Preservation board advises temporary use of site
The Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board got assurances Monday morning from Councilwoman BJ Ianfolla, the Town Board’s liaison, that they have a voice in how preserved properties might be used.
This follows Supervisor Gerry Siller’s announcement of the Town Board’s priorities of looking at uses for preserved lands.
That concerned CPF Chairman Gordon Gooding. He and his colleagues understand their role is advisory, but are alert to anything that might impact passive recreation and keep sites free from development.
Mr. Gooding said his Board shouldn’t be “blindsided” by any proposed use of CPF-purchased properties.
Money for the CPF comes from a 2% tax that buyers pay when purchasing East End properties and is used in turn to purchase open space for preservation and fund water protection programs.
On Monday, the CPF Advisory Board unanimously approved a recommendation allowing the Public Works Department to use a site at the Congdon Creek Preserve to place spoils removed from the water in order to rebuild the bulkhead.
Public Works Commissioner Brian Sherman said he anticipated work would take about two weeks before spoils placed on the CPF site could be returned to the water. The permission the CPF Board recommended is for 30 days to allow for possible delays.
Concerns were raised last year when it appeared Klenawicus Airfield, preserved with CPF money, was a possible site for a septic treatment plant that would be part of a plan to process liquid waste from eight Center buildings.
Neighbors complained, the Reporter noted that the area had a history of flooding, and a decision was reached to abandon the plan to use the airfield. Currently, the Town is encouraging placement of the septic treatment system on a site across from the Sylvester Manor farm stand on Manwaring Road.
CPF Advisory Board member Tim Purtell said the group just wants to be part of the conversation about any proposal for use of preserved properties.
The Advisory Board is recommending the newly acquired site, called the “White property,” be named the West Neck Creek Preserve. There was discussion of naming it to honor White family artists, but Mr. Gooding said Suffolk County, which shared in acquiring the 20-acre property, doesn’t want CPF properties named for people.
The 20.1 acres overlooking West Neck Creek was purchased last summer for $11.1 million, shared equally by the Town and County. Generations of the White family have been on the property, a wooded site with a wide path leading to the water.
In the course of the discussion, Mr. Gooding said he never intended to downplay the role the Town Board played in acquiring the property, considered a “jewel” among preserved sites. He said he thought his response to Mr. Siller’s comments about the acquisition was mis-characterized in a Reporter story.
The CPF revealed a picture of a bench built by Shelter Island students that will be placed at the Dickerson Creek Overlook Preserve.
It will contain a plaque provided by Suffolk County to honor Nicholas Morehead, who succumbed to cancer in May 2021 at the age of 46.
A dedication ceremony at the site is to be scheduled in the spring, with county and local representatives on hand to honor Mr. Morehead’s many contributions to the community.
