Community

Gerald Dickens

UPDATE on Dec. 5 — This event has been canceled with no immediate plans to reschedule.

Read post from Gerald Dickens here.

By Melissa Arnold

When it comes to Christmas shows, there is perhaps none more iconic or beloved than A Christmas Carol. Since its publication in 1843, Charles Dickens’ famous novella has inspired dozens of theatrical and film adaptations, many with cult followings.

Whether your favorite Scrooge is George C. Scott, Michael Caine or Scrooge McDuck, a one-of-a-kind performance in Huntington next week may just top them all.

On Dec. 5, the Cinema Arts Centre (CAC) in Huntington will welcome British actor and producer Gerald Charles Dickens for a live, one-man performance of “A Christmas Carol.” Gerald is the great-great grandson of Charles Dickens, and his fascination with the author’s life and works led him to create something of his own.

Gerald will portray nearly 30 individual characters as the story unfolds with a touch of humor and deep emotional connection to the man behind the words.

The performance comes in the midst of the center’s Vic Skolnick Life of Our Cinema Campaign, an annual fundraising effort to support programming for the coming year, said Nate Close, CAC’s director of marketing and communications. He added that they like to host events during the fundraiser that are intriguing and fun for a broad audience to enjoy. “It’s always great to see theater performed live, especially when we typically broadcast theatrical performances on-screen here. The theater seats around 190 people, so it will be an intimate performance and we’re expecting a great turnout.”

CAC board member Jude Schanzer said that A Christmas Carol is the perfect holiday classic to set the season’s purpose of generosity, kindness, and goodwill.

“While it is true that Gerald is the great-great grandson  of Charles Dickens, it is his acting skills that make him extraordinary. His command of his voice and movements create unforgettable and completely distinguishable characters from Scrooge to Tiny Tim, all with minimal props,” said Schanzer. 

“How often are you afforded the added perk of having a brush with history? Gerald is passionate about his work as an actor and in portraying characters with whom he has a unique bond. He is also generous with his time and spirit and readily answers audience questions after every performance,” she said.

Copies of Gerald’s new book Dickens and Staplehurst: A Biography of a Rail Crash will also be available at the event. The book examines a deadly rail crash in 1865 and the subsequent investigation. Charles Dickens survived the crash and was profoundly affected by the events of that day. Gerald digs into Charles’ private life and professional motivations before and after the crash.

See A Christmas Carol at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5 at the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave, Huntington. Tickets to the performance are $30 per person, $25 for CAC members. Tickets to the performance plus a copy of the book are $45, $40 for CAC members. For To order, visit www.cinemaartscentre.org or call 631-423-7610. 

Learn more about Gerald Charles Dickens at www.geralddickens.com.

Smithtown Township Arts Council has announced that the works of artist Muriel  Musarra will be on view at Apple Bank of Smithtown, 91 Route 111, Smithtown from Dec.  9 to Feb. 2, 2023. The art exhibit, part of the Arts Council’s Outreach Gallery Program, may be viewed during regular banking hours Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m; and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., said the press release.

Muriel Musarra always enjoyed art and museums. Once she moved to the Three Village area over 50 years ago, she fell in love with the local landscape. “Being surrounded by this beautiful, picturesque area inspired me to learn to paint.” Muriel’s artist journey began in an adult art class at Ward Melville High School. She continued to study art, taking classes at Suffolk County Community College and Stony Brook University and art workshops at many local Art Museums and galleries across Long Island.

“I enjoy painting outdoors to capture the light and shadows of the scene. I especially enjoy painting water views for the wonderful reflections!”

Muriel paints in watercolor, oil, acrylic and gouache. Her award-winning works have been exhibited widely in exhibitions across Long Island including Wet Paints Studio Group, Setauket Artists Exhibitions, Gallery North, and South Bay Art Association, among many others.

“STAC is grateful to Apple Bank for its continued support of culture in our communities. We are so happy to feature the talents of Long Island artists in this space!” said the press release.

In the spirit of the season, a Holiday Toy and Gift Drive will be held at Infant Jesus Church food pantry, 110 Hawkins St., Port Jefferson on Sunday, Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to noon. The community is asked to drop off unwrapped toys for children ages 3 to 13, such as soccer balls, dolls, Barbies, Legos, basketballs, Paw Patrol, board games, remote controlled cars, etc. Unwrapped gifts for children ages 14 to 18 such as lotions, hair accessories, hats, gloves, socks, toiletries, men’s cologne and gift cards are also welcomed. Sponsored by “Call-Brian” Senior Services.

Above, presenters during Career Day at Terryville Road Elementary School. Photo courtesy Meaghan Reilly
By Meaghan Reilly

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” 

Students at Comsewogue’s Terryville Road Elementary School had the opportunity to consider this critical question and get some firsthand experience during Career Day on Thursday, Nov. 17. 

Unable to host its generous presenters throughout the pandemic, the school’s biggest event of the year was reinstituted successfully once again.

“We were so happy to welcome our community members to present to the students at Terryville,” said principal Annemarie Sciove. “The students were excited and eager to learn from each professional. It was a memorable experience.”

Above, a Suffolk County police officer poses with students during the event. Photo courtesy Meaghan Reilly

A total of 26 professional presenters met in the school media center for brief refreshments before being escorted to their classrooms by two student ambassadors from each class. 

The halls were full of excited students and enthusiastic Terryville faculty. All students were invited to dress for the occasion. Some students chose to dress for their intended future careers, while others donned their finest attire. 

Each presenter was greeted with a welcome poster before setting up materials and presentations related to their profession. 

Throughout the event, students had a chance to pose questions and try their hands at some of the skills of various trades. To name a few, in landscaper Barry Rose’s demonstration, fifth grade students had the chance to plant seeds. Fourth graders got to try on FDNY bunker gear during their time with fire chief Tom Reilly. 

Inflatable dragons got sent home with third graders who participated in an interactive story time from children’s librarian Debbie Bush of the Comsewogue Public Library. Some students even got to have real casts put on their fingers by Dr. Hayley Queller, internal medicine and sports medicine specialist based in East Setauket.

Presenters consisted of Terryville parents, community members and friends of the Comsewogue School District. There were regulars and newcomers alike. While setting up in the morning, Suffolk County police officer Rob Coffman shared that he’d been presenting at Terryville’s Career Day for nearly 15 years. 

Meanwhile, Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) expressed his appreciation at being invited for the first time. Other presenters included geology researchers from Stony Brook University, a service dog provider, an MTA traffic controller, dance and martial arts instructors, an ocean researcher, a veterinarian, nurses, actors and local entrepreneurs. 

Also attending were a psychologist, a respiratory therapist, a professional lacrosse player and a health teacher from Comsewogue High School. 

It was a wonderful day, and students are already looking forward to celebrating this tradition again next year.

Meaghan Reilly is the library media specialist at Terryville Road Elementary School.

Pictured above, Lisa Di Santo and Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden). Left from Di Santo’s Facebook page; right from the town website

In a race to fill former Brookhaven Town Clerk Donna Lent’s (I) seat, Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) will square off against community advocate Lisa Di Santo, of East Patchogue.

Lent announced her retirement last month, vacating her seat and triggering a special election for her expired term ending in 2025. [See story, “Brookhaven’s town clerk retires from public service.“] 

Both candidates were chosen unanimously by their respective parties during separate nominating conferences last week. In phone interviews with TBR News Media, the candidates discussed their professional backgrounds, reasons for pursuing the office of clerk and plans for the future.

Before entering elected office, LaValle, a lifelong Brookhaven resident, owned a title agency, assisting prospective homebuyers with vital records, such as liens, deeds and similar documents. He then transitioned into the mortgage business, where he still works today. 

In 2013, LaValle campaigned successfully to represent Brookhaven’s 3rd Council District, an office he has held ever since.

“Why I’m making this run for town clerk, I think it’s [because] we see in the paper every day with what just happened with Suffolk County, the hack that happened,” he said. “You can see very clearly that that’s something we don’t want to happen in Brookhaven. Managing people’s personal records is critical to our county and our township.”

Di Santo is a 50-year resident of Brookhaven whose background is in community advocacy. Before running for office, she was a social studies teacher, served as vice president of the Bellport Area Community Action Committee, and for over a decade was a trustee on the South Country Central School District Board of Education.

In her interview, she emphasized the need for citizens to have a stake in their local government and connect to the democratic process.

“When looking at the way the town functions, the town clerk plays a very important role in the accessibility of good government, accountability of good government and the security that’s necessary in good government,” she said. “In all of those three areas, I currently see that the town fails miserably.” 

The Democratic candidate added, “I’m running because I do believe wholeheartedly that the town clerk, especially now, needs to be an independent person and an independent voice to be certain that there is truly open government in Brookhaven Town.”

For LaValle, the protection of residents’ sensitive information is paramount. Like Di Santo’s proposal, he said he intends to promote efficiency and expand resident access to their records and to the office of clerk.

“We have to make sure records are secure, but we want to increase access,” the town councilman said. “We want to be able to have people with disabilities not have to come up to Town Hall to get handicap parking passes, and what have you.” 

He added, “We have to increase our internet capabilities to be able to service residents’ needs without making them have to come to Town Hall. And certainly, we have to work to increase the transparency within the government.”

LaValle contends that town clerk is a technically demanding position to learn and to hold. However, he maintains that his professional training within the public and private sector have prepared him in unique ways for the demands of the office.

“I believe that I have the ability and the experience to be able to do this job effectively, managing an over-30-person staff, and making sure residents are taken care of as we move forward,” he said.

On the whole, Di Santo viewed Brookhaven as failing in its obligations to promote open government. She cited the Freedom of Information Law request process as needing reform.

“You’d be hard to find an individual who has taken the time to participate in Brookhaven Town government who would tell you that the FOIL process is one of accessibility and accountability, and there’s a serious problem there,” she said. “If a citizen, a taxpayer, can’t access information, then how can the government represent those people?”

Di Santo said her campaign rests on the notion that quality governance requires informed and engaged citizenship. Given her advocacy background, she considered herself uniquely suited to this task. 

If elected, Di Santo said she intends to begin by reforming the scheduling of open meetings to bolster public participation. 

“When government continues to schedule meetings that are inaccessible to people, they’re sending a message that they do not want to have a democracy,” she said. “You can’t have a democracy without the participation of the people.”

Brookhaven residents will get the final word on these two candidates during a townwide special election on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

Photo courtesy Kevin Wood

The Port Jefferson Business Improvement District held a tree-lighting ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 1.

The tree was purchased by the Business Improvement District with the full support of the village government, according to Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden. Santa Claus lit the tree during the event after a countdown from those in attendance. 

The night was festive with a snowmaker, hot chocolate from Starbucks, and candy canes from Roger’s Frigate. Those involved in the planning and lighting of the tree expressed enthusiasm for adding this new holiday staple to Port Jefferson.

Photo courtesy Kevin Wood

Photo from Whaling Museum

The Whaling Museum & Education Center, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor has announced it will host new “Holiday Walking Tours” this December.

These educator-led tours through historic Cold Spring Harbor village will explore Victorian seasonal traditions in the 19th century. Participants will learn about how local homes and businesses celebrated holidays in December.

Photo from Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum

Hot chocolate will be served inside the museum’s workshop at the start of the tour while participants arrive. The tour starts on the pavement outside of the museum.

“The Whaling Museum’s themed walking tours have become quite a hit. Our Harbor Haunts tours, offered in October, sell out every year. With the introduction of new tours each season, we aim to engage our community and our visitors in history through fun and familiar frameworks. Our education team is excited about the new stories we get to share with this new holiday tour. We look forward to offering a space to gather and spend time outside this December,” said Nomi Dayan, Executive Director of The Whaling Museum.

Tours are approximately 45-60 minutes and end at the harbor. All ages are welcome to attend.

Spaces are limited and registration takes place online at cshwhalingmuseum.org/walking-tours. The “Holiday Walking Tours” are $15 per participant / $10 for members. Dates: Dec. 10 & 11, 17 & 18 | 3 & 5pm and Dec. 30 at 4:30 pm. For more information, call 631-367-3418 or visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org.

Pixabay photo

The Village of Port Jefferson is in a complicated permit dispute with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation over its solid waste landfill at Harbor Hills.

The Port Jefferson Village Clean Solid Waste Landfill, a 1.9-acre kettle hole located on the Port Jefferson Country Club property, has been historically operated to facilitate branch and leaf removal services in the village. In 2017, the small landfill was impacted by changes in state regulations, throwing the future of these services into question.

In an exclusive interview, Mayor Margot Garant summarized the nature of the permit dispute between the village and DEC. For decades, the government has renewed its DEC permit every five years to continue operating the landfill. With its permit set to expire on Dec. 11, the village reapplied but met unforeseen resistance.

“Unbeknownst to us in 2017, there were changes in some of the regulations concerning landfills throughout New York state, and they became much more strict,” Garant said. “We got a letter that we weren’t meeting the needs of the new statutory regulations for landfills.” She added, “They basically had classified our little kettle hole to be regulated like a landfill equivalent to the Town of Brookhaven [landfill].”

Garant referred to the pre-2017 regulations as manageable for the village, requiring breakdown and transport of the debris, among other workable conditions. The new rules, however, will “be impossible for us to comply with,” the mayor said.

An unusual landfill 

David Tonjes is a research associate professor at Stony Brook University’s Department of Technology and Society. His research focuses on solid waste management and the environmental impacts of landfills.

While the Port Jefferson site is officially listed as a landfill regulated under the Long Island Landfill Law, Tonjes described it as distinct from other landfills throughout the area.

“It’s unusual because it doesn’t have a liner system, which is required for all landfills on Long Island,” he said. “As far as I know, it doesn’t have any landfilling functions, which is to take things in, cover them up, and manage the gas and leachate [that are] generated when you do that sort of thing.”

Garant agreed that the landfill does not fit neatly into a conventional classification category, given its prior use. Consequently, the village government is considering entering into negotiations with DEC to reclassify the landfill as a transfer station.

Garant said a change of classification could enable the village to continue using the site. “We realized we were managing this more like a transfer station than we were a landfill, and that’s going to be our approach with the DEC,” the mayor said. “As a transfer station, it means that [branches and leaves] are held here on a temporary basis, broken down and relocated, just like we were doing.”

She added, “If we have to abandon the kettle hole, we then have to put a barrier down, backfill it with clean fill, bring up the grade, and that’s going to cost us approximately $500,000 to do that, to abandon it.”

Tonjes said the Port Jeff landfill seems to fit some of the conditions for a transfer station. However, he noted that DEC guidelines for transfer stations are generally restrictive.

“Typically, a transfer station is a site where waste comes in and is kept under a roof for a period of time, and then it’s moved out to either a reuse point or disposal point,” he said. Depending on the materials stored, that temporary window of time could be as small as 24 hours.

An uncertain future

‘It calls for a degree of technical oversight and awareness that may be too expensive for the village to do.’

— David Tonjes

Conflicts with DEC over the long-term storage of branches and brush are not unique to Port Jefferson. Tonjes said several towns along the East End had met stiff opposition from DEC due to accumulations of storm debris. 

Such materials, if processed promptly, could have been reused. “When they grind it up, they end up with a pile of wood chips that no one really wants,” the associate professor said. “They’re really low-value material, they end up with stuff that should have been reused.”

Tonjes suggests Port Jeff is entangled within a broader conflict within New York state over the reuse of organic waste. By cracking down on the long-term storage of organic waste, DEC aims to reuse these materials before their reuse value diminishes.

While municipalities have historically been responsible for waste disposal functions, this may soon change. Given the ballooning costs associated with managing solid waste, Tonjes suggests these may soon be too burdensome for a small municipality such as the village.

“With the village being such a small entity and trying to run its own — in a sense — disposal facility, it calls for a degree of technical oversight and awareness that may be too expensive for the village to do,” he said.

Further complicating matters is the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. This 2019 law mandates New York to reduce economywide greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and no less than 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels. 

Enforcing these standards, Tonjes said, would require the complete overhaul of the state’s waste management apparatus.

Under this law, “all government actions have to comply with the notion of minimizing greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. “Almost all solid waste activities involve greenhouse gas emissions, so it’s clear that solid waste management will have to change dramatically to account for this new law.”

Meanwhile, Garant admitted that the changes in state law blindsided the village. For her, the permit controversy with DEC offers a window into the challenges small municipalities encounter when interfacing with higher levels of government.

“When large government makes change to a section of the code, they really don’t know the trickle-down impacts that they are making,” she said. “Wanting to be in full compliance, making an application six months ahead of time, now I’m in a situation where I’m in the middle of branch and leaf pickup, and I’m going to have a permit expiring.”

Tonjes said conversations surrounding solid waste management are only getting started. He suggests that finding a workable solution to these complex problems requires significant coordination between all levels of government.

“The future is going to get very interesting in terms of regulating how the state manages its garbage,” he said.

From left, Judith Jedlicka, Caregivers Center Founder; Amy Loeb, EdD, MBA, RN, Peconic Bay Medical Center Executive Director; Tim Hubbard, Riverhead Town Councilman; Tara Anglim, Tara Anglim, LCSW-R, ACHP-SW, Assoc. Exec. Director of Culture & Experience Peconic Bay Medical Center. Photo by Jim Lennon
Over 60 family caregivers attended the event

Peconic Bay Medical Center’s (PBMC) Caregivers Center recently held its 8th annual Caregivers Retreat to help provide advocacy and valuable resources for Suffolk County residents who are supporting their loved ones. As part of the event, guests had the opportunity to hear from a panel of caregiving experts, connect with attorneys and financial advisors, participate in relaxation and meditation workshops, and connect with other caregivers. The event took place at the Hotel Indigo East End, and it was the first time since 2019 that the event was held in person.

“As Long Island’s first hospital-based, caregiver-dedicated facility, we are proud to uphold our position as a community-and-family-focused hospital,” said Tara Anglim, LCSW-R, ACHP-SW, associate executive director of Culture and Experience at PBMC. “The annual Caregivers Retreat is our way of showing family caregivers across Long Island that they are not alone. Caregivers are compassionate, patient, and dedicated individuals who play an incredibly important role in their loved one’s life. We are here every step of the way to help them navigate the challenges of caregiving.”

The annual retreat was part of the Peconic Bay Medical Center’s ongoing recognition of National Family Caregivers Month, is celebrated each November and aims to raise awareness of the myriad challenges caregivers face. Caregivers are individuals who provide support to a loved one suffering from acute, chronic or disabling conditions and they play a crucial role in patient’s treatment and recovery processes. They provide a broad range of care, including operating as personal advocates when dealing with insurance companies; attending to clients’ medical visits and legal matters; assisting in eating, bathing, toileting, dressing and household chores; and acting as a social, spiritual and leisure guides. In the last year, approximately 43.5 million family caregivers have provided unpaid care services to a loved one. 

Town of Riverhead Councilman Tim Hubbard was also in attendance at the event and acknowledged Peconic Bay Medical Center’s ongoing efforts to support local families by presenting a proclamation to PBMC executive director Amy Loeb, Tara Anglim, and Caregivers Center founder Judith Jedlicka.

“The entire Town of Riverhead thanks the Peconic Bay Medical Center for offering both much-needed guidance and comfort to caregivers,” said Riverhead Town Councilman Tim Hubbard “So many Riverhead residents are caregivers and may not realize they have someone looking after them while they’re helping others. Events like these are crucial, and the PBMC Caregivers Center is a pillar of our community.”

“The need for caregiving is universal and lasts throughout everyone’s lifetime. We thank all those who help our older adults to live a more comfortable life due to illness, injury or a disability,” said Supervisor Yvette Aguiar.  

The hospital’s Caregivers Center, which opened in 2018 as Long Island’s first hospital-based center dedicated to supporting family caregivers at any point in their caregiving journey. The center offers help from a designated social worker as well as trained volunteer Caregiver Coaches available Monday-Friday. To learn more about the Caregivers Center, visit https://www.pbmchealth.org/caregivers-center

About Peconic Bay Medical Center

Located in Riverhead, NY, Peconic Bay Medical Center is a 200-bed nonprofit hospital committed to providing exceptional care and improving the health of the communities it serves. Peconic Bay Medical Center offers wide-ranging, full-scope services and programs, including advanced surgical, cardiac, orthopedic and womens health care, comprehensive inpatient medical care, palliative care and an extensive range of outpatient services, along with state-of-the-art technology. Peconic Bay Medical Center joined Northwell Health in 2016. For more information, visit PBMCHealth.org and follow us @PeconicBayMedicalCenter on FacebookInstagram and LinkedIn.

Stacy Davidson

Calling all Santa’s and Hanukkah Harry’s or those who just want to help make a difference this holiday season! For over fifteen years, Stacy from Stacy’s Finds/Pattern Finders in Port Jefferson has helped bring magic to underprivileged children in the area, supplying the children with toys and clothing needs. This year Stacy has teamed up with Melissa who runs Give Kids Hope in Port Jefferson. The agency is part of a group of everyday people that answer the clothing needs and toy requests of 1,500 of Long Island’s less fortunate children. 

Melissa at Give Kids Hope has the children’s requested clothing sizes, requirements, and toy requests. You can purchase one item, or fulfill the needs of a child’s entire clothing and toy wish list. Or, adopt a whole family! You may drop off any children’s new clothing and new toys or gift cards for donations at the shop Stacy’s Finds/Pattern Finders at 128 East Main Street Port Jefferson, Thursday through Sundays. For more information, call Melissa at Give Kids Hope 631-538 5287 or Stacy at 631-928-5158.