Shelter Island Reporter Letters to the Editor: July 18, 2024

Town could step up

To the Editor:

Congratulations to the political parties that voluntarily agreed to limit the use of signs.

Quite a few years ago Shelter Island undertook a long, and often contentious, effort to formulate a reasonable sign law in order to protect the natural beauty and rural ambiance of the Island.

Today, that law is increasingly being ignored for a variety of purposes: to promote events; to protect wildlife; on construction sites; for open houses and yard sales; for political candidates (there are still signs up from the primary vote held weeks ago); and one local restaurant even advertised specials miles away from the establishment.

Many of these are for seemingly worthy causes, but cumulatively they add up to a lot of signs. It should be noted that there also is a size limitation even where signs are legal.

With the growing urbanization of the East End, protecting the unique character of the Island is a continuing challenge. Perhaps the Town could step up its enforcement of the hard-fought sign law.

DON BINDLER, Shelter Island

Tanks at Recycling Center

To the Editor:

I am responding to clarify the incident of the propane tank dumped at the Recycling Center.

I am the person referred to as the person collecting metal. The point is, how did a charged propane tank get disposed of in an illegal manner?  Granted, it was old and not easily recognizable. The first thing the foreman said to me was, “What is that, what kind of gas is that?“

It is impossible to create a spark by striking a nonferrous metal even with a steel hammer. What will cause a spark is a payloader scraping along concrete or another steel object. If a puncture occurs , there is a high probability of an explosion. As metal is constantly coming in, the tank would have been obscured in short order. Next, the pile would be pushed to make room for more metal and the operator could be totally unaware of its presence.

Had it survived intact, the next step would be to load all metal into a trailer, packing it down. This would create a higher degree of an explosion. Thus, my actions helped to avoid a disaster rather than create one. This had nothing to do with the closing of the piles for picking, but instead was decided on when the superintendent took office.

We pickers are always striving to keep the area safe by turning in BBQ and butane tanks, and recently I turned in a quantity of shotgun shells waiting to be scraped against the concrete. The recycling crew have told us that they are appreciative of our efforts to keep the area organized and safe, making their job easier and less stressful.

MAURY LASPIA, Shelter Island

Continue the celebration

To the Editor:

Thank you to the Fireworks Committee and all the sponsors for organizing a spectacular display on Crescent Beach Saturday night. This event is totally funded through contributions and run by volunteers.

Special thanks to the Fireworks Committee of Cat Brigham, Brett and Kelly Surerus, Ted and Amanda Katta, Susie Dempsey, Charlie Binder and Katy Binder. The Committee works all year to seek funds to put on this display and each year the cost of the permits, Grucci fireworks, rented barge, and temporary mooring increases.

The financial support of the sponsors and the community members is essential to keep this Island event alive.

If you  haven’t contributed please consider a donation to ShelterIsandFireworks.com and click “donate”  or you can mail a check to Shelter Island Fireworks, PO Box 452  Shelter Island, NY  11964.

Enjoy your summer and let the celebration continue in 2025!

LINDA KRAUS, Shelter Island