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Even though her 6-foot-tall ice cream cone sculpture is still missing, Westhampton Beach business owner Elyse Richman got last licks on the village.
Earlier this month, Westhampton Beach Village Court Associate Justice J. Lee Snead tossed a summons issued to Ms. Richman two years ago after she said she temporarily placed the statue outside one of her Main Street businesses, Shock Ice Cream and Frogurt Cafe. While Ms. Richman considered the sculpture art, and had placed it in front of the store as a decoration for a child’s birthday party, the village considered the statue to be a sign.
A few days after the party, Ms. Richman went to remove the sculpture from outside her store and discovered that it had been stolen. The same day, she received a $750 citation from the village for having a sign without a permit.
“They considered it a sign,” Ms. Richman said this week. “I said it wasn’t [a sign], and that is where the debate ensued.”
According to Ms. Richman, after two years, the statue has still not been recovered and the case has been dropped.
Village Clerk Rebecca Molinaro said this week that village officials did not wish to comment on the case.
Erin McKinley
on Apr 20, 2012