This week in Shelter Island history
Hazardous household waste pile at the town Recycling Center as it was in August 2005 prior to implementation of the ‘STOP’ project.
50 YEARS AGO IN HISTORY
President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, considered a part of the legacy of President John F. Kennedy.Climbing the music charts in the United States was Hermans’s Hermits’ “I’m Henry VIII, I Am.”
The Beatles released “Help!”
The United States, United Kingdom and Soviet Union signed a nuclear test ban treaty.
“Ship of Fools” starring Vivien Leigh, José Ferrer, Lee Marvin and Simone Signoret was released in movie theaters.
And on Shelter Island …
50 YEARS AGO
Second annual chicken barbecue on tap
It was August 1965 when the Heights Fire Department was prepping for its second annul chicken barbecue.
The event was launched as a major fundraiser while the separate Center Fire Department held its major fund raising event, a country fair. Both events have continued through the years since the merger of the two fire departments.
POSTSCRIPT: The 51st Annual Chicken Barbecue is slated for Saturday, August 15, from 4 to 8 p.m. at St. Gabriel’s Field, to be followed by the Country Fair at the Center Firehouse on Saturday, August 22, from noon to 3 p.m.
30 YEARS AGO
Unexpected lines make ferry traffic flow
It was early August 30 years ago when North Ferry began experiencing such long lines of traffic that drivers were being told it would take an hour, maybe two, before they could board a boat in Greenport for the 10-minute ride to Shelter Island.
Hoot Sherman was ferry manager and quickly moved to put a fourth ferry into service to cut the waiting time and the lines. At the same time, he said the cost of doing so was high because by contract, workers called in had to be paid for a full shift even if they only worked an hour or two.
POSTSCRIPT: While there are occasional long lines in Greenport to board a North Ferry boat, they are much reduced since the company purchased two larger boats.
While there are occasional backups, most result if there are accidents on the South Fork that prompt more drivers to try to reach the Hamptons by crossing Shelter Island. On holiday weekends, there are some delays, but nothing like those hour to two-hour waits that were being experienced at prime times 30 years ago.
20 YEARS AGO
Library poised for budget vote
Twenty years ago, the Shelter Island Library held its annual balloting on the budget in August. The proposal then was to spend $135,200, up from the previous year’s budget of $123,680. The increase represented an 18 percent hike in spending.
POSTSCRIPT: On Monday, the library’s Board of Trustees will meet to discuss budget figures with the public’s vote on the proposal slated for October 17. The current budget is $650,564 and represents a 3 percent hike from the previous year.
10 YEARS AGO
Days numbered for town’s toxic junk pile
A pile of dangerous household chemicals — some with labels, others with no labels and still others mislabled — were accumulating 10 years ago in an area of the Recycling Center until workers could sort them.
Public Works Commissioner Mark Ketcham was moving to implement a STOP program that would limit the days when such items could be brought to the Recyling Center so they could be properly sorted at those times and safely handled.
POSTSCRIPT: Today, it’s a routine means of handling hazardous wastes by enforcing such limits on when and what can be brought to the Recyling Center. The same practices here are typically practiced at all such centers to avoid problems that can result from mixing chemicals together or mishandling them.
