A recent hazy, hot Saturday morning found the Long Island community once again gathered for town meeting. The annual town meeting held May 14 reached a standstill with Articles 53 and 54, which addressed the ownership of land once used by the Navy as a fueling depot during World War II. The land is currently owned by Northland, Inc. Article 53 proposed that the Town of Long Island accept ownership of the land, and article 54 proposed the creation of a Limited Liability Corporation to manage the land. On May 14 the town decided that not enough information had been presented for the voters to fully understand the situation and their options, so the meeting was recessed until June 11.

Northland acquired the land in 1995, and an extensive cleanup of the underground fuel tanks occurred in 1999. All of the land is currently subject to a conservation easement held by the Long Island Civic Association. The debate surrounding ownership was largely based on the potential for future environmental risks, and the liability if a problem arose.

On June 11, several speakers discussed the two ownership options and answered questions. Speakers included Rob Crawford, the town’s attorney, Bob Gerber from the Stratex Corporation, Jamie Kilbreth from Northland, and several representatives from the DEP. The presenters were all in agreement that while no one can predict the future, an environmental crisis is unlikely. In addition to risk assessment, the town needed to consider how much control it wishes to have over land use decisions and maintenance.

In the end, Article 53 failed and Article 54 passed. Northland will turn over ownership of the land, and a Limited Liability Corporation will be created to manage it. The town will work with Rob Crawford to develop a management agreement, which will set parameters such as the number of directors representing the corporation, their term limits, and the by-laws. In this way the town maintains much of the control over the land and decisions regarding its use, but is protected in the event of a future environmental problem.