This week in Shelter Island history
Bill Banks, who celebrates 20 years as head of the town Building Department, posed for this picture as part of a profile in 2012.
50 YEARS AGO IN HISTORY
Pianist Vladimir Horowitz returned to the stage after a 12-year absence, performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City. John Wayne was on the cover of LIFE and a profile of his acting career appeared inside the magazine.
Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall announced a contract for the processing and promoting of Alaska seal skins for the Fouke Fur Company of Greenville, South Carolina.
Bob Dylan performed at Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England.
What started as a thunderstorm near Boulder, Colorado, turned into tornadoes and large hail covering an area just northeast of Fort Collins to near Cheyenne, Wyoming.
And on Shelter Island …
50 YEARS AGO
Regulating ferries
It may surprise people to know that 50 years ago, anyone could establish a ferry service with no government oversight except for the United States Coast Guard, which based its reviews on safety. There was discussion at the time of starting a town ferry system that would run 24-hours a day year round. But as officials examined that idea, they determined it would also result in a major hike in fees.
The idea of bridges linking Shelter Island to the North and South forks was rejected outright by residents who thought it would disturb the peace and tranquility of the Island.
POSTSCRIPT: Fifty years later, there are clearly no bridges and two private ferry companies, but they are regulated by the Suffolk County Legislature in terms of their fee structures.
30 YEARS AGO
Hay Beach hears about covenants
Thirty years ago, members of the Hay Beach Property Owners Association met to discuss covenants that had been attached to the creation of the housing development, but apparently weren’t conveyed to new property owners when they purchased their houses in the 1980s.
The covenants were part of the Planning Board’s approval of the development and dealt with ways to protect the salt marsh and the general ecosystem in the area.
POSTSCRIPT: The covenants came up in the past week in relation to problems some Hay Beach residents are experiencing with mudflats since dredging resulted in stopping the flow of water through the salt marshes.
20 YEARS AGO
Banks to head Building Department
It was at this time in 1995 that Bill Banks was appointed town building inspector and zoning officer. The appointment came after the Town Board had reviewed credentials and interviewed 16 potential candidates for the job.
He already held the basic Code Enforcement Training Certificate required by New York State and had attended courses to update his knowledge since receiving the certificate. He had served as school inspector for more than six years and as town fire inspector since 1991.
Mr. Banks also served on the Zoning Board of Appeals and was a member of the Zoning Task Force working to upgrade the zoning ordinance.
“It’s a serious position and we need a straight arrow,” said Supervisor Hoot Sherman in making the appointment.
POSTSCRIPT: Mr. Banks continues to serve as Building Department chief.
10 YEARS AGO
Cornell brings message about lawn chemicals
Officials from Cornell Cooperative Extension visited Shelter Island 10 years ago to drive home a message to residents about the dangers of chemicals people were using to green up their lawns. Not only did many of the chemicals pose general environmental dangers, but they were especially threatening to the Island’s water supply, the experts said.
Water Advisory Committee Chairman John Hallman told those gathered at the school auditorium that while problems were minimal then, there would be a major problem in the future if residents failed to heed warnings.
POSTSCRIPT: Mr. Hallman, who is resigning as chairman of the WAC after close to 30 years of service, continues to hammer home the need to protect the Island’s water resources, predicting that failure will lead to an end of private wells and a need to bring in the Suffolk Country Water Authority.
Some fertilizers that were once allowed are now banned, but problems still persist from, among other sources, aged cesspools and septic systems.
