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Port Jefferson trustee will run for re-election as write-in

by Elana Glowatz - May 5, 2015

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School board Trustee Mark Doyle has launched a write-in campaign for re-election in Port Jefferson, two weeks after a deadline passed without enough residents filing to run for the board.

School board Trustee Mark Doyle rides atop a convertible during the Port Jefferson homecoming parade this past October. File photo by Bill Landon

There are three seats up for election on May 19: Doyle’s and those of Trustee Vincent Ruggiero and Vice President Jim Laffey. Those who were interested in seats on the board of education had to turn in paperwork to run by April 20, but that day came and went with only Ruggiero handing in a petition.

District Clerk Janice Baisley said the district would rely on write-in candidates to fill the open seats for three-year terms.

Doyle, who works for the American Physical Society, a nonprofit organization working to better the understanding of physics, previously said he was not running for re-election because of a new job that required more responsibility and traveling, making him unsure if he could fully commit to being a school board trustee. But the six-year incumbent said Monday that he reflected further on the matter and has had time to adjust to his new professional role.

“I now believe that I will be able to serve effectively on the board despite my other commitments,” he said in an email.

He said his change of heart came after seeing others had not stepped up to serve, and that his original decision not to run had been a difficult one.

“I feel there is still much to be done to keep the district on a sound fiscal path while pursuing the goal of outstanding student achievement,” Doyle wrote.

He added that the community needs “experienced and knowledgeable board members” because it is contending with “turmoil caused by the actions of [Gov. Andrew] Cuomo and the state education department.”

Doyle, who has lived in the district for 18 years, plans to use word-of-mouth and signs to raise awareness of his campaign for the board.

Baisley said there will be instructions in the voting booths on the day of the election to guide community members through voting for candidates who are not on the ballot. Pens will be provided for the write-in votes.

Doyle said in his email Monday, “My goal has always been that Port Jefferson should continue to be a community that families favor for raising and educating their children.”

Benner’s Farm celebrates May Day

by Heidi Sutton - May 5, 2015

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Benner’s Farm in Setauket held a May Day festival on Sunday, May 3, much to the delight of the local community. The festivities included a dance around a maypole, live music and other activities.

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Northport school district welcomes new superintendent

by Rohma Abbas - May 5, 2015

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poster-boards-banzer-bash-2_ABBASw — 2. Welcoming poster boards could be spotted at a reception for new Superintendent Rob Banzer on Monday, May 4. Photo by Rohma Abbas

Recently appointed Northport-East Northport Superintendent Rob Banzer got a grand welcome to the district on Monday, as school officials showered the new leader with an evening full of music, speeches, cake and cheer.

New Northport-East Northport Superintendent Rob Banzer at a reception for him in Northport on Monday, May 4. Photo by Rohma Abbas

Banzer walked into a decked-out cafeteria at the William Brosnan administration building on Laurel Avenue. The room was lined with posters created by students, which welcomed Banzer with phrases like, “Welcome to Northport, Come Visit Norwood” from the Norwood Avenue School, “We’re so happy to meet you!” from students at the Dickinson Avenue School and “Bellerose Welcomes Mr. Banzer.”

Members of the school board also attended. President Julia Binger and Vice President Andrew Rapiejko spoke before formally introducing Banzer. Binger thanked the district’s superintendent search committee and honored their work by handing one of its members, James Ruck, retired Sachem school district superintendent, a certificate of appreciation.

A Northport Tiger greets new Northport-East Northport Superintendent Rob Banzer at a reception on Monday, May 4. Photo by Rohma Abbas

Rapiejko, who introduced Banzer, spoke about consensus. He noted that while the school board and district residents may not see eye-to-eye on everything, Banzer’s appointment came with a “degree of unanimity.” He described Banzer as “someone who will exercise firm, focused and compassionate leadership.”

When Banzer took the microphone, he spoke about the importance of seeing students not as where they are, but what they could be and gave a shout out to staff at Northport-East Northport who believed in him — people he said inspired him to become who he is today.

“In my role, my hope here is that every single child in the Northport-East Northport school district can tell that story that they are touched and they can be inspired by the staff — and it doesn’t just have to be teachers, it can be administrators — it can be anybody,” he said. “It can be food service workers, it can be custodians — anybody — that they, they feel inspired. And I see that as our role. My role as superintendent is to partner with our board of education, partner with the community, partner with the administration and the staff to make that a reality.”

Cancer scammer sentenced to prison

by Erika Karp - May 5, 2015

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BrittanyOzarowski_Spota2w — District Attorney Tom Spota holds up a jar Brittany Ozarowski used while falsely claiming she had cancer to solicit donations. File photo by Erika Karp

The Selden native who tricked Long Islanders into believing she had cancer and used donations to fund her heroin habit was sentenced to prison on Monday, after she violated the terms of a mandated drug treatment program, Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota said.

Brittany Ozarowski will spend one to three years behind bars after violating the terms of her drug treatment program. File photo

In December 2013, Brittany Ozarowski, 24, pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree larceny; 10 counts of second-degree forgery; 10 counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing; one count of first-degree scheming to defraud; and one count of petit larceny. While the District Attorney’s office wanted Ozarowski to serve a maximum seven-year prison term, Judge John Iliou instead required her to enroll in the Suffolk County Judicial Diversion Program, an alternative sentencing program that includes drug addiction treatment instead of jail. Ozarowski’s sentence included one year of inpatient treatment, one year of outpatient treatment and a year of probation.

On Monday, Spota announced in a press release that she had violated the program’s terms and had thus been sentenced to one to three years in prison.

George Duncan, a Central Islip-based attorney representing Ozarowski, said while Ozarowski received “technical violations” that resulted in her prison sentence, her time spent in the treatment program “literally saved her life,” and she is aware and thankful for that.

Duncan and the DA’s office were unable to specify how exactly Ozarowski broke program rules, as doing so would violate the federal health care privacy laws.

Ozarowski was indicted on 24 counts and arrested in April 2013. According to the DA’s office, she claimed she had bone and brain cancer to solicit donations from customers at supermarkets and shops throughout Long Island, including in Terryville, Miller Place and Sayville. In addition, she got local businesses to hold fundraisers to benefit her alleged treatments and created a website with a PayPal account where people could donate. In reality, she was using the money to fuel her heroin addiction.

At the time of her arrest, investigators discovered more than $317 in a donation bucket. More than 20 locations with donation jars were later found and the DA’s office estimated Ozarowski defrauded more than $6,000.

The 2013 arrest wasn’t Ozarowski’s first. She has other heroin-related charges against her, including a driving under the influence charge from 2011, which is still pending. The DA’s office said the Newfield High School graduate tampered with letters from doctors to say she had cancer and submitted them to her attorney in order to postpone court hearings on the charges.

Cover your garden with a blanket of phlox

Lifestyles

by Ellen Barcel - May 5, 2015

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phlox-w — Spring flowering, creeping phlox can be seen cascading over rocks on a garden wall. Photo by Ellen Barcel

By Ellen Barcel

Most people know that roses need a lot of sun to really thrive and put out lots of gorgeous flowers. Grasses, too, need enough sun to do their best. Hydrangeas need a lot of water — after all the name, hydrangea, literally means “water vessel.” On the other hand, cacti need very little water. One of the easiest ways of killing a cactus is by overwatering. Some plants, like blueberries, rhododendron and azaleas need a very acidic soil. But, are there plants that seem to do well everywhere? Actually, yes.

Phlox is an interesting genus of plants. Some are very small and are matlike. Others are tall. Some bloom in spring, some in summer and some in fall. Different varieties will grow in almost any environment — a very ubiquitous plant.

Phlox have been popular with home gardeners for over 100 years. The vast majority of phlox are native to North America. Of the over 60 species there are more than 100 varieties. Wow! While some grow in an alpine region others thrive in a prairielike environment.

There are some commonalities. For example, virtually all have flowers with five petals, sort of star shaped, that is. Another is the color of the flowers: white, pink, blue and purple predominate. They are fragrant, do well in hardiness zones 4 to 8 (although there are some that do well in a colder climate) and prefer a well-drained soil.

Most phlox used in gardens are perennials. They can be divided in spring or fall if the bed becomes overcrowded. There are basically two types available for the home gardener: the spring blooming creeping phlox, which are stunning in rock gardens and cascading down walls, and the summer flowering tall phlox.

Generally, phlox prefer full sun, but creeping phlox does well in some shade.

In many of my columns, I’ve noted where plants prefer an acidic, neutral or alkaline soil, but, phlox seem to be one of those plants that do well in almost any soil pH, as the Old Farmer’s Almanac says (6.0 to 8.0). And yes, they will do well even in soil with a lower pH, particularly the creeping phlox, which can tolerate levels as low as 5.7. This is particularly useful for the home gardener, who can plant phlox in with or near other plants that have very specific requirements.

But there are things to consider when planting them. Phlox can be prone to powdery mildew. Look for varieties that are noted as disease-resistant and plant where there is good air circulation.

I’ve seen contradictory information on whether phlox are deer-resistant. Some sources say yes, some say no.

So, you’ll have to see for yourself and consider a deer repellent of some sort if the deer in your area decide yours are very tasty.

Because there are so many different varieties of phlox that are adapted to so many different environments, it is particularly important with phlox to read and follow the information provided either in the gardening catalog or on the tag that comes with the plants you select. This way, you’ll be able to get the effect you desire.

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension and its master gardener program, call 727-7850.

Three Village BOE candidates stump for seats

by Andrea Moore Paldy - May 5, 2015

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3VBOEcandidates2_Apr2015_paldyw — Deanna Bavlnka, William F. Connors, Jr. and Jeffrey Mischler address the crowd. Photo by Andrea Moore Paldy

Not since 2012 have three candidates vied for two seats on the Three Village school board. The last time that happened, incumbents William F. Connors, Jr. and Deanna Bavlnka were running for their current seats, which will expire at the end of June.

This year Connors and Bavlnka are joined in the at-large race for two three-year board positions by newcomer Jeffrey Mischler. Their order on the ballot, determined in a drawing required by law, will be Connors, Mischler, and then Bavlnka.

Last week, residents gathered at R.C. Murphy Junior High auditorium to listen to the candidates respond to a series of prepared questions from the audience.

Concerning the importance of the arts, extra-curricular activities, vocational training and concerns about high stakes testing and teachers’ evaluations, the trio were in agreement.

Connors, current president of the Three Village school board, referred to extra-curricular activities as “co-curricular,” explaining that for many students, those programs “are something that really makes all the difference in the world in their happiness and success in school.”

Connors, 70, has lived in the district since 1973. He retired as associate vice president of academic affairs for Suffolk County Community College and said he hopes to continue to use his professional and past board experience to shepherd the district through the fiscal challenges presented by the cap on the tax levy.

All three candidates agreed that high stakes testing is a problem for both students and teachers.

The emphasis should not be on the test, but on the materials being taught and on “teaching these kids the right way to study and the right way to learn,” responded Mischler, 44.

A high school business teacher in Center Moriches, where he also taught seventh and eighth grade math for eight years, Mischler and his wife have lived in Stony Brook for eight years. They have two — soon to be three — sons at Nassakeag Elementary School.

Mischler said he hopes to represent “the teachers, the parents, the working families” and to make sure that “financial decisions are made soundly.”

Bavlnka, the director of human resources at P.W. Grosser Consulting, an environmental engineering firm, spoke of the importance of advocacy and encouraged parents to write to government officials to protest high-stakes testing.

“We need to have our voices heard and stick together and work as a team,” the mother of two W.S. Mount Elementary students said.

A 1983 Ward Melville graduate, Bavlnka wants to continue the district’s momentum and emphasis on academic excellence and “inclusiveness to maximize each student’s chance to reach their own unique potential.”

When the discussion during the hour-long Meet the Candidates Night turned to finances, Mischler promised to examine some of the Common Core programs the district pays for, such as Go Math!, to make sure they are working.

“I’m still on the fence whether it’s effective or not,” he said of the math curriculum that was just recommended by the elementary math committee.

If funds remained, Mischler said he would use them for special needs programs in the elementary schools.
Bavlnka, 50, referred to the upcoming school district budget, which includes elementary STEM teachers, and the restoration of social workers and American Sign Language, as an example of the board’s sound financial decisions. The district’s move to natural gas heating and preparation to go solar also point to the board’s efforts to save money, she said.

“We are thinking business. We are thinking revenue and efficiency and conserving. And we’re doing a great job at it,” she told the audience.

Connors, father of four Ward Melville graduates, said he would like to do more to get secondary students out of study halls and into more electives.

“We have to work with employee groups and work with them within the fiscal realties we are now facing,” Connors said regarding the district’s long-term financial health.

“That involves a change in mindset of all of us.”

Asked about term limits, Connors, who was previously on the school board from 1994 to 2006, serving as president for the last 10 years, joked that he was definitely against them.

“The community certainly can decide if I’m representing them well,” he said. “And if they feel that the Board of Education needs some new blood, new ideas that I don’t offer, they can elect another individual.”

Bavlnka said continuity and consistency are important for building relationships. It’s also important, she said, because educational law can be “overwhelming” and “one big chunk to take on.”

Mischler does believe in term limits. “I always look for a fresh look sometimes. You know yourselves if you keep doing the same thing over and over again, you may start to fall into the same pattern,” he said.

“I feel like it’s a chance for the public to make a decision.”

That decision will come on May 19. Voting for the board seats and 2015-16 school budget will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Three Village elementary schools.

Civic opposes East Setauket development

by Phil Corso - May 5, 2015

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special_groundwater_protection_area_map-w — This state Department of Environmental Conservation map hilights special groundwater protection property in yellow, which includes a lot in the center on which a North Shore developer hopes to build.

A Setauket-based civic group is drawing a line in the sand as a North Shore developer looks to build three houses on an environmentally sensitive area.

Brookhaven is home to two of Long Island’s nine special groundwater protection areas, designated by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, and Charles Krohn of Windwood Homes, Inc. has applied for variances to divide his land within one of them — in East Setauket near Franklin Avenue and John Adams Street — into three separate plots. But Shawn Nuzzo, president of the Civic Association of the Setaukets and Stony Brook, argued the town should adhere to existing zoning laws there to protect the area’s aquifer.

The DEC’s special groundwater protection area in question is a large, oddly shaped chunk of land on the North Shore that includes Stony Brook University, St. Georges Golf and Country Club, Ward Melville High School, wooded properties on the southern part of Setauket, pieces of Lake Grove and more.

“[This area] is critical to ensuring the future potability of our underground water supply,” Nuzzo said in a statement read aloud at the April 22 Brookhaven Town Board of Zoning Appeals meeting. “Granting variances to allow for these substandard lots would serve to undermine not only the state environmental conservation law, but also … Brookhaven’s own adopted comprehensive land use plan.”

The civic president said the town granted the area special protection in its 1996 land use plan — the most recently adopted plan to date — because of its environmental significance. In his testimony, Nuzzo asked the town to deny the requested variances solely to protect the environmental standards already in place, adding he was not opposed to development all together.

“If the applicant wishes to develop this property, we recommend they adhere to the town’s existing zoning ordinances,” he said.

Krohn, who lives in East Setauket, purchased the land from the town in September 2014 and said he was looking to build three homes between 3,000 and 3,500 square feet in the same community where Windwood Homes has already been developing for years.

“The houses might, in fact, be smaller than this footprint,” he said at last month’s Board of Zoning Appeals meeting. “These are not sold right now.”

Diane Moje of D&I Expediting Services in Farmingville represented Krohn at the hearing and said the goal was to make three equal lots for development.

East Setauket resident Thomas Cardno has lived near Franklin Avenue for nearly a decade and said he worries that overdevelopment would create a safety risk for young children, referring to the variance proposals as “jamming three homes on there” as a means to maximize profits at the expense of the families in the area.

The cul-de-sacs in the area are too crammed already, he said. “Just put two homes in there and call it a day, at this point.”

Moje, however, said the town has already granted similar variances for other homes in the surrounding area, making the current proposal nothing out of the ordinary.

“This is not out of character and not something this board hasn’t addressed previously, and granted,” she said.

Christopher Wrede of the Brookhaven Town Planning Department reviewed the proposal and said the variances posed no significant environmental impact. The Board of Zoning Appeals held the public hearing open, to get additional information in the coming months.

New program aims to power solar in Huntington

by Rohma Abbas - May 5, 2015

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Solar-Energy-Huntington-December-2014_3_ESPINOZAw — Huntington residents could find it easier to afford solar panels on their homes, thanks to new initiative backed by town and City University of New York officials. File photo by Victoria Espinoza

Huntington Town residents looking to go solar can let the sunshine in at a discount, thanks to a new group-purchasing program spearheaded by town and City University of New York officials.

On Monday afternoon, town hall officials unveiled Solarize Huntington, a program that attempts to incentivize residents to go solar by offering discounts of up to 25 percent on installation costs through installer Direct Energy Solar. The level of discount would increase as the number of participants in the Solarize Huntington program grows, according to the town and Sustainable CUNY of the City University of New York. Solarize Huntington will also include educational workshops about solar energy and guidance on the process of going solar.

The program, which officially launched today, May 4, runs through Sept. 10.

Homeowners who participate could purchase, finance or lease solar systems from Direct Energy Solar, the installer selected by CUNY through a competitive bidding process, town spokesman A.J. Carter said. Direct Energy Solar is also offering an additional $500 discount to the first 20 homeowners who sign contracts.

The average solar installation, with state and federal incentives included, could cost a Huntington homeowner around $16,000 for a 7-kilowatt system, according to Justin Strachan, a New York State solar ombudsman with Sustainable CUNY. Solarize Huntington could reduce that cost to somewhere around $12,000, he said.

Solar is already popular in Huntington Town, CUNY and town officials noted on Monday. Officials from Sustainable CUNY, Supervisor Frank Petrone (D), Councilwoman Susan Berland (D) and Councilman Mark Cuthbertson (D) attended a press conference launching the program on Monday at which Petrone said that last year, the town received 500 applications for solar installation permits.

“So that tells you the popularity and it tells you people are yearning for a program, for a supervised program, and something that’s going to be meaningful and cost-effective,” Petrone said.

Laurie Reilly, who directs communications for Sustainable CUNY, said the Solarize Huntington program is just one program among other solar initiatives funded by a more than $1 million U.S. Department of Energy grant. She also said Huntington was selected for the program because, at the time of the grant application, the town committed to work with Sustainable CUNY to make solar more accessible to residents.

“Huntington was the first one to step up and the first one to say, ‘We would like to do this.’”

This isn’t the only thing Huntington Town has done in recent years to encourage and increase the use of solar power to cut down on the consumption of fossil fuels. The town recently approved a fast-track process for approval of solar installation permits and used a federal grant several years ago to install solar panels at town hall, the town said in a statement.

The program launch is thanks to the partnership of Sustainable CUNY, the New York Solar Smart Program, the town and the town’s Advisory Committee on Energy Efficiency, Renewables, and Sustainability, according to a town statement.

Residents interested in signing up for the program can do it online at solarizhuntington.com, or at one of the Solarize 101 informational workshops the town is sponsoring to help residents learn of the program’s benefits.

The first workshop will be held on Monday, May 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at town hall.

Town marks sign removal milestone

by Elana Glowatz - May 4, 2015

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Illegal-Signs-Brookhaven-w — From left, Supervisor Ed Romaine, Councilwoman Connie Kepert, Councilmen Dan Panico and Neil Foley and town waste management officials Tim Timms, Frank Tassone and Frank Balsamo celebrate removing more than 1,500 illegal signs from town property. Photo from Brookhaven Town

Brookhaven Town announced on Monday that workers had removed more than 1,500 illegally posted signs from rights-of-way and utility poles in the year since the town adopted stricter laws on posting signs.

The town board banned all signs on public property last April in a unanimous move, after Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) introduced the tighter restriction.

Romaine had announced the idea during his 2014 State of the Town address, saying the ban would help clean up the town and bring local laws into step with federal regulations.

The outright ban on signs on town property replaced a rule previously on the books in Chapter 57A of the town code that faced a court challenge from a Mount Sinai business owner, who alleged it favored commercial speech over noncommercial speech. Brookhaven Town adopted its new regulations while that case was working its way through the courts, although the New York State Appellate Court ruled in favor of the town in December. The new code eliminated a requirement to notify violators before an illegal sign is removed.

Romaine and a few other town board members visited the Brookhaven landfill recently to mark the one-year anniversary of the new sign code and celebrate the town’s waste management department removing more than 1,500 illegal signs since the law’s enactment.

Violators of the town sign code face a $250 fine.

Militia brings American Revolution to Huntington

by TBR Staff - May 4, 2015

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The Order of the Ancient and Honorable Huntington Militia held “Muster Day” on May 3, reenacting the day Huntington learned of the first battles of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord in 1775. Actors in the historical re-enactment demonstrated trades and daily life skills from the colonial era on the grounds of the Arsenal, a restored historical house museum located near the corner of Main Street and Park Avenue.

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