Bellone, Dougherty comment on Sylvester Manor closing set for August 8
The town, county and Eben Ostby, owner of Sylvester Manor, are set to close on the first of two pending development rights sales of agricultural land at the manor, the proceeds from which have been called crucial to the economic health of the Sylvester Manor Education Farm.
The closing will be on Wednesday, August 8 at the county treasurer’s office, Supervisor Jim Dougherty announced Monday.
Supervisor Dougherty first reported at last Friday’s Town Board meeting that he expected a closing — once predicted for early 2012 but long delayed by technical issues and some political resistance in the legislature — sometime before August 11.
The town and county are sharing the $2.389 million cost of the purchase of the development rights for slightly more than 24 acres of the manor property. The town’s share of the purchase, $456,843, will be paid through revenues from the town’s 2-percent Community Preservation Fund tax on real estate transactions. That fund currently has a balance of about $1.1 million, Mr. Dougherty reported on Friday.
The town’s share would have been more than $700,000 but a grant from the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service totaling more than $866,000 reduced the bill for both parties to the purchase.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone commented, “Suffolk County has taken the appropriate steps to secure $866,000 in federal funding for the preservation of Sylvester Manor and bring the property back to its agricultural origins. A special thank you to Senator Gillibrand for serving as an advocate for the purchase of this property as well as Supervisor Dougherty and the members of the Peconic Land Trust and Shelter Island Community Land Preservation Board for committing to preserve the rich history of Suffolk County and support of the Suffolk County farming industry.”
For more details, see the July 26 edition of the Shelter Island Reporter.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude,” Mr. Dougherty said in his statement, “to U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Tim Bishop for working diligently with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to resolve their issues regarding the easement terms; and most of all I want to say thanks from all Shelter Islanders to County Executive Steve Bellone for never wavering from his commitment to fostering community-supported agriculture on the East End as well as preserving Sylvester Manor.”
