2 Photos
James Ding with portions of his petition. JEN NEWMAN
Tuckahoe Principal Arlette Sicari and Board of Education candidate Sean Hattrick at the fifth annual Taste of Tuckahoe event on Friday night. BY ERIN MCKINLEY
A petition to keep all of Tuckahoe Road open to the public—noting its “magnificent views” for bicyclists, walkers and joggers as well as drivers—has collected more than 2,000 signatures so far.
The petition comes in response to a pitch to close a quarter-mile section of Tuckahoe Road that now runs through the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club—instead rerouting the road around the club—with the promise of millions of dollars in community benefits.
“Privatizing a public entity is just a dangerous precedent,” said James Ding, a member of the Noyac Citizens Advisory Committee, who started an online version of the petition on August 23 that now has more than 200 signatures, as well as a paper version that has garnered approximately 2,000.
“I am doing this because town supervisors and town councils come and go— but this will be permanent,” Mr. Ding said last week.
“I support Southampton Town in keeping Tuckahoe Road and not selling it to the Shinnecock Golf Club,” says the paper version of the petition. “I support the Southampton Town officials who vote in favor of keeping Tuckahoe Road for everyone.”
Mr. Ding said he is bringing his petition to all the citizens advisory committees in town and that most residents he has encountered favor keeping public access to the road.
“It’s been an overwhelming response,” he said. “As soon as I mention the word ‘golf club’ they grab my clipboard, there’s no resistance. It’s just a hot topic, people are tired of this.”
Bob Schepps, a member of the Southampton, Tuckahoe and Shinnecock Hills Citizens Advisory Committee, said at the group’s most recent meeting that he understands Mr. Ding’s efforts and agrees with a lot of his points, but sees the club’s offer to pay to move the road as an opportunity for the town.
“Shinnecock Hills wants something,” he said. “For me, there is potential here to get something for something. We should come to the table to say, let’s talk. They’re asking for something huge—we can get something huge in return.”
Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said he would like to see the petition, which can be found at ipetitions.com/petition/tuckahoe-road.
Representatives from the club could not be reached for comment.
on Sep 13, 2016