Who’s paying for Reel Point study?

What’s to be done at Reel Point, where thousands of dollars have been spent to keep the mouth of Coecles Harbor open?

Before pouring more money into dredging and another attempt to shore up the land, both the town and Peconic Land Trust, which owns part of the site, agree they want a professional study to determine what can be done. 

The question now is how to pay for what could be a $40,000 study. Peconic Land Trust brought the issue to the Town Board last week and another Peconic Land Trust official, Matt Swain, returned for the work session on Tuesday to say his organization is willing to cover the expense of drafting a request for proposals for an engineering consultant, but can’t afford the cost of the study.

“Thousands have been spent and it’s like pouring money into the bay,” he said, adding that vegetation to shore up the land takes years to take hold and can be destroyed in a single storm.

He did not ask for a formal commitment from the Town Board for money, but a nodding agreement that the town would support the effort.

“It’s easy for us to nod,” Councilman Paul Shepherd said, who added that a commitment of funds to a study would be “absurd” at this point.

Just how much money the town might put up and how much Peconic Land Trust might raise remained unsettled. Mr. Swain will prepare the RFP for the town to examine before it goes out to potential bidders.

Councilman Ed Brown wants to know how much of Reel Point is owned by the town and how much by the land trust. That might have an effect on how much the town would be willing to contribute.

Supervisor Jim Dougherty suggested there might be some deep pocketed individuals in the Ram Island area who support the land trust and might contribute to such a study.