The meeting was needed for a vote on a state Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation grant application. The grant for up to $600,000 in funds to rehabilitate the Smith-Taylor cabin on the small island in Coecle's Harbor, which is owned by the town, was not at issue; the town applied for the same grant last year. But the wording of the resolution authorizing the application set the supervisor against the committee chairperson.
Ms. Hunt and her committee requested re-adoption of the May 9, 2008 resolution with exact language as recommended by the town's grant writers, J. O'Connell and Associates of Clarence, New York, and prescribed by state officials.
Mr. Dougherty acknowledged that adopting a resolution with the exact words prescribed by the state Parks and Recreation Department “maximizes our chances” of winning the grant. But after a brief give and take with Ms. Hunt, Mr. Dougherty criticized an earlier version of the resolution, which he attributed to Ms. Hunt. It included a “very important paragraph” that called on the town to pay an unspecified amount of cash towards the project, which the supervisor described as giving “a blank check” from the town.
Ms. Hunt responded that the town contributions in the deleted paragraph were tied to in-kind Highway Department costs and the $84,000 left by Gregory Taylor, and held by the town, for the upkeep of the cabin.
Mr. Dougherty claimed that the grant writers agreed that the paragraph was “a blank check” and that Traci Christian of the state parks department labeled it “gratuitous.” He said that grant writer Gary Rouleau “was just beside himself” that he got “reamed out” during an exchange about the application with Ms. Hunt.
Ms. Hunt said that the process “has been very challenging for me” and that she hopes that future interaction between the committee and the Town Board will be “more inclusive.”
Councilman Ed Brown asked Ms. Hunt if she was comfortable with the edited resolution which did not contain the disputed paragraph.
She answered yes.
Mr. Dougherty then remarked, “Excuse me supervisor, I mean Pat, I don't think you should be dealing directly” with either Gary or Traci.
Ms. Hunt replied that Mr. Rouleau did not mention any problems to her.
The supervisor commented, “We have a hard time maintaining the infrastructure we now have on Shelter Island” including new facilities at the Legion Hall and Bridge Street Park that are more heavily used than Taylor's Island.
“There has to be an end, Pat. We cannot sink the taxpayer in a sea of supporting every project that comes along.”
Councilwoman Chris Lewis attempted to clarify that: “The town funds you refer to as a blank check are not taxpayers' funds” — they are Mr. Taylor's bequest that is held by the town.
Then why didn't the resolution specify that, Mr. Dougherty asked, instead of using “very general language.”
Finally, the board voted to authorize Mr. Dougherty to submit the grant application.
At the end of the meeting, Councilman Glenn Waddington told Ms. Hunt, “I just want you to know that Shelter Island appreciates you and your committee's efforts on Taylor's Island.”
OTHER TOPICS
During the August 25 work session, the Town Board also discussed the following:
• The withdrawal of an affordable housing proposal. Sean McLean informed the town Community Housing Board that he would not pursue a 20-unit housing project behind the nursery, Ms. Lewis reported. No application for the project had been filed.
• Renovations needed at the town's Senior Activity Center. Suffolk County will not allow meals to be prepared on site for the Silver Circle adult day-care program until the kitchen is brought up to county standards. Alan Krauss reported that Mark Ketcham has a handle on the needed improvements and that the county Health Department will issue a temporary permit to allow the nutrition program, operated out of the Presbyterian Church, to provide meals until renovations are complete. Planned improvements include a three-compartment sink and drainage system, new dishwasher and a cook-top exhaust system.
• The need to budget for MS4 costs in 2010. Bids from two engineering firms to develop a watershed management plan to meet the federal stormwater runoff rules came in at $94,000 and $97,000, Town Attorney Laury Dowd said. The town's deadlines for full compliance have been mapped out through 2014.
• Workplace violence policy. The board will appoint a task force to fine tune a generic state Department of Labor policy and determine employee training and reporting needs. The Highway Department already has a policy in place.
• Notice of public hearings. The Zoning Board of Appeals will be using signs to post properties up for variance hearings to increase neighborhood awareness of applications. The board is considering ways to ensure that applicants properly notice neighbors within 200 feet of a project and may adopt the notice rules for wetlands permits as well.
• LIPA's storm hardening effort. Notifying the town on Friday that major tree trimming on private and public property will begin on Monday is “not a good way to do business,” Mr. Brown commented. The work to remove tree branches that put power lines at risk during storms is expected to take three or four months.
• New state rules requiring elected and appointed officials participating in the New York State retirement system to log three months of work in order to calculate credits toward retirement. The rules also require the Town Board to define a standard work day.