Out-of-towners' partying at a popular summer destination on Long Island's East End has gotten so out of control that the town board has authorized overtime funding for police, fire and code enforcement personnel through the end of summer, according to a published report.
The East Hampton town voted Tuesday to approve the overtime after a packed four-hour board meeting in which nearly 300 angry residents and business owners complained about the raucous July 4th holiday weekend in Montauk, Newsday reports.
"It's a safety issue -- young people who come here just for the weekend are drunk in the middle of the street and they're throwing up -- there are a lot of issues," Rona Klopman, a 27-year resident of Amagansett, said. "Bars are serving drinks to kids who are already intoxicated. . . . Kids are getting off the trains already intoxicated."
Residents also complained about public urination, noise and parking problems caused by visitors, as well as overcrowding in rental homes and bars.
East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo told Newsday there were a record 464 calls to police from Friday morning through Monday morning during the holiday weekend, and 16 arrests, including 11 for drunken driving.
East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell said frustration among residents has been building for some time and that the "pot boiled over" on the Fourth of July weekend.
"All the drinking and late-night noise... the residents are overwhelmed with the visitors, some of whom are behaving very badly," he told Newsday.
U.S. & World
A hamlet located in the town of East Hampton, Montauk is generally a big tourist destination but has become an especially popular weekend and summer destination for New Yorkers.
