Boats and property cleaned up

According to the New York State Department of Transportation spokesperson, Stephen Canzoneri, all illegally stored items within the State Department of Transportation’s right-of-way near Maple Avenue in Shirley were removed by the stipulated deadline of April 30. 

“DOT maintenance personnel have cleaned the area further,” he said. “DOT will continue to monitor this location and workers are installing fencing to prevent future occurrences. We thank the area residents and our partners in government for their patience and understanding.”

Earlier this year, the Town of Brookhaven reported the discovery of several private boats on New York State Department of Transportation property in Shirley. The parcel, located at the end of Maple Avenue in Shirley, is visible from Sunrise Highway.

The property is fenced and marked with “No Trespassing” signs with several trees. Behind the trees, numerous boats, cars, trailers, and related equipment are being stored or were dumped on the property. According to the Town of Brookhaven, the parcel is zoned A-1 and the storage of such is a non-permitted use.

The lot, at that time and as of February, was littered with at least 20 boats, Brookhaven supervisor Ed Romaine explained, also noting that the town was able to write tickets and have a few of the boats on neighboring town property removed.

“We’re happy that finally the DOT cleaned up the dumping on their property six months after it was reported,” Romaine said, disappointed in their lack of timely response. “They had me worried because dumping has become more prevalent in Brookhaven Town and we need state agencies, the county and, of course, the town to respond quickly to dumping. We want to keep Brookhaven clean and green.”

However, he said the property still contains a homeless encampment about 500 feet east of the dump site. The NYSDOT has not responded to comment about the homeless situation. In response, the NYSDOT said the Suffolk County Department of Social Services would be responsible for complaints of undomiciled people in the area.