-
80% of Fire
Island is public park land and will remain open and
undeveloped space (That includes a National Seashore, a state
park, a county park, and a couple of Town parks.)
-
Only 20% of
Fire Island is developed with approximately 4,000 usable lots
in 17 small communities? The homes in these communities offer
the major rental resource for public access.
-
The 17
communities, through the Fire Island Association, were the
primary movers to create the Fire Island National Seashore in
1964? That insured protection of all undeveloped land on the
Island.
-
Thirteen
communities have standing erosion control taxing districts
that pay for nourishing community beaches and dunes? These
districts invest more than $1.5 million every year to build
the barrier Fire Island at no cost to the general public
outside of Fire Island.
-
The
Westhampton groinfield, started in 1964, was left unfilled
with sand, and that Fire Island was thus deprived of many
millions of cubic yards of sand over the last 35 years. That's
enough for an entire dune system and another 100 yards of
width of the beach
-
Congress
authorized an erosion control plan in 1960 for Fire Island
Inlet to Montauk Point The FIA has been working to get it back
on track. In the meantime, our "Interim Plan" has been
designed to place sand on 12 miles of Fire Island, including
six miles of that for the Fire Island National Seashore.
-
All
Fire Island beaches are open to visitors without the need for
special beach passes or payment for use
-
Fire Island
is free of all but essential vehicle travel. Almost all visits
are by ferry boats. (Homeowners created the National Seashore
and fought against a highway running the length of Fire Island
in that homeowners highly valued the island's natural,
undeveloped beauty.
-
64% of Fire
Island homeowners, when told of the "Interim Plan" voted to
increase their taxes to pay for 50% of the local Suffolk
County share of project costs. This would impose taxes on the
FT homeowners of approximately $127 for every $1 paid by other
county taxpayers to cover the costs of strengthening the
barrier beach, which also protects property north of the Great
South Bay.
-
The Army
Corps and New York State can only provide shore protection
where the value of public infrastructure protection at least
equals the cost of doing the projects. Also, the projects must
be environmentally benign.
-
This
summarizes the environmental conscience of Fire Island
homeowners who largely created the National Seashore to halt
over development of the island. Now these homeowners seek to
rebuild the natural barrier of protection by replacing much of
the sand not allowed to pass the sand blockers of
Westhampton's groinfield, and Moriches Inlet.
Have a question?
