Mary Walker resigns from Dering Harbor Village Board
Village of Dering Harbor Trustee Mary Walker announced her resignation in a letter read by Mayor Tim Hogue at the village Board of Trustees meeting on Feburary 20. Ms. Walker, who has served on the board for many years, cited scheduling conflicts as a reason for giving up her position, the mayor said. The board appointed John Colby to fill the remainder of her term.
“It has been a privilege to work with the Village of Dering Harbor for many years,” Ms. Walker wrote. Mayor Hogue, in praising Ms. Walker for her service to the community, said, “She always put the Village first.”
To complete Ms. Walker’s two-year term, which ends in June, Mr. Hogue recommended Mr. Colby, the village Zoning Board of Appeals chairman, describing him as “The most experienced person in the village. He is well known to many residents … and has a long family history on Shelter Island.”
Mr. Hogue told the board that village attorney Joseph W. Prokop had advised him that a member of the ZBA cannot also serve on the five-member Village Board. He then read into the record Mr. Colby’s letter of resignation from the ZBA.
“As I have often said during hearings, no one wants to say ‘no’ to a neighbor genuinely trying to improve their property,” “ Mr. Colby wrote. “I can only hope my neighbors understand this work is necessary for the long-term prosperity of our village.”
The board — with Mayor Hogue and Trustees Heather E.G. Brownlie and Brandon Rose present — approved the appointment of Mr. Colby and then named Kirk Ressler new chair of the ZBA.
In other business, Mayor Hogue reported:
• All paperwork has been submitted to the state for funding to replace the village water tank and install an emergency generator, a $500,000 project. The village hopes to obtain a grant for 25 percent of the cost and a zero-percent loan for the remainder.
• Work on a drywell for road drainage at Yoco and Locust Point has been completed, Mayor Hogue said. The village is awaiting approval for the installation of another drywell at Yoco and Shore Road that due to its proximity to the bay, must be approved by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Both projects are covered by the state’s capital reserve funding for transportation under the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS).
• Owners of Dering Woods Lane, LLC, whose plans for new construction were rejected recently by the Architectural Review Board, will be submitting a new set of plans to the ARB that Mr. Hogue said were based on a Stanford White house that stood in the village long ago.
• A building permit has been granted for the Brandon and Susannah Rose building application,.
• The building department will be issuing a certificate of occupancy for the Brad Goldfard and Alfredo Paredes residence.
• At its March meeting the board will review the mayor’s recommendation to pierce the state’s 2 percent tax-levy cap.
The next meeting is Saturday, March 19 at 10 a.m.
