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Rita J. Egan

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Hope for monarch butterflies in Stony Brook

by Rita J. Egan - September 1, 2022

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Theresa-Germaine-and-monarch-butterfly_082922_ritajegan — A monarch butterfly rests on Theresa Germaine’s finger before taking flight. Photo by Rita J. Egan

A Stony Brook resident is doing her part to help the ecosystem, one monarch butterfly at a time.

The monarch before leaving its enclosure. Photo by Rita J. Egan

Theresa Germaine knew she had to keep busy when the pandemic shut down practically everything in 2020. Pre-COVID-19, the now 83-year-old traveled frequently, and when she wasn’t making trips, Germaine split her time between New York City and Stony Brook, where she shares a house with her sister.

When everything shut down, the retired educator decided Long Island was the best place to be. Shortly after, she decided to grow milkweed, a flowering perennial plant, in her garden and encourage the growth of the monarch butterfly population. Not only did she attract the butterflies with the milkweed — the only place they will lay their eggs on — she also took their eggs and nurtured them.

“There are so many negative things going on in the world that you have to find some way to make yourself feel good about something,” Germaine said.

The butterflies, distinguished by their orange and black coloring with white spots, have recently been added to The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. The environmental network considers the monarchs an endangered species, even though the U.S. itself has not yet added the pollinators to its endangered-species list.

a caterpillar feeding. Photo from Theresa Germaine

When the pandemic shutdowns struck, Germaine read about the monarch butterflies and how to attract and raise them. This year marked the third year of her garden and, once again, she has been busy looking for the tiny eggs, about the size of a pin, under the milkweed leaves where the butterflies lay them. She then brings them inside her home where she puts the eggs and leaves in a container.

After the eggs hatch, they emerge as caterpillars and are very small. Germaine puts them in mesh butterfly tents bought online along with pieces of milkweed from her garden in tubes to feed them. She has a few of the enclosures to handle each stage, from the caterpillar — larva stage — to pupa, where they form a chrysalis around themselves, and then the emergence of the butterfly.

Germaine said once the monarch butterfly appears, it climbs up the side of the cage and needs time for its wings to dry. Once the monarch begins fluttering around the enclosure, she knows it’s time to release them outside. She brings the enclosure outside and allows the creatures to leave at their will.

“I’ve always kind of been a Girl Scout type of person,” Germaine said. “I was a Girl Scout when I was young, and I always had an interest in nature.”

A butterfly emerges from its chrysalis. Photo from Theresa Germaine

While she nurtured a dozen of the pollinators in 2020, last year she released 41 and this year so far, 45. She said she estimates that approximately 10 more butterflies will emerge before the summer ends.

Over the last couple of years, Germaine has purchased more milkweed plants, and the perennials have become more robust over time.

A native of the Bronx, she taught in Manhattan for nearly 30 years, and was an assistant principal for two years in the borough. She retired in 1995, and she said she never chose to get married or have children. Germaine said while many her age may be busy with grandchildren; she was keeping herself busy with her travels and entertainment. The raising of the monarchs has been a welcomed activity.

“As you get older, it’s very important that you have a purpose in life,” she said.

Her hope is that everyone will grow a little milkweed in their garden to help the monarchs. She said while it’s not the most attractive plant, even a small garden with the flower in a corner of one’s property can make a difference. While the eggs have a better chance of surviving inside — more than 80% — just having milkweed can increase the monarch butterfly anywhere between 3% to 10%, Germaine said based on her research.

“If everybody did their part, we would see more butterflies,” she said. “And who does not love to see a butterfly?”

Environmentalists, residents rally in Head of the Harbor to block private docks

by Rita J. Egan - August 31, 2022

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Block-the-docks-rally_090122_ritajegan.4 — A view of Stony Brook Harbor from Cordwood Park in Head of the Harbor. Photo by Rita J. Egan

A rally held at Head of the Harbor’s Cordwood Park Aug. 27 combined a bit of history, nature’s beauty and activism in one short hour.

Protesters at the Aug. 27 rally in Head of the Harbor. Photo by Rita J. Egan

The Rally to Block the Docks, organized by Head of the Harbor resident Lisa Davidson, attracted dozens of local residents, environmentalists and Stony Brook University students. Village residents have voiced concerns over the possible construction of a 186-foot dock on private property next to Cordwood Park and the potential of another 200-foot dock a few houses away. The footage includes a combination of permanent and floating docks. A Sept. 6 Village of Nissequogue Planning Board meeting currently has a vote scheduled regarding the 186-foot dock.

Protesters cited among their concerns the 186-foot spoiling the view of Stony Brook Harbor and restricting access to those walking along the beach or using their canoes and kayaks in the water. Many also feel it may encourage other homeowners to build similar private docks, leading to harbor pollution due to more or large boats.

“One property owner should not be allowed to ruin what is cherished and loved by an entire community,” Davidson said.

Among the speakers at the event were state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket); Kevin McAllister, founder and president of Defend H2O; John Turner, conservation chair of Four Harbors Audubon Society; and Head of the Harbor/Nissequogue historian Leighton Coleman.

Davidson is a member of the Joint Village Coastal Management Commission, a waterfront board of the villages of Head of the Harbor and Nissequogue. She said she recused herself from the commission on the matter of private docks.

“Because after seeing the numerous petitions we get for private docks, I realized that this beautiful bay is in grave danger if we as a community do not come together and take action now before it is too late,” she said.

She encouraged residents to reach out to the Town of Smithtown and New York State Department of Conservation, both of which approve first-phase private dock permits, to prevent future approvals. Davidson said homeowners might argue that they have riparian rights. She said those rights are satisfied when walking in the water or taking a kayak or canoe out on it, and do not include building docks.

Because the harbor is shallow, the dock must be meet DEC requirements that it stands in 3 1/2 feet of water even at low tide, hence the lengths of the proposed docks.

McAllister said, based on his experience, when one dock is built, there tends to be a push for more docks and bigger boats in the body of water, which he said leads to issues in the water such as prop dredging and salinity problems where the water is always cloudy.

Coleman said commerce once took place at the park, which had a negative impact on the harbor.

Head of the Harbor/Nissequogue historian Leighton Coleman talks about the history of the Cordwood Park location. Photo by Rita J. Egan

“We are now standing at the site of what was once an active boatbuilding yard and shipping port, where New York City’s manure was traded for cordwood to fuel the city’s numerous town houses,” the historian said.

He added, eventually, a boatyard’s use of arsenic to cure wood along with human and livestock waste runoff affected the harbor’s health. It was in the 1870s that Smith siblings, descendants of Smithtown’s founder, bought up large parcels of land. The harbor was then used for more leisurely activities, he said, until the 1920s brought to the area “commercial dredging for mining of sand and gravel, and the subdivision of the large estates into developments,” which threatened the waterway’s health once again. This led to the formation of incorporated villages, which in turn created zoning laws to protect the harbor and, in the 1940s, the Stony Brook Harbor Association was created.

“Sadly, the old guard has passed on, and we were left, apparently, with a false sense of security that our harbor’s healthy future was in safe hands, but thankfully as of today I see that we have a new generation of stewards stepping forth,” he said.

In the 1920s and ’30s, when there was dredging of the harbor as well as others on the North Shore, Englebright said, it was important that villages were formed to protect them. He called those who wanted to dredge the waters “essentially gangsters” who were “buying influence” with the towns, and “the towns were selling out the harbors.”

“That is the legacy of this village,” Englebright said. “That’s your birthright. That’s how you came into existence as a municipal jurisdiction in state law. There was no other way at the time to prevent the disposition of the permits by the towns.”

He added, “The Town of Smithtown has sold out the harbor bottom with approving the initial permit for a dock.”

Englebright said the body of water’s bottom is public property and “to give away public property is illegal.”

“It’s an echo of the outrage that led to the creation of these villages,” he said.

While waiting for the rally to begin, Turner said he saw a bald eagle, osprey, snowy egrets and more.

“Any time hiking the harbor, you know that the harbor, from an ecological and biological perspective, it’s just a really vibrant ecosystem,” he said.

Turner added there are several diamondback terrapins in the harbor, too. The DEC has listed the decrease in the animals a concern. They come ashore in June to lay their eggs, Turner said, and a dock could increase human traffic which in turn could have an adverse impact on the terrapins.

“We hope that the villages and the Town of Smithtown will not grant private access to a public trust resource that could ultimately have a really adverse impact upon the harbor,” he said.

Turner added he looked at the Suffolk County GIS viewer and counted approximately 54 properties around the harbor.

“If these are approved, what prevents those other 52 or 50 owners down the road from requesting permits to build docks — docks that are on the same scale as what these are,” he said.

To pay homage to the history of the location, rally organizers served ginger ale and root beer, and the Once Upon a Tyme Barbershop Quartet performed for the attendees at the beginning and end of the rally.

Davidson said she and others have been working on circulating a petition which they will present to the Nissequogue Planning Board on Sept. 6.

St. James firefighters celebrate 100 years of service

by Rita J. Egan - August 30, 2022

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The streets of St. James were filled with volunteer firefighters from across Suffolk and Nassau counties as they turned out to honor the St. James Fire Department’s 100th anniversary on Aug. 27.

Mid-afternoon, first responders from more than 20 departments and their emergency vehicles began lining up at Smithtown High School East and down streets along Woodlawn Avenue for the St. James FD’s 100th anniversary parade. The parade kicked off after 5 p.m., and spectators lined Woodlawn and Lake avenues to cheer the firefighters on.

At the end of the parade, participants and residents gathered at St. James Elementary School for a party that featured a battle of the bands, refreshments, activities and music. The night was capped off with Fireworks by Grucci.

Chief of Department Frank Sapienza said the committee had been working on the event for 10 years. Sapienza, who has been with SJFD for more than 20 years, added, “It was one of the best times I’ve had with the department.”

According to the St. James Fire District’s website, while a department was organized in the hamlet in 1909 as the Eagle Hook & Ladder Co. by T. Edward Ellis, interest in the company declined by the early 1920s.

After a Christmas holiday fire in 1921, residents formed a committee and initiated a drive to raise money for a new firehouse and equipment. The new department was formed on March 8, 1922. The first piece of equipment the committee purchased was a Model T combination pump and ladder. The cost was $1,500, and it was stored in a metal garage at the intersection of North Country Road and Lake Avenue where the firehouse sits today. The property belonged to Lawrence Butler, who donated an engine floor, when the firehouse was built in 1923. Volunteers built the second floor, and an additional wing was added to the building later.

According to the district’s website, in the department’s early days, volunteers would raise money by organizing annual carnivals that would kick off with a parade. The week-long events featured circus and vaudeville acts nightly until 1935 when the fire district was formed and volunteers were no longer responsible for raising money for new equipment.

Reminded how crucial learning self-defense is in today’s world

by Rita J. Egan - August 26, 2022

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American-jiu-jitsu-self-defense-class_082222_ritajegan — American Jiu Jitsu Centers’ students Joe and Summer demonstrate a self-defense technique. Photo by Rita J. Egan

When my husband told me about a women’s self-defense class on Aug. 22 at the jiu jitsu center where he and his daughter train, I jumped at the opportunity to attend. The fact that it was free to those who signed up before Aug. 22 was an added bonus.

It’s been a long time since I had to avoid unwelcome gestures at bars or being picked up — including physically — by men. Still, with current headlines citing increased crime, including in nearby New York City, it was time to brush up on some skills.

It had been more than 20 years since I was in a similar class. Before I stepped into the dojo at American Jiu Jitsu Centers on Lake Avenue in St. James Monday night, I only remembered one or two techniques. One is to hold my keys a certain way if it’s dark or I feel I am in danger, and go for a person’s crevice in their neck if they threaten me.

After Monday night’s class, I have a few more techniques in my arsenal.

Led by the school’s Shihan Francine and Sensei Charlie, other black belts and lower rank students were on hand to help with approximately two dozen women in attendance.

The importance of learning how to protect oneself was stressed in the hour-long class. The two head instructors were the perfect match to lead the class. Sensei Charlie is tall and muscular, while Shihan Francine is petite, standing 5 feet 3 inches. Charlie joked during one demonstration that he could bench press three times her weight, but that didn’t stop Francine from being able to push him to the ground while showing the women a defense move.

During the class, Sensei Charlie shared some statistics from Bethpage-based The Safe Center with the students. Among the stats, as far as experiences with attempted or complete rape, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 33 men have reported such cases. The center’s Human Trafficking Department in 2019 responded to 500 human trafficking victims, both adults and youth. Violence also happens in private homes with the center reporting 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men being victims of domestic violence in their lifetimes.

To me, it’s always shocking that while men can also be attacked, more women still find themselves as victims. Living in suburbia for decades, sometimes I forget the importance of being aware of my surroundings and knowing what to do if danger presents itself. Something I was more conscious of when I was a child in Queens or frequently traveling to Manhattan in my younger years.

One of the most important things I learned from the class is the first thing to do, when a person approaches you, is back away. Then maintain a nonconfrontational stance, and say, “Hey, I don’t want any trouble.” At the same time, it’s crucial to bring your arms up, hands in front of your face, to let the person know that you can defend yourself if needed.

Shihan Francine and Sensei Charlie shared several techniques with the women, such as heel-palm, knee and eye strikes. A main technique includes a combination of a kick, followed by a heel-palm strike, knee to the groin followed by a blow with an elbow. One of the most important things stressed was to shout “No!” with each move and to do so loudly.

The sequence and others were repeated several times, and students were able to practice with each other and the black belts.

I enjoyed that combining techniques was just like learning dance choreography, and I found the repetition helpful.

The importance of repetition was stressed so that the techniques come naturally. Shihan Francine said the sequence of moves wasn’t as important as remembering each of them. One student she knew years ago was attacked on the subway. Even though he only remembered to kick, she said the main thing is that he did something.

The black belts on hand shared advice to remember every day such as walking with confidence, looking people in the eyes when passing them, being aware of your surroundings and not putting earpods in both ears. Facing one’s back to a door or wall when stopping to make a phone call or to text is also important.

Sensei Charlie and his daughter as well as my husband, Joe, and my stepdaughter Summer gave demonstrations. Seeing young teenage girls being able to take down grown men sent the message home that women don’t need to be damsels in distress anymore with proper awareness and a bit of training.

After the class, I reached out to Shihan Francine and she said that American Jiu Jitsu Centers, which was founded by head instructor O’Sensei Joe Puleio, “is always delighted to host free martial arts seminars for women and welcomes the chance to give back to the communities of St. James and surrounding areas.”

Shihan Francine has taught several of the women’s self-defense classes at the school and has seen this empowerment on a regular basis.

“It is great to see new people learn practical defense techniques in under an hour,” she said. “It is even more exciting for me, though, when some of the participants are empowered enough to continue their training and join us on the mat every week.”

She added that there are many women who train at the St. James location: “These ladies continue to practice their skills several times a week and have the strength and confidence to defend themselves against an attacker.”

For more information and the opportunity to take a free trial class at AJJC, visit ajjctraining.com.

Rita J. Egan is the editor of The Village Times Herald, The Times of Smithtown and The Times of Huntington & Northport.

Local school districts fare better than national counterparts with staffing

by Rita J. Egan - August 25, 2022

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steinbach-g175a759ee_1920 — Despite a few job openings, local school districts are ready for the new school year. Stock photo

With schools across the nation facing issues filling positions, including vital teaching jobs, local school districts, for the most part, are looking toward the new academic year in a good position with staffing.

While COVID-19 created severe obstacles for schools in the last couple of years, local districts are moving past them.

Some difficulties

Kevin Scanlon, the new Three Village Central School District superintendent, said the district is among those well staffed regarding teachers. Slight shortages involve jobs such as teaching assistants and monitor positions. Substitutes for teaching and various openings, including custodial, are also hard to find. Scanlon said that with more than 500 teachers in the district, 30 to 50 of them could be out on any given day.

Neil Katz, Smithtown Central School District assistant superintendent for personnel; Jim Polansky, Huntington school district superintendent; and Roberta Gerold, Middle Country Central School District superintendent, all said their districts are in the same position with permanent teaching positions being filled, but there are small issues finding noncertified employees.

Routinely, it can be challenging also to find candidates in the fields of English as a New Language, family and consumer sciences, technology and language classes. Scanlon added that it’s difficult to find certified American Sign Language educators.

“Also, business teachers, which is unusual because 25 years ago you probably had your choice of teachers,” he said. “Some of the local colleges in New York also used to produce 120 candidates a year in tech teachers, now they’re producing maybe 12 to18. So, the numbers are quite short of where they were years ago in those specialized areas.”

Scanlon added finding such teachers is even more difficult than finding math and science teachers.

“We are all competing against each other trying to find them,” he said.

Polansky said, from time to time, there can be last-minute resignations at the end of the summer.

“Those can present issues, but those are few and far between, and sometimes if you have an added aide position that comes up due to class formation, that doesn’t take place until late in the summer,” he said.

Gerold said, “One of the many byproducts of the pandemic has been a smaller pool of applicants, which has impacted the Middle Country school district’s ability — as it has school districts across Long Island and the country — to hire talented educators.”

Like other districts, Middle Country found ways to ensure it was properly staffed.

“While the hiring process has been particularly challenging heading into this school year, our human resources and personnel teams have worked hard to creatively find new solutions to attract the next generation of educators to lead our community into the future,” she said.

There has also been a need to stay proactive regarding teacher retirements. While student enrollment has declined in some local districts, the number of teachers retiring has increased.

Katz said the number of employees currently retiring makes sense as the population was growing in the area 25 to 30 years ago and schools were expanding, which led to the need to hire more teachers at the time. Those employees are now meeting their retirement requirements.

“We’re hitting that point that there’s this balloon of the number of teachers that are eligible for retirement,” Katz said, adding COVID-19 exacerbated the problem in recent years.

Polansky agreed.

“You’re going to see more in the next couple of years because it is kind of generational,” he said. “That’s another thing that we need to take into account.”

According to New York State Teachers’ Retirement System, 33% of active members could potentially retire in the next few years.

Solutions

Some news outlets have reported states such as Florida dropping the requirements for people to secure a teaching position such as having a bachelor’s degree. Polansky said, “There’s a fine line between helping your teacher availability and compromising quality. You don’t want to be in a situation where actions are being taken that actually lessen the quality of the educator that’s in front of your children in the classroom.”

He added that such a move could cause more problems in the long run.

“We have to make teaching a desirable profession,” he said. “There are a couple of ways to do that, and it’s incumbent upon states and local school districts to make that happen.”

Administrators said their districts always start the hiring process early in the calendar year to prepare for the first day of school, attending recruitment events at colleges in New York state, hosting their own career fairs and placing ads in papers.

Scanlon said the Three Village school district will run an ad in The New York Times at the end of January or early February. He added that advertising in the paper is something many high-caliber schools do. Looking toward the future, the superintendent said there are talks about bringing back a Future Teachers of America club to the high school to encourage students to choose teaching as a career.

Gerold said one of the Middle Country school district’s “initiatives has been our successful partnership with Stony Brook University to fortify our roster of substitute teachers. During the pandemic, the district partnered with Stony Brook University to place student-teacher substitutes in schools. Through this, we’ve been able to satisfy the substitute teacher needs throughout the district and identify strong educators who are poised to excel in leading classrooms.”

Katz said the Smithtown Central school district tries to reach out to different associations and offer more competitive salaries. However, even using various hiring methods and starting early, sometimes a new hire will get a better offer right before the academic year begins.

“We’re getting into bidding wars,” he said. “Candidates are pushing one district against the other in bidding wars. Kind of like the housing market.”

Despite a few job openings, local school districts are ready for the new school year. Stock photo

New restaurant comes to Stony Brook Village Center

Village Times Herald

by Rita J. Egan - August 25, 2022

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After being vacant for nearly a year, 93 Main St. in Stony Brook Village Center will be filled with the aroma of food once again.

The location that was once occupied by Pentimento Restaurant will now house Luca restaurant. Specializing in modern Italian cuisine, it’s set to open on Aug. 30, serving dinner Tuesday through Sunday. In the fall, the owners plan to also open for lunch.

“Luca will be a great addition to the center,” said Gloria Rocchio, president of Stony Brook Village Center in a press release. “Their modern Italian cuisine is superb and brings an exciting new style to the area.”

David Tunney, who grew up in Setauket and graduated from Ward Melville High School, is one of the partners along with Rory Van Nostrand, Anthony Argiriou and chef Luke DeSanctis. Tunney, pictured on the front page second from right, has been in the restaurant industry for nearly 40 years. In 2019, he bought the former Raga Indian restaurant on Old Town Road and turned it into Old Fields Barbecue, now renamed Old Fields Tavern. In addition to the Setauket and Stony Brook spots, he owns Old Fields restaurants in Port Jefferson and Greenlawn, and Old Fields Barbecue with Ella’s in Huntington. He is also one of the founders of the Besito Restaurant Group along with his brother John and co-owner of Besito Mexican restaurants in Huntington and Roslyn.

A reception at Luca was held Aug. 18 to give invitees a sneak peek at the new place. Those in attendance included members of the Three Village Chamber of Commerce, The Ward Melville Heritage Organization trustees, elected officials and more.

The night included a sample of appetizers and cocktails with invitees enjoying the modern interior of the restaurant and bar area as well as an outdoor dining area. Tunney said he and his partners envisioned the look of Luca even before construction began earlier this year.

The restaurateur was involved with construction and setting up the new place, including driving upstate with a U-Haul to pick up decorative columns made of red pine trees that were hand-peeled, cut and treated.

Tunney said it’s nice owning restaurants in his former hometown and seeing familiar faces. Luca will seat 80 to 90 people, and he said the dining experience will include a four-course menu, which he described as a great value, but food can also be ordered a la carte.

Tunney and his partners are currently working on a few finishing touches before the restaurant opens for dinner on Aug. 30.

For those who plan to dine at Luca, Tunney said they promise “exceptional service, amazing food, a great vibe and a beautiful atmosphere.”

Unitarian Universalists welcome interim minister as Allen retires

by Rita J. Egan - August 22, 2022

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Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook. Photo from UUFSB

A local fellowship said goodbye to a beloved pastor this week.

This past Sunday, the Rev. Margie Allen spent her last official day as pastor of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook. Until a new permanent minister is found, Pastor Madelyn Campbell, who recently arrived from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, will serve as interim minister and officially started Monday, Aug. 15.

John Lutterbie, president of the board of trustees, said, “Rev. Margie is a fabulous preacher, intertwining spirituality with social justice. She strengthened our connections to Unitarian Universalism and the wider Long Island community. Two things that we value deeply are the way she enhanced communication within the fellowship and her deep concern for those in need of assistance. In the months before she retired, she prepared us beautifully for the changes to come. We are ready for change but will miss her terribly.”

The Rev. Margie Allen

Allen said she decided to retire for a few reasons but mainly because she felt “the fellowship deserves somebody who is at the top of their energy.”

The pastor added she felt things had changed, in general, regarding religious worship due to COVID-19. One factor is that live streaming and other technological advancements come into play. She said finding a new pastor will enable the congregation to find someone more technologically savvy.

“I did not grow up with computers,” she said. “I’m not stupid about them, but I’m not also creative about them, because I don’t really know their maximum capacity.”

She said now is a good time for change and feels a fresh, creative mind will help the congregation move forward.

“I think that change can be a very energizing and engaging time for a congregation,” she said.

Allen has been the minister of UUFSB since January 2013 after being the fellowship’s consulting minister for 2 1/2 years prior. Before serving in Stony Brook, she was an associate minister with the Unitarian Church in Westport, Connecticut, her first settled ministry.

A native of southwest Virginia, she graduated from Bryn Mawr College after majoring in Greek language and literature. While she thought about going into ministry early on in life, she initially entered the health field working for more than two decades as a cardiac surgery intensive care nurse. She eventually studied theology at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago.

“I often say I went from open heart surgery to the spiritual type of open heart practice,” she said.

Allen is married to the Rev. Dr. Linda Anderson, and the two moved to Stony Brook in 2010. Over time, the couple have developed an appreciation for what the area has to offer, especially Stony Brook University’s Staller Center.

She said among the most memorable moments during her time with the Stony Brook congregation was when she cut down a pine tree in the yard. She made a maypole and tied ribbons on it, and the congregation conducted a weaving of the maypole for the first time.

However, all of her memories aren’t good ones, as she remembers the fellowship’s Black Lives Matter sign being defaced a few years ago. She said the congregation weathered the storm, and the police department was helpful in the situation.

“I’m so proud of the congregation,” she said. “I tried to work hard to show them and encourage them that this nation’s issues with racism have really risen to the top of what we need to work on.”

She added the denomination as a whole is engaged in trying to create an environment that is actively trying to reverse white supremacy. Allen said the congregation has looked closely at how they run meetings, choose volunteers and how they invite people into their fellowship.

“It starts in small communities and once we learn how to do it, it spreads out,” she said.

Before she informed the whole congregation that she was retiring, Allen said she was focusing on Christmas story passages where the angels bring a message of fear not and all will be well. The passages inspired the message that she would like to leave the congregation.

“It may not be what you think should happen or think will happen but don’t be afraid,” she said. “Open your hearts and your minds to things that are challenging. Say ‘yes’ and move forward. That would be my wish for the congregation.”

For the community, Allen said, “Connect, connect, connect. I just think we don’t have enough places and ways to get to know each other anymore. Go talk to your neighbors. Go greet people who moved into the neighborhood.”

Pastor Madelyn Campbell

The Rev. Dr. Campbell, the new interim minister, said she took the scenic route to professional ministry. She, like Allen, started in the medical field where she was a nurse practitioner. She also worked as a business analyst in economics.

A widow whose husband passed away in 2013, she has raised nine children and has nine grandchildren. She and her husband have been foster parents, too.

Campbell said her husband was supportive of the calling she felt toward ministry.

“I had the call a long time ago, in fact, before we were married. It was something that I thought, ‘Well, I’ll do that when I retire. I’ll just put it on hold,’” she said.

After she received her nurse practitioner degree, she said it was her husband’s turn to go back to graduate school, but he was undecided. In 2008, she said her calling was so loud that one day she felt a church sermon was directed at her.

When she told her husband how she felt, he said, “You have a call and I don’t, so you should do this.”

It was then she began to study for ministry. Initially, she didn’t plan to go into parish ministry and was planning on becoming a chaplain minister.

She said her internship committee encouraged her to go into parish ministry, which she is happy she did.

“I love parish ministry, and specifically transitional ministry. It’s so interesting,”
she said.

Campbell is a certified biblical storyteller through the Academy for Biblical Storytelling, and the only Unitarian Universalist who is one. She also holds a certificate in the arts and theology from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., where she earned her master’s in divinity in 2014 and doctorate
in 2022.

She has spent eight years in transitional ministries while studying, and Campbell said she also has opportunities to put her chaplaincy skills to use, including with the Civil Air Patrol.

The pastor said in the past when choosing a fellowship, she tended to look at places on the coasts, especially since she spent most of her life on the East Coast. Campbell is from New York City, and she lived in Rockland County when she was younger as well as spent 33 years of her adulthood in Arlington, Virginia.

“But New York will always be home,” she said, adding she’s familiar with Long Island with a brother living in Valley Stream and friends on the Island.

“I looked at this congregation, and it ticked off a lot of boxes for me and it looked interesting,” she said.

While the process is underway to find a permanent pastor, she said her job is to help the congregation to process their feelings about Allen leaving and be open about future changes.

“My job is to help the congregation understand themselves better,” Campbell said. “To understand and to look at some things that maybe haven’t been looked at in a while, to answer and prepare for the future, and also to help them move past the fear of change.”

The search

Pastors leave congregations entirely until a new one has the full attention of the congregation, Allen said. She and Campbell will not be part of the process of finding a new pastor even though they will be on hand if anyone on the committee needs to consult them.

Lutterbie said the Unitarian Universalist Association recommends two years with a transition minister. The process can take that long as a transition minister helps the congregation reflect on the past in the first year and, during the second, defines the congregation’s future directions.

While defining its future in the second year, Lutterbie said, the fellowship will undertake the process of finding a new permanent minister.

Bennardo and Ferro reflect on first few months on Huntington’s Town Board

by Rita J. Egan - August 18, 2022

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Sal-ferrro_and_Dave-bennardo — Councilmen Sal Ferro and Dave Bennardo. Photo from candidates

Nearly eight months into their first terms as Huntington Town Board councilmen, David Bennardo (R) and Sal Ferro (R) said they have been learning a great deal about their community and have been satisfied with recent progress on town projects.

Town of Huntington Councilman Sal Ferro speaking at a Boating Safety press conference ahead of the 2022 boating season. Photo from Ferro’s office

“I really feel like we’re getting a lot of positive work done,” Ferro said. “I want to be able to serve the community, and I’m very happy with what we’re doing so far.”

When Ferro and Bennardo ran for office in November 2021, they promised to work toward creating a more nonpartisan Town Board. It’s a feat they feel has been accomplished.

Ferro said he believes while everyone may not always agree on issues, it’s important to respect “other people’s opinions and positions.”

“I think Dave and I bring that to the table in that we have tremendous respect for different opinions, and we want to have open-door policies,” he said. “Our ears have to be open to listen and work together, because we’re not going to get anything done if we’re not working together.”

Bennardo agreed and said, “We’re elected to serve the people and there’s no Republican or Democratic way to clean up snow.”

Bennardo added that sometimes there could be 10% of people on each of the extreme political sides that seem to control the argument.

“The 80% in the middle will just want the government to do something,” he said. “They’re kind of held hostage by the 10 and the 10, and so we heard that on every door we knocked on, ‘Just break the gridlock.’ So, what we’ve been able to do, really with nothing other than just listening and being open minded, was kind of create a centrist core that starts to get that we serve the people not the party, and both sides are starting to see that.”

Bennardo also credits Supervisor Ed Smyth (R) with being the “most able administrative leader he’s ever worked with” and moving Huntington in a positive direction.

Councilman Dave Bennardo and Councilwoman Joan Cergol at an Earth Day event at Manor Farm Park on April 23. Photo by Media Origin

Bennardo said customer service seemed to be waning in the town. When responding to issues, taking the approach of seeing residents as clients has improved town services.

Both councilmen said they believe a lot of headway has been made in the Highway Department with new superintendent Andre Sorrentino (R).

“I think our highway superintendent has been fixing more roads in seven months than we have ever done in the past,” Ferro said. “It’s just a matter of sufficient management and help and support from the council level.”

Ferro added that some infrastructure projects would take time due to the extent of the jobs, but there have been discussions about making such projects a priority.

He said he has been impressed with the town employees, describing them as “incredibly talented people with good work ethics that really care about what they’re doing.”

Ferro, CEO and former president of Alure Home Improvements, has been using his business skills and working closely with the building department and IT personnel. They have been moving forward with implementing state-of-the-art software to convert the permit process to online and to streamline the process.

“I believe six months from now you’re going to see a whole different experience when it comes to filing a permit,” he said, adding the revised process will be revolutionary for the building department and town.

It’s a project that the town has been working on for years, and Ferro said he’s happy that he and town personnel have been able to move it forward.

Bennardo, formerly Harborfields High School principal and South Huntington superintendent, said the Town Board has been working on bringing business back to Huntington. The town had developed a reputation of being unfriendly with business, according to Bennardo, and he said that the new permit process will be more business friendly.

In addition to working on making Huntington more inviting to businesses, the two said the board is moving forward with a sewer plan and, as always, is looking at affordable housing in the area.

“We need to create an environment that’s good for business, that’s better for housing, where development starts being able to bring people to our community,” Bennardo said.

He added another issue residents have brought up and that needs to be addressed is homelessness in the area and helping those who have found themselves in the situation.

Virginia O’Dwyer, prominent Three Village real estate broker, dies at 91

by Rita J. Egan - August 15, 2022

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9C5FD748-4A7D-45F9-85EE-826BF10D28EB — Virginia Antionette O’Dwyer Real Estate office in Stony Brook

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

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

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

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

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

It was 1970 when she started her own company.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Suffolk County fire marshals share steps to increase vacation safety

by Rita J. Egan - August 12, 2022

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IMG_6962-1024x768 — File photos of a fire in East Setauket from the Setauket Fire Department.

After a tragic fire broke out in Noyac, the tragedy sheds light on fire safety precautions people should consider before unpacking their bags in an unfamiliar room or home and in general.

When the Noyac fire broke out, a family of five from Maryland was on vacation, renting a single-family home. The Aug. 3 fire, in the early morning hours, claimed the lives of sisters Jillian Wiener, 21, and Lindsay Weiner, 19. Their parents Lewis and Alisa and their 23-year-old brother Zachary were able to escape with non-life-threatening injuries.

Town of Huntington chief fire marshal, Terry McNally, said in an email to TBR News Media, that residents should “make sure your home conforms to the state fire code and building code, including functioning smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.”

“Each bedroom must have a smoke detector,” he added. “There must be a means of egress to get outside from each bedroom and hallway on each level, and there must be a carbon monoxide detector on each level within 15 feet of each bedroom.”

Christopher Mehrman, chief fire marshal for the Town of Brookhaven Division of Fire Prevention, agreed and said in a phone interview it’s important to ensure a rental property follows the same codes.

The marshal added it’s important to ensure there are detectors on each floor.

“You want that early warning to be able to get out if there’s a fire,” Mehrman said.

Staying at a private home that may be included on a website such as Airbnb is different from being at a hotel and motel where they must meet stricter codes that marshals enforce, Mehrman said. He added while some municipalities might regulate Airbnbs and inspections are done, they are not as extensive as ones for corporate properties.

Mehrman said the first thing to do when vacationing anywhere is to check that there are smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and test them to see if they are working.

“If you’re in doubt, bring your own,” he said.

Many times he has conducted investigations where it’s found that the detectors aren’t working properly. He said systems that go to a central station also have a button to be able to test them.

Both fire marshals added that it’s important for people to ensure they know all the ways out of a home or building in the case of a hotel or motel. Their advice is to check for exits and for people to familiarize themselves with egress paths, including stairwells.

Mehrman added to make sure that windows do open. He said when he travels, he finds the emergency exits and counts the number of doors to the exit from his room.

“In a smoke condition in a hallway, you’re going to be down on the floor crawling to get to the exit, and that way you can count the number of doors,” Mehrman said.

When visiting hotels and motels, he also checks emergency exit doors to ensure they aren’t locked, and stairwells lead to a door outside the building.

Regarding vacationing at a private home, Mehrman said, remember not all homes are set up the same.

“Some of these houses are very large,” he said. “You don’t know what the owner has done to the house. They may have sectioned off part of it because they don’t want people in that part of the house.”

He added not to be afraid to escape from a second-floor window as the fall is not as far as it looks, especially if one dangles from the window first.

Most of all, Mehrman said always be aware that there should be a meeting spot for everyone, and people should not run back in to save anyone or pets. Fire victims also should wait until they escape the fire before calling 911.

“Evacuating everybody is the most important thing,” he said.

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