Invasion of the mugworts: Green Options Committee weighs in

There was a discussion by CPF members about how to proceed with stewardship efforts at the West Neck Preserve that has been subject to controversy.

The property was purchased and stewardship plans outlined about five years ago, but efforts to clear mugworts — a hardy perennial herb — from the site have resulted in years of criticisms from community members whose expectations for a site they thought would be beautiful, have yet to be realized.

Green Options Chairman Tim Purtell and Mark Mobius outlined a proposal to try at the site. One would involve covering an area with tarps to inhibit growth of the mugworts. A second would involve use of a vinegar spray covered by a tarp and a third would involve vinegar spraying and mowing.

Mr. Mobius noted the tarps were successful for Sylvester Manor that dealt with the same problem. By presenting the plots to the community as experimental, with signage to explain what is happening, he thinks the public would embrace the effort despite the reality that it would have to last one or two years.

Public Works Commissioner Ken Lewis Jr., who said he gets most of the complaints from neighbors impatient to see an attractive meadow, would prefer his crew to simply mow the entire area regularly. He has no patience for the experimental treatments and said he doesn’t have the manpower in his department to deal with off-and-on calls for mowing.

“This one’s a sore spot for me,” Mr. Lewis said. Ultimately, he told the CPF members if they insist on setting up the experimental areas, they would have to get their own contractor while his crew would only mow areas open to be done on a regular basis.

Mr. Purtell said complete mowing would also destroy goldenrods that attract bees necessary for pollination. 

CPF members like the experimental effort but worry neighbors’ patience is wearing thin. There’s no firm decision while the CPF explores how to implement the experimental plots.

Josephson Property 

The Town Board drew criticism for approving the purchase with money from the Community Preservation Fund of the Josephson property at 7 South Cartwright Road because it has a structure on it. 

A similar controversy had erupted several years ago over the possibility of acquiring a house owned by Vincent Novak on the edge of Fresh Pond. That deal never closed after the Town Board at the time decided the investment would not be wise since the house would have to be demolished and there could be considerable environmental remediation of the site.

It is unusual for Community Preservation Fund money to purchase a site with a structure on it but it has now been revealed by Robert Harper, an expert in identifying and restoring historic buildings, that it is solidly constructed and would not take a fortune to restore.

Mr. Harper and his wife Catherine own an historic house on Shelter Island and another on the North Fork. Mr. Harper has been a consultant to Southold Town, Greenport Village and he has provided advice to other North Fork communities about properties with an eye to their historic value and costs that could be associated with restoration. Councilwoman Liz Hanley invited him to tour the house and assess its condition and an estimated restoration cost.

With Mr. Harper’s more than 50 years of experience, he found the house — once owned by Egyptologist Jack Josephson and his wife, Bolshoi Ballet dancer Magda Saleh — solidly built with excellent materials that convinced him it was likely built at the turn of the 20th century. There were some additions Mr. Harper said appeared to be added sometime in the 1970s. He determined the house was well worth saving with some renovations that would not be exorbitant.

Beams in the basement were in fine shape and floor boards “beautiful,” he said. Windows in the house appear to have been installed in the 1970s and the roof is in “very, very good condition,” he said. There was no sagging of walls and given how close the foundation of the house is to water, its dirt basement could be protected by new flooring. He also found  a screen porch and a fireplace were likely added in the 1970s with used bricks.