“Getting rid of dogs [at the pavilion] is not the solution, but the times should mimic those on the beach,” Drew Smith, the village’s beach manager and chief lifeguard said.
The beach doesn’t disappear during the winter, and it was forefront on the minds of the East Hampton Village Board at its Dec. 18 meeting. Deputy Mayor Christopher Minardi, the board liaison to the beach, read through an exhaustive list of 36 proposed rules to be implemented at Main Beach. Many were obvious, like, “No littering,” but there were others that generated discussion.
None more so than one that would prohibit animals — dogs, really — on the Main Beach Pavilion between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Animals are not allowed on the beach between 9 and 6, and Mr. Minardi felt strongly that the hours on the pavilion should match the hours on the beach.
“It’s dangerous to have animals on the pavilion at the same time as when it’s busy. A lot of dogs are going to the bathroom on the pavilion, fighting, biting, and barking. I find it unhealthy and unsafe,” he told the board.
“I agree with Deputy Mayor Minardi,” Drew Smith, the village’s chief lifeguard and beach manager, said, adding that when dogs leave the beach at 9 a.m. many owners take them onto the pavilion, and chaos ensues. “Getting rid of dogs is not the solution, but the times should mimic those on the beach.”
Diane O’Donnell, the assistant beach manager, said off-leash dogs on the pavilion are especially a problem on the weekends. Beach staff “politely” ask owners to watch after their pets, but “quite often, we are completely ignored.”
In a phone call, Mr. Minardi said the new rules would give police officers more power to deal with truculent dog people. “I have the agreement of the beach staff,” he said. “They’re there all the time. That pavilion is very busy, a product of our own success, but unfortunately, I believe dogs and people can’t co-habitate there. It’s an hour.”
Despite the testimony of three village employees with so much beach experience, Mayor Jerry Larsen and the board’s Carrie Doyle disagreed with their assessment.
“I don’t normally like to go against the people who are there all the time, but I think 10 o’clock is fine,” Mayor Larsen said. He suggested a leash requirement.
Mr. Smith said that while he thought leashes were always a good idea, they become tripping hazards when the pavilion is crowded.
“It’s a little walkway,” Mr. Minardi added. “Not everyone is a dog person, and the beach is a public area.”
Sarah Amaden, another board member, searched for middle ground. “It is a little chaotic. I see Chris and Drew’s point. I do like dogs, but . . .”
“It’s not a dog issue,” said Mr. Minardi. “It’s a safety and health issue.”
Sarah Melendez, the fifth village board member, was absent from the meeting and unavailable to be the tiebreaking vote in the straw poll. The board agreed to revisit the topic at its next meeting. The rules would not enter the village code, instead existing as code-adjacent “beach policies.”
A good portion of them, 15, were dedicated to the parking area. Mayor Larsen explained that they were a consequence of an incident last summer, which continues in the form of a lawsuit against the village. “We had someone drive very recklessly who wound up getting into an accident and ended up leaving the scene. We realized we didn’t have rules governing the parking lot.” He was likely referring to David Ganz, a village resident whose Lot 1 sticker was revoked after the village accused him of ignoring a parking attendant and driving recklessly.
Mr. Ganz disputes the village claims and in his lawsuit argues that the village board abused its authority when it took his beach pass, and notes that the village code does not provide a mechanism to suspend or revoke a permit. (In a Dec. 2 letter to the judge, the village attorney, Lisa Perillo, indicated that the village is in settlement talks with Mr. Ganz’s attorney.)
Among other beach rules discussed were those to combat idling cars, curtail commercial activity on the beach, prohibit nudity, and govern cherished beach lockers.
A rule requiring children under the age of 12 to be accompanied by an adult drew questions from Ms. Doyle. “I feel like 12 is a little old.” She said she had witnessed 10-year-olds eating lunch on the pavilion with no problem.
Mayor Larsen cut to the intent of the law. “Dropping a 9-year-old at 9 a.m. and coming back at 4 p.m. is inappropriate. If someone is using the beach as a babysitter, and then their kid becomes a problem, then we have some teeth to take care of this.”
In other beach news, nonresident village beach stickers for town residents go on sale on Jan. 28, from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. As was the case last year, the cost is $500. The snow date is Jan. 30.
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