Letters: LOSAP vote, new legislation and a red plane
Vote on Friday
To the Editor:
This Friday, August 3, we have a vote on whether or not to provide a Length of Service Award Program to our Ambulance Corps volunteers. While I see it as highly unlikely that it would fail, I would ask people to go up to Town Hall between 12 noon and 9 p.m. and vote for it as a demonstration of your awareness and your support.
Being a volunteer is not any longer a small matter. It involves an enormous investment of time and energy and the program’s rules insist on a lot of participation in order to qualify.
The cost is relatively modest, and ultimately, if administered correctly, should become even more so relative to the expense of an outright paid service. So there is little reason to vote against it and a bunch of reasons to vote for it, not the least of which is simply letting the volunteers know that you appreciate their sacrifice and service.
PAUL SHEPHERD
Councilman
Shelter Island
Causeway clean-up
To the Editor:
First of all, I want to thank the police whom I initially contacted several months ago, and Jay Card, to whom I was referred, for their clean-up efforts at the Ram Island causeway beach area near the “only house on the block.”
At my request, a trash receptacle was actually placed at one of the parking areas but that has since been taken away. In its place, but not at the same location, is renewed trash. This is not visible from the road and, if the area were patrolled, personnel would have to exit their vehicles for a proper inspection. Besides cans, bottles, empty cigarette packs, food wrappers and other rubbish, though much less than before, is again accumulating. This is especially true now, as people are using more remote areas of the beach since the recent designation of the Menhaden Lane beach as “not for swimming.”
Only a few people clean up after themselves, although there have been some who have cleaned up after others. Then there was a makeshift tent last week and it was of some concern to me the following day to find the leftover charcoal from a recent fire underneath dry tree limbs. Bonfires on the beach, in the sand or on stones, are usually safe but if fires are allowed in the wooded area the result could be a huge conflagration all along the causeway.
While it would clean up the place, it would be expensive to extinguish and to clear, as well as being unsightly in its aftermath. This can be avoided with better oversight and fines, if necessary.
As I said before, why not utilize the many community service man hours the town court assesses each week? What benefit does the public get from those “penalties” arising out of crimes committed on Shelter Island?
BARBARA ALLEN-LIEBLEIN
Shelter Island
Victory for women
To the Editor:
It is with tremendous joy I write to inform all of Shelter Island that Governor Cuomo has, as of July 24, signed the “Breast Density” legislation. This legislation will save countless lives here in New York as it has in Connecticut by informing women who receive a mammogram if they have dense tissue and could benefit from further screening.
Cancer is very difficult to see in dense tissue and further screening could save a woman from a “late stage” cancer diagnosis, much like my wife, the late Teresa Montant. After years of regular annual mammograms, she was never told of her dense tissue yet, upon her asking for copies of those reports and finding that every radiology report stated “patient has dense tissue,” she was never told.
The true heroes of the bills passage beside the governor are New York Senator John Flanagan and New York Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee. If you ever have the privilege to meet either one of these heroes, please say thanks. I did.
On the Breast Cancer Awareness front, through the kindness and generosity of others, I have 48 more 30-inch pink ribbons to be given free to anyone willing to display one at their home or business for the months of October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) and May (Mammogram Awareness Month). Just two months a year. (Please don’t leave it up all year!) That will bring a total of nearly 100 ribbons displayed around the Island as a reminder of how important cancer screening is for all women — though I did meet a man who is a breast cancer survivor on Saturday in the wine shop. Yes, men can and do get breast cancer. If you would like a ribbon free of charge, contact me at home 749-1662 or stop in at Shelter Island Wine and Spirits and I will give you one.
For the third time in as many years, I will continue the tradition of raising awareness with a photo shoot for “Real Men Wear Pink” day on Saturday, September 15 at 5 p.m. at Crescent Beach. Come in your best pink attire (hat, shirt, pants … whatever’s pink) and get in the photo. I ask for nothing, just a few minutes of your time to show you care about your family, friends and neighbors.
This year I will award a bottle of fine wine to the best and most original “pink person” in the photo, picked by the crowd. No rabbit suits, Mr. Lewis! Come one, come all.
Please show you care, join your neighbors for the picture and please support the Shelter Island 5K on Saturday, October 20.
TOWNY MONTANT
Shelter Island
That red seaplane
To the Editor:
Wealthy visitors to Sunset Beach hotel are making a lot of noise with their choice of conveyance to and from that establishment: the very loud, low-flying red seaplane that is the new toy of hotelier André Balazs. On Sunday, July 15, around 5.20 p.m., the seaplane flew over my home in Noyac, I assume after taking off from Shelter Island. The seaplane’s altitude was so low that had I not been standing directly beneath the craft, I could have seen the pilot’s face.
Although the now infamous red seaplane has flown above my home many times, each time interrupting conversation as we sit on the terrace, this was the second occasion I’ve experienced an uncomfortably close encounter with it. I experienced a similar event when on a recent visit to friends at their home on Shelter Island just days earlier.
One would imagine that, as a sometime resident of Shelter Island, the least Mr. Balazs would do is to take into consideration his neighbors and how their quality of life is negatively impacted by his commercial operations. Apparently that is not the case, as he does not appear to be at all bothered by the impact his money-making operations have on the Island, or on the neighbors.
Shelter Island may be good for business for Mr. Balazs; unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Mr. Balazs’ impact on Shelter Island and the surrounding communities.
PATRICIA CURRIE
Noyac
Fire volunteers
To the Editor:
An extraordinary group of volunteers comprise the Shelter Island Fire Department. Island residents know we have a Fire Department ready and able to save our homes and our lives from disaster. But what many of us don’t know is the amount of time and effort our firemen willingly volunteer to help out the community in other ways.
On behalf of the Shelter Island Historical Society (SIHS), I recently approached Fire Chief John D’Amato with a request for help to prepare for our upcoming event, “One Day in History.” We were astonished and delighted this past Sunday, when 21 of his crew showed up to help with tent cleaning and set up. With their help, we are ready for the event on August 4.
What happened on Sunday at the Historical Society was a perfect example of how the Shelter Island community bonds together and one of the many reasons we choose to live here. The Historical Society is becoming more and more a community center with many events available for all ages. We will continue to grow with the kind of volunteerism shown by the firemen who gave of their time to help us out.
We are privileged to have such hard-working and caring individuals looking out for us. On behalf of the SIHS Board of Trustees and staff, we thank Chief D’Amato and his team.
NANETTE BREINER-LAWRENSON
Executive Director
Shelter Island Historical Society
Keep Fresh Pond fresh
To the Editor:
As Shelter Islanders who have enjoyed sharing Fresh Pond with our fellow Islanders for decades, we can see that the pond now needs our help.
In recent years, green algae has begun to bloom each year after summer heat waves. This is a problem we can actually do something about. The causes of the algae bloom aren’t hard to figure out. Many communities face similar issues with their lakes and ponds and more so in these recent warm years. Algae responds to heat and excess nutrients. We can’t control the heat but we can act to preserve this beautiful lake for everyone by reducing the overfeeding of the algae.
There is no question that the homeowners directly on and near the pond bear a special responsibility. If you live near the pond and you can’t remember the last time you pumped your septic tank, now is the time. For a few hundred dollars, you can make sure you are not contributing to the problem and you can avoid damage to your own property and septic system that might cost $10,000 or more to repair.
Everyone living within walking distance and certainly anyone living on the pond has to rethink lawn maintenance. Fertilizer use in the area around the pond needs to be minimized or eliminated completely. All fertilizer use within 100 feet of the pond is already illegal. But runoff does not stop at the 100-foot mark. At minimum, any fertilizers used can and should be 100-percent phosphorus free. Switching to phosphate-free detergent products can also help to minimize your impact on the pond.
Grass clippings are also rich in phosphorus and so everyone near the pond area needs to make sure that mowed grass is bagged and removed and not left to decay. And of course a view is nice but, if you’ve cleared waterfront, consider allowing a strip of regrowth at most of the water’s edge to hold back nutrients and discourage geese.
Fresh Pond is not a stagnant body of water. It is fed by fresh cold water from underground springs. With proper care, it can bounce back.
PETER GRAND
LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Shelter Island
