Government

Cracks patched up at historic Fishers Island Theater

The Fishers Island Theater (Grant Parpan photo)
The Fishers Island Theater (Grant Parpan photo)

The Fishers Island Theater received some much-needed repairs after the historic building was labeled as a “danger” and temporarily closed over the summer.

During the Southold Town Board’s work session Wednesday, Department of Public Works director Jeff Standish reported that crews had visited the island and made the building structurally safe and it’s now able to reopen to the public.

“It doesn’t look pretty,” he said. “I think we did everything we could… I think the building is safe.”

Crews sealed the building to prevent further water damage and filled in small cracks with silicone and larger cracks with concrete. Workers also removed loose bricks that caused a safety hazard over the summer.

It was brought to the town’s attention in April that some of the building’s bricks were falling off and at that point the town inspected the building and deemed it unsafe, Councilwoman and Fishers Island Justice Louisa Evans previously told The Suffolk Times.

“Some of [the bricks] were hanging over the emergency exit, too, and they didn’t want someone to get hit so they closed off the building and shut it down until it could be made safe,” she said after the Town Board visited Fishers Island in August. “It is a beautiful building. Unfortunately the building was allowed to get into a state of disrepair.”

The most recent patchwork is a temporary solution, Mr. Standish said.

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The town is currently working with the Fisher Island Ferry District to figure out a long-term restoration and maintenance plan for the theater, he said. The district manages the theater and other property owned by the town, including the airport and the parade ground.

“What we really want is a building that is safe,” Ms. Evans said Wednesday.

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