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Yearly Archives: 2022

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Photo from Town of Smithtown
Photo from Town of Smithtown
Photo from Town of Smithtown

The Town of Smithtown Highway Department began the paving season last week, equipped with new machinery geared at saving tax dollars and executing projects at a much more efficient pace. The new BOMAG milling and Cimline pothole repair machines were approved for purchase by the Town Board last Summer (July 2021) and acquired by the Highway Department early this year. On Tuesday, April 12th, Highway crews used the new milling machine to remove old asphalt along Brooksite Drive. The paving of Brooksite Drive from New Mill Road to Jericho Turnpike was completed within two days.  Additionally, the Highway Department did not have to seek private contractors to perform the work, which results in significant savings for the taxpayers.

“Milling work has been farmed out to private contractors in the past. When you look at the big picture, all the roads that are paved inside of one season, adding to that, the cost of inflation, this machine will save a noteworthy amount of tax dollars this year and in the years to come. Additionally, both the milling machine and the pothole repair machine give our road crews an edge to complete high quality work more efficiently, which translates to less traffic, safer roads and happier residents, myself included,” said Supervisor Ed Wehrheim.

In addition to the recent work on Brooksite Drive, Highway crews have begun the final phase of work in a three year road reconstruction project for the Forestwood area. This initiative was a community collaboration between the Highway Department and the Forestwood Civic Association. The project involved repairing or replacing damaged concrete, sidewalks and curb cuts, and paving New Mill Road, Flamingo Drive, Larkspur Drive, Cygnet Drive, Teal Lane, Dove Lane, and Mark Drive. This week, the Smithtown Highway Department began the last of the concrete curb and driveway apron work along Cygnet Drive. Final asphalt paving will commence upon the completion of the Cygnet Drive effort.

“We can’t just go in and pave over already damaged roads. When concrete is broken, water gets in and that badly damages the roads. Performing road reconstruction projects such as the one in the Forestwood area will sustain the infrastructure for upwards of 20-30 years. That results in fewer resources required to maintain the Town’s 470 miles of roads, which in turn nets a major savings for Smithtown Taxpayers. This course of action is the responsible thing to do. But we’re also building safer streets for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers, preventing costly motor vehicle repairs, and preventing dangerous and costly flooding from occurring. In conclusion, rebuilding infrastructure with this path forward addresses everyone’s interests, needs, wallets and future,” said Robert Murphy, Superintendent of Highways

Highway crews have begun a similar concrete and road program in the Mills Pond Estates this week. The work is being done in house and will include the replacement of curbing, aprons (where applicable) and curb cuts throughout the subdivision roads. Temporary patch work is currently underway along Meadow Road, while school is out for the Spring break. The Town is actively working with Congressman Zeldin’s office to secure additional federal grant funds to replace the drainage infrastructure and to permanently repair Meadow Road. Additionally, materials required to begin pothole repairs, with the newly acquired machine, are expected to arrive within the next two weeks. Work will begin immediately following. Residents can download the Town of Smithtown Mobile App for real time updates regarding roadwork, detours and potential travel delays.

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Photo from Suffolk County

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has announced that the Suffolk County Veterans Service Agency will host its third annual Drive-thru Resource and Stand Down Event on Saturday, April 30 in the north parking lot of the H. Lee Dennison Building located at 100 Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

This year, 22 organizations and county agencies will participate, offering a variety of resources free-of-charge.

“Suffolk County is home to the largest veterans’ population in New York State and we must do all that we can to support our nations heroes,” said County Executive Bellone. “As part of the event, our local veterans will have access to critical information about services currently available to them, along with a host of supplies, including COVID-19 test kits.”

Attending veterans and their families will have an opportunity to receive clothing, fresh produce, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, gift cards, blankets, and much more. Information on various nonprofit veteran services, including for physical and mental health, will also be available. Registration is encouraged, but not required. To register, click here.

Over the last two years, more than 200 veteran attendees have received resources from the various organizations and county agencies at the Drive-thru Resource and Stand Down Event. The County anticipates 200 to 300 veterans will attend this year.

Organizations participating in this year’s event include:

o   Suffolk County Veteran’s Services Agency

o   Suffolk County Traffic & Parking Violations Agency

o   Suffolk County Department of Labor

o   Suffolk County Community College

o   American Legion Greenlawn Post 1244

o   Catholic Health Services

o   Covanta

o   Dominican Village

o   Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, Inc.

o   General Needs

o   Here to Help Veterans and Families

o   Home Depot

o   Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer Support Project

o   Long Island Cares, Inc.

o   New Ground

o   Phoenix House LI/NY

o   Project9line

o   St. Joseph’s College NY

o   Treehouse Group

o   United Veterans Beacon House

o   United Way of Long Island

o   US Dept. of Veterans Affairs

For more information, call 631-853-4000.

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METRO photo
NSAIDS con contribute to kidney damage

By David Dunaief, M.D.

Dr. David Dunaief

Last week, I wrote that the CDC estimates as many as 15 percent of U.S. adults have chronic kidney disease (CKD) and that roughly 90 percent of them don’t know they have it (1). This includes about 50 percent of people with a high risk of kidney failure in the next five years.

How is this possible? CKD is tricky because it tends to be asymptomatic, initially. Only in the advanced stages do symptoms become distinct, although there can be vague symptoms in moderate stages such as fatigue, malaise and loss of appetite. Those at highest risk for CKD include patients with diabetes, high blood pressure and those with first-degree relatives who have advanced disease. But those are only the ones at highest risk.

Why does CKD matter?

Your kidneys function as efficient little blood filters. They remove wastes, toxins and excess fluid from the body. In addition, they play roles in controlling blood pressure, producing red blood cells, maintaining bone health, and regulating natural chemicals in the blood. When they’re not operating at full capacity, the consequences can be heart disease, stroke, anemia, infection and depression — among others. According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the American College of Physicians, those who are at highest risk should be screened including patients with diabetes or hypertension (2)(3).

Slowing CKD progression

Fortunately, there are several options available, ranging from preventing CKD with specific exercise to slowing the progression with lifestyle changes and medications.

Exercise helps – even walking

The results of a study show that walking reduces the risk of death and the need for dialysis by 33 percent and 21 percent respectively (4). Even more intriguing, those who walked more often saw greater results. So, the participants who walked one-to-two times a week had a significant 17 percent reduction in death and a 19 percent reduction in kidney replacement therapy, while those who walked at least seven times per week experienced a more impressive 59 percent reduction in death and a 44 percent reduction in the risk of dialysis. There were 6,363 participants with an average age of 70, and they were followed for an average of 1.3 years.

How much protein to consume?

When it comes to CKD, more protein is not necessarily better, and it may even be harmful. In a meta-analysis of 17 Cochrane database studies of non-diabetic CKD patients who were not on dialysis, results showed that the risk of progression to end-stage kidney disease, including the need for dialysis or a kidney transplant, was reduced 36 percent in those who consumed a very low-protein diet, rather than a low-protein or normal protein diet (5).

Reducing sodium consumption

Good news! In a study, results showed that a modest sodium reduction in our diet may be sufficient to help prevent proteinuria (protein in the urine) (6). Here, less than 2000 mg was shown to be beneficial, something all of us can achieve.

Medications have a place

We routinely give certain medications, ACE inhibitors or ARBs, to patients who have diabetes to protect their kidneys. What about patients who do not have diabetes? ACEs and ARBs are two classes of anti-hypertensives — high blood pressure medications — that work on the kidney systems responsible for blood pressure and water balance (7). Results of a study show that these medications reduced the risk of death significantly in patients with moderate CKD. Most of the patients were considered hypertensive.

However, there was a high discontinuation rate among those taking the medication. If you include the discontinuations and regard them as failures, then all who participated showed a 19 percent reduction in risk of death, which was significant. However, if you exclude discontinuations, the results are much more robust with a 63 percent reduction. To get a more realistic picture, this result, including both participants and dropouts, is probably close to what will occur in clinical practice unless the physician is a really good motivator or has very highly motivated patients.

Should you be taking NSAIDs?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include ibuprofen and naproxen, have been associated with CKD progression and with kidney injury in those without CKD (1). For those on ACE inhibitors or ARBs, NSAIDs can also interfere with their effectiveness. Talk to your doctor about your prescription NSAIDs and any other over-the-counter medications you are taking.

Takeaways

You don’t necessarily have to rely on drug therapies to protect your kidneys, and there is no down-side to lifestyle modifications. Lowering sodium modestly, walking frequently, and lowering your protein consumption may all be viable options, with or without medication. Discuss with your physician whether you need regular screening. High-risk patients with hypertension and diabetes should definitely be screened; however, those with vague symptoms of lethargy, aches and pains might benefit from screening, as well.

References: (1) cdc.gov/kidneydisease (2) uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org (3) aafp.org. (4) Clin J Am Soc Neph-rol. 2014;9(7):1183-9. (5) Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;(10):CD001892. (6) Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens. 2014;23(6):533-540. (7) J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;63(7):650-658.

Dr. David Dunaief is a speaker, author and local lifestyle medicine physician focusing on the integration of medicine, nutrition, fitness and stress management. For further information, visit www.medicalcompassmd.com.

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Linguine Primavera

By Barbara Beltrami

Much as we enjoy those heavy long-simmered sauces that satisfy and comfort us during the long winter season, those of us who love pasta also love to inject some spring flavors and colors into our warm weather sauces. Of course, pasta primavera with its combination of seasonal veggies is high on the list but there’s also pasta with lemon and fresh herbs with its bright citrusy flavor or pasta with prosciutto and peas. Just think spring, more delicate pasta shapes and not a lot of cooking and it all comes together.

Pasta with Lemon and Fresh Herbs

YIELD: Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound thin spaghetti

2/3 cup fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, tarragon, basil, or chives, chopped

Grated zest of one lemon

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced blanched asparagus

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS: Cook spaghetti according to package directions. While it is cooking, in a large bowl combine the herbs, lemon zest, garlic, lemon juice, oil, asparagus and salt and pepper. When the pasta is ready, drain it and add half a cup of its cooking water to the lemon mixture; immediately add hot pasta and cheese to the skillet and toss to combine; transfer to a large bowl. Serve hot with a cherry tomato salad.

Fettuccine with Prosciutto and Peas

YIELD: Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound fettuccine

1 stick unsalted butter

Leaves from one large sprig of fresh sage

8 ounces thin sliced prosciutto, torn into bite-size pieces

2 cups cooked fresh or frozen peas

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

DIRECTIONS: Cook pasta according to package directions; reserve about 12 ounces of the cooking liquid. In a large skillet or pot, melt butter until frothy; add sage and prosciutto and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until prosciutto begins to brown and get crispy, about 4 minutes. Drain pasta, then add reserved cooking water to prosciutto and sage mixture; over medium heat stir, then add pasta, peas, salt and pepper and cheese and toss until heated through and liquid is absorbed by pasta. Serve hot with an arugula, radicchio and Belgian endive salad.

Linguine Primavera

Linguine Primavera

YIELD: Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound linguine

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 bunch broccolini, washed, trimmed, chopped and cooked

4 baby zucchini, cut into 1” discs and cooked

4 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 2” pieces and cooked

1 1/2 cups wax beans, trimmed, cut into 1” pieces and cooked

2/3 cup fresh or frozen peas, cooked

1 cup canned or frozen (not marinated) artichoke hearts, quartered (and cooked, if frozen)

1 cup thinly sliced baby Bella mushrooms, cooked

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

3 cups diced fresh tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

DIRECTIONS: Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, add the hot pepper flakes, scallions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, about one minute, until they release their aroma. Immediately add the broccolini, zucchini, asparagus, wax beans, peas, artichokes, mushrooms, parsley, tomatoes, basil, and salt and pepper and stir until veggies are heated through but not browned. Add butter, chicken broth, cream and cheese, and a little of the pasta cooking water; stir vigorously. Transfer linguine to a large bowl and toss with veggie mixture. Serve hot with a chilled dry white wine and bread sticks.

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Photo from SCCC

On April 21, Suffolk County Community College’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to freeze tuition at the State University of New York’s largest community college for the third consecutive year, citing the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and financial strain inflation is putting on students and their families.

The Board adopted an operating College budget of approximately $208 million for the 2022-23 academic year at its monthly meeting that includes no tuition increase.  Additionally, student fees will remain flat.

“Our students are our number one priority,” said Suffolk County Community College Board of Trustees Chair E. Christopher Murray, “and despite the challenges of the waning pandemic, holding down tuition cost ensures we remain an affordable, high quality, accessible resource for Suffolk residents.”

“Even as our economy recovers, we know that many Suffolk County residents need our help starting, or re-starting, their education or a career, and we are here to help them do just that,” said Suffolk County Community President Edward Bonahue. “Our Board has ensured that the door to opportunity remains open for thousands of students.”

Both College Board Chair Murray and College President Bonahue thanked the State and County for their generous, continued support of the College and its students.

Suffolk County Community College’s full-time tuition is $2,735 per semester for Suffolk County residents. In addition, the board kept tuition for its Beacon and Early College programs’ tuition flat at $57 per credit. “Suffolk remains the most affordable college tuition on Long Island,” said Bonahue, “and we believe a Suffolk education also delivers the highest value to the working families in our region.”

Suffolk’s Beacon Program is a concurrent enrollment program that allows high school juniors and seniors to take the College courses at their high school campus during regular school hours. College credits earned through the Beacon Program can be applied toward high school graduation and accepted at the College or transferred to other colleges and universities.

The Early College Program (ECP) is for high school juniors and seniors who attend our partner school districts to earn college credits while experiencing college life. Students enroll in college classes and interact with college faculty, staff and other students. ECP students can earn college-level credits while continuing to complete high school.

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Northport Symphony Orchestra

The Northport Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Richard Hyman, has announced that it will resume its presentation of live concerts at Northport High School, 154 Laurel Hill Road, Northport on Friday, April 29 at 8 p.m. The announcement was made in a press release on April 11. The concert will feature guest artist Oda Voltersvik, who will perform the Piano Concerto in A Minor by Edvard Grieg.  The program will also include Symphony No. 6 (the Pastoral), by Ludwig van Beethoven and Song of the Waters by James Cohn.

Oda Voltersvik

Oda Hjertine Voltersvik is a Norwegian concert pianist, regularly performing solo and chamber music recitals in Norway and abroad.  She is a member of the Volt & Potenza duo and a member and project leader of the Volt Ensemble.  Ms. Voltersvik is a first prize winner of the Buono & Bradshaw International Piano Competition in 2017, and has performed worldwide, including such venues as Wigmore Hall, St Martin in the Fields, Carnegie Hall, and the Palermo Classica International Festival.  She holds a Master in Performance Degree from the Royal College of Music and an Artist Diploma from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (with distinction), London.  For 2021 & 2022, she has received the Norwegian Arts Councils grant for younger newly established artists.

“We are eager to present the repertoire of wonderful classical music again and invite you to join us!  These concerts are made possible by ticket sales and by donations from our generous advertisers, donors, and audience members,” read the press release.

Tickets are $10 per person at the door.

For more information, visit www.northportsymphony.org.

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Kevin Reed. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook University

By Daniel Dunaief

Rain, rain go away, come again some other day.

The days of wishing rain away have long since passed, amid the reality of a wetter world, particularly during hurricanes in the North Atlantic.

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications, Kevin Reed, Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Research at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University, compared how wet the hurricanes that tore through the North Atlantic in 2020 would have been prior to the Industrial Revolution and global warming.

Reed determined that these storms had 10 percent more rain than they would have if they occurred in 1850, before the release of fossil fuels and greenhouse gases that have increased the average temperature on the planet by one degree Celsius.

The study is a “wake up call to the fact that hurricane seasons have changed and will continue to change,” said Reed. More warming means more rainfall. That, he added, is important when planners consider making improvements to infrastructure and providing natural barriers to flooding.

While 10 percent may not seem like an enormous amount of rain on a day of light drizzle and small puddles, it represents significant rain amid torrential downpours. That much additional rain can be half an inch or more of rain, said Reed. Much of the year, Long Island may not get half an inch a day, on top of an already extreme event, he added.

“It could be the difference between certain infrastructure failing, a basement flooding” and other water-generated problems, he said. The range of increased rain during hurricanes in 2020 due to global warming were as low as 5 percent and as high as 15 percent.

While policy makers have been urging countries to reach the Paris Climate Accord’s goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above the temperature from 1850, the pre-Industrial Revolution, studies like this suggest that the world such as it is today has already experienced the effects of warming.

“This is another data point for understanding that climate change is a not only a challenge for the future,” Reed said. It’s not this “end of the century problem that we have time to figure out. The Earth has already warmed by over 1 degrees” which is changing the hurricane season and is also impacting other severe weather events, like the heatwave in the Pacific Northwest in 2021. That heatwave killed over 100 people in the state of Washington.

Even being successful in limiting the increase to 2 degrees will create further increases in rainfall from hurricanes, Reed added. As with any global warming research, this study may also get pushback from groups skeptical of the impact of fossil fuel use and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Reed contends that this research is one of numerous studies that have come to similar conclusions about the impact of climate change on weather patterns, including hurricanes.

“Researchers from around the world are finding similar signals,” Reed said. “This is one example that is consistent with dozens of other work that has found similar results.”

Amid more warming, hurricane seasons have already changed, which is a trend that will continue, he predicted.

Even on a shorter-term scale, Hurricane Sandy, which devastated the Northeast with heavy rain, wind and flooding, would likely have had more rainfall if the same conditions existed just eight years later, Reed added.

Reed was pleased that Nature Communications shared the paper with its diverse scientific and public policy audience.

“The general community feels like this type of research is important enough to a broad set of [society]” to appear in a high-profile journal, he said. “This shows, to some extent, the fact that the community and society at large [appreciates] that trying to understand the impact of climate change on our weather is important well beyond the domain of scientists like myself, who focus on hurricanes.”

Indeed, this kind of analysis and modeling could and should inform public policy that affects planning for the growth and resilience of infrastructure.

Study origins

The researchers involved in this study decided to compare how the 2020 season would have looked during cooler temperatures fairly quickly after the season ended.

The 2020 season was the most active on record, with 30 named storms generating heavy rains, storm surges and winds. The total damage from those storms was estimated at about $40 billion.

While the global surface temperature has increased 1 degree Celsius since 1850, sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic basin have risen 0.4 to 0.9 degrees Celsius during the 2020 season.

Reed and his co-authors took some time to discuss the best analysis to use. It took them about four months to put the data together and run over 2,500 model simulations.

“This is a much more computationally intensive project than previous work,” Reed said. The most important variables that the scientists altered were temperature and moisture.

As for the next steps, Reed said he would continue to refine the methodology to explore other impacts of climate change on the intensity of storms, their trajectory, and their speed.

Reed suggested considering the 10 percent increase in rain caused by global warming during hurricanes through another perspective. “If you walked into your boss’s office tomorrow and your boss said, ‘I want to give you a 10 percent raise,’ you’d be ecstatic,” he said. “That’s a significant amount.”

Ecstatic, however, isn’t how commuters, homeowners, and business leaders feel when more even more rain comes amid a soaking storm.

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Founder of the Bald Eagles of Centerport Facebook group honored

At the April 12th general meeting of the Suffolk County Legislature, Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (Centerport) formally recognized Robert Schwartz, founder of the Bald Eagles of Centerport Facebook group. In addition to Bontempi sharing a little bit about Mr. Schwartz’s contributions to the community, he was presented with a proclamation to commemorate such.

Legislator Bontempi (center) with Robert Schwartz and his wife, Liz. Photo from Leg. Bontempi’s office

Schwartz’s group has an enormous following and has become an important advocacy platform for the protection of the local bald eagles and the environment in general. The group’s presence on social media also provides an opportunity for bald eagle admirers to share their photos and stories associated with their unique encounters with the national bird.

“In Huntington, when one thinks of its bald eagles, Mr. Schwartz’s group will likely come to mind. The ever-growing following of the Bald Eagles of Centerport is proof of its ability to communicate how special these birds are,” said Bontempi. On top of his interest and advocacy work associated with the bald eagles, Schwartz is also a thriving beekeeper. Whenever there is an opportunity to share his knowledge in these two arenas, he does so with great enthusiasm and has likely inspired many individuals of all ages.

“Whenever Mr. Schwartz talks about the bald eagles or his beekeeping activities, you cannot help but listen intently as his passion is contagious. As a former teacher, it is fantastic to see someone with such a thirst for knowledge and the ability to motivate others to broaden their horizons in constructive and unique ways,” added Bontempi.

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A view of Port Jefferson Harbor from Harborfront Park. File photo by Elana Glowatz

On Wednesday, April 13, two guest speakers presented to the Port Jefferson Harbor Commission on the state of Port Jeff Harbor and its future.

George Hoffman, co-founder of the Setauket Harbor Task Force, shared the history of the harbor commission over the last two decades.

“Up until 2000, the commission hadn’t been created and every village kind of did its own thing and the [Town of Brookhaven] did its own thing,” he said. “You had overlapping regulations in terms of boat speeds and where you could clam and where you could moor.”

This changed after the 2000 Port Jefferson Harbor Management Plan, which directed the various coastal municipalities in the area on how to best manage the harbor. Today, the villages and the town coordinate their efforts through the harbor commission, which harmonizes laws to monitor boating safety, establish mooring fields and regulate maritime traffic. While the villages have succeeded in these areas, Hoffman suggests the commission now has the experience and know-how to devote greater attention to water quality.

“Now that you have all of the other issues kind of resolved, I think now it’s time to consider how this commission can start to help manage the harbor itself as an environmental entity,” Hoffman said.

MS4 regulations

During the first hour of a storm event, rain often carries harmful contaminants from lawns, roads and sidewalks, discharging oils, bacteria and particulate metals into nearby surface waters. This phenomenon poses a hazard to marine life.

In an effort to reduce contamination of surface waters during storm events, new state regulations will require coastal municipalities to develop a more comprehensive stormwater management program. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation released guidelines regulating small municipal stormwater sewer systems, known as MS4s.

“I actually think that the Port Jeff Harbor Commission could be a great vehicle to help all the municipalities comply.”

— George Hoffman

Under the existing policy, local governments are given wide latitude over the maintenance of their MS4s. “In the ’50s and ’60s, we never really gave a thought about stormwater — we just figured if it goes into the harbor, then it will dilute and everything will be fine,” Hoffman said. “We found out that that’s just not the way to go. This really has significant impacts.” 

With stricter directives and harsher penalties under these new regulations, Hoffman noted the need for personnel: “That’s never a good thing for municipalities because you have to fund those positions and budgets are always tough no matter where you are.” He added that the Port Jefferson Harbor Commission — which includes officials from the town as well as the villages of Port Jefferson, Belle Terre, Poquott and Old Field — already have the infrastructure in place through the commission to coordinate their efforts in complying with these directives. 

“I actually think that the Port Jeff Harbor Commission could be a great vehicle to help all the municipalities comply,” Hoffman said. “If every village has to go out and hire its own computer programmer to do the mapping of the stormwater, and has to hire somebody to run the public meetings and has to identify all the groups that are interested — it seems to me that it would be better if we all pulled together through this commission and handle all of our MS4 responsibilities together.” 

Acknowledging the limitations of an all-volunteer commission, Hoffman’s plan would have the various villages appropriate funds to hire part-time personnel to oversee MS4 regulatory compliance: “This can actually save your villages money because if everybody pools their resources together, you can probably just get one person in here — and it wouldn’t even have to be a full-time position — to help manage the MS4 regulations.”

Public outreach is also a major component of these new guidelines. Hoffman said that under the current policy, public hearings are not mandated. Now, municipalities must hold public hearings to identify the stakeholders in their areas and report on the quality of their surface waters. Again, Hoffman said the commission can make it easier to satisfy this condition.

With greater emphasis on water quality, he said the commission can also tap into the Long Island Sound Study, a program that offers grants to protect and restore the Sound.

“The Long Island Sound Study has been in existence now for 20 years,” Hoffman said. “It’s a pact between Connecticut and New York and all of the federal monies for the Long Island Sound go through it.” Referring to the Setauket Harbor Task Force, he added, “Our group is part of the Citizens Advisory Committee and we’re very active members of that group — that’s the one that gives out the grants for $10 million.”

Planting oysters and clams

Alan Duckworth, environmental analyst with the Town of Brookhaven, also addressed the commission during the meeting. His presentation highlighted a recent undertaking by the town to improve water quality of its harbors through the planting of large numbers of oysters and clams.

In recent years, the town has attempted to strengthen its understanding of the quality of its harbors and bays, and also the pathogens and contaminants that pollute them. While traditional testing indicates that the quality of Port Jeff Harbor has improved, Duckworth notes some notable deficiencies in these testing schemes.

“There are so many pathogens in Port Jeff Harbor and elsewhere,” he said. “Some of them are from humans, but a lot of them are from water fowl. DEC does checks for pathogens and uses E. coli as a marker.” However, acknowledging the limitations of these tests, he added, “They don’t separate human E. coli from avian E. coli. Obviously some of the pathogens are coming from human waste, but a lot of it could be coming from birds.”

The town grows approximately 1.5 million oysters and another 1.5 million clams every year that it puts out into various harbors and bays. The addition of these shellfish populations aids the local fishing industry as well as recreational shellfishing. 

The oyster and clam populations serve as “filter feeders,” flushing harmful contaminants from the waters and spitting out filtered water. These shellfish have a beneficial impact on water quality, according to Duckworth. 

The town’s planting activities also attempt to restore the natural populations that once flourished along the Island coastline. “What we see today is only a fragment of what used to occur around Long Island in the bays and harbors,” Duckworth said, adding, “Through disease and through overfishing, in some areas the natural populations are 1% of what they used to be. We put out oysters and clams to hopefully kickstart the next generation.”

“About 100,000 oysters are removing about 50% of the microalgae, which is a fantastic result.”

— Alan Duckworth

With funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Long Island Sound Futures Fund, the town has been able to track the effects of these shellfish populations on the quality of its surface waters. Measuring water quality with an instrument called a sonde, researchers performed two experiments — one within an area of 100,000 oysters in Port Jeff Harbor and another approximately 60 feet away from the oysters, which served as the control. Measuring the removal of microalgae by the oysters, the researchers found “about 100,000 oysters are removing about 50% of the microalgae, which is a fantastic result,” Duckworth said. 

In a separate test for turbidity, a measure of the number of sediments floating around in the water, he said, “They also remove about 50% of these sediments, which improves water clarity. That’s really important for photosynthetic organisms and things that require sunlight.” Duckworth added, “If you have 10 feet of dirty water, all of the things that live on the bottom and require sunlight can’t photosynthesize. When you clean that water, it’s really important for the animals and plants that live there.”

A final experiment tested whether these plantings have any effect on restoring the natural populations of shellfish in the harbor. The researchers put out bags of empty oysters shells and found that baby oysters began to move into those shells, an indicator that the planted oysters are adapting to their new environment.

“The oysters that we put out are now adults, they’re now producing larvae, and those larvae are actually finding places to settle, in this case the oyster shells,” Hoffman said. “They‘re actually reseeding Port Jeff Harbor.”

Reflecting upon these studies, Hoffman concluded that the work being done is having a positive effect on water quality and points to an optimistic future of the harbor. “This is a good story,” he said. “We’re showing that, yes, the oysters that we put out are cleaning the water, but they’re also helping to reseed and restock the natural populations that we all want to bring back.”

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Founder Daniel Gale, above, and his assistant Miss Jean Wallice — the future Mrs. Kent Gale — in front of the Daniel Gale Huntington office, circa 1940. Photo from Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty

Not many companies make it to 100 years in business, but Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty did just that this year.

Below, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty’s President and CEO Patricia Petersen poses in front of the Cold Spring office around 1990. Photo from Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty

Daniel Gale founded the company on Feb. 9, 1922, and chose Main Street in Huntington for his real estate and insurance agency. When he picked the spot, the founder was encouraged by the fact that the town was a stop on one of the Long Island Rail Road lines. A century later, the company remains family owned. Through the decades the founder’s son Kent, until his passing in 2014, grandson Stan, and Kent Gale’s protégé current chairperson and president Patricia Petersen have continued to head up the company along with CEO Deirdre O’Connell.

History

In a recent phone interview, Petersen and O’Connell discussed the company’s history. Over the hundred years, Daniel Gale has grown from a business with one office to 30 locations not only on Suffolk County’s North Shore but across the Island. In 2014, the brokerage company opened offices in Queens and this year Brooklyn.

Petersen said she believes one of the company’s assets is that it has been family owned. She learned the benefits of this early on when she started in real estate in 1975 in the Cold Spring Harbor location, which was the company’s second office. Petersen said as a mother, she was hoping to work part-time but quickly found out it was difficult to become a successful real estate agent with limited hours. She said Jean Gale, the wife of the founder’s son Kent, would help get her children off the nursery school bus, give them lunch and then get them to day care.

“Somehow we cobbled it together and made it work,” Petersen said. “It’s kind of how we run the company. Whatever the agents need, Deidre and I figure out a way to provide it.”

Petersen went from agent to office sales manager, company general manager and relocation director through the years. She credits Kent Gale with recognizing she had potential. In the early ’90s, she began buying the company with Kent’s son Stan Gale and became president and CEO.

Kent Gale, son of founder Daniel Gale. Photo from Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty

In turn, one of the talents Petersen recognized was O’Connell. The latter said her career in real estate began with another company in 1991. She opened her own office in Manhasset and her second one in Cutchogue. Daniel Gale then bought her offices, and she became part of the company in 2007. O’Connell helped the brokerage expand to the North Fork. She went on to become a regional manager then general manager of the company, and became CEO four years ago.

Both said they appreciate the history of Daniel Gale. As the centennial celebrations began, Petersen said, it was a reminder of everything the company had been through since its founding. The ups and downs of the current pandemic, she added, can be likened to founder Daniel Gale’s early days.

“Daniel Gale went through the Depression and went through the [second] World War,” she said.  “In fact, he started the company right after the first World War, and then he had to go through the second World War. We have had our own challenging times over the years, but certainly that’s not new to us. We’ve always been able to not just survive but thrive in really any kind of market.”

O’Connell said she believes the company thriving goes back to its foundation. 

“Certainly, in times of crisis we use that as an opportunity to assess the crisis and to utilize that and to come out of it as a growth opportunity, because after every crisis comes opportunity,” she said. “We’ve always been able to seize those moments.”

As for the pandemic, O’Connell said the company realized the importance of pivoting early on during the shutdowns by going virtual. Within a month, she said, Daniel Gale had an open house with 150 homes virtually showcased.

“Yes, everyone could do it eventually, but we seized the moment to once again help our agents help their customers and clients in providing them the service and marketing of the moment,” O’Connell said.

Petersen and O’Connell also recognize the importance of marketing in the real estate field. An early marketing tactic of founder Daniel Gale in the 1920s, Petersen said, was buying a tract of land along with two investors. One lot had a miniature model house buried in the ground. Petersen said whoever bought the plot would win a house built for them. She added that the person turned out to be a builder, so he was given two more lots instead of having a house built for him and the win spearheaded his own business in the area.

Pat Petersen and Deirdre O’Connell. Photo from Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty

Sotheby’s International

Another milestone in Daniel Gale’s history was when the company became affiliated with Sotheby’s in the 1970s. The auction house needed an outlet for its clientele. After Sotheby’s International Realty was created, Daniel Gale became affiliated with it on Long Island and went on to become its No. 1 affiliate in the world.

O’Connell called the move a game-changer which allows Daniel Gale agents to bring their properties around the world but still have representation on Long Island.

“Larger firms that are represented, even here on Long Island, their decisions during hard times aren’t made here locally,” she said. “They’re made maybe in New York City or across the country somewhere. We live and we work, we do everything with our people first in mind.”

She gave the example that during the Great Recession of the 2000s, while big corporations laid off people, “Pat Petersen put personal money into the company to make sure that we didn’t have to cut our people.”

Keeping employees in place is something the company was able to do during the pandemic, too.

“We kept everyone on the payroll because we could make that decision,” O’Connell said.

The present and future

Later this year, Daniel Gale plans to open a new office in Huntington located cata-cornered where the original 1922 building was on Main Street. The company also recently launched the Daniel Gale Foundation to enable the company, which has donated tens of thousands in the past, to make a bigger impact.

O’Connell said Daniel Gale offices have always been involved with their communities “through a wide range of community service initiatives and donations.” With the new foundation, offices will choose a few events each year to work on with the whole company.

“The Daniel Gale Foundation will enable us to make an even greater impact with our giving by consolidating our giving efforts across the Island from Brooklyn to Shelter Island and make them even more impactful,” O’Connell said. “The foundation is about more than giving dollars, it is having the Daniel Gale family roll up their sleeves, put on their sneakers or pick up their shovels to work in our communities as a team.” 

The two said it’s important to be proud of the past but it’s also essential to keep an eye on the future. Currently, like other realty companies, Daniel Gale is keeping up with the current seller’s market. O’Connell said while inventory is low, sales are high.

“We get 10 houses on the market, or an office has five houses on the market in a weekend, and they’re all gone by Monday,” O’Connell said, adding she believes the market will normalize in the near future.

Petersen added the importance of pricing correctly in any market.

“Part of our job is to be good counselors,” she said.

As they look toward the future, Petersen and O’Connell said the ways of communicating continue to change with social media platforms, but the key is to maintain high quality just like they do in ads and online.

“You have to be true to yourself, and I’m very proud of what we’ve done in the last 100 years,” Petersen said. “Not that I had much to do with the first 50, but I am very proud of what we’ve accomplished and what is still yet to accomplish.”

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