Shelter Island Town Board work session report
In a relatively short Town Board work session on Tuesday, the Board reviewed two wetlands applications favorably and signaled they would be put on an agenda for a vote at a regular Board meeting.
Only three members were at Town Hall — Deputy Supervisor Meg Larsen, who ran the meeting, Councilman Gordon Gooding and Albert Dickson. Councilman Benjamin Dyett attended remotely. Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams was absent, as she had been for a budget hearing earlier in the day, at home suffering with a migraine.
Councilman Dickson, a liaison to the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board, reported on a recent meeting, noting that delays on work being done at EMS headquarters on Manwaring Road had been resolved.
The EMS has a new state-of-the art stretcher for its ambulances, called a Stryker PowerPro2. The cost was $41,297, according to EMS Director Jack Thilberg, and the Town received a trade-in credit of $5,000 for an old one. Director Thilberg said there are many significant features of the new stretcher, including the capability of transporting “very large people, up to 400 pounds.”
Other features include:
• Reaches optimal transport height with a single button and increased maneuverability using an extended transport handle.
• Navigates through tighter quarters with a new retractable foot section (extends and retracts an extra three inches each).
• Helps decrease body fatigue with enhanced ergonomics during manual loading and unloading.
Mr. Dickson and other members praised the Shelter Island Ambulance Foundation for its contributions to the EMS and the Island in general, and Mr. Dickson said equal praise should go to residents who have contributed to the Foundation over the years.
In just the recent past, the Foundation has:
• Contributed $85,000 to the Shelter Island Town EMS Capital Fund to purchase a new Advanced Life Support Ambulance.
• Purchased new CPR training equipment.
• Provided financial assistance for several new paramedics and EMTs.
• Purchased state-of-the-art Airway Management tools for the Advanced Life Support personnel.
• Provided funds for in-house Core Training for Continuing Education programs for EMTs.
Mr. Dyett, a liaison to the Green Options Advisory Committee, reported that the recent Green Expo had been “an unqualified success.” It was, Mr. Dyett said, “Well-attended, well-organized and well-received.”
He added that 25 people had taken the so-called “Solar Tour” last month, organized by the Green Options Committee. The tour consisted of visiting four Shelter Island homes and one church to see how residents are harnessing the energy of the sun to create electricity.
Participants viewed solar panels on Shelter Island roofs, which reduces dependence on fossil fuels, enhancing the value of the property, and saving homeowners money.
In other news from the Town’s Senior Center, a vaccination clinic organized by the Center, in cooperation with Walgreen’s pharmacy, was announced. It’s scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Available vaccines are for flu, COVID, pneumonia and RSV. The clinic will be at the Senior Center, 44 South Ferry Road. Those interested should call the Senior Center at 631-749-1059 to schedule an appointment.
