Letters

In this week’s edition, we saw two articles that went with each other. One about the rock revetment application on Bay View Avenue [“Rock Revetment Is the Only Way To Save House Built in Wetlands, Amagansett Homeowner Says,” 27east.com, March 6], and one about a board member who some think should recuse themselves from the hearing [“Vocal Development Critic’s New Role on Regulatory Board Raises Eyebrows, and Complications, for East Hampton Zoning Board,” 27east.com, March 6].

First off, the current homeowner and applicant became the homeowner in 2017. How did they dump sand in front from 2011 until then? Since 2018, they have blocked Bay View Avenue for over 2,000 days.

Brian Matthews had alluded to the fact years ago at a hearing on July 7, 2020, that 153 Mulford, if allowed, would not build past its property lines and into the road, thus violating town code. Guess since it already happened here, that is okay.

When it comes to recusing one’s self, no mention over the years for this applicant’s attorney and allegedly now co-counsel from documents, Rick Whalen, who was town Nature Preserve Committee chairman and helped these geocubes be put in place to block a town nature preserve in 2018. Mr. Whalen also was the Town Trustees’ attorney while this applicant was asking the Trustees for permission to dump sand in 2016 and 2017.

The 2017 application came in while the Zoning Board of Appeals application from Mr. Whalen’s office was already in to the town in March 2017. The Trustees’ meetings happened in April and May that year. When he left the Trustees in 2018, they were told they no longer had jurisdiction over this area.

Aram Terchunian has been getting paid from the town over this time for projects. He does not recuse himself from these meetings. He has been on the Montauk Beach Preservation Committee, and here he looks to destroy a beach in perpetuity. Great selling point in the future. The beach is here, just under water. Enjoy.

The applicant’s court attorney, whose name is Daniel Cahn, by resolution is working for the town as well. The other property that willfully, knowingly, continually denies a town its rights is represented by Tarbet and Lester. Brian Lester is also that property’s court attorney while working for the town.

Optics are everything — and the optics are bad.

I could get my own team together, too. If I brought in a hydraulic engineer and a littoral geologist, I bet they would say everything is as I want when I pay them money, too. Experts? Common sense would tell you a hardened structure in an area where it is prohibited should not exist.

Then again, we already have geocubes — prohibited, too. The town also discourages any more development in this area. Three for three, and we are only in spring training.

Still here.

Joe Karpinski

Amagansett