HomeMy WebLinkAboutZBA-06/07/1957-PH ~KNUTES
SOLWz~HOLD TOWN BUILDING Z01~E 0t~INANCE
BOARD OF APPEALS
Public Hearing held June 7, 1957
A public hearing was held at 8 P.M. on June 7, 1957, at the
~attituck Fire House, Pike Street, ~attituck, upon application of
Willis~ T. Riley for a special permit to construct, operate and
maintain a commercial labor camp on the west side of Factory Avenue,
~attituck, ~. Y.
After calling the meeting to order the Chairman of the 0card
introduced the members of the board.
There were present:
~Ar. R.W. Gillispie, Jr. (Chairman)
Mr. H. Rosenberg
~. C. Gregonis
~. R. Bergen
~&r. S. Doyen
.ALSO:
Mr. Howard Terry, Building Inspector
~r. R. G. Terry, Jr., Town Co~sel
Affidavits from two local newspapers, petition by ~. Riley
and letter of ~ay 31st to ~. Riley were read by the chairman.
A showing of hands was asked for to determine how many people
wished to speak, either "for" or "against" this appeal. There
being only a dozen or so ~no wished to speak, no limi$ ~s set as
to the time each individual had in which to speak. ~owever, the
chairman asked each individual to be as brief and to the point as
possible.
Chairman: "Is there anyone here who wishes to speak "for"
this appeal?"
William T. Riley, ~2 Riverside Drive, Riverhead: "I only
want to say this; I s~ not here to defend myself. I believe the
Southold Town Board of Appeals has been misinformed. It is not
that I want to build a labor camp. A labor camp comprises a group
of buildings and all I want to build is a barracks about 20' x 50'.
There are two shacks on this piece of property, now. ~any people
live in these two shacks and as there vJill be only six or so
people living in the proposed ~uilding, that is about all i can
say. I believe you brought out that it was a commercial labor
camp. ~y understanding of that, and I maybe wrong, would mean a
labor force to ~hich people could go and recruit help. This help
is to be used for ~Gy personal use in the grading of potatoes and
will be my group, not for hire. It is just a matter of a group
living in a definite building."
Chairman: "Is there anyone who wishes to speak "against"
this appeal?"
Southold Town Board
of Appeals
June 7, 1957
~Ii~IITES, Continued
Junius ~ubbard, main Road, ~attitucE: "I thi~ we should not have
colored people as there is enough up there now accorGing to the
Baptist church. I am not talking for the First Baptist Church of
~attituck but t was supposed to get a letter from the pastor in
~amaica and it did not come."
Bill Jackowski, Factory Avenue, ~attitucE:
building of a barracks on Factory Avenue.
or want a labor camp here."
"I am opposed to
I feel we do not need
William C. Ehalt, ~arine Lane, l~attituck: "I am representing 42
families on Marine Lane. We strenuously oppose this erection. We
do not feel that this is a fitti~ place for SUCh an operation and
feel that it should be placed somewhere else."
Henry Francis, Factory Avenue, Mattituck: "We find that a lot of
colored people in these camps are drunk and disorderly and we have
put up with this for eleven years. We do not want any more violence.
We ere really opposed to such a thing in this town."
Mary Mills, Factory Avenue, Mattituck: "I live in the neighborhood
where ~Lr. Riley intends to build. This is not a place for it. We
have a church in the vicinity an~ we prize our church very highly
and we cannot have people who will not respect the church."
Mary Kelly, Sigsbee Road, Mattituck: "I am a member of the Civic
Association. I am speaking for 65 families in the town and all
are opposed."
Florence Mahoney, Bay Avenue, ~attituck: "I feel like the rest of
the neighborhood - that this type of people in our town is very
undesirable. We feel they are shiftless and you cannot depend on
that type. We are proud of Mattituck and would like to keep it
that way. I understand Mr. Riley was refused a camp in Riverhead."
Earle Templeton, Peconic Bay Boulevard, ~attituck:"Riverhead has a
tremendous labor camp and it still is a labor camp. Arrangements
can be made between ~. Riley and this camp to merge and leave
our town the ¥~y it is."
Nona Granger, ~attituck: "We are opposed to this camp because we
have children and do not feel safe with a camp in this area. We
would not be able to allow our children on the streets in the
evenings."
Gertrude Koop, ~attituck: "Why must the individual people speak?.
Why can't it ~e put to a vote, such as: How many in favor and
those not?"
Chairman: "This is a public hearing, held in accordance with the
rules and regulations of the Building Zone Ordinance and any person
desiring to be heard may do so."
Alfred Kaneski, ~attituck: "I am very much opposed to this camp."
Edward Abitz, Reeve Avenue, mattituck: "I would like to see how
many are in favor and how many not in favor of this camp."
Southold Town Board
of Appeals
3
June 7, 1957
~INUTES, Continued
Laura Hudson, ~orth Road, Mattituck: "I am a member of the Civic
Association. We do not want a labor camp. I sM against that
labor camp. Very much so."
Ed Decker, Hattituck: "How can the Zoning Board agree to something
that is going to downgrade the entire area? I am against this
Butt Mills, Factory Avenue, Mattituck: "We do not want any
colored on this end. I live right side of a camp and do not ~ant
any more."
Evelyn Gunther, Sigsbee Avenue, Mattituck: "I live just across
from Factory Avenue and I object strenuously to this camp. There
are a lot of children on our street, very close to this camp."
There being no one else who wished to speak, Chairman asked
Riley to take up rebuttal if he wished.
Mr. Riley: "I have nothing more to say except that it is not
a labor camp. It is a barracks to house a few people."
Chairman: "Mr. Riley the board is permitted to ask you some
questions. If this is not a labor camp, what is
Mr. Riley: "It is a house or barracks to house people. I still
maintain a labor camp is a big overall operation."
At the request of the Chairman, Mr. Howard Terry explained
that a project housing 5 or more persons was considered a labor
camp.
Chairman: "Is there anything else you care to say Ur. Riley?"
Mr. Riley: "No."
Charles Pospisil, Peconic Bay Blvd,, ~attituck: "I would like
to know shy ~r. Riley chose this location. Also whether the
cs~p is to house migrants?"
Chairman: "I understand the reason for this particular location
is because ~r. Riley's mother or aunt owns same and wanted to lease
the property to ~r. Riley. The hel~ would probably be migrant."
Olive Wickham, New Suffolk; "I am a social worker. I have found
conditions very bad in this sort of samp. Far worse than in super-
vised labor c~ps. I am strictly opposed to this camp.~
Albert Sledjeski, Hattituck: "Where are these people going to be
employed? I object to these people living here and working some-
where else. I strenuously object to this camp."
Chairman: "I believe help is to be used in Aquebogue."
Southold Town Board
of Appeals
June 7, 1957
~INUTES, Continued
Charles Pospisil, ~attituck: "What happens to this migrant help
when farm work is over? They will just go~n town relief. I object
to such a csmp."
Mr. R. G. Terry, Jr., Town Counsel, then explained that a
decision would not be made at this time as the minutes would have
to be transcribed, but he assured everyone that a decision would
be made within a short time.
~r. William F. Krause presented petitions against this camp.
Total number of persons against: 456.
Approximately 180 people attended the hearing.
Meeting adjourned at 8:45 P.M.
Grace B. Meyer
Secretary