Dougherty: Test well levels ‘very disturbing’

What a difference a week makes.

At the January 14 Town Board work session, Supervisor Jim Dougherty reported what he termed “encouraging” news for December’s test well levels. All 13 well’s water levels were up.

But Tuesday Mr. Dougherty gave a polar opposite report for mid-January levels. Eleven wells were down, with the Dering Harbor Village well at its lowest level since testing began seven years ago. The Rocky Point Avenue, Big Ram and Little Ram wells are 20 percent below their January averages.

This is “very disturbing,” Mr. Dougherty said, especially in light of reports from Silver Beach and the Center showing about 7 inches of rain fell for the month.

In other business, Police Chief Jim Read, who is the emergency manager director for the town, announced that a grant totaling $114,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency was on its way. The money will go to purchase and install three new permanent generators for emergency power. They will be installed at Town Hall, Justice Hall and police headquarters. The current police generator will go to the Youth Center at the American Legion.

Shelter Island must come up with $28,475 as it 25 percent match with FEMA, and board members were happy to get the project rolling.

There is one hitch, Chief Read said. The bid from a contractor to do the work was accepted in 2013, and if the company doesn’t honor the figure given then, the job would have to go out for bid again.

Town Attorney Laury Dowd announced that the time-honored requirement that town employees must live on the Island is to be changed. After living here three years, the residency requirement will be waived.

Mr. Dougherty said that many employees are receiving “modest” pay and some find it difficult to cope with rising real estate prices.