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No sale on two parcels cited by supervisor

REPORTER FILE PHOTO | Supervisor Jim Dougherty said there were no deals in the offing on selling two parcels he had identified last week.
REPORTER FILE PHOTO | Supervisor Jim Dougherty said there were no deals in the offing on selling two parcels he had identified last week.

That was fast.

Last week Supervisor Jim Dougherty told the Reporter that he was in discussions with an “interested party” about selling or leasing a 4.1-acre parcel on South Ferry Road as well as another 1.23-acre parcel on Manwaring Road. The discussions, Mr. Dougherty said, were “promising.” “Why own something that’s not providing any benefit to you?” Mr. Dougherty added .

But when a realtor called to inquire about the parcels today, Mr. Dougherty said they were not on the market.

When asked today what caused the change of heart, Mr. Dougherty said the discussions had been preliminary and he had never put the properties on the market.

Last week, Mr. Dougherty, discussing the South Ferry  property said, “It’s a big parcel … we’re keeping all balls in the air. It could be a rental, depending on the dollars. Or a sale.”

Today Mr. Dougherty said he had “had conversations with one party, perhaps two parties, about possible leasings.”

The Manwaring Road property is on the south side of the street, between a nursery and a private residence. It was deeded to the town in August 20001 by the Peconic Land Trust, according to Town Assessor Al Hammond. The larger parcel on South Ferry Road is next to the Shelter Island Historical Society and was once the site of the old highway barn.

Recently there were reports of the possibility of the power company, PSEG, building an electric transfer station on the South Ferry Road parcel. But Mr. Dougherty told the Reporter last week that “they haven’t identified a site,” adding there were meetings scheduled with PSEG later this month.

The reason to sell or lease the properties is because of what the supervisor has described as “a very grave” financial situation.