By Sabrina Artusa
After the Aug. 19 storm, the lower level of the Smithtown Library’s main branch at 1 North Country Road had to be cleaned and gutted. The stairwell has been repainted and all electriclal equipment has been removed. Now, the floor is a blank slate. Smithtown Library Director Robert Lusak views this as an opportunity to re-situate the floor to make it a better, nicer area.
–Photos by Robert Lusak
By Sabrina Artusa
Six months after the Aug. 19 storm that damaged infrastructure, washed away the dams at Stony Brook Mill Pond and Blydenburgh County Park’s Stump Pond and upturned Harbor Road in Stony Brook, community pillars such as the Smithtown Library and Stony Brook University are on the mend.
The storm, which unleashed 9.4 inches of rain in only 24 hours, flooded the lower level of the Smithtown Library, bursting one of the windows and completely filling the area with water. Since the library sits at a lower grade, the water from higher grades flowed to the building and down the staircases on either side, overwhelming the sump pump and clogging it with leaves; therefore, it was not only 9 inches of water that flooded the library, but 8 feet.
However, walking through the Smithtown Library today, it would be difficult to discern evidence of the storm on the first floor or the mezzanine. The bookshelves and tables look relatively untouched; it seems that at any moment a library page might round the corner with a cart of books or a high school student will settle down at one of the tables. In a few months — April, possibly, according to Library Director Robert Lusak — the library could open again.
“In order to bring people back into the building, first we need power obviously, we need HVAC, we need heat and air-conditioning functioning, we need to have the elevator working, we need to have fire sprinklers operational … so there are a lot of factors that need to come into play before we can open the building,” Lusak said. The library’s architect, in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, has put together “a two- to three-inch book” detailing the steps to reopening.
Temporary power has been restored. “Everything is moving along pretty well,” Lusak said.
Lusak and the rest of the library staff have been working with FEMA to account for damages to potentially get up to 75% of eligible costs reimbursed. The staff listed every item that was destroyed. One of the main obstacles, however, is the time-consuming process of ordering the necessary materials and the months it takes to ship.
“It is really the equipment that we need to reinstall that is keeping us from moving forward,” Lusak said. “When we have to wait for materials we have to wait 6 to 8 weeks in some cases. That is what we need in order to open the building up.”
Next month, Lusak and other staff members are flying to Michigan to evaluate the archive renovation progress done by Prism Specialties. The Richard H. Handley Collection, which features centuries-old documents and maps, was situated on the lower level. On the day of the storm, however, the water detection system failed and water infiltrated the room.
Lusak will have to determine which archives should be restored, such as precious original copies, and which would not be worth the expense, perhaps second copies. The cost of archival restoration already amounts to over $700,000. The archives will be considered by FEMA for reimbursement.
Lusak said that the designers will begin to redesign the lower floor this week. Since the first floor and mezzanine are nearly ready to be opened to the public — after the elevator, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system and electricity are restored — Lusak plans to open the upper levels and have construction on the lower floor occur simultaneously.
In addition, the storm has exposed issues in the grading and stairwells. “We are looking at ways of safeguarding the building to make sure a situation like that never happens again … we are going to change the grading there [and] we are going to address the stairwells.”
At Stony Brook University, the rainfall affected 61 buildings, according to university officials; the Ammann and Gray residence halls were hit the hardest, and students residing there had to be reassigned to other buildings.
Vice President for Facilities and Services Bill Hermann wrote in an email, “In response to the flooding of our residence halls, we advocated for and will be relocating core facilities infrastructure (boilers, electrical equipment, IT and fire alarms) to upper floors.”
The university paid for a comprehensive storm infrastructure study which, according to Hermann, “revealed that our campus growth over the years had not been matched by adequate increases in storm infrastructure capacity.”
The university already addressed some of the weak spots dictated by the study, such as collapsed sections, but still has stormwater maintenance plans in the horizon, one being a plan to implement a stormwater detention and retention system under the athletic stadium surface lot to manage runoff.
“This mitigation is needed to upgrade and modernize the campus storm infrastructure to meet the current demands,” Hermann wrote.
At this time, Gloria Rocchio, president of the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, was unable to comment on the damage to Harbor Road, the ownership of which is debated as it crosses into Head of the Harbor.
Head of the Harbor Mayor Michael Utevsky said that discussions are progressing.
By Sabrina Artusa
Residents across the county are noticing swans straying from their habitats, wandering onto roads, drive-ways and parking lots, often disheveled and disoriented.
Lisa Jaeger, who runs an animal rescue business, has already picked up six swans this year, a number she says is above normal. In fact, Jaeger was relocating a swan that was found on 25A only hours before her phone interview with TBR News Media. In her ten years of running her business, Jaeger said she has never noticed such an influx of displaced, sick or even dead swans.
“It is very bad. One of them we found dead on the beach on Shore Road” Jaeger said. “It’s horrible. It’s just horrible.”
Swans are extremely territorial creatures and after mating, reside in one area for the rest of their lives. They may leave that area if pushed out after fighting with another swan or if they are confused and unable to navigate back. Lead poisoning is the likely cause.
“[Lead poisoning] is very common,” Adrienne Gillepsie, wildlife rehabilitator at Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays. “Every single swan that we admit to this center, and we get a lot, has lead poisoning.”
Jaeger frequently travels to the rescue center to drop off swans, if they have room. The Evelyn Alexander Rescue Center is the only wildlife center in Suffolk County that has a large waterfowl pen. Other centers have smaller pens and are only capable of taking a few waterfowl.
Lead poisoning affects the swans’ central nervous system and can cause the swans to neglect their grooming, becoming dirty and odorous as a result. They can become sluggish and confused or lose control of their legs and wings and become grounded. When this happens, the swan may try to eat dirt or sand, compounding their sickness.
“If they don’t get treated, it is a death sentence and it is very, very slow. They are uncoordinated, they can drown, they get hit by cars…they slowly just go downhill because they don’t have that medicine or treatment,” Gillepsie said.
Gillepsie estimated that when she started 12 years ago, only around half of swans that were brought in had lead poisoning; now, she said it was essentially a guarantee that a bird would show high levels of lead when given a blood test.
Gillespie and her team administer a treatment called chelation therapy, a 5-day treatment that flushes the toxic metals from the swan’s system. They administer dimercaptosuccinic acid to extricate the heavy metals. This treatment is repeated until lead levels are low enough for the swan to be released.
Swans must be returned “exactly where they came from.” They are invasive and aggressive, so relocating them is problematic not only to other swans, but also to the surrounding ecosystem.
The cured swans return to their nest site, ingest the same contaminated vegetation or lead shots. Gillespie said they regularly get “repeat offenders”.
Other birds like hawks, owls, loons, ducks, and canadian geese can also get lead poisoning, but not as frequently as swans.
Lead shot and pellets were outlawed in 1991. The sale of lead fishing sinkers under one-half ounce or less was banned in New York in 2002 as it was the leading cause of death for the common loon.
By Sabrina Artusa
A dress made of TBR News Media newspapers is displayed in the window of Chocology in Stony Brook. Customers and Stony Brook University students played a role in creating the dress. This dress is part of Chocology’s Valentine’s collection.
“We want to capture the essence of each holiday through a unique chocolate-inspired creation,” said Linda Johnson, founder of Chocology. “I was especially inspired by the TBR 2024 People of the Year, which stands out as a celebration of creativity and community.”
By Sabrina Artusa
On Feb. 3, the Suffolk County Water Authority delivered a presentation to the Three Village Civic Association, addressing water quality concerns and water main breaks.
SCWA Director of Water Quality and Lab Services Thomas Schneider said that the SCWA tests for more than double the number of compounds than required by the Environmental Protection Agency and endeavors to keep levels of these contaminants well under the maximum amount deemed safe.
To filter the water, the SCWA integrates varying types of filtration systems depending on what contaminants are issues in that specific area. Commonly, the SCWA simply needs to add chlorine or adjust the ph level, but in other areas they filter with granulated activated carbon.
“[At] each of the pump stations or well fields, the treatment at those is specific to what the water quality is at that particular well…its very distributed architecture rather than, as we referenced, in New York City where it all flows through one main source.”
With contaminants that are especially difficult to extricate additional treatment is required. One such contaminant is 1,4-dioxane.
Schneider said,”1,4-dioxane is a manmade chemical. It is used as a stabilizer in solvents and it is also found in a lot of consumer products, specifically laundry detergents, shampoos, and conditioners…this one is very difficult and expensive to remove.”
In order to remove this contaminate the SCWA uses advanced oxidation procedure systems that use ultraviolet light to break down the 1,4-dioxane. Schneider added that the water authority has put in 16 of these systems so far, mostly in western Suffolk.
In 2023, SCWA added two advanced oxidation procedure treatments in Northport, three in Halesite, one in Huntington Station, one in Kings Park and one in Huntington.
According to the SCWA’s water quality reports from 2024, leeching from septic tanks and runoff from fertilizers, and pesticides were common likely sources of inorganic compounds.
In 2024, the SCWA added a new well and a GAC system at Stem Lane and Oxhead Lane.
“Any disruption in the continuity of water mains or sometimes it could be a surface line. So it could be anything from a small break in the water main or a larger blowout of the water main. Sometimes it is a small trickle bubbling up from the ground,” said Director of Construction/Maintenance Brendan Warner.
Water main breaks are caused by age or from outdated materials. Since Dec. 1 SCWA has already recorded 300 water main breaks, the second most in the last 10 years during this time. The average for the whole year is 500 breaks. Weather circumstances also play a factor in causing a main break; the freezing and thawing of soil and rapid temperature changes put stress on the pipes. The majority of the water main breaks happen to pipes made out of cast-iron, which are over half of the mains in the county.
John Marafino, customer growth coordinator, urged civic members to reexamine their water use, get their irrigation systems checked and enact habits that limit water use, both helping conserve water and decreasing the water bill.
“We have a sufficient but not limitless supply of water,” he said. “Watering everyday is not necessary to keep a green and healthy lawn.”
By Sabrina Artusa
On Sunday, Feb. 2, the newly founded Long Island chapter of Standing Up for Racial Justice, a national organization aimed toward mobilizing people against racial and economic inequality, met alongside Route 347 in Port Jefferson Station at “Resistance Corner.”
Around 20 men and women held signs in gloved hands, projecting their passion and mission to passing traffic. They faced the bitter cold together, united in their mission to sway newly elected Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay (D-Port Jefferson) to their purpose.
SURJ was founded in 2009 in response to backlash over the election of former president Barack Obama (D). The organization is dedicated to mobilizing community members, particularly white people, and “to bring together others who were not already active in justice work or who were unsure about how to take action,” according to the website.
This chapter, or “circle,” of SURJ was initiated by circle organizer Sarah Payne and began in November. SURJ encouraged the chapter to sign a pledge “to protect and resist” said Cindy Simon, a member of SURJ. The pledge asks Kassay to “stand up for the people [and] make sure the new policies don’t hurt us.”
Simon said she received a positive response from Kassay. “I am steadfast in my commitment to justice, and in this, would offer my participation at a workshop or other forum where my presence and perspectives could help to further local community goals,” Kassay wrote in an email.
“I want to live in a community where we take care of each other because we have more power than we think we have,” said one member to the crowd. “If we come together, we can fight for a world where everyone has what they need to live dignified lives: health care, housing, a climate that keeps us safe [and] safety from unreasonable detention.”
Some community members held American flags or wore red, white and blue attire. Others held signs reading “Defund the oligarchs,” “Protect people. Resist fascism” and “United against hate.”
“The goal is to become an established group that can continue into 2025 and beyond,” Simon said.
Payne said that as organizer, she has noticed a lack of support for the LGBTQ community on Long Island, so she plans to direct the chapter accordingly to address those needs.
“We’ve been looking at the intersectionality between queer and trans issues and racial justice issues,” Payne said. “Queer and trans issues are really close to the heart for a lot of people in our circle so I think that is more of our focus.”
“I’m hoping that now that we’ve done this it will be more like a self-sufficient group and we can go and do more actions now that we have this experience,” Payne added.
By Sabrina Artusa
The Smithtown Town Board held the last public hearing Jan. 23 on the Kings Park Downtown Revitalization Plan before the window for public comments closes and it can be voted on for approval by the town board.
The plan includes pedestrian-focused amenities and infrastructure, updated parking and wider sidewalks. It has been developed over the course of nine years. In 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul (D) awarded Kings Park and Smithtown a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant. Further, updated and expanded sewer systems were necessary to make the plan possible.
“Communities like St. James, Commack and Smithtown can’t afford to stand still,” Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Smithtown) said. “I have no problem with below ground parking…we are not going to turn Smithtown into Queens,” he said, responding to the common worry among critics that the increased floor maximum and below-ground parking represent a step toward further urbanization.
The maximum height of 3 floors and 40 feet in the core downtown district, an increase, and the permittance of apartment buildings in the area were causes for criticism among some, including Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga).
“I am not against building…I do not want overdevelopment of the town,” Trotta said. “When I think of underground parking, I think of Queens. We are setting a precedent.”
State Senator Mario Mattera (R-St. James) said, “What this board has done is commendable…Kings Park is in dire straits for development, for the right development.”
The majority of residents and business owners who spoke were in support of the “long overdue” plan. Kevin Smith, a member of the Kings Park Chamber of Commerce, had a store front in Kings Park. “I was living my dream. It was the American dream. I had a shop front on Main Street and I had to close down,” he said.
Smith reminisced on his own youth spent in Kings Park and how to have fun he would often visit other towns such as Patchogue or Babylon. He hoped that the return of a bustling downtown would keep the younger generation in Kings Park.
Some speakers, including Trotta, used their time before the board to protest the proposed 50-unit apartment building at the corner of Meadow Road and Indian Head Road. The adoption of the Kings Park revitalization plan would change the zoning of the area to transit-oriented development.
Mike Rosato of Kings Park said, “Building height should be limited to no more than 2.5 stories to preserve the historical and suburban character of the community…this project along with others, if allowed to proceed, significantly alters the character of Kings Park, overwhelms local infrastructure, and negatively impacts our residential quality of life.”
Another speaker said, “I think you guys should go forward with this project. It will give these young people an opportunity to afford a home.”
For more information, visit the Smithtown website: www.smithtownny.gov.
By Sabrina Artusa
The New York State Education Department released data on enrollment, New York State Assessments and Regents scores. Assistant to the Superintendent and Chief Information Officer Laura Pimentel dissected the data in Three Village schools in a presentation on Jan. 22 to the Three Village Central School District.
Enrollment has decreased to 5,433 students: 75 students less than 2024 and 1,296 students less than 2015. Elementary school enrollment has been consistent throughout the past few years while middle and high schools continue to decrease.
Despite this, demographic data reveals an increase in English language learners and economically disadvantaged students.
Elementary and middle school students have somewhat recovered from the post-pandemic chronic absenteeism spike. Of high school students 7.2% are chronically absent: a higher percentage than the previous four years.
If a student misses two days per month, they would be considered chronically absent. The high percentage of chronically absent students occurs concurrent with the increase in economically disadvantaged students and demand for mental health services, Scanlon noted.
“People look at Three Village and think of a North Shore district doing very well academically. We do have this component that has really created some needs budgetarily and from what we put in the supports,” Superintendent Kevin Scanlon said.
“We aren’t data-driven because of the opt-out movement and we have to put things in place that are going to give us that data so we can make some decision about our instructional program,” Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services Brian Biscari said.
NYS assessments
NYS assessments are offered to students from grades 3 through 8, but amid the opt-out movement that has swept Long Island school districts in recent years, no meaningful analysis can be surmised from the data.
“These assessments help us evaluate the effectiveness of our instructional programs against the state standards, which is something we haven’t been able to do in a quote some time at the elementary and junior high school level,” Pimentel said.
Of students who opted out,36.4% were from the English assessments, 35.2% from math and 34.3% from science. This contrasts with the federal government requirement that 95% of students take the test. The percentage of student participation is over 20% below the state average in both math and English Language Arts.
The assessments are no longer representative of teacher performance and have no impact on students’ grades.
“In the absence of that we had to put in other benchmarks…about how we are able to compare students to one another in their grade level and from cohort to cohort as they are coming through, so that is another increase in the district because we have to supplement for what parents aren’t taking that is free with what the state offers,” Scanlon said. “The data is important to us as we try to place students appropriately and give them services appropriately.”
Bond referendum
Jeffery Carlson, interim deputy superintendent and head of the business department discussed funding for district expenses. The district is considering a bond proposal to pay for the $125 million in construction expenses and projects.
The list of construction projects is aspirational, not realistic. Carlson said that while all the project will be listed, they do not intend to complete them all.
“Sixty-six percent of the cost comes back to us in building aid. Whatever the cost of the project is, the state is paying two-thirds of the cost. And it isn’t only on the construction cost, it is on the interest as well,” Carlson said.
The bond would mean a $284 tax increase every year for 15 years, which would be the length of the bond. Scanlon said that safety and security projects — “things we must get done” — would be the priority while other projects like air conditioning for elementary school gyms and cafeterias could wait.
Armed guards
Following a presentation Jan. 8 reviewing the past security measures and future options by Scanlon, the board discussed the possibility of arming guards. The district could arm guards outside the schools or inside the schools.
Before 2012, secondary schools within the district only had one guard. Since the Sandy Hook shooting, the district added over 500 security cameras, vestibules, sign-in procedures, license readers, employee background checks and a head of security with a background in law enforcement.
This year, the board also added an AI weapons detection technology called Zero Eyes. Scanlon noted that the district adds cameras every year, so the new tech does not impact the number of cameras added in a year.
Since many security guards possess the background and clearance to be armed, the district could easily arm guards without having to undergo significant staff changes.
“I would like to poll parents and students. As a board member who bears no risk whatsoever, I feel that I personally should have very little say in this,” said trustee David McKinnon. “I am happy to follow the lead of the major stakeholders here.”
By Sabrina Artusa
A science teacher at R.C. Murphy Jr. High School in theThree Village Central School District is now on leave after posting an incendiary political post on Facebook.
The teacher, Pamila Pahuja, wrote in the post, “To all Trump supporters – hope the next time you take a drink it doesn’t swallow right and you go get help but no one is there and you slowly wither away while struggling to gasp and you suffer long.”
The post has sparked outrage from some parents. Others feel Pahuja did nothing wrong.
“I always like to put the shoe on the other foot,” former teacher and Hauppauge resident Dan Simon said, noting that teachers still have the freedom of speech. He added, however, that what she posted was a mistake. “Should she be doing that? Probably not.”
A father of a middle-school child, Doug said, “Just saying that about another person – it’s not right.” His child does not go to a district school.
He said that middle-schoolers are still learning right from wrong, and to “say stuff like that, you are kind of brainwashing them. It gets them thinking differently.”
Litigator Andrew Lieb said that there is a case to be made under labor law 201-d, which protects against discrimination for participating in certain activities including political activities outside of working hours and off the employer’s premises. Lieb has worked on similar cases pertaining to teachers.
“That is a hyperbole that wasn’t a specific threat,” Lieb said. “As long as she was off working hours off working premises, she is allowed to do this stuff. She is working for the government and the government can’t block speech.”
“Imagine all these teachers wanting to speak and not being able to have a voice,” he said. “That’s what this does and that’s why these laws are so important.
Pahuja also wrote, “To all my friends and their families worried, stay safe. America is no longer the land of the free – we are prisoners of the governments. Only a matter of time before they come for all women. Welcome to gilead, it’s on the way.”
On Jan. 26, the district released a letter to parents notifying them of Pahuja’s absence.
“Please be assured that we have taken steps to ensure a smooth transition and continued high-quality instruction in science. A qualified and certified science teacher will be assigned to your child’s class in her absence,” the letter, signed by Principal Michael Jantzen, reads.
The Three Village BOE and the Three Village Teachers Association would not comment on matters of personnel.
A water main break on East Main Street in Port Jefferson causes water to be shut off while Suffolk County Water Authority executes repairs. Repairs are expected to take 1-2 hours. Buildings along East Main Street, from the East Main Street intersection at East Broadway to where East Main Street intersects with Main Street, will be affected.
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