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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFI Report to School Board 2002 T . . , . tOOl 0 ~ B~~ REPORT TO THE FISHERS ISLAND SCHOOL BOARD NOVEMBER 25, 2002 This report is being delivered as a result of studies that were done on behalf of the School Board after suggestions were made and questions asked with respect to the diminishing year round population and school enrollment. I can't proceed without first thanking all the many people who volunteered their time and energy to help answer the many questions that arose as we considered solutions to the problems of maintaining a viable community on our Island. The contribution of these people has been huge and I believe that we all owe a lot to them. The textbooks tell us that there are five major elements in a successful community: I. Family 2. Religious organization 3. Governrnent (Protection) 4. Economics 5. Education Clearly, declining population decimates all these areas, and to the extent that Fishers Island is encountering this shrinkage, we will see a commensurate decline in the quality of community. Much of the research we have done (and are continuing to do) has shown that we are indeed shrinking and that the demographic shifts are not toward families which might help us in the above five areas. The extent of the problem is apparently just now becoming a great concern on the Island, so we may see a more favorable response to the detailed analysis of the facts and to suggested ways to reverse the decline. Concern has been expressed, during the survey part of our fact gathering, that there are many facets to the shrinking population, and that people must not expect the School to solve all the problems. There was further concern that the Board might be overwhelmed in an effort to try to find answers for all of our problems. It should be clear that a turn around of any type takes overall effort and successful teamwork to accomplish. The School Board can adopt innovative I methods for running the school and perhaps (hopefully) create a learning institution so well thought of that we will have to be selective in accepting applications; but this, by itself, cannot turn the situation around unless solutions are found for affordable housing, attitudes toward new things and new people are changed, and some sort of control over the growing seasonal population is achieved. The school can lead the charge up the hill, but if we look around and find we are the only ones up there, we are not going to achieve our goal of turning around the population shift. The effort will have to come from a number of different quarters, but it can be done, and most probably will be done this time, because the population decline is already affecting the infrastructure in many ways that demand attention. The urgency is immediate and recognizably serious. This report will follow the same format as the most recent reports I have delivered, which tried to list the problems on separate sheets so that they might be worked upon by separate people with interest and expertise in those areas. I will try to summarize our findings in each area, but would like to emphasize that much work has gone into the gathering of these facts, and the support data goes much further into each subject area than I can possibly cover here. The team that developed these facts, and I, invite you to take advantage of this remarkable accumulation of data and learn much more about our Island and the way it works. I will first present the population data and many of the answers to the questions we presented on October 9,2002. Then I will present some recommendations based on consultation with a number of people and specialists in the various fields. We have been careful to keep surveyed people's names out of the report so that they might be free to express themselves. 2 Preliminary HOUSING Report NOVEMBER 2002 Survey data delivered by Cynthia Riley 279 year round people living in 133 housing units (includes houses and apartments) #of people Rent (units) #of people Own (units) 113 57 * *25 are employer provided *32 are free market rentals 162 78 4 (two adults, 2 infants) people plan to move off island in Feb. unless they can find a rental wlheat they can afford. 2 people float monthly---move from apartment, cottage or house as they become available (not a choice) 2 people have housing uutil April, are seeking a permanent year round rental. Currently for sale on year round market Houses: I)Planitzer apartment in Parade Ground Apartments $325,000. Mouthly carrying charge of$525.00 2)Corbin Hedge house $275,000 Land for sale: According to Bagley Reid, there is no land for sale under $200,000.liO Year Round Rentals- available now Bagley Reid reported that his office has not had any year round reutal offerings in the last year. Bob Evans indicated that there might be some opportunities for year round rental. Most of the "possible" year round rentals are eliminated for consideration by Hay Harbor club offering $21i,liOO.00 for July and August to house Club staff. To make a year round rental attractive to the owner, they would need to be making as much or more. A few 'possibilities' exist for $1,OOOO.OO-$1666.00/month. These arc not houses normally in the year round rental market, but might be approachable for a one-year lease. There are three couples currently desperate for year round housing. In May of 1997, 5 couples and their children were seeking permanent housing. Two of those couples moved off the island. Trends of Year Round Housing Units (owned and rental) Year 2002 #units: 133 2000 1990 138 * 1987 135 1986 124 1980 140 1970 150 1960 150 3 Note: For this report, I do not have accurate figures on the nnmber of year round housing units for 1990. but it was during this time period that islanders began moving into Walsh Park. Between 1990 and 2002, Walsh Park built 12 houses and purchased 2 houses for year round residents. Eleven houses are occupied by owners and three houses occupied by tenants. Fourteen (14) units were added. In addition, the Utility Company purchased two (2) houses for their employees, bringing their "year round employee housing" to 3. Mary Roberts purchased three (3) houses for year round couples to live in long term. The Luce's bought one (1) house for their caretaker. There may be more purchases along this line. At the very least, there have been Twenty (20) year round living units added. Despite this, the number of year round units (rental and owned homes) is below the 1987 level. Between 1992-2002, Twenty-one (21) homes considered to be year round housing sold to the seasonal market. GOOD NEWS: Walsh Park has raised funds to build rental units for approximately 24 people. As of November 9, 2002, Walsh Park was negotiating with owners offour possible land sites. Once land has been purchased, permits filed and legal matters cleared, construction can begin on rental units. According to Bob Wall, the estimated time frame for completion and "move in" is one and a hal(to two years. These will be units specifically set aside for long term, year round rental. 4 POPULA TION/Demographics (preliminary & lillofficial report)* YEAR ROUND POPULA nON (November 2002) 279 AGE BREAKDOWN Age 0-4 13 Age 4-18 46 Age 19-64 172 Age 65 and over 48 # people living in "family units", children age 0-18 and their parents 132 # people living as "couples" M&F with no children in the house 56 (no distinction made between married vs. living together) # people living as a "single" female 14 # people living as a "single" male 29 # people age 65 and older 48 (32 are living as a couple, 12 single women, 4 single men) total 279 NOTE: CRITCAL DEMOGRAPHIC TREND year 1998- 287 people year 2002- 279 people Net loss of 8 individuals 1998- # of people living in family lillits 2002- # of people living in family units 153 132 net loss of 21 5 Resident Population and Housing Units * 1960 1970 1980 1985 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Year round Pop 508 462 318 323 304 287 282 289 278 279 Season Res Pop 960 1195 1430 1535 2435 - 2500 Total res pop 1468 1657 1748 1858 - 2724 -2779 Y r Rnd House VIs 150 150 140 138 133 Season House Vts 192 239 286 487 500 Total house VIs 342 389 426 (,25 633 "'STATISTICS AND NUMERICAL DATA taken from US 2000 census, THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND report 19S7, Civic A..sociation 1994 Growth Plan update, and two independent head counts for 2002. S.::asonal Resident Population based on formulas set by the Long Island Regional Planning Board (LIRPB). Seasonal population does not include housequests, domestic help, visitors and extended family. This is a preliminary report only. Final report to be issued in January 2003. 6 Family Unit Statistics Based on community survey respondents #ofpeople living in family units (infants through age 18 and parents) 132 people To date (Nov 25,2(02), 21 households have been contacted. A complete report will follow when all households are interviewed. 21 households interviewed (40 parents, 1 grandparent and 44 children) = 85 people Survey was answered by 13 women and 8 men. Living Accommodations 13 families are homeowners on the island. I owns a home in Connecticut, but rents on Fishers Island 7 families rent (4 of them in Employer provided housing). 6 of those families want to buy a home on Fishers Island. AGE BREAKDOWN in families interviewed 0-4 6 5-12 15 13-18 22 19-39 27 40-65 14 65 &over 1 7 Emplovment 19 men # full time jobs: 19 #holding part time jobs, in addition to full time jobs: 8 #with volunteer responsibilities: 17 20women #holding full time job: 11 #holding full time jobs, and part time jobs: 7 #holding multiple part time jobs: 8 #with volunteer responsibilities: 18 #commute to mainland to work: 2 These include, but are not limited to: FULL TIME JOBS: carpenter, plumbers, electricians, utility employees, ferry district, landscapers, caretakers, contractors, real estate, grocery store owner, office manager, Utility Supervisors, Real estate, bookkeepers, teacher, elected representative PART TIME JOBS: includes boat operators, lobster business, bay constable, constable, fishing/hunting guides, painting, lawn work, graphics, catering, waitress (parties), housecleaning, Theater Manager, secretary/bookkeeper for island organizations, landscaping VOLUNTEER: firefighter (10), sea stretcher operator, EMT, church council, Representative on Compact for Learning Committee, American Legion, School magnet committee, CCD teacher, church deacon, Senior coordinator/ Senior volunteer, church trustee, civic association, Conservancy, BOE (4), PTO, Board members 8 for Library, Walsh Park, American Legion volunteers, Parent Rep. Various school and community special events 9 Community Survey-Parent/Family Population Summary (please read complete report for tme understanding of people's views) Households interviewed 21 (households were represented bv 13 women & 8 men) Total # of people living in households 85 Age breakdown #Adults age 19-39 27 #adults age 40-65 14 #Adults over 65 I #Children age 0-4 6 #Children age 5-12 15 #Children age 13-18 22 WHAT ISSUE(S) FACING FISHERS ISLAND CONCERNS YOU THE MOST? (Numerals indicate the number ofrespondents who expressed concern about the following) a)taxes 5 b )housing 19 c) year round population decline 18 d)rising seasonal population 6 e)jobs 12 f)ferry schedules 12 g)constmction on the mainland of the ferry tenninal 6 h)educate children on the island prek-12th 16 i)educate children on the island prek-6, educating children 7th_12th on the mainland 5 j)cost ofliving 12 k)bike path 9 i)other 9 Parents who were educated at F. I. school - 8 1 had a few years here 3 have positions of responsibility in FI Utility: Electric, Water, Telephone I is a business owner/contractor 2 are caretakers of large estates and side businesses 1 is office manger/bookkeeper 2 have several part time jobs (9 jobs combined) 5 are Fire Department personnel 8 have multiple volunteer responsibilities 10 Summary of verbal responses To try and concisely summarize all comments is impossible. They are rich in feeling and in content. The issues they raise should be carefully analyzed and incorporated into decision making by all island organizations. On the whole, the parent population loves the beauty, quietness and charm of the island. Frustrations are high about issues of housing and ferry schedules. One parent expressed it nicely. "After 9/11 more and more people would be attracted to the lifestyle on the island. Family and friends are now more important than things and careers. Responsible families would come, if there were someplace for them to live and if at least one parent could easily commute to the mainland. If the school were excellent, thriving and energetic, if we could offer them places to live, many would like living here. The safety, sense of community and the sheer beauty makes the island more attractive than ever." Parents on the whole liked the small class size, the great concentration of time teachers can and do spend on the students. Despite that, everyone expressed huge concern about the diminishing student enrollment. It is most noticeable in the elementary school. For the foreseeable future, it does not look like it is going to improve. This has people worried. 5 families indicated that they would like to see children sent to Connecticut for secondary education, but 16 families want children to be educated here. It is clear from their responses that a community school through 12th grade is essential, not only to the children, but also the whole community. When asked, "what, if anything, would cause you to move off the island?" Eight (8) respondents answered immediately that if any part ofthe school were to be closed they would move now (this 12 was from both secondary and elementary parents). For a point of interest, those 8 families total 35 people. There was some indication, too that if elementary numbers did not increase soon, parents are considering the possibility that they might have think about moving elsewhere so their child has some interaction with other children. Several elementary parents said that one wonderful aspect of the Fishers Island school was the relationships elementary children had with high school students. There were concerns expressed about the school, either academic or social. Those should be read carefully. You should note, that every single parent who voiced a concern did so in a constructive manner. They are valid and should be evaluated. Much can be addressed. Some of the concerns are things that the school board, facuIty and PTO are in fact, already working on. The rest can be addressed with innovative thinking. You'll hear about that later. Many wanted to see more community involvement in the school and more school involvement in the community. Again, better communication between parents and teachers was desired. Communication is a two way street, takes hard work from all parties and is in constant need of fine tuning. The most significant concern was the declining numbers of students. More students mean more activities, increased exposure to other people and a more stimulating academic environment. It is clear that the school and the Fishers Island Community need to do everything possible, whatever it takes, to get student enrollment up. The parent group interviewed are hard working committed members ofthe Fishers Island community. Many are homeowners. Those that rent have had to work hard to stay here, moving several times into housing that needed hard sweat equity to make it livable. In other words, these people want to be here, work hard at paid jobs. They also volunteer long hours for the overall well being of the island. 13 CIVIC ASSOCIATION (Delivered by Johnny Spofford) I want to thank all of you, both individually and collectively, for sticking your necks out and getting involved in addressing, understanding and help in fixing the problems at the School. The Civic Association fully endorses and will do anything it can to help in this effort. Mike has told me a bit about the Outward Bound program he has researched and it sounds like something that could make an enormous contribution to the School and the entire community. I hope you will continue to endorse his research into the program. As Mike mentioned, I have been in contact with the Island Institute, which is in Rockland, Maine. It was founded in the early 80's by someone that was quite rightly concerned with what was happening to the islands off Maine's coast. I have spent 3 or 4 hours on the phone with a number of people there, explaining who we are and what I see our problems to be. One of the individuals is quite familiar with Fishers because she used to live in Noank, and sail around here; she never came ashore, however. After describing the issues here as I saw them, she commented that it sounded like we were 15 or 20 years behind some of their islands, in addressing and dealing with the issues, many of which are the same. I have sent them the three Growth Plans and The Tmst for Public Land study that was done in 1987 and subsequently updated. At my request, they have agreed to host a group of 6 or 8 from Fishers for a one or two day visit to the Institute the second or third week in January. I am in the process of putting together a proposed Agenda of the topics we are interested in exploring with them. The Institute is organized around the issues that the islands face, schools and education, affordable housing, tax issues, aquaculture, sociology and demographics, land use, infrastructure, transportation and other topics. Our agenda will address the parts that are relevant to Fishers Island in the year 2002. I would like to get together with whomever you designate to work on the school issue part of this, and to find out who you 14 would like to join in this field trip. Interestingly, in one of the Institute's publications, or maybe it was on their website, it was stated that the school is the heart of a small community. Having said that, we have to all realize that it is NOT only the school that is responsible for addressing and trying to solve all of our community's issues; that rests with the community at large, and ideally, everyone will have a sense of ownership of a piece of the solution. That is what makes an effort like you, Mike and The Civic Association are making successful. 15 FIRE DEPARTMENT/SEA STRETCHER/EMTs According to the summer edition of the Fishers Island Gazette, our Fire Department is shrinking to a point where it may have to consider bringing in paid firemen to supplement our dwindling force. Even more alarming was the situation described with respect to our EMTs. Again, according to the Gazette, we are at rock bottom numbers with no new volunteers. We have had no new recruits for the Fireman's job in two years, and our current force is aging to a point where we may not be able to field enough firemen to handle a major fire in the near future. Volunteers are trained and certified by the State of New York as well as Suffolk County. Once certified, they respond to Fire, Health and other emergencies such as weather related disaster, and Search and Rescue callouts. The Department is supported by our own Tax District which supplies the Fire House and equipment. The Department also depends on the Tax District for money to train, although this training money is being cut back at present. The Department also relies on fund raisers such as the annual road race and other support events. The Sea Stretcher is owned by the Department and is funded separately without State aid. If our volunteer numbers do not improve, it may be necessary to bring in paid firemen. The cost of this would nm approximately $2,000,000 annually, not including food and housing. This money would pay three 15 man units for 24 hour protection. The Tax District currently expends about $400,000 annually with another $32,000 coming from donations through the annual fund drive. It is apparent that we must increase our volunteer list, and the best way to do that is to attract more families to our Island. One way to do that is by improving our school and housing to a point where our many other natural attractions can pull people here. Ifwe ignore this problem, it will almost certainly cost us a great deal more money, and perhaps even threaten our ability to respond to fire or health emergencies. We can no longer take these things for granted. 16 INSURANCE As we contemplate the many consequences to the down sizing of our Volunteer Fire Department and the shortage of men and women in our Department, one of the greatest concerns has to be our Home Insurance. I asked an attorney with a major company, who does not now insure any property on Fishers Island, to research the business for information about the availability of insurance on islands where there is no Fire Department. It seems that no major company would write such insurance willingly. Many companies could not conceive of taking a position in such a situation. I was told that Excess and Surplus companies might quote prices which are many times (four or five times) current rates or higher. We did turn up a company in Maine that insures several houses on islands which have no electricity or running water, but that niche is so narrow that I was advised not to count on help from that arena. Basically, without a Fire Department, we cannot get insurance for our houses without getting into annual premiums which might come to one fifth to one tenth of the value of our homes. No effort has been made to correlate that fact with the effect it might have on the actual value of the home in terms of resale. 17 TAXES After contacting our representative here and in the Town of Southold, Suffolk County, we received some answers to our questions in this area. Our taxes are directly determined by the school budget which we vote on each year. Ifwe vote a low budget by say, closing part ofthe school, we pay lower tax and if we vote a large budget, we pay more tax. Our current amount paid per taxpayer is low relative to other tax districts on Long Island. We were not able to get comparative figures for Connecticut, but casual inquiries have indicated that taxpayers there pay much more than we do and recoup much less in terms of direct services provided to them as tax payers when compared to Fishers Island. Please keep in mind that we have the obligation to educate our children and we would have to provide for them through taxes, even if they were to be educated off Island. (More on that subj ect later) The question of converting our hamlet to a separate taxing authority was addressed, and the law states that we could elect to do that if we had 500 or more voters, and our shortfall, of course, is our current problem. When we grow our population to a point where we qualify to become our own taxing authority, we might want to revisit this because there are several advantages to managing our own taxes. 18 SCHOOL IN CONNECTICUT/CHARTER SCHOOL New York law states that students cannot be sent to private or parochial schools at public expense without changes in the law and approval from the Governor on down. If our high school were closed, New York would pay the tuition to a Connecticut public school and that tuition would be set by the receiving school. Currently, there is not much space in Connecticut schools and they do have the right to refuse to take our students. Certainly, gifted students and handicapped students would not fare well in an export plan. There are agreements between schools in Connecticut to relieve each other in situations of crowding, but that could involve considerable travel if it were to happen that our students fell into one of the crowded schools. Normal school buses would be used to transport students to their school on the mainland. The Connecticut school would, more than likely, make the arrangements and it would become part of our tax burden. (See TAXES above) RE the question of whether or not a school can be closed and reopened, the answer is that the school board of a school can close a school, or part of a school, and reopen it if needed, subject to the nonnal requirements, such as Asbestos free, safety concerns, etc. There are several schools in the Long Island area which are smaller than the school on Fishers Island. Fire Island-65, New Suffolk-I4, Sagaponack-IO, and Wainscott-I 5 to name a few. There does not seem to be a lower limit which would cause the state to shut down a school. It might come from the school board, but not as result of a state requirement. CHARTER SCHOOLS "A charter school is an "independent and autonomous public school" under Article 56 of the Education Law." It can be located in part of an existing public school building or in any other suitable location. It may own, rent or lease its space. Teachers, parents, administrators, community residents, or any combination can apply to establish a charter school. The process is carefully laid out in NY law. If the charter is granted, it must be renewed each 5 years. A charter school is not subject to the same laws as other public schools, but it must adhere to Federal laws as well as safety and civil rights requirements, and the students are subject to the same testing standards as 19 other public schools. A charter school must have a minimum of 50 students at a single site, and the applications must be considered as in a normal public school with respect to selectivity, unless the school is fully subscribed. Funding for a charter school is just the same as for other public schools and it can accept financial aid from outside sources (contributions). The material I was provided was silent on the issue of contributions to other public schools such as we are operating now. There is a lot of material on this subject in our file, and I am sure much more elsewhere. It seems to be a viable alternative to other public schools if it were ever needed, but of course, much more detailed study would be needed, and again, we are currently short of the required number of students. 20 MYSTIC SEAPORT On November 18, 2002 I had a telephone conversation with Bill Cogar, who is new Head of Collections at Mystic Seaport. He reiterated the concepts we had discussed in August here on Fishers Island (See my earlier report). The Seaport is looking for ways to reinvent itself in order to reverse a trend which has seen a decline in the visitors to their facility. We agreed that our situations were very similar and that we might gain a great deal by putting our heads together to see if there were areas where we might co- develop new concepts that would benefit both the Island and the Seaport. I was invited to go to the Seaport to discuss the possibilities and will try to make that visit in the middle of January 2003. I invite ideas and comments that I might relay when the opportunity to meet with the Seaport people comes up. We will be talking in very broad "dream" terms, but "Out of acorns, oak t " rees grow. 21 FORT PROPERTY Ifwe are successful in attracting an outside company, such as Mystic Seaport, which would come on the Island to establish a branch and become a part of the learning center of our School, we would need a place to develop. The Fort properties seem a logical place to do this expanding because it would be close to the School. There are several development possibilities m the Fort, including: 9 buildings with unoccupied space 7 Lots that are not occupied, including one 2.5 acre parcel presently owned by the School While there is certainly no guarantee that any of this property will be available for sale when interest is expressed, there is opportunity now with some great possibilities. There are also some properties outside the Fort which are close by and could be available for building residential units to support the intellectual b'fowth and perhaps more unrelated affordable housing could be built in at the same time. 22 , OUTWARD BOUND In my first report, I mentioned my early association with Outward Bound, and my conviction that the Outward Bound concepts, if applied to the classroom might yield spectacular results. I did not realize when I wrote and spoke my ideas that a whole educational system called "Expeditionary Learning" had been developed as a part of Outward Bound nearly 10 years ago. This learning system is designed to bring education alive in the classroom. Expeditionary Learning is not a series of courses in the wilderness. Quoting from an EL brochure, the model "emphasizes high achievement through active learning, character growth, and teamwork. Intensive professional development provides teachers with powerful instructional practices to teach subjects through a challenging set of connected, real world projects called learning expeditions. The integration of literacy into learning expeditions is a special feature of this design". It is a very successful way of building on strengths in a student body in such a way that everyone benefits, from teachers, administrators, students, and even parents, as they historically become interested and more involved with their children. You all have material in your packets which describe in great detail the huge success EL has had in the 115 schools where it is currently active. In fact, I spoke with Michele Femc-Bagwell, the Director of the ISAAC School in New London, (a school we happen to play currently in basket ball). She told me that her school (a middle school) is now in their third year of a grant, which has brought Expeditionary Learning to ISAAC. She is most enthusiastic about the results and has offered to come, if invited, to tell us about EL. She then will invite us to see for ourselves how it works at her school in New London. There is an EL WEB site which I recommend highly. In my opinion, this learning system, if implemented, could, by itself, make our school attractive enough to add large numbers of students to our enrollment. We have other things which are particularly attractive to parents with school aged children, including low student teacher ratios, a safe haven after 9111, and no drugs. If Expeditionary Learning could be added, we would have a truly unique offering. EL has consistently raised the test results on the Regents Exams and is geared to increase scores in all areas where we are currently required by New York to do well. The system designers are familiar with the requirements in NY and have installed the EL system in many New York schools already. (See the Expeditionary Learning WEB site.) The system seems to be ideally suited to our specific situation. A few phone calls could bring their representatives here to explain it without charge. 23 If you should decide to look more closely at Expeditionary Learning as a way to move our School toward excellence, I would be pleased to do the leg work for you. I can make the calls and set up a meeting that will begin the evaluation process. In this way, the Board can begin accumulating first hand information that will enable you to make a decision on EL without diverting a lot of time and energy from your Superintendent Search. I believe that you, as a School Board, as well as our faculty, will be impressed by the EL presentation. Our need to begin growing our new product (a premiere school as an attraction) is urgent. Ifwe are to benefit early from Expeditionary Learning, it should be at least in the planning stage before the new Superintendent is hired so that EL will be part of the package. In fact, I suspect that EL may be a big attraction to a prospective new Superintendent. 24 . SUMMARY I believe that the data we have collected so far sends us a clear message that the school is a very important part of our community, and that any effort to attract more people to Fishers Island must include making our School into a unique high quality learning experience which will be a reason for coming to live on the Island. We have the tools. Our Island is attractive, isolated from 9/11 type anxieties, and with exceptional leadership, our School can become an attraction. I would love to see us, some day, in a position of nearly full enrollment where we could interview students and families to get some advanced idea as to how they would fit in on the Island and its education system. Certainly, we must keep pressure on an over all approach to growing our product, because the School can't do it all. But we have the Expeditionary Learning staff to help with changing our product, if they are invited to do that, and we have the Island Institute and its wealth of experience in solving the sort of problems we are facing. We have considerable thought and effort already in place with the Civic Association work that has been done. There is hope in the affordable housing area because of the work being done by the Walsh Park group. Hopefully, more investors will step up to that plate, in one form of another, and further gains can be made in that arena. Our surveys indicate that a great many people who live here in our Island are happy to be here. There is a huge list of perceived advantages to life on Fishers Island. The number of activities available to year round residents is much larger than most seasonal residents realize. The past tells us that we tend to take the Island and its support system for granted. It always just been here when we need it. Now, for whatever reason, population is falling and we have seen in this presentation how that adversely affects our infrastructure. We know some ofthe ways to tmn this around, and we can do it if we don't just assume someone else will take care of it. The danger ahead is that our interest in taking a piece of the action fades. Other studies have been done, with high enthusiasm, but with no follow through. Our situation, as we have seen, is more critical, more urgent, and I believe, from talking with many people here on the Island, that the problems ahead are at least identified, if not entirely understood, by the year round residents and to a certain extent by the seasonal residents as well. 25 . You can see, from the volume of work produced here, how much can get done in a relatively short period of time. I stood here 6 weeks ago asking for your endorsement to gather these facts and come up with some choices. Because so many people were willing to really work on the project as a team effort, and because we got such great cooperation from the population, we have completed the first part of the problem solving. We have identified the problem, generated many possible solutions, selected a few proposed solutions, and are now in the decision part of the solution process. If you will endorse my effort to get Expeditionary Leaming to show us their stuff, we can go even further along the road, examining the other options and opportunities, (Mystic Seaport, affordable housing, and possibly a relationship with The Island Institute). I want to re-emphasize that we need all elements of the community to charge up the hill with us. The School can take a leadership role and become a major center for the community, but it cannot solve all the problems alone. 26