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Yearly Archives: 2022

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Stock photo from Metro

Amid the typical questions about returning to school, such as finding friends in their classes and navigating to the right room at the right time, students on Long Island and elsewhere are preparing for the third year of the pandemic while other health care concerns loom.

As the summer enters its final weeks, health officials have found mosquitoes that have the West Nile virus, monkeypox has become a national health emergency, and Rockland County and New York City have reported cases of polio.

With all those health concerns, however, medical officials emphasized numerous pieces of good news that they hope will provide less of a disruption to communities, parents, teachers and students.

For starters, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week eased some COVID-19 restrictions. In the past two years, some students had switched back and forth from in-person to remote learning after a positive test.

The CDC advises students, staff members and workers who were exposed to a person who tested positive for COVID-19 to wear face coverings for 10 days and to get tested, instead of urging them to quarantine.

At the same time, the CDC is no longer suggesting that unvaccinated students get tested regularly in order to attend school.

“Part of the reason they’re easing the restrictions is that the current strain that’s circulating is fairly non aggressive, there are not a lot of hospitalizations and there is not a lot of severe illnesses,” said Dr. Philip Nizza, chief of Infectious Disease at Mather Hospital and attending infectious disease physician at St. Charles Hospital.

The cases Nizza has seen in the hospitals are “very mild” and he hasn’t had an intensive care unit patient with a ventilator in well over a month.

Dr. Susan Donelan, medical director of the Healthcare Epidemiology Department at Stony Brook Medicine, suggested that the shift in the CDC guidance likely reflects the reality that non-pharmaceutical mitigation measures are of more limited use in an era when opportunities exist to receive effective vaccines, which are well tolerated, and safe therapeutics have become a tool to manage those people who are acutely affected.

“The shift now appears to be focused on self-assessment of risk [for self, close family members or others who may be adversely impacted if infected] and thus individual risk mitigation,” Donelan explained in an email.

Still, Nizza, among other health care providers in Suffolk County, urged people to continue to receive vaccinations and to stay up to date with their boosters.

Nizza suggested that a new booster, which could provide protection against the infectious Ba.5 omicron strain that has become the dominant variant in the county and in the United States, could be a “game changer.”

Doctors cautioned people in higher risk groups, such as those who are immunocompromised, have chronic lung disease or are significantly overweight to be vigilant about their exposure to the SARS-CoV2 virus, which causes COVID-19.

As of earlier this week, Suffolk County reported a 7.8% positive test rate on a seven-day average using lab-reported PCR tests, which doesn’t include the rapid tests. At the same time, the number of positive cases on a seven-day average stood at 33.8 per 100,000, according to the New York State Department of Health.

“If you’re not a high-risk patient the danger zone is lower,” said Nizza.

Monkeypox

Meanwhile, monkeypox continues to be a threat to the county, the state and the nation, as the availability of vaccines against the virus lags the need for shots.

New York State continues to have the greatest number of cases of the virus, with close to 2,300 out of about 12,000 cases in the country, according to the CDC. Most of the New York State cases are in the city.

The virus has affected men who have been intimate with other men, although the virus can spread through physical contact.

Nizza described monkeypox as “generally a nonfatal infection with a high presentation rate amongst the undocumented high-risk groups,” he said. “I don’t think the general population needs to rush out and get the monkeypox vaccine, unless [you] are in a high risk group.

Nizza doesn’t anticipate that the virus will spread at anywhere near the rate that COVID did.

“There is a vaccine available, which is much different than COVID, which caught us unaware,” he added.

West Nile virus

As of earlier this month, 38 mosquitoes had tested positive for the West Nile virus, including samples in Setauket and Port Jefferson Station.

The virus was first detected in birds and mosquitoes in Suffolk County in 1999.

People who contract the virus typically experience mild or no symptoms. In a small number of cases, people can have high fever, headaches, stiff necks and may have vision loss, numbness and even paralysis.

Symptoms can last several weeks and the neurological effects can be permanent.

The CDC recommends people use insect repellent to reduce the chance of getting bitten by a mosquito that harbors the virus. Additionally, reducing any standing water around the outside of the house cuts back on the opportunity for these virus-bearing insects to breed.

Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott recommended that people minimize outdoor activities between dusk and dawn, make sure windows and doors have screens and, at places where mosquitoes are active, wear shoes and socks and long pants and long sleeved shirts.

As of late last week, Mather and St. Charles didn’t have any reported cases of West Nile virus.

The people who are especially vulnerable include the elderly and anyone on drugs that suppress their immune systems.

Polio

Health officials in Rockland County and New York City reported two cases of people with polio.

This disease, which spreads from contact with infected feces, has been largely eradicated after the widespread use of an effective vaccine.

“Most people have their children vaccinated as a part of a routine series,” Nizza said. “It’s a much lower risk.”

The doctor urged people to remain vigilant about other threats that might come this fall, particularly the flu.

With masks and social distancing, the incidence of the flu declined over the last few years. As people return to work and school on a full time basis, the chance for the spread of a problematic strain rises.

“The flu is always bound to rear its head in the fall and winter months,” Nizza said, as he reminded people to get their shots and to continue to wash their hands before eating.

Even if people feel healthy and are in low risk groups, they can and should help others the way they might lend a hand to their neighbors after a storm.

“We have to protect those who have a high risk of mortality,” Nizza said. “We need herd compassion, to protect those who can’t protect themselves.”

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Members of the Brookhaven Redistricting Committee hear comments from the public at Comsewogue Public Library on Tuesday, Aug. 16.

The Brookhaven Redistricting Committee held a public meeting at Comsewogue Public Library on Tuesday, Aug. 16, to hear comments from residents across the township.

For the third straight week, citizens of Port Jefferson Station/Terryville presented a united front, urging the committee to keep the hamlet intact on the Brookhaven Town Council.

Logan Mazer, a Coram resident whose “map of least change” has received generally favorable reception in recent weeks among the public, addressed why he believes the proposed maps on the redistricting committee’s website would harm communities of interest.

“The two proposed maps make a few edits to the current boundaries that are clearly not acceptable,” he said. “The first, of course, is splitting up Port Jeff Station from the rest of CD1 and including [part of] Mount Sinai. This cannot stand and any new map that this commission considers and any map that the Town Council considers must reunite Council District 1.” He added, “Our priorities need to be keeping communities together.”

Charlie McAteer, corresponding secretary of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association, informs the committee of the historic ties between Port Jeff Station and Terryville. Photo by Raymond Janis

‘We have worked hard over the past 15 years … and all of this has been brought forth to get us to this point where we’re redeveloping our area as one vision, one hamlet.’

—Charlie McAteer

Among those in attendance who advocated for preserving Port Jefferson Station/Terryville within CD1 was Charlie McAteer, the corresponding secretary of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association.

“We are one hamlet,” he told the committee. “We have worked hard over the past 15 years — 2008 was the hamlet study for the Comsewogue district — and all of this has been brought forth to get us to this point where we’re redeveloping our area as one vision, one hamlet.”

Joining this cause was John Broven, an East Setauket resident, who compared the current redistricting process to that of 10 years ago. After investigating the 2012 process, Broven found that the committee then had worked collectively as an apolitical, independent unit.

Unlike 2012, Broven suggested that this year’s hearings have been marked by controversy and that he is “genuinely worried at the prospect of gerrymandering … along with the illogical splits between Port Jeff Station/Terryville and also Mount Sinai.”

Nancy Marr, president of the League of Women Voters of Brookhaven, outlined her own displeasure with how the hearings have been advertised to the public.

“In this case, the publicity to inform and involve people has been inadequate,” she said. “I hope next time it’s better. Despite many hearings that were scheduled, most people in Brookhaven Town did not know about them in time to come and participate.”

Shoshana Hershkowitz, a South Setauket resident and a statewide organizer for Citizen Action of New York, discussed the findings of the 2020 U.S. Census, which indicate the changing demographics of Suffolk County residents.

“It is clear that the population of New York state and the population of Suffolk County shifted dramatically,” she said. “We were at 19% minority communities in 2010. We are now at 33% in 2020. That is a 76% increase.”

Despite these demographic changes, Hershkowitz said the two proposed maps on the committee’s website target the two most diverse council districts in Brookhaven: Districts 1 and 4.

“Neither of these districts requires much change,” Hershkowitz said. “They’re both within that 5% deviation,” mandated under town code. She advocated for the transfer of territory from District 6 into District 2: “The logical thing is to move from 6 into 2. Do not disrupt these diverse communities.”

Gordon Heights Civic Association president E. James Freeman spoke on behalf of the residents of Gordon Heights, who presently reside in Council District 4. He reiterated that Districts 2 and 6 are the only ones requiring change, and that any proposal to expand Council District 4 into other areas of the town would dilute the voting power and disenfranchise the people of his community.

“We are always coming in here to be able to fight, to be able to be heard, to be able to be seen, to be able to be represented,” he said. “The weight of the many is often carried by the few. You don’t have a lot of faces in here that look like me but, believe me, things will still get done as long as we have a collective voice across all people.”

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Community Blood Drive

Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta is collaborating with St. Joseph’s Church in Kings Park, to host a blood drive on Thursday, August 25, from1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Travis Hall – Lower Level, behind St. Joseph’s at 59 Church Street. The drive is to benefit the blood banks maintained by Long Island Blood Services, which provides blood to hospitals throughout Long Island.

To be eligible to donate blood, a person must be between the ages of 16 (16 with parental consent) and 76, (if older than 76, you need permission from your doctor), weigh over 110 pounds and not have had a tattoo in the last three months. Please bring a valid photo ID with you. LI Blood Services recommends that you eat and drink plenty of fluids before donating. Previous donors should bring their blood donor card with them.

Leg. Rob Trotta at a blood drive in  June.

As a thank you for donating a pint of blood, each donor will receive a voucher for a free pint of beer, glass of cider, wine or soda at one of the participating breweries such as Destination Unknown Beer Co., Jamesport Farm Brewery, Riverhead Cider House, Long Island Beer Company, Tradewinds Brewing, Eastern Front Brewing Co., Ubergeek Brewing and others on Long Island and throughout the tristate area.

“Hospitals are always in need of blood supplies so it is important that if you can donate blood to do so because one pint of blood can help save three lives. We just did a blood drive in June and I thank those who attended and hope you will return as enough time has passed to donate again,” said Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta. For more information, please call Legislator Trotta’s district office at 631-854-3900.

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The Biden Administration has declared a national public health emergency for the monkeypox outbreak across the country. “This public health emergency will allow us to explore additional strategies to get vaccines and treatments more quickly out to the impacted communities. And it will allow us to get more data from jurisdictions so we can effectively track and attack this outbreak,” the White House said in a statement.

Monkeypox vaccines are available for Suffolk County residents at Northwell Health and Stony Brook Medicine Clinics. For more information, including links to schedule appointments, click here or call 311.

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Virginia Antionette O’Dwyer Real Estate office in Stony Brook

Virginia Antionette O’Dwyer died at the age of 91 on Aug. 13.

Virginia Antionette O’Dwyer

She was the founder of Virginia A. O’Dwyer Real Estate, located across the street from the Stony Brook train station. Many in the Three Village area remember the company’s sign featuring the colonial pineapple logo, a symbol of hospitality and friendship.

The building still stands today, filled with several agents who worked with Virginia years after Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty acquired the business in 2014.

Virginia was married to William O’Dwyer and a mother of five when she returned to work in the 1960s, according to her son Michael O’Dwyer. He said his mother wanted to buy his father a boat, and her first job was with the real estate company L.C. Clarke in Stony Brook.

“She always had a love for real estate,” he said. “She found her niche.”

It was 1970 when she started her own company.

Michael O’Dwyer said when his mother applied for a loan, the bank asked where her husband was, and she said, “Excuse me.”

“She was one of the first women to get a loan solely in her name in Suffolk County,” he said.

Her son, who is also a real estate agent and was his mother’s business partner, said he learned a lot from her over the years.

“One thing I learned is that it’s not always the highest offer that gets the house,” he said. “It’s the best offer. There’s always a lot of terms and ways you can help your buyer to get their offer presented better.”

His mother worked until Daniel Gale Sotheby’s acquired the company. While she had received offers throughout the years, it wasn’t until Daniel Gale came along that she felt confident selling.

“She waited for the right company to come along,” he said, adding that she felt the company held similar values as her business.

The son said her agents were like family to her, and in all those years only two agents left — but returned to work for her. When she sold the company to Daniel Gale, he said she wanted to make the right decision for her agents.

The son said his mother always balanced a career with family.

“She in her own way thought that anyone could do anything if they put effort into it,” he said. “She was very dedicated, honest and fair with anyone she worked with.”

In addition to real estate, he said his mother loved antiques and collected religious art. She left the art collection to Hope House Ministries in Port Jefferson, which she always felt was a worthwhile cause. Her son said in addition to collecting antiques and art, his mother also enjoyed traveling.

“She had a lot of energy,” he said. “She got energy from other people. I think she truly loved what she did. She loved her family, and she loved her business.”

Virginia and her husband were married for 58 years before his passing in 2008. She was born in Mineola on Dec. 14, 1930, to Rita “Dorita Court” Haeger, an opera singer.

“She was quite a character, so I think my mom got a lot of chutzpah from her,” Michael O’Dwyer said, adding his mother was very dedicated to his grandmother.

Virginia and her husband first lived in Westbury before moving to Nissequogue in 1963.  About 15 years ago, the couple moved to Stony Brook village and restored a 200-year-old home, according to her son.

She is survived by her children Maureen (James) Riley, William Jr. (Marguerite), Daniel (Bessie) and Michael. Son John preceded her in death. She also leaves behind 15 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Friends may call at Marinello Funeral Home, 493 Middle Country Rd, Coram, on Tuesday, Aug. 16, from 2 to 7 p.m. The Funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 17,  at 10:15 a.m. at Sts. Philip and James R. C. Church, St. James. Interment immediately to follow at Oak Hill Cemetery, Stony Brook.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Virginia’s memory be made to Hope House Ministries, Attention: Development Department, P.O. Box 358, Port Jefferson, NY 11777.

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Crab Meadow Beach in Northport. File photo by Rohma Abbas

Suffolk County Department of Health Services announced Aug. 14 that Crab Meadow Beach in Northport is closed to bathing due to the finding of bacteria at levels in excess of acceptable criteria.

The following beaches remain closed: Tanner Park Beach in Copiague; Venetian Shores Beach in Lindenhurst; Knollwood Beach, Huntington Beach Community Association Beach, Baycrest Association Beach, and Wincoma Beach in Huntington; Fiddlers Green Association Beach in Lloyd Nek, Valley Grove Beach in Eatons Neck, Beech Road Beach in Rocky Point; Sound Beach Property Owners’ Association Beach, and Sayville Marina Park Beach.

Terraces on the Sound Beach in Rocky Point; Fleets Cove Beach in Huntington; Steers Beach and Asharoken Beach in Northport; and Hobart Beach and Prices Bend Beach in Eatons Neck have reopened.

According to Suffolk County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gregson Pigott, bathing in bacteria-contaminated water can result in gastrointestinal illness, as well as infections of the eyes, ears, nose, and throat.

Beaches will reopen when further testing reveals that the bacteria have subsided to acceptable levels.

 For the latest information on affected beaches, call the Bathing Beach HOTLINE at 631-852-5822 or contact the Department’s Office of Ecology at 631-852-5760 during normal business hours.

Program information:

http://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/HealthServices/EnvironmentalQuality/Ecology/BeachMonitoringProgram.aspx

Interactive map of beach closures/advisories: https://ny.healthinspections.us/ny_beaches/

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Andrew Harris, above, teacher at Comsewogue High School. Photo courtesy Comsewogue School District

It was a long time coming, but Applebee’s has honored the Comsewogue School District and its former superintendent, the late Dr. Joe Rella.

Visitors of the Miller Place Applebee’s location can now find a multi-booth, impressive display, a testament to the beloved superintendent as well as students and faculty of the district.

“Seeing the display was lovely,” said Jennifer Quinn, the current superintendent of the district. “All of us at Comsewogue have such fond memories of Dr. Rella. It was wonderful to see those beautiful pictures of him with his family and all the students who loved him.” She added, “There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about him. It’s always the spot I choose to sit in when we go to Applebee’s.”

‘Suffolk Transportation and Applebee’s have always given great support to our community and students.’

— Jennifer Quinn 

In addition to this new display, the district will be teaming up with Suffolk County Transportation for a “Stuff-the-Bus” event at the end of the month.

Discussing the connections between the district and its various partners throughout the community, Quinn said, “Suffolk Transportation and Applebee’s have always given great support to our community and students and we are always happy to partner up with them to help our students and families.”

The Miller Place Applebee’s ‘Stuff-the-Bus’ fundraiser runs from Aug. 22-28. Applebee’s will donate all profits from the pancake breakfast on Sunday, Aug. 28 from 8-10 a.m. For those who can’t make the breakfast, then they can still enjoy lunch or dinner — just mention Comsewogue.

10% of all proceeds will support students in need throughout the district.

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Brookhaven Town councilman on redeveloping the Middle Country Road corridor

Brookhaven Town Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden), above. Photo from Brookhaven Town website
Part I

Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) has worked on several major initiatives during his time at Town Hall. In Part I of this two-part interview, LaValle discusses the recent completion of paving projects in Selden, the need for sewers on Middle Country Road, his background in government and the influence of his family on his decision-making. 

Could you discuss the recent paving projects completed in Selden and your ongoing work with the Town Highway Department?

Well, that is a major, major issue in my area. I have the smallest geographic area in the whole town. Our districts are broken up by population — about 80,000 people in each district — but my area is a very dense, compact area. What that means is that, obviously, I have a lot of roads, a lot of neighborhoods, a lot of businesses.

One of the things that we did a few years ago was that we made a commitment that we were going to spend $150 million on the town end, which is $15 million a year for the next 10 years, in paving. We made a pledge to the community that that’s what we were going to do to try to help the infrastructure in the town. We’ve been on target with that.

How have you coordinated with Suffolk County to bring sewers into downtown areas within your district?

That is absolutely crucial for the growth of the business community in Centereach and Selden along the Middle Country Road corridor. Hundreds and hundreds of businesses that run up and down this road are unsewered, and even the houses there, every one has a cesspool.

Our big issue on Middle Country Road is that if you look at these lots, they’re all half-acre and acre lots. So what can you build on it? You can’t really get the nice restaurants that other areas have, and that hinders how we can develop and how we can move forward.

We’ve had a lot of success in redeveloping a lot of these lots throughout this corridor, but bringing [sewers] here allows us to take some of these beat up lots and have developers come in and combine them and build something new, whether it’s a two-story office building or a nice restaurant. Because with that sewer capacity, you have the ability to do that.

That’s really why it will be a huge game changer for this area. It will bring good new development down the road. When I was with [the late Suffolk County Legislator] Tom Muratore [R-Ronkonkoma], we kind of started that process to get the sewers going. Now [county Legislator] Nick Caracappa [C-Selden] has jumped into office and it’s really getting supercharged right now.

The county is going to be setting this up, but it gives the town the option — because I deal with rezoning — to be able to start talking to property owners and say, “Hey listen, we have sewers coming down here. If you put this lot together and this lot together, then we could do this.” That’s when you really start getting some exciting opportunities with new businesses and various other things that we want to come into the area.

To follow up, what is your organizational philosophy toward commercial redevelopment?

I think the big key is that when you look up and down the road, we have some small lots that are a quarter-acre or a half-acre — all beat up properties. Right now, anybody coming in and buying them asks, “What can I really do with them?”

Take a look at the property values on Middle Country Road. Some 37,000 cars drive down the portion of Middle Country Road in my area every single day; 37,000 is a massive number — a lot of cars. And great property values. It’s prime real estate, but for developers to come in, you need to have the sewer capacity to be able to build a two-story building on an acre lot, and right now you can’t do that.

If you’re a developer, you have to spend money to buy the property, then money to build it, and then you have to be able to rent it to make your money back. Let’s be very honest about it. That’s what developers do. That’s what businesspeople do, they’re here to make money. So you have to be able to attract them in. By giving them sewers, you will then give them the capacity that their money will go out to redevelop, but it’s also going to come back to them because they’ll be able to bring in new businesses.

We’ve come a long way in the last nine years. The big thing for me as far as developing properties is developing that relationship with the business owners and the property owners, being a straight shooter, telling them, “Hey, this is going to work and this is not going to work.” It’s about not wasting people’s time.

A mentor of mine once asked me, “What’s the most important thing in business?” At the time, I was young — like 24 or 25 — and I said money. He said, “No, not even close.” The most important thing in business is time. If you’re a service provider, it’s the time from when your order is made to when you provide that service to your client. Or if you’re a builder, it’s the time it takes to buy the property, to get through the zoning process and to finish off building. If it takes more time, it’s going to cost you more money.

For me, I like to be a straight shooter with the developers, with the property owners, with the businesspeople, and say if it’s not a realistic concept, don’t string people along, just tell them. If it is a realistic concept, then how can we get you from point A to point B? How can we get you from when you buy the property to when you develop the property?

What is your professional background, and how did you end up at Town Hall?

I started off many years ago, after I graduated college, as chief of staff for Dan Losquadro [R] when he was a [county] legislator many years ago [and is now town highway superintendent]. I worked with Dan for about two years and then I went into the private sector — I owned a title agency for about four years. We have since sold that business and I went into the mortgage business, which I still do to this day.

During that time a bunch of years back, I was asked to come back part time to the [county] Legislature to work for Tom Muratore. He was about a year into the job and was trying to figure out his way a little bit. I decided to come back and I was with Tom for about three years. Then the opportunity to run for Town Council came up.

I never really thought that I would run for office, even though my family had been in office. I didn’t think that was what I wanted to do, but I had a lot of friends and family and people in the community come up to me — because they saw all the work that I was doing with Tom — and they said, “Listen, you do a great job and we really need you to run for the Town Board. We think you could do a great job here.”

I took that run back in 2013 and I was fortunate to get elected. I’ve been a sitting town councilman ever since. It’s been nine years of working on a lot of things within the district and it’s really something that I’ve grown to love and enjoy.

How has your family shaped your approach to public service?

My brother, John [Jay LaValle (R)], was a town councilman and a town supervisor. My cousin, Ken LaValle [R-Port Jefferson], was a state senator for over 40 years. They had very different styles when they were in office. When I was a kid, I watched how they worked.

Ken was very statesmanlike in the way he went about things. John was very aggressive and would take care of business and kind of push things and run around with a lot of energy. I kind of look at both of them and have learned from both styles.

I think there are opportunities to be aggressive when you have to push things and show excitement, like my brother John. I also think there are other opportunities when, like my cousin Ken, you have to sit back, listen, take it all in, really understand the situation, and do your homework to make sure that you know what you’re talking about. I think both of those styles kind of mesh with who I am.

Part II

For over a decade, Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) has worked on the Selden Park Complex. Now he can see the finish line. In Part II of this two-part interview, the councilman reflects upon the role of parks, open spaces and the mentorship of the late Suffolk County Legislator Tom Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma), under whom LaValle served as legislative aide.

What is the status of the Selden Park Complex?

Now this is something that I’ve been working on since I was aiding Tom Muratore 12 years ago. This is going to be the largest park in the Town of Brookhaven — 24 acres that we’re breaking ground on.

Heritage Park [in Mount Sinai] is a park that’s at the end of County Route 83. When we started talking about this with the community years ago, people said, “That’s something we want. Can we do that?” And now we’re right there.

Phase I was to bring back the two Little League fields near Grace Presbyterian Church. I actually grew up playing baseball on these fields. Grace used to lease them to the Little League, but then Grace was having issues with its insurance, so [the fields] went fallow. We were able to work with the county to buy this property. The deal was cut so that the county would buy the properties and the town would develop them. Veterans [Park] used to be a baseball field. We then came in, redid it, and now it’s a multipurpose field for all the kids. That was Phase II.

We just broke ground recently on the third and final phase, the biggest phase that we have going on here. We’re building two additional baseball fields, a basketball court, pickleball courts, playgrounds, a concession stand, shade shelters throughout, a storage facility for our guys and batting cages. And for the first time in the town’s history — and I always like to be the first guy — I was the first guy to pickleball and now I’m going to be the first guy to roller and deck hockey.

This really comes back to my childhood growing up in Centereach. We had two deck hockey and roller hockey rinks, and I would play deck hockey with my friends. We talked about it and said, “You know what? This is a good idea. Let’s bring this back to the community.” It will be the first time ever that we’re bringing that back.

I kind of refer to this as a generational park. This is where we hope that families that come to the area will walk their children around in strollers around the walking trails. Then when they get a little bit older, they bring the kids over to the playgrounds. Then they get a little bit older and play any kind of sport, whether it’s softball, baseball, lacrosse, soccer … whatever sport they want. Then the kids go off to college, and hopefully they come back to the community where they’re going to be doing the same thing and raising their families using this facility.

What is your office doing to protect open spaces?

Just this past year in the Centereach/Selden community, right on the corner of Old Town Road and County Route 83, there’s a parcel over there that we just made a preserve. That happened to be a town property, and we saw an opportunity to kind of protect it and consider it a nature preserve.

That’s something that I think is really important that we do and that we continue to do as a township. You have to keep in mind that our drinking water is extremely important to what we’re doing — it’s right under our feet. And protecting our lands protects that drinking water. Bringing sewers protects that drinking water, so that’s a critical issue for us.

What do you foresee as the long-term impact of bringing more public funds into the Middle Country area?

It’s one of the reasons I ran for office nine years ago. I grew up in this area, and I can tell you the sentiments of people back then. Generally, we were looking around at all these other communities and watching what they were building — money going here, they’re building a park there, preserving property over here. They said, “This guy’s getting this, they’re getting that, and what are we getting? Are we getting our fair share here?”

That’s something I focus on every day, about how we can rebuild and what money we can bring in. Bringing in new development is one thing — the town doesn’t put money into that. I have to go out and recruit people and work with businesspeople. But making sure our parks are up to par, making sure we’re getting extra money for our roads, these are things you are required to do as a town councilman.

As far as parks go, in my time here, we really have run through all of our parks. We have built a dog park since I’ve been here. We rebuilt Iroquois Avenue Park [in Selden] completely — the walking trail, everything is getting redone.

I grew up less than a mile from the Centereach Pool Complex. When I was a little kid, I would go up and play basketball. When I got elected, the backboards at Centereach Pool were rusted out and the ground was broken up on the basketball courts. It had been just horrendous. Since I’ve been in office, we’ve redone the basketball courts. We’re the first facility to have pickleball, we’ve built sun shelters, we’ve rebuilt the bathrooms and redone the walking trail.

Can you describe the mentorship of Tom Muratore and his influence on you now?

Tom was an unbelievable guy. We were a good team. He was the vice president of the [Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association] before he became a legislator. He was a soft-spoken guy, wasn’t the kind who was flashy or who would always jump to the mic. That wasn’t Tom.

Tom was a guy who liked to work with people and had the biggest heart of anybody I’ve ever known in politics. He just cared for everybody, didn’t need to get credit for things, just wanted to make the community a better place.

He hired me when I was young and aggressive, bouncing off the walls with a lot of energy. And he was a great mentor because he would look at me sometimes and just say, “Kevin, we can pass it today and just push it through, or we can pass it tomorrow with everybody’s consensus.” Or say, “Let’s take our time and get everybody on board.”

I’m an aggressive guy. I like to keep moving and get things going. Tom kind of put the brakes on me. He taught me to take a little extra time to build that extra consensus, making sure everybody’s on board. There were just so many different lessons that I learned from him.

Next year, when we open up [the Selden Park Complex], it will be weird not to have him here. But I know he’s looking down with a big smile on his face, and he’s glad we’re going to finish this out for the community. Something we started together.

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New York State Senator Mario R. Mattera (2nd Senate District) and Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim are teaming up to honor our community heroes with a free baseball and softball clinic for male and female players between the ages of 6 and 18.  This fun event will be run by local school coaches and 10 former Major League Baseball players from the Mets, Yankees, Cubs, Red Sox, Tigers, Dodgers, Pirates, Blue Jays, and Phillies.

The clinic will be held on Sunday, August 21st at Daniel J. Flynn Memorial Park, which is located at 29 Old Commack Road in Commack, from 10:00 AM through 1:15 PM.  Lunch will be available for families and guests during the clinic and players will have lunch after.

The event will include former Major League Baseball legends Frank Catalanotto, Art Shamsky, Oreste Marrero, John Doherty, Sal Agostinelli, Frank Tepedino, Fred Cambria, Adam Greenberg and Don DeMola.  These former players will provide instruction to the young players at various stations throughout the day.

Additionally, the first 500 registered participants will receive Rawlings MLB baseballs provided courtesy of Major League Baseball. A photo booth will also be set up to create a complimentary baseball card for each participant.

As a special component, the Heros 4 Our Heroes foundation will be honored for serving our military, fire, police and medical heroes since September 11th, 2001.

“I am so excited to join Supervisor Wehrheim in honoring our community heroes with a free clinic for our youths. Our American heroes deserve to be celebrated and the Daniel J. Flynn Memorial Park, which honors a member of the community who was killed in action during the Vietnam War, is the perfect place to do so.  To do so while also honoring Smithtown-based Heros 4 Our Heroes foundation for all the charitable work they have done is the perfect combination.  It is our hope that the young athletes who attend will be inspired by their sacrifice, commitment and duty, and that their interaction with the players and coaches who are participating will enhance them both on and off the field,” stated Senator Mattera.

“I want to thank Senator Mattera and his staff for coming up with this truly memorable idea to give to the community. This is what Flynn Memorial was created for and I think Danny would agree. It gives me a great sense of joy to facilitate the opportunity for local boys and girls to learn from baseball’s legends and our own community coaches. Moreover, we’re honoring Donato Panico and his incredible foundation Heros 4 Our Heroes, who have done magnificent work helping Veterans and First Responders for two decades. I’d highly encourage families to register their kids for this unbelievable occasion,” said Supervisor Ed Wehrheim.

Any resident who wishes to register a player or players is asked to visit FieldofHeroesYouthBaseballClinic.eventbrite.com to register.  Registrations are limited so it is important that every player who wishes to participate registers early.

Heros 4 Our Heroes was started by the Panico family, owners of Panico’s Community Market in Smithtown, following the terror attacks of 9/11. To help, they loaded up a mobile catering truck full of food from their market in Smithtown and drove to Ground Zero. They cooked for 12 straight days at the World Trade Center site and have continued to provide free meals to first responders and frontline workers for 21 years.  They provide over 3,000 heros to firefighters, policemen and veterans every September 11th, distribute turkey dinners on Thanksgiving and served special dinners for Christmas at the VA Medical Center.

“Since September 11th, 2001, the Panico’s have served as an inspiration to the people of Smithtown by serving thousands of complimentary meals to frontline workers at hospitals, nursing homes, veteran’s facilities and dozens of other entities to honor the thousands of heroes who serve us every day.  I am proud to join with Supervisor Wehrheim to show this special organization what they mean to our community and to thank the Panico family for all they do,” added Senator Mattera.

Any resident who would like to donate to Heros 4 Our Heroes should visit www.heros4ourheroes.org and click on the Field of Heroes link on the home page.

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Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Police detectives are investigating a pattern of deception larcenies during which at least four people are targeting and stealing from women in retail parking lots since last month.

A woman was in the parking lot of Costco, located at 10 Garet Place in Commack, on August 10 at 3:25 p.m. when she was approached by a man who asked for directions. When the woman entered her vehicle, she realized her wallet was missing from the passenger seat. The woman went back into Costco to see if someone had returned her wallet and saw the man accompanied by another male at the entrance of the store. They fled when they saw her.

An investigation has determined nine similar deception larcenies during which a victim was approached by an individual asking for directions while a second person stole credit cards.

The thefts occurred in the following parking lots:

*   Costco, 125 Beacon Dr., Holbrook, on July 30 at 4 p.m.
*   Costco, 3000 Route 25, Nesconset, on July 30 at 2:33 p.m.
*   Bed, Bath & Beyond, 3083 Jericho Turnpike, East Northport, on July 21 at 1:30 p.m.
*   Costco, 10 Garet Place, Commack, on July 21 at 2:38 p.m.
*   Costco, 625 Broadhollow Road, Melville, July 21 at 12:45 p.m.
*   Costco, 625 Broadhollow Road, Melville, July 16 at 2:15 p.m.
*   Costco, 10 Garet Place, Commack, on July 16 at 2:30 p.m.
*   Costco, 10 Garet Place, Commack, on July 14 at 4:25 p.m.
*   Costco, 625 Broadhollow Road, Melville, on July 14 at 2:30 p.m.

In some cases, there were two female suspects and a male suspect. One female suspect has been described as possibly pregnant. Another female was described as tall, thin, and nicely dressed. One of the males was described as dark-skinned, between 5 feet 7 inches tall and 5 feet 8 inches tall and of Indian or Eastern European descent.

Photos of the suspects can be seen here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1v-W6D9oebOWWEgZmqzE4ODHFVdkbIiP1?usp=sharing

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

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