Shelter Island Reporter Letters to the Editor: April 23, 2022
Open and informative
To the Editor:
On behalf of the Shelter Islanders for Clean Water and Responsible Zoning, we want to publicly thank the Town Board and Town Attorney for the open and extremely informative Town Board Work Session of April 12. In particular, the discussion of TDRs, where the Town Attorney addressed many of our questions and concerns, was especially productive, informative and ultimately collaborative, an excellent example of dialogue between the Town Board and residents.
Our primary concerns as an organization relate to the protection of Shelter Island’s unique character from unfettered commercial development and to the protection of the Island’s aquifer and surrounding waters. We strongly support the supervisor’s statements that any future use of TDRs should be used solely for the development of affordable community housing, a very necessary goal that must be addressed. We look forward to future dialogue and interaction with the Town on this and other key subjects. To follow up on an analogy from the work session, we hope that the Town Board will continue to work with us, viewing us as another tool in their tool box, as they address their extensive agenda, and tackle the vital issues facing the Island.
PATRICK CLIFFORD, BILL MASTRO, Shelter Island
Egg hunt results
To the Editor:
Here are the results of Easter Saturday’s Easter Egg Hunt:
Most Eggs: Boys — Grayson Edwards. Girls — Ella Edwards
Silver Eggs: Alex Fabe, Isla Cox, Monte Speechley, Luca Rubito, Bridget Bartilucci, Josephine Parsons, Skyler Clark, Lucain Jeandheur, Caroline Nolan.
Ages 3 & 4
Most Eggs: Boys — Jake Lechmanski. Girls — Cienna Rose Johnson.
Silver Eggs: Kolina Reiter, Arthur Ludwig, Jackson Clark, Freya Zaun, Hazel Bethkge, Skylar Clark, Caroline Nolan, Jake Lechmanski, Louise Broderick, Lorezez McClain, JD Smith, Sylas Restani.
Ages 5 & 6
Most Eggs: Boys — Nate Sloan.
Silver Eggs: Dexter Berger, Natalie Leon, Isabella Thilberg, Lee Shopkorn, Santiago Springer, Ben Feil, Evelyn Restani, Sence Shields, Ariana Frausto, James Fabe.
Ages 7 & 8:
Most Eggs: Boys — Noah Lava, Girls — Amelia Nolan
Silver Eggs: Rees Nadeo, James Molignano, David Klenawicus, Piper Surerus, Genevieve Colligan, Noah Lava, Graham Ronzoni, Claire Ronzoni, August Zahn, Noland Sanwald, Lillian Fabe, Marco Shields.
(Apologies for any misspelled names)
SHELTER ISLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT LADIES AUXILIARY
Water trumps housing
To the Editor:
A funny thing happened on the way to affordable housing: the Town Board discovered at a work session that water quality is far more important. When faced with using a Town-owned plot for water treatment or instead dedicating the land to build four low-cost, high-density housing units, the Town Board chose water treatment.
It was obviously the right decision. And it will always be the right decision, because water quality will always trump high-density housing — two policies that are entirely at odds with each other.
Indeed, last year, Island residents told the Comprehensive Plan committee that quality drinking water was their number one priority. Over 90% said water was “very important.” Affordable housing? It came in nearly dead last with only 36% saying it was “very important.” Indeed, while less than 2% said drinking water was not important at all or were not sure about it, an astounding 30% said they weren’t sure about affordable housing or that it was not important. Over 1,000 residents answered the survey, nearly half the Island’s full-time residents. Numbers don’t lie.
The residents seem to know their priorities. And it was nice to see the Town Board finally aligning itself with those priorities. Yet, the big surprise of the afternoon came when some of the Town Board members called its support of water quality over affordable housing a “hard” decision. In fact, it was an easy decision. A “no brainer,” as the kids now put it.
The Town Board seems determined to use every vacant plot of land it can find to build a high density apartment complex on it. So much for open space, which is supposed to protect our aquifers.
Let’s hope the Town Board will come to their senses, as they did last week, and give our water supply and quality the highest priority. Water, and the health of our residents, will always trump the artificial growth that government-subsidized, high-density housing threatens to bring.
BOB KOHN, Shelter Island
