An Oak Beach property where access had been blocked. 

An Oak Beach property where access had been blocked.  Credit: Babylon Town/David Dukoff

The Town of Babylon is requiring Oak Beach residents to allow utility and emergency workers access through their properties to nearby homes or face thousands of dollars in fines.

The new requirement, passed unanimously by the town board at its Jan. 15 meeting, explains that public boardwalks in the barrier beach community, which has few roads, provide “insufficient access” for emergency and utility services. The town owns the land in Oak Beach and has leases with 122 homeowners there, officials said.

“There’s no roads to get to these landlocked parcels,” said town attorney Joe Wilson. “What’s been done in the past is that it’s a very close-knit community and they allow access to their abutting property owners to get these essential services.”

The resolution passed by the board states that “certain leaseholders” have illegally erected fences and other barriers, and when asked, have refused to allow workers access through their properties to neighboring homes.

The town is mandating that all “fences, gates or other barriers” that obstruct access be removed and that all leaseholders allow emergency and utility workers to cross “over and through their leasehold.” The town’s definition of workers includes both public and private company service people.

Homeowners who do not remove barriers face a $1,000 fine for each obstruction, and those who verbally refuse access can be fined $1,000 for each denial.

“It’s not pervasive but we wanted to have this resolution out there so that everyone knows what the rules are,” Wilson said.

Town officials said the requirement was drawn up after incidents earlier this month involving homeowner Kelsey Baradzi. Town spokesman Ryan Bonner said that according to complaints filed with the town by neighboring homeowner David Dukoff, Baradzi had ropes and traffic cones blocking access and verbally refused truck passage by oil company and Suffolk County Water Authority workers to Dukoff’s property on two occasions. Bonner said that after the town issued a notice of violation to Baradzi on Monday, he removed the obstructions.

Baradzi did not respond to requests for comment. Dukoff declined to comment.

Year-round Oak Beach resident Tom Melia, 66, said he’s been seeing more fences being put up in recent years.

“I think it’s probably a good idea for them to have some kind of fines or system in place to make sure that [access] happens,” he said. “You don’t want to be in a position where someone can’t work on your house because of a neighbor’s indiscretions.”

Oak Beach seasonal resident Courtney Alexander, 59, whose family has lived in the same house since 1921, said it’s not “very Oak Beach-like” to deny passage across lots.

“I think it’s the right thing to do to grant access to the people behind you who are landlocked,” she said. “It’s just too bad there has to be a rule about it.”

The Town of Babylon is requiring Oak Beach residents to allow utility and emergency workers access through their properties to nearby homes or face thousands of dollars in fines.

The new requirement, passed unanimously by the town board at its Jan. 15 meeting, explains that public boardwalks in the barrier beach community, which has few roads, provide “insufficient access” for emergency and utility services. The town owns the land in Oak Beach and has leases with 122 homeowners there, officials said.

“There’s no roads to get to these landlocked parcels,” said town attorney Joe Wilson. “What’s been done in the past is that it’s a very close-knit community and they allow access to their abutting property owners to get these essential services.”

The resolution passed by the board states that “certain leaseholders” have illegally erected fences and other barriers, and when asked, have refused to allow workers access through their properties to neighboring homes.

The town is mandating that all “fences, gates or other barriers” that obstruct access be removed and that all leaseholders allow emergency and utility workers to cross “over and through their leasehold.” The town’s definition of workers includes both public and private company service people.

Homeowners who do not remove barriers face a $1,000 fine for each obstruction, and those who verbally refuse access can be fined $1,000 for each denial.

“It’s not pervasive but we wanted to have this resolution out there so that everyone knows what the rules are,” Wilson said.

Town officials said the requirement was drawn up after incidents earlier this month involving homeowner Kelsey Baradzi. Town spokesman Ryan Bonner said that according to complaints filed with the town by neighboring homeowner David Dukoff, Baradzi had ropes and traffic cones blocking access and verbally refused truck passage by oil company and Suffolk County Water Authority workers to Dukoff’s property on two occasions. Bonner said that after the town issued a notice of violation to Baradzi on Monday, he removed the obstructions.

Baradzi did not respond to requests for comment. Dukoff declined to comment.

Year-round Oak Beach resident Tom Melia, 66, said he’s been seeing more fences being put up in recent years.

“I think it’s probably a good idea for them to have some kind of fines or system in place to make sure that [access] happens,” he said. “You don’t want to be in a position where someone can’t work on your house because of a neighbor’s indiscretions.”

Oak Beach seasonal resident Courtney Alexander, 59, whose family has lived in the same house since 1921, said it’s not “very Oak Beach-like” to deny passage across lots.

“I think it’s the right thing to do to grant access to the people behind you who are landlocked,” she said. “It’s just too bad there has to be a rule about it.”

A new style of bowling, the Agostino family tradition on the hardwood and the wrestling championships in Nassau and Suffolk in the latest episode of 'Sarra Sounds Off." Credit: Newsday/Mario Gonzalez; Jonathan Singh, James Tamburino

SARRA SOUNDS OFF: A new style of bowling that works  A new style of bowling, the Agostino family tradition on the hardwood and the wrestling championships in Nassau and Suffolk in the latest episode of 'Sarra Sounds Off."

A new style of bowling, the Agostino family tradition on the hardwood and the wrestling championships in Nassau and Suffolk in the latest episode of 'Sarra Sounds Off." Credit: Newsday/Mario Gonzalez; Jonathan Singh, James Tamburino

SARRA SOUNDS OFF: A new style of bowling that works  A new style of bowling, the Agostino family tradition on the hardwood and the wrestling championships in Nassau and Suffolk in the latest episode of 'Sarra Sounds Off."

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