Letter: Mastic Beach's waterfront control
Mayor Bill Biondi, left, stands on the damaged dock at Marine 5 in Mastic Beach with trustees Nick Busa, Gail Cappiello, and Bob Morrow, Jan. 31, 2014. The Mastic Beach Property Owners Association wants to retain control over the 6.5-mile stretch of waterfront property in Mastic Beach. Credit: Steve Pfost
Mastic Beach Village officials want control of six miles of waterfront to do what exactly ["Costly standoff," News, Feb. 4]? This is a scary proposition!
Officials haven't been clear about their plan for the properties. At one point, I heard they wanted to develop the entire waterfront. Now I hear that they want to put up a 4-foot bulkhead around the waterfront with superstorm Sandy money. The water came up over 5 feet, so what would that accomplish?
Regarding the $4,000 fine from the state Department of Environmental Conservation in relation to the materials the village used to shore up Riviera Drive, this is not surprising. Village officials' idea of "fill" was using debris from a construction site!
More than a year has passed since Sandy, and this waterfront roadway is unusable. What a disgrace! I can't imagine a good outcome if the village gets the properties, and I do not trust the acumen of those in power.
Antoinette Kenmuir-Evans, Mastic Beach
