Opinion: Locals Wonder Out Loud, When Will They Ever Learn

It doesn’t take long to fall in love with the east end of Long Island. Some are born on the historical land others visit and stay.and Then there are those with second or third or forth vacation homes out here.

I am a daily sailing guest who twenty years ago sought refuge in East Hampton Town after a divorce, business implosion and 9-11. I have tried to always respect the traditions and ways of the locals of the east end. Initially not being a “Citidiot” was a daily chore but over time that behavioral pattern diminished. As I said daily my ten years residing in the Springs, EH Village and Montauk, I am a guest.

There has never been a shortage of wealthy people on the east end going all the back to David Lion Gardiner in 1639. However these days wealth for some is measured in billions of dollars. Quite frankly in the Hamptons and Montauk one would be quite pressed to find a home under a million dollars. There are folks who never made over $100,000 living in multi-million-dollars homes that they or their families purchased for less than $100,000 decades ago or in some cases hundreds of years ago.

The situation now is as simple as this. Does everyone care about preserving the east end that I feel is God’s gift to Long Island.

Opulent growth issues with fresh water and waste management are becoming front and center.Then there are new growing concerns with private jets, helicopters and jumbo super yachts, not to mention seasonable vehicular traffic on main roads.

Sadly affordable housing for the legacy of locals and the working nuts and bolts folks has passed the point of no return. Who can deny there is a worker shortage on the east end and perhaps the cost of living here is a huge contributing factor.

As a guest I can not dictate what should happen and I can only hope the local families can keep a handle on keeping the east end the jewel it has always been. When I lived in Montauk it was the “Unhampton.” Now some might say it was become the “SuperHampton!”

I remember the days when young hard working perhaps blue collar families came to Montauk to summer vacation. The town was filled with young parents and their children. Nowadays that’s just not fiscally possible. It is actually cheaper to fly and vacation in Mexico for a week then drive and stay in Montauk.

Statistics state there are over 130 million single folks in America. That effects the way of life in the country in many ways including on the east end. Somehow there is no shortage of available buyers for the million-dollar Hampton’s homes on the market. This has to be causing a shift in the overall behavior and attitudes of the population on the east end in both the summer and the winter.

Change happens slowly then noticed suddenly. It has happened in the school system and work force . It has become the story of America. How that story evolves is in the hands of both those who work full time and live on the east end as well as the second home owners. There are no answers or instant solutions to what’s next. There are just the good people who care and do their all to preserve the best of what was, while managing prudently what will be.