HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB-09/10/2024 PH 1
1 TOWN OF SOUTHOLD
COUNTY OF SUFFOLK : STATE OF NEW YORK
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TOWN BOARD
4 REGULAR BOARD MEETING
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Southold, New York
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September 10 , 2024
9 4 : 30 P .M .
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15 B E F 0 R E :
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17 ALBERT KRUPSKI JR, SUPERVISOR
18 LOUISA P . EVANS , JUSTICE
19 JILL DOHERTY, COUNCILWOMAN
20 BRIAN 0 . MEALY, COUNCILMAN
21 GREG DOROSKI , COUNCILMAN
22 ANNE H . SMITH, COUNCILWOMAN
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SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 2
1 INDEX TO TESTIMONY
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3 Public Comments 3- 13
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SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 3
1 PUBLIC COMMENTS
2 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Would
3 anyone like to speak to any agenda item
4 before we start the agenda?
5 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : I think on
6 the attendees , you may have some people
7 that want to speak . Richard Riegel from
8 Fishers Island .
9 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Go
10 ahead, Richard .
11 RICHARD RIEGEL : Good evening
12 everybody . Can you hear me okay?
13 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Yes .
14 RICHARD RIEGEL : Thank you very
15 much for all your work on behalf of the
16 Town . Just a quick introduction, I ' m
17 Richard Riegel . I was a former elected
18 member of the Fishers Island Community
19 Board . Had the pleasure of working with
20 -- with many of you then . And I ' m also
21 a property owner immediately adjacent to
22 the seawall that was discussed earlier
23 today . Is now the appropriate time for
24 me to just introduce a couple of topics
25 related to that?
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 4
1 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : I think
2 that ' s -- it would be right after the
3 meeting that we would entertain those
4 sort of -- this is --
5 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Well , it ' s
6 addressing that .
7 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Are we
8 addressing an item on the --
9 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : It ' s on our
10 work session agenda .
11 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : It ' s on
12 the work session, but not on the Regular
13 Meeting Agenda . So if you could just
14 hold your comments right after the
15 meeting, that ' s when we take the public
16 comments on items in general . We ' re not
17 taking any action on that tonight . So
18 we try to have comments before the
19 meeting on the agenda items that we ' re
20 taking action on .
21 RICHARD RIEGEL : Okay . And I just
22 wasn ' t -- wasn ' t clear when .
23 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Yeah,
24 if you could just stay with us .
25 ABIGAIL FIELD : I apologize, I
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 5
1 didn ' t want somebody ' s on Zoom. I
2 wanted to speak to your resolution . I
3 don ' t have the number in front of me on .
4 TOWN ATTORNEY P . DECHANCE : May I
5 ask you that you just start with your
6 name? Please , for the record .
7 ABIGAIL FIELD : Sorry, I was trying
8 to get here for this moment in time .
9 I ' m Abigail Field, 27525 Main Road in
10 Cutchogue .
11 TOWN ATTORNEY P . DECHANCE : Ms .
12 Fields , you may be referring to
13 Resolution 815 , pertaining to Sound
14 Engineering .
15 ABIGAIL FIELD : I sure am, that one
16 in particular . Thank you . I ' m coming
17 to say -- Thank you, Paul , very much . I
18 appreciate that . I ' m just coming to say
19 thank you . I saw in the work session
20 that you guys were seriously examining
21 the tree planting, which, while very
22 helpful , and we appreciate, I think your
23 sound study will show you is
24 insufficient . And so the sound study is
25 crucial . And I want to let you know
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 6
1 your constituents feel heard . You know
2 everybody was really happy that the Town
3 is taking the problem seriously . And we
4 appreciate it . I just wanted to say
5 thank you and I hope you all pass that
6 resolution and hire Sound Engineer and
7 study the impacts .
8 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : And
9 there ' s also a preliminary planting
10 that ' s available to for review also .
11 ABIGAIL FIELD : Terrific . Is that
12 the Clerk ' s Office?
13 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Yes ,
14 you can get that from the clerk .
15 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : It will
16 be on the website soon, too .
17 ABIGAIL FIELD : Spectacular . We
18 really appreciate it again . It ' s
19 important for citizens to understand
20 that when they make their voices heard
21 that the Town Board is listening on
22 these important matters . So thank you
23 very much for your time . And I hope you
24 will pass those resolutions . And we
25 look forward to finding out what the
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 7
1 study shows .
2 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
3 you . Now you can catch a breath .
4 SONYA SPAR : Sonya Spar, 575 ,
5 Tarpon Drives , Southold . I want to
6 thank you, the Board and Supervisor, for
7 what you just did with Hugs . I think
8 it ' s very important your leadership and
9 awareness -- raising awareness of how
10 difficult this problem is . And how much
11 it needs the support of our leadership
12 and of organizations like Hugs . So
13 thank you so much for working on this
14 and for making it visible for the entire
15 Town .
16 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Well ,
17 thank you for that comment because I
18 think we all know people are impacted in
19 this way . You know friends and family
20 members and to bring it out to light and
21 to say this is help there for you . It
22 is important . And thanks to Hugs for
23 providing that kind of support .
24 Anyone else like to address the
25 Board?
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 8
1 (No Response ) .
2 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : All
3 right .
4 (Whereupon, the meeting continued
5 on to Resolutions at this time . )
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7 PUBLIC COMMENTS
8 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : All
9 right . That ' s the regular agenda . Is
10 there anyone who would like to speak on
11 any other item? There ' s the hands going
12 up there on Fishers Island . And so you
13 sometimes if there ' s bad weather, we
14 have Louisa Evans is zooming in from
15 Fishers Island today . It ' s Councilman
16 Mealy from Fishers Island . Mr . Riegel ,
17 go right ahead .
18 COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : I ' m on
19 Plum Island today .
20 RICHARD RIEGEL : Thank you, again
21 everybody . I ' m Richard Riegel . Again,
22 I was formerly an elected member of the
23 Fishers Island Community Board . And I ' m
24 the property owner with my wife and
25 family immediately adjacent to the
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 9
1 seawall that was discussed earlier in
2 the work session . And our property is
3 very similar . Immediately adjacent .
4 That we have both private property
5 before the Town road and on the other
6 side of the road, including the beach .
7 And coincidentally, we also have issues
8 with our wall , which is a loose wall .
9 But about three years ago , the Town
10 initially identified that there was a
11 sinkhole issue behind the seawall
12 adjacent to our property . And
13 unfortunately, nothing has been done to
14 remedy that issue over that three year
15 period . The property around that
16 seawall is both privately owned by three
17 neighbors . The three sisters ' houses .
18 And I think the issue, because it
19 involves the Town road, does require the
20 Town to work collaboratively with the
21 neighbors . We look forward to that .
22 The Town was on site on Fishers Island .
23 Thank you all for being there every
24 year . This year it was August 7th for a
25 site inspection, including that seawall .
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 10
1 And during that inspection, including
2 the Town Engineer and I believe some
3 other officials , noted that the site of
4 the seawall has further degraded and is
5 now a greater safety concern for those
6 of us on Fishers Island . The neighbors
7 wish to create both an effective and
8 aesthetic temporary solution to keep
9 people off of any area of that road that
10 the town deems unsafe . We are with you
11 on that . But we also want to make sure
12 that it is an aesthetic temporary
13 solution . And then, ultimately, we are
14 very interested in prompt resolution of
15 the long-term solution according to the
16 options that were discussed in today ' s
17 work session with the Board . We ' ve been
18 told that the Town is considering a high
19 chain link fence at both ends of that
20 area . And then all the way along it,
21 which I ' m going to estimate is maybe 100
22 yards . Maybe a little less . High chain
23 link fences is really not a suitable
24 option for us as property owners .
25 First, aesthetically, it ' ll be very
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 11
1 detrimental to our property and our
2 ability to enjoy our properties . And
3 both functionally, because that beach
4 area on the other side of -- and part of
5 the property on the other side of the
6 seawall is privately owned . It would
7 prohibit those owners ' access to their
8 private property . We believe that other
9 options must be presented, including
10 lower barriers , such as the highway
11 barriers that were discussed earlier in
12 the work session . Low fencing, and
13 warning signage . None of those options
14 have been put in place as of this date,
15 and so we all believe that the island
16 will be very respectful of those,
17 particularly if, like those low highway
18 barriers were used . None of us would be
19 able to move them. We don ' t have that
20 kind of equipment . They ' re very heavy .
21 So we think that could be a very -- a
22 good option . I ' d also like to mention
23 that as the Town considers the long term
24 solution to this safety issue, that
25 Fishers Island contractors are available
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 12
1 and able to perform much, if not all , of
2 the work required in collaboration with
3 the Town Highway Department that is --
4 has an office located on Fishers Island .
5 And if I ' m able to answer any questions
6 on behalf of our neighbors , I ' m happy to
7 do so . But there are at least six or
8 seven neighbors that are directly
9 involved and impacted . And I ' m just one
10 of those voices . Thank you .
11 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
12 you for coming on tonight . We had a lot
13 of discussion about the situation there .
14 And our first concern is to make it safe
15 for the public . And because we did take
16 a look at it during the August meeting .
17 The Town Board went out there and
18 inspected the site . We don ' t get out to
19 Fishers Island very often . So when we
20 do, we try to take advantage of that
21 trip to look at things and meet with
22 people . So as far as going forward,
23 besides securing the site and including
24 securing the site, we ' re setting up a
25 meeting of all the stakeholders , which
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 13
1 will certainly include yourself and your
2 neighbors and the Highway Department .
3 And to try to determine the best course
4 of action . You know, long term
5 solutions . So that meeting will be set
6 up soon . And we will welcome, certainly
7 any comment, certainly the stakeholders .
8 Is there anyone else who ' d like to
9 address the Board at this time, either
10 on zoom or in person?
11 (No Response ) .
12 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : What we
13 have we have gotten quite a few and
14 thank you to Justice Evans for passing
15 all the information on . It is a great
16 concern to us . And we will set that
17 meeting up . Thank you very much . And
18 then I was reminded there ' s the 9/ 11
19 Memorial Ceremony at 6 : 00 o ' clock
20 tomorrow night on Peconic Lane at the
21 monument . And I think it ' s a very
22 solemn event . It ' s a very well-run
23 event by Southold Fire Chiefs , and you
24 know, I just encourage anyone to attend .
25 So seeing no other comment, I will
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 14
1 entertain a motion to adjourn?
2 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Motion to
3 adjourn .
4 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Second .
5 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : All in
6 favor?
7 COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Aye .
8 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Aye .
9 COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : Aye .
10 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : Aye .
11 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Aye .
12 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Aye .
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14 (Whereupon, the meeting concluded
15 at this time . )
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SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 REGULAR MEETING 15
1 C E R T I F I C A T I O N
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3 I , Jessica DiLallo, a Notary Public
4 for and within the State of New York,
5 do hereby certify :
6 THAT , the within transcript is a
7 true record of said Board Meeting .
8 I further certify that I am not
9 related either by blood or marriage to
10 any of the parties to this action; and
11 that I am in no way interested in the
12 outcome of this matter .
13 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto
14 set my hand this day, September 10 , 2024 .
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17 ( Jessica DiLallo )
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