Yearly Archives: 2024

Editorial: Where does Brookhaven’s garbage go from here?

by TBR Staff - February 17, 2024

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The Town of Brookhaven landfill, a titan of our local landscape, casts a long shadow over our future. While the initial plan promised its closure by 2024, the recent extension for incinerator ash disposal leaves us in a state of uncertainty. This reprieve begs a crucial question: What is the actual plan for the landfill, and where will our garbage go?

Residents deserve clarity. We’ve been told the landfill, nearing capacity, would soon reach its final chapter. Now, faced with a year or two extension, we’re left wondering: Is this a temporary fix or a signpost to a longer life for the landfill?

Beyond the timeline, the elephant in the room is ash disposal. Accepting Covanta’s waste may solve its immediate problem, but at what cost? Have the potential environmental impacts been thoroughly assessed? Are we simply swapping one set of concerns for another?

Perhaps most importantly, where is the long-term vision for waste management? Is this extension just a stopgap measure, or is there a concrete plan for a sustainable future beyond the landfill’s life span? We haven’t heard much about exploring alternatives like recycling, composting or waste-to-fuel technologies. Shouldn’t these be at the forefront of the conversation?

The Town Board owes it to residents to provide a comprehensive plan, not just piecemeal extensions. We need to know how the extension fits into the bigger picture, what alternatives are being explored and when we can expect a clear roadmap for the future.

This isn’t just about the landfill’s closure date, it’s about responsible waste management for generations to come. While there has been a lot of discussion, this postponement raises doubts about a future course. Residents seek transparency, clear communication and a commitment to solutions that prioritize both environmental health and responsible waste disposal. Until then, we’ll remain in limbo, watching the shadow of the landfill grow longer – and wondering where our waste will ultimately end up.

Sunrise Wind project making progress

by TBR Staff - February 17, 2024

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Research-Way-rendering-700x474-1 — Sunrise Wind. Photo courtesy Sunrise Wind

By Serena Carpino

Several Suffolk County elected officials have gathered in support for Sunrise Wind, an offshore wind project dedicated to using clean energy to power thousands of Long Island homes.

Sunrise Wind is operated under a 50/50 partnership between Ørsted, a Danish international climate action leader, and Eversource, a national leader in clean energy. The project has been ongoing since 2019 and organizers aim to have it completed by 2026, with the farm generating about 924 megawatts and supplying energy to nearly 600,000 homes across the Island.

Sunrise Wind is located approximately 30 miles east of Montauk. Developers plan to run cables through Smith Point Beach that will connect to Long Island’s electricity grid in Holbrook. Officials intend to use the wind farm to provide Island residents with 70% renewable energy by 2030, and 100% by 2040. Eventually, they hope to make Sunrise Wind a national energy hub.

The project has received bipartisan support across the county, with members of both parties agreeing to look toward a more renewable future. Officials supporting Sunrise Wind include County Executive Ed Romaine (R), state Assemblyman Joe DeStefano (R-Medford), Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico (R), and other business and labor leaders.

“Here, this is not a Democrat or Republican issue,” Romaine explained. “Our focus is local and since we all live here, we want to solve the problems together to get this done. When I look at the future, I realize we’re going to need more energy than ever: Why not renewable?”

Other officials have commented how the project is already helping parts of Long Island with its $700 million investment in jobs, assets, and partnerships across Suffolk County.

“In the Mastic-Shirley community, Patriots Preserve, we got our first million dollars from this agreement,” Panico said. “We used that money in the creation of a beautiful pristine park in the tri-hamlet community, one of the most densely populated communities that is underserved.”

Furthermore, Sunrise Wind has brought many job opportunities to Long Island residents. According to Meaghan Wims, a spokesperson for Sunrise Wind, the project will “deliver major economic benefits and local jobs to New York … while accelerating the state’s growing offshore wind workforce and supply chain.”

Many officials agree that Sunrise Wind will bring many benefits to Long Island. However, they have also addressed potential concerns about the effect on marine life and fisheries.

“Climate change is an existential threat to the biodiversity of the natural world, and one of the best ways to protect that biodiversity is the development of clean energy,” Wims explained. That being said, Sunrise Wind takes “great care to ensure that offshore wind and wildlife coexist and thrive. We’ve taken a number of steps to ensure this coexistence, often by being directly responsive to requests from the fishing community.”

For example, officials at Sunrise Wind decided the boundaries of the wind farm after considering feedback from parties that could be affected. In addition, “we’ve set the industry standard by agreeing to uniform 1 x 1 nautical mile spacing across and gridded layout of our lease areas,” Wims said. “This is the widest spacing of any offshore wind farm in the world.” Because of this type of spacing, marine transit and fishery activity can continue to occur.

In addition to Sunrise Wind, Ørsted and Eversource also have South Fork Wind and Revolution Wind in the works. South Fork Wind is estimated to provide 132 MW of energy to New York and is projected to become the first utility-scale offshore wind farm in United States waters.

Revolution Wind will supply Rhode Island and Connecticut with 704 MW of power and offshore construction is set to begin in several months.

Boutique fitness studio BODY20 officially opens in Miller Place

by Press Release - February 17, 2024

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BODY20 ribbon cutting on Feb. 2, 2024. Photo courtesy of Councilwoman Bonnner's office

On February 2, Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner and Mt. Sinai Miller Place Chamber of Commerce President Holly Bottiglieri helped celebrate the grand opening of BODY20, the new boutique fitness studio located at 275 Route 25A, Suite 28, Route 25A in Miller Place, with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

BODY20 is a personalized, technology-based workout experience that creates up to 150 times more muscle contractions versus conventional training. Combined with their personalized workout experience, results are achieved in just 20 minutes that would require hours in a traditional gym.

“I am happy to welcome Body20 to Miller Place and I encourage everyone to stop in meet the staff and see what they have to offer. It’s a great addition to the community and I wish them the best of luck,” said Councilwoman Bonner.

Pictured from left is Eva Zherberlyaeva (employee); Gianna Marfoglio (employee); Maureen Bond (Mt Sinai Miller Place Chamber) Yvonne Levine (employee); Jim Carlson (Owner), Connie Marfoglio (employee); Holly Bottiglieri (Mt. Sinai Miller Place Chamber President); Councilwoman Jane Bonner and Jade Noll (employee).

The studio is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to noon on Sundays. For more information, call 631-683-3543.

Senior night is one for the ages for the Lady Tigers

by Steven Zaitz - February 17, 2024

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By Steven Zaitz

The Northport girls basketball team had a senior night to remember on Friday, Feb. 9.

Not only were the graduating seniors, who were playing in their final regular-season home game, feted with teary speeches and flower bouquets from coaches, they completed a fourth quarter comeback that will not soon be forgotten.

Trailing 48-34 entering the final eight minutes of play, Northport, and in particular senior captain Kennedy Radziul, went on a 22-7 tear to beat North Babylon 56-55. The Lady Bulldogs have Suffolk County’s leading scorer on their roster, and she was every bit of that, scoring 35 points, but only 4 of which came in the fourth quarter. Radziul had 15 in that quarter and 20 total for the game.

With the score 55-54 in favor of North Babylon, Radziul, who has played for four years on the Lady Tiger varsity team, hit two free throws with 35 seconds left. These would be the final two points of the night for either team.

Fellow senior Brooke Kershow had 9 points and sophomore Grace Gilmartin had 8 off the bench as the Lady Tigers improved their record to 11-2 in League II play. Their only losses have come against the first place and undefeated Commack Lady Cougars, who are 13-0 at the time of this writing.

— Photos by Steven Zaitz

Driver seriously injured in single-vehicle crash in Manorville

Police & Fire

by Press Release - February 16, 2024

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police-car-siren-lights-stock — Stock photo

Suffolk County Police Seventh Squad detectives are investigating a single-vehicle crash that seriously
injured a motorist in Manorville on Feb. 16.

John Boocock was driving a 1997 Jeep Cherokee northbound on Barnes Road near Moriches-Middle
Island Road when he lost control of the vehicle which left the roadway. The vehicle then struck a fire
hydrant and overturned at approximately 4:30 p.m.

Boocock, 26, of Mastic Beach, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital with serious injuries.
The vehicle was impounded for a safety check. Anyone with information on this crash is asked to call
the Seventh Squad at 631-852-8752.

Three Village school board increases property tax exemption for low-income seniors

by Mallie Jane Kim - February 16, 2024

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SetauketSchool — Setauket Elementary School. Photo by Mallie Jane Kim

By Mallie Jane Kim

Some area seniors and persons with disabilities will qualify for a 50% cut to the school portion of their property taxes next year, after the Three Village Board of Education voted during their Feb. 7 meeting to raise the maximum income levels on a tax exemption aimed at easing the financial burden on vulnerable groups.

The move comes after nearly a year of advocacy by area senior Rochelle Pollack, who approached the podium with her walker at several board meetings since March 2023 in order to ask the board to make the change. She said seniors have elevated medical and prescription costs — alongside the high inflation rates impacting everyone. “House prices have skyrocketed,” she said at an April 2023 meeting. “It’s great if you’re selling, but it’s not if you’re staying, as school taxes have also skyrocketed.”

Pollack pointed out that someone making $40,000 but paying $14,000 in property taxes is left with $26,000 to live on. “In this day of high inflation, gas, food, heat, medical procedures and prescriptions, I dare any of you to live on $26,000,” she told the board. “How can seniors?”

According to Deputy Superintendent Jeffrey Carlson, it’s unclear how much the savings for these groups will impact all the other homeowners in the area.

“What makes it tricky for the board is there’s no way to know how many people will now get this exemption,” Carlson explained, adding that changing the income levels opens up the exemption to a whole new group of people. “How many? No idea. We have no idea what income levels are, so it’s hard to say how much it will cost everyone else.”

During previous board meeting discussions of the exemption, Carlson compared it to splitting a restaurant bill. If two people in a group of 10 want to pay less because they only had water and salad, the other eight diners must pay more — the cost of the bill doesn’t change. “For one person to pay a little less, it means everyone else pays a little more.”

New York State raised the maximum allowable income levels in 2022 to $50,000 for those aged 65 and over, but the board opted to meet that increase halfway in light of uncertainty over how many seniors will take advantage of the tax credit, and what the real impact will be on all other homeowners.

The sliding scale approved by the board will mean people over 65, or those with disabilities, who make up to $39,500 can qualify for the maximum 50% benefit. At the lowest end of the exemption, those making $47,000 to $47,900 can get a 5% tax break. Residents would need to apply for the exemption to the town assessor by March 1.

Carlson explained that the state used to raise maximums for this income-based exemption incrementally each year, but until last year hadn’t made an increase since 2009, hence the substantial jump. Previously, residents needed to make $29,000 or less to qualify for the 50% discount.

Trustee David McKinnon vocally supported increasing the income levels for the exemption, as he had during previous board discussions, as a moral issue of fairness. He called property taxes regressive by nature since they tend to disproportionately burden people with lower incomes — the less a person earns, the higher percentage of their income they end up paying, on average. McKinnon also praised Pollack for her advocacy in raising the issue to the board.

“She’s been an incredibly effective advocate for seniors here,” he said. “I knew nothing about this particular issue, and she came in at considerable cost to herself.”

The board was unanimous in approving the increase, and left open the possibility of bringing the district in line with state maximums next year, depending on the impact this change has on the rest of the community.

Obituary: Anthony Baltz, BNL senior scientist emeritus

by wpengine - February 16, 2024

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Anthony “Tony” John Baltz passed away on Dec. 21, in Port Jefferson. He was born on March 10, 1942, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Henry John Baltz Jr. and Theresa Catherine Baltz. In 1960, Tony joined the Jesuit Novitiate at Colombiere College in Clarkston, Michigan, then completed a bachelor’s degree in physics at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, in 1966. He obtained his doctorate in physics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he met his wife-to-be, Marie Lepri.

Tony’s career spanned over 40 years at Brookhaven National Laboratory, where he ultimately was promoted to senior physicist in the Nuclear Theory Group and deputy theory group leader of the RIKEN BNL Research Center. He performed original research on solar neutrinos and on ultra-peripheral heavy-ion interactions and was awarded a patent for an improved magnet design applicable to particle accelerators. He was twice put in charge of the Nuclear Theory program at the Department of Energy Division of Nuclear Physics. He was elected fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society. Upon his retirement from BNL in 2012, he was named senior scientist emeritus.

Tony was a lifelong golf enthusiast, classical music connoisseur and world traveler. His striving for excellence, passion for unlocking the secrets of the universe and devotion to his wife and family serve as a testament to a life well lived. Tony was preceded in death by his parents and his niece Kristine. He is survived by his loving wife Marie; son Edward (Tracy) and son William (Shelley); grandchildren Juliana, El and Xavier; brothers Richard, David, Bernard, Christopher, Timothy and Thomas; sister Elizabeth; and six nephews, four nieces and numerous cousins.

Visitation will be at the Bryant Funeral Home, 411 Old Town Road, East Setauket, on Sunday, Feb. 18, from 4-6 p.m. A memorial service (livestreamed at uufsb.org) will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 380 Nicolls Road, East Setauket, on Monday, Feb. 19, from 3-5 p.m.

A snowy spectacle on Feb. 13

by Samantha Rutt - February 16, 2024

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By Samantha Rutt

Residents woke up to a winter wonderland on Feb. 13, as a snowstorm brought several inches of snow to the area. The storm, which began in the early hours of the morning and continued into the afternoon, leaving a picturesque scene across towns and villages along the North Shore.

Reports from local meteorologists indicated that the snowfall ranged from 4 to 6 inches in most areas, with some isolated spots receiving up to 8 inches. Strong winds accompanying the storm also led to drifting snow in certain areas, creating challenging conditions for morning commuters.

As a result of the inclement weather, several school districts in the region announced closures for the day, ensuring the safety of students and staff. Additionally, transportation authorities advised residents to exercise caution while traveling, as roadways and sidewalks were coated with snow and ice.

As the snow gradually tapered off throughout the day, municipal crews and private contractors worked diligently to clear roads and sidewalks, ensuring that normalcy could resume as soon as possible.

Sarah Anker announces run for New York State Senate

by TBR Staff - February 16, 2024

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By Aidan Johnson

Former county Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) has announced she will be running for the District 1 state Senate seat currently held by Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk).

“I am running for the New York State Senate because we need a strong voice in the majority to put people above politics and deliver for Suffolk County,” Anker said in her Feb. 5 press release.

“For close to 13 years, as a full-time Suffolk County legislator, I have listened to the concerns of my constituents and took action to address them,” she added.

Anker was first elected as the Suffolk County legislator for the 6th District after winning a special election in 2011, being reelected six times before stepping down in 2023 due to term limits.

In a phone interview, Anker said that she first got involved in local politics when she moved to Long Island and read about tritium, a radioactive substance, that was leaking into the local groundwater.

“I read it in the papers and it made me want to get more involved to see what was being done … and I joined the Democratic Party back then to get a better understanding of how to get things done working with the elected officials,” she said.

In the press release, Anker cited her accomplishments during her time as a legislator as including chairing the county Addiction Prevention and Support Advisory Panel, addressing environmental issues through supporting the acquisition of open space to protect drinking water and cleaning up pollution in Long Island Sound, also initiating expediting the health permit process for businesses.

“As a Democrat who has represented a Republican district, I will continue to find common ground for the common good by bringing people together and setting politics aside,” she said.

If elected, Anker said her first priority would be to identify what the state legislators feel are Long Island’s main concerns in order to establish common ground to move issues forward.

“One of [the issues] we’ve had … was when the governor [Kathy Hochul (D)] came and she wanted to take control over local housing and development, and it wasn’t accepted in a positive way,” Anker said, stressing the importance of communication between the senators, governor and legislators “to try to understand where they’re coming from.”

Anker’s top priorities for the state Senate include supporting law enforcement and “working on common sense measures to keep New Yorkers safe, being a leader on policy to support clean water and open space funding, including ensuring that we receive our fair share of New York State Environmental Bond Act funds, supporting fair school aid so school districts have reliable and stable funding” and “supporting New York women’s right to choose and access to health care.”

“The reality is, the state Senate has a 42-21 Democratic supermajority, and the only way Suffolk County can get its fair share is to have strong voices in the majority who will fight for our Long Island values,” Anker said in the press release.

For more information, visit her website at sarahanker.com. The election will be held on Nov. 5.

Local swim teams float up to Stony Brook for county championships

by Steven Zaitz - February 16, 2024

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By Steven Zaitz

The Smithtown-Hauppauge swim team capped off their undefeated season at Stony Brook University by winning the Suffolk County championship in overwhelming fashion on Saturday, Feb. 10.

They collected 366 points which was 98 more than second place Connetquot-East Islip.

Dylan Gallub won the 50-yard freestyle event and finished second in the 100-yard freestyle. The Smithtown East senior was also part of the team that won the 200-yard freestyle relay, along with his brother Tyler Gallub, Christopher Sweeney and Alex Trzaskowski. The quartet’s time of 1:25.13 was a Suffolk County High School record, qualifies them for New York State championships and also garners All-American consideration. This same foursome also won the 200-yard medley relay with a state qualifying time of 1:36.07.

Tyler Gallub placed second in the 100-yard butterfly; his brother Dylan was second in the 100-yard freestyle. Overall, these four swimmers were fast enough to qualify for state championships in eight different events.

Also contributing to the big win for the ‘Smith-pague’ team were the divers. Five divers from the team scored points including second place overall diver Colin Buscarino. Also in the top 12 were Kristen Krause, Danielle Krause, Sydney Poulis and Lexie Poulis. The diving event is mixed gender.

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The Northport-Commack and Huntington-Harborfields-Whitman and Glenn boys swimming teams made excellent showings at the Section XI championships as well.

The HHWJ team finished third overall behind overall winner Smithtown-Hauppauge and second place Connetquot-East Islip. Northport-Commack was a respectable eighth out of 22 teams.

HHWJ’s 200-yard medley relay team, featuring Evam Creter, Lucas Spagnolleti, Patrick O’Brien and Liam O’Hanlon finished in third place and qualified for New York State championships, Creter finished second in both the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke adding two more state qualifiers to his resume. His teammate Max Leroy was fourth in the 200-yard freestyle and also qualified for state championships. Their times were 1:44.04 and 1:46.51, respectively.

Spagnoletti, Leroy, O’Hanlon and Creter regrouped to finish second in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:16.88 and yet another state qualifier.

Northport-Commack’s 200-yard medley relay team of Milo Marrero, Kyle Sundberg, Jasper Johnson and Logan Decena finished in sixth. Sundberg just missed a state qualification in the 200-yard individual medley, finishing fifth with a time of 2:02.80. The NoCo 200-yard freestyle relay team of Sundberg, Johnson, Decana and Oskar Sokolowski finished fifth with a solid time of 1:32.29.

The New York State High School swimming championships will be held at Ithaca College on the first weekend of March.

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