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Yearly Archives: 2021

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Stony Brook University's COVID-19 testing site. Photo by Matthew Niegocki
Updated February 18, 2021
The COVID-19 testing site at Stony Brook University’s South P-lot will be closing at 1 p.m. on February 18 due to the snowstorm. There is an anticipated delayed opening Tomorrow, February 19 with timing yet to be determined.
For further updates and more information about Stony Brook’s coronavirus drive-through testing, click here.
New York State has partnered with Stony Brook University to provide drive-through testing for the coronavirus at Stony Brook University’s South P Lot off Stony Brook Road. Walk-ins are accepted, but appointments are strongly encouraged and can be made by phone at 888-364-3065 or online at covid19screening.health.ny.gov.

 

Beginning Sunday, February 14, the COVID-19 testing site at Stony Brook University’s South P-lot will be operating from 8 a.m. to noon  on Sundays.

Operating hours are now:
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday, 8 a.m. to noon.

Anyone who believes they’re at risk should call the Department of Health Hotline, 888-364-3065, and talk to experts to determine if and how they should be tested.

Test results are not provided by Stony Brook University Hospital. They can be obtained through BioReference at bioreference.com/patient-portal or by calling the New York State DOH Hotline at 888-364-3065.

Click here for a map and directions to the testing site.

Coronavirus Hotline

Updated January 8, 2021
For people who have questions about symptoms, testing, vaccines and more, Stony Brook Medicine’s coronavirus phone line is here as a resource for you:

Coronavirus Hotline
(631) 638-1320

Staffed by registered nurses, the hotline is available daily from 8 am to 4:30 pm. Callers will be evaluated and directed to the appropriate healthcare setting for assistance, as needed.

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Photo from Pixabay

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

A year ago, most of us were going about our usual lives, shopping for food, carpooling our children, occasionally eating out, going to a movie or a play, traveling with our families during Presidents’ Week, entertaining friends in our houses, and working at our job sites.

Today the only pursuit still left on that list is shopping at the supermarket. We didn’t know that within two weeks, our lives would start to change, and that a month later the entire world would be altered.

The change agent? The novel coronavirus was the villain, otherwise known as COVID-19. Seemingly out of nowhere, the virus launched itself onto the human population. Where did it come from? How did it start? Was China somehow at fault?

A World Health Organization team of scientists returned last week from Wuhan, China, considered to be the first place with a coronavirus outbreak. Dr. Peter Daszak, who has worked with the Wuhan Institute of Virology and is president of EcoHealth Alliance in New York, was a member of the team, and was interviewed about their findings by The New York Times.

They walked around the Huanan Seafood Market, which is regarded as the source and is still blocked off to all but disease investigators. According to Daszak, the Chinese are “absolutely petrified of this virus catching hold again.” They were following severe protocols of testing, isolating and quarantining even as they were working closely with the W.H.O group.

The market was closed on December 31 or January 1, and a team of Chinese scientists then went in and swabbed every surface, collecting over 900 samples. Many were positive, including some animal carcasses. “A farm with rabbits [that was at the market] could have been really critical,” Daszak said. Or bats, stray cats, rats, live snakes, turtles and frogs, all of which were there. There were 10 stalls that sold wildlife, some peopled by vendors from South China provinces where the virus is found in bats. Some of the earliest patients with the disease had links to other markets as well, and some had no links to the Huanan market at all.

The final hypothesis of the W.H.O. team, and the Chinese scientists who worked with them throughout their visit, was that the viral pathway was wildlife, through a domesticated wildlife link, into Wuhan. In particular, Daszak suspects bats, from Southeast Asia or southern China, of getting into a domesticated wildlife farm. The viruses then jump from infected animals on the food supply chain or from their handlers to the dense population of humans that buy the animals at the markets.

There are actually many strains of this abundant family of coronaviruses, and bats and other mammals carry them. The SARS and MERS versions are just a couple that spilled over the species barrier and infected humans. So inevitably there will be more after COVID-19, and they could even cause future pandemics. Aware of that reality, some infectious disease scientists are working to produce a vaccine that will nullify all coronaviruses. Researchers are calling for a global effort to develop such a one-shot vaccine or a super vaccine. There have even been some promising early results.

Coronaviruses were first identified in the 1960s, but were initially thought only to cause mild colds. Then in 2002, a new coronavirus appeared. That was SARS-CoV, named for severe acute respiratory syndrome, and it was deadly.

In 2012, a second species of the coronavirus spilled over from bats, causing MERS, which stands for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, first reported in Saudi Arabia, and today we have SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19.

As we now know from the graphic of the virus shown by the media, the virus has spikes, which are proteins on its surface. If an antibody can be formed that sticks to the spike, it can prevent the pathogen from entering human cells. A genetic molecule, created by BioNTech called messenger RNA, works that way in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against COVID-19.

Now we need a pan-coronavirus vaccine. It’s on the way.

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Image from The Atelier
Christian White

The Atelier at Flowerfield in St. James continues its online webinar series with Nuts and Bolts of Color: Practical help on employing modern and traditional knowledge of color in painting, with artist Christian White on Thursday, Feb. 18 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

As a follow-up to his most recent lecture “Manet and Modernism” (viewable on the Atelier’s website), White will address color as a practical matter in painting, with some demonstration of approaches to pigments, mixing colors, and developing color composition and color harmony. He will attempt to show how the artists he spoke of as influences helped develop his use of color in both figurative and abstract ideas. Free. To register, visit www.theatelieratflowerfield.org and choose workshops/events. For more information, call 631-250-9009.

 

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Jo Ann Havrilla in a scene from 'Stephen Wins the Olympics' with Stephen Colbert

By Barbara Anne Kirshner

Dreams do come true. How terribly worthless and dull life would be if we didn’t aspire for something even though we might be surrounded by those voices of “reason” warning us to be practical. But sometimes that dream plays out in ways we never would have imagined.

Jo Ann Havrilla

Take acting for instance. What does it mean to be an “actress”? Is it someone walking the red carpet, cameras flashing, posing in a sequined Versace gown and dripping in Harry Winston diamonds? Is it making major motion pictures or bowing on a lavish Broadway stage to enthusiastic applause or being featured on a long-running television series?

There’s Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, and Viola Davis living the dream; all household names commanding oodles of money acquired from the wheelings and dealings of big-time agents securing Academy Award-worthy roles for them. But not all actresses luck out with this iconic recognition. In fact, most don’t “make it.”

“There’s a broken heart for every light on Broadway” is an adage that holds much credence. Many come to the Great White Way in search of a life in the theater, but few receive the recognition that Lin-Manuel Miranda with his Hamilton has enjoyed. 

There are some actors who aren’t house-hold names, yet they manage to earn a living wage doing what they love.

Meet 70-year-old working actress, Jo Ann Havrilla, who grew up in Jericho. She pursued the dream refusing to give up. That persistence paid off with some major motion pictures, television, stage and commercials. What makes Havrilla stand out as a formidable presence is her greater than life upbeat nature, energetic persona and timing equal to that of Carol Burnett.

Hers is a life of perseverance. At 23 years of age, she moved from her family’s Jericho home to a studio apartment in Manhattan where she resides to this day with her husband, Brad Firminger.

She earned her equity card while in her early twenties and doors opened for professional stage work.

Jo Ann Havrilla in a scene from ‘Hairspray’

Havrilla’s ability to play characters of all ages, especially those much older than her years, landed her the role at age 38 of Prudence Pingleton, the overprotective mother of Tracy Turnblad’s friend, Penny, in John Waters’ 1988 cult classic film Hairspray. 

In 1989, Havrilla appeared as  Boolie Werthan’s loyal secretary, Miss McClatchey, in another classic film, Driving Miss Daisy, this time with the legends, Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy. That same year she was in the Tom Selleck, James Farentino film, Her Alibi.

A role on the 1989-1990 television series True Blue followed the films. Other television credits include All My Children, One Life to Live and the Michael J. Fox series, Spin City. 

In 2004 Havrilla was featured in the comedic role of diner waitress Maxine  in the short film Sara Goes to Lunch which received recognition at the 2005 Fargo Film Festival.  

In 2010, Havrilla landed a role on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report opposite Stephen Colbert performing in a satirical skit titled “Stephen Wins the Olympics.” Havrilla played Colbert’s coach, Svetlana Oranskaya, strong as nails with a thick Russian accent. Her hysterical performance made the scene so successful that she was invited back during the 2014 Olympics to recreate Oranskaya. Hopefully, Colbert will resurrect Oranskaya during this coming summer’s Olympics. 

In 2018 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences celebrated the 30th anniversary of the making of Hairspray by reuniting Havrilla and the cast with their director, John Waters, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles. 

Much commercial work and personal speaking appearances keep her busy to date. Havrilla centers her talks on her lengthy career and what it was like working with some of the most prominent personalities in show business. She enjoys retelling how John Waters worked with a mere budget of 2 million dollars, making it imperative for the actors to nail the scenes on the first take. 

Havrilla knows she has been lucky though her name may not trip off your tongue. But look through magazines or newspapers and you just might see her inviting grin or watch the original 1988 Hairspray, Driving Miss Daisy or Her Alibi and see her doing what she loves best — being a working actress.

Her advice is don’t ever give up. Your dream may not materialize quite as you envision, but persistence pays off. Doors will open and opportunities will unfold. Believe in yourself and you can make dreams happen.

Postscript: Havrilla’s inspirational message of ‘never giving up’ happened in a dramatic way on January 26, 2021, when 48-year-old country singer/songwriter, Thad Cockrell debuted on The Tonight Show, getting a chance of a lifetime to perform his original song “Swingin” remotely with the Tonight Show band, The Roots. 

This story is as fantastic as it gets. Jimmy Fallon heard Cockrell’s anthem song while he was in  the local hardware store. The lyrics, with the motivating chorus “If I’m gonna go down, I wanna go down swinging,” so impressed Fallon that he invited Cockrell, who had been a struggling artist for decades, to perform his song on The Tonight Show. Cockrell’s album, If In Case You Feel the Same, released in 2020, hit number three on iTunes, shooting him to instant success.

Miller Place resident Barbara Anne Kirshner is a freelance journalist, playwright and author of “Madison Weatherbee —The Different Dachshund.”

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Photo from Jeff Cobb

A longtime Port Jefferson Station resident, who loved and valued her community, is going to be missed.

Nancy J. Cobb was born in the Bronx to parents Joseph and Elsie Pandolfo. She then moved to Suffolk County, where for 55 years she lived in the same house in Port Jefferson Station, keeping busy with many different roles.

“She was very active in the local community,” said her son Jeff who now lives in Florida. “I have received tons of letters and cards since she passed — I knew that she impacted lives, but I didn’t understand how many people she touched.”

Cobb said his mother, who passed away at age 82 on Dec. 10, 2020, was “a bundle of energy.”

While he and his brother, Ken now of East Setauket, were growing up, he said that she decided to go back to school to become a teacher. 

Cobb started at Suffolk County Community College, while raising two sons, and then earned a teaching certificate and master’s degree at Stony Brook University.

“She’s definitely my hero,” he said. “She raised two young boys and had to figure out how to make a living. She established a career in the process, and wound up having a great life.”

Cobb took a job teaching both second and third grades at Clinton Avenue Elementary in the Comsewogue School District, and when school wasn’t in session, she’d host foreign exchange students in her home.

“She hosted young women from all over the world; Italy, Spain and Japan,” he said. “She maintained relationships with those girls up until the end. She was active in all their lives, and even went to visit them.”

He added that “they would call her their second mom.”

Cobb was also an avid member of the Christ Church Episcopal on Barnham Avenue, where she also taught Sunday school for many years.

On top of being an educator, Cobb loved playing tennis. For 30 years, she would play on the courts at the Port Jefferson Country Club.

She supported the local arts, often volunteering with Theatre Three and with the Comsewogue Library. She also was a member of the Port Jefferson Station Civic Association.

“She put a lot into those 82 years than most people do in half their lives,” her son said, adding that she loved to travel, she loved her house, her backyard and tending to her garden. “She had a tremendous number of friends.”

But there were five things she loved more than anything — her grandchildren; Alaina, Joseph, KJ, Kasey and Cody.

“She loved her family, she loved spending time with them and loved hearing about what they all do,” he said. “She was a lot of fun to be around. We always just had a lot of fun.”

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Stock photo

By Linda Toga, Esq.

Linda Toga, Esq.

THE FACTS: 

My mother died recently. Her will provides that I am the executor of her estate and directs that her estate is to be divided equally between me and my two siblings. In addition to her bank account and her home, my mother had an inherited IRA and a Roth IRA. My sister is the beneficiary on the inherited IRA and my brother is the beneficiary of the Roth IRA.

THE QUESTION:

Based upon my mother’s will, am I entitled to 1/3 of the assets in the IRAs?

THE ANSWER: 

The quick answer is NO. Regardless of whether it is a traditional IRA or a Roth, how the funds in an IRA are distributed upon the death of the account holder is governed by the beneficiary designation form associated with the account. A will only governs the distribution of probate assets which are assets that are owned individually by the decedent and are not subject to a beneficiary designation. The only time assets in an IRA would be subject to the terms of a will is if none of the people named on the beneficiary designation form associated with the IRA were alive at the time of the account holder’s death.

Unfortunately for you, unless your siblings chose to share some of the funds they receive from the IRAs with you, you are only entitled to 1/3 of your mother’s probate assets after all of her last expenses and the expenses of administering her estate are paid. 

Interestingly, even if the balance in each of the IRAs is the same, it is unlikely that your siblings will enjoy equal shares of your mother’s estate. While they are both entitled to a share of the probate estate that is equal to your share, your sister will have to pay income tax on the distributions she receives from the traditional IRA while your brother will receive all of the assets in the Roth IRA income tax free. 

If your mother wanted you all to share equally in her estate, she should have named all of you as equal beneficiaries on both of the IRAs. In the alternative, her attorney could have added language to her will that provided that the value of any non-probate assets passing to her children was to be taken into consideration when calculating the share of her probate assets passing to each of her children. If your mother’s will directed you to consider non-probate assets when distributing her probate estate, you would get a larger share of the probate assets to compensate for the fact that you were not named as a beneficiary on either of the IRAs. 

Although you are not entitled to funds in the IRAs, the fact that you are named as the executor of your mother’s estate entitles you to statutory commissions. Commissions are based on the value of the probate estate and can be significant. Oftentimes when a family member is the executor, he/she elects to not take commissions since doing so decreases the size of the estate that is distributed to the beneficiaries. 

However, if you feel strongly that your mother’s wish was that you received as much from her estate as your siblings, and your siblings do not feel inclined to share with you some of the non-probate assets they receive from the IRAs, you may want to consider taking commissions to help balance things out. 

The fact that your mother’s wishes may not be realized highlights the value of working with an experienced estate planning attorney and the importance of considering all of your assets when engaging in estate planning. If you do not take into consideration jointly held property and accounts, transfer on death designations, retirement plans and life insurance policies when engaging in estate planning, there is a good chance that your estate plan will not accurately reflect your wishes. 

Linda M. Toga, Esq. provides legal services in the areas of estate administration, estate planning, real estate and small business services from her East Setauket office.  Call 631-444-5605 or vising her website at www.LMTOGALAW.com to schedule a consultation. 

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Stock photo

By Lisa Scott

The League of Women Voters encourages informed and active participation in government and thus prioritizes voter registration and getting out the vote. 

The 2020 elections had a record shattering turnout —  158,254,139 ballots were cast for President from 66.7% of eligible voters. Does this mean that we have achieved our goals or can look forward to even greater election participation and thus more representative government in the coming years? The answer is definitely no! Here’s why …

Many Americans believe that voting rights and laws are derived from the Constitution and federal law. That’s only partially true and mostly just for federal elections. Voters’ lives are much more affected by state election law, which as was seen in the 2020 election results. Add our (decennial) census and the absolute power (in most states) of the state legislature to “reapportion” Congressional and other district lines. You now have a recipe for institutional power monopolies; reducing the ability for voters to actually select their representatives (the elected officials choose their voters = gerrymandering) in free and fair elections. Many state legislatures have already introduced hundreds of new voter suppression laws aimed at decreasing voter turnout.

As residents of New York State, many of us were shocked to learn that our state voting laws and constitution are an anachronistic embarrassment. Other states had pioneered and proved the value and reliability and security of 100% mail-in voting, many days of early voting and no-excuse absentee ballots. In 2019 New Yorkers had our first early voting opportunities in a local election year with sparse turnout. 

Only a few months later, COVID lockdowns and quarantines changed everything. Governor Cuomo issued a state of emergency allowing him to issue many executive orders, some of which liberalized our election laws and processes. However, these need to be enacted as state law in order to be made permanent.

The Senate met in January to pass a package of absentee voting reforms and two constitutional amendments related to voting: 

Speeding Up the Absentee Ballot Counting Process: This bill, S.1027, sponsored by Deputy Majority Leader Senator Michael Gianaris, amends various provisions of the Election Law in order to allow for expedited review and canvassing of absentee ballots without compromising the integrity of elections.

Preventing Disenfranchisement of Absentee Voters: This bill, S.253, sponsored by Senate Elections Committee Chair, Senator Zellnor Myrie, prohibits voiding absentee ballots on technicalities where intent of voters is clear and the law has been substantially complied with, including where there are stray marks or the ballot is undated but is time stamped by the Board of Elections.

Permanently Authorizing Absentee Ballot Drop Boxes: This bill, S.492, sponsored by Senator Brad Hoylman, authorizes the Board of Elections to establish absentee ballot drop-off locations or drop-boxes to provide voters with a convenient and secure option for delivering their absentee ballots.

Increasing Transparency and Information about Absentee Ballots through a Tracking System: This bill, S.1028, sponsored by Senator Leroy Comrie, ensures that all voters in the state have access to absentee ballot tracking by requiring the New York State Board of Elections to create a statewide absentee ballot tracking system for absentee voters to ensure that their vote is counted in the election while allowing counties and the New York City Board of Elections to also maintain their own absentee tracking systems.

Implementing Permanent Authorization for Applying for Absentee Ballots Online: This bill, S.632, sponsored by Senator Robert Jackson, permanently allows voters to apply for absentee ballots online and allows absentee ballots postmarked through Election Day by making permanent Chapter 91 of the Laws of 2020, which sunset on December 31, 2020. Under current Election Law, applications may only be made by mail or fax.

Creating Accountability for Timely Receipt of Absentee Ballots: This bill, S.516, sponsored by Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, establishes mandatory timeframes for processing of absentee ballot applications and ballots by Boards of Elections based on when the application was received.

Enabling Earlier Applications for Absentee Ballots: This bill, S.631, sponsored by Senator Julia Salazar, permits Boards of Elections to receive absentee ballot applications earlier than thirty days before the applicable Election Day by making permanent Chapter 138 of the Laws of 2020, which sunset on December 31, 2020.

Ensuring Voters Timely Receipt of Absentee Ballots: This bill, S.264, sponsored by Senator Zellnor Myrie, sets deadline for absentee ballot applications sent by mail to 15 days before the election, up from 7 days, to better allow for voters timely receiving their absentee ballots.

No-Excuse Absentee Voting Constitutional Amendment: This legislation, S.360, sponsored by Senator Leroy Comrie, amends the State Constitution to allow for any voter to vote by absentee without an excuse.*

Same-day Voter Registration Constitutional Amendment: This legislation, S.517, sponsored by Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, removes 10 day deadline to submit registration.*

*Both constitutional amendments were passed by the Senate and Assembly in the last session but are also required to be passed by both houses during this session. If they are passed again they will be placed on the ballot in November as voter referendums.

At this time we are unsure when the Assembly will be taking up these reforms. In the last three legislative sessions, the Senate has made election reform one of their early priority issues. The Assembly typically does not take up these bills until after the state budget has passed. (Note: Gov. Cuomo submitted the budget in late January, the 2021 fiscal year starts April 1.)

Lisa Scott is president of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. For more information, visit www.lwv-suffolkcounty.org or call 631-862-6860.

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A proposed sewage treatment plant on the Gyrodyne property in St. James has been the topic of rallies in the past, such as the above in March of 2020, and is still a concern for residents. File photo by Rita J. Egan

By Chris Cumella

Future ideas and recommendations being made for Smithtown’s Master Comprehensive Plan by town officials and residents have been public and viewable on the town’s website, but there is still miscommunication occurring on both ends.

Open recreational spaces, private lands for sewage treatment facilities, and renovation of outdated structures only scrape the surface of the expansive vision that the Smithtown government sees for the numerous town hamlets that the plan is expected to partake in. To display full transparency of the plan’s elongated efforts and strategies of achieving them, gaining public feedback was essential to the process of a collaborative effort of compromises between the town government and residents alike.

“In 2019, we began these public meetings in each hamlet,” said Smithtown Public Information Officer Nicole Garguilo in a phone interview. “We had maps, interactive sessions, we also did an online questionnaire.”

Smithtown officials began their public outreach through questionnaires created on publicinput.com, a community engagement software creator, which allowed the town to extend requests of feedback and concerns or questions from the residents.

However, while public information sessions have managed to keep the town up to date, it has also created problematic tensions for one group of residents in particular who are actively opposing certain aspects of the plan. Garguilo commented that the mentioned opposition is primarily against the waste-water management facility proposed for the Gyrodyne property in St. James but that the real issues stem from people “fearing what they don’t understand.”

The Head of the Harbor Neighborhood Preservation Coalition represents one of the groups of town citizens criticizing and opposing specific sections of the plan unless favorable compromises can be reached between the coalition and the town government. The coalition is a volunteer organization based in Head of the Harbor. It is composed of neighborhood residents in Head of the Harbor and St. James dedicated to the preservation of their environment, heritage and history.

The middle-ground between these two groups is uncertain, especially amid claims that there is improper regard to the community’s voices speaking out against the plan.

“They receive [our] letters, but we don’t receive any acknowledgment from the town that there are community concerns,” said Judy Ogden, trustee of the Head of the Harbor Neighborhood Coalition. “When the draft Comprehensive Plan came out, it was supposed to be a chance to speak of the conflict in some of the points being made.”

Ogden, along with other members of the coalition, attended the St. James hamlet meeting to raise questions. Their most recent attendance during a Zoom conference held Jan. 28 about St. James found familiar questions and ponderance directed toward the details of the plan for the hamlet.

One topic of conversation was the Gyrodyne sewage treatment plan proposed for the commercial property in St. James.

All over Suffolk County, according to Garguilo, various places are operating off of outdated sewage systems. If the town had to build even one sewer treatment facility with taxpayer money, the total amount of required finances would roughly estimate $157 million, according to the PIO. Even if the funds were acquired federally, the debate of where it should be placed would supposedly cause further complications and delays for set-up.

Garguilo said that it is a matter of a 20-to-30-year option vs. a three-year option. The latter being a route that costs the taxpayers of Smithtown nothing since the said sewer treatment facility would be developed in a private sector of land.

“Gyrodyne has owners that want to do right by the community,” Garguilo said. “Most of the representatives are St. James residents, and they care about the community and pay attention to what the concerns are. I think that when it’s all said and done, people will be pleased.”

In addition to sewage treatment, Smithtown officials had reached a deal that H2M, the multi-disciplined professional consulting and design firm, whose hired land developers stated if ten homes were built in a single square mile, a plot of land within a square mile would have to be preserved for open space.

Garguilo affirmed that this action followed part of the town’s decision to make certain areas of the town more family-oriented by associating outdoor-recreational environments that all age-demographics can enjoy.

Smithtown’s famous monument, a bull statue named Whisper, has remained across from developments that have come and gone for over a century. Across the street from the statue is currently the gentlemen’s club Oasis, among other outdated developments, which the town envisions as future open recreational spaces for the general public to use.

It is a mission statement of the town of Smithtown and a drive behind the Comprehensive Plan to preserve as much wildlife space and to never build on it if possible. That is where the town’s “Open-Space Fund” can take effect — renovating the land inside the town instead of constructing new developments on the other side of the Nissequogue River, which are primarily untouched wetlands and marshlands home to various species of wildlife.

The need to connect with the community follows a hope of Garguilo that there can be common ground between the opposition and the town as the Comprehensive Plan continues to unravel and expand.

Others like Ogden say they hope there will be a win-win for everybody, “If we can reconsider some parts, then it would feel like we’re being listened to.”

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Ward Melville High School. Photo by Greg Catalano

By Andrea Paldy

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was preparing to release its recommendations for the nation’s schools to safely reopen, the focus of the Three Village school board meeting Feb. 10 was on sustaining its in-person learning. Seating was limited in accordance with current distancing guidelines.

Even as parents and students expressed gratitude for the district’s September in-person reopening, there was general acknowledgment of the emotional and financial challenges associated with opening schools every day in the middle of a pandemic.

“It costs a lot of money but the message we had gotten going back to last summer was, ‘Do what you need to do to get our kids back to school and do it safely.’ And we’ve done that,” said Jeff Carlson, deputy superintendent for business services.

But there is a continuing cost. Carlson prepared residents for a 2021-22 budget that would pierce the cap on the tax levy increase. He said Three Village spent about $6.5 million in COVID-related expenses to support last fall’s reopening to all students who wanted to return in-person every day. The school district also provided fully remote instruction to students whose families requested it.

More than $4 million went to hiring more teachers to decrease class sizes so that classrooms would be less crowded, and students could maintain a distance of 6 feet, the deputy superintendent said. The attention to social distancing also meant that as the school year progressed, the New York State Department of Health did not require entire classes to quarantine when someone contracted the virus.

Funds also went toward paying for masks, janitorial staff, cleaning supplies, Chromebooks and desk barriers, Carlson said.

Next year’s budget anticipates similar costs to keep the same protections in place. Though the increase to the budget would be below 2 percent — 1.85 percent — it would exceed the district’s tax cap of 1.37 percent, Carlson said.

The deputy superintendent said the district was able to cover the expenses this year, in part, because Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed a bill allowing school districts and local governments to transfer money from their reserve funds to their operating budgets to pay for pandemic-related expenses. He added that Three Village will have spent between $4 million and $5 million from its reserves, and in compliance with the bill will need to pay back the funds within five years.

In the coming year, the governor’s preliminary budget shows a small decrease in aid to the district.  Additionally, Three Village will begin repaying about $800,000 to its reserves. Carlson said that these pandemic-related expenses, along with the usual increases in health insurance and employee retirement funds, also contractual increases, will make it impossible to put together a budget that stays within the cap.

Since the budget will be above the tax cap, it will need a supermajority — a vote of 60 percent in favor — to pass. The last time the district exceeded the cap was in 2012, the first year such caps were put in place. At that time, $1.95 million in cuts had to be made, because the budget was not approved by a supermajority.

“It’s a different time,” Carlson said of the upcoming budget. “We want to keep schools open. If not for COVID, we wouldn’t even be talking about this.”

Student life

At the same time that parents and students thanked the district for a full reopening, they also voiced frustration about some of the losses in the past year.

Speaking to the board about allowing spectators at sporting events, one parent noted that too much has already been taken away from students.

Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich assured parents that they have the support of the school district, which has registered a vote with Section XI in favor of allowing spectators at sporting events.

And while “school in person was a huge win,” said Jesse Behar, a Ward Melville senior and student representative to the school board, seniors are looking at lost milestones such as homecoming and Senior Day. They are also concerned about whether there will be a prom or “any modified in-person events,” as well as celebrations for students moving up from the sixth and ninth grades, Behar said.

“I feel positive you will make graduation happen, because last year, when many districts threw their hands up, you guys made graduation happen,” he said.

Pedisich responded to these concerns by saying, “We know that those are significant milestones for our seniors and also our ninth-graders moving up, as well as our sixth-graders. We are not giving up hope.”

She added that the governor’s pending approval in March of weddings of 150 people is a good sign and reason for optimism.

“We are looking at options that will make this as special as it can be for our seniors,” Pedisich said.

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Photo from Deposit Photos

By Kimberly Brown

The first responders of 9/11 have officially been put on the list as eligible to receive the vaccine this past Monday, but some feel the responders have been left on the back burner throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As the coronavirus vaccine slowly becomes more available to Long Islanders, John Feal, founder of the FealGood Foundation who is also a 9/11 responder and advocate, explained how he thinks compromised 9/11 responders who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, among other long-term illnesses, should not only receive eligibility but be a priority for the vaccine as well. 

John Feal, a 9/11 responder and advocate, said first responders should be a priority regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Photo from John Feal

“Yes, absolutely, compromised responders should get priority for the vaccine,” Feal said. “On September 16, [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency head] Christine Todd Whitman said the air was safe to breathe and the water was safe to drink. It created a relaxed atmosphere where people didn’t feel the need to wear their masks anymore. If they weren’t lied to, then I wouldn’t see them as a priority, but definitely see them on the list. However, these men and women were lied to, and they got very sick.”

Weeks ago, Feal began urging members of Congress, Gov. Andrews Cuomo (D) and state senators to help the 9/11 responders who have not been getting vaccinated. 

He doesn’t believe responders should be able to jump the line or take away the vaccine from others who need it. However, there are still affected responders who are sick from two decades ago and are too afraid to leave the house as they are already in danger from their previous illnesses. 

“All of these responders who have debilitating illnesses from the toxins left in the air after 9/11 deserve to be included in the 65-and-up group,” Feal said. “The fact that they haven’t been included, is proof that America has tried to move on from that horrific day.”

Despite what the foundation has been able to accomplish throughout the years, not everything can be accomplished without some help from the federal and state governments. Feal explained how he’s spent more than a decade talking to elected officials who haven’t shown much urgency when it comes to aiding the 9/11 responders in the aftermath they have had to face.

His passion and determination for 9/11 responders is shown through his work. So far, 13 pieces of legislation have been passed in various legislatures, according to him, and a memorial park built in Nesconset. The foundation has also donated over $5 million to 9/11 responders and organizations.  

“My mother raised me to never back down from a fight, but to also be respectful,” Feal said. “When we got our first bill passed we were like the little engine that could, and now 13 bills later we’re like that big engine that did.”

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