Amagansett rock concert draws complaints

More than 100 people packed East Hampton Town Hall Thursday night, many of them to complain about plans for an August rock concert in Amagansett.

Charlene Spektor, of Amagansett, gave the board a packet which she said contained hundreds of e-mails opposing the concert.

"Every one of them has a different reason," she said.

Roz Sherwood of Wainscott predicted that the concert would clog roads all across the South Fork, and lead to thousands of concertgoers sleeping on the beaches.

"What was the board thinking?" she asked.

The town approved the concert permit last month, after promoters said they needed it to make arrangements.

Several people spoke in favor of the event, saying it would create jobs and noting that concert organizers pledged $100,000 to local charities from profits.

Concert promoter Chris Jones of Sag Harbor said much of the criticism was based on misinformation and he offered to meet personally with anyone seeking information on the event. "Our community faces difficult times and difficult decisions," he said.

Town officials said professionals would organize the logistics, which would meet all relevant regulations, including sanitary requirements and traffic control.

Concert promoters said last week that they plan to sell a maximum of 9,500 tickets, which would give admission for two days, and that - to deal with traffic - they would only allow cars with two or more people to park at the concert site, the 26-acre Ocean View Farm on the north side of Montauk Highway.

Jones said he expects most of those attending to come from the East End and to not need housing. Town officials say promoters will be required to insure that everyone leaves the farm once the concert ends each day - no one will be allowed to sleep in the field, and town code prohibits sleeping on the beaches.

Still, Amagansett residents have complained the concert traffic will hit their hamlet at the height of the summer, worsening an already bad traffic problem and straining the town's emergency services.