OUR VIEW: Decisions have costs

Several weeks have passed since the announcement that the Town planned to bid on a deteriorated house on School Street. The week before the auction, the Town Board passed a bond anticipation note not to exceed $2 million that would be subject to a permissive referendum. We understand the Town’s need to acquire property that could be used for any number of uses. Among the possibilities people have suggested is to provide up to two units of afford-able housing. Another is to convert the property for use as a senior center, which would move that function from the basement of the medical building. Others talked about the need to move the FIT Center from school property into its own space. And still another idea we heard was to provide another community center space to avoid con-flicts in the current building that also houses the Town’s recreation program and the American Legion Post. We also understand that decisions to bid on the School Street house had to be made quickly to set in mo-tion the ability to purchase this par-ticular property if the Town became the high bidder. Still, we wonder if this was the right first choice, which opened the Town Board to a lot of criticism from the very people whose votes would be needed to secure a bond if the sale closes. Another hurdle is the condition of the property. The terms of the auc-tion prohibit Town officials from be-ing able to inspect the inside of the building prior to closing. It has been said renovations would be extremely costly, so costly in fact that perhaps the building is not worth saving. That has opened the Town Board to charg-es of buying a pig in a poke. We’re not telling the Town Board to reverse its decision. But members need to discuss this purchase, re-examine the factors, pro and con, and consider that what once looked like an opportunity, could become an al-batross around their necks. SUFFOLK CLOSEUP | PAGE 22 OUR VIEW SUFFOLK CLOSEUP KARL GROSSMAN COURTESY SHELTER ISLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT Service with a smile During overnight storm conditions on Feb. 22, Shelter Island Police Officer Glenn Kehl, left, and Detective Andrew Graffagnino continued patrolling while shoveling paths and keeping police vehicles clean and operational so police services could continue without interruption.