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West Meadow Beach Cottages

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Photo by Raymond Janis

Unjustified dismantlement of West Meadow Beach cottages

I am writing in response to last week’s article concerning the new West Meadow Beach sign which memorializes the cottages that once stood there [“New West Meadow Beach sign evokes old controversy,” The Village Times Herald, July 25]. Like the sign, the article fails to reflect the more nuanced story of the West Meadow Beach cottages and their significance to our community. As someone deeply connected to this community, I must address the misrepresentations and the devastating loss we have suffered.

Steve Englebright [D-Setauket], the former state assemblyman [and current county legislator], has shown himself to be a disgrace. Even if his story from his 20s about landing on the beach and being chased away were true, his relentless pursuit to remove the beach cottages was an abuse of his office. Englebright’s personal crusade and the narrative he and his associates crafted used circumstantial evidence to paint a false picture of a community that I knew intimately.

The beach cottages were not the domain of a privileged few but a bucolic community of families who created memories and contributed to the fabric of Stony Brook. Englebright’s claim that “most of the people of Brookhaven Town were denied access to their own public land” is simply untrue. Instead of addressing a genuine community concern, he pursued a personal agenda with the help of a few local activists who exploited his political influence to achieve an extreme outcome.

Herb Mones, of the West Meadow Beach Advisory Committee and one of the privileged homeowners behind West Meadow Creek, pursued a hateful agenda rather than working with the community on solutions. His group started the first legal challenges against the cottages in 1991, resulting in rulings that public parkland didn’t belong to private interests. This act has torn a hole in our marvelous town and demonstrated a cruel use of legislation to destroy a special place for so many. Rather than seeking an alternative zoning plan to balance access and preservation, Englebright and his cohorts chose destruction.

Today, the strip of land where the cottages once stood is a barren wasteland, neglected and unprotected. The community that once thrived there is gone, and the town is poorer for it.

Englebright’s defeat from his Assembly seat is a small consolation, but he should be further removed from any position of power. His version of events starkly contrasts with the experiences of many other town residents. My stepfather, for instance, was welcomed and rescued by the cottage community when his boat ran ashore. Similarly, I witnessed my late father coming to the aid of a pilot who crashed his lightweight aircraft on the beach. We welcomed the pilot into our home, shared stories, and my father helped him repair his aircraft.

Englebright’s defensive claims and narrative paints a very different picture than The New York Times story from 2004 [www.nytimes.com/2004/06/27/nyregion/long-island-journal-cottages-at-west-meadow-beach-face-end.html] reflecting a community of caring residents who became legislative victims. Nancy Solomon, a folklorist and executive director of Long Island Traditions, rightly pointed out that the bungalows reflected local architectural tradition and that tearing them down was a loss of history. George Barber, president of the Brookhaven Bathing Association, feared that the removal of the cottages would lead to the beach becoming a garbage dump, which we now see happening.

If there is to be a second sign, it should inform the community of Englebright’s abuse of office and the destruction of a cherished treasure of the Three Villages. He and his cronies should be ashamed of themselves, and their actions will not be forgotten.

Jen Schaedel, Stony Brook

Editor’s note: Our front-page story covered the erection of a new sign at the beach and was not a detailed history of the cottages controversy, which was still discussed.

An alternative view of the West Meadow cottages controversy

Last week’s Village Times Herald article, “New West Meadow Beach sign evokes old controversy,” reminded me that it’s been 19 years since the beach liberation. 

Back then, our local newspaper was besieged with letters, including those from owners who promised dire consequences if the cottages were razed — arson, crimes, drugs, pollution and increased traffic. I was one of the people who wrote letters arguing that they must come down, and that the beach be returned to the public.

I thought back to a Brazilian trip where all the beaches were accessible to the public. No hotels or houses were built along the waterfront. A local explained to me that such building was illegal because beaches belong to the public, not the wealthy, would-be homeowners.

Here on Long Island we have a system where, generally, people of means reside on the waterfront and the rest of us share the places that remain public. The West Meadow Beach cottages were one of the worst examples of beachfront land abuse, because it was rented at a discount to those who “voted correctly.” And, yes, I was approached by more than one cottage owner who menacingly advised, “We know where you live.”

A champion of the beach reclamation was Herb Mones who first brought the issue to the taxpayers. And Steve Englebright will always be considered a heroic figure to me because he risked his career against overpowering odds and personal threats in order to do the right thing.

The dire predictions never materialized. No arson, crime, crack houses or increased traffic — just less sewage. It’s a joy seeing people taking that beautiful, serene walk on our peninsula, which is slowly evolving back to its natural state. 

Bruce Stasiuk, East Setauket

Horseshoe crabs need our help!

To readers of this newspaper there is good news about horseshoe crabs but your help is needed.

Legislation to prohibit the harvest of horseshoe crabs has passed the New York State Assembly and Senate (A10140/S3185-A) and awaits action by Gov. Kathy Hochul [D].

Please take a moment to urge her to sign the bill into law. You can do this by either:

1.  Calling her office at 518-474-8390.

2.  Sending a letter of support to:

The Honorable Kathy Hochul

Governor of New York State

New York State Capitol Building

Albany, NY 12224

3.  Going to this website: www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form and type in a comment in the message box.

We have never been closer to stopping the killing of tens of thousands of horseshoe crabs —NYS regulations allow baymen to kill 150,000 annually for bait — and your voice is needed.

Horseshoe crabs have declined significantly over the past several decades and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission earlier in 2024 determined that New York’s horseshoe crab fishery is in “poor condition” — the only state along the East Coast with this troubling designation. 

This poor condition is borne out by our personal experience: Who over the age of 50 doesn’t remember our bay and harbor bottoms once being filled with these iconic animals? This species, known as a living fossil, plays a vital role in the coastal ecosystem with their eggs being eaten by a number of migratory shorebird species, including the red knot which is protected by the federal Endangered Species Act. Their eggs are eaten by many fish species too and the adults are consumed by sea turtles, also listed and protected in the Endangered Species Act. 

There are bait alternatives baymen can use that have proven effective. Over the past 25 years about 3.6 million horseshoe crabs have been killed for bait. It’s time that New York joins our neighboring state Connecticut, which recently enacted a statewide ban on the taking of these living fossils and stops the slaughter. These fascinating animals deserve better. We call on Gov. Hochul to sign the ban into law. It is vital the governor hears from the public by expressing your support for the ban. Please contact Gov. Hochul today!

John Turner

Four Harbors Audubon Society

St. James

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Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich and town historian Barbara Russell shake hands in front of a new historical marker, with West Meadow’s environmental educator Nicole Pocchiare. Photo by Mallie Jane Kim

By Mallie Jane Kim

Brookhaven Town officials unveiled a new historical sign at West Meadow Beach July 19, to mark the location of a summer beach community of bungalows that was removed in 2005.

The seasonal community, built along Trustees Road, had a contentious history, yet for those who enjoyed access, the string of nearly 100 beach bungalows was a place of rich memory of summer beach life.

“If you don’t tell the history, you lose it,” said Barbara Russell, Brookhaven’s town historian, who headed up the application to the Syracuse-based William G. Pomeroy Foundation, which granted the sign. Russell said growing up, she knew cottage owners and spent time visiting the unique community. 

“My grandparents, my parents, me and my children have wonderful memories of the cottages here,” she said. “My six grandchildren absolutely never knew them.”

The new marker, which sits near the entrance of what is now the Trustees Road walking trail, reads, “West Meadow beach summer colony, private cottages built here on town-owned leased land starting in 1905. All but four of 93 cottages razed in 2005.”

Some area residents who remember the divisiveness of the private cottages, especially in the last few years before most of them were razed, question the move. 

“Why memorialize the cottages?” wondered Setauket resident George Hoffman, who worked for the Town of Brookhaven during those last years, and currently sits on the West Meadow Beach Advisory Committee. “It was a very contentious thing.”

One concern is that the brief, neutral wording may gloss over the whole story.

“I hope that this new sign — that doesn’t say much — does not cause us to forget that during the almost century-long cottage era, most of the people of Brookhaven Town were denied access to their own public land, which was leased to a favored few,” said Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright (D-Setauket).

The sign that previously marked the spot simply acknowledged that the “West Meadow Beach Cottages Historic District” was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 — an unsuccessful last-minute effort to save the bungalows, which were already scheduled for demolition by then. 

The cottages started as tent platforms the town rented out, including to people fleeing the city due to the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-19, according to documents on file with the U.S. Department of the Interior. Lessors were later allowed to build structures on the lots, which they rented originally for $10-20 per year.

In the intervening years, there were questions of whether the leases were given out as political favors or in sweetheart deals to the well-connected, and the fact that private cottages were built on public parkland led to multiple lawsuits and appeals over decades, culminating in their ultimate removal. 

After a judge ruled in favor of removing the cottages in the late 1990s, Englebright, then a state assemblyman, authored legislation that solidified the timing of removal — allowing cottage residents to finish a prearranged lease term, and for the town to use that lease money to fund the removal of the structures and restoration of the parkland. He said his local office had to install security cameras and a panic button because of threats and harassment over the issue.

He added that over the years, he heard stories of cottage owners themselves being hostile to residents trying to access the area. 

Englebright himself remembers an incident from his 20s, before he got involved in politics, when he was out on the water in a dinghy and a surprise summer storm drove him into that stretch of West Meadow Beach. He said a cottage owner with two German Shepherds confronted him.

“He said, ‘Get the hell off my beach,’” Englebright recalled, adding that after he apologized, the man repeated his demands and sent his dogs after him. “They drove me into the water, which was still breaking waves over my boat and myself.”

He added, “That was before I learned that, in fact, it wasn’t his beach.”

Englebright suggested a second sign could tell a more complete version of events. “The way in which courageous civic advocacy ultimately created the magnificent park that we have today deserves to be remembered,” he said. 

Town historian Russell doesn’t see the neutral sign wording as a problem.

“You can’t ever tell the whole history in five lines,” Russell acknowledged, adding that she hopes long-stalled plans to restore one of the remaining cottages will result in an education center that can tell a more complete story. Or, perhaps one of the local historical organizations could take up the task. The Pomeroy sign, she said, is to pique interest.

“This is just to get your attention and say, ‘Oh, there were cottages here once,’” she said. “There was a whole summer community here once.”

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The former cottage two buildings over from the ranger’s house on West Meadow Beach has been demolished after snow earlier in the season caused the roof to cave in further than it had been. Photo by Herb Mones

While taking a walk along West Meadow Beach, something he does on a regular basis, Paul Feinberg noticed something different — one of the cottages by the ranger’s house was missing.

The Setauket resident said one day the cottage two buildings over from the ranger’s home was there, and by Feb. 16, it was gone. It’s something he is happy about. 

The only evidence was a work truck in the nearby vicinity with a sign that read: “We make things disappear.”

“That one they removed, that was just an accident waiting to happen,” Feinberg said. “When the roof caved in, that’s one thing for someone to get in there, but then the whole side of it caved in. It was just a mess.”

Town of Brookhaven attorney Annette Eaderesto said the town demolished the cottage. Snow earlier in the season further collapsed the roof, according to Eaderesto.

Feinberg said he believed Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Valerie Cartright’s (D-Port Jefferson Station) office was instrumental in having the structure removed.

Two cottages formerly sat near the ranger’s station on West Meadow Beach. The cottage on the right was demolished Feb. 16. File photo

At a June 5 Three Village Civic Association Meeting, Cartright updated the civic association members about the town’s preliminary assessment of the four cottages at West Meadow Beach. The councilwoman said after an internal evaluation it appeared two of the cottages were dilapidated and structurally unsound, and possibly not salvageable. However, there was the potential to save a third structure and use another as an outdoor interpretive kiosk. Only four of the historic cottages that once lined the beach remained after 2004, when the town removed nearly 100 to make way for West Meadow Wetlands Reserve.

Cartright said she was following standard operating procedure and had asked for an independent engineer to assess the cottages, and the town had complied with her request.

“I wanted to make sure if these cottages are coming down that we have a report from someone outside of the town telling us that is necessary,” she said at the June 5 meeting.

At the meeting, Robert Reuter, a member of the town’s historic district advisory committee, asked that the committee be advised about any future plans regarding the cottages on the beach. Reuter said Feb. 20 he was saddened to learn about the demolition of the structure, and the committee was not notified about it.

Reuter said he wouldn’t recommend any remaining cottages be demolished, and he feels the beach structures can be preserved without spending a great deal of money. When the town renovated the ranger’s home, it cost approximately $500,000, according to Cartright. Reuter said the former summer homes were built with no basements or hard foundations, which allows water to easily wash through underneath. The structures were built to easily be closed up each year. To preserve such a home it has to be made as weather-tight as possible, according to Reuter, to keep rainwater from penetrating the structure. He would have suggested the roof be repaired and windows bordered up.

“It wouldn’t be hard if there was the commitment to do it, it wouldn’t be hard to keep them from falling down.” Reuter said. “It’s really demolition by neglect, pure and simple.”

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A steam shovel fills a waiting dump truck to distribute sand along West Meadow Beach. By Donna Newman

Winter strolls along West Meadow Beach have been put on hold to avoid future environmental and boating problems.

Since Dec. 4, the Town of Brookhaven beach and Trustees Road in Stony Brook have been closed to the public. The town’s parks  department made the decision to accommodate an ongoing Suffolk County dredging project.

“It was the determination of the law and parks departments to close the beach due to safety and liability issues,” town Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station) said. “Resident safety is paramount to the town.”

While the dredging project is in effect, multiple trucks and dredging equipment will be accessing the beach, which could potentially cause dangerous situations for visitors if the beach remained open.

Dredging is nothing new for Long Island waterways, according to Larry Swanson, interim dean and associate dean of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and director of the Waste Reduction and Management Institute at Stony Brook University. The sediment dredged from the depths of waterways is added to beaches to nourish the shorelines, which in turn helps to slow down erosion and protects structures from rising sea levels and storm surges. He said dredging projects are ideally done in the winter to protect marine organisms, which aren’t as active during the season as they are in warmer months. He said the currents are typically strong where the county is dredging, which most likely will produce clean sand and gravel.

Swanson said Long Beach in Smithtown, which is located slightly west of the Stony Brook beach and regularly needs dredging material, is progressing to the east/northeast about 1 yard per year.

“What that does as it progresses, it tends to cause the currents to eat into West Meadow Beach,” he said. “So when that happens, sometimes there’s a cut that forms in West Meadow Beach.”

The dean said it is ideal to fill up the cut so it doesn’t keep eroding, as there’s a possibility in 20 years that it could break into West Meadow creek.

“The preservation of beaches as we know them is somewhat depending upon this source of dredge material,” Swanson said.

The dean said dredging is done for other reasons, too.

“The channel coming into Stony Brook Harbor fills up to the point where the low water depth is no more than 1 or 2 feet, and most boats that enter Stony Brook Harbor have a draft in excess of 1 or 2 feet and so they hit bottom,” Swanson said. “People don’t want to damage their boats.”

West Meadow Beach is expected to reopen on or about Jan. 1, according to a statement from Brookhaven Town.

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A motor boat heads toward Shipman’s Point at West Meadow Beach. File photo.

The history of West Meadow beach is a contentious one. Cottages leased to private citizens left a large portion of the beach unavailable to the public throughout the years. A headline in the Port Jefferson Echo newspaper June 19, 1930, read “West Meadow Beach Cottages To Be Ousted By January 1940.” According to Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket), removal of the cottages was a cyclical issue. Every decade or so there was a public outcry for a return of the beach to all Brookhaven citizens.

“This had become the norm by the 1960s,” he said.

When Englebright proposed legislation in June 1996, there was significant opposition from cottage owners who fought to keep the beach as it was. Since state legislation could only be established over the Brookhaven Town-owned property with the town’s express permission, a document called a “home rule message” had to be obtained before the legislation could move forward. Under then Town Supervisor Felix Grucci (R), the town agreed.

Even so, the opposition from cottage owners continued.

Bipartisan legislation [then Senator James Lack (R) sponsored the bill in the New York State Senate] was signed in 1996 stating West Meadow Beach “be preserved, protected, enhanced, and studied while simultaneously being made available for use by the general public for educational and passive recreational activities.” It stipulated the cottages be removed “on or before Jan. 15, 2005.” Removal of the cottages would be funded by payments from cottage owners for the use of the land over the following eight years. Interest accrued on the account, holding these payments were to be transferred annually into a separate account, previously established by the town July 6, 1993, called the West Meadow Beach capital restoration fund. This money was to be kept separately, overseen by a nonprofit Stony Brook community fund.

“When my husband Peter died last year I wrote to the town offering to fund the installation of a bench in his memory.”
—Muriel Weyl

The Stony Brook community fund became The Ward Melville Heritage Organization in 1996 and, according to a long-term board member of the organization, the town never came to them with a proposal. Since then it’s unclear who has been overseeing this money.

Attorney George Locker, a Stony Brook University graduate and former member of the Stony Brook Environmental Conservancy, believes the town is in breach of the statute.

“When the [Stony Brook community fund disbanded] instead of finding another third party to handle the funds, the town took control of the money,” Locker said. “The only thing I could find [after requesting all filings related to this account] was an invasive species plant removal.

“It took 20 years to elevate the Gamecock Cottage. At least one cottage was to be turned into a nature museum.

“[According to information provided by the town’s Department of Finance] the money is earning [virtually] no interest. The town has a fiduciary duty to grow the money in some safe way.”

Brookhaven Town spokesperson Jack Krieger provided the following information about investments in an email.

“The New York State Comptroller and New York State Municipal Law define what type of investments are acceptable for a municipality to engage,” he said. “The special New York State Law governing the WMB endowment made no special provisions for investment of the monies; therefore, the investment of the monies have been subject to the municipal law guidelines. The interest rate for the endowment account, and all town bank accounts, are monitored constantly by the finance department.”

Stony Brook resident Muriel Weyl said she is distressed by the lack of bench seating along the paved walk out to Shipman’s Point.

“When my husband Peter died last year I wrote to the town offering to fund the installation of a bench in his memory,” she said. “He was an oceanographer, and a founder of what is now the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook and I thought it would be fitting. They would not do it.”

She said she loves spending time at West Meadow Beach, and now that she uses a wheelchair she can be seated while enjoying the walk. When she was still walking, she said it was difficult because there were not enough benches to enable her to make it out to the Point. Even now, she said, “it would be nice for the person pushing my chair to have a place to sit.”

Krieger said there was a period of time several years ago where the town allowed residents to dedicate a bench with a memorial plaque if they paid all of the costs for the bench and its installation. This has since been discontinued.

He said he had no answer as to the question why there are not more benches.

Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) recently sent a letter to Englebright offering to work together to solve issues regarding funding and oversight of the West Meadow Nature Preserve.

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