Long Island’s 12th annual Town Meeting, held on Saturday, May 14, was very well attended. Over 100 community members and many guests squeezed into the VFW hall for the four-hour meeting, which was led by moderator Mark Greene. After a lengthy discussion on the final two articles, addressing the ownership of the land containing oil tanks left by the Navy, the townspeople decided that they were not well informed enough to vote. The meeting was recessed, and will resume on June 11 at 8 am.
There were several guests at the meeting, including State Rep. Terrence McKenney. At the start of the meeting, McKenney praised the unique opportunity that Long Islanders have each year to speak their minds and be directly involved in decisions affecting their town. He declared that a town meeting in a small community is truly democracy in action.
Ruth Peterson was re-elected as a selectman, and will serve another three-year term. Three positions on the school board were also filled. Carol Doughty was elected for a three-year term, Alanna Rich was elected for a two-year term, and Melissa Brown was elected for a one-year term. All elected positions begin on July 1.
There were 54 articles in the warrant to be addressed, and the meeting progressed through most of them with little difficulty. Articles 44 and 45, addressing funds to repair the roofs on three town buildings, sparked a discussion as to where the funds should come from. Under one proposal, the town would have used $30,000 in tax money that had been collected last year in case there had been a threatened LNG development to repair the roofs, while another suggestion was to return this money to taxpayers and take out a loan for the roofs. The town voted to use the money for the roofs rather than taking out a loan and paying interest.
Article 46, to repair the town’s tennis courts, would have used $11,000 to resurface the courts and purchase a new net. In question was the decision by the recreation committee to purchase portable basketball hoops to be used on the tennis court. Currently there is a half-size court for basketball, but using the tennis courts would allow for full-court games. There was disagreement as to whether or not basketball should be allowed on the tennis court. It was decided to approve the funds for repairs, and determine at a later date whether or not to allow basketball, and how to schedule time appropriately.
The final two articles addressed the ownership of Lot A of the Long Island II Subdivision. The land contains several underground oil tanks left over from the Navy refueling depot located on the island during World War II. Article 53 proposed that the Town of Long Island will take over ownership of the land, with a conservation easement held by the Long Island Civic Association. Article 54 proposed creating a limited liability corporation to manage and take responsibility for the land, which is currently owned by Northland Properties, Inc. Many questions arose surrounding these articles, as islanders considered what potential risks the land could pose in the future. In the early 1990s the tanks were cleaned up by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and are considered safe. However, it is difficult to predict what could happen in the future, and determine who would be best suited to handle an environmental cleanup. In addition, many community members were unclear on the definition of a limited liability corporation.
It was determined that there wasn’t enough information for the townspeople to make an informed decision, and that the meeting should continue at a later date. On June 11 the meeting will reconvene, and will include a presentation to ensure that islanders have answers to their questions. At that time a vote will be taken to decide what to do with the land, and the meeting will adjourn until next spring.
Anna Rubin is an Island Institute Fellow on Long Island.