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Resident criticizes town environmental consultant, urges WMAC presence at hearings
Summary
A Shelter Island resident told the Town Board the paid environmental consultant 'went out of her lane' and introduced restrictions without board pushback, and urged the Wetlands and Marine Advisory Committee (WMAC) to participate in hearings to provide counterbalance.
A resident from North Ferry Road told the Shelter Island Town Board that the town’s environmental consultant introduced new restrictions during a recent public hearing and that the Wetlands and Marine Advisory Committee did not provide counterbalance. "She went out of her lane taking me on," the resident said, accusing the consultant of imposing an "absurd requirement" involving a discussion of a hand‑crank ladder.
Chair (speaker 1) confirmed the board had posted Theresa Mason’s report on the town website and said the document had been available to applicants and the public prior to the hearing. The resident urged WMAC to attend future hearings and questioned two negative declarations issued at the hearing, saying one was justified "for the good of the island" and that aesthetic concerns were being used to oppose applications. The board did not resolve the claim on the record and did not reverse the consultant’s recommendations during the meeting.
