Every year, neighbors increasingly complain about loud clubs in Montauk and the Town of East Hampton increasingly pretends to do something about it. But now there's momentum to try to actually close one of the big loopholes in the law that allows this cycle to continue summer after summer: There's currently no limit for the number of people that can be on patios, lawns, or beaches at restaurants and nightspots. But, according to the East Hampton Star, there might be a way to apply existing crowd control laws to this problem:
"Although the state fire code only regulates congregations of people indoors, it nevertheless might be called into play. The state code sets standards for exits from interior spaces, which...could perhaps be used to apply to gates or other entries and exits that funnel people in and out of outside areas." But this is all part of a much larger philosophical debate about whether or not residents should just "grin and bear" a few months of madness for the greater economic good of the town. Town Supervisor Bill Wilkinson says, "We have to look at the ripple effect of all these things, because we are a four-month community."
· Take Aim at Nightspots [East Hampton Star]
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