This week in Shleter Island history
50 YEARS AGO IN HISTORY
Victory Day observances were begun in the Soviet Union, marking its victory years earlier over Nazi Germany.
British comedy troupe Monty Python was formed with Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.
Kim Fields Freeman, best known to American television watchers for her role as Tootie in the “Facts of Life” series, was born in Los Angeles, California.
Actress Lana Turner, known as the first Hollywood “scream queen” for her role in “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” married for the eighth time, this time to Ronald Dante.
And on Shelter Island . . .
50 YEARS AGO
Known names through the years bring honor to Island
Clark, Piccozzi, Brigham, McGayhey, Calabro — familiar Island names — brought honor to Shelter Island 50 years ago as students with those names who were members of the Future Teachers of America brought home awards from the Long Island Science Congress.
The competition was held at the Farmingdale Agriculture and Technical College for students from Suffolk and Nassau counties.
POSTSCRIPT: Today, those names are still recognized on the Island for their achievements in the wider world.
30 YEARS AGO
South Ferry fare floats; North Ferry pending
The Suffolk County Legislature reached agreement on a fare hike for South Ferry that included a discounted rate for Shelter Island residents. The agreement for South Ferry was that a book of 10 round trip tickets would be sold to residents for $38 while a five-round-trip book would cost $21. To make up for the discounts, one-way cash fares would rise from $4.50 to $5 on South Ferry.
North Ferry was looking to use a weight-based rate for trucks, but the Suffolk County Department of Consumer Affairs argued that without a scale in place, that system wouldn’t float.
POSTSCRIPT: Both North and South ferry companies have new vessels under construction and there are also planned changes to ramps to offset rising tides.
North Ferry’s application for a rate hike is pending with the Suffolk Country Legislature, while South Ferry is expected to submit a rate hike request shortly.
20 YEARS AGO
What’s site plan review?
A debate arose, brought on by Town Board and Zoning Board of Appeals requests for the Planning Board to conduct a site-plan review.
An application to the ZBA for a special permit for a couple to operate a commercially zoned B&B sparked the issue. It wasn’t the specific application, but a discussion on how the application should be handled, and whether the Planning Board should be enlisted to do a site-plan review.
There was no action by the Planning Board and the Reporter questioned why there was such a struggle about a site plan.
POSTSCRIPT: This year, a suggestion that the Planning Board should be conducting site plan reviews of commercial developments again met with debate and ultimately was tabled.
Surrounding communities generally have their Planning Boards conduct site plan reviews of both commercial and residential applications.
10 YEARS AGO
Dark skies legislation readied for passage
Or was it? While legislation to dim exterior lighting to allow visibility of the stars seemed headed for passage, it failed. In the summer of 2013, dark skies legislation finally passed, despite Councilman Paul Shepherd arguing that, over 10 years, police had only four complaints about lighting.
The councilman argued that, for so few problems, neighbors could settle their differences without legislation.
POSTSCRIPT: The vote in the summer of 2013 was three to two with Councilman Ed Brown joining Mr. Shepherd in rejecting the legislation. But only a few businesses seem to have been affected. The other four East End towns had already passed dark skies legislation by the time Shelter Island acted.
