Town to install security cameras at East Creek Marina

Security cameras will be installed at East Creek Marina in South Jamesport, town officials agreed last week.

The Town Board agreed to use unspent funds in the East Creek Marina budget line to cover the purchase of the cameras, which the police chief said will cost $75,000.

There have been small larcenies of items off of boats at the facility, Parks and Recreation Superintendent Ray Coyne told the Town Board at its work session Thursday.

“Plus we want to keep a better eye on the docks,” he said. “This is what everybody is doing. We want to get all the parks outfitted with surveillance,” Coyne said.

Coyne said he reached out to Police Chief David Hegermiller, who got a quote from A+ Technology and Security.

A+ Technology & Security of Bay Shore was hired by the town in 2019 under a state-bid contract to install a security camera system for surveillance of various downtown areas, including the Peconic riverfront parking lot and other downtown parking lots, Grangebel Park, Railroad Avenue, the area around the LIRR station and at Riverhead Police Department headquarters, where live video feeds are received and recorded.

“It’s basically the same camera systems we have throughout the town,” Hegermiller told the board. “A+ reviewed the site and came up with a plan. It will be the same system we have now, with the wireless,” he said.

“It’ll capture the beach, the parking lot and the slips, using good cameras. And it’ll all come back to headquarters,” Hegermiller said.

It will take four to six weeks to install the system once A+ has the go-ahead, the chief said.

There is money in the East Creek Marina fund balance to cover the cost of the system, Financial Administrator William Rothaar told the board. The purchase will reduce the East Creek fund balance to about 25%, he said.

Rothaar asked if bulk-heading at East Creek is “still on the table,” because the town was anticipating using a combination of East Creek fund balance and borrowing to fund the cost of that project. The town was trying to put that off for a year or so, to allow time for the existing bond to be paid off, he said, referring to $1.5 million in bonded indebtedness authorized by the Town Board in January 2008 to cover capital improvements at the marina. The bond will be paid off in 2027.

“We do make money each year. We’re still paying off the bond, I believe we have 3 or 4 years left,” Coyne said. Debt service on the bond is $100,000 or so per year, Coyne said, which is covered by East Creek Marina’s revenues. The town has raised docking fees at the marina to cover the cost of debt service and other expenses of operation.

“Even though we’re paying off the bond, we’re still making money at East Creek,” Coyne said.

“I know Ray has a list of projects he needs to be done, that we need to have a discussion on, so maybe we put all these things in there,” he said. Then the town can look at potential grant sources and see what may be available to cover which projects, Rothaar said.

“There’s a bunch of projects that we need to do for parks. I want to make sure they’re listed and prioritized. I’m not saying these surveillance cameras are not priority,” Rothaar said.

Coyne suggested he and Rothaar meet with the town engineer. “He may say we can go two years before we really have an issue,” he said.

“This is just separate East Creek,” Coyne reminded the board, referring to the East Creek Marina budget. “The only thing that East Creek can pay for is South Jamesport, and anything that borderlines the marina. That would include the bulkhead,” he said. “The way I see it we’re making a decent amount of money every year now, and that’s including paying off the bond, and that’s like $100,000 a year. But I’m totally fine with breaking down a couple of projects to see where we’re at,” Coyne said.

“Is East Creek filled up still, with a waiting list,” asked Supervisor Tim Hubbard.

“Yes. We average 10% turnover. It’s been steady over the years. We average [a waiting list of] 300 a year,” Coyne said. “That’s been since I’ve been here,” Coyne said about the waiting list. New people come on as others come off.

The recreation superintendent said he’s been asking for cameras at the marina for several years. Since the town installed wifi at South Jamesport beach about three years ago, some boat-owners have installed their own security systems on their boats, he said. “So that does help,” but a town-installed system with a direct feed to the police station that covers the entire area would be much better, he said.

Riverhead Town once leased the marina to a private operator. In 2002, the Town Board decided to have the recreation department take over operation of the marina, where slips are available to town residents. It has raised dockage fees at the marina from $60 per foot to the current $85 per foot to cover the cost of operations and debt service. The marina is not a full-service marina in that it does not offer winter storage, repairs or gasoline and dockage fees are in line with what other towns in the area charge at municipal marinas, according to town officials.