The Hampton Bays Senior Center is experiencing a severe parking problem. The senior center is in the King Kullen shopping center. Many of the attendees have various mobility issues. The current lack of close and convenient parking to the center has become an obstacle that many of the attendees have been unable to overcome.
This problem has been caused by Southampton Town’s segmented approach to planning. The problem started when the town purchased the building housing the center and moved three town departments into the part previously occupied by the Mormon temple. Those departments were code enforcement, animal control and the fire marshal’s office.
The senior center already shared part of the building with the town’s satellite clerk office. The additional departments brought more personal cars plus town vehicles to the parking lot adjacent to the senior center.
The town then instituted the commuter rail service from Hampton Bays. The people taking the train needed to park their vehicles somewhere. Good Ground Road has now become packed with these cars. This resulted in the overflow finding its way into the King Kullen parking lot where the senior center is located.
Next, the Planning Board approved the expansion of the community supermarket, which is in the old Ligget’s shopping center. Its parking lot is always packed to the point of being potentially dangerous. The Planning Board, in its wisdom, approved the expansion without really any additional parking. The board felt that there would be sufficient parking if the community supermarket was required to connect its parking lot with the public parking lot.
The town’s public parking is located next to the post office, and its lot is always filled, which now has made mailing a letter an adventure. Again, the overflow finds its way into parking spots critical to the senior center patrons.
Southampton Town has now approved the construction, in the King Kullen parking lot, of 16 Tesla charging spots. This charging center is currently under construction. These spots can only be used by electric vehicles while charging their batteries.
The town has now created for seniors the perfect parking storm. There are now only four handicap spots in front of the senior center. This is a totally inadequate number.
Many of the attendees use walkers. It is very disturbing to witness these seniors walking in the heat, cold or inclement weather over a block or more to get to the center.
The Town Board is aware of the problem but to date has not implemented a plan to alleviate the problem. Our seniors need help, and they need it now.
Ray D’Angelo
Hampton Bays
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