Local residents gather in the Branch Plaza parking lot in the Village of the Branch to show support for law enforcers and health care workers. Photo by David Luces
Smithtown Councilman Thomas Lohmann addresses rally attendees. Photo by David Luces
Rally organizer Robert Cornicelli addresses attendees. Photo by David Luces
Local residents gather in the Branch Plaza parking lot in the Village of the Branch to show support for law enforcers and health care workers. Photo by David Luces
Local residents gather in front of the Branch Plaza parking lot in the Village of the Branch to show support for law enforcers and health care workers. Photo by David Luces
Supporters gathered to show solidarity for law enforcement at a Village of the Branch parking lot July 3. This comes weeks after protesters filled Smithtown’s Main Street in support of Black Lives Matter calling for an end to police violence and racism.
Many waved and held signs supporting reading “back the blue” and “respect our law enforcement.” American, Thin Blue and Trump 2020 flags also filled the Branch Plaza parking lot. Participants said they have seen a significant increase in anti-police sentiment and violence toward police officers.
The rally drew a sizable crowd, though a majority of participants did not adhere to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines as many did not wear masks or keep 6 feet apart despite organizers’ requests to do so.
Robert Cornicelli, event organizer for the dubbed “Freedom Rally,” said that the demonstration wasn’t a protest to counter Black Lives Matter or other groups.
“This is a rally to show that we are Americans,” he said. “We love our freedoms. We’ll defend it and fight for it ‘til the end,” he said.
Smithtown resident Cris Melendez, a former New York City police officer, said there should be more support for law enforcement.
“I have never seen anything like this, that the government is not supporting our police officers,” he said. “It’s a disgrace, it’s heartbreaking — I can’t even watch the news anymore. It’s terrible.”
Noel DiGerolamo, Suffolk PBA president, blamed “weak” elected officials for the shift in attitude toward law enforcement.
“There is no institutional problem in law enforcement,” he said to the crowd. “The institutional problem is with our elected officials who are too busy trying to keep their jobs instead of doing the job. Start showing some respect for people who are willing to lay down their lives for you every day.”
Jim Jernigan, a retired Suffolk County detective from Central Islip, was also concerned by the recent anti-police sentiment. He joined the department in 1979 and said since 9/11 he has seen the public attitude continue to worsen.
“People loved us, what happened in those 19 years?” he said. “It’s politicians.”
Smithtown Councilman Thomas Lohmann (R) and Mario Mattera, a St. James union leader who is running for State Senate on the Republican ticket, also spoke at the event.
In addition, first responders, veterans and health care professionals were honored at the rally. Bela Snow of Smithtown sang during the rally performing the National Anthem, “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless the USA.”
Evan Jenkins, Centereach Salutatorian and Gianna Gurovich, the Valedictorian. Photos from MCSD
Evan Jenkins — Centereach High School Salutatorian:
Jenkins finished his high school career with a 101.91 weighted GPA. The senior was an AP Scholar with Distinction, recipient of the Rensselaer Medal and the Centereach High School AP Platinum Award. Jenkins served as National Society treasurer, a Tri-M and All-County percussionist and a member of the All-State symphonic band.
The Centereach native plans to attend Lehigh University in the fall and will study engineering.
“I’m going to miss Centereach, I’ve met some of my best friends here and I’ve gotten to know some amazing teachers- especially this year,” he said.
Jenkins said the decision to take physics this year helped solidify what he wanted to pursue in college. He credited his physics teacher, Al Levik.
“Taking his class really had a positive impact on me and led me to want to be an engineering major,” he said.
Jenkins is excited to get on Lehigh’s campus saying that the school is planning on opening back up in August.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting new people and having that college experience,” the senior said.
He plans to be involved in performance arts at the college either joining the wind ensemble or jazz band.
Jenkins gave advice to incoming freshmen.
“I would say to get involved as much as possible and take advantage of a free public education,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to take AP or college level courses, you learn so much valuable information and it can help you find your career path. Also, it’s important to stay motivated.”
Gianna Gurovich — Centereach High School Valedictorian:
Gurovich finished her college career with a 100.36 GPA. The senior was an New York State champion gymnast, recipient of a Silver Medal in World Championships and President’s National Service Award, member of the National Honor Society, Science Olympiad, vice president of the Italian Honor Society and Meinig Family Cornell National Scholar.
Gurovich will attend Cornell University in the fall where she will be studying biomedical engineering.
The Centereach native said she’ll cherish her time at the high school and enjoyed being around her friends and getting to know her teachers.
“We just found out that Cornell will allow us to move onto campus, I’m looking forward to getting involved in their club gymnastics and staying active in the community,” she said.
Gurovich credits her family, friends and teachers for helping her get to where she is. She also shared some advice for incoming freshmen and lowerclassmen.
“Be involved as much as possible, go to every event,” she said. “It is also important to stay focused and set goals for yourself.”
Elementary school Principal Tom Meehan is set to retire at the end of the year. Photo from PJSD
Tom Meehan, current Edna Louise Spear Elementary School principal whose education career spans over 40 years, has announced he will retire in December.
Meehan, who originally retired in 2006 from the Middle Country School District, came back to work at the Port Jeff elementary school during the 2011-2012 school year initially on an interim basis. Later that year it was changed to a permanent position.
“I thought I was going to be filling in for a couple of weeks, almost 10 years later I’m still here,” he said, jokingly. “I couldn’t have been happier with how these past few years have gone; it’s been great.”
The educator said deciding to retire again was a tough decision for him. He hopes students will be able to come back to the building during his last few months on the job.
“It broke my heart not being able to see the students these past months,” he said. “I like being in the hallways talking to them and just seeing their excitement.”
Meehan has a long history in Port Jefferson. He has raised his family in the village, he graduated from Port Jefferson High School and is an elected commissioner of the Port Jefferson Fire District.
“It’s a great community, I’m proud to be from Port Jeff,” he said. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of families in the district. I’ve coached some of their kids in baseball. It is nice seeing them grow up here,” he said.
The elementary school principal was often seen walking to school every morning, and said he enjoyed being spotted by students who saw him making the trek to work in his suit and hiking boots.
For his dedication to Port Jefferson’s students and the greater community, Meehan was chosen as a TBR News Media Person of the Year in 2015.
The district hasn’t officially announced a successor, though Meehan said he believes Assistant Principal Amy Laverty would be a great choice for the job.
“She would make an excellent principal,” he said.
Meehan said he will miss the students and his staff he has gotten to know over the years. In retirement, he is looking forward to going on more hikes and spending more time with his grandchildren and family.
“I want to thank the district and community for the opportunity to do this job. It is hard to walk away,” he said.
Northport Middle School has been deemed safe to reopen. Photo from Northport-East Northport Union Free School District
Following the release of Bohemia-based P.W Grosser Consulting’s environmental report on Northport Middle School that deemed the building safe to reopen, district officials addressed questions from parents and community members at a virtual forum June 25.
District officials hope that the over-three-hour meeting, which had a lengthy question-and-answer portion, is the first step in reassuring the community as remediation work continues to take place at the middle school.
PWGC senior project manager, Jennifer Lewis, said that the district should prepare a management plan to deal with the arsenic found in soils within the track field. The firm recommended that the district should do routine maintenance of the HVAC system, conduct sanitization of roof drains and have a roofing contractor inspect the roof drains to determine if they are properly sealed.
In addition, the firm asked for the district to seal the sanitary system and remove gas tanks from the school. The district has already begun some of the remediation work including moving school buses off campus to another location on Brightside Avenue.
“‘Safe to occupy’ is our collective opinion based on our investigation of the site,” Lewis said. “We did not identify a concern with a path of exposure that would render the building unsafe for students or staff to occupy. As long as the ongoing maintenance and remediations mentioned continue, we do consider this matter to be resolved.”
Trustee members praised PWGC for its work.
“There were a lot of dots that needed to be connected in terms of previous studies, to have a clear narrative of examples of the environmental conditions at the school,” said trustee Larry Licopoli.
“This study addressed the whole picture in a way that wasn’t done before,” he said.
Parents and community members asked PWGC if the problems found at the school could have caused previous ailments children and staff faced over the years.
The environmental firm couldn’t give a definitive answer.
“We can’t say in the past this wasn’t making them sick — we can’t recreate the past,” said PWGC project manager Heather Moran-Botta.
Moran-Botta reiterated that the firm is confident that the school is safe.
“We can only say, based on what we are seeing now, the building is safe for occupancy,” she said.
Trustee members will vote to approve all recommendations at a July 9 board meeting.
Tommy Marzano, a co-owner of Faradays of Smithtown, said more people prefer eating outside than in. Photo from Google maps
With Long Island entering Phase 3 of reopening, businesses are looking to bounce back and recover from the shutdown. Restaurant owners are hoping to take advantage of the addition of indoor dining during the summer months. Here’s how owners reacted to the first week of Phase 3.
The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce reminded residents their stores are open for Phase Two after a chamber meeting June 16. Photo by Joan Nickeson
“It has been going really smooth really, better than I expected,” said Indu Kaur, director of operations of The Meadow Club in Port Jefferson Station.
At the family’s newest restaurant, SaGhar, on East Broadway in Port Jeff, the rooftop floor and patio has been very busy. Kaur said they plan on accommodating patrons who want indoor seating in the front room of the restaurant that is facing the water. The Curry Club, which the family also runs in Setauket, currently offers outdoor seating at its patio and will have limited indoor seating.
“We will keep them six feet apart, there will be different entrances and exits for outdoor and indoor seating,” Kaur said. “For outdoor seating you will go down different staircases when you enter and leave. Also, we’ve placed hand sanitizers throughout the building.”
Kaur said they have gotten good feedback from customers on the outdoor dining layout at SaGhar.
“They’ve told us they like the overall ambiance, the decoration of space and are enjoying the outdoor entertainment we are providing,” she said. “Business has started to come back.”
With the start of summer and the upcoming Fourth of July weekend, Kaur said they will look to possibly increase tables with the influx of people venturing into the village. In addition, they are in the process of training 20 new employees to add to the staff they already have.
“We will try to accommodate walk-in customers as much as possible, but we advise to make a reservation,” she said. “We want to make sure everyone is safe and feels comfortable.”
Charlie Lefkowitz, president of the Three Village Chamber of Commerce, said business owners in the area are “cautiously optimistic” about the current and next stages of reopening. They’re hoping that they can return to normal business operations soon.
“There has been a lot of burden put on these businesses; restaurants and retail stores have had to contend with reduced volume of sales, capacity and selling space,” Lefkowitz said.
The chamber president added that while take-out orders helped bring in funds for restaurants, outdoor/indoor dining options will allow for these establishments to bounce back. He added that the chamber will continue to assist businesses in any way it can and help them navigate and understand Phase 4.
“They are excited for the summer months and are looking forward to the business it could bring,” he said.
Lefkowitz said he thinks post-COVID we will see outdoor seating and retail space during the spring and summer time.
“I think it’s something every municipality on Long Island should consider, from what we’ve heard if given the choice, people have preferred outdoor seating,” he said.
Tommy Marzano, co-owner of Faradays in Smithtown, said customers have been apprehensive about eating indoors with the majority of them preferring the restaurant’s outdoor seating.
“They prefer being outside — some of them don’t want nothing to do with being indoors even if everyone is six feet apart,” he said.
Marazano is hopeful that customers will eventually become more comfortable eating indoors again, though he acknowledged it could be a problem in the fall/winters months if COVID is still around and outdoor dining is not an option. He said takeout and delivery options could come back into play for restaurants.
Nonetheless, the feedback from customers has been positive, many raving about the restaurant’s garden and patio area.
“They are happy to have some bit of normalcy and be able to have a dining experience again,” he said. “We’ve had people tell us that this was the first place they wanted to go eat out, it means a lot that the community wants us to succeed.”
Sports Leagues/Recreational Sports for Phase 3
Shoreham-Wading River senior mid-fielder Elizabeth Shields out maneuvers a defender at home against John Glenn. Photo by Bill Landon
Beginning July 6, certain youth and recreation sports will be allowed to restart on Long Island.
Baseball, softball, gymnastics, field hockey, cross-country, soccer, noncontact lacrosse, doubles tennis, rafting, paintball, water polo and swimming will be allowed to begin games and competitions.
Here is a list of youth sports leagues and facilities on the North Shore that will restart during July:
Baseball/Softball
• The Town of Brookhaven Baseball is tentatively set to begin its summer season on July 13. the 2020 Varsity Wood Bat Tournament in Brookhaven will run July 8-12.
• The Town of Brookhaven Fastpitch Softball League will commence its summer season in July.
• The Three Village Youth Baseball and Softball League will start its season July 8.
• North Shore Little League will not have a summer season, but its fall season will begin Aug. 15 and continue through the middle of October.
• The Town of Brookhaven Adult Softball Slowpitch League will open beginning Sun July 12 and play through October. There will be no separate fall ball season.
• St. James/Smithtown Little League will begin practicing July 6 and a soft opening day will be held July 11. The baseball/softball season will run July 13-29.
• Huntington Tri-Village Little League will resume games July 25 with the season ending in late October
Soccer
• Brookhaven Youth Soccer League will begin its season July 18 and last until Aug. 22.
Tennis
• Port Jefferson Country Club at Harbor Hills tennis courts are open to play.
• The Town of Brookhaven’s pickleball/tennis courts located at 286 Hawkins Road, Centereach, are open. At this time, the courts will only be opened to Brookhaven residents.
• Huntington Town tennis courts are open to residents and the public.
• The Suffolk County Junior Tennis League in Smithtown will begin summer matches from July 13 to Aug. 20.
Phase 3 in Suffolk County is finally here! Effective June 24, it allows for larger gatherings of people, indoor dining at restaurants and the opening of more personal care businesses like nail salons with restrictions for safety. We sent our star reporter David Luces out on the streets of Port Jefferson last Friday to find out what the community is looking forward to the most as we move forward.
Victoria Fitzpatrick
Victoria Fitzpatrick, Port Jefferson
Indoor dining is something I missed. Anything seafood or outdoors is top of the notch [for me]. If I see you’re abiding by the rules and doing what you’re supposed to be doing as a restaurant owner, then I will go in. I need to get some lobsters — there’s a place on the South Shore that I go to.
I would go back to the salon, as long as they’re doing the right thing. If they’re not doing the right thing I’m walking out. I’m a healthcare worker and I’m worried about the second wave.
Anthony Squitire
Anthony Squitire, Centereach
I’ve been getting by just with takeout, but I will definitely consider going back to dine in at a restaurant once they reopen. I know museums are in Phase 4, but I would really like to go back to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the city — it’s been like two years since I’ve been there.
Tom Adams
Tom Adams, Shoreham
I’m looking forward to being able to go out to dinner again. I miss going to Orto in Miller Place; I like having their linguine with white clams.I also miss playing tennis and playing doubles matches. I usually play a lot with my friends in Shoreham Village. Right now, we can only play single matches only.
Michael Innace
Michael Innace, Holbrook
I wouldn’t mind going back to some of the indoor dining. I see some of the places here have all the servers, workers wearing masks. I know my wife is erring on the side of caution through all of this, so she has no interest in going out to eat. So, I probably won’t be dining out just because she doesn’t really want to.
Nail salons is another thing that she is putting on hold until she feels safe to go back. I think even after Phase 4 people are still going to act cautiously. I think there are going to be residual effects.
Joan Roehrig
Joan Roehrig, Setauket
We did outdoor dining a few days ago, it just felt so good to be outside and sit around. I would probably want to dine in as well.
I’m not in a hurry to go back to the nail salon. I’m not sure if I’m comfortable going back right now. I’m definitely interested in getting my nails and hair done, but I’m in a wait and see mode; I’m not ready to dive in. If I saw that they were taking the proper safety precautions, I might go in.
Nora F.
Nora F., Port Jefferson
I’ve missed indoor dining. It’ll be a good time to go out with friends again. I’m looking forward to going back to Pasta Pasta; they just have great dishes. My daughter’s baby shower is July 12, so when I first heard that they’re opening up indoor dining, I was hopeful it will still be able to happen. Also, just being able to get my nails and hair done will be nice.
Village Coffee Market in Stony Brook offers a new coffee blend for customers to buy for frontline workers. Photo by David Luces
Local businesses have begun to reopen and continue on their path to recovery, though it hasn’t stopped owners to continue efforts to give back to hospital workers, first responders and residents in need.
Village Coffee Market’s “Here Comes the Sun” blend to show support for health care workers. Photo by David Luces
For Gary Contes, co-owner of Village Coffee Market in Stony Brook, there’s a deeper meaning to his coffee-blend-pack donations to hospital workers. He created a special blend of coffee called “Here Comes the Sun,” named after the Beatles song that is played throughout the halls when COVID-19 patients leave Stony Brook University Hospital.
“For patients, the song means a new beginning, a new day, and it’s just a sense of optimism they get,” Contes said. “So, I kind of wanted to share that same feeling with the hospital workers with this blend.”
The owner said individuals can purchase a 12-pack of the special blend for $7.50, though the catch is that they don’t get the coffee, the frontline workers do. Contes then donates the packs and makes deliveries to workers at Stony Brook Hospital and other health care facilities.
Contes said the “Here Comes the Sun” coffee is a medium roast that has a slight smoky taste to it and a “nice full body flavor.”
“I wanted to come up with a great tasting coffee which would appeal to anyone,” he added. “Everyone that buys a box, they get to write a message that will be seen by the workers who open up the box. This is our special way of saying thanks to them for all they do.”
So far Contes has donated more than 220 boxes and hopes to make it to 1,000 in the coming months.
“All our customers have been eager to participate,” he said. “It’s always very touching when we go out to deliver. Recently, we had one of the workers start to cry when she saw the boxes of coffee. My wife is a nurse, and I have other family members in the health care field, so, this means a lot to me. As a businessman who is struggling right now, if it steers people to come here and buy coffee for themselves, I would be thrilled, but if given the choice and they had to buy one item, buy a box of ‘Here Comes The Sun.’”
Bagel Express in Setauket sells signs to show support for essential workers and uses the profits to donate meals to local hospitals. Photo from David Prestia
David Prestia, owner of Bagel Express in Setauket, has been donating meals to Mather, St. Charles and Stony Brook University hospitals for the last few months but also was suffering businesswise from the shutdown. He then came up with an idea that would get customers and the community involved.
“Our customers wanted to pitch in and help the first responders,” he said. “That’s when we came up with the sign idea.”
Prestia began selling support signs for frontline workers. The signs cost $20 with the funds going toward sending food to local hospitals and first responders. Customers are encouraged to display their signs outside their homes. He said Decal Designs Mobile only charged $5 each to have the signs made, and Michael Ardolino, founder and owner-broker of Realty Connect USA, donated funds to offset the cost.
Prestia has already sold more than 400 of the signs.
“The community got really involved and wanted to donate,” the business owner said. “It is great to spread awareness and give those workers thanks. It’s amazing how many of our signs we see in the area. It is wonderful to see. I’ve been here for 30 years and it is great to see the community coming together.”
Residents have been doing their part to help those in need during the pandemic as well.
Jake Shangold
Jake Shangold, a Ward Melville High School senior, has been raising money for Island Harvest food bank by starting a virtual food drive, www.fooddriveonline.org/islandharvest/jake.
Shangold began handing out flyers in the community and promoted the food drive on social media. He was able to raise $3,000 to help those in need of meals. With the money raised, Island Harvest will be able to provide 6,000 meals.
“I wanted to help people in need, especially with what’s going on with the pandemic,” he said. “I was very happy I was able to raise so much money, and I hope to continue doing these food drives in the future.”
Know of a Three Village business or resident doing good in the community? If so, email [email protected] to let us know.
Ward Melville third baseman Brady Doran rips one deep. Baseball could be coming back this summer. Photo by Bill Landon
Beginning July 6, certain youth sports will be allowed to restart in regions of the state that are in Phase 3 of reopening. Long Island entered Phase 3 June 24.
Baseball, softball, gymnastics, field hockey, cross country, soccer, noncontact lacrosse, doubles tennis, rafting, paintball, water polo and swimming will be allowed to begin games and competitions.
Locally, a number of sports leagues have plans to resume play next month. Town of Brookhaven baseball is tentatively set to begin its summer season on July 13.
“We are excited to announce that we are planning on beginning our summer season the week of July 13. The plan would include an abbreviated season, ending approximately Aug. 23 (including playoffs),” a statement on the town’s website reads. “We are extremely thrilled and fortunate to have the opportunity of having a summer season for the kids. Please understand that there will have to be some accommodations and sacrifices made by teams in order to get a legitimate summer season played.”
In addition, the 2020 Varsity Wood Bat Tournament in Brookhaven will run through July 8-12 at Moriches Complex. High school baseball teams from the North Shore will be participating in the competition including the Newfield Wolverines and Centereach Cougars (Middle Country), Northport Tigers, Ward Melville Patriots, Kings Park Kingsmen, Port Jefferson Royals, Miller Place Panthers and the Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats.
Social distancing will be enforced at all sporting events, and the state mandates the events limit spectators to two individuals per athlete.
The level of risk for each sport has been determined by the New York State Department of Health’s interim guidance for sports and recreation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These guidelines apply to nonprofessional and noncollegiate sports and recreation activities (e.g. youth sports), inclusive of indoor and outdoor sports and recreation, as well as organized and nonorganized sports and recreation,” the document stated.
Sports that are deemed “high risk” will not be allowed to resume games July 6. Those include football, wrestling, ice hockey, rugby, basketball, contact lacrosse, volleyball, also competitive cheer and dance.
“Participants in higher risk sports and recreation activities may only partake in individual or distanced group training and organized no/low-contact group training,” according to the state’s guidelines.
Numbers included are from those who went to the polls Tuesday and those who voted early. Due to the abundance of absentee ballots requested by Long Islanders a final tally of votes won’t be completed until July 1.
So far, results have shown close primaries for Democrats in both the U.S. District 1 Congressional seat and for the New York State Senate District 1 position. Perry Gershon leads for the congressional position with just 166 votes over the person currently in second place Nancy Goroff.
Laura Ahearn leads the pack of Dems with a total of 2,360 votes, a little more than 200 than the person in second place, Valerie Cartright.
Other races are not so close. U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY-3) leads with over 20 percent more than the next candidate.
Laura Jens-Smith has a near 50 point lead over fellow Democrat William Schleisner, with both seeking the New York State Assembly District 2 seat held by Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk).
U.S. Congress – 1st District (Democratic)
Perry Gershon – 33.5% – 5,166 votes
Nancy Goroff – 34.37% – 5,002 votes
Bridget Fleming – 27.91% – 4,062 votes
Gregory Fischer – 2.21% – 322 votes
U.S. Congress – 3rd District (Democratic)
Thomas Suozzi – 58.93% – 8,374 votes
Melanie D’Arrigo – 32.7% – 4,646 votes
Michael Weinstock – 8.37% – 1,189 votes
New York State Senator – 1st District (Democratic)
Laura Ahearn – 31.08% – 2,360 votes
Valerie Cartright – 27.92% – 2,120 votes
Thomas Schiavoni – 23.86% – 1,812 votes
Skyler Johnson – 12.45% – 945 votes
Nora Higgins – 4.69% – 356 votes
New York State Assembly – 2nd District (Democratic)
Northport Middle School closed after contamination concerns. File photo
Northport Middle School, which has been closed since January, has been deemed safe to reopen, according to an environmental firm’s report released last week.
P.W. Grosser Consulting, a Bohemia-based environmental firm hired by the district, detailed that following its investigation it found no environmental concern that would render the middle school “unsafe to occupy”.
“While several items of concern were identified during the investigation, each is addressable and does not require the school to be closed to implement,” the firm stated in its nearly 7,000-page report.
District officials have planned a virtual forum for Thursday, June 25, at 7 p.m. to further discuss the report’s findings with parents and community members. Previously, in March, Robert Banzer, superintendent of schools, said that the district would consider reopening the school after review of the firm’s finding and remediation work.
Banzer could not be reached for comment before press time.
Among the firm’s findings included poorly set manholes that resulted in sewage odor escaping from the system, detection of carbon monoxide in one wing of the building while buses were exiting in the morning, low levels of benzene found in an art room and levels of arsenic discovered at the school’s track. In addition, PWGC detected a “burnt” smell in room N-103, the cause being a rubbing belt inside a vent.
The firm also found “evidence of rotting organic matter, likely from nearby trees,” that was found on roof drains, according to the report. PWGC recommended having drains sanitized and cleaned, adding that once cleaning had been done it noticed “a reduction or elimination of musty odors within the building.”
The status of the middle school has been a divisive topic in the community. Some want the school to remain closed, while others believe the school shouldn’t have been closed to begin with.
Rich Rowehl, a Northport parent of a seventh-grader in the district, said he is glad the firm’s report is done.
“I’m interested to hear what district officials and the consultants say about the findings at the virtual forum,” he said. “Then we’ll go from there, but it’s good to hear that the school is safe.”
Rowehl said he hopes the forum will be able to address any other concerns parents may still have and discuss ways the district will handle any lingering issues and areas of concerns from the report.
The firm could not find the cause for odors in rooms K-74 and K-75. In its report it stated that it believed that the furniture — benches and wood cabinetry — was the likely source of the odors.
“There are still some questions to be answered, though if the school is deemed safe then there could be a possibility that the students can return in September,” Rowehl said. “I’m hoping the report satisfies the community and that there is a sense of closure at the end of this.”
The district has already moved forward with some of the remediation work. It has relocated buses and bus depots off school grounds to another location in the village and is repairing the surrounding septic systems. There are plans to fix existing roof drains and other ceiling deficiencies as well as addressing the arsenic at the school track.
In a five-month span, P.W. Grosser tested inside of the school and the surrounding grounds, following foul odor complaints from students and staff members. In December 2019, students were relocated to another wing of the school due to the offensive smells. At the start of this year, the environmental firm detected elevated levels of mercury in cesspools outside the building, as well as high levels of benzene in two septic tanks. As a result, middle school students were transferred to other buildings throughout the district in mid-January for the remainder of the school year.
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