For the record, I believe the aquatic center would be a great addition to the town. Being a full-time resident of just a few years, I am not fully versed on the funding issues, so I will leave that to the “experts” to figure out.
What is a very real and a huge issue is the traffic that will encircle this new facility. Jay Schnedierman, Dr. Josephine DeVincenzi, I invite you to pull up a chair and sit on Hubbard Lane, Moses Lane and the north end of South Magee Street for just a few hours. Better yet, take a stroll or ride your bike. (Just keep your head up.)
During peak travel times at high season, the traffic going north on Moses Lane backs up all the way to the four-corner stop of Moses Lane, and Pelham and Armande streets. The area in question is also a tale of constantly flooded roads, cut-through speeding vehicles (and I mean speeding!), and many folks who obviously have no idea what the word “stop” means.
Hubbard Lane also has its share of motorists who ignore the “wrong way” signs, drive all the way down toward County Road 39 and then take a sharp right to cut through the East End Clambakes parking lot, to access County Road 39. (Anything to save a minute of travel time, I guess.)
The area is tremendously dangerous as it stands, and adding this new facility will challenge safety tenfold.
In my two letters on this that have previously gone unanswered, I suggested to consider, at least, one way in and one way out at different points on the Aquatic Center property. If this center goes all the way through the process, you must fully address all of the roads around the project. It’s a tragedy waiting to happen.
I have also finally figured out what Southampton stands for:
Stop signs
Optional
Unless
There
Happens to be
A
Managed
Police-person
Ticketing
Oncoming
Numskulls.
Neil Schamus
Southampton