P.O. Box 371, Fishers Island, NY 06390
Tel: 631-788-7990
Email: finy.southold@gmail.com
ISLAND COMMUNITY BOARD
ICB October 2024 Monthly Meeting
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2024
5:00 pm
Zoom Meeting
Agenda for October 8
Staley Sednaoui: Southold and Update
Brad Burnham: Pickett Solar Project
Lucinda Herrick: Islanders for Islanders
Total Participants:
ICB Representatives: John McGillian (President), George de Menil (Vice President), April White (Year-Round), Richard Miller (Seasonal), Linda Mrowka (Year-Round). Staley Sednaoui (Vice President/Year-Round)
John McGillian opened the meeting and greeted everyone. No minutes were passed as they had not been completed by the secretary yet.
Meeting video begins at 00:01:25
Southold Updates, Budget, and Seawall Discussion
In the absence of Beth Cashel and Louisa Evans, Staley Sednaoui provided updates on Southold’s proposed legislation to include Fishers Island in receiving fees for false fire alarms and the Town police’s return to the Community Center after the election. She reported that the Town supervisor has submitted the tentative budget for fiscal year 2025, with public hearings scheduled for November 5th. Staley also discussed the town’s zoning process, which involves hiring a consultant to work with the Town Board, Planning Department, and the Southold Zoning Committee. A meeting via Zoom is scheduled for October 29th at 5 PM, where the Fisher’s Island Committee will present their findings and gather questions and comments from the community.
The meeting then moved to discussions about the Town’s seawall condition, which had deteriorated beyond expectations. Dicky Riegel reported on the Town’s actions and the involvement of various neighborhood groups. Dicky Riegel then discussed the unsafe fenced-off road on Fishers Island and the Town’s proposed long-term solution of removing the wall and replacing it with a rock revetment and recreational path, which would restrict vehicular access. Dicky highlighted the lack of communication with the FI Fire Department and the need for partnership with private property owners. The short-term fence issue remains unresolved. John McGillian and Dicky discussed financial constraints for repairing sidewalks and mentioned that $800K was originally bonded four years ago for the seawall repair. However, so much time has gone by, it’s hard to know the exact repair costs and how to factor in the Town’s procedures of prevailing wage as it might exclude local contractors. Willard Soper raised a concern about the Town’s allocation of funds for sidewalk repairs, noting that the town had previously indicated they would increase the budget by three times the initial amount. Dicky confirmed that he had brought this issue to Al Krupski, the person responsible for the Town’s finances. John suggested that they should continue to pressure Mr. Krupski for the funds. Staley asked Dicky if Michael Collins, the Town engineer, had presented data to the neighborhood group about the extent of the damage behind the wall, to which Dicky responded that they had not used ground penetrating radar to assess the damage. John agreed to revisit this issue and report back to the group. Staley also raised a question from a Zoom attendee about whether it was too late to apply for FEMA funding for the seawall repairs, which Dicky agreed to follow up on. Later in the meeting, it was made clear that FEMA funds have to be related directly to a specific storm or weather event.
Fishers Island Waste Management
Waste Management commissioner Kate Stevens introduced the new manager of waste management, Josh Theodore. Josh discussed several upcoming initiatives and changes on the island. He mentioned the availability of firewood starting next Monday, posted at the compost station during designated hours. He also mentioned a shift in station hours to 7:30 AM opening and 4 PM closing. Josh is working on creating data spreadsheets to track various island activities, including compost and firewood usage. He also mentioned an upcoming RFP for the solar field. Lastly, he reminded everyone about the budget meeting on the 17th of October. Josh shared his plans to be on the island on October 12th for the Union Chapel Fair and the Lobster Fest, and encouraged everyone to reach out to him through the contact link on the website. The conversation ended with Josh expressing his availability for communication.
Solar Array on Picket Landfill Discussion
Brad Burnham discussed the potential for a solar array on the picket landfill to significantly increase the island’s renewable energy usage. The landfill, owned by Waste Management, is currently being considered for development through an RFP. Brad highlighted the benefits of local energy production, including increased energy independence and resilience, potential lease income, and alignment with sustainability goals. The proposed solar array would be a $3M investment, entirely privately financed, and could potentially provide a discount to Fisher’s Island Electric company. Brad also mentioned the team involved in the project design.
Brad discussed the island’s energy consumption and production, highlighting that solar energy could contribute significantly, especially during the summer months. He presented data from Fisher Island Electric Company, showing the daily energy consumption and production patterns. The data revealed that energy consumption was higher towards the end of the day in the summer, and the island’s peak energy demand was met by a generator owned by the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative. Brad also noted that the island’s solar energy production was affected by weather and cloud cover.
Brad discussed the potential of sending more power to the mainland, which would benefit both parties and reduce diesel fuel consumption. He mentioned the creation of an entity called Picket Power, LLC to participate in an RFP process, aiming to win against a developer from off-Island. The timeline for the project includes the RFP process starting in January, followed by permitting, interconnection, construction, and operations. Brad also mentioned working with experienced teams, including Crawford and Associates and Michael Roush, to help with the permitting process. He highlighted the increasing demand for electrification and the potential for distributed energy resources to make grids more resilient and economical. Brad expressed confidence in the project’s financial viability, with commitments to finance the full $3M. He also expressed interest in finding other participants to finance the project.
Brad discussed the potential for electricity rates to float with inflation and the need to engineer the entire site for an RFP. Brad also mentioned the possibility of negotiating with the Fisher Electric Corporation for grid services and the potential for lower line losses. John emphasized the importance of not increasing costs to consumers and Union confirmed that they would not do this if it would increase costs. Brad also mentioned the possibility of getting tax benefits from the IRA and other incentives. Staley asked about the categorization of the project as a rural solar operator, to which Brad responded that they were unsure. Brad also estimated the cost of batteries to potentially shave the peak demand charge at around 4:00 to 500,000. The conversation ended with a request to post the presentation on FishersIsland.net.
Islanders for Islanders
Lucinda Herrick discussed the Islanders’ support for the Fishers Island community, highlighting various initiatives and funding provided for transportation, lodging, training, medical costs, and equipment for the Fire Department’s Junior Firefighters program.
