Compromise at Shelter Island Recycling Center: Working out details on removing materials

Highway Superintendent Ken Lewis Jr. is listening.  He’s been working with some of his critics who have appealed to him to restore their right to recover items for their own use from the construction and demolition areas (C&D) of the Recycling Center.

At the same time, the superintendent has been adamant about the need to maintain safety and protect the Town from liability for any injuries anyone might sustain while picking items from an area Mr. Lewis has maintained is dangerous.

His solution is to have items from construction and demolition projects inspected. Those items that could be useful to residents for their own work could be retrieved without charge, not by entering the C&D areas, but instead finding them in a section near the Goody Pile.

The situation is still being worked out, but Town Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams expressed optimism that a permanent solution is emerging.

Deputy Supervisor Meg Larsen said items that so-called “pickers” will find in the new area include clean lumber, table saws and other tools, furniture and barbecues.

Some are applauding the compromise, Ms. Brach-Williams said. Others are still critical, insisting they want to be able to access items in the C&D areas as they have done for many years.

The situation emerged in mid-June after a 100-pound propane tank was illegally dumped in the scrap metal area where Mr. Lewis said there was a danger it could have caused a catastrophic explosion. He acknowledged that during the years he worked at the Recycling Center before leading the Highway Department, he and others wanted to close the C&D to pickers.

At several Town Board work sessions, a number of residents appealed to the elected officials to resolve the situation by reopening the area. In a two-week period, Islander Tom Iccus and others gathered 400 signatures on a petition demanding the areas be reopened to pickers.

Ms. Brach-Williams expressed optimism Tuesday that the compromise solution will succeed.