'Cost Too High' For Town In Hashamomuck Cove Plan

SOUTHOLD, NY — The Southold town board discussed storm-socked Hashamomuck Cove at Tuesday's work session and seemed to agree not only that the costs to sign on as local sponsors for a plan to re-nourish the beach were not only too high — but that the town should not be in the business of paying for projects on privately owned property.

The board met with town engineers Michael Collins and Jamie Richter. Collins said the Army Corps of Engineers had a number of points that the town needed to consider involved with signing on as a local sponsor. Local sponsors, he said, are responsible for 100% of the annual cost of an operating and maintenance plan, including administrative duties, public access concerns, ensuring that there was no drainage onto the beach, and removing all trash and debris on the 1.6 mile stretch of beach involved in the study area, to name a few.

There would also be a need to participate in an annual inspection as well as reshaping and profiling each year to keep the original elevations of the beach and prevent erosion, Collins said; the town would also need to take measures, such as sand fencing, to keep sand from blowing, as well as conduct bi-annual inspections to ensure beach width measurements, he said.

And, he added, while the ACOE has said there would be re-nourishment every five years, if there is significant deterioration, that could potentially have to be done every six months.

The board also discussed beach re-nourishment efforts in Montauk and the expenses East Hampton Town is now facing after the work was washed out in the recent storm.

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said the ACOE has said in certain circumstances, the feds would pay for entire costs of damage after a storm but those circumstances were not clearly delineated.

The area, he said, is subject to "violent storms" that might not reach the level of a state of emergency. There are unique situations, such as the recent "bomb cycle" and typical northeast weather in a coastal town, that might not fit that as-yet undefined criteria, he said.

And the main issue, he said, is putting the costs "on the backs of local taxpayers," who he does not believe should have to pay for work on private property.

It's difficult to pin down the actual costs over the next 20 to 30 years with numbers that are always moving, the supervisor said.

While there is a roundtable on Hashamomuck Cove scheduled for Wednesday, Russell said, "I honestly think the roundtable might bring more clarity or it might make the numbers more opaque. The issue is what are we going to do now as a down board."

The cost for the initial construction of a project with a 25-foot berm would be $14,560,000, Collins said; the ACOE hasn't said if the a 50-foot berm plan was "dead" or not. The town's portion of that cost would be 35%, or $5,096,000.

Hashamomuck Cove resident Lynn Laskos has said that the portion for a local sponsor — which could be the town, county, Water Authority, or another party — would be a $1.5 million initial cost, with 50 percent of that, the town's share, or approximately $764,500. Renourishment every 5 years would be $273,000 every 5 years, or $54,600, for the town's share, she said.

While some have suggested that utilities such as LIPA share in the local costs — neither the state nor county has shown any interest in signing on — Russell did not think a utility could sponsor any share of the project.

Southold Town Councilman Jim Dinizio said, he didn't care if it was 1% or 15%, "It's still a lot of money. I don't want to get lost in the sauce. It only gets worse from the base number. I don't think we can afford what that base number is."

Russell added: "I think we should support the project morally. I'll bang on doors and we'll march, but when all is said and done, the issue is that the state and county have expressed no interest." But even if they did, and the town was only required to pay 5%, "That's a lot of money," Russell said, adding that he had a hard time telling taxpayers to pay for the restoration of private property. "It's taxpayer money."

And, Russell said, while the town beach would be part of the project area, the sand lost from that beach is not an issue every year, and when it is, the cost to re-nourish that beach is part of annual maintenance costs, including highway department labor. All town facilities, including tennis courts, are assets that require maintenance, as do beaches, he said.

"This project looks to restore private property and I can't justify spending taxpayer money on any of it. It's a business we cannot get in to," Russell said. "But I'm willing to listen and I'll certainly keep an open mind."

Councilman Bob Ghosio said looking at the numbers, "The commitment there is way too high."

Added Councilwoman Jill Doherty: "It's not like it's one and done. It's a 50-year commitment that's only going to go up."

Dinizio suggested homeowners build concrete blocks in front of their homes.

The crux of the issue, Russell said, is, "Does the town have any role here?"

As for the argument about the need to save County Road 48, Russell said, "They need to go to" Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski, he said, emphasizing that the key work is "county."

He added, "Let Suffolk County figure out what to do. It lies at their feet. Not the town's. The town has no stake here."

Richter said if the road was threatened the county would install steel sheathing so it wouldn't wash away. "But that doesn't protect the houses," he said.

Councilman Bill Ruland said, "This project is bigger than the Town of Southold, the County of Suffolk. It's bigger than the State of New York. This is what the Army Corps of Engineers is for."

He said in areas such as the Hamptons, the Army Corps has provided solutions. "I don't know what that tells you, but it tells me that different places get different responses," he said.

Ruland commended Rep. Lee Zeldin for his efforts. "But he's like Custer at Big Horn. He turns around and there's no one behind him," he said, adding that senators and the entire New York delegation to spend "a little less time in wasted talking" and to say, "There's a problem out there in Southold. And there's an agency in place that you would hope would believe in liberty and justice for all. All means all."

Ruland said the town had enough problems trying to ready its bathing beach for summer, something tax dollars should be used for.

"I have a hard time telling someone who doesn't live near the seashore that they're going to pay for 10 or 20 years to restore private property," Ruland said. "I empathize with these people . . . but there's a risk in living next to the seashore."

Dinizio said he wants to put the issue to bed and if there are issues such as a taxing district to explore, then to investigate those. Of the local partnership issue, he said. "It's just too expensive."

Justice Louisa Evans also questioned whether it's the role of the town to secure private property and said similar issues existed townwide, even on Fisher's Island.

Ghosio said he hopes something good will come out of Wednesday's roundtable.

In an email after the meeting, Russell said, "I feel very badly for the property owners along Hashamomuck Cove and will continue to support them any way I can short of spending taxpayer money. The actual cost of the project has been revised several times. To me, it's not about the cost. The town cannot, and should not, get into the business of restoring private property with taxpayer money," he said. "I didn't hear any support for becoming a local sponsor from the other board members."

Added Dinizio, "I think the base proposal is out of the realm of affordability for the town to handle as a lone sponsor."

Residents of storm-battered Hashamomuck Cove, which was hit hard when a "bomb cyclone" slammed the North Forkrecently, wrote a letter recently asking the Southold Town board when a roundtable to discuss solutions might be held.

That roundtable will take place on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Peconic Community Center on Peconic Lane.

In recent weeks, Lynn Laskos and a group of her fellow residents implored the Southold town board to help them find a solution to a desperate situation at Hashamomuck Cove that they say could mean devastating impacts sooner than later, should another major storm batter their homes and breach County Road 48.

Laskos was not immediately available to comment on the town board work session or on the scheduled roundtable Tuesday.

After the recent storm, a fishing shack that has stood since the 1920s at Hashamomuck Cove was smashed, battered and completely washed away. Bulkheads were destroyed, homes severely damaged.

Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski said he is always willing to meet to discuss solutions at Hashamomuck Cove, short term and long. "Our coastal geography and Mother Nature are 2 variables that we have to work with," he said.

After the recent storm, Laskos said, of the damage, "It's a war zone."

However, she said, the damage was not unexpected. For years, Laskos and neighbors have been asking government officials for help; their homes, they said, stand as a buffer between the raging Long Island Sound and County Road 48 and during a storm event, rushing waters threaten to breach County Road 48, a vital evacuation route in the event of a hurricane or emergency.

After the most recent storm, Laskos said, "We always said we're the buffer to County Road 48. Now, our houses are so damaged that even if we wanted to be that buffer, we couldn't be. Now it's time for the county and town to step it up."

At the town board meeting, Laskos said she's a registered voter, with her home on County Road 48. The issue, she said, is not about the homes, but the fact that County Road 48 is a major artery in danger should a storm breach that roadway again.

Residents on Bayberry Way and Ruch Lane could find themselves trapped on virtual islands, should Country Road 48 become impassable in a storm, she said.

If the road breached again, emergency responders could find it impossible to reach residents in a crisis, she said.

"This is scary," Laskos said.

An emergency plan, previously suggested, to put sheathing on the road, Laskos said, could damage the houses, but even if residents were reimbursed for that damage, the issue remains that it's still a band aid approach.

Residents have implored the board to help.

Kathleen Phelan, who lives in Hashamomuck Cove, said while she understands the financial component for the town is difficult, she was asking the town to help residents find a means of financial support, whether through infrastructure or commercial entities. Forming a tax district, she said, is something residents would consider. Once residents understood the meaning of easements, she added, they were not against them.

Russell said it wasn't just about the cost: "It's a fundamental, underlying philosophical issue of whether the town wants to be in the business of restoring private property. This isn't all about protecting County Road 48."

After the recent storm, Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said a portion of Route 48 between Boisseau Ave. in Southold and Chapel Lane in Greenport was closed due to flooding at Hashamomuck Cove.

Patch photo by Lisa Finn.