Community group issues survey on New Suffolk waterfront plans
Hoping to get a better sense of the community’s feeling toward New Suffolk Waterfront Fund’s controversial proposal to turn the vacant Galley Ho building into a 66-seat restaurant, another New Suffolk community group is mailing out a survey to hamlet residents.
New Suffolk Civic Association sent out 261 questionnaires Thursday. The survey asks residents to weigh in on everything from the number of special events they would like see on the premises each year to whether a restaurant should be permitted on the First Street property at all.
The association initially requested the Waterfront Fund to issue the survey, said Paul Cacioppo, the New Suffolk Civic Association president. However, when no survey was handed out, the association chose to draft one of its own, he said.
“We decided to find out once and for all how many people want what,” Mr. Cacioppo.
In recent months there has been no shortage of opinions about the proposal voiced during public forums. During a heated debate at a recent planning board hearing, New Suffolk was described as a “community divided.”
“Our goal is to develop a better understanding of where opinions lie, so that we can participate in a more productive – and hopefully less divisive – dialogue with the board of the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund,” Mr. Cacioppo said.
The surveys are due back to the NSCA no later than Sept. 6. The results will be shared with the public during an open meeting at the New Suffolk School at 10 a.m. Sept. 13.
