Resident Speaks Out About Town-Owned Westhampton Dock in Disrepair

Michael Donnelly says he wishes he never wrote that letter in the first place.

The Westhampton resident reached out to the Southampton Town Board in 2021 to share with them his concerns over a town-owned stretch of bulkheading at the end of Baycrest Avenue that continued into a state of disrepair even after nearby repairs were undertaken and completed by the Southampton Town Trustees.

Donnelly, a retired attorney who lives nearby this peaceful corner of Westhampton known as the Baycrest Avenue Marina, described a popular spot for local kids to go crabbing or snapper fishing, along a long stretch of dock that runs along the east side of Beaver Dam Creek.

“In the past, the marina was well maintained,” he said. “Boat slips were available to rent, a lovely wooden walkway adjoined the long bulkhead, allowing fishing, crabbing and walking. A boat ramp allowed access to the bay. All these amenities were well used.”

Donnelly included before-and-after photos in his letter of September 2021, showing that despite the dock and bulkhead’s state of disrepair, kids and others were still accessing the walkway that runs along Beaver Creek.

But instead of repairing the dock, the Southampton Town Highway Department responded to Donnelly’s concerns by tearing up most of the wooden boards that comprised the walkway, left the boards behind — and, from Donnelly’s perspective, created an even more dangerous situation than before he wrote Town Hall to ask that they tune into the matter.

Donnelly said his only agenda is to get the town to tune into this dilapidated stretch of town property so his grandkids can again safely access the spot — and so he can safely launch his kayak.

He suggested that a town trifecta consisting of an elected board, an elected Board of Trustees and an elected highway superintendent has likely played a role in frustrating his effort to return it to a public amenity for residents here to use, free of danger.

At the very least, he said, the town should come in and clean up what he called a “disgraceful” situation.

“I thought that some part of town government was taking care of this,” Donnelly said. “The Trustees fixed the bulkheading,” he said, “but only to a point, and seemingly random.”

He was hopeful that after raising his concerns with the board, they would continue with repairing the dock area. Instead, he watched as the Highway Department tore up the loose boards but didn’t remove them, and surrounded the spot with snow fencing and no-trespassing signs in an effort to restrict access.

Now the site has become a dumping ground for an old television and “other crap,” said Donnelly, who said that while the Highway Department isn’t completely ignoring the problem, “the condition of the bulkhead is dangerous — kids are still crabbing and going snapper fishing there.” The torn-up boards were left lying, creating a new danger, given that there are nails sticking out of those boards.

Charlie McArdle was elected as town highway superintendent two months after Donnelly sent his letter in 2021 and remarked that he was the “freshman superintendent” when Donnelly reached out with his concerns. At first, McArdle said, “I didn’t realize it was our property. We went there, and it was just a dangerous situation. We removed the total liability and put up the fence,” he said.

McArdle then set out to lobby the Town Board, for the last two years running, to ramp up capital project funds to fix town-owned bulkheading and dockage. He said the town only funded about half of what McArdle asked for to repair the Baycrest Avenue bulkhead and others — an expensive project but one that needed to be undertaken.

According to the town‘s 2023 capital budget, under the “town-wide bulkhead improvements” Highway Department budget line, the town budgeted $403,000 for bulkhead improvements in 2022, and committed $300,000 in 2023 after McArdle asked for $500,000.

The Baycrest Avenue Marina saga may provide for a visual and a glaring metaphor for a fractured relationship between the Southampton Town Board and the Southampton Town Trustees. The Trustee-controlled bulkheading has been repaired up to a point where the town-owned portion picks up — and there’s a clear line of demarcation there between what has been fixed and what Donnelly says needs to be fixed.

The site has also been raised as an example of residents’ concerns west of the Shinnecock Canal holding less water than those who live east of the canal.

“It’s a beautiful spot and a shame that the town won’t fund it to bring it back,” said McArdle, noting that “west of the canal has been denied its due for years,” and that while Town Supervisor-elect and current Westhampton Beach Mayor Maria Moore may bring more of a focus on that part of town when she takes her seat in January, “her hands will be a little tied, too, because she’ll have a budget she didn’t create and that doesn’t fund the project.

“Maybe they’ll find the money somewhere,” McArdle said. “They should.”

For Board of Trustees President Scott Horowitz, the dilapidated town-owned dock is another example of where a town asset has become a liability, and where a breach of faith between the Trustees and Town Board is directly and visibly evident.

“Kids should be able to go crabbing and snapper fishing there,” he said.

The Baycrest Avenue site is one of a few the Trustees have been focused on where there’s a bulkheading issue that needs to be addressed, as Horowitz noted ongoing work that has been funded via the capital projects budget to fix the Speonk Shore Canal.

In 2019, the Town Board would ultimately approve $445,000 to repair the Trustee-owned bulkheading that runs along a boat ramp at the end of Baycrest Avenue, using capital budget funds.

That work has been completed and provides a study in contrasts: The dock area controlled by the Trustees also fields a kayak storage rack, new boat tie-ups, and a sturdy steel-grate walkway along the creek that ties into the bulkheading — but only to a point.

“They need to prioritize rebuilding infrastructure,” said Horowitz, “and prioritize this to make it safe. People want to see the Trustees and the Highway Department come together to fix this.”

Donnelly just wants to see some action, regardless of which town agency rides herd over the necessary repairs.

He reached out to The Southampton Press back in June and noted that “maybe the superintendent’s elected status gives solace to both the Town Board and the Town Trustees — each has a third person to blame. Two things are sure here, however: One, no one is taking responsibility; and two, the citizens of the town suffer from this lack of responsible conduct.”