Letters

Here are some of my thoughts on the housing shortage here throughout the Hamptons:

Almost every business owner I have spoken to on the East End faces the challenge of finding staff. If they are lucky enough to find someone, the staff person needs housing. There is no housing available. If, by some chance, there is a house, apartment or trailer, it rents for more than most summer employees can afford.

There is no short-term solution currently being offered by town officials. A mid- to long-term solution is labeled “affordable housing,” which is years away. The solutions, if they have any, proposed by towns do not address our current crisis.

My proposal is the following:

Find a piece of land to put self-contained trailers on. Only allow business owners who have genuine staffing challenges (with housing shortages) the ability to rent a space for the trailer. Business owners are responsible for all financial obligations of their space.

Business owners must address any issues arising from their trailers (noise, garbage, cleanliness). No dogs, pets, children, unsupervised non-adults (under 18) allowed in trailers.

Create a must-follow guideline for all occupants of the trailer (I have one from Larry Sedlick, The Beach House, Montauk, which he has instituted successfully for his employees who rent space from him).

Some possible site requirements:

Trash removal (dumpsters/tip carts); water hook-ups; electric hook-ups; dry, drainable fairly flat land; parking for trailer; parking for cars.

This is just a preliminary guideline and can be easily modified.

Also, a change in train schedules servicing the East End to a realistic commuter schedule would greatly aid our current dilemma.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

John A. Kowalenko

VP, Operations

Art of Eating

Amagansett