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Shelter Island Reporter Letters to the Editor

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Good people
To the Editor:
Re: The Cobbetts Lane tree controversy. As our beloved president would say, there are good people on both sides.

I was very much on the side of the outraged letter writers at first, even after I read the abortion comment from one, which, quite frankly, astonished me.

Reading the Gaynor’s open letter the next week, however, was both instructive and, let’s admit it, entertaining. Despite seven years in the Girl Scouts, I didn’t know all this tree and water lore.

The author has introduced himself to his new neighbors as an epistolary force to be reckoned with.

Let’s see if we can make use of him.
MARY ALLEN
Shelter Island

Safety first
To the Editor:
The first concern involving a helicopter and filming should be safety.

In 1982, Vic Morrow and two child actors, ages 6 and 7, were killed when a helicopter pilot lost control, hitting them from above during filming of “Twilight Zone: The Movie.”

While the proposed HBO scene (“Lights, action … maybe,” March 14) is not the same, it involves hovering at low altitude and night flying, both of which are not without risk.

In 2014, 27-year-old camera assistant Sarah Jones was killed in Georgia when the producers were not candid with the crew, telling them the train track they were filming on was clear of traffic. The crew managed to escape, but a freight train plowed into the make-shift set and Sarah was killed by flying debris.

The producers were charged and convicted of criminal negligence. The lesson here is production companies and their representatives often downplay the risks of this kind of dangerous filming.

The Town Board needs to understand that the liability goes though the roof with helicopter work. If, God forbid, something goes wrong, we will be sued along with the production company.

Safety is not a very glamorous topic, but it should be our first priority.
KC BAILEY
Shelter Island

A debt of gratitude
To the Editor:
The Republican Committee would like to thank Highway Superintendent Jay Card Jr. for all his years of public service to the Town of Shelter Island.

For decades, Mr. Card has tirelessly served this Island and its residents with distinction and honor. He is a master at using creativity and common sense to solve challenging and complex problems.

Whether it was serving as one of Shelter Island’s finest police officers, or coaching and mentoring our youth, or improving the Island’s infrastructure, Mr. Card always put the Island’s needs ahead of his own. His sense of community and duty is admirable, and those ingredients help to make our Island such a wonderful place to live.

As much as we owe Mr. Card, we also owe a huge debt of gratitude to his wife Judy and his children Michelle, Jake and Tommy. Nobody could serve their community the way he has without the love and support from his entire family.

As Mr. Card transitions back into the private sector, we wish him nothing but the greatest successes in all his future endeavors.
GARY BLADOS
Chairman, Shelter Island Republican Committee