East Hampton Supervisor Says Remaining Tourism Sign 'Still Inappropriate'

EAST HAMPTON, NY — The landscape in Montauk just became a little less cluttered — but East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell said none of the tourism signs erected by the state have a place on the bucolic landscape.

In Montauk, seven of eight signs have been removed. But Cantwell would like them all to go.

"While I appreciate New York State removing seven of eight signs and replacing this sign in the next week or so with one half its size, it is still inappropriate," said East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell. "My thanks to everyone who has voiced their objection to the state and I want thank Assemblyman Fred Thiele and Senator Ken LaValle for their support."

LaValle has worked with the towns to have the signs on the East End removed. “The signs do not fit with the character of our towns and villages and were installed no notification or input from local officials," he said. "I have met with the State Department of Transportation and asked them to immediately remove the signs from our communities. The DOT is in the process of removing signs and designing smaller, more appropriate signage. I am hopeful that the new signs are more in keeping with the rural nature of the East End.”

The signs are part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's efforts to amp up a tourism marketing campaign. In November, Cuomo pledged $25 million of a $50 million campaign to be utilized for tourism marketing, featuring the I LOVE NY, Path Through History and Taste NY initiatives, Cuomo's website states.

The Empire State Development Office, which helms the "I Love New York" campaign, responded with a statement: "The goal of the I Love NY road signs are to promote the state's world-renowned tourism attractions and to continue to invest in the success of every region. Tourism generated an economic impact of more than $100 billion across the state, supporting over 870,000 jobs and generating nearly $8 billion in state and local taxes in 2014. ESD will work with state and local officials to ensure any concerns they have are addressed."

East Hampton isn't the only town facing the sign issues; they were also put up in Orient without any warning to town officials.

When they were first placed, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said the four signs were all clustered within a short distance of one another. So far, three of the four in Orient have been taken down and the fourth is expected to be replaced by a smaller sign.

The signs, Russell said, have been sited across the state but many municipalities, including Southold, never received any communication from the state that the signs were coming.

Russell said he even spoke to Lavalle when the signs first popped up. "No one even told him," he said.
Russell worked with the senator to have the signs taken down.

"I don't think they serve any purpose," he said, adding that the signage alerts people that they are in New York State, "after they just got off a ferry . . . in New York State. It seems pointless to me. I don't want to sound cynical but it sounds like some major donor owns a sign company."

The signs, he said, do not focus on Southold's unique features as a tourist destination or spotlight local businesses or attractions.

Southold Town Councilwoman Jill Doherty said if they said, "Welcome to Southold," it might be a different story.

And Councilman Jim Dinizio said there are already an abundance of signs in Southold.

"People in Southold don't need signs to tell them how great" the North Fork is, Russell said. "We have scenic vistas."

The new marketing campaign features TV ads and other media at airports, on roads, on railways, on the web and on mobile devices to promote tourism opportunities throughout New York State.

The signs placed in Orient, including the one that remains, are part of the state's "Path Through History" initiative, urging guests to "Explore New York History" and visit ILoveNY.com or utilize an app for information.

Fury ignited recently when the blue billboard-sized "Welcome to New York" signs appeared in Montauk, causing a public outcry as residents demanded the "hideous" signs be taken down.

Cantwell agreed with his angry constituents: "Thruway-size billboard signs have no place in the community," he said.