HomeMy WebLinkAboutParking Rocky Point Rd 1997LOCAL LAW NO. - 1997
A Local Law in Relation to Parking on Rocky Point Road, East Marion
BE IT ENACTED, by the Town Board of the Town of Southold as follows:
I. Chapter 65 (Parking at Beaches) is hereby amended as follows:
Section 65-2(B)(3) (Designation of parking areas requiring
permits) is hereby amended by deleting the following:
B. The following road end areas are hereby designated
as Town of Southold "Parking by Southold Town Permit
Only" areas:
& Aquaviow Road from Rocky Point Road, Long Island
Sound, East Marion, east for a distance of five hundrc61
(500) foot, and Rocky P~icrt~m the torminus
south for a distancc of five hundredS.
II. Chapter 92 (Vehicles and Traffic) is hereby amended as follows:
Section 92-41 (Parking prohibited at all times) is hereby
amended by adding the following:
The parking of vehicles is hereby prohibited at all times
in any of the following locations:
Name of Street Side Location
Rocky Point Road
Both
At East Marion. Aquaview
Road from Rockv Point
Road, Lonq Island Sound,
east for a distance of five
hundred (500~ feet and
from the terminus south for
a distance of five hundred
(500) feet.
Ill. This local law shall take effect upon filing with the Secretary of
State.
Strikethrough represents deletion
Underline represents addition
PUBLIC HEARING
SOUTHOLD TOWN BOARD
AUGUST 19, 1997
8:00 P.M.
ON A PROPOSED "LOCAL LAW IN RELATION TO PARKING ON ROCKY
POINT ROAD".
Supervisor Jean W. Cochran
Councilwoman Alice J- Hussie
Councilman Joseph L. Townsend, Jr.
Councilwoman Ruth D. Oliva
Justice Louisa P. Evans
Councilman William D. Moore
Town Clerk Judith T. Terry
Town Attorney Laury L. Dowd
SUPERVISOR COCHRAN: This hearing on a proposed "Local Law in
Relation to Rocky Point Road" will be read by Councilwoman Hussie.
COUNCILWOMAN HUSSIE: "Public Notice is hereby given that there has
been presented to the Town Board of the Town of Southold, Suffolk
County, New York, on the 5th day of August, 1997, a Local law
entitled, "A Local Law in Relation to Parking to Rocky Point Road, East
Marion". Notice is hereby given that the Town Board of the Town of
Southold will hold a public hearing on the aforesaid Local Law at the
Southold Town Hall, 53095 Main Road, Southold, New York, on the
19th day of August. 1997, at 8:00 P.M., at which time all interested
persons will be heard. This proposed "Local Law in Relation to Parking
on Rocky Point Road, East Marion, reads as follows:
I~E IT ENACTED, by the Town Board of the Town of Southold as
follows:
I. Chapter 65 (Parking at Beaches) is hereby amended as foilows:
Section 65-2(B)(3) (Designation of parking areas requiring
permits) is hereby amended by deleting the following:
B. The fallowing road end areas are'hereby designated
as Town of Southold "Parking by Southold Town Permit
Only" areas:
~:-A~aaview Road from Rocky Point Road, Long Island
Sound, East Marion, east for a distancc of five huccCe~
(500) fcet, and Rocky Point Road frcm the terminus
south for a distange of five hundred (500) feet.
pg 2 - PH
II_ Chapter 92 (Vehicles and Traffic) is hereby amended as follows:
Section 92-41 (Parking prohibited at all times) is hereby
amended by adding the following:
The parking of vehicles is hereby prohibited at all times
in any of [he following locations:
Name of Street Side Location
Rocky Point Road Both At East Marion, Aquaview
Road from Reck,/Point
Road, Lonq Island Sound,
east for a distance of five
hundred (5001. feet and
from the terminus south for
a distance of five hundred
(500~ feet.
III. This Local Law shall take effect upon filing with the Secretary of
State.
Strikethrough represents deletion
Underline represents addition
Copies of this Local Law are available in the Office of the Town Clerk to
any interested persons during business hours.
Dated: August 5, 1997. Judith T. Terry, Southold Town Clerk.~ There
is an affidavit attesting to the publication in The Suffolk Times,. and
also posting on the Town Clerk's Bulletin Board. There is no
correspondence.
SUPERVISOR COCHRAN: Thank you. You have heard the reading of
the change in the Code, Local Law ~23. Is there anyone that would like
to address the Board on this Local Law change?
PETER JELLE"I-r: My name is Peter Jellett. First of all, I didn't
quite understand the whole thing. I don~t understand what does it mean
this parking by permit only? This has been there right along.
COUNCILWOMAN OLIVA: It's been no parking, no parking at all.
PETER JELLETT: No parking at all. That's wonderful. You know,
that is one ef two spots in an eight mile area, that we can actually get
on to the Sound. The only one is Youngs Road, which is so narrow that
if you park behind the guy, he can't get out. So, maybe three or four
cars can park there, but that's it. This is, without question, one of the
best fishing spots that we have. I mean, when the blues are in there,
they are in. They are not there all the time, but when they are they can
be pretty heavy, and the,/ can be a tot of fun- The idea of cutting us
off, I think iris terrible. I grew up in England, you couldn't get off
the road without trespassing. When we came out here thirty years ago, I
pg 3 - PH
mean, I have been fishing for forty-five years, but now they are saying
they want to cut us out of this. There is no other spot, even Truman's
Beach is not a public beach. The State launch area is for cars with
boats only. That's what it says right On the sign. So, this is all we
got. Now, if we put those signs up, that is the end of it. I know there
is a lot of people who live on the Sound. They want to see as far as
they can see, and say, this is my land. It's not. It belongs to
everybody. This is a big town, and there is a lot of people living in
this town, who are not on the bluff. I wouldn't want to be on the bluff,
personally, because it is too darn cold. I called the Road Department,
and asked them how road ends actually ended on the water? You know
the guy comes, they clam, they turn up the dirt, they make a mess,
maybe we shouldn't have them there either. Maybe we should have nobody
anyplace, you kno~? Put fences at the end of the road, and that will be
the end of that. Like I said, i lived ~in England, you couldn't go
anywhere. Ri:Yers belonged to Lord Chess or somebody. When we were
kids, the reservoir where we wanted, to fish belonged to somebody,
belonged to a club, because we would get in there~ as kids can do this,
but grown-ups can't. I know what has been happening at Rocky Point,
but we do have policeman in this town. Surely the police could patrol this
to a point. I have never seen anybody live down there, ever, 'in thirty
years. So, you know, you hear these ,.things, and you say, what affe they
talking about? I have never seen anybody camping down the~-e. I have
seen them camping in Mulford Point. Now, there's a couple of spots in
Mulford. Point, wl~ere we go fishing. I guess most 'people know, they
are both private lots. By the Grace of God, wl~oeyer, they have. left
these things open. Once these things are closed~ the only exit.would be at
the park, the County park area, and Greenport 6ti steps, i'm 68 years
~cjo. Sixty-four steps is pretty high. Horton Point is even., higher. I
cl.imb up these things at Rocky Poi,nt Road. It!s been a. mess. M0gt of that
mess is not crea~ed by people climbing up dbwn,. It's created by water
problems, by runbff from the road. I figure it would be a b~g .mistake to
pass this resolutibn. Thank you.
SUPERVISOR COCHRAN: Thank you.
like to?
Is there anyone else that would
REGCIE WILD: My name is Reggie Wild. I live on Aqueview
Avenue. I would like to say that I am in favor of this law. A few years
ago when this first up I did speak, and spoke about the problems created
by the parked cars in relation to getting emergency vehicles on to the
road, and the problem with parking the cars in that there is no shoulder
there. Today I have a different reason to favor this, because we have
suffered incredible erosion in the last two years at the beach, at the
focal point where everybody wants to go down to. Yes, the cliff is eroded
terribly, and I risk my life to go down it, but the space at the bottom of
the bank is only 35 feet deep to the high water mark, forty-nine feet
wide. At that point it abuts to private property. So, you have about
1,700 square feet of land where if you have 100 fishermen, or 100 people
who decide to use this beach, they would have maybe 17 square feet each
to use it. It is very tight, and what will happen, of course, with all the
people coming to fish, they will move into private property, and that is
confiscatory. What I did was for those who didn't want to risk their
life, is to make a diagram, and some photographs indicating where the
pg ~ - PH
beach is in relation to the slope, and how it measures off with markers.
I~11 give it to you.
SUPERVISOR COCHRAN: I would like to give some comments. Are you
finished? I don't want to interrupt.
REGGIE WILD: I have one more comment. The hurricane season is
coming, as you indicated. We in that particular cove are suffering
extreme erosion of the beach itself, and we sort of feel that by the end
of this hurricane season we may have fifteen feet left, if the erosion
continues the way it has been. Thank you.
SUPERVISOR COCHRAN: Before I make my comments, is there anyone
else who would like to address the Board?
MARGARET JELLETTE: My name is Margaret Jellette. I am sure that
the last speaker realizes that even though the road end is only forty-nine
feet wide, and there is thirty-five feet to the high water mark, I am sure
she realizes that below the high water mark is public domain, and that
instead of being only forty-nine feet of road end, there are miles and
miles of land, that is thirty-five feet wide, or perhaps some slight
variance of that. It is not a matter of just simply forty-nine feet at
the road end that we are talking about. We are talking about the entire
coastline below the high water mark.
SUPERVISOR COCHRAN: Thank you.
ED MCDONALD: My name is Ed McDonald. I live in Mattituck. I do
some fishing out there at Rocky Point. I would like clarification of why
the parking is being prohibited? Is it being prohibited because of
overparking in the area, or access to the beach?
SUPERVISOR COCHRAN: I'll make my comments, and maybe we will
clarify some things. I have gone down there with Jim McMahon, and we
were looking at different road ends, and so forth, because we do get
complaints, and problems. Our largest is Hortons Point, and Rocky
Point Road. Upon seeing the liability facing the town with the condition
of that slope, and access to the beach, it was a concern. I asked the
entire Town Board to go down, and view the site itself. They all came
back feeling that something had to be done. Now, at the same time, Jim
McMahon through Community Development was working funding for
replacing the steps. Okay? It went out to bid. We did not receive any
bids. We had the opportunity to go out again for bids, or to discuss this
more in depth. I don't think there is a member of the Town Board that is
not aware of their responsibility in maintaining access on a road end to
the water. We hold this dear. It is part of our heritage. It's part of
our way of life, that we can go down to any road end, and if there is
water, walk down on the beach. The main thing was the liability facing
the town. The last time the steps were built, I understand they were
burned soon thereafter. My feeling is that if we are going to open this
up as a fishing area, that we should also provide services. Now, one of
the problems we have at these road ends along the Sound, and it's not
fishermen alone, it's families, also, with fishermen. They are pitching
tents. They are using the beach for a public bathroom. The neighbors
pg 5 - PH
have people come on their beach, and sunbath in the nude, but there are
things that any~ of us;~livlng near aL,~r0ad end:would not' llke,,~co see
h~ppening, you 'know, be it :below high. water,' o~ above. It's stiU~ doing
things on the beach yo'u' shouldn!t ~be doing. ' I -think at' this p0rnt the
Town Board, and they are perfectly free to speak for themselves, we felt
that one ~B0ard recommended Or. suggest, and it' made sense td- the i-est' of
u~s,' because this~'~s here, that right now we do not see the access there.
It doesn't mean it won't be in the future. We are not here to take things
away from'"the :~ublic ~r fro'm .th~ taxpayer: '~ These are'~ things we all
eiqjoy, but.the cOnditic;'n, of..~it is not~ appropriate fbi-:usage right now.
Now;. what one ~persc~n recommended, I ~.;don't remember who it~was., that
We' were?:send|ng mixed messages, that if we sent a message that you
could not go here to fish at this particular time. B, ut, you are allowed to
p~'rk.. It's |nvlitlng peopl~ to ~ark thei~&~Wl~ere~ 'yc~C~ ca~n't.gb~to Tish. SO,
that is how this' came 'about, that we~ wo(J-ld :put' no park|n~ |r~' effect at
t~hlg', pbint. ~l~said,to .~che Bbard today, I think if we are going to make
(ta, pe.ch.a, nge) I. th!n? they are just going to park down the road.
ED MCDONALD: There is access there. You are limiting access by doing
that~ to a seile,~t area,' llke the people who live in that area. They will
then 'walk there, :or as I have seen recently, ride their~: bikes. The
liabilJty~.factor~'is'stiil going to be there.
SUPERVISOR'~ COCHRAN: We have put up fences, the Highway
Superint~ndei~t'.~ q~he~ have torn down.
ED MC, DONALD: .I have been involved in risk management issues in a
10t of ~different~'.levels, Federal, State, County, City, Town. Not here, in
a cliff&lent town~'~ I started coming out here thirty years ago. My two
s0ns'l t0bk ~fi~hing then. Now I take my grandchildren fishing. I don~t
want to .see' that eroded. I think you have to put a little more time and
effort into alternate solutions, than what you are proposing, rather than
jugt j:bml~ing 'o~ this, and doing it this way. I will draw up a document,
and make~ so,me ,suggestions, and drop it off at your office.
sUPERVISOR COCHRAN: I would be very happy if you Would.
£D MCDONALD: · I think you are going about it the wrong way,
because i what is going to happen, it's going to be first the initial step,
and then .th&. gituations with erosion, there is erosion on the road. That
i:s goln~ tO be the'~ next step. You have to address the main problem, and
jbst nbt~t~y and take the easy way out.
SUPERVISOR COCHRAN: I don't think this is the easy way out. You are
the' witness to the fact that it is not the easy way out.
ED MCDONALD: Just one thing, as far as one hundred fishermen
fishing ~there I have never witnessed· that. You have a law in effect
right .now that can solve some of your problems. The way to solve them
is call, ~enforcement. I think all of you know what I am talking about.
That i's all that has to be done, and once that enforcement begins to take
place arid people that don't belong there start having summons issued to
them, ahd they are paying $75 or more for a summons, the word will get
out ver~ qu.ickly by the phone, don't go to that area, and that will cut
'R~ E~t M~ur~." '
; NO~ ~ ~R G[k~N ~at-~hc Towu ~ard of~ To~ of ~old
~Rh~d ~ public h~a~ on ~ afo~said Lo~ ~ al ~¢ Somhold
~95 k~ RO~ ~u~ol~ New Y~on ~e [~da~ orA~ 1~ ~L:~
' J B. ~ [ollo~g r~d end ~ am bcreb{ desi~a~d.~ Town of ~,
STATE L Jv Yomu
) SS:
CDIINT~_ OF SUFFOLK)
of Mattituck, in
said Cotmty, being d~lY sworn, says that be/sbe
is Principal Clerk of THE SUffFOLK TIM~S, a
Weekly Newspaper, published at Mattttuek,
the To~n of Southold,, County of Suffolk and
State of N~w York, a~d that the Notice of which
the annexed is a printed copy, has been
ly published in said Newspaper once each week
~t~ weeks ,cc.~. ss_iv, ely. ~ommencing on
Principal Clerk
Sworn to before me this