Government

Town Board: Recycling rules reviewed

Shellfish habitat to 4-posters, rules for scavenging and for saltwater fishing — these topics and more were discussed at the past two Shelter Island Town Board work sessions.

• Recycling Center rules. Town Supervisor Jim Dougherty said that a small committee of scavengers and Recycling Center employees and town officials will meet to develop some flexibility in the ban on scavenging at the dump. Any official rule changes will be made by the Town Board and Superintendent Mark Ketcham, he added. “We’re not going to make a production out of this. This committee is going to die shortly after it’s born, and just get the job done.”

• The revival of a scaled-back 4-poster program. The board awarded a contract for servicing 4-poster stations with pesticides during a special meeting convened at the end of the April 19 work session. Premiere Pest Control of Southampton was the lowest of three bidders at $32,000 to service 15 stations twice each week for 32 weeks; every additional 5 stations will cost $250 more per week.

The 15 stations will be deployed at “hot spots” where deer are most common and housing is most dense, Supervisor Dougherty said. If outside funding is found, additional stations may be deployed. For the past three years, 60 stations were deployed across the Island in a state-monitored testing program for the devices.

• A new state requirement for registering marine anglers. Although the New York State legislature repealed a state saltwater fishing license as part of the 2011-2012 budget process, the legislators replaced the license with a registration program required by the federal government. That registration will be free for two years, but councilmen expressed concerns that the state would eventually charge for it. Glenn Waddington encouraged residents to petition state representatives to oppose a fishing fee of any kind.

• The new Shelter Island Farmer’s Market. The market will kick off at Havens House in June and will be discussed at a community briefing this Friday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. “I think it’s exciting in that they’re doing their best to enlist every local island purveyor,” Mr. Dougherty said. “Eating local food is a rising movement in this whole country,” said Pat Mundus, executive director of the Historical Society. She was at the April 19 work session seeking continued town cooperation in allowing parking for this and other Historical Society events at the former town highway property.

• Congdon Creek dock subletting fees. Board members expressed support for Peter Reich’s suggestion that summer subletting of docks slips carry a $150 fee and off-season subletting a $100 fee. The fees are intended to cover the administrative costs of registering an additional boat and owner for a town slip permitted to another resident. Summer sublets will go only to eligible residents on the dock waiting list; anyone receiving a temporary sublet will retain their position on the waiting list for their own slip.

Kolina Reiter reiterated an objection she made last summer, that the law should allow her sons to inherit her husband’s dock slip permit; the law allows for slip permits to be passed on to surviving spouses only. Ed Brown suggested amending the law to include an exception for commercial fishing families.

• The Cornell shellfish seeding program. During the April12 work session, Greg Rivara of Cornell University updated the Town Board on efforts to seed scallops, oysters and hard clams in Island waters. He explained that because larger shellfish are being used, including scallops ranging from half dollar to a silver dollar in size (37 mm), the lack of eelgrass habitat is not crucial as it is for smaller bugs. Cornell is also trying to grow oysters and clams to larger sizes for the program at their shellfish hatchery at Cedar Beach in Southold.

• Upcoming events. The platoon of Lt. Joseph Theinert, who was killed serving his country in Afghanistan last June, will be visiting Shelter Island beginning on May 19. Supervisor Dougherty will be speaking on Dan Dupree’s WLNG talk show at 1 p.m. on Monday April 25. A tentative date of April 29 for closing the joint town and Suffolk County acquisition of over 34 acres of land at the Klenawicus farm on Burns and Cartwright roads. The next regular meeting of the board is April 29 at 4:30 p.m.