The Town of Brookhaven Animal Shelter and Adoption Center is celebrating the new year with its “Bark in the Mew Year” promotion, featuring $65 pet adoptions now through the month of January. The normal adoption fees are $137 for a dog and $140 for a cat. Every adoption includes free neuter or spay, deworming FeLv/FIV testing, vaccinations, microchip, heartworm test, flea prevention and other tests. A “meet and greet” appointment must be made prior to visiting our dogs, but no appointment is needed to visit our cats.
If you are interested in adopting a dog or cat, visit the Brookhaven Animal Shelter and Adoption Center located at 300 Horseblock Road in Brookhaven. It is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.BrookhavenNY.gov or call 631-451-6950. Pictured left to right are three of the adoptable pets available at the Brookhaven Animal Shelter, including Babie, Damon and Bertha. All the adoptable pets at the Animal Shelter are looking for a forever home for the new year.
Over a decade since disbanding, the Port Jefferson Civic Association was back in action Monday, Jan. 9.
Eighteen village residents filled the Meeting Room of the Port Jefferson Free Library, discussing several pressing local issues and establishing their priorities as a body.
Michael Mart was a member of PJCA under its previous configuration. He shared a history of the organization and why village residents have banded together in the past.
“The history and importance of the Port Jefferson Civic Association, as I recall it, was to serve as a vehicle by which individuals come together,” Mart said. “Its concerns are essentially local in nature: streets, safety, recreation, parks and open government.”
He added the civic association “acts to represent opinions, concerns and agendas of its members to the local governing body.”
Mart said PJCA has functioned in various capacities in the past. At one time, it had produced a regular newsletter, held meet-the-candidates events, offered scholarships to local students and even took the village government to court.
PJCA was “a very active group,” Mart said. “It starts small here, like in this room, and makes itself known to other residents, offering to give voice to their concerns.”
The members of the newly formed civic gave introductions, outlined their reasons for joining and discussed their priorities.
Ana Hozyainova, a 2022 candidate for village trustee, organized the event. She stated her goals for the civic body.
“I hope that we can have a group that can be a force for discussion and greater transparency in the village,” she said.
Myrna Gordon discussed communications between the village and residents and other environmental themes. “I would love to see better transparency or communication and more of our village residents getting involved in the important issues that we face,” she said.
Other residents echoed the call for greater transparency within the village government.
Among them, a 2022 trustee candidate for the Port Jefferson school board, Paul Ryan, identified a supposed divide between the public will and the decisions made by elected officials.
“Since I ran for the BOE last year, I’ve noticed a lot of disconnect between what people want and think is important and what is happening, the decisions that are being made,” he said. “I hope as a civic association, we can channel that voice more strongly and more effectively to make positive change.”
Suzanne Velazquez, candidate for village trustee in 2021, spoke of the “sense of apathy that has crept in” among residents. She also considered the civic association as fulfilling a necessary community end.
“I have had a lot of good conversations about the need to revitalize the civic association,” the former trustee candidate said.
Holly Fils-Aime, president of the local environmental group EcoLeague, described continual development within the village as among her priorities.
“We really have to consider how overdeveloped Long Island is,” she said, adding that residents must be vigilant about looking out for their forests, wildlife and the natural environment.
Steve Velazquez echoed this sentiment. He criticized the alleged overdevelopment of Upper Port, arguing that plans for the property that formerly accommodated PJ Lobster House are “not in character with this village.” Velazquez expressed a desire to see a “true historic district” within Port Jeff village.
In common, those in attendance voiced similar concerns over the perceived lack of transparency, environmental issues and the implementation of projects without resident input. Bluff stabilization at East Beach, according to Mart, encompasses each of these themes.
Referencing the $3.75 million the village recently received to construct an upper wall between the East Beach bluff and the Port Jefferson Country Club clubhouse, Mart said the money “is not the issue — the issue is that we didn’t get to vote on it.”
Also in attendance was guest speaker John Turner, conservation chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society. He advocated for a villagewide open-space program along with a sustainability plan.
Turner pinpointed specific examples on Long Island of progress concerning the environment. He cited the novel irrigation system at Indian Island Golf Course in Riverhead, which uses wastewater from a sewage treatment plant to irrigate the golf course.
“That wastewater is no longer dumped in the river and the bay,” Turner said. “The nitrogen is all taken up by the grass,” averting contamination of local surface waters. He suggested the village could explore comparable wastewater reuse opportunities.
He added, “The other beauty about this water reuse, from a water quantity perspective, is that we have water quantity challenges on the Island. … Using that water for the golf course means that 66 million gallons of water stay in the ground.”
Expressing her vision for the civic, Gordon said the organization could prevail so long as its members stay persistent. “You have to stay the course,” she said. “We can’t get tired. We have to support each other, we have to ask questions, and we have to go in front of our village trustees and ask, ‘What is going on?’”
The outside of Stony Brook University Children's Hospital. Photo from SBUH
Stony Brook Children’s Hospital is now a Certified Duchenne Care Center (CDCC). The accreditation comes from Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), a nonprofit organization leading the fight to end Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This accreditation makes Stony Brook the only certified center on Long Island and in the NYC metropolitan area, and one of only two centers in New York State.
According to PPMD, Duchenne is the most common muscular dystrophy in children, affecting around one in every 5,000 boys. It is a progressive disorder affecting both skeletal and heart muscles, causing decreasing mobility, and often cardiac and respiratory issues. Duchenne affects mainly boys, and its impact affects all races and cultures. The opening of the Duchenne Care Center at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital marks a new era in the level of care available to patients in the tri-state area.
“We have an extraordinary number of families affected by Duchenne living on Long Island or in the New York City area, and until now, they’ve had to travel quite a distance, even out of state, to access optimal Duchenne care,” said Rachel Schrader, Vice President of Clinical Care and Education at Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. “We are thrilled to add Stony Brook Children’s Hospital to our growing CDCC network not only because of the amazing work they are doing, but because of the access to care it creates for so many families.”
The Duchenne program at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital is led by program director Dr. Peter Morelli, neuromuscular specialist Dr. Simona Treidler and PNP coordinator Dawn Dawson.
“Treatment to improve mobility and to delay the onset of symptoms, requires a wide variety of treatments and specialist care,” says Dr. Morelli. “At Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, we provide individualized coordinated care for each family across all medical disciplines, to minimize the stress associated with complex disease management, and to enable a faster and more efficient dissemination of information among all involved clinicians and our families.”
For more information, visit stonybrookchildrens.org/specialties-services/clinical-programs/duchenneMD.
On Nov. 17, and subsequent to a judicial ruling against a New York public school district, the New York State Education Department sent a memo communicating a “need to ensure that district mascots, team names and logos are nondiscriminatory.” This memo closed with an unfortunate edict: “Should a district fail to affirmatively commit to replacing its Native American team name, logo and/or imagery by the end of the 2022-23 school year, it may be in willful violation of the Dignity Act. The penalties for such a violation include the removal of school officers and the withholding of state aid.”
In response, I contacted NYS Commissioner of Education Betty Rosa and introduced several preliminary questions and recommendations, including the imperative that time be afforded to make this a teachable moment — both a cultural and business education opportunity. The commissioner agreed with the academic opportunity. She recognized more information for affected school districts was needed, and these details are expected soon.
Throughout our conversation, Commissioner Rosa’s responses to my questions continued to incorporate the term “reasonable.” The dialogue yielded some insights and elevated some concerns that have been topics among our community members during these intervening weeks:
By the end of this school year (June 2023), affected districts shall provide an attestation that they intend to comply with changes to ensure nondiscriminatory logos/mascots/names, etc.
Logo development and implementation will be done in a reasonable time frame. Subsequent to our conversation, NYSED has indicated implementation by the end of the 2024-25 school year.
Logos on gymnasium floors and turf fields were greeted with a “reasonable” replacement. I interpret this to mean the turf field logo would be replaced when the turf is next due for wear replacement, as anything that accelerated financial burden on the district or our residents, I view as “unreasonable.” However, my interpretation awaits confirmation in the forthcoming details from NYSED.
Existing logos/names in question could be maintained if there is an existing agreement with local tribes to preserve these artifacts. As recently as 2020, local Native American leaders have not favored our logo. Further discussion should always be an option.
It was not explicitly affirmed whether our district naming was at risk. However, “Comsewogue” is a vocabulary word — not a direct name of a Native American person or peoples — and “Warriors” is a generic term originating from Anglo-French and used ubiquitously across cultures. These origins suggest reasonable, nondiscriminatory terms.
Going at least as far back as my elementary experience, Comsewogue School District has taught the history of our community, including the Setalcott Native Americans and the translation of the local Native American term “Comsewogue” — or its historic spelling “Cumsewogue” — as “an intersection of many paths,” or “where many paths meet.” Perhaps the exploration of this history could be expanded through our problem-based learning curriculum. It might include an opportunity to meet present-day local Native American leaders willing to share their insights on topics of interest, but I will yield to our educators on best practice implementation.
From a business education perspective, I advised the state commissioner that business logos take more than six months to change — let alone a logo with strong emotional ties. It would require time to engage and collaborate with community stakeholders, then a period of research to determine the design of a new logo. Again, our problem-based curriculum offers an opportunity here: To learn the process of brand building and brand value, and the opportunity to perform the research to understand the emotions beneath the surface of Warrior Pride. Here again, I will yield to our educators for the creation of compelling learning experiences.
As clarification is received from the state, the school district will keep all stakeholders informed. However, it is always helpful to be prepared. Today’s Comsewogue students are the stewards of the Comsewogue Warrior, its appearance and the values associated with growing up in our community. I could not imagine a change of the current logo that isn’t led by them, built on perspectives from and backed by all our supporting stakeholders.
Our students are the standard-bearers of today’s Warrior in human and artistic representation. And as envisaged by our students, Comsewogue’s logo will be an intersection of ideals and imagery.
Rob DeStefano serves as trustee for the Comsewogue School District Board of Education. The writer’s opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Comsewogue School District or its Board of Education.
A special election for Brookhaven Town Clerk will take place Tuesday, Jan. 17. Above, Kevin LaValle (left) and Lisa Di Santo, respective nominees for the Republican and Democratic parties. Photos by Raymond Janis
Early voting is underway for the next Brookhaven town clerk, and the two major party candidates are making their pitch to the voters.
Former Town Clerk Donna Lent (I) retired in November, triggering a special election for her unexpired term ending in 2025. Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) and community advocate Lisa Di Santo, the Democratic Party nominee, will square off at the polls Tuesday, Jan. 17.
During a joint meeting of the Selden and Centereach civic associations Thursday, Jan. 5, the two candidates were questioned on a range of topics related to the operations of the Town Clerk’s Office. Civic members generated some of the questions with others fielded from the audience.
Introductions
Di Santo is a former social studies teacher who taught students about participation in government. She also served as a trustee of the South Country school board in East Patchogue, where she lives.
“I have always participated in government, and I feel that I can be an independent voice of reason in the Town Clerk’s Office,” she said. “We have many of the same people filling many of the same positions over and over again. … That leads to a bit of stagnation, and I think it’s time for a fresh set of ideas, a fresh set of eyes, on what’s happening in the Town Clerk’s Office.”
Before entering government, LaValle owned a title agency. He then received a loan mortgage originator’s license and has worked in mortgage banking ever since. The councilman worked on the staff of former Suffolk County Legislators Dan Losquadro (R) and Tom Muratore (R). He was elected to serve Brookhaven’s 3rd Council District in 2013 in an area which includes Lake Grove, Centereach, Selden and parts of Lake Ronkonkoma, Farmingville, Port Jeff Station and a piece of Holbrook.
“I think I’ve accomplished a great deal as councilman, but I come before you now, again, to say that as town clerk, I am going to bring a new energy,” he said. “I am going to bring a new work ethic to the Town Clerk’s Office that has not been seen before.”
Duties of town clerk
Both candidates were asked about the function of the town clerk. For Di Santo, the clerk must ensure the accurate recording of Town Board meetings and the efficient filing of legal records, among other tasks. She emphasized the significance of the Freedom of Information Law request process.
“One of the most important things has to do with [being] the appeals officer for FOIL requests that come to the town,” she said. “People who live here and pay taxes should be able to access that information.”
The Democratic candidate also said the incoming clerk must assess and modernize the existing technology in the office. “I have spoken with some people who work in the Town Clerk’s Office and told me that their technology is at least 10 years out of date,” she said. “That is something that is certainly personally scary to me.”
LaValle viewed the clerk’s role as threefold, that is to “secure, maintain and distribute vital records of the residents of the Town of Brookhaven.” He referred to the office as a “vital hub,” servicing residents in the best and worst times.
“I believe the efficiency could be improved in the Town Clerk’s Office,” he said. “Cybersecurity, I think that’s something we can take to another level.”
He viewed the clerk as a service provider rather than a policymaker or revenue generator, noting that empowering and providing the staff with the necessary resources will be critical. “As the clerk, the focus will be about making sure the staff has the tools to be able to do their job,” he said.
Cybersecurity
Addressing the September ransomware attack against the Suffolk County government, LaValle assessed shortcomings within the county’s IT network. He described the need for coordination between departments, recommending the town continues its transition to cloud technologies to avert a similar scenario.
“The cloud is probably the best security that you can have, but we have to stay vigilant and make sure we’re looking at new technologies as we move along to make sure our information stays secure,” the councilman said.
Di Santo concurred that replacing outdated technology will be a priority. She stressed the need to properly oversee the transition to new platforms and work out any technical or logistic challenges that may arise.
“When you have new technology, one of the things that is crucial is to make certain that the staff is comfortable with that technology, that they’re fully trained so that they are able to use that to the best of their ability,” she said.
Staffing
After conversations with staff members, Di Santo painted a bleak picture of the current situation within the Town Clerk’s Office. “The office is actually understaffed,” she said. “Morale is really not very good in the office. You have a lot of turnover, so it’s very difficult to have the best customer service when you have staff changing and needing to be retrained.”
She reiterated that “a fresh set of eyes” from somebody outside government will help identify areas for improvement and generate potential solutions.
LaValle said he would prefer close collaboration with the Town Board, analyzing any barriers to efficient staff operations. He then stated a desire to fund personnel better.
“I want to be able to go in, take a real good look at what is going on in the office,” he said. “Do we need more employees? Should we pay our employees more?”
He also advanced the need to offer a vision the staff can get behind. “We have to work with the employees and build a team concept,” he said. “I want to make this the best clerk’s office in New York state. Without our employees buying into my leadership and what I want to do, that’s not going to happen.”
Resident access
Both candidates addressed the need to decentralize the office, to move services out of Town Hall and into the various hamlets and villages throughout the township. LaValle introduced a multipronged approach, including attending community meetings and building a more prominent multimedia presence.
“I want to be a town clerk going out to various functions,” he said. “A lot of people here see me in a lot of different events. That’s something I’m going to continue to do because I think the outreach of going out to the public and showing them what the clerk’s office does … is fundamentally important.”
He added, “I want to be able to go out and bring back some transparency — new social media platforms, doing videos on Channel 18 talking about what we can do to help residents.”
Di Santo said she has heard from multiple residents that resident access to public records can be slow. She again centered on requests for public information.
“The town clerk is the final appeals officer for the FOIL law,” she said. “In some cases, those requests get bounced from one department to another and the clock seems to run out.”
She added, “People who are residents, our taxpayers, are asking for information from their town, and in many cases it seems that it is being stonewalled. The town clerk has a responsibility to provide that information.”
Open government
Candidates were asked what the term “open government” means and how they would bring town government closer to the people.
“Open government means giving everyone the opportunity to participate at their fullest,” Di Santo said. “I would, as town clerk, try to appeal to the Town Board members to make many of the meetings much more accessible to the many people in the town who work.”
She also proposed bringing the operations of the Town Clerk’s Office to local libraries and other community forums. “The town clerk [could] go into each and every one of those council districts several times a year, appear at the senior centers and the local libraries to have discussions with people,” she said.
Like Di Santo, LaValle stressed he would maintain an active community presence if elected. “I want to go out, I want to be at senior centers, I want to be at civic meetings, I want to be in chambers of commerce, talking about what the clerk’s office does,” he said. “You have to get out there. You have to be a part of the community.”
Brookhaven residents will decide on these two candidates this Tuesday, Jan. 17. Polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and residents can report to their regular polling place on Election Day.
BE THEIR GUEST
Smithtown Performing Arts Center presents 'Beauty and the Beast Jr.' through Jan. 22. Photo by Jackie St. Louis
PROGRAMS
Fossil Finds
Sunken Meadow State Park, Sunken Meadow Parkway, Kings Park presents a Tiny Tots program, Fossil Finds, on Jan. 12 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. This program will connect children and their parents with nature through short walks, animal visitors, and crafts. For ages 3 to 5. $4 per child. Register at www.eventbrite.com or call 269-5351.
Snow Globe Family Workshop
The Whaling Museum, 301 Main St.. Cold Spring Harbor presents a Snow Globe Family Workshop on Jan. 14 from 1 to 3 p.m. Celebrate the wonder of arctic whales in this drop-in program. Use clay, glitter, and other materials to design and create a wintry whale scene inside of a shimmering snow globe. Recommended for ages 5 and up. Admission fee plus $10 per participant. Call 367-3418.
Lunar New Year Celebration
Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit with a Lunar New Year Celebration at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport on Jan. 15 from 10 a.m. to noon. Visit the wildlife dioramas, learn Chinese calligraphy, and make a decoration that will bring good luck all year. For grades 2 to 4. $20 per child. To register, visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.
Pizza and Puppets!
Join Celebrate St. James at the St. James Community Cultural Arts Center, 176 Second St., St. James for a Kids Community class on Jan. 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Featuring Pizza by Tano making delicious pizza enjoy, learn about the history of pizza and then create a fun puppet to take home. $20 for child and parent, $10 each additional child or adult. Register at www.celebratestjames.org.
Storytime Under the Stars
Suffolk County Vanderbilt Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport presents its next Storytime Under the Stars on Jan. 16 from 6 to 7 p.m. A live narrator will read from winter-themed picture books, with pages projected onto the Planetarium dome for families to enjoy the illustrations and follow along. Between stories, an astronomy educator will explore seasonal constellations visible from here on Long Island. All children are invited to wear their comfiest pajamas and bring their favorite stuffed animals. Admission fee is $8 per person. Purchase tickets at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.
THEATER
‘The House That Jack Built’
Theatre Three, 412 Main St. Port Jefferson welcomes the New Year with The House That Jack Built, a delightful collection of stories, specially adapted for the youngest audiences from Jan. 21 to Feb. 4 with a sensory sensitive performance on Jan. 22. Inspired by the Brothers Grimm and Aesop’s Fables, the seven stories include The Fisherman and His Wife, Henny Penny, The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, The Bremen Town Musicians, Stubborn as a Mule, The Lion and the Mouse That Returned a Favor, and The Tortoise and the Hare. This original musical features bold storytelling and a tuneful new score. Tickets are $10. To order, call 928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.
‘Beauty and the Beast Jr.’
The Smithtown Performing Arts Center, 2 East Main St., Smithtown kicks off the holiday season with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. from Nov. 19 to Jan. 22. The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity. All seats are $25. To order, visit www.smithtownpac.org.
Disney’s ‘Frozen Jr.’
The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport continues its children’s theater with Disney’s Frozen Jr. on Saturdays at 11 a.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. from Feb. 4 to March 5. When faced with danger, princesses Anna and Elsa discover their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sisterhood. This enchanting musical features all of the memorable songs from the hit Disney film and will thaw even the coldest heart! All seats are $20. To order, call 261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.
SATURDAYS AT SIX
All Souls Church in Stony Brook welcomes The Island Chamber Brass in concert on Jan. 14.
Thursday Jan. 12
Lunch & Learn
Huntington Historical Society kicks off its Lunch & Learn series in the new year with Reflections on Women in Long Island at Encore Luxury Living, 300 Jericho Turnpike, Jericho from noon to 1:30 p.m. Dr. Natalie Naylor will present an overview of Long Island women’s roles in colonial settlements, the Revolution, religion and community activities. Lunch will be served. $50 per person, $45 members. RSVP by Jan. 9 at www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org.
Atelier art reception
Join the Atelier at Flowerfield, 2 Flowerfield, Suite #15, St. James for the opening reception of its latest exhibit, Vivid World of Denis Ponsot, in Atelier Hall from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The exhibit will run through Feb. 22. For more information, call 250-9009.
Comsewogue Library art reception
Comsewogue Public Library, 170 Terryville Road, Port Jefferson Station invites the community to an artist reception for Casey Greene’s Lore & Myth in the gallery from 6 to 8 p.m. No registration is required. Questions? Call 928-1212.
Movie Trivia Night
Join the Whaling Museum of Cold Spring Harbor for a virtual Movie Trivia Night at 7 p.m. Casual film lovers and buffs are invited to join the museum staff online for a night of cinematic fun. From Seinfeld to Star Wars, enjoy trivia about people, places, music, and famous maritime moments inspired by TV and film. Work solo, or form a team for the chance to win Narwhal Ball tickets and guest passes. $10 suggested donation. Visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org.
Sky Room Talk
Join the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington for a Sky Room Talk titled Elvis Movies: A Closer Look at 8 p.m. Could you see Elvis Presley cast as Hamlet or Abraham Lincoln? The words “Elvis Movie” conjures up images of a Technicolor Elvis singing for surfer girls, children and animals. Elvis Presley’s better films display memorable, stellar filmmaking, and some remarkable, often believable performances by the King of Rock and Roll. Film historian Glenn Andreiev returns to the Cinema with a fresh look at those enjoyable and sometimes surprising Elvis Presley movies. Tickets are $17. Visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.
Friday Jan. 13
An evening of opera
Calling all opera lovers! St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 270 Main Street, Northport hosts a concert by Opera Night Long Island at 7:30 p.m. $10 donation, students free. Refreshments will be served. For more information, visit www.operanight.org.
Grounds and Sounds Concert
Grounds and Sounds Cafe, UUFSB, 380 Nicolls Road, East Setauket presents Pete Mancini and the Hillside Airmen in concert at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $15 per person, available in advance and at the door. Light refreshments for sale. For more information, visit www.groundsandsounds.org or call 751-0297.
Saturday Jan. 14
Second Saturdays Poetry
The Second Saturdays poetry series will be returning to historic All Souls Church via Zoom from 11 a.m. to noon. Hosted by Suffolk County Poet Laureate Richard Bronson, the featured poet will be Dick Westheimer. An open-reading will follow; all are welcome to read one of their own poems.For more information, please call 655-7798.Participants can access the program through the All Souls website https://www.allsouls-stonybrook.org/
Superheroes of the Sky
Sweetbriar Nature Center, 62 Eckernkamp Drive, Smithtown kicks off the new year with a family program titled Superheroes of the Sky from 11 a.m. to noon. Take a walking tour with Jim while he feeds the Center’s Birds of Prey and tells you about their incredible adaptations that help them survive in the wild. You’ll be seeing and learning about Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, owls, hawks and many more. $10 adults, $5 children ages 11 and under. Register at www.sweetbriarnc.org.
Island Chamber Brass in concert
As part of its Saturdays at Six concert series, All Souls Church, 61 Main Street, Stony Brook, will present The Island Chamber Brass in concert at 6 p.m. Stony Brook University graduate students, the group will be playingworks by Stravinsky, Gabrieli, Ewald, Ewazen, and more. Free. Call 655-7798 for more information.
Sunday Jan. 15
Port Jefferson Farmers Market
The Port Jefferson Winter Farmers Market kicks off today at the Port Jefferson Village Center, 101 E. Broadway, Port Jefferson from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will be held every Sunday through April 30. For more information, call 473-4778.
Huntington Farmers Market
The John J. Flanagan Center, 423 Park Ave., Huntington hosts the Huntington Winter Farmers Market every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through March with over 40 vendors plus guest vendors. Visit www.longislandfarmersmarkets.com.
Peace Garden dedication
Mt. Sinai Congregational Church, 233 North Country Road, Mt. Sinai invites the community to a Peace Pole and Peace Garden dedication on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday at 11:15 a.m. Refreshments will follow in Voorhees Hall. For more information, call 928-4317.
LITMA Contradance
The Smithtown Historical Society’s Frank Brush Barn, 211 E. Main St. Smithtown will host a Contradance by the Long Island Traditional Music Association at 2 p.m. with caller Chart Guthrie and music by the Blarney Possum band (dance music from the crossroads of Appalachia and Ireland). Basic instruction will be held at 1:45 p.m. Admission is $15, $10 members $7.50 students, children under 16 free with paid adult. For more information, call 369-7854 or visit www.litma.org.
Monday Jan. 16
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Tuesday Jan. 17
NSJC Social Club event
North Shore Jewish Center Social Club, 385 Old Town Road, Port Jefferson Station welcomes certified life coach Linda Mazza to the Social Hall at 11 a.m. Learn how to go from worrier to warrior by reframing your state of mind. Bagels, cream cheese and coffee among other refreshments will be served. $5 per person, $3 members. Call 928-3737 for more information.
Wednesday Jan. 18
Tech Support
Comsewogue Public Library, 170 Terryville Road, Port Jefferson Station will provide hands-on help with your smartphone or tablet from 7 to 9 p.m. Be sure to bring your device and passwords. Space is limited. Sign up for a 15-minute appointment by calling Adult Services at 928-1212. Open to all.
Thursday Jan. 19
Community Outreach Bus
The Catholic Health Community Mobile Outreach Bus will be in the Emma Clark Library’s parking lot, 120 Main St., Setauket from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registered nurses will provide blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, and glucose screenings along with patient education and referrals as needed. Free flu vaccinations will be offered as well. The last screening will begin at 1:45 p.m. No appointments are necessary, there are no fees, and insurance is not required. Open to all. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 941-4080.
Vanderbilt lecture
Suffolk County Vanderbilt Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport continues its Climate Change and Ecology lectures series with a presentation by Dr. Becca Franks titled What the Fishes Taught Us at 7 p.m. A leading scholar in animal welfare studies, Franks will speak about the concept of dignity and its role in thinking through our relationships with the non-human world. Tickets are $10, free for members, at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.
Theater
‘The Sweet Delilah Swim Club’
Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson continues its Mainstage season with The Sweet Delilah Swim Club from Jan. 14 to Feb. 4. This hilarious and touching show features five very different but deeply connected Southern women whose friendships began on their college swim team. Each summer they meet for a reunion at the same beach cottage in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Visiting them on four weekends over thirty-three years, we learn of their lives, loves, and losses. Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students, $20 children ages 5 to 12. To order, call 928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.
‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’
The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St.. Northport presents Dirty Rotten Scoundrels from Jan. 19 to March 5. Con artist Lawrence Jameson is a longtime resident of a luxurious coastal resort, where he enjoys the fruits of his deceptions–that is, until a competitor, Freddy Benson, shows up. When the new guy’s lowbrow tactics impinge on his own work, Jameson resolves to get rid of him. Based on the uproarious movie, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels boasts a jazzy-pop score by David Yazbek, who also wrote the music for The Full Monty. Tickets range from $80 to $85. To order, call 261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.
Film
I KNOW IT WAS YOU, FREDO Catch a screening of ‘The Godfather Part II’ at the Cinema Arts Centre on Jan. 17.
‘The Godfather Part II’
The Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington continues its Best of the Big Screen series with a screening of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part II on Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. Part II of the Godfather trilogy continues the saga of the Corleone Family, serving as both a prologue and a sequel, extending over a period of 60 years and three generations. Chronicling both the rise of youthful Don Vito Corleone (Robert DeNiro replacing Marlon Brando) to Mafia chief in the early 1900s in the Little Italy section of New York City, as well as the career of Corleone’s son Michael (Al Pacino) from his patriarchal prime to his decline a year later. Winner of six Academy Awards, the film will be introduced by film historian and librarian, Philip Harwood. Tickets are $15, $10 members. Visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.
* All numbers are in (631) area code unless otherwise noted.
After over a decade in dormancy, the Port Jefferson Civic Association was resurrected Monday, Jan. 9.
PJCA joins the vibrant civic community throughout the TBR News Media coverage area. From Port Jefferson Station/Terryville to Three Village, Mount Sinai to Sound Beach, Centereach to Selden, and Smithtown to Huntington, civic associations work to improve this area continually.
Civic associations perform a critical public service. We often find powerful and monied interests run roughshod over ordinary folk. With their legal teams, public relations personnel and deep pockets, these special interests often do as they please — with the tacit or even express approval of local politicians.
But who is there to represent the citizens? Who ensures that the people are heard and that their will is implemented by local government? The civic associations.
In our democracy, the people are sovereign. The people empower the politician to carry out their will. But this is often not the case as politicians sometimes advance their own agendas out of a sense of grandiosity and self-importance.
A well-organized civic association serves as a valuable check on power. Through its members, the civic body comes to represent the shared values and interests of the community, directing local officials toward more representative policy outcomes.
Some of the best-informed and most engaged citizens are civic members. For this reason, they offer valuable feedback to local politicians. Civic associations, therefore, benefit and enhance local government.
Moreover, a civic association is a platform for residents to stay up to date and informed on local topics such as future planning, development proposals and redistricting. Through this forum, members can exchange ideas, debate pertinent issues and identify potential solutions.
We hold that a bottom-up approach is necessary. Power, policy and vision should come from the people, not the politicians. Through the discussions at civic meetings, elected representatives can carry the people’s collective vision into fruition. The civic-centric model represents the ideal of local governance.
The staff of TBR News Media congratulates the members of the Port Jefferson Civic Association. We look forward to following their work and the continued successes of civic groups throughout our coverage area.
For those who are not affiliated with a local civic, we highly encourage you to join. Now is your opportunity to get involved, to make your voice heard and to leave a positive mark on your community.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) recently secured $3.75 million for a proposed upland wall at Port Jefferson Country Club. Photo from Wikimedia Commons
The Village of Port Jefferson Board of Trustees kicked off the new year Tuesday, Jan. 3, with business and general meetings covering public expenditures, code changes and public safety.
East Beach bluff
Mayor Margot Garant announced that the village received $3.75 million for a proposed upper wall at Port Jefferson Country Club. The funds were made available through the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant program, facilitated by the office of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
The clubhouse facility at PJCC lies atop the East Beach bluff, which has rapidly eroded in recent years. Now the clubhouse is dangerously close to the bluff’s edge. [See story, “On the edge: Port Jeff Village weighs the fate of country club,” The Port Times Record, April 7.]
In an email from Schumer’s office, the senator outlined his reasons for supporting this coastal engineering project.
“This money will fund efforts to stabilize the crumbling East Beach bluff, where village recreation facilities are currently threatened due to the chronic erosion,” he said. “I worked to secure funding as soon as Mayor Garant reached out to me, and I am glad that with her partnership, we have obtained this funding — not only to preserve village assets but to ensure public safety and protect residents’ pocketbooks.”
Garant said the federal funds would support the construction of an upland wall between the clubhouse and the bluff, potentially shielding the building from further coastal erosion at East Beach.
“That money will help us save that building and restore the facilities as they preexisted up there,” she said. “We definitely have to recognize Senator Schumer’s action,” adding, “We have put that project out to bid. We have our letter of non-jurisdiction from the [New York State Department of Environmental Conservation], so we are ready to go on that project.”
Gap property
The former Gap property, located on Arden Place in Lower Port, was recently acquired by new ownership. Garant reported that plans for that property are still preliminary with the zoning and planning departments but hinted at the potential for mixed-used use of the space.
The new owner “is looking at a wet space on the first floor — sort of a food court concept that we had all kind of discussed,” she said. “And then possibly a second and third level, and perhaps a boutique hotel, which we welcome.” Devoting the space to apartments may also be on the table, Garant added.
Parking revenue
At the request of the director of economic development, parking administrator and communications committee head Kevin Wood, the board voted to evenly split the managed parking revenue generated during the 26th annual Charles Dickens Festival between the village and the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council.
“This will bring us back into the black and help the arts council survive,” Garant said.
Country club manager
The board additionally approved the hire of Thomas Natola as general manager of the Port Jefferson Country Club at an annual salary of $139,000. Stan Loucks, trustee liaison to the country club, said Natola comes highly recommended by previous employers.
“Nobody had anything negative to say about Tom,” Loucks said. “Everything was positive.”
Public hearings
The board also held two public hearings during the general meeting. The first hearing dealt with a proposed change establishing Station Street, a one-way street between the Port Jefferson Crossing apartments and the train station. The amendment includes multiple provisions, preventing left turns onto the corridor as well as parking, stopping and standing.
The second hearing gave residents a chance to weigh in on a proposed $800,000 grant application through the Restore New York Communities Initiative, offering financial assistance to Conifer Realty. The funds would help Conifer demolish blighted buildings, clearing the way for its proposed Conifer II redevelopment at the Main and Perry streets intersection. Following the public hearing, the board approved the application unanimously.
Public safety
Fred Leute, chief of code enforcement, discussed the busy work of his department last month. Leute said code enforcement officers responded promptly on two occasions to resolve emergencies. For these efforts, the village board acknowledged multiple code officers, who were awarded proclamations and given a standing ovation from those in attendance.
To view this public commendation and to watch the trustee reports, see video below.
During 2023, Huntington’s beloved arthouse community theater, the Cinema Arts Centre, will celebrate its 50th anniversary. In celebration of its decades-long tenure as Huntington’s premier destination for independent film, the Cinema will show a number of universally acclaimed classic films, as well as many audience favorites from its long history as one of Huntington’s main destinations for the arts.
After a turbulent few years coping with a temporary closure due to COVID, and then a major restoration of its three theaters, the theater reopened in Spring 2022, and has seen success screening highly acclaimed classic films – many of which audiences rarely have the opportunity to see on the big screen.
From its earliest history, the Cinema Arts Centre, also known as CAC by many of its followers, has relied upon its dedicated legion of members and supporters in the Huntington and Long Island communities. Long-time patrons often reminisce about the early days when films were projected on a sheet hung on a wall in a friend’s dance studio. Today, in large part due to the support of the local community, the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County, and the New York State Council on the Arts, the theater shows a diverse selection of film, 365 days a year in its three, newly renovated theaters.
Collaboration with other local businesses has also been a fundamental piece of the Cinema’s success. The Folk Music Society of Huntington, The Next Chapter, Huntington’s new independent bookstore, and local comic shop, Escape Pod Comics, have all partnered with the Cinema to present special events this year. This January, CAC will be partnering with Butera’s Restaurant for a special brunch screening of the Academy Award winning Italian classic Cinema Paradiso.
In recent years, the theater has placed a greater focus on hosting events that appeal to all corners of the community. With the introduction of weekly screenings of treasured family-friendly films, as well as screenings of offbeat horror and cult films, concert films, and critically acclaimed classics; the Cinema has been able to round out its program schedule – which still affords audiences unparalleled access to both new and old independent and international cinema.
“This has been a transformative year for the Cinema Arts Centre,” said Nate Close, Director of Marketing and Communication. “50 years in business is a huge achievement for any organization. We believe that it’s the special, and intimate, relationship that we’ve fostered with our community that has allowed us to remain part of the fabric of Huntington for so long. Whether that means showing nostalgic favorites, or things that you can’t see anywhere else, or just offering a place where everyone is welcome and people can come together. Community is everything to us and we look forward to the showing movies here in Huntington for the next 50 years.”
The Cinema Arts Centre is located at 423 Park Avenue in Huntington. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 631-423-7610 or visit www.cinemaartscentre.org
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