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TBR Staff

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TBR News Media covers everything happening on the North Shore of Suffolk County from Cold Spring Harbor to Wading River.

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The location of the proposed dog park in Nesconset. Photo courtesy of Change.org

By Caroline O’Callaghan

During the May 29 Lake Ronkonkoma Advisory Board Meeting, board representatives introduced a proposal for a dog park of about 5-10 acres to be built in Walter S. Commerdingers Jr. County Park forest located off of Browns Road in Nesconset. 

Residents chose to express their profound concerns over the threat of deforestation to not only the last untouched forest in Nesconset but all of Long Island’s forests. One of those residents was Mary-Anne Smith, who subsequently started a petition on change.org to spotlight the issue. 

In her petition titled Save the Last Forest of Nesconset, Smith asks “the Lake Ronkonkoma Advisory Board and Suffolk County Parks Department to please reconsider the location [of the dog park] and prioritize preserving natural spaces and forest, and utilize other alternative open space options in the area.” 

Smith went on to list the potential impacts of building the dog park, including its harm to both wildlife and humans. 

Some wildlife in the proposed area are at a higher risk of being harmed than others. They include eastern box turtles, northern long-eared bats and common nighthawks. Other less affected animals listed were resident and migratory songbirds, a pair of great horned owls, deer, turkeys and foxes. 

For the human residents of the Browns Road and Edgewood Avenue area, Smith brought to light the risks of developing the space, such as increases in road flooding, pollution run-off, property taxes, air-conditioning and electricity costs of nearby homes and urban heat island effect. Smith also said that the proposed dog park would create a decline in property values. 

One of the chief complaints listed on the petition was the legality of the dog park proposal. This is due to the forest being a county park, which requires the approval of the county or park authority for any further development to be done. In order for the proposal to be legal, a 

core group of residents or public supporters must first form a demonstration, choose the site of the potential park, create a budget and finally present their own proposal for the dog park to the designated authorities. 

Based on Smith’s petition, it is unclear if this process was followed accordingly, which suggests that the proposal may not have been supported by the public in the first place. Smith expressed that she was “not against the idea of [more] dog parks” but rather opposed the unnecessary expulsion of the ecosystem in which the forest plays host to given the limited forests left on Long Island. She also mentioned how the Gibbs Pond Dog Park is less than a mile away from the site. This was to suggest that building a second park in close proximity to Gibbs would be redundant. 

Ultimately, the petition amassed over 700 signatures, resulting in the decision of policymakers to no longer develop the Nesconset forest into a dog park. Smith thanked the signers, stating, “because of your support, our voices were heard!”

For more information visit the website Save the Last Forest of Nesconset: www.change.org

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File photo by Raymond Janis

Local community paper should cover community events

I’m irritated by the coverage of the No Kings protest by the Port Times Record in the June 19 issue. Why this “community” newspaper continues to give attention to left-leaning causes rankles me. Right there on the front page side-bar were two other stories that merited much greater attention because of their community interest: The PJ mayoral results in a hotly contested election and the nationally ranked rowing teams celebrating the accomplishments of our hard-working teens. Instead, the main focus was on a totally ineffectual protest that accomplished nothing.

Why must the Port Times Record give voice to misguided individuals. For example, the article quotes the protest organizer claiming, “We don’t do dictator parades.” The parade celebrating the founding of the US Army had been planned under the Biden administration for two years.

The irony should not be lost on clear-thinking people that the real dictatorship was the government that required and demanded that we wear masks, stay quarantined, prevented us from worshipping in our churches and synagogues, mandated vaccines, closed businesses, made sure that the elderly died alone, kept us social distant at an arbitrary 6-feet apart and closed schools setting back the education of our children. Who were the real dictators? Where were these antidictatorship protesters then? Yet, the Port Times Record thinks No Kings is front-page news.

Perhaps the Port Times Record should focus on community news and leave its bias to the op-ed page.

Rick Ceo

Port Jefferson Village

Response to Gene Sprouse’s June 12th letter

I am responding ONLY as a longstanding resident of the community, not as a Setuaket Neighborhood House Board member.

I purchased a home on Lake Street in 1976 directly across the Setauket Mill Pond from the Setauket Neighborhood House. Before that, I lived in the B Section of Strathmore for 7 years. A total of 56 years in the community, compared to Mr. Sprouse’s 55 claimed years, is pretty equal local tenure. However, as a person living so close to the SNHfor 49 years, I do have a pretty good sense of the daily activities there.

While living on Lake Street, I used the SNH many times for my children’s birthday parties and for two of my own birthday celebrations. 

The Lake Street ladies, led by Eva Glaser, Liz Tyler and Marylu Mills assembled to do the first major redecorating of the house back in 1980. It was the first Three Village Historical Society Candlelight House Tour featuring some homes around the Setauket Mill Pond to raise money to refresh the interior of the Setauket Neighborhood House. I was part of that effort, yet those three ladies deserve all the credit.

I offer the above simply to show my longstanding involvement with the SNH.

I have been a member of the SNH Board for 10+ years now, but this letter is NOT from the board. It is from a local Lake Street resident who happens to be on the board. It is NOT an official SNH Board response, just my thoughts.

The cameras were installed in the SNH as a safety issue, not to monitor or to spy on any groups using the house. 

While it IS posted everywhere that NO SMOKING is allowed inside or on the porches, people using the house continue to smoke there. As a member of the Three Village Garden Club, I have planted and maintained the flowering annuals in front of the house for many, many years. I check them twice weekly and pick up the cigarette and cigar butts (along with cups, plates, napkins and other trash) thrown from the porches into the bushes and flowers. Other board members do so as well.

The house is open most days with little or limited supervision. Recently, a group left a kettle on the stove to burn dry, a major fire hazard. People frequently use the house as a bathroom stop. Significant damage has occurred over the years, and it has become worse of late. Items are stolen and damage occurs. We have had groups from other LI communities using the house for fundraisers that are of no benefit to the local community. While the house is available until 11 p.m., some groups illegally stay longer.

For example, two summers ago I heard loud noises from both inside the house and in the parking lot at 11:30 p.m., well beyond closing time. A fight broke out in the parking lot, and I called the Suffolk County Police at 11:45 p.m. An officer arrived at 12:30 a.m. after I made a second call asking the 911 operator why it was taking so long to arrive at the scene of this fight. The operator told me that the police officer did not know where the SNH was even though I explained its location in my original call. Incredible! At 8 a.m. the next morning SNH Board President Tim O’Leary and I were at the house picking up all sorts of garbage left behind by this group. Needless to say, we are both volunteers.

So, yes, Mr. Sprouse, the SHN DOES need cameras for security and safety. I disagree that, “There is little need for this internal surveillance to protect the House….” It is NOT just “our neighbors” who use the house. People from communities 45-50 minutes away rent space there as well. I am not certain they will “value and protect this great community resource.”

As for privacy issues, the house was never meant to be used for secret private political meetings. If privacy is an issue, then such groups should find another place to meet.

No board member is spending time spying on meetings or ogling yoga classes, but when damage occurs (and it certainly has!), we do have a video of the damage done and the responsible party. At one recent meeting, one of the group disabled the camera. Do you support such actions? I do not. 

Although groups are told they may NOT tape banners to the walls, just a few weeks ago, a group from outside the Three Village community did so, damaging the paint on a wall that had been painted just months before. We have proof and can assess the responsible group for repairs. Video proof was essential.

Please understand that we have numerous groups who use the house for its intended purpose and deserve credit for their tender care of as Mr. Sprouse asserts, “a wonderful community resource.”

I believe, as a neighbor living near this historic building, that video monitoring is essential to the safety and security of the house. If a group finds that offensive, I am sure they can meet elsewhere or in private homes.

With grateful appreciation to all who use and support the house for its intended purpose from the Constitution and By-Laws –”To promote moral, intellectual, recreational and social welfare of the residents of Setauket, New York and vicinity.”

Julie Robinson Parmegiani

Setauket

The opinions of letter writers are their own. They do not speak for the newspaper.

WRITE TO US … AND KEEP IT LOCAL  

We welcome your letters, especially those responding to our local coverage, replying to other letter writers’ comments and speaking mainly to local themes. Letters should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style, good taste and uncivil language. They will also be published on our website. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include an address and phone number for confirmation. Email letters to: [email protected] or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

 

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Local leaders at the Lawrence Aviation Site on June 2. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

Local stakeholders wait with bated breath as the June 30th deadline for the MTA to close on purchasing 40 acres of the closed Lawrence Aviation site approaches. Each passing day chips away at the possibility of a new railyard that would enable the electrification of the Port Jefferson Rail line. 

The Superfund site has been eradicated of the toxic pollutants that degraded the soil and water and is nearly cleared from the registry. Part of it will be used as a solar farm and part will be preserved as open space. The missing piece is in the hands of the MTA and DOT. 

Despite pressure from local stakeholders and politicians and the near absence of any pushback or even hesitation from the community, the plan stalls. A year ago this month, the DOT and MTA had a deadline for the MTA to purchase the property. Two extensions and 12 months later, little, except for the mounting impatience from the community, has changed.

In order for the MTA to move forward, the DOT, which currently owns a section of the Greenway that would need rerouting before construction can begin, must provide permission.

Business owners, environmentalists, legislators, town, county and state politicians are all rallying for a common cause: the benefit of the Long Island community. 

The delay causes numerous problems: it keeps commuters riding on with an inadequate and dated mode of transportation; it prevents electrification, which would be quieter and reduce pollution and it keeps the frequency of train travel on the current schedule, instead of increasing the number of trips.

The site has been in limbo for a year and is priced at only $10–such is the Suffolk County Landbanks’ desire for a deal. Now, the DOT needs to reach an agreement with the MTA allowing them access to the land that would facilitate the sale and enable the construction of a railyard. Local officials like Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay (D–Port Jefferson) are advocating with state officials, including Governor Kathy Hochul (D). With her help, perhaps the DOT and MTA can reach an agreement before this opportunity chugs away on an outdated line, in a plume of diesel smoke. 

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Residents advocate for the reopening of the post office in 2023. File photo

By Sofia Levorchick

Around May 29, 2023, the Sound Beach Post Office at 25 New York Ave. closed due to structural issues. With no concrete indication of a reopening date, the local community has advocated for its reopening. 

On May 30, 2025, Congressman Nick LaLota (R, NY1) posted a positive update regarding the shuttered post office on Facebook. He has been a highly involved advocate of its reopening.

“USPS and the landlord have reached an agreement to move forward with critical repairs,” LaLota wrote. “This saga isn’t over — but it’s a real step in the right direction.”

The Sound Beach Civic Association has played an active role in efforts to restore postal services to the hamlet. President Beatrice Ruberto emphasized that the post office transcended beyond mail delivery. Since Sound Beach is a small, tight-knit community without a downtown, the post office served as a central gathering hub.

“The post office was not just where people got their mail,” Ruberto said. “It was a meeting place.”

This community dynamic, fostered by the post office, was the foundation of the SBCA’s campaign to reopen the post office. Members of the association sent out mass mailings as well as actively petitioned and rallied to restore the community landmark.

“As far as I’m concerned, were it not for the Sound Beach Civic Association, I’m not sure we would be where we are today,” Ruberto said.

All these efforts worked, drawing in local and state politicians to support the cause.

“Everybody from Senator Schumer [D] to Councilwoman Bonner [R, Rocky Point], they all stepped in,” Ruberto said. “They really all added their voices.”

The excitement among residents is palpable, with everyone looking forward to the post office reopening. The three postal clerks, who are well-known and loved in the community, are also elated about going back to their post office. 

“Let me just say that our postal clerks, we know them by their first names and they’re like part of a family,” Ruberto said. “I can’t even begin to say anybody who isn’t excited about this.”

However, it is still uncertain when the Sound Beach Post Office may reopen, who will pay for the repairs and how much they will cost. 

A lengthy and complex process is involved to get the post office reopened. The litigation just ended in May, and from there, a filing for dismissal is needed. In addition to all the legal work, many repairs are required due to flooding and structural damage that may have worsened during the post office’s two years of closure.

According to Ruberto, the SBCA has not yet received a concrete timeline regarding when the post office will reopen.

“I will be very surprised if the post office is not closed for another year,” Ruberto said. “This kind of stuff takes a long time, and I didn’t want people to think that now that the litigation is over, it’s going to be open soon.”

As the post office inches closer to its reopening, the SBCA has begun preparing a community celebration to commemorate Sound Beach again having its own post office.

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A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin
A scene from the 2025 Sts. Philip and James Festival. Photo by Michael Scro/Media Origin

Saints Philip & James Roman Catholic Church hosted their 2025 annual Family Festival from Thursday, June 12th through Sunday, June 15th at church grounds on Carow Place in St. James.

The festival featured exciting carnival rides for all ages, games, delicious festival food and treats, carnival games and prizes and fun for the entire family. Toddlers, kids and teens alike frolicked across the grounds despite inclement weather. Some favorite rides and activities included the Tokyo Drift spinning cars and the Toboggan Racer-style slide.

Parents were happy to enjoy their days off discovering new favorites with their children or simply to enjoy the cheerful, laid-back environment. 

— Photos by Michael Scro, Media Origin 

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METRO photo

By Luciana Hayes

This Father’s Day locals reflect on the special moments they shared with their fathers throughout their lives. 

TBR News Media asked community members, “What is your favorite memory with your father?”

Andrew Handel

Andrew recalls one on one breakfast with his dad before school. He referred to it as a “kind of special treat” that he cherishes to this day.

Katie Heuzey, Huntington

Katie’s favorite memory with her father was going out to her favorite restaurant, Pancho Villas in Huntington. She remembers her usual order, a burrito with melted cheese, like it was yesterday.

Jeremy Flint, East Setauket

Jeremy shares that his best memory with his father was when he and his brother helped their dad build a shed and clubhouse in their backyard. But the best part was when they got to sign their names next to their hand prints in the cement. Jeremy reflects by saying, “It stuck with me from the time I was a little kid.”

Mary Mantia, Holbrook

Mary remembers the hugs she shared with her father more than anything else. She describes the memories by noting, “He wasn’t a lovable man, but every once in a while we would listen to some music and he would give me a hug and it was just really nice.”

Josette Bianchi, East Setauket

Josette’s fondest memories with her father were Saturday morning hikes at Webster Park in Webster, New York. She recalls there being a tree that fell across a creek and she would treat the tree like a balance beam as she embraced her inner gymnast. She later mentioned, “My dad always encouraged me to try new things and to take chances and not just with that, but in life in general.”

Sevilla Lebowitz, East Setauket

Sevilla’s favorite memories with her father are the weekend beach trips. She recalls learning to fish, swimming, and a lot of unforgettable memories in the sand.

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Henry S. Ryon

On May 10, 1925 Henry S. Ryon was born in Brooklyn on Fenimore street. Henry’s youth was spent in the shadow of the famous Brooklyn Dodgers Stadium, Ebbets Field. Walking home from school he could see if the bleachers were full. The roar of the crowd could be heard as he approached closer.

He spent summers with the family in a rented cottage in Peconic. There was no electricity and water– except for when the windmill turned the pump. It did not matter because the view from the cliff of the Sound and the days on the beach is all they needed.

A young Henry S. Ryon. Photo courtesy Ryon family

During high school he attended Boy Scout Camp up in the Catskills. The war had started but he was still too young to join. In his senior year, 1943, he took the army program test and scored high enough to be accepted into the Army Specialized Training Program. That September, he entered basic training in Fort Benning Georgia before returning to Brooklyn to study. The need for more troops ended the program in February of 44 and off they went to Kentucky to join the 75th division and prepared to go overseas.

They boarded a small British liner and joined a convoy; 15 days later they arrived in Liverpool. Heading to the front, he saw 36 B-17s fly just over their heads, dropping paratroops; three planes were shot down in front of them. They arrived in the Ardennes on Christmas Eve and were immediately thrown into Germany’s last major campaign known as the Battle of the Bulge. 

His platoon carried much needed ammunition to the front lines.  Next, they headed for the last French City occupied by the Germans. While staying in an old barn, they discovered German Troops hiding in the hayloft just above their heads. One of Henry’s platoon members spoke Yiddish and convinced the trapped Germans to surrender.

In the Spring of 1945 they were pushing up the West side of the Rhein with many small skirmishes along the way. At one point the Germans held some high ground across a canal with a 30-foot high retaining wall on the other side. His platoon had to transfer ammo to the front line under heavy mortar fire by wading across the water and scaling the wall. For this he received the Army’s Bronze Star.

After the end of the war, troops that had been in the war the longest got to go home first. His platoon was tasked with cleaning up the piles of ammunition left over.

Tragedy struck one morning when an ammo depot blew up, killing half of his 30-man platoon. 

After coming home, he entered college on the GI Bill and graduated Cornell University with a BA in Liberal Arts. Then he received a Teaching License from Adelphi and got a job at Port Jefferson High School.  In 1957 he married Theora Newcomb, built a home in Poquott and had two sons, Christopher and Thomas.

In the early 1960s, he took a sabbatical leave to study at the University of Virginia and got his Master’s Degree. He later became director of Pupil Personnel at Charlotteville School District the very first year they integrated the schools. The title was good but the pay was low and the family returned to their Poquott home. In 1967, he became Head of the Guidance Department at Bellport and finally finished his career in the North Babylon School District. 

Henry is survived by his two sons, Chris and Tom; three granddaughters, Linnea Curry, Emma Steinhart and Anna Voulters; and five great-grandchildren, Kiki, Ralph, Lenny, Theora and Lily.

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In observance of Juneteenth,  the United States Postal Service will not be operating and the delivery of our newspapers will be delayed by one day.  We appreciate your understanding as we honor this federal holiday, and regular delivery service will resume the following day.

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File photo by Raymond Janis

Participate in the upcoming Bond Referendum Vote

As the elected board of trustees of the Smithtown Special Library District, we are writing to urge all district residents to participate in the upcoming bond referendum vote on Tuesday, July 1. As our community is aware, the storm last August devastated the lower level of our Smithtown Building, located at One North Country Road.  

Like many patrons, we ourselves were heartbroken by the damage that occurred. The lower level was so much more than just a place to store library materials. It represented the space to gather and connect with one another in our Community Rooms, a place for our patrons to explore their creativity and imagination in the Learn Lab – and, of course, a place to research and honor our region’s rich history in The Richard H. Handley Collection of Long Island Americana, otherwise known as the Long Island Room. 

While we are grateful to have reopened the first level of the Smithtown Building last month, there is more work to be done. Through the bond referendum proposal, we look forward to not only restoring what was lost in the storm – but reimagining the space and the services we offer to best meet the needs of our community.  

Through our “reimagining,” we look forward to introducing a podcast studio and the Federal Depository Library Program – both initiatives that were planned prior to the storm but were paused due to the building’s closure. In addition to housing the Federal Depository Library Program, our expanded Government Services Department will house the Patent and Trademark Resource Center and Passport Acceptance Facility.  

As trustees, we have heard the voices of our neighbors who miss the programs and spaces that brought us together. We see this as an opportunity to honor the library’s legacy while positioning it for the future for all residents in our community – from infants to seniors.  

We invite all community members to learn more about the proposal by visiting the library’s website at www.smithlib.org. Please also join us for a Community Open House at our Smithtown Building, located at One North County Road, Smithtown, on Tuesday, June 24, from 7:00 to -9:00 p.m. 

Thank you in advance for your participation on July 1. As a reminder, polls will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at all four library buildings. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Sincerely, 

The Smithtown Library Board of Trustees  

Research takes time, commitment & patience

When people think of science, they often picture breakthroughs: a new drug, a prosthetic device, an app for mental health. But science also begins with quieter questions.

I study maternal behavior in mice at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. I watch as a mother retrieves her scattered pups and brings them back to the nest. It is a simple act, but it reveals something powerful: the brain has circuitry for care.

In the Shea Lab, I ask what allows that care to happen. Which neurons fire when a mother searches for her pup? How do cues like sound or smell spark motivation? These are basic questions with no immediate product. But they form the foundation for understanding caregiving across species.

Some caregivers, in any species, do not respond in expected ways. In humans, postpartum depression, trauma or stress can alter parenting. To understand those disruptions, we must first understand how care functions when things go right. That begins in the brain. That kind of understanding depends on model systems we can study closely, like mice.

This work is often hard to fund. It is not linked to a clinical trial or a startup. It does not come with urgency built in. Yet without it, we would not know where to begin. Foundational studies in rodents showed how hormones like corticotropin-releasing hormone can disrupt maternal care. That early research helped uncover how stress alters brain circuits tied to bonding and motivation. These insights now shape how we approach mood disorders like postpartum depression.

Basic research like this is increasingly under threat. Studies that include terms like maternal or reproductive are sometimes stalled or rejected for political reasons rather than scientific ones. The result is a narrowing of what gets supported.

If we fund only projects with immediate payoff, we lose the slow, essential work that makes future breakthroughs possible. Basic science is not a detour. It is the path.

Model organisms are not a limitation. They are a strength. They allow us to ask precise, causal questions we cannot ask in humans. That is how we build maps of brain function and uncover principles that scale to complex systems.

Science needs time and space to explore. If this matters to you, speak up. Ask what kind of science your institutions support. Advocate for policies that protect curiosity-driven research. The science that teaches us to ask better questions is worth defending.

Hoda Tromblee, Cold Spring Harbor

Close the wage gap for people with disabilities

Organizations in New York can pay a person with a disability as little as $0.05 per hour, and it is legal. This must end.

It’s time for New York to eliminate the subminimum wage and treat people with disabilities with the fairness they deserve. The New York State Senate has passed Bill S28 to do just that, and now it is time for the Assembly to act before their session ends. 

As the father of John Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome, I’ve seen firsthand what people with differing abilities can accomplish when given the chance. John co-founded a business with me, John’s Crazy Socks, and we have learned that hiring people with differing abilities is not charity, it’s good business. More than half of our employees have a disability. They work hard, deliver incredible results and earn the same wage as their colleagues. 

The subminimum wage law, a relic of 1938, allows people with disabilities to be paid as little as 5 cents an hour. That’s not just outdated, it’s wrong. It tells people that their labor, and their lives, are worth less.

New York should lead the nation by ending this discriminatory practice. No exceptions. No more second-class workers. I urge the State Assembly to pass A28 and help build a more inclusive and just future for all.

Mark X. Cronin, Farmingdale

SCWA is doing good work

It was with pleasure that I read about how “Suffolk County Water Authority achieves full compliance with federal PFAS standards — six years early” [TBR News Media, June 12]. I live behind one of those “17 granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment systems for PFAS” and while I was dubious about those two big green tanks that they erected on their property, I was informed of their purpose and now we see the result. Bravo. It will be a pleasure to pay Suffolk County Water Authority bills in the future.

Bruce Gaugler

Port Jefferson Station

An Open Letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul

Residents of the hamlet of Port Jefferson Station/Terryville, and our neighbors in Setauket and Village of Port Jefferson, bore the burden for years of the egregious pollution for profit at the hands of the disgraced owner of Lawrence Aviation. The concern for public health and safety was a significant concern for decades. Thankfully, the cleanup by EPA of this Superfund site rendered the parcel suitable for redevelopment giving hope to many of us who worked tirelessly to turn lemons into lemonade. We now can realize a public benefit, securing a bright and clean energy future where there once was blight and danger. The Suffolk Landbank worked together with stakeholders to develop plans to provide open space, a solar energy farm and a potential new MTA rail yard for the Long Island Rail Road on 40 acres of the property.

In the past, 40 acres and a mule were offered to provide economic self-sufficiency to those deserving a better future. The ability to retain the potential for the electrification of the Port Jefferson Branch of the LIRR will play a significant role in ensuring residents in our area and ridership along this line can join the modern era of clean and convenient transportation. This opportunity could be the “engine that drives” the resurgence and planned growth of our region with true transit-oriented development, adding to our economic self-sufficiency. Unfortunately, the mule in this case is the stubborn intransigence of the Department of Transportation that, for reasons that defy logic, threatens this entire undertaking based on a potential highway that will never be built.

This can easily be resolved with an easement agreement to address this issue. However, the original deal with the MTA to move this vision forward must be concluded by June 30, 2025, well before any final understanding with DOT can be worked out. We strongly request your immediate intervention to ensure this project can move forwawrd and the will of the people locally not be thwarted by bureaucratic dithering. We need your help to realize the better future we deserve by squeezing DOT to pay $10 to get this deal done and help us make some lemonade!

Ira Costell, President

Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Associatio

WRITE TO US … AND KEEP IT LOCAL  

We welcome your letters, especially those responding to our local coverage, replying to other letter writers’ comments and speaking mainly to local themes. Letters should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style, good taste and uncivil language. They will also be published on our website. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include an address and phone number for confirmation. Email letters to: [email protected] or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

 

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