Storm-Socked Hashamomuck Cove Owners To Discuss Taxing District

SOUTHOLD, NY — Homeowners from storm-battered Hashamomuck Cove will soon meet with Southold town officials to discuss special taxing districts.

The informational meeting will take place on Thursday, April 12 from 11 a.m. until noon at the Southold Town Hall meeting room.

According to Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell, the goal is to present information outlining several different types of districts — how they are organized, administered, etc. — and educate the Hashamomuck Cove property owners on options.

"There are also several different ways to assign taxes to the properties which we will cover, as well," Russell said. "Ultimately, any new district would need the approval/support of the impacted property owners so they should be have an understanding of all of the options so they can pick a direction, if they choose to move forward."

Russell said if the town board is present in a majority, with at least four members, then the meeting will be public. He said he is not yet sure how many will attend.

The property owners and town officials will be the only ones who participate in the discussion, Russell said, adding that, at the end, he will provide an opportunity for any other member of the public to speak.

Hashamomuck Cove residents have been grappling with the effects of a devastating January "bomb cyclone" that slammed the North Fork, during which 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 — and residents cried out for help.

In recent weeks, residents have voiced their frustration with the relentless storms and the search for solutions.

"It has been a very difficult few days on Hashamomuck Cove," said Kate Phelan in early March. "I am stunned by the erosion and debris field caused by Winter Storm Riley. We are now being pounded by logs, loose pilings and all manner of debris at each high tide."

Phelan said neighbors contacted Russell regarding the proposed erosion control taxing district.

"We are putting a meeting together to discuss taxing district options and will hopefully have that soon," Russell told Patch via email in March.

Describing recent damage, resident Lynn Laskos said there were "debris fields floating as far as the eye can see, smashing against bulkheads, and in some cases, houses. Houses that were not repaired from the blizzard because they are waiting on permits or insurance received more damage. Houses are flooded again."

Of Winter Storm Riley, Laskos added, "In all my years there, this was the scariest."

Her neighbor Phelan was in "shock and disbelief," Laskos said.

Laskos voiced frustration that Suffolk County and Southold Town have shown an unwillingness to sign on as local partners in a proposed beach renourishment plan.

"Despite the lack of county support these homes continue to be the only buffer. We guess soon the county and town will get their wish," she said.

As the winter's fierce winds and rain continued to batter the North Fork, residents of storm-socked Hashamomuck Cove said they continue to hope for the best but are fearful that the relentless gusts and swelling tides of relentless storms could spell doom.

Residents, led by Laskos, asked Southold Town for a roundtable discussion on a plan pitched by the United States Army Corp of Engineers before the town board made any decisions regarding signing on as a local sponsor for a plan to renourish the beach at Hashamomuck Cove.

That meeting was held at the Peconic Lane Community Center, but residents were left with few options, as the town board and county said they were not expecting to sign on to the beach replenishment project as local sponsors. Russell and town board members said they felt the financial price tag was too high a burden to place on the backs of taxpayers.

Russell and the board said they'd help residents in any way they could save taxing residents to pay for private property; to that end, a plan to create an erosion control taxing districts was discussed.

After the storm in January, residents came to the town board to plead for help after their homes were left damaged.

Regarding the idea of signing on as a local sponsor for Hashamomuck Cove beach replenishment, Russell has said: "It is important for me to stress that the issue isn't about the cost for me. It is that I do not support the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for the restoration of private property at any cost."

He added, "I understand that there is a separate goal and that is to protect County Road 48. To me, the optimum word is 'county'". The road, he said, "is not owned by or maintained by the town which means it is for the county to address. The town does not have and should not have any role here."

Suffolk County Commissioner of Public Works Gil Anderson and Suffolk County Chief Engineer Bill Hillman, at the roundtable, agreed that the county had no current plan to sign on as a local sponsor to the project pitched by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Anderson said the county DPW would do whatever was necessary to protect the road, but said there was no intent for the county to sign on a local sponsor. "My main concern is County Road 48. We are not expecting to be a local partner," he said.

Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski, when asked by resident Phelan if the idea of the county acting as a local sponsor was off the table, said he hasn't said "no" yet, but added that it did not mean that he'd agreed. The ultimate decision, both Krupski and Anderson said, lies with Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.

During the January 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. There was flooding and water damage by Albertson Lane in Greenport, Flatley said.

"The water made its way through the houses during the exceptionally high tide. There was 2 feet of water across Rt. 48, as well as debris from the Long Island Sound," Flatley said. "We had to close it down until the tide went out." The road was salted and reopened, Flatley said.

Residents have voiced concerns that should their homes be destroyed, County Road 48 could be breached, a threat for the entire town should evacuation be necessary in a storm.

Patch courtesy photo.