Featured Story

Shelter Island Reporter Letters to the Editor: Dec. 16, 2021

Sophisticated, caring and dedicated

To the Editor:

As a 90-year-old retired geriatrician, I suggest that my fellow seniors on Shelter Island are missing a great opportunity.

That is The Shelter Island Garth Griffin Fitness Center. Open seven days a week its hallmark is a classy, attentive, staff who are there to help and give any needed assistance. There is no physical move prescribed or considered for which their machines do not provide whatever it is you want. This is equivalent to a $200 a month New York City health club (no smoothie bar, though, you’re on your own for that).

The medical data is overwhelming and incontrovertible that as a result of regular physical exercise, beneficial structural, anatomic brain changes, increased levels of neurotransmitters and enhanced molecular neurological biological changes all occur. As a result, dementia is prevented and/or postponed. As a bonus, your cardiovascular reserve will increase as well.

Aging is basically a loss of physical and mental reserves, so rebuild them now.

I would add that we are also very fortunate to have sophisticated, caring and dedicated physical therapy available on site there as well. Thank you so much, Amy!

I hope to see you 70-, 80- and fellow 90-year-olds at the gym, soon.

JIM WEBSTER, M.D., Shelter Island

Safe and good

To the Editor:

Wishing Codger a safe recovery from his back operation and know that the “ghosts at the table” (see Codger, Dec. 9) send their good wishes too.

LUCY SINGH, Shelter Island

Congratulations

To the Editor:

With the certified election results in, I would like to extend my congratulations to the three councilpersons-elect and the two who came in closely behind. I personally know how much time, effort and stress goes into putting yourself out there!

I would also like to thank everyone who rallied and supported me in my run for supervisor. I knew it was a Hail Mary when I decided to run as a write-in only a month before the election. But 421 votes in such a short time shows there’s some dissatisfaction up at Town Hall. I hope the new and continuing Board will sense this and push for transparency, keeping government small and our taxes low.

I would also like to thank the Board of Elections (BOE). I wrote them a letter questioning why I received an absentee ballot when I did not request one. It scared me to think that could be happening on a wide scale. I was so impressed that, in the middle of their busy recount, I received a phone call response 48 hours after I dropped the letter in the mail.

The BOE pulled out the hard copy of my request from four years ago when I was in the hospital. It showed my reason requesting was for temporary illness but when entering into their system, someone accidentally checked permanent illness, thus triggering the ballot being sent automatically.

I appreciate them getting back to me and  admitting their mistake. Communication goes a long way in keeping people happy.

PETER S. REICH, Shelter Island