Dan’s Papers May 27, 2011 danshamptons.com Page 64
Ditch
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where that led to the overthrow of the governments in Egypt and Tunisia in recent months. These were big deals. What was happening in Montauk was not a big deal. It was a VERY big deal. Also during that Wednesday afternoon, calls came raining into town hall from Montaukers, and also from reporters looking for comments. “It wasn’t the Town Board’s fault that Ditch Witch lost,� siad one member of the Board. “It was the Ditch Witch’s fault. They did not make a good enough proposal to win.� Postings to the two sites now were coming in from all over. Sam Pa’e of Hawaii posted this: “I have just found out of this situation in
Montauk. It is a sad moment for me and my heart goes out to Lili and the beach-going community of Ditch Plains. As a newcomer from Hawaii, the Ditch Witch welcomed me in, watching my personal belongings and keeping them safe while I was there last summer‌Lili made me feel at home and part of the Ditch Witch Ohana, which in Hawaii we call “Familyâ€?‌My heart will be forever grateful for what Lili has done for me and sharing her ‘Aloha.’â€? Laura Michaels posted this: “Dear East Hampton Town Board. While the formal awarding of the beach concessions have not been made, it appears that there is great concern amongst the Montauk and East Hampton community that the Ditch Witch, which has been
COME CELEBRATE SOUTHAMPTON’S
a fixture of Ditch Plains, may not be awarded the right to continue to serve the community as she has for so many years. Quite simply, Ditch will not be the same without the Ditch Witch. John Behan, one of the most respected men in Montauk and a former state assemblyman, had this to say. “The town board is for the dogs—the Ditch Witch will live forever!!!� In another five hours, waves of people wrote to the site, heaping insult upon insult onto the heads of the East Hampton Town Board. By Wednesday night, the total number of postings exceeded 1,000. The Town Board, very shaken, assembled on Thursday afternoon for a special, hastily-called meeting. Town Supervisor Bill Wilkinson set the tone of what was to follow. He held up the sheaf of paper showing the winning bidders. “Because of the number of inquiries we are getting, we are stepping in to review the original proposals. For instance, the first thing that jumps off the page at us is this Turf Lobster Rolls vendor that wins at Ditch Plains. They have a very limited menu. It starts at $17 for a lobster roll.� Councilman Dominick Stanzione said he noticed some minor tabulation errors in the point scoring when it came down to between Ditch Witch and Turf Lobster Rolls. Town Councilwoman Theresa Quigley said, “I’ve reviewed the proposals submitted and realize that the bidders hadn’t been given a detailed breakdown of the points to be assigned in each subcategory. I think that renders the bids (continued on page 78)
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