Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto announced the re-opening of Beekman Beach at the Sept. 1 public board meeting. It came after a successful email campaign initiated by Friends of the Bay Executive Director Paul De Orsay. He alerted members about the closure of Beekman Beach on July 17, after an article in Newsday appeared to have initiated its closing because of high fecal bacteria levels.
Venditto explained the initial closing, saying the town allowed the Beekman Beach parking lot to be used as a staging area for Nassau County’s work on West Shore Road, adding, “No good deed goes unpunished.” [As that work went into its last phase, there was less equipment and more access into the lot until the recent closing.]
He said, “After some 80 or so emails and faxes [from FOB, WFC and residents], enough was enough. At 9:15 a.m. Beekman Beach opened. The eastern end of the parking lot is still closed as their staging area (until early October).”
But he said the beach has been closed to swimming for a number of years.
Longtime Oyster Bay resident and boater O.J. Donovan spoke on behalf of residents opposed to the closing, which includes people not being able to launch boats there. Donovan explained the contaminant level numbers taken by the NC DOH and FOB agreed they were above over the level considered safe by the DOH only 16 percent of the time. Those times were after heavy rainfalls, and in his view not a reason to close the beach.
DeOrsay said in a telephone interview, “I’m glad they are opening the parking lot, but there is another step to go in that people are not able to launch their boats.”
Donovan had another “beef” that getting information about the closing was a round robin of phone calls getting him nowhere.
“Beekman Beach has been open for 45 years,” said Donovan. “It is where kids learned how to swim.”
He added that the sign implies no swimming because of no lifeguards, not because of pollution.
Hal Mayer, town environmental consultant, said people have been swimming at Beekman again in spite of the signs and now a public safety officer will be stationed at the “Passive Park,” the designation that goes along with the deed that says if the beach is not used by the public, it can revert to the Beekman Association that donated it to the township.
Venditto commented that they have already gotten a complaint that someone has gotten sick there, a claim that will need confirmation.
Taxing Issues
Two town resolutions showed that taxpayer money is being aimed at outside counsels for lawsuits, one specified and one unspecified, to pay law firms they hired. A woman speaker questioned the need of outside counsel when the town has a staff of lawyers.
Venditto explained that the federal government is alleging discrimination in the town’s Golden Age and Next Generation zoning codes. He said being called racist, “Was hard to take.” The claim is that, statistically, the number of African-Americans in Oyster Bay is less than in surrounding communities. He said there is a court ruling in Texas that says that a mere statistical showing is not enough of a claim. It is expected in the claim that taxpayers should set up a fund to reach out to the African-American community to introduce them to living in TOB. They allege the town is doing things to keep the numbers at a 2 percent level. The need for outside counsel is because a lawsuit of this magnitude has such a devastating impact financially.
“I know why people come here to live. I don’t know why they don’t,” said the supervisor.
He gave as an example how the town handled the Golden Age Zone in East Massapequa, where they set the eligibility area at the town border and not the proscribed school district area to allow a portion of residents from the Village of Amityville, with a significant African American population, to apply. “We opened the door so the African Americans could apply.” [Children in East Massapequa go to the Amityville schools.]
The woman also commented on what is believed to be the unspecified lawsuit, asking if the vacation of a town employee, paid for by Herendra Singh, is reported in the worker’s tax forms. Under current scrutiny are the town’s contract with Singh’s TOB food concessions with contracts that run to the years 2065 and 2070.
Defending the town from the allegations, Venditto said, “I’m not excusing anyone for bad conduct, but people are people. There’s good and bad in everything… Don’t let one spoiled apple spoil the bunch.”
Commented East Norwich Civic Association President Matthew Meng, “The town’s financial arrangement with Mr. Singh are very complicated and the town is not giving out all of the information about it. As a result, it is putting the taxpayer in jeopardy.”
He had his own issue to bring to the attention of the board, an update on the Woodstock business on Route 106 in East Norwich which uses their property in violation of its zoning. On Oct. 5, the case will be back in district court. The town recently investigated the property and confirmed that the allegations, that Woodstock’s use of the land goes beyond his zoning rights, was upheld. Meng listed the continuing abuses and added that the fence along Route 106 was filled with signs advertising all the Republican candidates up for election. The next day the fence was pristine white with no signs.
The housing issue resolutions documented fees to outside counsels of $375,000 to Sinnreich, Kosakoff & Messina LLP and $55,000 to Covington and Burling for litigation.
The town also hired the firm of Quinn, Emanuel, Urquhart and Sullivan, LLP, 51 Madison Ave.,
for potential litigation…for no specified case.
It might be noted that Town Of Oyster Bay Commissioner of Planning and Development Frederick Ippolito was indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York, for six years of tax evasion on March 20. The indictment charged that Ippolito, “Willfully failed to report over $2 million in consulting fees.” He is also in litigation over several building permits he denied local businesses, including closing Al Dente restaurant for violations just before the Oyster Festival, the profits from which often carry a business over slow times during the year.
The town publishes the calendar for its town meetings online, the Friday before the next Tuesday meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 29 at 10 a.m.; the public is invited and welcome to speak after the vote on resolutions.
