Town Board - Regular Meeting

United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Please remain standing for a moment of silence. I'd ask that you keep in your thoughts and prayers the brave servicemen and women serving our country both here and abroad. Thank you. Please be seated. Would the clerk call the role? Councilman Manetta here. Councilman Martinez present. Councilman Mcweeny here. Councilman Gregory here. Supervisor Schaer

and I am here. So all five are present. We have a quorum. This is the Wednesday, March 11th, 2026 meeting of the Babylon town Board at 3 p.m. If you are here in person or if you're watching us on our YouTube channel live, um meetings divide up into three sections. The first is dedicated to the public hearings. There are four public hearings scheduled for today and actually a fifth that's a continuation of a public hearing from our last board meeting. So, if you're interested in addressing the board on any of those public hearings, we ask you to fill out a card up front and file with our town clerk or you can click on the link and you can send us a message uh by way of the link. Uh second portion is dedicated to the agenda. Agendas are available on the table up front and agendas are available through the link. You can address the board any items on the agenda for today. Again, fill out a card and file with our town clerk. And third portion is the open portion when residents come forward and address the board on any matter concerning town government or town services. That's not on today's agenda. When you do come forward, please speak directly into the microphone and state your name and address. Uh as well as please keep your comments to three minutes. If you're watching us at a future date and time, that link is still live. of you can utilize that to send us a message, ask us a question or a comment and one of us will get back to you. So with that, we'll go into the public hearings in the first public hearings. Public hearing reference amending the code of the town of Bablin chapter 86 votes. Don't have any cards. So I'll take a motion from Councilman Moneta, second by Councilman Martinez. Close and reserve. All those in favor?

I opposed. Hearing is closed. Decision reserve. Second public hearing is public hearing reference to amending the code of the town of Bablin chapter 213 article 11. Don't have any cards. So take a motion from Councilman Martinez. Second by Councilman McWeeny to close and reserve. All those in favor? Opposed. Hearing is closed. Decision reserve. Third public hearing is public hearing reference to amending chapter 3 article 2 section 3-2 of the town of Abling uniform code of traffic ordinances. I don't have any cards. So I take a motion from Councilman McWeeny. Second by Councilman Gregory to close and reserve. All those in favor?

I opposed. Hearing is closed. Decision reserve. Fourth public hearing is public hearing reference amending chapter 2 article 4 section 2-8 of the town of Bablin uniform code of traffic ordinances. I don't have any cards. I'll take a motion from Councilman Gregory. Second by Councilman Manetta to close and reserve. All those in favor?

I opposed. Hearing is closed. Decision reserve. That's it for the public hearings. Again, we'll have that uh continued public hearing at the end of the public comment period. So, we'll go into the resolutions. We have a couple of speakers on the resolutions. First though, I did want to hand up to the clerk. We had uh comments submitted from Paul Senson of 69 East Hollywood Avenue, Lindenhurst regarding the resolution number 224 uh which is uh regarding 75 East Hollywood Avenue in Lindenhurst. So, I'll hand this up to the clerk. uh ask that it be entered into the record and submitted under the agenda portion. I'll call up Katherine Msina, wishes to speak. Thank you very much for this opportunity to speak. I live next door to 75 East Hollywood Avenue.

Just state your name and address.

Katherine Msina, 81 East Hollywood Avenue, Lindhurst. And I'm the next door neighbor. So that house has been an illegal rental for three years. Three years. Um we have put up with trash, garbage, um people coming and going. I feel that the owners of this house have no interest in the house at all other than as a money-making enterprise. The first tenants were clearly not prepared to even pay the rent on that house. They got into a dispute with the landlord. They trashed the house. They trashed the outside of the house. Things were never cleaned. Um, we complained constantly to the town of Babylon. Town of Babylon cleaned up. The landlord did not. We never saw them there. We never saw anyone overseeing what was gone around that house. There were mice everywhere. There was food waste everywhere. And eventually um the landlord made an attempt to evict the residents which meant that there were two large dumpsters, one of which ended up in my house and it spent three days there. While um during the night people were swarming around it with drones, there were people looking in my house. I was sending emails to Rich Shaper in the middle of the night. Um, so the tenants left on their own. They were not able to be evicted. But the next thing that these homeowners did was turn it into a rooming house. And it is literally a rooming house. If you talk to the people that live there, they say, "I don't know. I just rent a room here." We have no idea how many people are in that house. People come and go day and night. There are new people who moved in two weeks ago. There are cars with largely out of state plates. There are cars with plates that don't match the registration and the inspection stickers. There's a

washing machine in the backyard that's been there since February 2025. There's trash from the prior tenant that is still in the backyard. Um, the homeowners mow the lawn and I guess that's what they think of as maintaining the property. And yet, I mean, we constantly complain and we really feel that this is such a huge quality of life issue for us that we need something to be done. We can't keep going on like this. We don't know who our neighbors are. We don't consider this to be a safe situation. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Okay. Ruth Garulo.

My name is Ruth Garulo. My address is 63 East Hollywood Avenue. And I want to apologize to you, Rich, because I'm sure every time you get an email or a call or a text from me, you're probably like, "Oh my god." But anyway, you're very helpful and I appreciate it. Um, pretty much same thing that Miss Msina said. I only say that when Vinnie Constantino

when um, you know, Cath Miss Kathy said the same thing. She There's people coming and going. The night of the storm, my husband was out there blowing the snow, shoveling the plows came and pushed it back in our driveway. So, he went back out there again. Somebody from that house came down and said, "Oh, how about I borrow your snow blower?" And my husband was like, "No, we don't even know who you are." You know, he's like, "Well, then you should come down and do it." And my husband was like, "No." So, the next day, I was waiting for my husband to pick me up and somebody from that house parked in front of my house because we had shoveled and plowed and they did not. So, we asked Miss Cathy because she had a picture of the expired registration or inspection because they're switching plates, too, that they're all I'm sure you know. So, we saw that it was the same person. I went down there and was banging on the door like a maniac till somebody answered and I said, "Is that your car?" And he said, "Yes." I said, "Get over there and move and don't ever park in front of my house again." And he goes, "I just put it there." And he started chuckling. I said, "I don't care." I said, "You have a whole driveway that's empty." I said, "You didn't shovel." And I was screaming about the illegal rentals. And they think it's funny, and it's not. This is our home. I think I told you in an email last week, we shouldn't have to want to move from a home that we've been in 20, 30, 40 years. So, if you could please do something.

We're doing this today. It's similar to the work that we just recently did at 51. Yeah. Well, that's a whole another issue. And I know I can't speak about that here, but stuff has been going on since they let them back in the house. So, Yep. But we're working on that. So I'm sure you are. I just if you could do anything. Thank you. Okay. All right. I don't have any other cards. Anyone else wish to address the board during the agenda portion? Nope. So we'll go into the agenda, the uh consensus resolution agenda. Are there any items that need to be removed from the consensus resolution? And I'll take a motion. I make a motion. Second. All those in favor? 111. 211. 211. Oh, I'm sorry.

You know what? I apologize. So on the consensus resolution agenda, we're going to take resolution 211 and I will offer consensus resolution 311. 211. 211. I'm sorry. I will offer consensus resolution 211. Second. Second by Councilman Gregory. This is proclaiming the month of March as Irish American Heritage Month in the town of Babylon. Offered by Councilman McWeeny, second by Councilman Gregory. All those in favor? I oppose. That resolution is adopted. Now on the consensus resolution agenda. I offer the consensus resolution agenda. Second.

All those in favor. Consensus resolution agenda is adopted as listed for today's resolutions. Resolution 221. I'll offer resolution 221. Second. Would the clerk call the role? Councilman Monetta. Abstain. Councilman Martinez. Yes. Councilman Mcweeny. Yes. Councilman Gregory. Yes. Supervisor Schaer. And I abstain. So resolutions approved. Three votes in favor. Two opposed. resolution. Uh I'm sorry. Uh two abstensions. The Irishamean Heritage Month got me. Um uh two abstensions. So it's approved. 302. Uh resolution 222. Uh motion to approve. Second. All in favor?

Opposed? Resolution's approved. Resolution 223. Make a motion to approve. Second. All in favor? Opposed. Resolution's approved. Resolution 224. I owe for 224. Second. All those in favor? Opposed? Resolutions approved. Resolution 225. I offer 225. Second. All in favor? I

opposed. Resolutions approved. That's it for the resolutions. Now we'll go to the open portion. We have a submission from Anthony Minion of 886 County Line Road, Amityville, New York. This was submitted, excuse me, for today's meeting. Submitted and received in the town clerk's office on March 10th. and I'll hand that up and ask it to be made part of the record. Uh, anyone else wishing to address the board during the open portion? Seeing none, I'm going to be exiting the meeting now. We're going to continue the public hearing uh in reference to the variance requested by the Oak Island Beach Association. I'm recusing myself from both the hearing and consideration on the resolution due to some comments that have been made by the president of the association regarding my involvement with um past representation of some of the people involved in the matter. So, I thought it was best that I turn this over to the rest of the town board and let them conduct the hearing and um make the decision on that. So, I'm gonna ask Councilman Gregory to take over from here and um wish you all well.

See you. These are statements. They're not speaking. Another speaker cards. Are they Oh, these are the speaker cards, right? Those were emailed. Those are the emails, right?

Okay. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. We're going to continue with the public hearing. Uh I want to submit for the record, we have uh a email submission packet from Linda Lee. Uh there are various emails to be submitted to the record. I will hand that to the clerk as well as anonymous email uh that has been asked to uh be submitted for the record as well to the clerk. And we have a submission by Dorne Morrison. And she wants to speak. Miss Dawn, there you are. Okay. Please come forward. Yeah. Now is your moment. Yeah. Three minutes.

Okay.

Good afternoon. I am respectfully expressing my opposition to the proposed installation of a community dock within the Oak Island Beach Association. While the proposal may be intended to expand dock access for a few residents, the project is unnecessary for a multitude of reasons. The first one being the current dock space availability within our community. The association currently has approximately 22 private docks, many of which historically do not have boats docked on them throughout the summer months. At last count, in midsummer of 2025, there were approximately 38 what I'll call open boat slips on those docks. Residents that don't live on the water have historically knocked on a neighbor's door and asked to utilize some open open dock space and they have been regularly accommodated. There is unequivocally no need for an additional mooring facility at Oak Beach. Beyond the question of necessity, the proposed dock raises important environmental concerns. The town of Babylon and the Oak Island Beach Association consistently emphasize a commitment to the protection and preservation of the environment. Adding another dock structure in an already dockrich waterfront has the potential to disturb the marine habitat and increase boat traffic in a confined waterway. By confined waterway, I am referencing the diminishing open water between the Oak Beach shoreline and the Sandbar due to the Sandbar's everinccreasing expansion toward the land. In addition, the community beaches within the Oak Island Beach Association have remained largely untouched for over a century. For this reason alone, additional dockage on a community beach appears inconsistent with the town's stated mission of environmental stewardship preservation.

These areas should be safeguarded for recreational swimming and sunbathing, not gasoline fumes and eyes. Many residents still can't get over that several years ago, residents were permitted to purchase empty lots in the association on which pools and other structures were built. Please do not let the same thing happen to our community beaches. There are also significant fiscal considerations involved with this matter. We are living in unprecedented times of rising costs applicable to all facets of life. Home ownership, insurance, carrying costs, taxes, utility bills to name a few. The installation and ongoing maintenance and carrying costs of a community dock will create endless fiscal obligations for the residents of Oak Beach and a burden on members of the association that already struggle to pay yearly association fees. The cost association associated with the dock will be borne by all residents despite only a few households realistically benefiting from its use. To be exact, six out of 72 households. Responsible financial decision-making and the careful use of community resources, principles that align with the town's commitment to fiscal responsibility should be central to evaluating this proposal. Equally concerning is the impact the dock would have on the quality of life for the residents living closest to its location. Increased car and boat traffic, additional noise, greater foot traffic, and the potential for congested parking issues will directly affect the immediate homeowners in the area. What is currently and has for decades been a quiet residential roadway will become an active location, altering the character of the neighborhood and diminishing the peaceful environment the residents currently enjoy. You're all very familiar with the association and the unrest, bickering, and disagreements that have plagued the neighborhood for decades. While this is not unusual for a homeowners association, this proposal,

forced on the membership by a few residents, has created another significant division within our community. Approximately half of the homeowners in the association opposed the project, and many others that haven't directly opposed it know very little about it. Even those of us that try to keep current with the everchanging plans for how the dock will be financed and the rotating systems that will be established to allocate the spots do not have a clear understanding of what would actually take place. The proposal is being steered by a limited number of residents that want a boat slip yet b purchase their homes knowing upfront that a slip did not come with the purchase of it. They simply need to walk up to a friend's or neighbor's house, knock on the door, and ask, "Can I dock my boat on your dock this summer?" Moving forward with an initiative that benefits the few while imposing financial costs, environmental impacts, and quality of life disruptions on others will create additional long-term animosity amongst the many. We all see the news and hear stories of homeowners associations gone wild where bad things happen because issues get pushed to breaking points. I urge the council to take this issue off the table today so the residents of Oak Beach have one less issue to be at odds about. I've lived at Oak Beach for 51 years. I grew up playing on the community beaches up and down that shoreline. Please help us preserve these last untouched sites for future generations. I respectfully ask the council to carefully consider the environmental, fiscal, and community impacts of this proposal and deny it. Protecting our waterways, ensuring responsible stewardship of shared resources, preserving the character of the neighborhood, and protecting the environment beach are values that the residents and the town of Babylon share. Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter.

I also have two additional letters from um residents. Can I read those? No, we have them. Yeah, we have them. They're part of the record now. Okay. Uh, next I have John Longo.

You state your name and address.

My name is John Longo. I live at 10 Fairway, which is quite close to 20 the Fairway where this is going to be built. Uh, good afternoon. My name is John Rango. I'm an OIBA board member and as I said a resident of Tender Fairway, which is the west end close to where the proposed dock would be located. While I had planned to be at your February 25th hearing, I was stranded in Italy. Not bad. Um, and I wasn't able to make it here that afternoon because of flights. I reviewed the comments made at the hearing and I've working with others on the board such as our president, Arie Lensiata. Uh, I have several comments I'd like to make on response to earlier comments that were made at the other hearing. First off, the fire hazard with vehicles blocking the roadway. Uh, we have talked and had specific discussions with Chief James Ma of the Babylon Fire Department and services that protect our assoc and serves our association. He advised us that as long as vehicles are not left unattended blocking the road, it would not be an issue. We could, if necessary, if people feel we need to expand, we could cut some weeds back on the north side of the road. Not something we're looking to do, but if that had to be done, it could be done because it's available. And make that area as strictly a drop off area for people. There will be no onsite parking period. That is a something we have said from almost the very beginning when the issue was raised to us. Uh there's been said here that there are plenty of other slips available that that that this isn't necessary. There are 24 docks in the association. Most of those are attached to private lots. Three of the me three of the members who have docks allow members to use their docks with no additional slips available currently. The remaining dock owners have been asked they if they would be willing to do this. They have said no for various reasons and declined. There are no other mariners available in Oak Beach. I will

point out that the community beach where we would put this dock currently has two docks. Those docks are used by opponents of this. It's okay that they got their dock, not okay for anybody else according to them. Moving on, this would create a boating a boating hazard having six docks there. As I there is no expert report. There's no evidence to prove that there would be a greater problem there. Uh there's only speculation. The dock expends the dock extends beyond the proposed dock extends beyond the docks of both Lanziata and Constantino docks. There's a 5 mph no wake zone there. Boats have been on these moorings as at the proposed dock site and there have been no incidents that I know or anyone else that has worked with me on this knows to date. DC and Army Corps of Engineers also would have considered this issue and they did not and they did approve this proposed location. Uh there's been said that the folks that have their docks there would not be able to get insurance any longer. Uh we have talked with Matt Morris, an insurance agent in Babylon Village, who advises us that he would be able to get both of these homes insurance and the community dock would not affect the issuance of any homeowners insurance policy. Uh opponents have said the dock should be placed on Hower Drive, which is safer and more convenient location. The problem is there's not deep enough water to put a dock there. Uh the Howard Drive location was considered at the previous hearing. Jed me showed the town board where the sandbar was clearly evident and that was found to be unsuitable. That site a measurement of the distance between the start of the 3ft mean water and the sandbar is not wide enough. It would block navigation of all docks east of the community dock if it was installed there. It would therefore not be permitted by DEC or the Army Corps of

Engineers or for that matter the town. Finally, the dock proposed before the town was never approved by the association. Absolutely false. Absolutely. As OABA's president testified at the previous hearing, the association voted to approve the community dock by a vote of 34 to 28. Recently, prior to the 25th hearing, another survey was done of the community members to see where the sentiment was on this and it's actually increased support for the dock that and under that one is 46 in favor, seven opposed, five abstained. OIBA has worked with members on this proposed this proposal and included several provisions such as banning parking as I mentioned, reducing the number of proposed slips to meet the few objections that have been raised and we made sure that this cost was not borne by the entire community. A bond will be floated to fund it. That bond will be paid by dock fees for those strictly using a dock. It is not a cost to anyone else in the community, but it is a benefit to everyone in the community. everyone will have an equal opportunity to use these slips. We ask that town board join with the Army Corps of Engineers and New York State DEEC and granting all us the necessary approval to move this community benefit project forward. Thank you. Thank you.

Okay, that's all the cards that I have. Six more letters came in for the record. We have six more letters that have been submitted uh going to be added to the record. Is there anyone else that would like to speak that hasn't spoken? Okay, I'll make a motion to close and reserve. You spoke at the last meeting, I believe. No, I'll I'll Can I fill it out? Ask a couple of questions. We spoke at the last meeting. So, we're we're we're asking for people who haven't spoken. Um I spoke at the last meeting. Right. Right. And it's all part of the same record. So, I'm not allowed to speak. We're asking for new people haven't added their comments to the record. Uh so that we have a

I think I have I think I have something that maybe the board would like to know that was not brought up at the last meeting that the other people in the association might not know either and I can just give it to you real quick. All right. So my I'm building a dock. Your name and address? Sal Javasi 21 the fairway. Okay.

I'm in the process of building a dock. maybe two, three slips down. None of the association members who are opposed to this, I asked everybody there, know the price of building this dock. So, do you guys have anything on record that of the costs of bids that were put in because only one person bid this job and he was here in the last meeting. Jed me, John Reus, Ryan. These are all dock builders, but I don't hear and I didn't hear from anybody else of any other bids that were put in, competing bids on the dock. I don't know if the board has that information if they're aware of it. But the only bid that was put in is his. And we don't even we're not even told according to the members what the cost is of the dock. The reason why I bring that up is because I'm building a 110 ft dock with a boat slip and three parking spaces. I was quoted $120,000. We don't know what the cost is of a dock with six spaces that includes plumbing and electric. Okay. John Reus is building the dock. It's also an aluminum dock. This is as expensive and it is um built so that it doesn't rust, it doesn't rot. The bottom line is John is one of the best dock builders and his price is also higher than the average. My question is how much is the dock? That's my first question. Where are the other bids on the dock?

My dock is costing 120,000 with three spaces and a lift electric and plumbing as well. So what is the cost of there? Does he have the answer? Do you have the answer to that question? How much this is costing us? Does anybody on the board know? And does anybody on the board know why there aren't three or more bids that were put in? and why is it being given solely to jet meat? So these are questions that I think need to be answered because if the doc is anywhere in the area of 250,000, we don't even know this answer. Why are we not as association members privy to all this information? And you as the board hearing this, I don't think you guys know either. I mean, if anybody does, we would like the answer so that we could do a comparison because my dock is pretty. It's six more polls at 600 a pole plus the labor to make create those other three spots. So, what are we paying for this dock? And why is it that only one man, one bid was put in? And and if so, I think that question should be asked. Who is the one funding the dock? Who's putting up the bond? Does anybody know that answer? Is that is that any of that information given to the board? Because I heard it was a board member. And if the association defaults, that board member who put up the bond is owner of the dock. And I find that to be a little off-putting, maybe a little crooked because it's inside their little group of people and the rest of us are excluded

and it's going right outside our houses. But yet we don't know anything. I know what my dock is costing. I think that the board should try to find out what this dock is costing. And I think we should know that answer so that we could see where the remainder of our money is going. That's all I have. Thank you. Please fill out a card, Mr. All right. Going to make a motion. I'll accept the motion to close and reserve from Councilman Moneta and second from uh

we're we're not we're not entertaining any back and forth. Um second by um Councilman Martinez. All in favor?