Village Wants To Enlarge Main Beach Lifeguard Shed Slightly

In the midst of repairs at Main Beach from Superstorm Sandy, the Village of East Hampton is trying to build a bigger storage shed for the lifeguards before the summer arrives. 

An application to allow for the demolition of a 15-foot deep by 25.6-foot wide storage building and the reconstruction of a 207 square feet building —  that is 7 feet 10-inches deeper — is on the Village Zoning Board of Appeals' agenda for Friday. 

Located on the westerly side of the Main Beach Pavilion, the expansion requires a Special Permit because it is a preexisting, nonconforming use, according to the public notice. An area variance is also required because the proposal is within 100 feet from a natural contour line nearest to mean high water, the notice said. It is also subject to site plan approval by the Design Review Board. 

The project also requires a Coastal Erosion Permit because it is seaward of the Coastal Erosion Hazard Line. 

The East Hampton Town Trustees and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued a General Permit for repair of damages from Sandy. 

Main Beach suffered damages during the October hurricane. The contract for repairs is $254,715. The pavilion's deck, some doors, shingles, and trim took a beating, but there was no structural damage. The road-end and parking area also felt Sandy's wrath, and there was some damage done to the lifeguard shack, as well. 

Village Administrator Larry Cantwell said Ed McDonald, the beach manager, had been asking for more rooms for lifeguarding equipment, and the village felt it was the right opportunity to rebuild the old building.

Cantwell said he is hopeful that the work will be completed by the unofficial start of summer. "We made it clear to the contractor that the building has to be ready by Memorial Day weekend," he said.

Even if the repairs and rebuilding at Main Beach are not completed by the arrival of summer in the Hamptons, the beach will open on time — unlike Georgica Beach did last year following erosion during Hurricane Irene.

Georgica Beach, which reopened as with lifeguards right before the Fourth of July weekend in 2012, also suffered some damages this year. The village is spending $90,317 on repairs.

"The beach side is starting to come back. The beach is starting to widen. The elevation is starting to increase," Cantwell said about Main Beach. "Georgica Beach, the same thing by the way. The width of the beach has expanded tremendously, though the elevation is still low."