Lottery set for Southampton trustee dock spaces

Southampton taxpayers and residents who want to take part in a lottery for spaces at the four town trustee docks have until Feb. 14 to file their applications with the trustee’s office.

The forms, which are available at the trustee’s office in town hall or by calling 631-287-5717, allow residents with boats up to 26 feet to try and get docking space at the Speonk Shore Canal, Bay Avenue/Eastport dock, Old Fort Pond dock and the Baycrest Avenue dock in Westhampton Beach.

There is a fee of $25 a foot, which is used to pay for future dock repairs and reconstruction.

With about 75 spaces at the four docks, people who file are asked to list their preference for each dock. The trustees send out applications with a white envelope with red lettering, and the sealed application must be returned in it.

The winners will be picked one at a time at the trustees’ regular March 14 meeting. Any spaces available after the lottery will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

The town allows only one application per boat. Anyone attempting to file several applications for the same vessel under different names will be banned from the lottery for five years, trustees warn.