A Letter From the President

Jay Pagano

     

Greetings!

    

I hope everyone has been enjoying our glorious fall in the Pines.  It is as if we are suspended between summer and autumn.  The beautiful fall weather helped  draw a record crowd to our community closing party on October 12th.   Many brought wonderful dishes to our pot luck party.  All attending had a wonderful night.

Many thanks go to the Fire Island Pines Volunteer Fire Department for their work controlling the fire that occurred in the community on September 30th.  Our fire department was joined by fire companies from all of the Fire Island communities and six companies from Long Island.  The work of the various fire companies was heroic and prevented the fire from spreading to adjourning homes.  The Fire Department has informed me that the official report of the fire did not determine the cause.  This is often the case in major fires in our community because the fire destroys the entire structure leaving no clues as to the cause.  I have talked to the owner of the house where the fire began, she reports leaving the house several hours before the fire began and that nothing had been left on and that she had checked the house before leaving.  She too, had no idea of what had caused the fire.  Our sympathies go out to Lila Swell and Sandy Stevenson and Judy & Richard Kingman whose houses were destroyed.  Thanks also to the Pines Pantry which provided refreshments to the fireman during the fire and to Sayville Ferry which transported fire companies and their equipment.    We have included a letter from Garry Korr, FIPPOA Director, giving a very personal account of the fire.

 

Planning for the beach replenishment project (FIMP) was delayed by the several weeks of the Government shut down.  The Fire Island communities had a meeting planned on October 2nd with the Army Corps of Engineers Real Estate Unit to resolve the final language of the easement and to plan next steps with regard to the easements.  We are waiting for the scheduling of a new meeting. 

 

We do know that the plan is for 6 million cubic yards of sand to be placed on Fire Island.  The dune profile will have a crest 15 feet above sea level and 25 feet wide.  The source of the sand will come from ocean reserves that are off shore.  There is no plan to put sand in the wilderness areas although the project will include tapers from our dune line into the National Seashore area east and west of the Pines.  We will be pressing for very substantial tapers.  The various agreements between the government agencies are still being executed.  A formal environmental review of the project must be undertaken.  This may take the form of an environmental assessment (EA) which is less time consuming.  The goal is still to begin placing sand in the wilderness areas at the east and west end of the island in January, while planning work proceeds on the rest of the project.  But again this may be impacted by the government shutdown.  I will have more information on all of this in the next few weeks. 

   

Our efforts to keep the project on track and moving ahead are being spearheaded by the Fire Island Association (FIA).  Suzie Goldhirsch, the new President of FIA, appeared and spoke at our Fall Membership Meeting.  She received an enthusiastic reception.  She outlined the extensive efforts of the FIA at all government levels to make the project happen.   It is important that we support the FIA in its work.  One way that we can do that is joining the FIA and paying dues.  Membership levels from the Pines are embarrassingly low.  We lag behind communities that are less that half our size. Please join the FIA and work to make the FIMP happen.

    

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An Eyewitness Report

Garry Korr 

 

I was on Scaup Walk (near freight dock) finishing a lovely dinner at Bruce and Rob's house when we heard the fire siren go off about 4 times which seemed unusual.

 

I stepped outside and saw the eastern sky on fire around Tarpon Walk (my walk).  I ran as fast as this old bionic body could take me and ran past Tarpon Walk to Fisherman Path where I sadly saw a raging inferno envelope Lila and Sandy's house. 

 

The sky was filled with a blizzard of sparks flying west and south which seemed very dangerous to the surrounding houses and yards. 

 

I immediately ran back to my house to pick up my 100' garden hose, that I ironically threw out in the garbage that day, thinking any bit of water could help put out fires from the embers.

 

When I returned with my garden hose our fire department had setup a gigantic water spray that was drenching the whole area from Fire Island Boulevard to Ocean Walk.

 

I certainly was soaked from head to toe. 

 

A few minutes later other fire departments (Grove, Davis Park, Ocean Beach, etc.) were arriving from the beach to help Walter Boss who placed the "little boardwalk fire truck" at the hydrant on the corner of Ocean and Fisherman.   Thank God because the pool decks of those 2 houses on that corner were on fire and it seemed a matter of minutes before the houses would be as well.

 

We have many firemen and firewomen heroes from that night who saved the surrounding houses from the same tragedy that befell Sandy Stevenson, Lila Swell and Richard & Judy Kingman.

 

I can't thank them enough for saving the Pines again.

 

My sincerest sympathies go out to Lila, Sandy, Richard and Judy for their huge losses.

 

  

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