Preservation fund committee gets ability to bond

At the request of the Community Preservation Fund Advisory Committee, the Town Board voted during a special regular session Tuesday following its work session to allow the committee to file for a bond of up to $15 million if the committee needs to borrow money for a particular acquisition of property when it lacked sufficient funds.

The bond would be subject to a permissive referendum, meaning a vote would be held if anyone filed a form requesting such a ballot. Otherwise, it would take a vote of four of the five Town Board members to allow the bond.

The money would not go into the committee’s account, but would be used as a line of credit.

The request from the committee was in line with a recommendation from Suffolk County, which wanted to ensure that any shared acquisition between the two levels of government could be accomplished without having to face an issue of insufficient funds.

WELCOME ABOARD, CAPTAIN SMITH
In a second vote during the special meeting, Greenporter Sid Smith got a 5-0 approval to shuttle people to Shelter Island from Southold, Greenport and Sag Harbor and to bring people ashore at Crescent Beach from boats anchored away from the beach.

DOCK CODE CHANGES
At its July 6 regular meeting, the Town Board is prepared to approve changes to its code regarding docks. The revisions will provide that any existing dock would be exempt from changes unless replacement of a deteriorating or destroyed dock needed work where less than 30 percent of the old dock is usable.

Another change would ensure that any pre-existing nonconforming dock could only be replaced in kind or replaced by a dock that lessened the nonconformity.

FIREWORKS
The Shelter Island fireworks display slated for July 7 off Crescent Beach got approval at the special meeting with the blessing of Police Chief Jim Read who said he had met with organizers and found they had complied with all requirements for the popular annual event.

FRESH POND
Fresh Pond resident Vincent Novak elicited an agreement from the Town Board to look at signage, parking and boat storage at Fresh Pond to ensure the area won’t “look like a junk yard.” Board members agreed to check out the area and recommend changes they believe necessary.