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Kyle Barr

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Photo of Michael Cristiano. Photo from SCPD

Police said Michael Cristiano has been located, unharmed.

*Below is the original article:

Suffolk County Police issued a Silver Alert for a missing homeless in Port Jefferson who may be suicidal.

Police said Michael Cristiano, 41, made suicidal statements to a friend, adding he suffers from drug and alcohol addictions and lives in a yellow tent in the woods behind the Greenbelt Bike Train in Port Jefferson.

Cristiano was last heard from Aug. 22 at 7:45 p.m. Cristiano is white, balding, with graying hair and a beard. He is missing his right eye, and his left eye is brown. He is 5 feet 11 inches tall and approximately 220 pounds.

Anyone with information on Cristiano’s location is asked to call 911 or the 6th Squad at 631-854-8652.

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Shoreham-Wading River school district is considering converting the closed fitness center into a wrestling center. Photo by Kyle Barr Photo by Kyle Barr

Robert Badalian once woke up early in the morning on weekdays to make it to the aging Joe Ferreira Fitness Center at the Shoreham-Wading River High School. For close to 20 years, from 6 to 8 a.m. men and woman walked through the door, quickly becoming friends and regulars. Most were older in age and already retired but found a community where they could exercise without judgment.

“I got through cancer thanks to the exercise of the gym.”

— Peggy Loscalzo

More than a year since the fitness center suddenly closed after an engineer’s report showed the floor was not up to code, the fitness center regulars are continuing to shout their support at board meetings for their small group to be able to use a fitness center at their school. Though current plans to move the fitness center into the school building has many of those residents feeling they’re being pushed out, as now the temporary facility is located inside the school in rooms A101 and 102.

“If the fitness center stays where it is or moves to the auxiliary gym, it will remain a single use facility,” Badalian said. “It’s just not logical that you would move a fitness center from an external building, that’s self-contained, and move it into the high school.”

Officials have already floated the idea to move the fitness center into the school building where the current auxiliary gym resides. Though the district had definitive plans to renovate the old fitness center, a proposed plan is to create a wrestling center in that external building where the old gym room sits vacant.

Board Vice President Katie Andersen said much of it has to do with the security issue of having people walk outside the building during school hours to reach the gym. Students also have limited access and could suffer injury outside from adverse weather.

SWR Superintendent Gerard Poole gave a presentation at the Aug. 20 board meeting recommending gym hours be separate from students’ hours, and that if the gym were to be moved into the school it would only be open for outside residents two days a week in the evening hours and Saturday morning. He also offered the idea of a structured community program for fitness education.

Shoreham residents like Jim and Peggy Loscalzo, who had used the old gym for more than a decade before it was shut down, vehemently opposed the idea of limited times to use the gym. They said the only times they could attend gym hours were early in the morning, as later in the day they may be too tired to go to a gym. 

“I got through cancer thanks to the exercise of the gym,” Peggy Loscalzo said.

Poole presented there was an average of 30 weekly resident users of the previous gym, and most were regulars. Of those 30 only eight users exceeded three days a week in attendance.

Badalian vehemently disputed those numbers, calling it closer to 70 paid members.

“The staff was never even questioned about this,” he said.

Some residents questioned why the wrestlers should need their own specific space, though those parents with kids in the wrestling program called it a year-round sport, with training taking place throughout the year.

“We students don’t have the money to buy a gym membership.”

— Connor Blenning

Several residents said they have bought gym memberships in the meantime, but they find it hard to schedule their times, so they could be there with the old compatriots of the old gym.

SWR student Connor Blenning, a wrestler, said lacking a fitness center hurt them last wrestling season, and having a specific space for their sport would be invaluable.

“We didn’t have a gym to do strength training,” he said.

He added that he thought that if the gym is easily accessible to students, who might walk by it multiple times a day, they could be influenced to use the fitness center where they may not have previously.

“We students don’t have the money to buy a gym membership,” he said. “School kids could staff it.”

Board President Michael Lewis said they are still working on the proposals and have not made any final decision yet what will become of the old or a new fitness center.

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Frank Schiavone

Frank “Francesco” Schiavone, of Brookhaven died July 31. He was 91.

Schiavone was born April 15, 1928, in Brooklyn, the son of the late Francesco and the late Lucia (Daraio) Schiavone. 

He was a proud veteran, serving in the Army from 1947 to 1949. He was employed as a machinist at Kraft Mech in Bohemia. He is survived by his beloved wife, May (Benvenuta) (Calvacca) Schiavone; one loving daughter, LuAnn Schiavone of Coram; and one loving son, Ignatius (Nate) Schiavone of Bohemia. He also has five cherished grandchildren and three cherished great-grandchildren. 

All services were entrusted to the Rocky Point Funeral Home, 603 Route 25A, Rocky Point. Cremation was private. An online guest book can be found at www.rockypointfuneralhome.com.

Denise Young

Denise D. Young, of Ridge, died July 27. She was 40. 

Young was born Oct. 19, 1978, in Plainfield, New Jersey. She was employed by Right at Home Cares in Miller Place as a home health aide. She was the beloved daughter of Ronald and Lydia (Jammal) Mihalek. 

She is survived by her two cherished daughters Sierra Young of Starlight, Pennsylvania, and Mariah Young of Ridge; and two loving brothers Donald Mihalek of Winter Garden, Florida, and Daniel Mihalek of Midland, Virginia. 

A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated Aug. 2 at St. Mark’s R.C. Church in Shoreham followed by a private cremation ceremony. 

Services were entrusted to the Rocky Point Funeral Home, located 603 Route 25A, Rocky Point. An online guest book can be found at www.rockypointfuneralhome.com. 

Edna Kenski

Edna A. Kenski, of Mineola, died July 27. She was 87.

Kenski was born Jan. 16, 1932, in Mineola, and was the daughter of the late Richard and the late Margaret (Kammerer) Rueb. 

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Frank Kenski in 1999. She was employed as a manager by Verizon in Hempstead. 

She is survived by her loving children Karen (Carmine) Abbatiello of Ridge and Frank (Kathy) Kenski of Selden. She is also survived by seven cherished grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. 

Celebration of the Mass of Christian burial was held Aug. 1 at St. Anthony of Padua R.C. Church in Rocky Point, with a burial following at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury. 

Services were entrusted to the Rocky Point Funeral Home, located 603 Route 25A, Rocky Point. An online guest book can be found at www.rockypointfuneralhome.com. 

Donna Marie Durney

Donna Marie Durney, of Rocky Point, died July 18. She was 53. 

Durney was born Feb. 6, 1966, in Brooklyn, the daughter of Clifford and the late Mildred (Faucci) Dean. 

She is survived by her beloved husband, James Durney; her loving children, including her daughter, Taylor Durney, and her son, Jack Durney. She was the dear sister of two brothers, James Dean and Clifford Dean. 

Cremation was held private, while a memorial was held at the Rocky Point Funeral Home, located at 603 Route 25A, Rocky Point. An online guest book is available at www.rockypointfuneralhome.com.

Anne Davis

Anne “Anna” Davis, of Hawthorne, died July 1. She was 90.

Davis was born June 8, 1929, in the Bronx, the daughter of the late Harry and the late Fay (Foxman) Dorfman. 

She was employed by New City schools as a teacher. 

She is survived by her son, Warren Davis of Yonkers; sister-in-law, Madelyn Dorfman of Ridge;  her niece, Debra Botens of Norwalk, Connecticut; and her nephew, Robert Dorfman of Holbrook. A memorial service was held July 27 at Rocky Point Funeral Home, located at 603 Route 25A, Rocky Point. Cremation was private. 

An online guest book is available at www.rockypointfuneralhome.com. 

David Krohmer

David Krohmer, of Rocky Point, died July 19. He was 58. 

Krohmer was born Feb. 18, 1961, in Port Jefferson, the son of Edward and the late Nora (O’Connor) Krohmer. 

He was employed by Adchem in Riverhead as a machinist. 

He is survived by his father, Edward Krohmer of Port Jefferson; sister, Donna Famiglietti of Rocky Point; and brother, Edward Krohmer of Miller Place. 

Memorial visitation was held July 25 at the Rocky Point Funeral Home, located at 603 Route 25A, Rocky Point. Cremation was private. 

An online guest book can be found at www.rockypointfuneralhome.com. 

Joanne Lucille Boeger

Joanne Lucille Boeger, of Ridge, died July 11. 

Boeger was born in Boston March 30, 1934, and graduated salutatorian from Abbington High. 

She grew up in Quincy, Massachusetts. She married Richard M. Boeger, after meeting in Hyannis. They raised four children in Massapequa Park, where they were members of St. David’s Lutheran Church. She created Heptas, a women’s educational self-improvement group. She became a life insurance agent for Aid Association for Lutherans in the 1970s and was the first woman to hold that position in the Long Island agency. 

Boeger and her husband, Dick, retired to Sutton, West Virginia, where she began painting in many various mediums, settling on water colors as her favorite. She also became an avid gardener and was president of Judy’s Garden Club in Sutton. She loved reading (mostly history), birding and wildlife magazines. She was a member of the Suffolk Chapter of the DAR and the Rich Family Association. She returned to Long Island in 2012 and lived in Leisure Knoll in Ridge. Recently, she had been living with her daughter and granddaughter in Washington state, returning to Ridge for vacations and family events. She had returned to New York for one such event but passed away in her sleep in her own home. She will be buried in Hingham, Massachusetts, in a family plot with her mother, paternal grandparents and great-grandparents.

She is survived by four children, Lynne Plewa of Bellevue, Washington, Richard M. Boeger Jr., of Redlands, California, Bonnie J. Boeger of Sound Beach and Wade Preston Boeger of Pennsylvania; and her sister, Betty Tuttle of Columbus, Indiana. She is also a cherished grandmother of seven, and great-grandmother of one.

Her family is proud of her and her lifelong love of learning, history, the arts and nature.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks people to make donations in her name to the Alzheimer’s Association or another deserving charity.

Services were entrusted to the Rocky Point Funeral Home, 603 Route 25A, Rocky Point. Cremation was private. 

An online guest book can be found at www.rockypointfuneralhome.com.

Matthew S. Procelli

Matthew S. Procelli of Bethesda, Maryland, formerly of Port Washington, East Northport and Fort Salonga, passed away peacefully on July 28 at 93 years of age. Loving husband of the late Marion Mahoney-Procelli; beloved father of Robert; adoring father-in-law of Mary;  cherished grandfather of Michael, David and Nicholas; and great-grandfather of Josephine. Procelli had a long career at Long Island Lighting Company as vice president of industrial relations and vice president of personnel. He was a visiting professor at Stony Brook University business school. Visitation was held Aug. 1 at Nolan Funeral Home in Northport. Funeral Mass was celebrated Aug. 2 at St. Anthony of Padua Church, East Northport. Interment was at Mount St. Mary’s Cemetery, 172-00 Booth Memorial Ave. in Flushing. In Matthew’s memory donations to  Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (www.alzfdn.org) are appreciated.

William H. Davenport 

William H. Davenport of Greenlawn died at 83 years of age. He was the manager of Lewis Oliver Dairy, a community farm in Northport. Davenport was the beloved husband of the late Jean; father of Laura Jean Michta, William H. Davenport, III (Thami) and Kenneth Davenport (Barbara); fond brother of Donna Scarola (the late Capt. Mike), Robert Davenport (Pat), Joseph Davenport (Peggy) and Larry Davenport (Grace); brother-in-law of Diane Cobb (John); dear grandfather of Ashley Michta, John Michta, Matthew Davenport and Christopher Davenport; and great-grandfather of R.J. and Kaylee. Funeral services were held Aug. 10 and 11 at Nolan Funeral Home in Northport with the Rev. Bette Sohm officiating. In Bill’s memory, donations to Friends of the Farm Animal Sanctuary on Burt Avenue in Northport, NY 11768 (www.lewisoliverfarm.org) would be appreciated.

George W. Wild Jr.

George W. Wild Jr. of East Northport died on Aug. 11 at 88 years of age. Wild was the devoted husband of the late Marie; loving father of Cheryl Galasso (Chris), Lori Horvat (Doug) and the late Wayne; dear grandfather of Christopher, Danielle (James), Victoria and Sabrina; and fond great-grandfather of James. Services were held at Nolan Funeral Home on Aug. 14 and 15. A funeral Mass was celebrated Aug. 16 at St. Anthony of Padua Church in East Northport. Burial was held at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Huntington. In George’s memory, donations to Memorial Sloan Kettering (www.mskcc.org) or Joslin Diabetes Center (www.joslin.org) would be appreciated.

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Michael Schwarting presents the study's findings to village officials back in August. Photo by Kyle Barr

If Port Jefferson experiences another “100 year flood” sooner than a century, then at least it knows where the water is coming from.

Professionals from Port Jefferson-based Campani and Schwarting Architects attended the Aug. 19 village meeting showing map after map of where the problem areas for Port Jeff flooding are, and offered suggestions, some big and some small, of how to combat the issue of flooding.

Michael Schwarting said many of the issues are due to an excess of hardscape, both building roofs and roads, and a significant lack of permeable spaces, especially in areas where the depth of the water table is less than 11 feet below ground. Forty percent of village property is non-water-permeable.

“There’s a fair density of buildings that contribute to the groundwater conditions,” he said. “That contributes in bringing water from the watershed to the lowest point.”

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Map shows all the hardscape in black and grey. Michael Schwarting said it takes up nearly 40 percent of village space. Image from Campani and Schwarting
Above, red line marks village boundary and blue line marks Port Jeff watershed, also includes the topography of the village. Image from Campani and Schwarting
Image shows streets that slope down towards Port Jefferson harbor. Image from Campani and Schwarting
‘Red’ marks the estimated depth where the water table is less than 11 feet. Image from Campani and Schwarting

In the three-square-mile village, with a population of just over 8,000, the vast majority of land sits within the Port Jefferson watershed area.

The village tapped the PJ-based architectural firm back in February to construct a water management and storm surge study. While the study still needs to be finalized, with map after map, the architect discussed numerous issues contributing to flooding. One such map described how there were numerous roads that sloped down toward Port Jefferson Harbor. Some roads house catch basins to collect the water before it reaches trouble points, some streets have too few or no catch basins while others had more than is likely necessary.

Last September, Port Jefferson was bowled over with water, with nearly 4 inches of rain collected in a short span of time. Buildings like the Port Jefferson firehouse and the venerable Theatre Three were drowned in 3 to 4 feet of water, causing thousands of dollars in damages in the case of the theater.

The architect said what is likely a major cause of this is due to piping systems that draw a lot of water to the end of Barnum Avenue and the driveway to the Port Jefferson high school. Schwarting added there are stories of when that pipe was being built, children used to walk to school along it, meaning the system sits close to the surface.

“All of these pipes, some coming from North Country Road to Main Street with a lot of catch basins are contributing to this one point at Barnum and high school,” he said.

Mayor Margot Garant said they have received a report from Bohemia-based engineering firm P.W. Grosser Consulting about the pipe running from that culvert to the outfall pipe behind village hall. That report said there was sediment buildup at a low point in the pipe, also showing the pipe had “a pinch and a jog” that leads down toward the harbor. 

In June, Port Jefferson Village presented its Waterfront Revitalization Plan to the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, describing its intention to perform immediately needed maintenance of the storm drainage system and provide emergency equipment to deploy in a rain event to protect properties in the village in catastrophic flooding. 

At its July 15 meeting, the village voted unanimously to apply for grant funds not to exceed $1 million from the state Division of Planning’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program, Empire State Development and any other applicable state agencies. 

The architects point out numerous small projects that can be done around the village to aid in flood mitigation, mostly in increasing permeable surfaces around the village. This would include rain gardens and bioswales, a landscape element designed to concentrate or remove debris and pollution out of surface runoff water, permeable paving systems, tree trenches and bioretention planters, acting as plant bed medians with grooves cut in the curb allowing water to drain in and flow into local outlets.

Though the architectural firm also endorsed several major projects, such as “daylighting” Mill Creek and the firm’s own plan proposal, given to the village in 2013, to completely remake the Brookhaven Town parking lot and boat ramp, adding significantly more greenery and passive recreational space in what is now hardscape. 

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Vilma Rodriguez and Bea Ruberto holds a photo of Sound Beach from the 1930 in front of the La Famiglia Pizzeria. Photo by Kyle Barr

Ninety years ago in 1929, New York City newspaper The Daily Mirror offered subscribers the opportunity to buy a 20- by 100-foot parcel of undeveloped land between Rocky Point and Miller Place. The cost to purchase a plot of land through the subscription was $89.50 in 1929, equivalent to $1,315 in 2019.

In the trees and rocks of Long Island’s North Shore, a hamlet slowly rose from the earth.

Sound Beach is a hamlet of only 1.6 square miles and around 7,612 people, according to the last census. Stuffed in between Rocky Point and Miller Place, one of the North Shore’s smallest hamlets barely scrapes along the ubiquitously driven Route 25A. For those who don’t know the area, the hamlet boundaries are often mistaken for that of its neighbors.

Rocky Point has a historical society. So does Miller Place, combined with bordering Mount Sinai. Now prominent members of the Sound Beach community feel that’s something that needs correcting. 

in 1929, The Daily Mirror offered subscribers the opportunity to buy a 20- by 100-foot parcel of undeveloped land between Rocky Point and Miller Place. Photo from Bea Ruberto

Mimi Hodges, a near lifelong resident, is just one of the several women who are looking at Sound Beach’s past. She said that ad in the newspaper didn’t attract your average vacationers looking to take a break from New York City. They were working-class individuals, all of whom were looking for a change of pace during the depression era of the 1930s. They came with very little, sometimes only tents for their families, but still managed to build a small but safe town. 

“Sound Beach is unique in that it was a place created specifically for the working class,” she said. “People who didn’t have a lot of money and wanted to get away from the city — from Brooklyn and Queens. They put up their tents, they put up their own little houses, and eventually, in 1930, the Sound Beach Property Owner’s Association was born.”

The Sound Beach history project, which is being spearheaded by the Sound Beach Civic Association, is hoping to bridge that gap. Engineered by community leaders and longtime residents, local women are already uncovering several old photographs that show a much different Sound Beach, full of dirt roads and dusty buildings.

“It’s like a little mystery,” said Sound Beach Civic Association President Bea Ruberto.

Vilma Rodriguez, another resident, said work comes in bits and pieces, but their group has been energized.

“Sound Beach had no roads, no streetlights,” she said referring to the olden days of the small hamlet. “It’s little bits of information, but it builds up.”

For many of its earliest decades, mail was sent and received through Scotty’s General Store on Echo Avenue or Moeller’s General Store on Sound Beach Boulevard. It wasn’t until June 1, 1946, the first post office opened in the hamlet. 

In the small shopping center off of New York Avenue, where La Famiglia Pizzeria currently resides, the locals used to go to M.B. Sweet Shop for lunch and candy. Next to it, instead of the Italian restaurant, was the Square Market Store. Local resident Florence McArdle attributed the local setting to a particular show.

“It was just like ‘Happy Days,’” she said. 

Back in the day, the building that now houses Bedrossian Real Estate on Northport Road once was a community house that hosted everything from dances to pingpong and knock hockey. In that time, lacking a church, McArdle, a resident from the 1930s, said local community members “would iron the tablecloth, flip it over and they would have Mass on Sundays in the bar, Boyles.”

Sound Beach once had its own police department, its own highway and sanitation department. People once gathered at the “pavilion” on the bluff, where kids could buy ice cream and hot dogs.

Local resident Stephanie Mcllvaine said she has been pouring through newsletters from the 1940s, which reveal just how much has changed in the 80 years since. She wrote that a May 1940 newsletter was the census results. John Mertz, the winter caretaker and “mayor,” found 61 families consisting of 185 people lived in Sound Beach year-round. There were four general stores, three gas stations, one restaurant, five general contractors, two masons, one electrician, two fire wardens and two deputy sheriffs. Many of the year-round residents were members of the fire department as well. 

Despite their deep dive into this local history, many things are still unknown. What locals call “The Square” was either called Journal Square or Moeller Square, though Ruberto did not know where Journal Square even came from. There was a Moeller of the general store fame, but she has had trouble getting in contact with the family. She learned there was a James Moeller who taught math at the Miller Place School District but learned from the board of education he passed in 2012. 

Barbara Russell, the Town of Brookhaven historian, said her office has only a few items and details in the way of Sound Beach, but she praised the women for taking on the task. She said with the enthusiasm the group is showing, they’re well on their way to creating walking tours or a historical society.

Many of the local women looking back at the hamlet’s history have a fondness for the way things were. They watched the area grow slowly, ever so slowly, from the working-class family’s retreat to what it is today. Back then, Sound Beach was the destination, and there was no need to drive out and plan visits to other parts of the island, they said.

“Most of us here, we thought we were growing up in a ‘garden of Eden,’” said Hodges. “It was just fantastic.”

For those looking to get involved in the history project or who are interested in donating old photos, contact Bea Ruberto at [email protected] or call 631-744-6952.

 

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Security footage of the man who allegedly robbed the Miller Place Chase Bank. Photo from SCPD

Police said they have arrested a man in connection with the robbery of the Miller Place Chase bank earlier this month.

Suffolk County Police arrested Raymond Peruggi, 29, in Mastic Beach Monday, Aug. 20 at around 8:55 p.m. Peruggi was described as undomiciled.

Peruggi was held overnight at the 7thprecinct and is scheduled to be arraigned in First District Court in Central Islip. He has been charged with 3rddegree robbery.

On Aug. 12, a man allegedly entered the Chase Bank, located at 385 Route 25A, at around 2:40 p.m. and displayed a note demanding cash to an employee. The teller complied with the suspect’s demands and gave him cash from the drawer. He then fled the bank on foot, west towards Miller Place road, police said.

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Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
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Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
People gather to watch Bon Jovi tribute band Bon Journey. Photo by Kyle Barr
People gather to watch Bon Jovi tribute band Bon Journey. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
The Heritage Trust and Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) held a 50/50 raffle up on stage. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Members of Ultimate Taekwondo Centers show their skills. Photo by Kyle Barr
Members of Ultimate Taekwondo Centers show their skills. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
People of all ages participated in Family Fun Day at Heritage Park. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey belt out classic rock hits. Photo by Kyle Barr

Long Hair, ripped pants, t-shirts drenched in sweat. Like an event straight out of the 80’s, crowds gathered at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai Friday, Aug. 16 for the Free Family Fun Day and concert, featuring Bon Jovi and Journey tribute band Bon Journey. The event was sponsored by the Heritage Trust and Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai)

Celebrating its 20thyear, the park played host to yoga sessions, bounce castles, martial arts demonstrations, crafts and magic shows all throughout the afternoon and early evening. Later, with a field crowded with people, Bon Journey belted out renditions of classic Bon Jovi hits like “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive” and Journey songs like “Don’t Stop Believin.’”

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The New Starbucks will be located at the corner of Route 25A and Hallock Landing Road. Photos by Kyle Barr

It’s official, Rocky Point will join the rest of the world in having a Starbucks within walking distance.

The New Starbucks will be located at the corner of Route 25A and Hallock Landing Road. Photos by Kyle Barr

Architects and lawyers for Starbucks presented to Town of Brookhaven Aug. 8 the intent to turn the KFC located at the corner of Route 25A and Hallock Landing Road, into a Starbucks. The applicants were granted amendments on two restrictive covenants on the property by the town board, one requiring the parcel to be a KFC, the other modifying landscaping buffers on the property.

Tulio Bertoli, the town’s planning commissioner, said the plans for the 0.554-acre parcel are consistent with the land use plan for the area originally designed in 2012.

Judith Veglucci, the project manager at Melville-based Catapano Engineering who presented project plans to the board, said the total footprint for the building is remaining the same, and the only changes will be exterior facade changes to turn it from a KFC into a Starbucks.

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Richard DeBragga, Brookhaven town tax assessor, speaks to Sound Beach Civic about STAR rebate. Photo by Kyle Barr

Big changes have been made to the STAR rebate, and Richard DeBragga, Brookhaven town tax assessor, came to the Sound Beach Civic Association’s meeting Aug. 12 to explain what that means for North Shore residents.

The STAR rebate gives around 2.6 million homeowners in New York State the opportunity to get a rebate on their school taxes, which represent an average of 60 percent of a homeowner’s tax bill. Homeowners who qualify include those making under $500,000 annually and have their home as their primary residence. Those seniors, over 65 years of age, are able to get what is called the Enhanced STAR credit, and those must have an adjusted gross income below $86,300.

The state budget, approved back in April, made several changes to the program. Before, those that bought their homes starting Aug. 1, 2015, have been receiving checks in the mail instead of savings on their bills. 

In essence, the program now incentivizes a mail-in check instead of the usual savings in the school tax bill as has been normal since the program was implemented nearly 25 years ago. Now those making $250,000 and $500,000 a year will also receive checks. In addition, those enrolled in Enhanced STAR must enroll in an income verification program to verify they are making below the minimum. DeBragga said those who want to apply to have to verify their income every year through the program, unless they can sign a statement that they qualify so the program will automatically check it every year.

DeBragga said the state is incentivizing checks rather than the tax break, saying the state is only offering the 2 percent annual increase to those who receive checks.

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Rebecca Kassay along with the crew from Aureate Visuals and local hired help in front of their 1991 Winnebago. Photo from Kassay

Baltimore, Maryland. So much has been said about the city, criticism that came from way beyond the city itself. But Rebecca Kassay, the co-owner of the Fox and Owl Inn in Port Jefferson, saw something incredible from the people living there. There was a community in the neighborhood of Cherry Hill growing fresh fruit and vegetables, teaching others to farm, giving access to fresh food for people who live several miles from the nearest supermarket. The program, called the Black Yield Institute, was making a difference in their community, and the Port Jeff resident said she knew it needed to be seen by the world.

Rebecca Kassay fist bumps a volunteer at Cherry Hill, Baltimore’s Black Yield Institute. Photo from Kassay

“What they’re doing there is just so incredible as far as combining uplifting the community — integrating culture and fun,” said Kassay. “It was amazing to experience it with my own eyes and be there while this incredible group said, ‘we’re going to create this garden, how can we help people become more aware of health issues and social issues?’”

The inn owner is out on the road, touring in a renovated 1991 Winnebago with her husband, Andrew, and their dog. Filming with a Setauket-based crew, she is trying to spread the news of just how many nonprofits and volunteer works are out there and how much good they do for their respective communities.

“What I really love is connecting people, not just with a cause they love to help, but more importantly, connecting them with the power within themselves,” she said.

The show, titled “Be the Change with Rebecca,” is finishing filming throughout the fall before transitioning to full post-production during the winter. The show expects to come out sometime in spring 2020 on Amazon Prime video.

Kassay, 30, who was born in St. James and later moved to Port Jefferson to open the Fox and Owl Inn with her husband, said the show is inspired by modern serialized documentaries, and takes a form much like a show she loved as a child, “Dirty Jobs,” hosted by Mike Rowe. In much the same way to that Discovery Channel hit, which had the host performing a variety of blue-collar jobs on screen along with the regular workers, Rebecca gets down and dirty with the volunteers, whether it’s driving in nails while building houses or digging in the dirt in a community garden.

“We’re collecting the stories of how they do the work and how they decided to come out,” she said. “Such as, here’s what it looks like when you volunteer at a community garden, here’s what it looks like when you volunteer to restore an oyster reef.”

By the end of their trip, they will have traveled as far east as Baiting Hollow on Long Island, as far south as Washington D.C. and as far west as Detroit, Michigan.

Kassay had the idea for this project nearly two years ago, working off her own background as a youth volunteer project manager at Avalon Park and Preserve. She reached out through local Facebook groups for a crew interested in taking on the project, and the Setauket-based Aureate Visuals production team answered the call.

The three filmmakers, Steve Glassner, Larry Bernardo and Marvin Tejada, have donated their time on a pro bono basis to help make the project possible. All three have worked on projects before, such as Mentally Apart, a feature film set to premier by the end of the year. All three met while in school at Five Towns College.

“It’s been a very, very fun experience, especially all the people we meet and the locals who worked on the crew with us,” said Glassner. “It’s been a real learning experience. We’re meeting people from all walks of life, and it’s amazing and incredible what they’re doing in their own communities.”

The project has taken in this spirit of volunteerism with the crew. The folks at Aureate Visuals, in keeping with the spirit of the show, have volunteered their time to the project. Several of the crew work day jobs, and so they are constantly travelling back and forth from Long Island to where the next shoot is taking place.

Rebecca Kassay, middle, works with a group of volunteers at an oyster farm. Photo from Kassay

Glassner added production has been smooth, and each shoot “felt like we were a family — no egos — it’s one giant collaboration.”

For the most part, the project is self-funded, though they have received significant pledges from the Port Jefferson Rotary Club and have financed $1,654 so far from backers on Indiegogo. Everything else is coming from the owners of the Fox and Owl Inn. Their minimum budget, according to their Indiegogo page, includes $3,000 for travel and lodging, $3,000 for local crew wages, $1,500 for per diem food, $500 for miscellaneous expenses and $800 in Indiegogo related fees.

As the family goes around in the renovated Winnebago, retrofitted with whitewashed cabinets and flooring to make it feel like home, she has become surer this was the right way to get the message across.

“Working with these young people when you connect them with a power within themselves, they just light up,” Kassay said. “The light in their eyes is something the greatest gift you can give someone, connecting them with that.”

The project still has investor space open, and the Indiegogo ends on Sunday, Aug. 18. People can visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/be-the-change-with-rebecca#/to donate.

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