Editorial

Shelter Island Reporter Editorial: Getting Real with Reel Point

Reel Point
Reel Point

Town Engineer John Cronin, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), is consistent in urging the town to face up to infrastructure problems and solutions. In an email recently to the Reporter, Mr. Cronin noted that “whether talking about roads and other town assets … almost all of these situations impact care of infrastructure. We are fast approaching a crisis in the country.”

If all politics is local, then infrastructure fits the bill, with our local situation mirroring what’s going on throughout the country.

During this political season, the Democrats are making the point that infrastructure projects and maintenance should be in the forefront of domestic policy. Even Donald Trump — albeit in his characteristically incoherent manner — has made loud noises on the issue.

Mr. Cronin has noted that the ASCE recently gave America a D+ rating in terms of infrastructure, estimating that $3.6 trillion would be required as an investment within the next four years to insure support systems are at acceptable levels.

Of course, pigs will be airborne before that happens, but there’s good news on the local front. The Town Board has agreed to partner with the Peconic Land Trust to fund an extensive engineering study on how best to shore up Reel Point and keep the mouth of Coecles Harbor open.

For years, there has been dredging at the site to aid navigation, but that’s been a Band-aid on a gushing wound. Mr. Cronin and Department of Public Works Commissioner Jay Card Jr. are out in front of the issue, along with the Town Board, first to discover workable options, and then to decide how to solve the problem for years to come.

The Reel Point project, along with new septic systems to be installed at the American Legion Hall — shepherded to action by Mr. Cronin — and another waste water system, on a smaller scale, at Sylvester Manor, are signs that Islanders won’t let what we have crumble to dust.

Add to that the new heating system slated for the school along with much needed building repairs there, and the Island is laying the groundwork for a solid future for all of us.