Highlights
Winds From the Wrong Direction
Let’s hope
the sand has not been taken too far away
LIA
Weighs In On Reformulation
A key player gets involved
Letter From Senator
Clinton
Suitable for framing
Community News
Promotions in (and a nice plug from) Ocean Beach … Davis Park mulls a
beach project … Bruce Martin dead at 60 … Brookhaven will rebate some
taxes
Helping the Lighthouse Help Us
We need each other
Hurricanes Flush Out Pilkey
It’s an ill wind that blows no one to good
Are You With Us?
A lot of folks aren’t but enjoy the Newsletter anyway.
Given decades of sand starvation, a week of northeast winds, and tides made worse by a sun-earth-moon alignment is all it takes to erode Fire Island beaches back to the dune line and under some first-row houses. And that’s what we had in October. Dune cuts (needed to allow vehicles into the communities and Seashore areas from the beach) tend to invite the ocean in to the middle of the island but, so far, no serious incursion has resulted. The communities that ponied up large sums to pay for beach nourishment projects last winter can hope that the sand is still in the nearshore system. A period of calm may see much of it moved back onto the beaches.
Stan Livingston, a Davis Park Year Rounder and computer adept, has posted pictures of the flattened beaches and eroded dunes on his web site http://www.lejabeach.com. He says the persistent northeast winds can be traced to a huge ocean storm that sent winds swirling counterclockwise to strike Fire Island from the northeast for several days in a row.
Fire Island’s prevailing winds, gentle from the southwest, tend to slow the alongshore east-to- west current. Sand, dropped from the slowed current, is pushed onto the beach. Storm winds mostly come from the northeast, speeding the current and dragging sand from the beach. These countervailing forces move the beach toward equilibrium, so that the shoreline stays more or less in one place over the years. When there is too little sand moving along the shoreline, a result of updrift obstructions such as groins and inlet jetties, the shoreline still tends toward equilibrium, but at a point further inland. Where the houses are.
Persistent northeast winds affect the bay side of Fire
Island as well. Steady winds from the east can keep the tide from
draining through Moriches Inlet. With one high tide piling onto
another,eastern bay-front communities tend to get flooded, and stay
flooded, until the winds ease and the water finally flows out through
the inlet. As a result of the current weather pattern, FINS headquarters
on the Patchogue River has seen five inches of water in the surrounding
streets, even though little rain has fallen.
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Long Island Association Hosts Meeting on Reformulation
The Long Island Association is the region’s leading business and public policy organization. Through its Energy and Environment Committee, it is a key player on a range of issues, from LIPA’s proposed offshore wind farm to monitoring debates over whether Suffolk County needs an environmental bond issue to preserve open space. Somewhere in that range of interests is the question of whether there should be a rational shore protection and management program for the Long Island ocean coastline. This issue is the essence of the Army Corps of Engineers’ reformulation of its 44-year-old project to provide hurricane protection and storm damage reduction for the beaches between Fire Island Inlet and Montauk Point.
FIA, along with the Nature Conservancy and a variety of industry representatives and consultants, is a member of the E&E Committee’s Coastal Subcommittee, which, on October 15, hosted a briefing session for legislative staffers at the town, county, state and federal levels. The timing could have been better. LIA staff did not want the meeting to be too close to the elections, but that meant there was not enough time between issuance of the invitations and the meeting date to allow busy lawmakers to rearrange commitments. Many of those invited could not make the meeting. The only legislator present was Assemblywoman Ginny Fields. Senator Clinton, Congressman Bishop, County Executive Levy, State Senator Marcellino, Assemblywoman Acampora and Assemblyman Thiel sent representatives. New York’s Department of State and Department of Environmental Conservation were represented, as were Islip and Suffolk planning and the National Park Service. Irving Like attended, representing the New York Coastal Partnership.
First on the agenda was FIA president Jerry Stoddard who spoke about the economic and cultural importance of Long Island’s beach communities in the project area. He noted that the alternative to rational coastal management was to have judges make coastal policy on a case by case basis. The Nature Conservancy’s Scott Cullen, who has made presentations to a number of Fire Island community associations, discussed environmental considerations of shoreline management. Professor Malcolm Bowman of Stony Brook University provided background geological data on the island, and Roselle Henn of the corps of Engineers described the project reformulation process. There was a brief discussion at the end of the presentations.
The consensus of those present was disappointment that there
was not better representation from legislative offices. The Corps is
determined to continue reaching out to all governments and interest
groups. It is expected that TNC and FIA will both be represented in
future sessions.
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Ocean Beach Promotes Two
Mary Ann Minerva, who had been Clerk/Treasurer, is now Administrator/Treasurer of the Village, according to a recent announcement. In this post Ms. Minerva will be responsible for all office, clerical, administrative and fiscal affairs, including contracts and government and private agency liaison. Kevin Schelling, formerly head of the Water and Sewer Department, is now Superintendent of Public Works. That means he will also be in charge of all Village capital and maintenance construction. Ethan Repp, formerly Administrator-Manager, has left the employ of the Village, Mayor Rogers and the Village Trustees announced.
Speaking of Ocean Beach, the following item appeared in OBA’s October Newsletter: “Many have asked about periodic communications from the Fire Island Association. Often people say, “I’m a member of OBA. Why do I need to be member of the FIA?” The answer is that they are two totally different organizations, with different goals. Because FIA represents residents of the entire Island, and has more members and therefore more resources, it is able to employ attorneys and lobbyists to represent island-wide interests. So, when the current Administration recently omitted all monies for shoreline protection, beach renourishment and erosion control from the Federal Budget, representatives of FIA were there to fight for the restoration of these funds. Bottom line, the Fire Island Association deserves our support. They advocate for all Fire Islanders in Hauppauge, in Albany and in Washington.”
FIA thanks the officers of the Ocean Beach Association, especially Director Rob Nager and Alternate Director Judy Steinman, the newsletter editor. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Davis Park Considers Beach Restoration
Even before the current beach-flattening nor’easter, Davis Park residents were wondering if they should not take advantage of what could prove to be islanders’ last chance at beach building. The “window of opportunity” opened by the Environmental Assessment issued by the Seashore in August 2003, under which the Pines and several west end communities were able to nourish their beaches, closes at the end of December 2005. If Davis Park is to proceed it must be able to complete its project before then.
Davis Park is unique in the substantial Town of Brookhaven interest there. The Town maintains a sizeable marina and bay-to-ocean park in the center of the community, in all about 28 percent of the hamlet. That gives it good reason to join with the property owners in protecting the beaches. Through Councilmember Tim Mazzei, the Town has more or less committed to meet its percentage share of the cost. If the residents are able to convince the Town that the marina, itself a valuable Town asset, should surcharge boaters $2 a day for the protective project, the D-P property owner burden would be eased further. And, should another community want to mount a similar project, sharing set-up expense, costs of the effort for both would decline further.
In any case, it is property owners who would have to come up with most of the cost. The Davis Park Association was pushing all of its members for an expression of interest that could be forwarded to the Town by the end of October.
Ocean Bay Park/Seaview Lose Bruce Martin
Bruce Martin, 60, president of Ocean Bay Park’s water company, community manager for Seaview and a Commissioner of the Fire District, died as the result of an accident on September 22. He apparently fell or slipped into a water meter pit and was unable to extricate himself. He was found the next day by a co-worker.
Mr. Martin, a successful businessman who founded Martin Audio, decided to make Ocean Bay Park his year-round home when he sold the business in 1989. His electronic communications expertise was of great value to the OBP Fire Department. He turned his talents to the community’s water company where, according to an appreciation in a recording industry professional journal, he designed and installed “a very sophisticated remote computerized water testing and measuring system to control leakage and billing.” Indeed, if you had a leaking garden hose, Bruce would tell you about it before it showed up in your water bill. An expert in island well-drilling and maintenance, he designed a free flow collection system to address turbidity problems that the Suffolk County Water Authority adopted in other island locations.
At the time of his death Bruce had served for several years as Community Manager for Seaview. His passing leaves a void in both communities that will not be easily filled.
Brookhaven Owners Get a Tax Break
The average Brookhaven homeowner – including those on Fire Island – can expect to save $300 on next year’s property tax bill, according to a story in Newsday. Supervisor John J. LaValle, faced with a $90 million budget surplus, has decided that “It’s time to give that money back to the residents.” The tax relief will cost the town about $26 million of a projected $90 million surplus. The story adds that other Brookhaven taxes “will rise by about $45.”
Davis Park Association President John Lund notes that the
“Town general” line on the current tax bill represents 5.1 percent of a
property’s assessed value.
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This season’s several destructive hurricanes presented an opportunity that Orrin Pilkey, avowed foe of beach nourishment, and his disciple Andrew Coburn, were not likely to overlook. Dr. Pilkey is the James B. Duke Professor of Earth Sciences at Duke’s Nichols School of the Environment and Earth Sciences. Andrew Coburn directs the school’s program for the study of developed shorelines. Among many other forays into print about how the hurricanes proved their point about why beach nourishment is a waste of money and effort, they authored an article in USA Today headlined, “Hurricanes’ Lesson: Don’t Build on the Beach.”
While hurricanes, the authors say, “provide sand” to natural barrier islands, the recent storms “wiped away artificial beaches all over Florida and Alabama.” They ask, “What could be more irresponsible than building next to an eroding beach that is subject to frequent major storms?”
Harry Simmons, Mayor of Caswell Beach, N.C., and president of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, replied in a letter published in early October: “People rarely build adjacent to beaches because common sense and setback regulations already prevent that from occurring.” Simmons noted that the storms’ paths also suggests that it must be equally irresponsible to build in Atlanta, Ashville, Harrisburg, Richmond and Washington, cities that also were pummeled by the likes of Ivan, Frederick and Jeanne.
Mayor Simmons credits Prof. Pilkey with being right about
one thing: the protective value of rebuilt beaches. “A $30 million
cost-shared beach nourishment project in Brevard County, Fla.,
successfully protected $2 billion worth of roads, utilities, homes and
businesses from damage by multiple storm surges.” Concludes Simmons: “I
would suggest that any of
USA
Today’s
readers would love to get such a return on investment on Wall Street.”
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FIA is a contributor to the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society, FILPS for short. Why, you might wonder, should one not-for-profit group contribute to another? The answer is that FILPS is a very important Fire Island institution.
Under the leadership of Tom Roberts, who led the fight to keep the building from being demolished and got the light turned on again in the 1980s, FILPS has earned the respect of all Long Island, including federal, state and local legislators. Its school tours and other educational efforts have become essential parts of school science curricula in the region. In short, the Lighthouse engenders tremendous good will for Fire Island among mainland people who count. We want some of that good will to rub off on us, so we try to help the Lighthouse achieve its objectives.
As a key partner to the Fire Island National Seashore, FILPS maintains close relations with the National Park Service at the local, regional and headquarters levels. When FIA and FILPS speak in unison on topics of mutual importance, such as shoreline protection, it is hard to ignore us. In other words, helping the Lighthouse helps FIA. ►
But, politics aside, the most important thing about the
Lighthouse is that it is a wonderful place to visit, especially with
children. Drive south on the Robert Moses Causeway and park at Field 5
at Robert Moses State Park. Follow the boardwalk through one of the
world’s great bird-watching areas, past the refurbished boat house and
up to the Keeper’s Quarters. Visit the museum and gift shop (maybe an
art show will be in place when you are there). Climb to the top of the
tower – not as hard as you might expect. A family membership ($40) or
individual ($25) is yours with a check to FILPS, 4640 Captree Island,
Captree Island NY 11702-4601. The website is
www.fireislandlighthouse.com.
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Are You Currently a Member of FIA?
For the past several years FIA has sent this Newsletter to more than 2,000 Fire Islanders. We hope it keeps members informed on issues and developments that affect the value and safety of their Fire Island property. Each issue costs about $1,600 (almost $500 of it postage). For most of us Fire Island is far more than a real estate investment: it is a major focus of our lives – even if mainly from June to September. But FIA is busy on Fire Island problems the year around. This issue shows that we work with others: the Lighthouse Society, the Long Island Association, the Corps of Engineers, our member associations and so on. We’re in touch with the school district, the police, insurance experts, Washington lobbyists, consulting engineers and public officials by the dozen. It takes time and dedication. And it takes money.
If this Newsletter goes to about 2000, only about 1500 are year-in, year-out dues-paying members. We need to do better than that.
Are you one of those who get the Newsletter but never pays dues? Please help us get our membership number above 2000 by urging your friends, neighbors and whoever pays the bills at your house to put Bob Spencer’s next dues mailing at the top of the pile.
Or send a check for $75 to FIA, c/o Berkow Schechter & Co., 350 Bedford Street, Stamford, CT 06901. Many thanks