HomeMy WebLinkAboutFishers Island Waste Management District Lucius L. Fowler
Pmident
Fisbers Island Community Center,Inc.
66 Hound Woe
Fishers Island,NY 06390
October 23,2018
Honorable Scott A.Russe#l,TownSupervisor
RECEIVEDandMembm of'the Town Board OCT 2 3 2018
Toroth of'Southold
S4375 Main Rd_
P.O.Box 1179 Southold Town Clerk
Southold, My 11971
Re:Fishers island Waste Management District
Dear Scott and Members of the Teen Board,
This is to for ally express the Pishers Island Community Center's concerns about
the Fishers Island Waste Management Di strices( iD)cu Trent autivitics and our
oppclSidren to the proposed S4_2 million project to c*nsolidate waste management
operations and to build a new CoMpostin facility and other structures,
We oppose the project because we believe it will negatively Impact the Comma its
Centu,the health and well-being of residents and visitors to Fishers Istand,and the
peace and tranquility of the island,and bmu,se the pt ojw is contrary to dhe policy
of theTown of Soutbold to preserve and revitalize its cc t�al areas,as outlined in
the LWRP documentati*iu.
Cont, W Cbe T owe of Southold Local Wate (rant RevitalizatioLq
Pmgraw(LWRP): The W'MD pToposes to build more#iron 7,500 square feet
Of trees btlildi 39s on the Idst-Trio Fort Wright coastal site with views of Race
Rock Lighthouses Fishers Island Sound and Long Island having a permanent
iml)ad:On the beauty and unique character of the area-With Race Rock as its
foc*J point,the site should be preserved,act developed with unsightly
industrial warehouse building.The WMD projecr will jeopagdize ongoing
efforts to revitalize the area,including the development of a proposed park
the installatiou of paddle tennis courts by the FICC adjacent to the public
tennis courts and more much-needed y eu-round housing under
development in the neighborhood.
The'dt MlXS. SQXA review( to Envilr onmentaI QUW1ty Re,View Act)is
sorted and inadequate. The review doesn't take into consideration the
CoMmunity Center,the public tennis eou ts,the new homes and proposed
residences in the neighborhood,as well as the whool property adjacent to
i
the£acil4.To the extent WMD's consultants relied on an earlier report done
in the mid 1990s,it would not have taken into consiaderat on the significant
new growth and development in the area
Flan SafeV:The tacreased traffic that mil be brought througb the
residential core of the Fort wrtht neighborhood on Whistler Avenue and by
the School and Communiq,Center as trash is transported to the proposed
"consolidated' "nsfer anti composing statiar threatens the safety of
residents of the area,children who attei3d the Fishers Island School,
members and visitors tri the Commk3 pity Center,peopie who use the Town's
pubic tennis courts across the street and passengers of the Ferry_While the
WMD proposes sanding al) heavy tracks down Hound cane by the
CO uni
mty Center and tetxnis courts,it is a private road with no sidewalks,
making it even more dangerous.
• Pokkutioo:The operation of industrial wood and brush chippers and grinders
bays created increased dust and particulate levels that threaten the health and
well-being of members and visitors too the Community Center,the children,
teachers and sta17of the Fishers Island 5cbool;people using the public tennis
warts and all the residents of fishers Manrl.l evels have risen dramaticaDy
since tdze WM 0 Agan e.gxa rasion of its heavy machinery operations seveml
years ago;thus,we have no confidence that the WIM Id`s proposed project:w4U
imPrOVe matters.Instead,we think it wilt matte things worse.The
Coaitne nity Center has had to close windows and infill air condition ing in
most of the building to reduce the particulate matter from the WNI Vs
chWiag azul gr riding operations.
Naito Pollution:The noise from chipping,grinding and glass crushing
machinery and the operation of heavy equipment violates the Town orf
Soutboi d policies on the P endow,of 111oiw(Chapter 1110)and
threatens to alter the uniq ue character and tranquil nature of Fishers IsIand..
The noise impacts one of the most densely populptW areas of the Island and
can be heard by the residents of the Fart Fright area,Hay Harbor and all the
way into the ViIZ ge depending on prMil ing winds-It starts at about 7;30
AM and Some days doesnk let up until d using bene.
® E11*00mental Ampam We believe the proposed project and the AIM
operations will do mere harm to the sensitive environment of Fishers Island
than Simply sendi ng the waste to the Inainland where it ca re be procMed
more effectively by facilities with the cxertise to handle the small volulne of
trash generated*Ti.Fishers Island.
I<asca1 IM- a®sibflity.Witb aro annus! budget that is proposed to increase
another 27%teoxtyear,;ire believe that spending by the Waste i4lae ernent
District has been excessive,increasing by more than 90%from$566,000 is
r
20017 to more than SImillion projected in 2019.The Board of the Community
Center shares the view of many 110MOOwners that with a budget that is
already too high,f6r thesmall wrnmunity served by WM.D, the new 1>r+ojectt
will cause costs of the WMD to spiral further.
• Uppiog Fees &,fa sed T :In addition to increasing tLws,the
WMD's proposal to charge (per pound)for dropping off trash,inspect
residents'trash in a drive-thru warehouse facility and Mquireresidents iD
purchase bags for garbage from the WMD wiR add to the already tomo high
ex uses and tax burden imposed,
Frey District f act.:Lasdyr,the proposed projectwA have a neptive
impact on the Ferry District and Walsh Fac&'s proposed project to build
apartmcttts above the Fishers Island freFot office.
The D's proposed project is simply environmentally and fiscally irresponsible
and will likely cause more damage to elle environment than sending the waste to
facilities on the mainland which have the experlize and capacity to deal with it more
effectively.Since:Fishm,Island's current operations far exceed the current New
York Stene DEC requirements,the proposed project and the D's heavy
equipment Operations are simply m mecessary
In sununary,on behalf of the Flim and all of its M ember$,we vigorously mpPO„e the
WM's proposed expansion and consolidation project that threatens the
COMMunity Center,as well as the heatth and well-being of residents of Fishers
Island.The cent operations of the WMD are a)ready creating excessive noise and
particulate pollution_ histead of tha expansioa of its operations on Fishers,we
believe the goal of the Waste Management District Commissioners should be to seek
alternatives to the Di$trtcfi's proposed project that do not threaten the well being of
Island residents from a health,safety and fiscal prospewve.
Respectfully,
Luke Fowler
PMident
Pishers Island Community Center,Inc.
CC:gate Malinowski-ICB
W ilar°d 13.Soper€11-ICB
Louisa Frans,Esq,
M& Heather Uu=-Planning Departmen t