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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB-04/09/2024 PH 1 1 TOWN OF SOUTHOLD COUNTY OF SUFFOLK : STATE OF NEW YORK 2 ------------------------------------------- X 3 TOWN BOARD 4 REGULAR BOARD MEETING 5 ------------------------------------------- X 6 7 Southold, New York 8 April 9, 2024 9 7 : 00 P .M . 10 11 12 13 14 15 B E F 0 R E : 16 17 ALBERT KRUPSKI JR, SUPERVISOR 18 LOUISA P . EVANS , JUSTICE 19 JILL DOHERTY, COUNCILWOMAN 20 BRIAN 0 . MEALY, COUNCILMAN 21 GREG DOROSKI , COUNCILMAN 22 ANNE H . SMITH, COUNCILWOMAN 23 24 25 APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 2 1 PUBLIC COMMENTS 2 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : So 3 would anyone like to comment on any 4 agenda item before we start? 5 ANNE MURRAY : I ' d like to comment 6 on the proposed moratorium, that ' s on 7 the agenda . My name is Anne Murray, I 8 live in East Marion . I ' m here as the 9 Land Use Coordinator in Southold for the 10 North Fork Environmental Council . I 11 commend you for thinking about a 12 moratorium, but as I ' ve said before, we 13 believe that the whole Town needs to 14 take a break . And the best time to do 15 it is while you ' re undergoing this 16 zoning review with the Zoning Committee . 17 And I think -- I know there ' s been some 18 talk of businesses freaking out and 19 considering lawsuits and all that kind 20 of thing, but you know what? I ' ve 21 looked at the law, and I ' m not a lawyer, 22 but New York State is pretty good about 23 allowing municipalities the legal right 24 to have a moratorium. And don ' t be 25 afraid of lawsuits . I mean, people make APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 3 1 a lot of noise sometimes . That doesn ' t 2 mean they ' re going to win . And we know 3 that Brinkman ' s didn ' t win when they 4 tried to sue the Town . So please keep 5 that in mind because I think a lot of 6 residents are really worried now . And 7 if you if you take a bird ' s eye view -- 8 like look at that beautiful map of all 9 the preserved land in Southold Town 10 that ' s on our website . Okay . Look at 11 all the land that ' s not preserved in 12 there? And think about who owns all 13 these big parcels that aren ' t preserved . 14 And do you know that even though we had 15 a Big House Law passed, that some 16 billionaires who own those big parcels 17 could build like an ira rennet size 18 house on those parcels if we don ' t do 19 something about zoning . So, you know, 20 there ' s a lot of outside money that ' s 21 come into this Town in the past , you 22 know five years . Don ' t let them control 23 what we do here . You know, the 24 residents really care . They want to be 25 heard on this . And I think if you APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 4 1 notice a public hearing on this , you ' re 2 going to have a lot more people than the 3 business community coming out to, you 4 know, make sure we still have community 5 character in Southold Town . Thank you . 6 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank 7 you, Anne . Anyone else like to speak? 8 Yes , sir . And before you speak, I just 9 want to just let people know, Anne , you 10 mentioned the zoning maps . So we have 11 the physical maps here , right across 12 from the Town Clerk ' s Office in that 13 meeting room if anyone wants to go and 14 take a look . It ' s the zoning map . It ' s 15 a halo map and then there ' s the 16 protected land use map . That ' s brand 17 new . Hot off the presses . That ' s 18 hanging on the wall . Also on the Town ' s 19 website you can reference those . So you 20 can get an idea if you want to of what ' s 21 been done or what needs to be done left . 22 So, but thank you for mentioning that . 23 Yes , sir . 24 DAVID LEVY : David Levy . I live in 25 Laurel . And I just have a question APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 5 1 about the very same item that the 2 general lady was speaking about . The 3 moratorium on hotels , do we think -- and 4 I can ' t answer this because I don ' t know 5 what stage the application is in . But , 6 do we think that The Enclaves is going 7 to be to get caught in this net? 8 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : No, 9 that ' s been approved already . 10 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Yeah, 11 they have building permits and 12 everything . 13 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : That 14 horse has left the barn . 15 DAVID LEVY : By the way, I ' m not 16 suggesting that we pick this fight . 17 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : No . 18 DAVID LEVY : That ' s not necessarily 19 enough . Because you can revoke the 20 permits as long as they haven ' t put a 21 shovel in the ground is my understanding 22 of state law . I ' m not certain that ' s 23 correct , but you should look into it . 24 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Well , 25 thank you . We see our attorney writing APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 6 1 there in the end . So we -- 2 DAVID LEVY : Sorry . 3 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : But 4 Thank you . 5 DAVID LEVY : I do have other 6 things , but it involves an item -- it 7 involves something that ' s not on the 8 calendar . So with your permission, I ' ll 9 come back later . 10 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Sure . 11 Absolutely . Thank you . As far as the 12 two comments about the moratorium, we 13 are going to have a Special Meeting next 14 Tuesday to explore that further . 15 DAVID LEVY : Thank you . 16 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank 17 you . Yes , sir . 18 ALEXANDER PARROS : Hi . How are 19 you? Good evening, everyone . So thank 20 you for giving me the opportunity to 21 address you tonight . My name is 22 Alexander Parros , and I am the 23 proprietor of Silver Sands in Greenport . 24 My wife and I have proudly called 25 Southold home for the past decade . APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 7 1 Almost exactly two years ago , on April 2 13 , 2022 , I took on the stewardship of 3 Silver Sands . And that ' s a property 4 that ' s deeply intertwined with the 5 fabric of the North Fork community . 6 Silver Sands is not just a motel . It ' s 7 a testament to our town ' s history and 8 character . It ' s spanning nearly 45 9 acres . It includes an 18 acre salt 10 marsh and a 15 acre riparian lot in 11 Pipes Cove , which is currently a 12 thriving oyster farm. The original 13 Silver Sands Motel and Restaurant 14 building, with its classic neon sign, 15 was established in 1957 and remains an 16 iconic symbol of the area ' s heritage . 17 The boathouse on the far west side of 18 the property is believed to be the 19 oldest building in the neighborhood . 20 It ' s nearly 100 years old . Since the 21 late 1970 ' s it ' s been home to the 22 original Porkies Bar, which is now the 23 Lynn Beach House and Greenport . The 24 eight white cottages on the property 25 were built in 1930 and originally part APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 8 1 of a business that was called the 2 Silvermore Beach Houses . The salt marsh 3 is part of the iconic estuary system, 4 which the Nature Conservancy has cited 5 as one of the " last great places in the 6 western hemisphere . " To describe Silver 7 Sands as a special place is an 8 understatement . It is a cherished gem 9 that embodies our shared history and 10 values . And I can tell you that not 11 just myself, but everybody who works 12 there takes pride in preserving and 13 protecting its spirit . When we acquired 14 Silver Sands two years ago, we faced a 15 pivotal crossroads . We could either 16 demolish and rebuild the luxury resort 17 or honor its rich history . Despite 18 lucrative offers for extensive 19 development, we steadfastly chose the 20 latter path . Outside groups wanted to 21 transform the property with over 88 22 rooms , a lavish spa, and to replace the 23 oyster farm with a marina and a place 24 for sea planes to bring in urban 25 tourists . However, for us , the decision APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 9 1 was unequivocal . Even if it was the 2 harder path . We were resolute in our 3 commitment to preserving the property ' s 4 unique character and establishing a year 5 round business deeply integrated within 6 the community . Rather than one that 7 merely exploits it during the bustling 8 summer months . Our choice was deeply 9 influenced by our profound respect for 10 the community, which has been nurtured 11 over the past decade . This period 12 afforded me first hand appreciation for 13 the owner-operated businesses that 14 formed the bedrock of this vibrant 15 community . Inspiring us to invest in 16 and operate Silver Sands with a sense of 17 duty and kinship towards our neighbors . 18 In the off-season, we have as many as 25 19 employees . Full-time employees . And 20 900 of them live in the Town of 21 Southold . Emphasizing our commitment to 22 the local community . A blanket 23 moratorium that encompasses any type of 24 construction on all hotel applications 25 threatens the viability of APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 10 1 establishments like ours to survive . 2 It ' s essential to recognize the unique 3 circumstances of longstanding businesses 4 and exempt them from such sweeping and 5 overly broad measures . If we were to be 6 unnecessarily caught in a moratorium or 7 prolonged uncertainty, then our business 8 model of seeking to operate year round 9 will be threatened . We will not be able 10 to make enough money in the Summer to 11 justify being open in the Winter . The 12 result of such a broad moratorium would 13 force us into becoming exactly what the 14 Town and the community opposes , highly 15 seasonal operations , or worse, an 16 exclusive high-end enclave . Akin to the 17 concerns in the Hampton ' s and even the 18 North Fork now . This would involve a 19 seasonal business model that ' s limited 20 to the peak Summer months only, inflated 21 prices , and a near total reliance on out 22 of town workers and J- 1 Visas . You 23 don ' t have to look far and wide to see 24 how many other businesses in the area 25 have already chosen this path . Our APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 11 1 outstanding applications in front of the 2 Zoning and Planning Boards focus on 3 updating existing structures . Not 4 introducing any new developments or 5 expansions . We have diligently worked 6 with the Town departments for the last 7 two years to rectify decades of 8 incomplete property records . So we can 9 continue the Silver Sands legacy . Do 10 not let the great work we have 11 accomplished together so far unravel and 12 force us to become the problem that no 13 one wants . Silver Sands is not just a 14 business , it ' s a hub . The overwhelming 15 support for our pending applications 16 from 1000 of our neighbors in the wider 17 community . I have 200 letters from the 18 wider community, including 1000 of the 19 neighbors of Silver Sands . I lost my 20 place . It underscores the deep rooted 21 connection Silver Sands has with the 22 residents of Southold . And why is that? 23 We are not driven by financial 24 engineering . We are not driven by 25 corporate sameness . We are owner APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 12 1 operators . We are skippers , as Pat 2 Nelson, our friend and neighbor, likes 3 to call us . And anyone who can find me 4 or Allie Tuthill , Chris Dunn, Kimberley 5 Reinhardt, Melissa Corwin, Cheo Avila, 6 or any other number of familiar local 7 faces working there every single day . 8 As I understand it, the stated intent of 9 the previous moratorium is to manage the 10 " considerable pressure " for the 11 development of new resorts , motels , and 12 hotels . This is an earnest goal that 13 aligns with the Town ' s need for 14 effective tools to regulate new 15 developments . A targeted moratorium to 16 address this concern is perhaps 17 warranted; however, I urge each of you 18 to consider the adverse effects of a 19 blanket moratorium on established 20 businesses like Silver Sands . We 21 demonstrated our commitment to 22 preserving our Town ' s heritage while 23 navigating regulatory processes 24 diligently . We are not asking for 25 handouts , tax breaks , or special APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 13 1 treatment . Only a fair and transparent 2 process where the rules don ' t change in 3 the middle of the game . We take an 4 enormous amount of pride in our work in 5 being a part of this community . We have 6 shared good momentum in reclaiming the 7 history and iconic stature of Silver 8 Sands , and it would be tragic and 9 sourful if we were prevented from seeing 10 it through . Please do not enact such a 11 broad and all encompassing moratorium . 12 Thank you . 13 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank 14 you . 15 PHIL MASTRANGELO : My name is Phil 16 Mastrangelo . I live in Orient . I ' m one 17 of the owners and operators of the 18 Oysterpond Shellfish Company . I ' m here 19 to speak on behalf of Silver Sands . 20 Ryan Tuthill back there is my partner 21 here . I don ' t know, fifth generation 22 oyster farmer out here . We currently 23 are the largest oyster growing company 24 in New York State, and one of the 25 largest in the region . We have a lot of APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 14 1 -- we have about three million oysters 2 in Pipes Cove right now . And quick 3 story, in 2017 We were looking to 4 expand . And Edgar Xenia the previous 5 owner of Silver Sands approached us to 6 do to farm oysters on Pipes Cove, the 7 oyster grant that he owns there is 15 8 acres . It was a godsend for us . And 9 every time we would be out there, Ed 10 would walk the beach, we ' d come in . You 11 know, give him oysters . And he would 12 tell us about how much he wanted to 13 restore the hotel , but he just couldn ' t 14 do it . He was getting older, and didn ' t 15 have the funds to do it . But at one 16 time , Ed ( inaudible ) ended up going to 17 the beach . Pipes Cove Oyster was 18 ubiquitous throughout the New York City 19 restaurant world . Most recognizable 20 oyster name on the East End . Wherever I 21 go in the North Fork today, people who 22 knew Ed, thank me for continuing that 23 tradition . Today, there are over 500 24 cages deployed on the bottom in Pipes 25 Cove . We use a troll line system. Mr . APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 15 1 Supervisor has seen our operation . You 2 can ' t see anything . Floating on it . 3 Didn ' t know it was there . And there are 4 over two million oysters there that 5 filter close to 100 million gallons of 6 water every day . The cages on the 7 bottom have created a reef that is home 8 to numerous species of finfish, crabs , 9 and in the last three years , something 10 incredible , a robust seahorse 11 population . We send pictures of them to 12 Cornell , and they absolutely love it . 13 Really -- they ' re kind of like the most 14 fragile part of that ecosystem. They 15 need the shelter . They need what we ' re 16 providing for them to thrive . And the 17 Cornell Marine Extension is planning a 18 joint venture with Silver Sands and 19 Oysterpond Shellfish Company to assess 20 the environmental impact the oyster reef 21 is having on the Pipes Cove area and 22 implementing new ways to extend the 23 positive environmental effects of 24 raising shellfish there . About my 25 history with Alex, and his partner Ryan APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 16 1 Hardy . When I met them, they were eager 2 to pick my brain about the oyster farm. 3 They told me that they were restoring 4 the property, not rebuilding it . And it 5 was exactly what Ed had said he wanted 6 to do . And -- and they wanted to 7 include the Oyster Farm as part of the 8 storybook behind the iconic hotel and 9 its restoration, a legacy that Ed had 10 built . I ' ve witnessed firsthand the 11 people that drive up and seek out Alex 12 and Ryan . And it ' s crazy sometimes , 13 because some of these people are nuts . 14 But just to thank them for restoring it 15 exactly as it was back in the day . And 16 literally hundreds of folks stopping to 17 tell their story of how back in the 18 60 ' s , their parents would bring them out 19 from the City for a week to this 20 incredibly pristine place . And how they 21 now, they brought their kids there . And 22 how they ' re now bringing their grand 23 kids there . And how incredibly grateful 24 they are to Alex and Ryan for not being 25 seasonal and not building out the APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 17 1 property to maximize profits . We would 2 sit, Ryan and I , like people running 3 down the beach . It is nuts . But in 4 Greenport now, I see and deal with 5 seasonal businesses . Run by folks that 6 do not have the best interests of the 7 community in mind . They come for five 8 months , and they squeeze every dollar 9 they can out of us . I ' m still waiting 10 to be paid for bills that a lot of these 11 folks have incurred and they disappear . 12 And the seasonal businesses bring in 13 management from other states . Ignoring 14 the local population and when it comes 15 to these upper level , high paying, 16 full-time jobs . They have no concern 17 for our environment , our roads , our 18 lives as full-time residents , our 19 schools , our children, beyond paying the 20 minimum wage for an experience -- a work 21 experience they ' d all rather forget . My 22 wife ' s a substitute teacher in the local 23 schools here . We go in there for dinner 24 and they ' re the kids on the weekends and 25 they ' re the kids you just saw in the APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 18 1 school working there . And they all love 2 it . And they ' re all having a great 3 experience , and they ' re actually 4 learning something . Alex and Ryan have 5 been sensitive to all of the community ' s 6 needs almost to their detriment . Year 7 round I can go into Silver Sands and be 8 greeted by the people I saw the night 9 before at the school board meeting or 10 sit down at dinner next to the person I 11 see at the IGA every time I ' m there . 12 People from our community who just want 13 to relax and have a great meal without 14 being assaulted by loud overbearing club 15 music and left penniless by an under 16 whelming experience . We don ' t want to 17 wait in a 45 minute queue to pay $25 18 bucks to go in and be roughed around by 19 rude people . That goes on here , a lot 20 by these seasonal businesses . And I 21 think reading the moratorium language , 22 and I ' ve just been through it once , it 23 was enough . But it ' s , you ' re 24 encouraging seasonal businesses and it ' s 25 wrong for the community . I am in total APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 19 1 agreement with you on the temporary halt 2 on any new hotel construction that is , 3 Number One , not open year round . Number 4 two, that does not employ at least 600 5 of its staff from within our community . 6 Folks have a bad track record, you know 7 that . We ' ve been approached -- the 8 Oyster Company ' s been approached by 9 numerous hospitality groups that are 10 taking over buildings or taking over, 11 you know, tearing down buildings . 12 Building up new stuff . And they really 13 have no idea what this community is 14 about . And I feel like Alex and Ryan 15 really understand it and really 16 appreciate it , and bend over backwards 17 for Brian and I , and our company to help 18 us . And they ' ve been nothing but 19 helpful to the Cornell folks as well . 20 And open and welcoming to them. I hope 21 you will reconsider calling the Silver 22 Sands a new construction project, which 23 it is clearly not, and allow them to 24 continue the great work that they have 25 started by completely restoring the APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 20 1 hotel to its original state . They have 2 been incredibly supportive of Brian and 3 I , and our employees who 100o all live 4 in our community, with their families . 5 And Alex and Ryan and their staff are 6 highly regarded by so many people from 7 our community, who recognize that they 8 are picking up where Ed and his family 9 left off, and continuing the legacy that 10 they left behind . Thank you . 11 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank 12 you . 13 FRANK ZORY : Members of the Board . 14 My name is Frank Zory . I live in New 15 Suffolk . I ' m presently the Commander of 16 the U . S . Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 17 14 Division 18 . 18 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Excuse 19 me . Is this anything to do with the 20 agenda, though, because we have regular 21 comments , general comments after the 22 meeting . 23 FRANK ZORY : After? 24 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Yeah . 25 This is just for comments on the agenda . APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 21 1 Thank you . Sorry about that . Go ahead, 2 Brian . 3 BRIAN TUTHILL : Good evening, 4 everyone . My name is Brian Tuthill . I ' m 5 also an owner-operator of Oysterpond 6 Shellfish Company, and I ' ve been farming 7 oysters on the motels under water land 8 now for about six years . Two years ago, 9 when the hotel ownership changed, I 10 feared exactly what Alex was talking 11 about with a big business moving in . 12 Would a big real estate investor 13 actually want us out there? Would they 14 care about what we ' re doing in the rich 15 maritime history? Those 15 acres of 16 underwater land are tied to? I don ' t 17 think so . I ' m proud to say my great 18 grandfather was a captain of a Greenport 19 Oyster boat, I believe in the ' 40 ' s and 20 ' 50 ' s , and I ' m closely following in his 21 footsteps . From the moment I met Alex 22 and his partner Ryan, they assured me 23 that our presence on that oyster grant 24 would remain at the heart of the motel ' s 25 identity, and that the story of Pipes APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 22 1 Cove oysters would live on . Throughout 2 the entire restoration process , every 3 decision that they ' ve made has been 4 revolved around protecting the health of 5 this very delicate marine ecosystem. 6 Fast forward two years , and they ' ve been 7 a man of their word . If you ' re on the 8 property in the dead of Winter, ordering 9 an oyster chowder, or down by the beach 10 bar ordering a half a dozen . It ' s very 11 easy to find yourself in deep 12 conversation with staff . Learning about 13 the unique oyster history Greenport has 14 and how Silver Sands is continuing that 15 story . They ' ve proven to be perfect 16 stewards for this property . And what 17 does the Town gain from halting their 18 progress? That ' s my question . Thank 19 you . 20 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank 21 you . Would anyone else like to speak of 22 any item that ' s on the agenda? 23 GEORGE MAUL : Good evening . My 24 name is George Maul . I ' m a Treasurer of 25 the New Suffolk Civic Association . I ' m APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 23 1 a member of the North Fork Civics . I ' d 2 like to say that I believe all the 3 residents of the Town of Southold 4 support our local businesses , endorse 5 their year round operation, and 6 encourage and thank them for their hard 7 work . At a recent meeting of the Zoning 8 forum at Southold, I was speaking to 9 Leslie Weisman and Mark Terry about the 10 Special Exception Clause in the Town 11 Code that talks about how community 12 character is one reason for not granting 13 a Special Exception . And I asked 14 Leslie, why is it that in so many 15 projects Special Exceptions are granted 16 when they seem to adversely affect the 17 Town ' s community character, the 18 operation of the surrounding area, and 19 don ' t really seem to benefit , you know, 20 the residents in any way, shape , or 21 form? And she told me that the reason 22 why that occurs is because they don ' t 23 want to change precedence , and they ' re 24 concerned about lawsuits . And Mark 25 Terry told me the reason why is because APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 24 1 there are real estate companies on the 2 Planning Board -- I mean on the Zoning 3 Board . So those are the two answers 4 that I got . And I think that we have a 5 new administration . We have a 6 Comprehensive Plan that I don ' t want to 7 call it new, because it ' s been around 8 for a long time, but it was approved 9 just a few years ago . And it ' s a 10 perfect opportunity to set a new 11 precedent, to have bold leadership, and 12 realize that community character is more 13 important than granting Special 14 Exceptions to businesses because we ' re 15 afraid we might be sued by them . I 16 think that , you know, the whole zoning 17 update process , the moratorium, you 18 know, is in good faith . And I think 19 that , you know, we have a responsibility 20 to realize that the residents of the 21 Town of Southold are looking at the 22 future and seeing that we want 23 businesses here to thrive , but we also 24 want to be able to drive on the roads . 25 We also want to be able to enjoy living APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 25 1 here . And we need the Town to have bold 2 leadership and look at these problems in 3 a way that leads to solutions . Not to 4 just the same old, okay, we ' ll just 5 slide on through, and see what we can 6 do . So I think that -- I don ' t think 7 there ' s any adversarial relationship 8 between the residents and the businesses 9 in the Town of Southold . But we have 10 hard problems to solve , and it ' s not an 11 easy process . And I don ' t think it ' s 12 going to be accomplished quickly and 13 easily, but we need leadership in order 14 to accomplish these solutions . Thank 15 you very much . 16 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank 17 you . 18 Is there anyone else in the 19 audience that would like to address the 20 Board about an agenda item? Otherwise, 21 we have someone on Zoom. Go right 22 ahead, sir . 23 DAN PENNESSI : Good evening . I am 24 sorry that I can ' t attend today ' s 25 meeting in person . Good evening, APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 26 1 Supervisor Krupski and other members of 2 the Town Board . I ' m here on behalf of 3 North Road Hotel , LLC . It is an entity 4 that my wife, Kristen, and I own . And 5 we own and run Hotel Moraine , which is 6 the former Sunset Motel at 62005 Route 7 48 in Greenport . Making these 8 comments -- and I ' m going to start very 9 broad and then narrow it down a bit . On 10 the broader basis , the Sunset Motel has 11 operated in that location since roughly 12 1960 . It ' s been operating as a motel 13 for roughly 64 years . And we ' ve 14 recently undertaken a redevelopment 15 project to , among other things , bring 16 the buildings up to code . Our crowning 17 achievement, I think, is retiring a 18 1960 ' s era septic system on the bluff of 19 the Long Island Sound, which included 20 construction of a sewer pump station, 21 and a connection agreement with the 22 village of Greenport, a public sewer 23 system. So having received public water 24 and public sewer, we ' re going ahead and 25 we have pending site plan applications APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 27 1 with the Planning Board and a pending 2 application with the Zoning Board to 3 expand the number of units on the site . 4 And I would encourage the Town Board to 5 take a harder look and reconsider the 6 proposed Local Law to impose an interim 7 or temporary suspension on hotels and 8 motels . The reason that I think this is 9 the case is that it ' s unnecessary -- 10 it ' s an unnecessary action by the Town 11 Board, given that the Town is not facing 12 an increase in development pressure from 13 this particular use . The Town ' s boards 14 and departments have exhibited the 15 requisite hard look is taken for each 16 and every application before it , and 17 focus should be on preserving and 18 redeveloping or developing single and 19 multifamily housing in order to ease the 20 housing crisis on the North Fork . I 21 have some anecdotal evidence I ' d like to 22 read into the record, and we ' ll be 23 submitting a letter after tonight 24 meeting, but a review of that data 25 should be reviewed in determining APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 28 1 whether a moratorium is warranted . And 2 a moratorium on hotels is inconsistent 3 with the foregoing . And in fact serves 4 to increase pressure on housing . Focus 5 should be paid to increasing hotel/motel 6 density where public sewer and water are 7 available and enforcing short-term 8 rental laws . As of the date of this 9 meeting, the number of rentals available 10 on Airbnb in the Town of Southold totals 11 210 , and in Greenport Village totals 170 12 for a total of 380 listings . Many of 13 which are private residences , and do not 14 have replicable permits . The Town has 15 issued over 1 , 000 rental permits since 16 its inception of the rental permit 17 program . I ' m told approximately 750 of 18 those permits have been renewed as of 19 this year . You have to consider that 20 the number of hotel and motel rooms in 21 the Town of Southold totals 22 approximately 274 . That excludes the 23 enclaves 44 units in our proposed 14 24 unit expansion and excludes bed and 25 breakfasts . In the Village of APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 29 1 Greenport, there are approximately 142 2 rooms . So you ' re talking about just 3 over 400 hotel rooms versus 380 4 short-term rental listings between 5 Southold and the Village of Greenport . 6 Notably, of those 416 hotel rooms , only 7 198 of them exist within the Town ' s 8 Resort Residential District . And the 9 letter that we submit will exhibit where 10 those districts are located, the parcels 11 that are the subject of that zoning 12 district, and why most of those parcels 13 are in fact restricted by development 14 pressures , whether it be proximity to 15 wetlands , proximity to the bluff or the 16 size of those lots . What you will find 17 is that the right place for hotel and 18 motel development is where Silver Sands 19 is located, is where the Hotel Moraine 20 is located . And in fact, the zoning -- 21 the Town ' s zoning consultant , Zonco, 22 said in its September 20 , 2023 report , 23 that the district is only mapped at 83 24 acres out of Southold ' s 33 , 000 plus . 25 And it appears to achieve the desired APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 30 1 purposes for certain unique waterfront 2 development patterns in the town . So 3 we ' ll be submitting a letter that 4 details all of the lots within the 5 Town ' s Resort Residential Zoning 6 Districts . The purpose of that district 7 is to provide opportunity for resort 8 development in waterfront areas and 9 other appropriate areas because of the 10 availability of water and/or sewers more 11 intense development may occur . 12 Consistent with the density and 13 character of surrounding lands . As for 14 the Sunset Motel , this property as I 15 said operated for in excess of 60 years 16 in this location . It was very proximate 17 to an existing Greenport Sewer District, 18 VSDO1 . We undertook not only a large 19 redevelopment of the site after 20 acquisition from the Levin Family, but 21 we updated all of the buildings to 22 current zoning codes . We consolidated 23 the units into two buildings to become 24 more energy efficient . We opened up 25 view sheds , given the design of the APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 31 1 buildings and included landscape and 2 other buffers in order to mitigate 3 possible factors to adjoining 4 residential homes and cliffside to our 5 west . We look forward to working with 6 the Town to expand these uses . And at 7 first we want the Town Board to 8 reconsider imposing this development at 9 all . And in second, we would ask that 10 our pending applications be excluded 11 from any such moratorium. Thank you 12 very much . 13 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank 14 you for your comments , and we will 15 consider these and other comments . Next 16 Tuesday, we ' re having a Special Board 17 Meeting to address a moratorium of this 18 sort and what conditions that would be 19 imposed by it . And then that meeting 20 would result in a possible -- at the 21 next meeting in two weeks , a possible 22 setting of a date for a Public Hearing 23 for a moratorium . That would be the 24 schedule for that . So I just want to 25 acknowledge Council member Louisa Evans APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 32 1 on -- from Fisher ' s Island is with us , 2 you know, for the whole meeting . Go 3 ahead, Jill . 4 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : I just 5 wanted to add to , and we had a 6 discussion and work session today . We 7 had a lot of the same concerns that you 8 spoke of, and it ' s difficult to figure 9 out what we draw the lines , but we ' re 10 determined to figure that out . So it 11 could be fair, and so we can get the 12 important work done that the Town needs 13 to get done, and you can still run your 14 business . So we ' re cognizant of all the 15 things you said . I don ' t know where 16 we ' re going to end up, but we ' ll decide, 17 like the Supervisor said, and in two 18 weeks we ' ll probably set the hearing . 19 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : All 20 right, if there ' s no other comment , 21 we ' ll start the meeting . 22 (Whereupon, the meeting continued 23 on to Resolutions . ) 24 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : All 25 right then . That concludes the regular APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 33 1 agenda . Is there anyone that would like 2 to address the Board with any item? 3 FRANK ZORY : Okay . Thank you . 4 I ' ll just repeat that . I didn ' t do that 5 much . My name is Frank Zory . Live in 6 New Suffolk for a long time . I ' m 7 currently the commander of the Coast 8 Guard Division 18 , Flotilla 14 , and our 9 POR is from the -- entire Peconic, from 10 Riverhead over to Orient Point . And 11 also in Long Island Sound to Orient 12 Point . And Elizabeth Downs , my PA 13 Officer, she has an idea or a 14 proclamation that she would like to 15 present to you . Here she is . 16 ELIZABETH DOWNS : Thank you very 17 much . The proclamation was something 18 that I discussed with Supervisor 19 Krupski , and I ' d just like to read a few 20 items here prior to that . For over 100 21 million Americans , boating continues to 22 be a popular recreation activity . This 23 is so true in our region, with 24 watercraft use increasing at a rapid 25 pace . As people take to the water and APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 34 1 enjoy boating, sailing, paddling, jet 2 skiing and fishing, as well as , other 3 water related activities , we find that 4 there also is a great increase in 5 accidents and people encountering 6 hazardous situations . The United States 7 Coast Guard designates the third week in 8 May for a National Safe Boating Week, 9 commonly seen as NSBW . As a local 10 auxiliary, we will participate in this 11 event in our Flotilla locales . Whereas , 12 Flotilla 1808 will emphasize to the 13 public, be safe . Take the use of safety 14 equipment safe seriously . Stay alert 15 for unexpected changes in weather 16 conditions . Be prepared when boating 17 after dusk with proper lights . Know the 18 effects of alcohol consumption while out 19 on the water . Education . We encourage 20 all boaters to attend the boating safety 21 course and be aware of Breanna ' s Law 22 coming into effect in 2025 . Vessel 23 safety checks are provided by the United 24 States Coast Guard Auxiliary as a free 25 service to ensure boaters have all APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 35 1 required gear on their vessel . As you 2 all are aware , water related rescues 3 impact our volunteers from our fire 4 departments , EMT ' s , and officers in the 5 police department . At times , 6 helicopters are required to assist and 7 hospital care needed following rescues . 8 We deeply care about our residents and 9 visitors who really only want to enjoy 10 their outings with their family and 11 friends , yet we truly see the need for 12 community awareness regarding their 13 safety . Therefore, we in Flotilla 1808 , 14 as a means to support the United States 15 Coast Guard, request a proclamation to 16 declare May 18th through May 24 , 2024 , 17 as National Safe Boating Week in the 18 Town of Southold . We will have some 19 events . We have one planned underway 20 for Greenport at Mitchell Park on May 21 18th, and we will -- we ' re in the 22 process of planning other things as 23 well . 24 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank 25 you . APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 36 1 ELIZABETH DOWNS : I have copies of 2 the letter I just read to you . And I 3 also have a flyer . Would you like me 4 to -- 5 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Yes , 6 please . We could give them to the 7 clerk . Thank you . Thank you for your 8 service to -- 9 COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : And thanks 10 so much . Thank you . Thank you . 11 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank 12 you . 13 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Thank 14 you for coming and making this , you 15 know, make more people aware of it . 16 I ' ve been boating all my life . And it ' s 17 -- I ' ve had my boating license since I 18 was 10 and I re-upped it when I had my 19 kids do it . And it ' s part of boating is 20 the safety and the knowledge of how to 21 operate a boat . It ' s not a car . It ' s a 22 boat . So we have to talk about it more 23 and make it more aware . And in the 24 surroundings that we ' re -- I mean we ' re 25 surrounded by water . APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 37 1 ELIZABETH DOWNS : ( Inaudible ) . 2 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Right . 3 And that ' s yeah -- and that ' s the scary 4 part . 5 ELIZABETH DOWNS : Yes . And I want 6 to really thank you for your generous 7 support to the Coast Guard Auxiliary . 8 It ' s very important to us . 9 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : 10 Thanks for coming tonight . Sir? 11 DAVID LEVY : Once again, David Levy 12 from Laurel . It ' s been a couple of 13 months since I ' ve been to a Town Board 14 meeting . This is certainly the first one 15 I ' ve been to under the new 16 administration . So I want to at least 17 begin by wishing you, Supervisor and 18 you, Councilwoman, good luck in your 19 terms . 20 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank 21 you . 22 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : Thank 23 you . 24 DAVID LEVY : Last week, we marked 25 the first anniversary of the Town ' s APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 38 1 collecting a community affordable 2 housing tax on the sales of real estate . 3 And I mention it because the last time I 4 spoke to the Town Board about this , I 5 took the position that the Board had not 6 adopted the plan that is required to be 7 adopted before those monies are 8 collected . And I say that because the 9 Town did adopt an 84 page document that 10 had a bunch of statistics . And some 11 recommendations from a committee, but 12 nothing that a traditional plan would 13 include . And I asked a series of 14 questions on the night the plan was 15 adopted . And I was told that I was 16 concerning myself with details that 17 would be worked out later . Now six 18 months later, I ' m here to find out if 19 we ' ve made any progress with respect to 20 those details ? And I will tell you, I 21 characterized at the Town Board Meeting 22 at which you adopted that document , I 23 characterized it as a plan to make a 24 plan . And privately, several members of 25 that Board, and I ' m not going to APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 39 1 embarrass anybody, told me privately 2 that I was right , but that they just 3 wanted to get it done . In any way, feel , 4 said, make it really general , this is 5 general . Doesn ' t include any of the 6 elements that you would expect the plan 7 to include . I asked last time who 8 ultimately was going to decide who 9 benefited from the fund? And all the 10 councilmen looked at each other, and 11 nobody had an answer . And Councilwoman 12 Doherty said we are . Is that really the 13 answer? Is this Town Board going to pick 14 in chose from among applications? And 15 where does it say that? 16 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Well , I 17 can tell you that we have had many 18 discussions about how to spend the money 19 that we are now collecting . This is the 20 second part of money that we have to 21 help facilitate affordable housing . We 22 had -- the meet at the work session 23 today . We ' re talking about sanitary flow 24 credits , which could help also 25 facilitate some affordable housing . At APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 40 1 all the meetings that the Planning 2 Department has held with the community, 3 both the civics and the business 4 community, there ' s been a lot of 5 interest in workforce housing . There are 6 no specifics yet on who ' s going to 7 benefit from this money, except that I 8 really think that a lot of what the 9 previous Town Board had said will come 10 true , that any efforts -- any money 11 spent will be for housing that will be 12 affordable and perpetuity . If there ' s 13 anything that ' s built, I know the 14 direction is towards home ownership, and 15 that if there ' s workforce housing 16 specifically for businesses , that we ' re 17 seriously considering some sort of 18 financial help for that . There have been 19 no details so far in the last three 20 months worked out on specifically how 21 much business could get and how and what 22 that would look like . 23 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : I want 24 to add on to that . Jill and I are 25 liaison to the Housing Advisory APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 41 1 Commission . And we convened a group of 2 Town planners and our new government 3 liaison . We ' re meeting regularly to pull 4 out the priorities and highlight all the 5 sections in that plan where it indicated 6 the Town Board will decide . So that we 7 are clear on what the Town Board is 8 supposed to be doing and setting up 9 priorities . So we ' re hoping to get that 10 shortlist ready . Sort of short term 11 pieces that the Town Board does have to 12 decide . Because that was left as I 13 listened in on all of those meetings as 14 well . As a to-do list for the Town 15 Board . And we can ' t wait until , you 16 know, we ' re asked, like, oh, we didn ' t 17 decide this , and now we need to . We ' re 18 going to start to make those decisions 19 as we work through the next six months . 20 DAVID LEVY : One answer I was able 21 to get -- the one answer that came from 22 the Town Board last time I spoke to you, 23 was the State law that enables you to do 24 this , has certain criteria for 25 participants , but it did not have a APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 42 1 wealth component . In other words , 2 everything spoke in terms of income . If 3 you met the income limits , you were in . 4 It didn ' t matter that you had $2 5 trillion dollars in the bank . And 6 everybody thought that that was wrong . 7 Not everybody, but most people thought 8 that that was wrong . And I was told 9 that this plan was going to include a 10 wealth limit, which is appropriate , I 11 think . But I asked how it was going to 12 be enforced . Were people going to have 13 to have an ongoing obligation of 14 disclosure as to how much -- I ' m sorry 15 -- as to how much wealth they had and 16 how much income they had? Because the 17 hope is that people who are being given 18 benefits to be able to afford to live 19 here would progress in their employment 20 over time and not need that assistance 21 anymore , which is why workforce housing 22 frequently doesn ' t work . And I was told 23 that , yes , there would be such an 24 obligation . I said, how is that going 25 to work? We don ' t know . APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 43 1 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Well , if 2 you recall when you brought up this 3 issue last time, I cited the benefit of 4 ownership . You know, one of the 5 benefits of ownership is it bypasses the 6 problem of ongoing certification . 7 Because when we give assistance to 8 someone who purchases a home at the 9 time , it ' s affordable and perpetuity, 10 but they own that home until they make 11 the decision to sell it . The time for 12 qualification of income comes again if 13 they decide to sell it . I think that ' s 14 one of the benefits of an ownership 15 model , along with, you know, really 16 other important issues . 17 DAVID LEVY : I appreciate what 18 you ' re saying, but that ' s not the answer 19 I got from the Board the last time I was 20 here . I was told that there would be an 21 ongoing obligation for tax returns , and 22 my question was , okay, when somebody is 23 no longer eligible, what are we going to 24 do? 25 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : That ' s APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 44 1 the question that we have a full-time 2 government liaison . A lot of those 3 responsibilities are falling on her to 4 look at qualifications , income 5 qualifications . And the question that 6 you just raised there, is something that 7 we are trying to work through . If 8 someone in fact becomes more prosperous 9 or even wealthy, what happens to their 10 housing status if they are in a Town 11 sponsored, you know, Town owned unit . 12 DAVID LEVY : So that ' s still not 13 worked out? 14 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : It is 15 not worked out . No . That is a sticking 16 point that has to be resolved . 17 DAVID LEVY : To be frank, I know a 18 lot of governments that have stayed away 19 from doing workforce housing because 20 there is no good answer to that . They 21 do senior housing because that problem 22 resolves itself . Because you ' re always 23 over the age limit, and then people pass 24 away, and there is movement . Other 25 people get to benefit . But that ' s not APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 45 1 the case here . Here you ' re talking 2 about removing people from their homes 3 if they don ' t want to go . 4 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : I don ' t 5 know if you saw the article in the 6 Suffolk Times last week about farm 7 worker housing . And I ' m familiar with 8 that program -- 9 DAVID LEVY : Are you talking about 10 the bungalow that was built to house 11 their people? 12 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Yes . 13 And the story is that the County a few 14 years ago got some Federal money to help 15 improve farm worker housing . And a 16 number of people in Suffolk County 17 qualified and applied for it . Part of 18 the challenge was making sure verifying 19 that , in fact , the taxpayer money went 20 to improve housing for people who 21 actually worked at that business . That 22 it didn ' t turn into something else 23 besides worker housing . But it ' s easier 24 for the government in that situation to 25 provide money to a business , to house APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 46 1 their own workforce because that 2 business needs a workforce . And so it ' s 3 in there just to say, if you ' re working 4 if you ' re working at this business , you 5 can live there . You can adjust your pay 6 and benefit package accordingly . 7 Because now you have you have no 8 transportation because you ' re living on 9 the business and you have housing . 10 Obviously, if you ' re no longer employed 11 there, you ' re no longer going to have 12 that housing . So that ' s -- that ' s a 13 self-correcting situation . 14 DAVID LEVY : I appreciate what 15 you ' re saying, but I think my point is 16 being missed, and maybe I ' m not making 17 it well . I don ' t really care what the 18 answers to these questions are . I care 19 that there are no answers . And we say 20 we have a plan . And you don ' t have a 21 plan unless you know the answers to 22 these questions . The big question is , 23 has anybody written any criteria to 24 guide whoever the decider is as to how 25 to handle two applications? Both from APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 47 1 qualified people but which applications 2 are mutually exclusive? How do you 3 decide you have two good applicants in 4 front of you? And I said last time, 5 this is where local governments get into 6 trouble . Because real estate is one of 7 the three places when you read about 8 legal problems and criminal 9 investigations . One of the areas that 10 always comes up in local government is 11 real estate use . The other two are 12 building department corruption, which 13 I ' m not suggesting exists here, but it 14 is an issue in many governments and 15 insurance . But you ' re getting into the 16 real estate business , and the way it 17 arises -- and I said this last time, is 18 to applicants come . Equally qualified . 19 You pick A, not B . He does a little bit 20 of research, and by the way, totally 21 innocent . He does a little research . 22 And 27 years ago , the other guy made a 23 political contribution . The next thing 24 you know, he ' s in the DA ' s office saying 25 he didn ' t get his house, because the APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 48 1 other guy made a political contribution . 2 That ' s how it arises . And you ' re not 3 going to have anything to point you to 4 say why you picked A over B . Unless 5 your planned 84 pages and not a word 6 about how you pick who the winners are . 7 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : That ' s 8 part of what we ' re discussing now . And 9 in the past, in the history of the Town 10 with Affordable, it ' s always been done 11 with lottery because that makes it fair . 12 We ' re not sitting there, and that ' s most 13 likely the route we ' re going to go . But 14 we wanted to explore what was the 15 fairest way to do it . A lot of the 16 stuff that , you know, we have to decide 17 as legislators . That ' s why the plan 18 came like that because the people that 19 put it together couldn ' t be the -- do 20 the legislative decision . So that ' s 21 what the point we ' re at now . We ' re 22 reviewing those things . We ' re meeting 23 regularly, like Ann said, and we ' re 24 coming up with that step two of the 25 plan . APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 49 1 DAVID LEVY : You ' re just saying 2 exactly what I ' m saying in different 3 words . That wasn ' t a plan . It was a 4 plan to make a plan . And that ' s not 5 what the law required . And you ' ve been 6 collecting this tax for a year . I think 7 an enterprising attorney who wanted to 8 have some fun and maybe make some money 9 would bring an action . 10 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : So this 11 plan that what we have now, the 84 pages 12 had to be approved before we -- the 13 County approved our packet . And so it ' s 14 following the guidelines that were given 15 to us and we ' ve done everything 16 according to the guidelines . And we ' re 17 continuing to work on the plan . 18 DAVID LEVY : You do think you ' ve 19 passed the plan? 20 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Yes . 21 It ' s not a complete plan and we never 22 said it was a complete plan . It ' s a 23 plan . It ' s a working document, a living 24 document, and we ' ve been upfront and 25 honest that we have to keep continuing APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 50 1 working on this . You have Stage One, 2 where the stakeholders put it together, 3 and Stage Two where the legislators have 4 to put it together . And we ' re in Stage 5 Two, if you will . I mean that ' s another 6 way to -- 7 DAVID LEVY : So it ' s not a plan 8 until the legislators approve it . 9 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : No . 10 No . The legislators continue to follow 11 it . It ' s not a completed plan . It ' s 12 not completed, and we never -- never 13 adopted it as completed . 14 DAVID LEVY : Let me ask you the 15 question a lot of people will be 16 interested . 17 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Yeah . 18 DAVID LEVY : Can an illegal alien, 19 someone who ' s not in the country 20 legally, apply for and get these 21 benefits? 22 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : You 23 have to have a financial tax return 24 that ' s part of what the process is . 25 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : So we APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 51 1 don ' t have a structure as far as I know 2 as what you would apply for yet . 3 DAVID LEVY : I think that without 4 having a structure -- 5 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : And 6 that ' s what we ' re working on now . 7 DAVID LEVY : Without having a 8 structure, a court would be hard pressed 9 to say this is a plan . Has rules . It 10 has criteria . It has a form of an 11 application . Do we -- has anybody 12 applied for benefits yet? 13 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : No, 14 ' cause we don ' t have any projects open 15 yet . 16 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Not only 17 has no one applied, but no funds have 18 been given . And I think as the 19 Councilwoman points out, this plan got 20 us to the point where we brought it 21 before voters . A vast majority of South 22 Old Town voters supported the adoption 23 of this plan . 24 DAVID LEVY : No, they didn ' t . No, 25 they -- no , they didn ' t . APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 52 1 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : They 2 supported the legislation . 3 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : They 4 supported the legislation to write the 5 plan . 6 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : Right . 7 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : But we 8 needed the plan to put that forward . If 9 they did not have the confidence in the 10 Town Board and our ability to answer 11 these questions , they wouldn ' t have 12 voted to support the collection of this 13 money . 14 DAVID LEVY : With all due respect 15 to my neighbors , I think you ' re giving 16 the residents too much credit for 17 knowing what was in the plan or what was 18 in the law . 19 COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : Mr . Levy, 20 can you -- 21 DAVID LEVY : And in fact, this 22 Board pledged at a number of meetings , 23 and I can go back because you ' re all 24 quoted in the paper, not all . You are . 25 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 53 1 Absolutely . 2 DAVID LEVY : About how before you 3 are going to ask people to vote on this , 4 you are going to produce the plan . 5 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : We have a 6 plan . 7 DAVID LEVY : The vote came within 8 days of the plan being issued . 9 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : So we 10 upheld the pledge -- 11 DAVID LEVY : No . No . 12 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : It ' s my 13 contention that the plan that we have is 14 a plan . It is a living document where 15 we need to answer more questions . You 16 are absolutely correct . The issue -- 17 DAVID LEVY : What ' s the plan? 18 What ' s the first thing we ' re going to do 19 under the plan? A plan has a schedule . 20 It has rules . And an -- 21 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : An 22 undefinition of a plan -- 23 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : I think 24 we are -- but we are working with the 25 Housing Committee, and also with a APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 54 1 full-time government liaison whose 2 responsibility it is to try to develop 3 ways to encourage affordable housing in 4 the Town . And until we have clear 5 guidelines approved by the Town Board 6 and vetted by the community, that 7 money ' s not going to be spent . We ' re 8 trying to be very clear on how to your 9 point of who, is there ' s two applicants 10 who gets the money? I mean that ' s a 11 good point . Who -- 12 DAVID LEVY : Who does get the 13 money? 14 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Don ' t you 15 take comfort in us not giving out any of 16 these funds? We ' re still not -- we ' re 17 collecting the funds to use . And what 18 -- 19 DAVID LEVY : Truthfully, no . I ' ll 20 tell you why . Because the Town is 21 working at cross purposes with itself . 22 All I hear is about how we need 23 affordable housing . And I don ' t 24 disagree at all . I mean, I see all the 25 help wanted signs , and I realize that APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 55 1 people are not getting paid enough to 2 live out here . I get all that . But one 3 of the reasons that there ' s not enough 4 housing out here is because there ' s not 5 enough -- everybody blames only the 6 zoning and that ' s an issue . But the 7 other issue is a lack of available real 8 estate . You agree? 9 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : 10 Absolutely . 11 DAVID LEVY : So the Town, if I sell 12 my house, the Town is going to tax the 13 buyer a half a percent to help out with 14 the affordable housing and 2 percent to 15 take more real estate off the market . 16 And given the choice, I ' d rather 17 preserve the real estate . But you ' re 18 trying to do both, and there are cross 19 purposes . So I think this whole program 20 is moronic . 21 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Well , 22 there is some conflict there , but I have 23 to disagree with you on the lack of real 24 estate, because I have a brother-in-law 25 who lives in Queens , where they built up APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 56 1 every square inch, and I don ' t think 2 anything is inexpensive there . So the 3 more you build, it doesn ' t mean it ' s 4 cheaper necessarily, or more affordable . 5 So it ' s not like you ' re not going to 6 build your way into affordability by any 7 means . Because it ' s expensive to build 8 and expensive to maintain . And then 9 once you have that infrastructure and 10 we ' re struggling with the infrastructure 11 throughout the whole Town, once you 12 build infrastructure, whether it ' s 13 sewers or public water or electric or 14 buildings , it is a struggle to maintain 15 everything, believe me . And then that 16 adds to the tax burden, adds to short 17 term operating costs and long term debt 18 to maintain things . And we ' re faced with 19 that in this Town right now . 20 DAVID LEVY : We have it in my 21 neighborhood . I get that . But if you 22 talk to real estate developers , they 23 will tell you that the Town ' s program to 24 preserve real estate, they don ' t 25 criticize the program, but they say it APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 57 1 is not helping with the affordability of 2 housing . 3 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : But 4 even if we took half the farmland that 5 isn ' t protected and built houses on them 6 now, it wouldn ' t be cheap and it 7 wouldn ' t solve the housing problem 8 either . 9 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : It ' s 10 all a balance . 11 DAVID LEVY : That ' s the other 12 thing . You ' re totally right . Every 13 problem that exists in the Town of 14 Southold, there ' s an easy solution for 15 it . 16 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : I think 17 it would be my contention that there ' s 18 not an easy solution to the workforce 19 housing problem. To the Supervisor ' s 20 point, we could build out all of the 21 remaining farmland here and put 22 workforce housing there . There ' d still 23 be a need . It ' s . 24 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Not 25 going to solve the problem. APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 58 1 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : This is a 2 problem we cannot build our way out of, 3 but I do think it ' s not surprising that 4 the assembly person that came up with a 5 wildly successful land preservation 6 program, that I think everyone loves the 7 program . 8 DAVID LEVY : Absolutely . 9 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : You know, 10 we ' ve preserved thousands of acres in 11 Southold Town . It ' s not a surprise to 12 me that that same assembly person came 13 up with this affordable housing program, 14 modeled on that, because it was 15 successful . It gives local governments 16 discretion . It gives local governments 17 control to solve the problem in a way 18 that suits our community . The last 19 thing we need is people from Albany 20 coming down saying this is where you 21 need to build it , taking away local 22 control . Taking away local zoning 23 discretion . 24 DAVID LEVY : I ' m not sure why we ' re 25 talking about that . We agree on that . APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 59 1 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Okay . 2 DAVID LEVY : We agree on that 3 totally . 4 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Okay . 5 DAVID LEVY : And I ' m not against 6 the land preservation, but you can ' t 7 have it both ways . 8 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : As the 9 Councilwoman pointed out, I think this 10 is about balance . And it ' s my 11 contention that these two programs allow 12 us to achieve this balance . 13 DAVID LEVY : How many -- how many 14 -- how many families do you think will 15 be helped on average in the first five 16 years of getting this program off the 17 ground? 18 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : We ' re 19 working on answering those questions , 20 but it is our hope that with the crisis 21 our community is facing, this program 22 will make a meaningful impact to 23 addressing this issue . 24 DAVID LEVY : What would be 25 meaningful to you in terms of number? APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 60 1 Because I ' m going to come back here . 2 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Yeah, I 3 look forward to these discussions . 4 DAVID LEVY : Because if you help 5 three families a year, it will be a lot . 6 And I mention that because you just said 7 such and such is not going to solve the 8 problem . This isn ' t either . What you ' re 9 going to do, is you ' re going to create a 10 big infrastructure and a lot of work and 11 a new department for the Town, a Housing 12 Department , and you ' re going to have 13 very little to show . 14 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Well , 15 right now we have the government 16 liaison, which is a position that ' s 17 existed for decades working on this 18 full-time . Not full-time , but that ' s 19 part of her responsibilities . And she ' s 20 a full-time employee . 21 DAVID LEVY : Okay . I think it ' s -- 22 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : It ' s 23 going to take time . And there ' s so many 24 different aspects of this plan that we 25 can utilize . And we ' re working on the APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 61 1 priorities of, you know, what we ' re 2 going to tackle first . As the Supervisor 3 said, we talked about development 4 transfer sanitary flow, because that ' s 5 part of any development, whether it ' s 6 affordable or not . So we ' re working on 7 that code . So that ' s shelf ready . I 8 mean, there ' s a lot of work to be done, 9 not just for the housing plan, but for 10 other areas that we ' re working on . On 11 the -- on the Comprehensive Plan . And 12 it all takes time . We ' re diligently 13 working on it , and you know, we ' re 14 making progress . 15 DAVID LEVY : When do you think 16 you ' ll have a plan? 17 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : To 18 your definition, I don ' t know . 19 DAVID LEVY : And I will wait till 20 that date to come back and ask these 21 questions again . 22 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Yeah, 23 you ' ll have answers when we have 24 answers . 25 DAVID LEVY : And okay . When do you APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 62 1 think that ' ll be? 2 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : I 3 cannot answer that because we ' re working 4 on it . We ' re going to have a little at 5 a time . And as we resolve the issues , 6 we implemented it in plan . 7 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : And I 8 would add that the housing plan that 9 you ' re referring to is not the only tool 10 we ' re using to try to solve and achieve 11 the major goal of a diverse housing 12 market . And hopefully get not just 13 workforce housing, but more families 14 able to be here . It can ' t just be one 15 plan that takes care of that . And I 16 think that ' s what we ' re kind of talking 17 about . Can we look at the zoning, the 18 code changes ? What we ' re sitting and 19 doing weekly now is looking at what did 20 we promise to do in this plan that 21 belongs at the Board level and make sure 22 we ' re doing those things . 23 DAVID LEVY : I ' m focused on the 24 legal requirements that you ' re supposed 25 to have a plan . And I think the court APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 63 1 would agree with it . 2 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : I 3 respectfully disagree with you, and I 4 guess I would ask that we move on . 5 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Yes . 6 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : And we 7 could get a legal opinion on this . 8 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : And thank 9 you for your comments and look forward 10 to -- 11 DAVID LEVY : Appreciate it . 12 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Anyone 13 else like to address the Board? 14 ERIC MCCLURE : Good evening . My 15 name is Eric McClure . I live in 16 Westview Drive in Mattituck . Most of 17 you guys are familiar with me from 18 repeated visits . Another intractable 19 problem is the sound from Strong ' s Water 20 Club, which is across the creek from us . 21 And so I guess I ' m here tonight to ask 22 about a different plan, which is a plan 23 for dealing with that this Summer . I 24 know that Council member Doherty had a 25 meeting with Jeff Strong last summer . APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 64 1 And I have to be honest, I know she went 2 into that with full good intentions and 3 did her best . It just didn ' t really 4 change the situation . In particular -- 5 so they do about -- I think they had 6 about 50 live music events last summer . 7 It pushes the envelope of the Town Noise 8 Code because the sound is carrying 9 across water . It really is loud, louder 10 in our backyard than it is where the 11 sound is originating . There was also an 12 issue with one particular boater who was 13 out there for the summer . They started 14 in middle of May to occasionally crank 15 up their sound system, which is very 16 powerful after 11 o ' clock at night . So 17 after everything else had quieted down, 18 the Strong ' s Water Club is closed, the 19 restaurant ' s closed . And then the new 20 school would get cranked for about 30 21 seconds . But if you ' ve gone to bed, 22 your windows are open and it kind of 23 blasts you out of bed . I know Council 24 member Doherty spoke to Jeff about it 25 last summer . He said, "Oh, maybe I need APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 65 1 to kick them out . " Well , they didn ' t 2 kick them out . So that kind of thing 3 happened every three weeks until into 4 October . It never changed . They never 5 dealt with it . They knew exactly who it 6 was because, I had multiple 7 correspondences with one of the 8 managers , the business manager at 9 Strong ' s about it . And I knew who it 10 was , but they just never dealt with it . 11 And so -- and it was -- you knew it was 12 the same person . It was usually the 13 same songs that they were cranking up 14 and it would last for 30 seconds . So 15 you know, I diligently called the police 16 to report it, but there ' s nothing for 17 them to do really at that point . They 18 can go look . So you know, I really like 19 to avoid that . I ' d like to see the 20 music get under control . And there was 21 one night in October, a late in October, 22 a chilly night, when the windows started 23 rattling from some kind of -- it was 24 clearly like DJ music . And so I just 25 rode over there on my bike . And there APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 66 1 was a DJ out on the patio with not a 2 single other person there . There were a 3 couple of people inside in the 4 restaurant . But this music is rattling 5 the windows of our house but nobody ' s 6 out there listening to it , so . 7 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : What 8 was the response from the DJ? 9 ERIC MCCLURE : Oh, I didn ' t talk to 10 him ' cause I didn ' t wanna lose my 11 temper, I guess , but I had actually 12 contacted the person who ' s cell number I 13 have , who was in Connecticut at a boat 14 show, and she said, oh, I said there was 15 nothing on the calendar for tonight, for 16 music, but there ' s a DJ there . And she 17 said, I ' m in Connecticut . I just don ' t 18 know . Here ' s the number for the manager 19 at the restaurant . And that ' s another 20 thing . The restaurant manager changed 21 mid summer . I spoke to her a couple 22 times about some particularly loud music 23 events . And they just -- they didn ' t 24 really deal with it . And I don ' t want 25 to have multiple people that I have to APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 67 1 call . You know it ' s one thing . And the 2 woman at Strong ' s usually responsive, 3 but it ' s just -- it ' s been an issue for 4 many years now . And just really hasn ' t 5 improved . So I guess as I have in the 6 past , I ' m coming here tonight to ask for 7 your help and some kind of plan or 8 strategy for dealing with it . And you 9 know, maybe the long-term and I know 10 there ' s a lot on the Board ' s plate with 11 everything happening in the Town at the 12 moment, the Noise Code is probably 13 something that that needs revisiting . I 14 know Scott mentioned that one point a 15 couple years ago that maybe it ' s not 16 stringent enough . It certainly isn ' t in 17 our case . But I just wanted to say hi , 18 and with the Spring not too far off or 19 the Summer not too far off now in the 20 season kicking up, to ask for your help . 21 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : All 22 right . You are in the -- probably a 23 tough spot there with a prevailing wind 24 in the summertime to carry the music 25 right to you . I will -- I ' ll give the APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 68 1 marina owner a call and -- this week . 2 And see what he has to say . And it does 3 right, depend on who ' s running it . I ' m 4 sure he ' s not there . He ' s not there 5 personally, but I ' m not sure how they 6 have that music aligned and maybe 7 there ' s something they could do to give 8 you a little relief there and still 9 provide the entertainment they want for 10 there, you know, for their customers . 11 ERIC MCCLURE : Yeah . It seems like 12 you know -- I know Audrey who lives next 13 door knows Jeff from way back . They 14 grew up in the Town together and asked 15 him to turn the speakers around . I know 16 Council member Doherty already talked to 17 him about some kind of sound barrier and 18 I don ' t think that they thought that 19 that might work . But certainly some 20 kind of volume control and a volume cap 21 that keeps it from hitting 70 decibels 22 on our side of the water would help 23 tremendously . Because I ' ve kind of 24 resigned -- we ' ve resigned ourselves to 25 closing the window, turning on the air APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 69 1 conditioning, even if it might be a nice 2 evening . Just to try to keep the sound 3 at bay, but even then sometimes you can 4 just -- you can feel the bass , you know, 5 feel it in your, hitting your chest like 6 that , even with the window shut , so . 7 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : And I 8 will say, he speaks for the whole 9 neighborhood . They ' re just tired of 10 coming out with him, so he ' s -- and 11 we ' ll definitely try again and we ' ll , 12 you know, I ' ll help supervisor and 13 whatever we come up with . 14 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : I was 15 on the Town Board when we originally 16 passed the noise ordinance . It is 17 mostly effective when it ' s a single 18 event and, you know, law enforcement 19 shows up and asks them to turn the music 20 down . That is usually an effective 21 method . This is a little different where 22 it ' s a business providing that sort of 23 entertainment . So I ' ll speak to the 24 owner . 25 ERIC MCCLURE : I appreciate it . APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 70 1 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Sure . 2 ERIC MCCLURE : Thanks for indulging 3 me . 4 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Sure . 5 ROBERT DUNN : Robert Dunn, Peconic . 6 I was just -- I ' ve been through that 7 here . It ' s reason my problem was 8 resolved, but to take care of this 9 issue, which seems to be ongoing . I know 10 we have the means to fine it ; correct? 11 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : We 12 have code enforcement . Yes . 13 ROBERT DUNN : Two fines . You get 14 two fines . The third time you get shut 15 down . Whether it ' s for a night or two 16 nights or something . Now you ' re scared . 17 I mean, when you get them in $250 , and I 18 don ' t want to talk bad about the Strong 19 Family . I don ' t know them . They ' re 20 probably nice people, but $250 is not 21 going to hurt them. We all know that . 22 Close them down, and the whole staff 23 knows they ' re going to be out of a 24 night ' s pay . Well , things change . So 25 it ' s just, you get two tickets , which APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 71 1 are basically warnings . They ' re 2 expensive warnings , but they ' re warning . 3 The third one , we ' re going to close you 4 down . We ' re going to come in here, 5 everybody out . You ' re close down . 6 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : So 7 it ' s just a matter of updating . It ' s a 8 matter of updating our code . 9 ROBERT DUNN : And it ain ' t gonna get 10 any better here . The garbage that was 11 on the South Shore that quite frankly 12 came from the west, slowly came out . I 13 mean, I was on beach was quiet It ' s 14 gonna continue and it ' s gonna continue 15 up here . If you don ' t bite it now, 16 you ' re going to have to fight it later . 17 It ' s going to be a whole different game . 18 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Well , 19 that ' s the common theme here tonight, is 20 quality of life issues . 21 ROBERT DUNN : Correct . 22 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank 23 you . Anyone else? Yes , Mr . Halliger . 24 LEROY HALLIGER : My name is Leroy 25 Halliger . I live in Mattituck, and I ' m APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 72 1 Deacon at the Unity Baptist Church on 2 Factory Avenue . Last March, Item 3 224-258 , Category Support , Non-Support 4 Resolution by the Town Attorney, 5 opposition of Governor ' s budget cuts for 6 highway funding . It ended up with be it 7 resolved, that the Town Board of the 8 Town of Southold opposes the 2024-25 9 budget cuts contained in the Governor ' s 10 budget for highway funding to local 11 governments . Has there been any change? 12 Because I know our budget has been 13 discussed this week . I think they got a 14 deadline of Thursday . Has there been any 15 change in this? 16 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : For 17 2025 , we haven ' t heard . I know 18 Superintendent Highways Dan Goodwin went 19 up to Albany with a number of highway 20 superintendents from Long Island to 21 basically to lobby for highway funding 22 through New York State and in the 23 budget . 24 LEROY HALLIGER : Well , it says here 25 that it ' s not only the highway . It APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 73 1 says , whereas New York State , Governor 2 Kathy Hochul ' 25 -- ' 24 to ' 25 budget 3 proposal -- proposals of $ 60 million and 4 cuts to chips Funding from the proposed 5 but State spending plan is a result that 6 will result in reductions to local 7 highway funding, including a loss of 8 funds to the Town of Southold . 9 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Right . 10 LEROY HALLIGER : Now, ever since 11 the New York State Safe Streets Act was 12 put in place, I think it ' s been 13 something like five years -- five or six 14 years . And I have appealed to the Board 15 for some study -- just a study being 16 made on Factory Avenue because of the 17 increase in traffic . Everybody knows 18 what it ' s like . Especially from 19 Memorial Day to Labor Day . And it ' s 20 getting crucial . And someone ' s gonna 21 get hurt or killed, especially in the 22 residential section . And all I ' m asking 23 for is a study to be made under the Safe 24 Streets Act . And behind this here , it ' s 25 going to be another 10 years before some APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 74 1 action we can -- I ' m just wondering if 2 there ' s any change to this resolution to 3 help us out? 4 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Well , 5 the proposed budget cuts that you 6 mentioned and the governor ' s budget they 7 have not been resolved yet . The State 8 has not passed the budget this year yet . 9 They ' re normally on April lst the budget 10 should be due . So they ' re past that, 11 and so we don ' t know what the State of 12 the highway funding is going to be yet . 13 Maybe our representative or liaison to 14 the Transportation Commission could 15 bring up the more localized safety 16 issues on Factory Avenue . 17 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : And so we 18 have discussed not just Factory Avenue 19 but that whole -- 20 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : That 21 whole area is speed down sound . 22 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : The walk 23 ability I think is what we ' re concerned 24 about . And the backing up of traffic in 25 the summer . So that is on our radar to APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 75 1 get over there and take a look at it, 2 and ask for a solution . I don ' t know if 3 we need a study . I know we are studying 4 things on the Main Road right now with 5 the State regarding the safety at the 6 crosswalks and things around Love Lane . 7 So we ' re going to keep working on that . 8 But Mr . Goodwin and I are going to come 9 and meet with you and look at, 10 physically look at what the needs are 11 and see if we can ' t -- not wait for 12 someone else to tell us what we can do . 13 What we can try to do with what we have 14 control over . Because it has to get 15 safer . You ' re right . 16 LEROY HALLIGER : Thank you . 17 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank 18 you . All right, is the Board ready to 19 adjourn? 20 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : So move . 21 COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : Second . 22 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : All in 23 favor? 24 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Aye . 25 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Aye . APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 76 1 COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : Aye . 2 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : Aye . 3 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Aye . 4 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Aye . 5 6 (Whereupon, the meeting concluded 7 at this time . ) 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 APRIL 9, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 77 1 C E R T I F I C A T I O N 2 3 I , Jessica DiLallo, a Notary Public 4 for and within the State of New York, 5 do hereby certify : 6 THAT , the within transcript is a 7 true record of said Board Meeting . 8 I further certify that I am not 9 related either by blood or marriage to 10 any of the parties to this action; and 11 that I am in no way interested in the 12 outcome of this matter . 13 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto 14 set my hand this day, April 23 , 2024 . 15 16 17 ( J sic iLallo ) 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25