This week in Shelter Island history
Keith Clark (left) and Garth Griffin were elected chiefs of the Shelter Island Fire Department and Heights Fire Department 30 years ago.
50 YEARS AGO IN HISTORY
The United States observed the 100th anniversary of the end of the Civil War.The first baseball game, an exhibition, was played at the Houston Astrodome with Houston beating the Yankees 2-1 and Mickey Mantle hitting his first indoor home run.
The West German Parliament extended the statute of limitations on Nazi war crimes.
Cartoonist Charles Schulz’ Peanuts characters were on the cover of Time.
The Beatles released “Ticket to Ride” in the United Kingdom.
And on Shelter Island …
50 YEARS AGO
When the budget’s late
A column from then Assemblyman Perry Duryea warned readers of the impending doom that could affect them if the state failed to pass an on-time budget as seemed likely 50 years ago. State workers wouldn’t be paid.
School districts would be unable to finish their budgets with no indication of how much they would be getting in state aid. Mr. Duryea blamed Democratic legislators who had a proposal from the governor on time, but were failing to be able to solidify a final budget.
Ironically, for many years, the state budget failed to come in on time until Andrew Cuomo took the helm in Albany and he and legislators succeeded in on-time budgets in recent years. What often happened was special legislation allowed certain expenses to be paid while budget talks continued.
POSTSCRIPT: This year, as with other recent years, the state budget was passed by deadline, but the school allotments haven’t yet been released, forcing districts to estimate state aid as they wrap up their 2015-16 budgets that go to voters May 19.
30 YEARS AGO
Clark, Griffin elected to lead Island fire departments
Thirty years ago, two 10-year veterans were elected to lead the Islands two fire departments. Keith Clark was elected to his second term as chief of the Shelter Island Fire Department in the Center. Garth Griffin took the helm from former Chief Jeff Brewer in the Heights.
POSTSCRIPT: Mr. Clark just completed a term as chairman of the united Shelter Island Fire Department Board of Commissioners. Mr. Griffin leads the FIT program.
20 YEARS AGO
Peconic County study says it’s feasible
“Peconic County can be a financially viable self-sustainable county.” That was the conclusion of a study 20 years ago by the five East End towns.
Among the findings was that in the first year of its establishment, it would save East End taxpayers $6.1 million, an 18 percent drop from the $33.8 million that was being paid by East Enders to Suffolk County.
There were plans to take the study to public hearings throughout the area before pushing ahead with an effort to separate from Suffolk County, a plan that has surfaced throughout the years as East Enders complain they are on the losing end of a lot of legislation that benefits communities further west, but does little to help this area.
POSTSCRIPT: While the discusssion never dies down about separating from Suffolk County, the likelihood of a Peconic County happening has been more fantasy than reality until this year’s fall from grace of former Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, who was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of using his position and state money to earn kickbacks for himself.
Mr. Silver continually blocked resolutions that could have moved the issue forward, and some have suggested his successor, Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) might look on such efforts more kindly.
10 YEARS AGO
Push for the bay scallop
Assembly members Fred Thiele Jr., Thomas DiNapoli and Patricia Acampora joined Senator Kenneth LaValle in introducing legislation to restore bay scallops to the Peconics 10 years ago.
The bill called for delaying the start of the scallop season one month until the first Monday in November; restricting the harvest to legal “bug” scallops to allow others to spawn; and establishing an advisory board to assist the state in setting up a bay scallop management plan.
POSTSCRIPT: Cornell Cooperative Extension’s SPAT program has successfully led the effort to restore bay scallops and this year, the state Department of Environmental Conservation extended the 2015 season from March 31 to April 30 because of the brutally cold winter.
Extending the season wouldn’t affect next year, according to DEC officials who said bay scallops have a short life span and legal-sized adult scallops would likely die before the summer spawning period and not survive until the start of the next season in November.
