Local Residents Ask Town Board to Stop Montauk Beach Erosion Project

The East Hampton Town Board announced during a packed board meeting on Tuesday that they will look into possibly stopping or delaying the project at the Montauk beach that has caused protests and resulted in several arrests.

The project, conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, involved burying a total of 14,000 large sandbags along 3,100 feet of Montauk beach to make artificial dunes over 15 feet high.

The project costs a total of $8.4 million and was started in order to protect downtown Montauk after superstorm Sandy hit the area back in 2012.

“I think everybody got a major dose of reality when they saw the primary dune being carved out,” Thomas Muse, environmental director for the eastern Long Island chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, said according to Newsday. “Let’s please pause the project.”

The board voted unanimously to approve the project and were not sure if the project could not be stopped because the town is now under contract with the Army Corps.

Opponents of the project have said that the project will destroy the natural dunes and ruin the look of the beach, and have protested on the beach, resulting in several arrests for disorderly conduct.

Over 250 Montauk residents attended the meeting on Tuesday, which was relocated to the Montauk Playhouse to accommodate the extra people, in order to ask the board to try to suspend or end the project.

Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell told attendees that the board first has to hear from both the Army Corps and the D.E.C. about stopping or temporarily delaying the work before the board can discuss it, according to The East Hampton Star.

“I think the board needs to get some fundamental answers on some fundamental facts before making a decision,” Cantwell said, according to Newsday.

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