Left to right: Stephanie D’Auria, Susan Peretti, Myrna Gordon and Tom Lyon. Bill McNulty sits in front. Photo by Sabrina Artusa
By Sabrina Artusa
At a bus station in Setauket along Route 25A, Bill McNulty, Susan Peretti and Myrna Gordon will often set up flags representing Ireland, Ukraine, Mexico and various other countries. Between the flags there is a sign that reads “HONK FOR PEACE.”
Myrna Gordon of the North Shore Peace Group. Photo by Sabrina Artusa
Among frequent honks and occasional shouts, both in derision and support, the three stand by their message and engage passersby in conversation. Other residents, inspired by their pacifist and “unpolitical” approach, will often join them.
In addition to the “HONK FOR PEACE” sign that McNulty has been using since the 1960s, the group set up a sign that reads “THE ‘TROUBLES’ THEN AND NOW.”An Irishman, McNulty originally started sitting at the bench at the bus stop with only an Irish flag. The small act of solidarity was intended to acknowledge the “violent times” the Irish have had; however, the call for peace can now be applied to “any political movement.”
“We don’t subscribe to violence,” McNulty said. “We try to disarm the angry.”
Although the three have been involved in the North Shore Peace Group for years, it wasn’t until three years ago in the days leading up to St. Patrick’s Day that McNulty and others decided to amplify their message to Setauket at the bus stop that has become their signature place to organize.
McNulty has been an activist for decades, once having fasted for 10 days as a protest. He opposed British involvement in Ireland and various other political movements; but the congregation of flags and call for peace is unspecific in some ways. The flags signify inclusion, the call for peace a statement with which most can agree.
He said his intention is “not to fight them [those who disagree with his views] but to appeal to the mind.”
“I want them to weep when they see the children. I want them to weep when they see what is happening in Ukraine,” he said.
Stephanie D’Auria joined the group after seeing them at the bus station several weeks before. Another resident Tom Lyonarrived with a sign featuring the flags of several African countries. McNulty and Peretti said they would like to add even more.
Lyon, incensed by civilian deaths falling under the category of “collateral damage” in the context of war, said he has been involved with advocacy since 1968.
While standing together on the afternoon of Friday, March 28, a driver called out, “Where is the American flag?” Indeed, the American flag was absent from the collection.
“We’ve always had the American flag in our hearts and minds,” Gordon said.
Further, Peretti argued that their group “stand here for years not because we hate the country but because we want the country to be better.”
“There is nothing more patriotic than realizing that your country was founded on self-determination. Defending this is patriotic,” McNulty said. “Democracy is compromise.”
Mairead Carroll designed the most efficient bridge at this year's Bridge Building Competition.
Photo by Kevin Coughlin/Brookhaven National Laboratory
And the results are in! Mairead Carroll, a senior from Northport High School, captured first place at the 2025 Bridge Building Competition hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton on March 14.
Students from 13 Long Island high schools followed a strict set of specifications to try to construct the most efficient model bridge out of lightweight basswood and glue.
The annual event shows high schoolers what it means to be an engineer in a fun, hands-on way and is one of many activities organized by Brookhaven Lab’s Office of Workforce Development and Science Education to cultivate the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and math professionals.
“Because many students spent the whole day at the Lab as a field trip, they were able to take some time to talk to our engineers and educational staff about their career journeys, making the experience about more than just building,” said Educational Programs Administrator Michele Darienzo. “Plus, we all had so much fun!”
Commack High School students Joshua Kim, left, Vincent D’Angelo, and Jordan Gleit earned three out of the four top spots awarded at the competition. Photo by Kevin Coughlin/Brookhaven National Laboratory
Carroll and second-place winner Vincent D’Angelo, a junior from Commack High School, qualify to bring their designs to the International Bridge Building Contest in Chicago, Illinois on April 26.
“Participating in the Brookhaven National Lab Bridge Competition was an incredible experience, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be part of it,” Carroll said.
“It was a great chance to learn and grow as an aspiring civil engineer, and I’ve gained so much from the talented competitors I had the chance to meet. I’m excited to continue this journey and look forward to representing Northport at the International Bridge competition in Chicago,” she added.
Students and judges watched closely as Brookhaven Lab staff and volunteers tested 95 bridges under a crushing machine that slowly added more and more weight from above until the bridges broke or bent more than one inch. Bridges were ranked based on efficiency scores that are calculated from the load the bridge supports divided by the mass of the bridge — all in grams. The structures could not have a mass greater than 25 grams.
D’Angelo, who visited the Lab with classmates on competition day, said he focused on simplicity and keeping his bridge light. His fellow Commack High School students swept the contest’s remaining awards: junior Joshua Kim earned third place with a bridge that used trusses to maximize efficiency, and junior Jordan Gleit won an aesthetic award for bridge design thanks to a structure with lots of cross beams.
While bridge testing was underway, students toured the National Synchrotron Light Source II and Center for Functional Nanomaterials, two DOE Office of Science user facilities at Brookhaven with unique capabilities that draw scientists from all over the world to Long Island. Students met staff scientists and engineers and learned about the paths that led them to careers at BNL.
Competitors further tested their engineering skills during an activity that challenged them to craft five increasingly difficult structures out of Geomag magnetic toys and earned Brookhaven Lab goodies if they were successful. Competition organizers also quizzed students with Brookhaven Lab and science trivia for chances to win more prizes.
Spring has sprung at The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook! Here is their musical line-up for the month of April:
Friday, April 4 at 7 p.m.
The Jazz Loft Orchestra: Cuban Fire Suite
The Jazz Loft presents a Cuban Fire Suite Orchestra performance at the Staller Center in Stony Brook.
Tickets: $40 Adult, $35 Senior, $30 Student, $25 Child
Saturday, April 5 at 7 p.m.
The Jazz Loft Orchestra: Cuban Fire Suite
The Jazz Loft presents a Cuban Fire Suite Orchestra performance.
Tickets: $35 Adult, $30 Senior, $25 Student, $20 Child
Monday, April 7 at 7 p.m.
Bright Moments Series: Jeremy Carlstedt
The Jazz Loft presents Jeremy Carlstedt, drums for the Bright Moments Series, presenting some
of the newest upcoming voices in the Jazz scene.
Tickets: $10
Thursday, April 17 at 7 p.m.
The Bad Little Big Band
The Jazz Loft presents a 12-piece Big Band featuring vocalist Madeline Kole, directed by
composer, arranger, and pianist, Rich Iacona.
Tickets: $30 Adult, $25 Senior, $20 Student, $15 Child
Friday, April 18 at 7 p.m.
Harry Allen Quartet
The Jazz Loft presents a Quartet including Harry Allen, tenor saxophone, Rossano Sportiello,
piano, Mike Karn, bass, and Aaron Kimmel, drums.
Tickets: $30 Adult, $25 Senior, $20 Student, $15 Child
Saturday, April 19 at 7 p.m.
The Del Segno Trio feat. Dayna Stephens, tenor sax
Tickets: $30/$25/$20/$15
Thursday, April 24 at 7 p.m.
Interplay Jazz Orchestra
Interplay Jazz Orchestra, 17-piece big band co-directed by Joe Devassy, trombone & Gary
Henderson, trumpet performs original compositions and arrangements written by band
members.
Tickets: $30 Adult, $25 Senior, $20 Student, $15 Child
Monday, April 28 at 7 p.m.
Bright Moments Series: Elliott Brown
The Jazz Loft presents Elliott Brown, trombone for the Bright Moments Series, presenting some
of the newest upcoming voices in the Jazz scene.
Tickets: $10
The Jazz Loft is located at 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook. For more information, call 631-751-1895 or visit www.thejazzloft.org.
“My mother is a willow. She stands by a stream that burbles like a toddler’s kisses, and her leaves dip into the water whenever the wind blows …” So opens the gifted Sarah Beth Durst’s latest novel, The Warbler.
Author Sarah Beth Durst with a copy of her latest novel.
“If I stay, then one day, beneath the watchful blue sky, I too will grow roots, my skin will harden to bark, and the strands of my hair will blossom.” Elisa’s curse—what her mother called “our family inheritance”—condemns the family’s women to become trees if they remain in any place for too long.
“I’m packed before I’m ready to leave.” This statement embodies the nomadic Elisa, The Warbler’s central figure. She is never going to but “coming from.” Living under different names, she has taken on Beatrix, Wanda, Gitana, and Barbara, all of which mean “traveler” or “stranger.” Elisa’s quest is threefold: find her familial origins, understand her inability never to remain, and how to break the curse. The sole clue is the location must possess enough “unexplained oddities.”
Until her mother Lori’s passing two years before, mother and daughter crisscrossed the United States, visiting strange and out-of-the-way towns.
As the book opens, Elisa leaves Tyler, with whom she has lived for ten months. She lived in the “now, now, now.” But her life is governed by strong tenets: “Don’t form ties. Don’t take mementos. Don’t keep in touch.” Elisa must always run. A particularly poignant memory is Elisa reflecting on a gift to her mother: a novelty pillow. But the simple offering was left behind because it tied them to that place. Elisa desires something as simple as a junk drawer or a jar of peanut butter “that I don’t have to ration.”
Elisa lands in Greenborough, Massachusetts (The verdant name hints at the possibility of answers to a nature-based enchantment.) Drawn by a cat in the window, her first stop is The Book Cellar, “overflowing with books, exactly as a bookstore should be. Every shelf is stuffed, with volumes wedged horizontally on top of vertical rows and crammed between the top shelf and the ceiling, so many that they look as if they have been quietly breeding for years.”
Elisa is drawn to books because “they’re portable and replaceable.” Owen, the shop’s proprietor, befriends her. She immediately applies and is given a job in the store. But quickly, the town’s nature reveals itself when she witnesses a strange accident and its peculiar aftermath.
‘The Warbler’
The town’s charming surface belies a roiling strangeness beneath its seemingly bucolic surface. Greenborough’s inhabitants include a musician who plays a stringless guitar, a writer whose fingers never touch the keys, a waiter who is perpetually wiping a dessert carousel, and a woman who keeps dozens of birds caged in her yard. Even the most benign statement can be ominous: “You know, I’ve lost track of when I came here. Guess time flies when you’re having fun.” The driving force of the peculiar but well-drawn cast of characters is a nameless trio of elderly sisters who suggest the fates in their many forms.
Ultimately, The Warbler chronicles three generations: grandmother Rose, daughter Lori, and granddaughter Elisa. The book’s chapters alternate in three timelines, exploring the women’s lives and challenges. What seems, at first, a traditional fantasy grows into a complex and emotional narrative. Durst addresses the power of choice and the spirit (and danger) of wishing. Of her many works, Durst’s The Warbler is probably her most visceral and raw, compelling in Elisa’s passion to find truth but also a sense of self.
Having been condemned to wander, the idea of home burns deeply. Elisa is one of Durst’s finest creations, an individual struggling with loneliness and looking for a sense of the whole. “I love music. It’s something that’s actually supposed to be ephemeral. You experience it, then move on, carrying it only as an imperfect memory of how it made you feel. It’s one of the few things that I can experience exactly like everyone else.” Glimpses of her various “lives” help create a wholeness as Elisa puts the pieces together.
Once again, Durst celebrates nature in its beauty and mystery. The metaphor of roots plays as a grounding but equally as a trap. Each woman yearned for a different life, but their choices or those around them failed to complete them. The novel’s resolution shows depth and insight into the fragility of human nature.
In previous novels, Durst demonstrated her skill as a world-builder with fantastical and wholly original universes. She inverts this idea with The Warbler, constructing her story in the very real, recognizable here-and-now. While no less effective, the immediacy becomes a driving force. Durst addresses the idea of home, the struggle between living free and being caged.
In turns sinister and heartfelt, The Warbler is a tale of bravery in facing supernatural and wholly human adversity, looking beyond the shadow of danger, and embracing the healing power of self-reflection and understanding.
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Sarah Beth Durst is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty-five books for adults, teens, and kids. She lives in Stony Brook with her husband, her children, and her ill-mannered cat. Pick up a copy of The Warbler at your local bookseller or online at www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com. For more information, visit sarahbethdurst.com.
The Reverend and Mrs. H. W. Floyd Allen, minister of the Allen A.M.E. Church, Church Street circa 1950. Photo courtesy of NHSM
By Tara Mae
More than merely a necessity or form of self-expression, throughout history fashion has been a means of storytelling, a type of communication. The Northport Historical Society (NHSM) and Museum’s newest exhibit, In Fashion, which opens on April 5, examines local sartorial dialect and how it is part of a communal language.
A photograph of female impersonator Julian Eltinge. Photo courtesy of NHSM
“In Fashion explores identity through historic fashion and fashion movements, and what it means culturally for those groups,” said NHSM curator Elizabeth Abrahams Riordan.
The exhibit showcases multimedia items: textiles, archival pieces, digital and print photographs, recorded oral histories, etc. A focal point of the collection is church hats on loan from local residents, many of whom have ties to the Northport African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, which closed in 1955.
In Fashion is part of an ongoing discussion about the different communities and cultures that comprise the larger Northport enclave: part of the exhibit’s run will correspond with Pride month in June and complement it.
“[This] is a way for individuals to access history about how people share their identity and life through fashion: what they are wearing can be a sort of spiritual connection, an extension of community and cultural groups as well as an indication of what was [socially] permitted,” Abrahams Riordan said. “The exhibit is hopefully opening dialogue in the community for people to have a better understanding of communities within the Northport community.”
Style is a statement without speech, but a purpose of In Fashion is to inspire conversation. Personal objects and archival items weave together a narrative of truths less told.
In an effort to highlight Northport voices, Abrahams Riordan sought the contribution of Thelma Abidally, author of African American in Northport, an Untold Story (Maple Hill Press 2000) for insight into how articles of clothing are emblems of different identities.
“Fashion can teach us several lessons about our ancestors. In particular African American women culturally were known to wear their Sunday best to church. My ancestors believed that this is how a woman should dress in going to church,” Abidally explained.
Magazine from 1904 promoting the work and life of female impersonator Julian Eltinge. Photo courtesy of NHSM
Such cues were, and remain, both a celebration and a means of connection, solidifying heritage while affirming clothing’s ever evolving contextual message. Fashion is another entry into assessing the past and how it affects the present.
“I really want to tell histories, but I also really want to bring people together in a way that they have their own personal perspective and also humanize other experiences. It is all about making personal connections and wanting to come back and learn more,” Abrahams Riordan said.
The Northport Historical Society and Museum, 215 Main St., Northport presents In Fashion through June 30 on Wednesdays to Sundays from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $15 per person, $12 for members.
The exhibit is one of several events planned at the NHSM for the month of April. Other programs include a Doll Tea Party on April 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Volunteer Open House on April 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and a Historical Main Street Walking Tour on April 27 at 1:30 p.m. For more information, call 631-757-9859 or visit www.northporthistorical.org.
Left to right: Rep. Nick Lalota (R-NY1), Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY2), Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY3) and Laura Gillen (D-NY4). Screenshot from a livestream of the meeting
By Sabrina Artusa
An hour-long conference was held in Woodbury on March 28 by the Long Island Association for their What’s New in Washington series. Congress members Nick LaLota (R-NY1), Tom Suozzi (D-NY3), Laura Gillen (D-NY4) and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY2) met to answer pressing questions regarding present federal policies. Moderator Matt Cohen led the discussion.
SALT
The four congress members spoke of their bipartisanship and dedication to serving Long Island together. Suozzi commended LaLota and Garbarino on going against their party in opposing the SALT cap, which restricts tax deduction on income, sales or property taxes to $10,000. The cap expires this year
“The continuation of that cap will not pass because there are enough of us that will vote against any bill that tries that,” Garbarino said.
“Our leadership knows that we are absolutely strong and steadfast in our position here, to take us seriously. I am willing to vote ‘No’ if there isn’t enough SALT in that reconciliation package,” LaLota said.
Gillen said that she is working in a “bipartisan fashion” to get rid of the cap. Garbarino said that President Donald Trump (R) has said he was on board with eliminating the cap. Indeed, Gillen said the president campaigned in her district on that claim.
Off-shore drilling
LaLota said he supports the safe extraction of natural resources through drilling, which would be “good for jobs, good for the environment [and] good for the economy.”
Suozzi, a self-proclaimed “big environmentalist,” said that it takes “too long to get stuff done in America” due to partisanship and excess rules and regulations: a roadblock that he says diminishes the immediacy of environmental acts.
Federal cuts
Suozzi and Gillen are firmly against the appropriateness and rationale of the cuts of the Department of Government Efficiency, with Suozzi calling the cuts “reckless” and strewn with hasty firings and “mistakes” leading to the removal of essential researchers. While Suozzi acknowledged the importance of efficiency, he argued that attrition and early retirement packages were suitable alternatives.
“Laying off the lowest wage people is creating this fear and panic. I understand the need to disrupt things. I buy that need. I just think it has been too cavalier in how it is affecting people and how it is affecting services that have to be provided,” Suozzi said.
LaLota said, “We need to put the country on a better track and this is the start.” He added that the government is in desperate need of budget changes and that the budget hasn’t been balanced “in 25 years.”
The Long Island Association is the region’s leading nonprofit and nonpartisan business organization. We look forward to more such conferences. To check out other events go to: www.longislandassociation.org.
The Town of Brookhaven’s Parks & Recreation Department has announced an array of upcoming spring programs at their various recreation centers for 2025:
Henrietta Acampora Recreation Center
39 Montauk Highway, Blue Point, NY 11715
631-451-6163
Yoga Yoga that meets you where you are today. This class includes standing postures, strengthening exercises on the mat, seated stretches and guided relaxation. Our practice supports strength, agility, flexibility and balance while reducing stress. Please bring a yoga mat, yoga blocks or a rolled towel. Day/Time: Mondays, 1:00PM – 2:00PM Dates: April 7, 14, 21, 28, May 12, 19 Fee: $47.00 per 6-week session Register: Click HERE
Watercolor Art Class Meet fellow artists, try a new hobby or work on an old project. Bring your own materials and work in a relaxed environment. Instructor will give demonstrations along with group and individual guidance. Day/Time: Tuesdays, 10:00AM – 12:00PM Dates: April 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20, 27, June 3 Fee: $47.00 per 8-week session Register: Click HERE
Sprouts & Friends Join Sprouts & Friends for a fun, safe and creative way to learn to move through music and release energy. Our mission is to create joy while helping your little ones grow, learn, develop and explore through playful activities. Day/Time: Mondays, 11:30AM – 12:15PM Dates: April 21, 28, May 5, 12, 19, June 2 Fee: $47.00 per 6-week session
Per caretaker & child
(Ages 6 moths to 5 years) Register: Click HERE
Sprouts & Friends Baby Class Join Sprouts & Friends for a fun, safe and creative way to learn to move through music and release energy. Our mission is to create joy while helping your little ones grow, learn, develop and explore through playful activities. Please bring a blanket for your baby to lay on. Day/Time: Fridays, 1:00PM – 1:45PM Dates: May 2, 16, 23, 30, June 6 Fee: $47.00 per 6-week session
Per caretaker & child
(Ages 3 – 12 months. Non-walkers only.)
New Village Recreation Center
20 Wireless Road, Centereach, NY 11720
631-451-5307
Watercolor Art Class Meet fellow artists, try a new hobby or work on an old project. Bring your own materials and work in a relaxed environment. Instructor will give demonstrations along with group and individual guidance. Day/Time: Wednesdays, 10:00AM – 12:00PM Dates: April 9, 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, 28 Fee: $47.00 per 8-week session Register: Click HERE
Studio Art Acrylics & Drawing Class Unleash your creativity and explore the versatile mediums of pencil, charcoal and pastels. This hands on course is designed for artists of all levels. Students will learn to capture light, texture and depth, using pencil for fine details, charcoal for bold contrasts, and pastels for vibrant, expressive color. Join us and discover new ways to bring your drawings to life. Day/Time: Fridays, 10:00AM – 12:00PM Dates: April 11, 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6 Fee: $47.00 per 8-week session Register: Click HERE
Robert E. Reid, Sr. Recreation Center
Defense Hill Road & Route 25A, Shoreham, NY 11786
631-451-5306
Sketch-N-Stretch Looking for some fun for your little one during spring break? Join us in this spring themed yoga and art program. We will blend yoga and art to inspire movement, meditation and creativity. All children will have the opportunity to bring home a completed 8 x10 painted canvas. All supplies included. Date: Tuesday, April 15 Time: 10:30AM – 11:30AM Fee: $25.00 per child
(Grades K-2) Register: Click HERE
Destruction to Phase 1 work to the East Beach Bluff face as of March 2025. Photo from the Port Jefferson Village website.
By Lynn Hallarman
A community informational forum about Phase 2 of the East Beach Bluff stabilization project was held by village officials at the Port Jefferson Village Center on March 27.
Audience in attendance at the forum held at the Village Center.Photo by Lynn Hallarman
The forum aimed to update residents on the current status and finances of the upper wall project, summarize the next steps and review the work of Port Jefferson’s Citizens Commission on Erosion.
Mayor Lauren Sheprow presided over the meeting. The board of trustees, village attorney David Moran, village treasurer Stephen Gaffga and clerk Sylvia Pirillo were present.
Project summary
Phases 1 and 2 of the East Beach Bluff stabilization aim to halt bluff erosion and prevent the Village of Port Jefferson-owned country club from collapsing down the slope.
Phase 1 was completed in August of 2023, with the construction of a 358-foot wall of steel and cement at the base of a steep bluff, about 100-feet-tall, facing north toward the Long Island Sound. Terracing and plantings installed along the western portion of the bluff were destroyed in a series of storms shortly after the project’s completion.
Phase 2 involves installing a steel barrier driven into the bluff’s crest, just a few feet seaward of the country club. This upper wall is intended to stabilize the area landward of the bluff and reduce the risk of structural failure.
As part of Phase 2’s preconstruction, GEI Consultants of Huntington Station—the engineers for Phases 1 and 2—will be engaged to update the land survey, analyze drainage options, reevaluate wall design for cost efficiency and monitor construction. Village officials will then prepare requests for proposal documents to solicit bids for the upper wall’s construction.
Concerns of the Citizens Commission on Erosion
David Knauf, chair of the Citizens Commission on Erosion, speaks at the forum. Photo by Lynn Hallarman
David Knauf, chair of the Citizens Commission on Erosion, presented the benefits and concerns of various approaches to stabilizing the country club at the bluff’s edge.
The CCE serves as a volunteer advisory group to the village on erosion-related issues.Members are not required to have specialized expertise.
Among the advantages, Knauf noted that a portion of Phase 2 costs will be covered by a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant, reducing the financial burden on local taxpayers.However, the committee expressed concerns about the reliability of FEMA funding.
“If they are withdrawn, that is going to put us in a heap of trouble fiscally,” he said.
Key concerns include the unknown long-term costs of the overall project beyond the Phase 2 wall installation. These include a drainage plan, repairs to damage sustained during Phase 1 and ongoing maintenance expenses.
“All of us on the committee are taxpayers, and we’re concerned about getting value for money spent,” Knauf said. “The bluff wall project is not something that you just do and you’re finished. It’s going to have responsibilities and obligations for the village in perpetuity.”
Knauf outlined alternative approaches to building the upper wall, including:
●Rebuilding the clubhouse inland in conjunction with bluff restoration and drainage improvements.
●Implementing a partial wall and drainage plan, followed by the eventual relocation of the clubhouse.
“It is the opinion of the committee that detailed plans for the whole project — including Phase 1 repairs, drainage and Phase 2 — are completed so an accurate assessment of final costs can be presented to the village taxpayers,” Knauf later told TBR News Media in an email.
Comments from GEI
Following Knauf’s presentation, GEI licensed professional engineer Adon Austinexplained the steps necessary before construction can begin on the upper wall.
The project is designed as a “two-part system [lower and upper wall] working in combination to control bluff erosion,” Austin said.
“Once we have the design reconfigured and a drainage plan, all of this will go to the New York State arm of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for review,” he added. “FEMA will then revise the cost estimates, the scope and the grant, to align with what the current scope of the project would be.”GEI will then issue a final design along with construction documents.
GEI has recommended that the village evaluate the current risk to the building’s foundation in response to written questions from the Citizens Commission on Erosion.
Laura Schwanof, senior ecologist and landscape architect for GEI, commented on possible contributing factors to the current erosion of the bluff face:
“ We were only allowed [by the state Department of Environmental Conservation] to put terraces up six rows — nothing more.” Schwanof said. “ We were prevented from doing any structural work on the western end beyond the golf course. As far as failure of the system, we worked within the confines of the regulatory agency requirements.”
Treasurer outlines project costs
Village treasurer Stephen Gaffga presented an overview of the financial history related to the East Beach Bluff stabilization project.To date, the total amount spent so far for Phases 1 and 2 is approximately $6.02 million.
Phase 1 was funded through borrowed money as part of a $10 million bond resolution passed by the board of trustees in 2021. The resolution was approved by a permissive referendum, meaning it did not move to a public vote. Of the $10 million, “$5.2 million was spent on Phase 1,” Gaffga said.
According to a fall 2024 audit by CPA firm, PKF O’Connor Davies — previously reported by TBR News Media — Phase 1 exceeded its original budget by approximately $800,000. This overage was not discussed during the forum.
“The overage on Phase 1 was paid for in past years with taxpayer funds out of the general fund balance,” Gaffga wrote in an email..
Gaffga estimated the combined costs to individual taxpayers for Phases 1 and 2 at approximately $77 per year over a 15-year period. However, he noted this estimate may need to be revised once actual costs for the wall construction and other related projects are known.
”We don’t know what the costs are going be until we actually go out to bid on the construction of the project, and we’re not there yet,” Gaffga said.
Additional expenses — including a drainage project, repairs to the bluff face and ongoing maintenance costs to the bluff — were not addressed at the forum.
Community questions focus on costs, property use
Most audience questions centered on the project’s cost to taxpayers, technical aspects of the stabilization effort and how the property is used by residents. The golf membership currently includes“3 percent of village residents,” according to Moran.
Moran responded to a question about holding a public referendum on whether to proceed with construction of the upper wall or rebuild the facility inland.
“During that permissive referendum vote back in 2021, no petition was received [from the public within 30 days] as required for a public vote. Bond counsel to the village advised that there’s only one way to call for another vote— the trustees would have to rescind that initial bond resolution. This would mean the loss of FEMA money.”
Village resident Myrna Gordon said in a statement to TBR News Media:
“Residents who own the facility should be the ones that determine through a referendum how best to resolve its use, function and future — of both the building and bluff that is so greatly compromised.”
The meeting closed with comments from members of the board of trustees:
“Phase 2 is a way to ensure that we protect the bluff so that we buy time. To decide how to deal with the building.Maybe we retrieve the building; maybe it gets moved — who knows?” trustee Xena Ugrinsky said.
“ If you have strong feelings about this issue, I highly encourage you to email the board,” trustee Kyle Hill said.
The Citizens Commission on Erosion can be reached at: [email protected].
The Jazz Loft houses more than 10,000 pieces of jazz history and memorabilia. Photo courtesy of The Jazz Loft
Every month is Jazz Appreciation Month at The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, but in April 2002, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History designated April as the official Jazz Appreciation Month, with the aims to draw greater public attention globally to the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. The Jazz Loft is announcing FREE admission to its museum for the entire month of April.
It’s also a great time to join The Jazz Loft’s Friend’s Circle, a membership with seven levels of support, which can include unlimited access to memorabilia displays; discounts on selected events; VIP pre-sale; discounts on special lecture events; free gifts; and complimentary passes to popular shows and festivals and more!
Already a Friend’s Circle Member? Joining for the first time? Sign up or renew during the month of April and get a FREE TJL car magnet!
The Jazz Loft’s museum boasts more than 10,000 pieces of jazz memorabilia and most recently, a new Tony Bennett exhibit, which features over 100 items, including several awards and Grammy nominations; letters from presidents, Louis Armstrong and Fred Astaire; and the Gold Records from his signature hit I Left my Heart in San Francisco. Other exhibits include one of the largest collections of Charlie Parker memorabilia in the nation; Keely Smith’s Grammy Award and designer gowns worn by Ella Fitzgerald.
“The Jazz Loft is without question the anchor for cultural outreach within our Long Island community,” says Tom Manuel, founder of The Jazz Loft. “Our 30-plus archive collections celebrate some of the most important figures in American popular music: Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Keely Smith, Louis Jordan, Tony Bennett, John Coltrane and many others. Our stage is alive with over 200 performances annually and over 12,000 people come through our doors each year. Our education program is fostering a new generation for Jazz and I’m happy that in April we can especially put the spotlight on this relevant, important and meaningful organization within our community.”
For more information visit The Jazz Loft’s Friend’s Circle. The Jazz Loft, located at 275 Christian Avenue in Stony Brook, is a non-profit organization, established in 2016 by Dr. Thomas Manuel, its founder, curator, jazz historian and artistic director. The Jazz Loft aims to help preserve, educate on all things jazz and it is also the only music venue on Long Island that exclusively features jazz music. For more information visit: The Jazz Loft
Faculty, administrators, staff and current students at Suffolk County Community College will welcome new and prospective students to open house on Sunday, April 6, from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Open House will take place at all three of the college’s campuses in Riverhead, Selden and Brentwood, as well as its Culinary Arts and Hospitality Center in Riverhead. Explore scholarships, tour the campuses, speak with Admissions and Financial Aid counselors, learn about student clubs and more. RSVP at www.sunysuffolk.edu/openhouse/
Sprouts & Friends 
Studio Art Acrylics & Drawing Class
Sketch-N-Stretch
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