HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB-08/05/2025 PH 1
1 TOWN OF SOUTHOLD
COUNTY OF SUFFOLK : STATE OF NEW YORK
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TOWN BOARD
4 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING
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7 Fishers Island, New York
8 August 5 , 2025
1 : 30 P . M.
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14 B E F O R E :
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16 ALBERT KRUPSKI JR, SUPERVISOR
17 LOUISA P . EVANS, JUSTICE
18 GREG DOROSKI , COUNCILMAN
19 BRIAN O . MEALY, COUNCILMAN
20 ANNE H . SMITH, COUNCILWOMAN
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AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 2
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INDEX TO TESTIMONY
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3 Public Comments 3-17
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AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 3
1 PUBLIC COMMENTS
2 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : But
3 from my standpoint, anyway, so having
4 said that, is there anyone who would
5 like to address the Board on anything?
6 VICTOR REIGEL : Hi again,
7 everybody . I ' m Victor Riegel and just
8 wanted to say thank you to the Board,
9 Supervisor Krupski , for the last 10
10 months of 10 months of communication
11 around the seawall issue, and then for
12 specifically coming out to address that
13 issue with us today . I thought it was
14 very productive meeting . We learned
15 some new information today that may be
16 challenging, and difficult to overcome .
17 But we also, I think charted a
18 potential path forward . And I think
19 that ' s really important for all of us
20 on the Island . I see a couple of the
21 neighbors here that are part of that
22 meeting . I ' m not sure how many others
23 were here, but I think there were 22 of
24 us that met today at the site . And I
25 think that was a good turnout and I
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 4
1 appreciate the participation of the
2 Island Community Board Members that,
3 that also showed up . Because I think
4 it is an important issue for the Island
5 to understand, understand well .
6 Particularly as there is , you know,
7 there are solutions . There are options
8 that we discussed today that will
9 propose or present some challenges .
10 Ongoing challenges or just changes that
11 we ' ll need to get used to . But there ' s
12 a lot more to discuss going forward .
13 And I don ' t know when that issue will
14 be formally proposed or presented to --
15 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Well ,
16 today we can start . And we ' d like to
17 get feedback from everyone who was
18 engaged in that . All of our -- we
19 consider everyone who was there as a
20 partner on that . You know, we
21 explained earlier at the meeting today,
22 it ' s not our only collapsed seawall in
23 town . So we ' re dealing with this and
24 because it was on Town property, we
25 would take action to take an
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 5
1 appropriate action at the Board,
2 because it ' s a structure . And it ' s not
3 owned by the Town that involves -- the
4 other one involves the multitude of
5 landowners . We had a very similar
6 meeting with them. They were grateful
7 for the outreach also . Because we were
8 trying to do the best things to protect
9 Town infrastructure , to provide public
10 safety as far as the roads go . And
11 yet, we have a lot of partners there .
12 So we need to -- we might not always
13 agree on the very end, but we need to
14 engage everybody . So thank you . And
15 so please get us feedback as soon as
16 possible . I think once we start to get
17 feedback, we ' ll schedule like a Zoom
18 meeting, remote meeting, try to
19 coordinate and have everyone come
20 together . Again, after everyone ' s
21 processed today .
22 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : I think
23 it ' s also important that we bring it to
24 ITB . So other people can learn what we
25 learned today, and hear what various
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 6
1 options are .
2 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : We did
3 talk a lot about housing . And I think
4 that ' s -- we ' re in the same boat as far
5 as housing for workforce housing . And
6 so I think we actually came to learn
7 from Fishers Island because I think
8 we ' ve had quite a bit of success here .
9 We ' ve had some success . You ' ve had
10 quite a bit of success . We ' ve come to
11 learn and to see how you ' re managing .
12 Because we need to develop workforce
13 housing of our own . That ' s a similar
14 problem .
15 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : And thank
16 you for touring us around .
17 UNKNOWN SPEAKER : Well , actually,
18 I ' m here to thank you, Heather,
19 particularly for the work that you have
20 been doing on the Zoning . And
21 certainly, the subcommittee and the
22 entire community who have been involved
23 in that . And I want to thank you Board
24 members , for taking the time to come
25 around and look, and see for yourself .
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 7
1 So you can put the visuals to the
2 paper . And I do want to thank Heather
3 again . Heather, you ' ve been a great
4 partner . And the community should know
5 that the Town has been a great partner
6 in our rezoning and our conversations
7 that tie directly to housing . I ' m
8 really excited to hear more about your
9 position than how that can be an asset
10 to our community . My question to the
11 Board is , in terms of the Zoning, what
12 is the timing? What do you see as the
13 next steps , from particularly the
14 Fishers Island perspective, and then
15 overall ? And thank you again .
16 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Thank
17 you . So we ' ve had a number of meetings
18 in every habit . And then we had
19 industry specific meetings , the
20 agriculture, the marine industry . We
21 actually had consultants come in and
22 attorneys that to help us kind of, what
23 are we doing wrong, having to
24 streamline the process . Why does
25 everyone have to go to the zoning Board
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 8
1 of Appeals , basically? So we ' re trying
2 to make the a process letter and still
3 have the protection, language
4 protection, this place that we need .
5 So, Fishers Island has done an
6 extraordinary job of being part of that
7 process . And that ' s the kind of
8 community guidance that we need . A lot
9 of credit goes to Heather for her
10 organizational skills in bringing us
11 along this bar . And, you know, my goal
12 is still to have this done by the end
13 of the year . We ' ve got to meet at the
14 Board . The consultant was hired 2022 .
15 And now we ' re going to take their
16 recommendation and change them based on
17 what we ' ve heard from every half .
18 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : And it ' s
19 not just zone changes . We ' re looking
20 at the whole code is getting updated .
21 So it ' s hopefully much easier to use .
22 UNKNOWN SPEAKER : And so what
23 would be the next step? So there ' ll be
24 a meeting that ' s created by the Town
25 and then we ' ll come back to give more
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 9
1 feedback?
2 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : It
3 will . Exactly . It will come back for
4 more feedback . I think that the
5 information that we got from Fishers
6 Island is making it easier than other
7 hamlets . It seems to be consensus on
8 those changes . So I think that ' s going
9 to be easier than other hamlets . But I
10 think that ' s for the most part .
11 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Yeah, our
12 goal was to get it done by the end of
13 the year because Greg and I won ' t be on
14 the Board . I have my fingers crossed .
15 We can really -- it ' s not as optimistic
16 as ours in getting it done by then .
17 Fishers Island is way ahead . I mean,
18 Fishers Island is probably too much .
19 But the rest of the hamlets , we
20 actually do it as a whole . The rest of
21 the hamlets , they ' re going to fill it
22 right up .
23 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . :
24 Heather, do you want to answer that?
25 HEATHER LANZA : No . I think, you
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 10
1 know, we have a way forward . And
2 we ' re, right now, we ' re compiling all
3 that data . All the input we got from
4 this forum and the other forums . And
5 now the Board has to sort through it
6 and decide what revisions . And they
7 already have announced a couple of
8 revisions . And there ' ll be more .
9 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Just as a
10 side , there ' s a self-service poll
11 online now . I think Jane ' s listed on
12 the Fishers Island website . And I urge
13 you all to take that because they ' re
14 specifically looked at Fishers Island,
15 not just the rest of the Southold . So
16 it ' s important that Fishers Island will
17 respond to that .
18 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : So for
19 some of the same challenges , we could
20 just touch in by the cell reception
21 tonight .
22 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : If
23 there ' s no other comment, I just want
24 to say it ' s --
25 UNKNOWN SPEAKER : And I ' d like to
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 11
1 do that before we end the meeting with
2 that . I wanted just to ask a question .
3 People have asked me, and I know this
4 is really in the Town Board . But if
5 you can give some clarification
6 publicly on the status of the DMV and
7 the steps forward .
8 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : So we --
9 when we were with ICP today, we talked
10 about that, and I have talked with
11 County John Schiavoni , who ' s our
12 assembly person in the State . He ' s
13 been trying to help us with that .
14 Where we ' ve hit a real roadblock that
15 there are State employees that would
16 have to run the system . Even if -- no
17 matter who pays for them, they ' re still
18 State employees . And the State should
19 pay for them. So we ' re hopefully --
20 well , I can ' t say it ' s that much hope ,
21 but he ' s working on that . But it helps
22 if other people would, you know, give
23 his office a call and tell us how
24 important it is that we get a DMV out
25 here .
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 12
1 UNKNOWN SPEAKER : That is great
2 information we could share today, we
3 could reach out to that, but thanks for
4 that --
5 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : The most
6 recent conversation I ' ve had was with
7 one of his -- I don ' t know what the
8 title was , but someone that worked for
9 him, and they were working with
10 libraries on the North Fork about doing
11 that kind of thing in South Fork, being
12 able to do Motor Vehicle transactions .
13 I don ' t think that we ' re going to cover
14 the only other places like the DMV
15 office, besides DMV that can actually
16 do licenses , is AAA . And the library ' s
17 going to be able to do that . And I ' ve
18 said, well , our issues are most of
19 getting your driver ' s license . It ' s
20 not so much to do registration, things
21 like that . You can do that all by mail
22 now or online . And so that -- and I
23 also put them in touch with Bonnie
24 Benkert, who ' s the head of the Board .
25 And she discussed it with her Board .
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 13
1 They ' re just not in a situation to even
2 get to the lesser thing of doing all
3 the DMV activities besides licenses
4 that ' s been unequipped .
5 UNKNOWN SPEAKER : It was my
6 understanding that the State actually
7 designated Fishers Island as an
8 official DMV operation that allowed us
9 to do all of their services and
10 provided us . So I thought that element
11 was done .
12 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : And there ' s
13 some confusion on that because I
14 thought that they might not be able to
15 licensing . And I said, that ' s the
16 whole point of it, to be able to
17 licensing . They were never going to be
18 able to do driver ' s tests , the actual
19 time I wrote them. So I have not had a
20 clear answer on that .
21 UNKNOWN SPEAKER : Thank you for
22 your work .
23 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Well , thank
24 you for all the work you did ahead of
25 time , wish we could complete it .
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 14
1 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : So I
2 just want to take this time to thank
3 Louisa for her service , and work for
4 her for quite a few decades . And so
5 it ' s always been a pleasure . And she ' s
6 always been professional and
7 knowledgeable . And she ' s always
8 represented the whole Town and not just
9 Fishers Island . She works with the
10 whole Town, and she ' s going to be -- a
11 lost -- a big lost .
12 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Thank you .
13 I ' ll say it ' s actually been a real
14 pleasure to serve, but becoming aware
15 is not such a pleasure . But it ' s also
16 fun to have new people come in, new
17 ideas , people with more energy than I
18 have now . So I know we have two good
19 candidates running . And I ' m sure that
20 they will do a great job . And if
21 they -- whoever wins , if you need any
22 assistance , I ' ll be happy to assist
23 you . But thank you . I ' ve been very
24 lucky to work with a lot of good Town
25 Boards , just Town Boards that we made .
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 15
1 And I ' ll miss -- that ' s what I ' ll miss ,
2 the people that I ' ve met over there and
3 the people I ' ve worked with . But I was
4 very happy to have my time to spend
5 time with him .
6 COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : I just
7 want to say something in support of
8 what Louisa said . It ' s just been an
9 honor to serve with you over the years .
10 And one of my favorite phrases when we
11 have all our Town Board interactions
12 is , I concur with Justice Evans . I
13 concur because she is prudent, and she
14 is practical , and she is time-target .
15 So I will miss saying I concur with
16 Justice Evans . And in history, if we
17 remember some of our favorite sayings ,
18 Abigail Adams said, remember the women
19 to her husband when he was delegating .
20 Louisa would tell us , remember Fishers
21 Island . So I will never forget Fishers
22 Island . I ' m proud to be here . This
23 has been one of the most productive
24 meetings . I haven ' t been here as much
25 as Al has . This is probably my seventh
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 16
1 meeting, and this is the most
2 productive . And I have a special place
3 at the peaquot where my chicken salad
4 sandwich is at . So really, for me ,
5 this is the Emerald Isle of Southold,
6 this is Fishers Island . And I ' m so
7 proud to be here and to say
8 congratulations to Louisa .
9 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : I want to
10 say someone just wrote the suggestion
11 today . I haven ' t said it to Al , but I
12 think it would be really helpful to
13 have the kind of meeting we activate
14 twice a year, because there ' s really so
15 much better than that map of people
16 coming on here .
17 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Yeah,
18 I ' m not against that because , yeah, I
19 did feel rushed meeting with different
20 groups because we have so much . I feel
21 like we have to catch up on and talk
22 about that jazz . And the people that
23 we met with have so much to contribute
24 to the conversation and to what we ' re
25 trying to do, that you ' re right .
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 17
1 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : I won ' t be
2 here , but make sure you do that .
3 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Do I
4 have a motion to adjourn?
5 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Does anyone
6 else have any other questions ?
7 (No Response) .
8 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Thank you .
9 The ferry for letting us dock along the
10 ward . Everyone else that came from the
11 Town coming . Thank you . And all of
12 you for attending .
13 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : All
14 right . I make a motion to adjourn .
15 COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : Second .
16 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : All in
17 favor?
18 COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Aye .
19 COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : Aye .
20 COUNCILWOMAN ANNE SMITH : Aye .
21 JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Aye .
22 SUPERVISOR AL KRUPSKI JR . : Aye .
23
24 (The meeting was adjourned at this
25 time . )
AUGUST 5, 2025 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING 18
1 C E R T I F I C A T I O N
2
3 I , Jessica DiLallo, a Notary
4 Public for and within the State of New
5 York, 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
14 hereunto set my hand this day,
15 August 5 , 2025 .
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17
18 (Jessica DiLallo)
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