Few changes for 2010 as town reorganizes

Town Hall was packed for Tuesday’s Town of Shelter Island re-organizational meeting. 


The 2010 organizational meeting of the Town of Shelter Islandyielded no big shake-ups, not surprising considering that allincumbents who ran won re-election in November.

New Town Assessor Patricia Castoldi, who won the seat of thelate Fred Dinkel, took the oath of office along with fiveincumbents: Town Clerk Dorothy Ogar (referred to as the “Queen ofTown Hall by Town Justice Patricia Quigley who presided over theceremony), Highway Superintendent Mark Ketcham, Town Supervisor JimDougherty and board members Chris Lewis and Ed Brown.

After the swearing-in ceremony, attended by a packed house ofsupporters and families of the officials, the board got down to theannual business of reappointing employees and committee members andsetting hourly rates for staff.

Changes from 2009 appointments and rates included two newcommittee members and a new fee schedule for the FIT center.

Abigail Field was appointed to the Deer and Tick Committee andBetsy Martin will serve on the Recreation Commission.

Fees for the FIT Center now include membership rates forfull-time college students ($85 per year) and for emergencyservices volunteers ($125 per year). Other rates are as follows:Single fitness room membership, $165; family fitness roommembership, $250; single tennis court membership, $165, familytennis court membership, $250; single fitness room and tenniscombined membership, $220; family fitness room and tennis combinedmembership, $330.

Reappointments included Al Hammond, Chairman of the Board ofAssessors; Mark Ketcham, Commissioner of Public Works; Laury Dowd,Town Attorney; and Chris Lewis, Deputy Town Supervisor.

Town Board working committee and liaison appointments wereunchanged. Councilman Brown, commenting on a suggestion during theelection to rotate liaison appointments to town committees, saidthat he thinks the assigned duties are currently “a good fit.

Other council members agreed, saying that they keep informed andoccasionally sit in on each others’ meetings. “Every human beinghas strengths and weaknesses, including the five of us, SupervisorDougherty said, adding that their strengths were well matched totheir duties.