Home News Local News Special village board meeting today to re-vote on Tall Ships budget

Special village board meeting today to re-vote on Tall Ships budget

A special meeting of the Greenport Village board will be held today, to vote again on funding for the Tall Ships event.

A vote on certain aspects of the funding failed to pass last week after Trustee Doug Roberts voted “no” and both Trustees Julia Robins and Jack Martilotta abstained, due to the fact that they sit on the Tall Ships committee.

The meeting will be held at 4 p.m. today at Village Hall, located at 236 Third Street.

Also on the agenda are three budget modifications for the Village of Greenport Fire Department and a vote to set a public hearing for June 25 at 7 p.m., regarding assessment of costs related to the demolition of the fire-ravaged home belonging to Peggy Richards at 415 Kaplan Avenue. As per village code, the hearing must be held before adding the costs to Richards’ tax bill.

Last, week, contention over Tall Ships-related costs reached a boiling point as a sharply divided village board voted against paying for some of the event’s costs, including at least one port fee.

For months, Roberts has been questioning the cost of the event and demanding that proof be shown of promised funding.

At last week’s village board meeting, Roberts asked that a resolution covering Tall Ships costs be itemized, and Village Administrator Paul Pallas broke down the numbers. While a resolution for costs such as porta potties and local bands totaling $14,500 passed, with two abstentions from Martilotta and Robins, who sit on the Tall Ships committee, the next resolution, to cover costs including advertising and at least one port fee for one of the Tall Ships, was voted down.

Roberts said he hoped the vote would provide “encouragement and incentive” for the Greenport Business Improvement District “to deliver on the commitment they made to raise $100,000 to support this Tall Ships event.”

When the Tall Ships event was proposed and approved by the previous board in 2014, the public was told that there would be $100,000 in sponsorship funds, Roberts said.

“To date, we have $21,000. The event is in a month. I said when I took office that I would support spending additional monies on Tall Ships if certain funding milestones were hit, which included having most of the $100,000 in the bank and all of it committed by the May meeting. Unfortunately, we’re not there yet.”

Roberts said he did support spending the $14,500 of the Tall Ships expenses for “absolute essentials,” including tents, local bands, and porta potties. “The second group of items, which included a port fee and more fees to the marketing company, were grouped into a motion that did not pass,” he said. At the meeting, he added, “The rest can wait.”

In recent months, Trustee Mary Bess Phillips had asked to see regular reports on spending related to the Tall Ships events and the board has asked for BID members to come to village board meetings to report on progress. So far, no BID members have come before the board, although Robins, the liaison to the BID, said she’s made that request.

In April, the board was also divided on Tall Ships funding. Resident John Saladino said he didn’t even know what questions to ask about the event because “we haven’t been told anything.” Saladino said the BID as well as the board liaisons had been “unresponsive to the public.”

Mayor George Hubbard said “in all fairness,” the Tall Ships committee has been restructured” since the election.

Robins said in April that there are $176,000 in ship contracts.

The BID, she said, had confirmation of $60,000 in the form of four lead sponsors, with with $13,500 committed from smaller sponsors; most, she said, are local businesses. The lead sponsors will have their logos on promotional materials, she said.

Roberts asked how much money has actually been collected.

“We have nothing in hand,” Robins said in April, adding that one of the sponsors is ready to give a $15,000 check.

In light of the fact that no checks had been received by the April meeting, Roberts voted against the village allocating $17,000 for marketing and public relations for the event; he said he believed the BID needs to make a concrete commitment.

“When I was transitioning into office I was very clear about what they needed to do,” Roberts said. “They’re headed in the right direction but I made it pretty clear that I don’t agree with how this whole thing was set up from a fiscal standpoint. We’ve gambled with people’s money, written $37,500 in checks. The village has done its part. This event is going to happen. But I’m going to vote against this because the BID needs to do its part.” The village, he said, needed the discussed $100,000 from BID donations.

Roberts voted no, Martilotta abstained because he’s on the committee, and the other three trustees voted to green light the funding.

Later, Roberts did vote in favor, along with the board, of a resolution for a proposal submitted by Kit Liset, as recommended by the Tall Ships 2015 Event Steering Committee, for performance of independent contracting services as event coordinator; the board also approved a resolution for creation of artwork for the event.

At a press event to kick off the Tall Ships event in early May, Greenport BID President Peter Clarke said the event  “benefits all of us,” not only with educational opportunities for all ages, but in serving as an economic generator for the business community.  The BID, he said, has pledged $100,000 to the event and has raised over $70,000 so far. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Clarke thanked the sponsors who’ve signed on, including WABC-TV, Claudio’s, Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, Stony Brook Medicine, Peconic Landing, Eastern Long Island Hospital, Noah’s Restaurant, and Newsday.
At least one sponsor has allegedly withdrawn support from the event, according to Hubbard.