Voters gave a resounding vote of confidence to the Shelter Island Library Saturday, endorsing the 2025 budget by a vote of 158 to 27 Saturday. The full spending plan is $988,050 of which $832,295 will come from taxpayers.
For property assessed at $890,000 the added tax cost the homeowner can expect to see is an additional $15.65 on the bill next year, according to Library Director Terry Lucas, who said her information came from assessors.
“We were pleased with the good turnout and the positive vote, Ms. Lucas said.
Not on this ballot is the debt service for the library’s expansion since that was approved by voters in June 2023. The estimate available at the time of that referendum was those with properties assessed at $600,000 would pay $108 a year; $153 a year for those with property assessed at $850,000; $180 a year for those who property is assessed at $1 million; and $269 for those whose property is assessed at $1.5 million.
MEETING ON LIBRARY EXPANSION
The Town Board adjourned a public hearing Tuesday on the site plan for the Shelter Island Library expansion project. Not yet available are reports on the site plan from the Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) and the Planning Board.
The planners expect to render a report by the end of this week; it’s expected the CAC will submit its report soon.
While a few neighbors raised concerns about parking and traffic, and one woman had concerns about noise from children playing in an area adjacent to her property, no one opposed the expansion project. They asked for consideration for their peaceful life styles and worries about accidents in the area from increased traffic.
Christopher Sepp of Commack’s BHC Architects provided an overview of the project that has undergone some adjustments since he and Derek Kratz from Park East Construction of Huntington began talks with residents about what they would like to have included in the more spacious structure that will be built.
In June 2023, 609 voters cast their votes in person and another 98 voted by absentee ballot on the proposed expansion. The tally was 516 in favor of the $9.5 million project, while 272 voted against it.
Town Engineer Joe Finora and Senior Building Inspector Reed Karen shared some of the same reactions to the site plan They both wanted some sort of permeable surface other than grass on the land bank area where vehicles sometimes park when the library lot is full, but acknowledged extra parking is not generally going to be necessary.
Library Director Terry Lucas said most of the time, there will be plenty of onsite parking for library visitors. But with some large events such as the Friday Night Dialogue program, it’s likely people will use the current grassy space that is used and she predicted that other parking will be found at the Community Center and commercial lots in the area that at night are not being used for business activities. Mr. Finora predicted that will suffice.
Tom Cronin, a candidate for Town Board, retired police officer and active firefighter, expressing concern about the temporary trailer being used to house staff, visitors and some smaller activities during the construction period, said the trailer’s windows don’t open to allow exit should there be a fire.
Ms. Lucas noted there are two openings to enable people to emerge from the trailer. The new structure will have windows that open as well as several doorways.
Ms. Lucas spoke about how she and the staff are looking forward to the project getting underway. The main obstacle to breaking ground is the permit process with the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, which is still reviewing issues affecting water and septics. Thrown into the mix was the unanticipated need for site plan review. That emerged when the Town Board decided that public buildings should get the same scrutiny that homeowners undergo to ensure proposals don’t change the character of neighborhoods.
Those public projects that already had building permits could go forward under the old rules. But the library, because of its pending permits, had not yet received its building permit and was forced to abide by the new rules.
Nonetheless, Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams pledged to fast-track the process and is likely to get the library project through the site plan review before the other pending permits are issued.