This week in Shelter Island history
50 YEARS AGO IN HISTORY
Secretary of State Dean Rusk testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that was investigating the Vietnam War.Actor Patrick Dempsey of “Dallas” fame was born.
An Evening with Carol Channing aired on CBS Television.
Super model Cindy Crawford was born in Dekalb, Illinois.
World War II Admiral Chester Nimitz died at age 80.
And on Shelter Island …
50 YEARS AGO
A third of graduates named scholarship winners
In February 1966, about one third of the class that would graduate that year learned they would be leaving for college with a boost of scholarship aid as they pursued higher education opportunities.
Five students learned they would be receiving Regents Scholarships, including Lawson Brigham. Others were David Brosell, Gerry Gershon, Susan Hallock and Daniel Tybaert.
POSTSCRIPT: Mr. Lawson, who “commutes” between his work in Alaska and Shelter Island, was back here recently and did an interview with the Reporter about being honored for his efforts in polar science and exploration. Mr. Brigham is a professor of geography and arctic policy at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. He used his scholarship money to pursue studies at the United States Coast Guard Academy and eventually earned a doctorate in oceanography at the Universtiy of Cambridge in England.
30 YEARS AGO
Insurance woes affect Island businesses
In 1986, an increasing number of business owners were opening their insurance liability bills to discover sharp increases in rates. And of course, that carried over to rates both the local government and school district were experiencing.
There was speculation about whether the rates were reasonable or something that was contrived by the industry to bring in more money when circumstances didn’t merit such hikes.
Efforts were made to cut back, such as the police department taking a car off the road so it wouldn’t have to be insured. The fire department sold a truck and listed another as an antique where it would no longer be used for emergency runs to lower rates.
POSTSCRIPT: For several years, the most critical raises have occurred in health insurance premiums, once covered entirely by school districts and municipalities. But now, most public employees have to contribute some part of their insurance premiums.
20 YEARS AGO
Town Board grants 23 tax reductions
When 23 property owners had failed in their efforts in May 1995 to win their cases for lowered taxes during the tax grievance procedure, they filed suit against the town.
Rather than to go through an expensive court procedure, the town elected to reach settlements with the homeowners. The result was that the property owners received rebates of between $400 and $3,875 and the total tax bite for the town was $65,050 as the aggregate taxes that had originally been sought for those properties was $322,500 and dropped to $257,450.
POSTSCRIPT: Taxpayers, who recently received bills, always have the right to grieve the amounts at local hearings where they sometimes can win decreases, depending on their cases. But after losing at the grievance level, it’s a rare circumstance for them to sue to try to win their cases.
The Island’s assessments are generally considered by real estate professionals here to be on the money when they compare the assessments with actual sales prices.
10 YEARS AGO
Kilb calls for action on housing
It was the mid 1990s when Shelter Island produced half a dozen affordable houses on Bowditch Road. By 2006, Supervisor Alfred Kilb Jr. was calling for more attention to creating affordable housing he considered critical; he got a lot of support from Town Board members.
Councilwoman Chris Lewis said at the time that it was important to act quickly while there was still land that could be developed for that purpose.
Mr. Kilb’s call wasn’t just for houses that could be purchased reasonably, but also rentals. He proposed establishing a new zone that could accommodate such housing.
POSTSCRIPT: There has been little action through the years despite the move in 2011 to adopt community housing rules to facilitate some rental spaces. But there’s now a renewed interest by the current Town Board to investigate the needs, especially in light of long-time Shelter Islanders whose children grew up here, left for college and can’t afford to return unless they move back in with their parents.
