Town Board looks at shared docks
Russell Ireland Jr. and Gary Sher, neighbors on South Midway Drive, want to share a dock. That’s good because it will make for fewer docks jutting out in the water, according to Councilman Peter Reich. But town officials — who have only three similar situations on the Island with which to compare the request — wonder if it’s all good.
Some major concerns are: Who has ultimate responsibility for maintenance of the dock? What happens if the friendly neighbors have a spat or if one sells his property to someone with whom the other doesn’t get along so famously? And should such circumstances be dealt with by the town or through a private covenant between the two owners, subject to civil action? Should the town have any role, other than approving or disapproving the specifics of the dock construction?
That was the subject of a brief discussion at the November 13 Town Board work session, but the town will await recommendations from the Water Advisory Council before further weighing in on the subject, according to Mr. Reich.
There are three existing shared docks, none of which were approved during Mr. Reich’s nine years on the Town Board, he said. One is in Dering Harbor, one at Coecles Harbor and the third at Louis’ Beach.
Another question is to discover the difference from a right of way that might be maintained across one person’s property for access by a neighbor to his own property. That might well be the precedent for how to handle a shared dock, Mr. Reich said.
Councilman Paul Shepherd said any downside to sharing a dock would rest with the owners, not the town, and he would hesitate to have the town involved in imposing any covenants related to dock maintenance.
“Once you start down that road, I don’t know how entangled it might get,” he said about the the town imposing covenants. He sees shared docks as “win-win” for the owners, the town and the environment, he added.
“It’s been done elsewhere successfully,” Mr. Shepherd said. The owners get “all they need at half the cost,” he said.
Councilwoman Chris Lewis, who had raised similar concerns to those raised by Mr. Reich, couldn’t be reached for further comment after the meeting.
The proposal that Mr. Ireland and Mr. Sher have submitted is for a 4-foot by 90-foot fixed dock with a 4-foot by 20-foot ramp at property at 116 and 118 South Midway Drive. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued a permit for the shared dock on September 17, clearing the way for town action. Costello Marine of Greenport would construct the dock and ramp if the town approves the application.
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