk about the enforcement . And your analogy with the kids . You can have all the rules to do what you want, but if you ' re not going to enforce it -- we will work harder . I will work harder . KERRI FRIEND : It ' s now 2022 . People need to slow down . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : When you look at the news and kids are getting killed, it always comes down to speeding . That distracted drivers . KERRI FRIEND : I am told all the time . We ' re not unique . We ' re a bypass . Love Lane Kitchen has even named an alcoholic beverage after the boulevard . I mean, now we ' re going to have more and more . 32 Now we have the hotels going up . This is a topic for another day . But we ' re bringing more people out . We ' re using our road as a bypass . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : We can ' t stop people from coming out here -- AUDIENCE MEMBER : Block the road . MARY HOTZEL : Mary Hotzel from Laurel . I don ' t have much to say . I do think this has reached a major crescendo and I do think that technology is part of it . Peconic Bay Boulevard was never as crowded as I have seen in the last three years . You have all these new technologies that people are coming down . You have them coming down Peconic Bay Boulevard as an alternate road . It has become much more of main road than before . All these people have moved out here . The population has increased . Just look at the school . So the last two years -- I am making up these numbers , but maybe a loo increase . But the last four years it has been much more of an increase . Much more urgent . And honestly, you can ' t walk across your easement to the beach without 33 worrying about getting run over . If you have a baby in a baby carriage, you cannot get across that boulevard . And honestly, I plead with you -- this is a very, very serious problem that we have to seek . Can you do a traffic analysis? COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : There was one done . MARY HOTZEL : Well , what is the result of it? COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Well , it ' s certainly different now . MARY HOTZEL : Then I think it needs to be revisited . All of these people are suggesting this one-off unilateral things . Maybe they will work . But honestly when you have a town with this type of road, this type of change, somebody needs to do an updated traffic analysis and talk to other communities on how did they solve this problem. We need a comprehensive traffic analysis . And we need to figure out how do they solve it . And what is really disappointing to me and maybe this is going to irritate you and I apologize, but all 34 this people have moved out . You ' re getting a heck of a lot more tax money . Why can ' t we afford more policemen and why can ' t we afford these things . I don ' t understand . The building is explosive . Taxes have gone up significantly . There seems to be opportunity to use your budget in a common sense way to protect your citizens . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : We add police officers . We added three more . Every year . It ' s a cost that is spread out . Otherwise your taxes are going to go up way more than you want them too . It ' s part of our whole Town budget . It ' s that balance that Scott Russell is very good at keeping our taxes as low as they are . And even though, you ' re saying what, I pay a lot in taxes . When you compare them -- we can sit here . We need infrastructure . We need to spend money on that . We need to spend money on police . And if we -- in a perfect world, we can spend that money but you wouldn ' t be able to afford to live here because it ' s so expensive . It would go up so high . MARY HOTZEL : The last thing I will 35 say, can we get some commitment for a traffic analysis? I feel it ' s very important . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : No . I can ' t say we ' re going to do a traffic analysis , because we ' re not there yet . We have done traffic analysis in other areas . T me, to spend $ 100 , 000 or even $ 50 , 000 . To have them come and say, they are going to come -- my experience from the Board, the analysis is going to come out like you said in this room. You can do this . You can do this and you can do this . So I would rather not waste the time and the traffic analysis and do something that will work and let ' s get moving on it . MARY HOTZEL : Okay . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : That is my opinion . AUDIENCE MEMBER : What is the price of a life? KERRI FRIEND : Chief Flatley did an analysis with a black box . He did it and after two days , the battery died and a lot of other things . Do it on the weekends . 36 The information I got back, I was to receive all the data . All I was told was Tuesday at 4 : 00 o ' clock was the busiest . So it was not a true analysis . We need the analysis to get these cameras . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : I think that is what she was talking about . MARY HOTZEL : Excuse me . No . What I was talking about -- there are a lot of ideas that everybody has put forth . Some are good . Some are not . You guys are evaluating and saying, well , we can ' t do this . This is a state law . This is a Village . We can ' t do this . We can ' t do that . What I am talking about, is an analysis . I didn ' t say a traffic pattern analysis . But an analysis of here is the traffic . Here is when it ' s high . Here is what can be done by enforcement and permissible . And by the way, this is how we prioritize them. Here is what the costs are COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : That is what I am talking about -- MARY HOTZEL : Well , it doesn ' t sound 37 like it, Jill . It sounds like it ' s one-off . Here . There . Honestly two years ago, I had my mom. They just missed hitting her and the guy gave me the finger . I mean, it ' s disgusting . I mean, it ' s really bad . The summer is coming . And to me, $50 , 000 to do that kind of analysis , so you can have a Comprehensive Plan to implement -- that is what I am talking about . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : I know . To hire a consultant to do that, to go through a process and we ' re not going to get anything until Fall or even next Spring . And I don ' t think we have that time . That kind of time right now . MARY HOTZEL : Maybe you can do a short fix now with the cameras and then do a Comprehensive Plan because you know, as well as I do, that with Laurel Vineyards and what he wants to do and what this one wants to do and that one wants to do, this is not going to get better . So until you sit down and get that analysis , knowing about how the future growth of the community is going to be, basically, you ' re just throwing darts at 38 the wall . And just temporary band-aids . You know -- do you know about the City of Houston . They never did planning when they built the City of Houston . Every time they build an oil well , a guy struck oil and built a mansion . If you know anybody in Houston or planning, it ' s a big mess because they never sat back and did the planning . I am begging you . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : So we just did a bond tonight to implement our Comprehensive Plan . And one of those challenges is traffic . So that aspect, we ' re going to be working on the Town ' s traffic which encompasses Peconic Bay Boulevard . I don ' t think to hire a consultant to do a separate one, I think we need to start implementing things . With the cameras that do tickets , we have to change our Town Code . We -- AUDIENCE MEMBER : Then change it . Change it . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Let me finish . We have to get the State of the Courts to approve a program for your Town . 39 We have to do the money to buy the program. To implement it . Get it into our system. The cost of the cameras . The upkeep . It ' s all -- internet and that program. It ' s a comprehensive -- I am not saying that it can ' t be down, but it ' s not as easy as putting a camera on a pole . AUDIENCE MEMBER : Or putting a cop on a boulevard . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : That would be easier . And that is what -- AUDIENCE MEMBER : Immediately . COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: The new speed signs do collect data . That is one of the things that we ' re working on . So they do collect data . So we ' re beginning the process . So that is one step . What speeds they are going when they hit the sign? So we will be able to get some information back . TRINKER ERWIN : My name is Trinker Erwin . I live in Laurel . I live on the east side of ( inaudible ) Creek . Communication, I mean, there has been a lack of communication to this community . I have 40 written to Chief Flatley no fewer than 5 times asking for help . I suggested more than one wanting to put a police car on Wendy Drive . For me to get out of my community, is a nightmare . First of all , there is always over growth from Mr . Kelly ' s property . But you know, sometimes we call the Town and they will shave it down . But coming down the hill and the speed coming around the curb -- I know I am singling out my area . I have written an e-mail , you can get a lot of money . If you sit there on Wendy Drive . No answer . No e-mail . You do get to the point where nobody is listening . Nothing is going to change . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : I have advocated my whole time because we need people to do speeding tickets . Not just, you know, go on the calls , but to prevent calls . And so I think -- we understand your frustration . We hear what you ' re saying . I will personally -- Scott usually speaks to the Chief and sends an e-mail . We will keep pushing and putting pressure on the Chief and why aren ' t you out there more? Give us 41 a report? You know, we will keep working on that . Sarah will keep working on the Transportation Commission . Different ideas that everybody has given us . There is a process . We have to collect data that to prove to the State that we need those cameras . We have started this process . She is working on it . We do hear you . I am sorry it ' s taking so long to get any answers . TRUSTEE MEMBER : Would anybody else like to speak? JOE BERTELLO : I will give it a shot . Joe Bertello . Peconic Bay Boulevard . I have two things . The first thing is , I have a suggestion for the garbage pail . And that is , you don ' t have to have speed bumps . You can have an elevated road, which will solve your problem. And second thing, I don ' t know why we ' re having this meeting because Jill just came up with a solution . Go over there and tell the guy who you are the boss of and do this . Don ' t suggest it . Don ' t say hey, I want somebody there on the weekend . I want somebody there after hours . 42 I want somebody there during rush hours . That is their job . You are to tell them what to do . He is not to say to you, well , I don ' t know if I have enough guys . Obviously you have spoken to this before about this . And he has done nothing . Zero obviously . So you have the problem solved more easily without spending more money . Stop wasting everybody ' s time . Just tell him to get his rear end over there . And get somebody there during these times . And what could be his excuse if you tell him that? Uh, that is your problem. Then it comes down to us . So I think you have the problem solved without costing any more money . Without doing an analysis . Without doing all of this . So I guess the onus is on you people to see what he does . Then what do you do since he has not done it before? Thank you . KIM CALDWELL : I think until all of those measures need to be researched can it be implemented . It always come back to the one thing, Jill , enforcement . Enforcement will pay for it selves . Enforcement will 43 get the word out . If you get the word out don ' t speed on the boulevard, you will get a monster ticket . Don ' t use the boulevard . People will get the message . It has to get a reputation that tickets heavily . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : I am going to call you Hubbard from now on . KIM CALDWELL : It has to be . You are 5 miles over, ticket . You are 6 miles over, ticket . And they have to be there consistently . Because if the word gets out, people won ' t even be on the road . If you drive on the boulevard and you go over 1 mile over, you are going to get a ticket . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : We -- KIM CALDWELL : Thank you . KERRI FRIEND : I just want to say thank you for listening to us . We have a lot of frustrations . It ' s because we live there and have to endure it . And if it were where you lived, you would be doing the same exact thing . So I do appreciate you taking the initiative and hope to get this rectified as soon as possible . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Is there 44 any other comments? Please . We ' re not finished . MARY HOTZEL : Do you have auxiliary? COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : We have traffic control -- yeah . They can ' t ticket but there could at least be a car there . So when you see a traffic control there and why there is no tickets , but at least there will be a police car there . We -- if you are going to hire a different type of officer . Again, that is a process that has to go through State . A process again and we have to write the code . MARY HOTZEL : I think you would even get people from the community . Volunteers COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Unfortunately, it doesn ' t work that way -- MARY HOTZEL : Doesn ' t work . I was just -- COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : There is steps for everything . Thank . JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : I move to adjourn . COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Second . 45 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : All in favor? COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Aye . COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : Aye . JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Aye . COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: Aye . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Aye . (Meeting Concluded . ) 46 C E R T I F I C A T I O N I , JESSICA DILALLO, a Court Reporter and Notary Public , for and within the State of New York, do hereby certify: THAT the above and foregoing contains a true and correct transcription of the Meeting held on March 29 , 2022 , via videoconference, and were transcribed by me . I further certify that I am not related to any of the parties to this action by blood or by marriage and that I am in no way interested in the outcome of this matter. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of April , 2 22 . *ssica DiLallo