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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB-05/24/1989-S3 88 SOUTHOLD TOWN BOARD SPECIAL MEETING May 24, 1989 WORK SESSION - 3:20 Present: P.M. Supervisor Francis J. Murphy Justice Raymond W. Edwards Councilwoman Jean W. Cochran Councilman George L. Penny IV Councilwoman Ruth D. Oliva Councilwoman Ellen M. Larsen Town Clerk Judith T. Terry COUNCILWOMAN LARSEN: According to the Town, we could call a special meeting if two Councilpeople agreed. I called George Penny this morning, and he agreed along with me to request this meeting. To put this in a nutshell, I spoke with Mike Tuthill this morning from Greg Blass, from Mike Tuthill's office, and he was very surprised that the Town didn't go along with the purchase of the Baxter property, since we had gone to the County and asked them to help us in purchasing, ,and we told them it was a priority for us, and that we wanted the land preserved because of its archaelogical significance, except everybody knows that whole background on it. Had we had the information before we did, many of our questions and concerns would have been answered, particularly yours, Jean, in relation to what you could do with the open space. COUNCILWOMAN COCHRAN: Mike had said we didn't have their bill or law, and without it, it was difficult. I didn't mean to interupt. Continue. COUNCILWOMAN LARSEN: Right. Make the.~decision. Since then, they've been in touch with Sgroi, the Real Estate Commissioner at Suffolk County said, in view of what--had occurred yesterday, that it would require a Town Board resolut'ion for them to know that we were still behind this project or it will be forever !dead in the eyes of the County. That it's over with. So this is our only opportunity right now, to preserve that property. COUNCILWOMAN COCHRAN: I spoke _wit_h Mike Tuthill, also, and he said exactly what you're relaying to us now. COUNCILWOMAN LARSEN: He did say.. COUNCILWOMAN COCHRAN: But I still don't have anything, in relation,to would we would be able to build;' ~ome of those unanswered questions. COUNCILWOMAN LARSEN: I mentioned your concern to him, he said there was a property in Smithtown, and Pete evidently tried to get in touch with you earlier. I tried to call you, too, to tell you to call him. Let's see. The Deep Wells estate in Smithtown, where 'they have a colonial mansion. It was bought with the combina- tion of open space and farmland preservation funds, and they were able to turn it into a museum, and that's what their plans are, and that the County's farmland funds are more liberal that the Town's funds. COUNCILWOMAN OLIVA:Yes,but.,once you bring Town funds into it, with our bond act, you can't, Ellen. You won't be able to. COUNCILWOMAN LARSEN: Yes, but if they purchase that portion of it with County funds. COUNCILMAN PENNY: We can buy the fee title. We can always, sometime in the future, go for a voter referendum. The voters are going to come in, and they're going to talk at a public hearing about this project in the first place, because I know open space acquisition, it has to be subject to public hearing. We can explain to them what we would like to do in the future, and then we would like to have an archaelogical dig or make other arangements there, and I'm sure that we make it clear right up front, if in fact they do support it we'll have an easy time, some time in future making an amendment, an amendment to our law to include archaelo- gical dig, I'm sure they'll take nothing more than logic. It would take the same voter approval that it would take to purchase the property in the first place, so it doesn't scare me. What scares me is the chance of losing this, and winding up in a heated battle with the developer. Normally when people try to acquire things, there's some things by the County, and there's been some things in the Town, it's when they come up for development. Right now there's a piece just laying there. It's laying dormant. There are no developers that have any plans M^v 24, ,989 3 8 9 or any great aspirations. There may be people out there that want to purchase it, the same as we do. But there are no plans, and there's no applications before the Town of Southold. The project i~ b~siCally pure. We have a good a shot at it as anybody else, and I feel, if the town atleast pursues this it's going to send a message to any other developers that the Town is interested and when it comes to dealing with this project if we don't get it, it's not going to rest easy. I feel that it's a great message that we sending here. It's a great preservation message. I think we're going to win with this in the long run even if we're not successful, because the developers are going to stand back when they see that they're fighting the Town for acquisition for a piece of property. COUNCILWOMAN OLIVA: I went back to my notes from the Open Space Committee, and the Open Space Committee had recommended to the Town, that the County do the appraisal, which they have done. They, also, recommended that the State, County and the Town get together on this, and as far as I know the State has not been asked to do anything. Now, I think, too, it is important piece. I know we've gone full tilt to ask the County to go to get this money, and I hate to say no, because we want to go ask them for other money, and I was just hoping that perhaps, we don't even know if we're going to get the bid, perhaps if there are enough wetlands in there we could go back to the State; and ask if, maybe, they'd like to chip in with some sort of a grant for wetlands. COUNCILMAN PENNY: The trouble is,. we don't have the time. COUNCILWOMAN OLIVA: I was only able to get one member, because I felt badly that the information came so late, that we couldn't refer to the Open Space Committee for their imput, and I was only able to get a hold of one member of the Open Space Committee, and he is, six of one, and half dozen...as I am. He understood the problem that this was a shot, and we have to act. so quickly, and it's just unfortunate that we do. ~OUNCILWOMAN COCHRAN: I wish we had more time. As a result of my conversa tion with Mike Tut~hill from Blass's office, I'.~ agreeable to voting to support this. COUNCILWOMAN OLIVA: I will, too. COUNCILWOMAN COCHRAN: There is no quarantee that we're going to get the bid, but I think we have to go for it at this point. COUNCILWOMAN OLIVA: And if we don't, I think we ought to explore or let the Open Space Committee explore seeing i~ the State is interested in coming in, too, because it does take an awful lot of the money out of the Open Space fund. A million dollars. COUNCILWOMAN LARSEN: But we're getting two dollars for every dollar we put spend, and we're able to preserve it, a huge chunk, a huge lot. JUSTICE EDWARDS: You're, also, taking $14,365.00 off the tax roll. COUNCILWOMAN COCHRAN: You got it. COUNCILMAN PENNY: One hundred acres in this day and age, you've probably got a mile and a half of waterfront, thirty-five acres of farmland, over sixty some- thing acres,almost seventy acres of untouched wooded areas there, which as far as I'm concerned that's a small price. It probably has a very poor aquafer, I would think. COUNCILWOMAN OLIVA: I would think so, too. JUSTICE EDWARDS: Is this bay area? COUNCILWOMAN OLIVA: It's on Down's Creek, which is basically an undeveloped creek. That's another reason for my decision, because, again, it's another creek that we have that is basically undeveloped, and it's certainly worth protecting a good portion of it. JUSTICE EDWARDS: Navigabie creek? COUNCILWOMAN LARSEN: No. So you have a great opportunity for a lot of types of recreation. COUNCILWOMAN COCHRAN: Can we have a resolution? SUPERVISOR MURPHY: We'll open the Special Meeting_to adopt this resolution. 390 SPECIAL MEETING 3:35 P,M. A Special Meeting of the Southold Town Board was call to order by Supervisor Murphy at 3:35 P.M., May 24, 1989, at the Southold Town Hall, Main Road, Southold, New York. The meeting was called at the request of Councilwoman Larsen, and Councilman Penny. The Board members executeda Waiver of Notice of Town Board meeting. Present Supervisor Francis J. Murphy Justice Raymond W. Edwards Councilwoman Jean W. Cochran Councilman George L. Penny IV Councilwoman Ruth D. Oliva Councilwoman Ellen M. Larsen Town Clerk Judith T. Terry Amended July 5, 1989, Resolution #14 Moved by Councilman Penny, seconded by Councilwoman Larsen, WHEREAS, approximately one hundred and four (104) acres of undeveloped vacant land currently located in the Town of Southold is currently owned by William J. Baxter; and WHEREAS, preservation of this parcel would contribute to stabilizing the water chem stry of, and otherwise protect the ecological integrity of the great Peconic Bay because this parcel of land borders Downs Creek along almost its entire western side and lies immediately north of where this important drainage joins with the Great Peconic Bay; and WHEREAS, such parcel of land constitutes one of the last vestiges of open space within the entire Town of Southold available for public acquisition for open space purposes, the only known site of an Indian fort on Long Island not significantly disturbed by development and which was a defensive installation for the Corchaug Indians, one of thirteen (13) subtribes of the Algonquin culture located on Long Island at the time of the first contact with new settlers; and- WHEREAS, Charles F. Goddard, founder of the Southold 'Indian Museum, had made extensive exploration~ .°f the fort in the early part of the Twentieth Century, con- ducting an excavation which has yielded many Indian artifacts as well as colonial trade pipes and brown-glazed colonial utilitarian objects; and WHEREAS, William J. Baxter may be willing to sell such property; and WHEREAS, the following parcel was approved for preliminary planning steps and ultimate inclusion in Suffolk County Open Space Program: Suffolk County Tax Map Number: District 1000, Section 116.00, Block 01.00, Lot 003.000, Acres: 104, Reputed Owner: William J. Baxter, c/o Baxter Bros., Inc., Elijahs Lane, Mattituck, N. Y. 11952; and WHEREAS, THE Commissioner of the County Department of Public Works was author- ized, .empowered, and directed to have surveys and maps prepared for the subject parcel; and ..... WHEREAS, the Commissioner of the County Department of Real Estate was authorized, empowered, and directed to have the subject parcel appraised; and WHEREAS, the cost of such surveys,, maps and/or appraisals, if any, shall be paid from the funds to be appropriated pursuant to Article XII of the Suffolk County Charter as a reimbursement, if necessary, for costs incurred and paid for from other funds or as a direct payment from such proceeds, as the case may be; and WHEREAS, any acquisition of such land shall be subject to the appropriation of sufficient funds pursuant to Article XII of the Suffolk County Charter, and subject to explicit legislative authorization and approval of such acquisition via subsequent duly enacted resolution; and WHEREAS, any acquisition of such land shall be subject to participation of the Town of Southold with Town of Southold Open Space appropriation funds as authorized by voter referendum in November of 1987; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED that the Town of Southold will participate in a joint venture with the County of Suffolk for the purchase of the William J. Baxter property, which purchase will lead to the preservation of the site known as Fort Corchaug; and be it further RESOLVED that the Suffolk County portion of the funding for the aforesaid purchase shall be Two Million Dollars, and the Sou[hold Town portion will be limited to One Million Dollars. Vote of the Town Board: Ayes: Councilwoman Larsen, Councilwoman Oliva, Councilman Penny, Councilwoman Cochran, Justice Edwards, Supervisor Murphy. T~his resolution was declared duly ADOPTED. M^¥ 24, ,989 3 91 Moved by Councilwoman Cochran, seconded by Councilwoman Oliva, it was RESOLVED that this Special Meeting of the Southold Town Board be and hereby ~djourneda.:~ 3:40 P.M. Vote of the Town Board: Ayes: Councilwoman Larsen, Councilwoman Oliva, Councilman Penny, Councilwoman Cochran, Justice Edwards, Supervisor Murphy. This resolution was declared duly ADOPTED.