Residents from across the North Shore gathered at Veterans Day memorials and parks to pay their respects Nov. 11.
North Shore residents pay their respects on Veterans Day
Victoria Espinoza
Victoria Espinoza is the editor of the Times of Huntington & Northport. She once broke her elbow trying to eat a cookie.
Smithtown school board votes to sell New York Ave. property
By Victoria Espinoza
Smithtown school district’s headquarters on New York Avenue, which currently houses administrative offices, could soon become an apartment building.
The Smithtown school board voted at the Oct. 25 meeting to approve entering a contract with Southern Land Company, for the sale of the property and the surrounding land.
Smithtown Superintendent Jim Grossane said in a letter to residents he believes this is a positive decision for the community.
“The board of education and administration believe that the proposed use of the property is one that would benefit our school community,” he said. “If finalized, the sale will potentially expand our tax base, lowering the burden on our residents, and provide additional resources to enhance our educational programs.”
According to Grossane, Southern Land Company is planning on building one- and two-bedroom apartments that will be “in keeping with the architectural style of Smithtown.”
“Though still in the early stages of the contract, if finalized, the district would receive the greater of $71,000 per approved unit or $14,768,000 for the sale of the building,” Grossane said. The superintendent added that the contract has a 75-day due-diligence period, where the company has the right to back out of the purchase.
Jena Armistead, vice president of marketing for Southern Land Company, said the organization is very excited to start working with the community.
“We are proud to be selected by Smithtown school board to be the developer for a new residential community in the neighborhood,” she said in an email. “Having been selected in the competitive process, we will now turn to working with the community to develop an overall plan. In the coming weeks we look forward to engaging neighbors and town leaders in an open dialogue that will make an important contribution to the vision, design program and schedule for this project.”
Armistead said the plan is tentatively for the building to have about 250 apartments, although the company does not want to finalize a plan until after they have had discussions with the Smithtown community.
“We want to create something that will benefit the community,” she said in a phone interview.
The New York Avenue property is the site of the Arthur House, a historic home once owned by John Arthur, a prominent member of Smithtown in the mid-1700s.
But Smithtown Supervisor Pat Vecchio said the plan requires zoning changes and the school board should not get ahead of themselves.
“If finalized, the sale will potentially expand our tax base, lowering the burden on our residents, and provide additional resources to enhance our educational programs.”
— James Grossane
“The Southern Land Company must apply for zone change to the town board,” he said in an email. “The school board is being presumptuous in assuming the town board will change the zone. There must be a public hearing and the people will be heard for or against such a change.”
Agnes Vion, an administrative assistant on the Smithtown Board of Zoning Appeals, said the property absolutely needs a zoning change, but they cannot be sure of the particular zone change because Southern Land Company has not submitted an application to the board yet.
According to Vion, the New York Avenue property is currently in a central business zone and an R-10 zone, meaning the property is only allowed to have single-family homes with lot sizes of 10,000 square feet minimum. Multifamily-style housing is not permitted in the current zone.
The zoning board employee said the property would need to be changed to garden apartment zoning, or R-6 zoning which allows for town houses.
In order for Southern Land Company to be granted a zone change, it would need to schedule meetings with the planning board, the town board and the board of appeals, but the exact route the company would have to take is not clear because it has not yet submitted an application.
“In any event, they will have to change their zone, unless they want to create only single-family homes,” Vion said in a phone interview.
In February, the school board made the controversial decision to close Branch Brook Elementary School due to a lack of enrollment and shrinking district revenue, and some residents pleaded then that the district should work on selling the administrative building on New York Avenue instead of closing a building used for instruction.
Trustee Gladys Waldron was the lone “no” vote on the decision and her reasoning was the same as many community members.
“I think our energies and effort of administration and board should be placed right now on the selling of this building,” Waldron said at that meeting.
Americans must stand as allies for those now feeling alienated
By Victoria Espinoza
Today I woke up with a stronger determination than ever to be an ally. An ally to the LGBTQ community, to the Black Lives Matter community, to the Muslim community, the Hispanic community and every other community that woke up this morning feeling scared of the future.
I had gay friends and relatives reach out to me last night as the results were becoming clearer, wondering if they’ll still be able to get married, to adopt children, to feel equal. They need to know they still have support behind them.
As much as those fears made me want to cry and shut down, the feeling of making sure they knew I was on their side and ready to fight for them was stronger.
But then came the embarrassment.
It is unacceptable to me that it took Donald Trump becoming president to feel this strongly about being the loudest ally I can for these communities. It took this dark of a cloud for me to see the light and promise to support like I never have before.
Voting against him clearly was not enough. Crying out and insulting the people who did vote for him isn’t either.
America has been called the great experiment. My God, does that feel accurate today more than ever. We need to keep this experiment moving in the right direction with inclusiveness. This is our country; we do not stop calling ourselves American because we disagree with our new leader.
That’s when we lose.
Those, like me, who feel despair after last night’s results can still win. Not can — we must. It has never been more crucial to stand up for those who have felt oppressed during this election cycle. If we don’t lend our voice to those who feel voiceless, then we are truly going backwards in this country.
Every American has the right to choose their presidential candidate. Almost every point of view is understandable from a certain angle, once you put yourself in someone else’s shoes.
Now put yourself in the shoes of the communities today who are terrified of a Trump administration. They are just as American as those who voted for him. They voted differently, but they accept the results and the new leader of this country.
And the rest of the country damn well better do the same for them, as an American.
With liberty and justice for all — not just pretty words, but a founding principle.
Victoria Espinoza is the editor of the Times of Huntington, Northport & East Northport and the Times of Smithtown.
Raia and Rumsey wrestle over Northport issues
N.Y. State Assemblyman Andy Raia (R-East Northport) is seeking his ninth term in office, but Northport resident and senior editor at the Long Island Press Spencer Rumsey is looking to change the Assembly’s 12th district.
In an interview at TBR News Media’s main office, Rumsey said he is running because he believes his constituents need a change in leadership.
“I’m not a career politician, but I’ve always loved politics,” Rumsey said. “As a journalist, I’ve been covering these issues for years on the outside and now I want to try and fight them on the inside, because I decided words aren’t enough.”
Rumsey has worked at Newsday, the New York Post and the Long Island Jewish World. He said he believes he can do more in the majority as a Democrat than Raia can achieve in the minority.
Raia has been serving the district for the past 16 years, and said he has focused on improving the drinking water in the area, slowing the rising heroin crisis facing the North Shore, and cleaning up corruption in Albany.
“This year we did a lot for water quality up in Albany,” Raia said. “Northport Village is one of the few local governments that’s actually getting a million dollar grant. … I was very happy to help deliver on that.” The grant will go towards water and sewer improvements.
Raia also sponsored legislation requiring schools to periodically test their water supplies for lead contamination and provide funding for remediation, which would otherwise be costly to school districts. Lead in drinking water has become a national concern since the residents in Flint, Michigan, suffered from health problems after they discovered their drinking water was contaminated with lead.
Rumsey agreed Long Island should be looking to cut back the amount of nitrogen in the water supply with more sewer use.
“On Long Island, most homeowners don’t have sewers, they have cesspools,” he said, adding he would like to see an effort to increase the amount of sewers on Long Island.
Northport Village has been no stranger to the growing heroin problem, and Raia and Rumsey both had ideas on how to curb this issue.
Rumsey said he has been writing about this issue since he was at Newsday 30 years ago.
“It’s a medical problem and a criminal problem,” he said. “I’m more focused on treatment for addiction.” He said he finds a problem with clean needle exchange programs because they rely too much on trusting addicts to make safe choices, and would rather look towards increasing the amount of treatment programs available for North Shore residents.
Raia said he thinks heroin is one of the most pressing issues in his district.
“As the ranking member on the health committee, this is an issue that I take extremely serious,” he said. Raia said he has held classes to train residents how to use Narcan and worked with other members of the Assembly to pass a package of bills to increase the number of treatment beds and services in New York, as well as to reduce the prescription time frame from 30 days to two weeks.
The candidates also talked about problems with the New York State tax cap.
Raia said he believes the tax cap has worked well, but it is not “without its problems.” He said the behavior of large tax increases in towns and villages has been curbed thanks to the cap.
“The cap kind of suppresses the creativity that schools used to have,” Rumsey said, as part of the issues he said he has with the cap.
Red light cameras, child sex abuse laws discussed in senate race
St. James resident Peter Magistrale, 24, is taking his first swing at elected office, challenging New York State Sen. and Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-East Northport) to represent the 2nd district.
The candidates met and discussed why they think they could best represent their constituents at TBR News Media’s main office.
Magistrale (D) said he is running for office because he wants to tackle political corruption.
“I see government at all levels as a tool for powerful people to get what they want,” he said. Magistrale said he wants to focus on ways to reform campaign finance and laws to protect children in sexual abuse cases, among his other platform issues.
“I don’t believe in vigilantism. I don’t like red light cameras, and I voted against them.”
— John Flanagan
Flanagan said he’s proud to be the first majority leader from Suffolk County, and proud of the legislation he has helped pass, including a package of bills to combat the county’s opioid abuse problem and restoring funding taken from school districts by the Gap Elimination Adjustment. Flanagan has served in the New York Senate for 14 years, and before that served in the New York State Assembly for 16 years.
Part of Magistrale’s campaign has been dedicated to supporting the Child Victims Act, which is legislation that would eliminate both criminal and civil statutes of limitation for child sexual abuse, and provide a one-time, one-year window in the statute of limitations to enable victims whose claim was time-barred by the current arbitrary limitations to revive their claim.
“A child who’s sexually abused cannot come forward after they’ve turned 23,” Magistrale said. “That’s not protection. That’s protecting financial interests who do not want the law changed. To say that the current law protects children — it does not.”
Flanagan agreed this is a serious issue, but did not agree with how Magistrale wants to approach the issue.
“There are significant protections in the law right now,” he said. “This is a one-year opener that could bring cases going back 40, 50, 60 years. We have statutes of limitations for very cogent reasons and no matter how emotional a subject may be, witness availability, evidence, all those things have a salutary effect in terms of what happens.”
Stephen Ruth, referred to as the Red Light Robin Hood, is also running against the two candidates for the 2nd district seat, but did not respond to request for comment. Ruth is an outspoken critic against the red light camera program on Long Island and has been arrested for tampering with red light cameras.
“I don’t believe in vigilantism,” Flanagan said of Ruth’s actions. “I don’t like red light cameras, and I voted against them.” The state senator said that while this program was first suggested as a safety issue, it now seems like more of a measure to increase revenue.
Magistrale said he agreed with most of Flanagan’s sentiments.
“I think there is a good enough reason to look at if the red lights were shortened,” Magistrale said. “Shortening a yellow light is just as dangerous, and I think we ought to have an investigation to find out if they really were shorted or not.”
“A child who’s sexually abused cannot come forward after they’ve turned 23. That’s not protection. That’s protecting financial interests who do not want the law changed.”
— Peter Magistrale
The candidates found some common ground on education, and agreed the system is in need of improvement.
Magistrale said he believes Common Core has lost the consent of the citizens.
“We’ve had opt out rates, from grades three through eight, over 50 percent …what does that say?” Magistrale said. “Having standardized exams that reinforce memorization is not a way to create free thinkers. In a time in our history where crimes are being committed in the highest places of government, we need people who will ask questions, not be obedient.”
Flanagan said he’s had many hearings and meetings on the subject throughout the state.
“This is one subject area where I know more than frankly anybody in the Legislature,” he said. “I don’t like the exams … but all those tests are overwhelmingly mandated by the federal government.” Flanagan said despite the problems with Common Core, changes on the federal level need to be put in place to improve the current system, rather than tearing it down and starting over.
More treats less tricks from Halloween on North Shore
Residents from all over the North Shore spent the weekend and Monday celebrating Halloween and dressing up in their spookiest costumes.
Northport drug task force gets $625,000 federal grant
By Victoria Espinoza
The Northport-East Northport Community Drug and Alcohol Task Force received more than half a million dollars in a grant from the federal government to help further educate the youth in the community about the dangers of substance and alcohol abuse.
Anthony Ferrandino, co-chair of the task force, said the group has had their eyes on the Drug Free Communities grant for five years, and applied last year, so he was “ecstatic” to finally receive it.
The grant is part of the Drug Free Communities Support Program, a White House project that works to reduce youth substance use by promoting communitywide participation and evidence-based practices.
“The prescription drug abuse crisis on Long Island is symptomatic of the larger opioid epidemic that New York State and the entire country is facing, and we need to fight back now.” — Chuck Schumer
Ferrandino said the federal grant is extremely competitive, which makes him even prouder the task force was selected to receive it.
“I was so happy,” he said in a phone interview. “This is something I know Northport will benefit from.”
The task force worked with the Central Nassau Guidance & Counseling Services, a not-for-profit behavioral health safetynet organization, to help apply for, win and administer the funds. The task force will receive $125,000 per year for the next five years.
The not-for-profit will provide both administrative oversight in the future, as well as clinical and subject matter expertise on substance-use prevention and treatment.
Jeffrey Friedman, CEO of Central Nassau, and a Northport resident, said the grant helps ensure students will have a plethora of resources to help them deal with the increase in substance abuse throughout Suffolk County.
“This funding from the federal government infuses urgently needed financial resources to one of the strongest grassroots movements on Long Island — to save the lives of youth who are using drugs and alcohol, starting at very young ages,” he said in an email. “Even as heroin and prescription opioids are destroying L.I. families at unprecedented rates, this community-focused grant provides a new opportunity to break the cycle of abuse and ‘business as usual’ — and to spark community-level change.”
The federal grant enables the hiring of a full-time task force coalition leader, and supports a range of coordinated practices and evidence-supported activities aimed at prevention. The programs include parent-education, social media initiatives, pharmacist/youth collaboration and stricter law enforcement practices.
Ferrandino said the task force is currently interviewing candidates for the coalition leader position, and they want someone who can communicate and educate the community, run multiple subcommittees and manage the emotional aspects of the growing drug problem.
The co-chair said that when applying for the grant, the task force wanted to use the money to focus on two specific problems; underage drinking and prescription drug abuse.
New York legislators are proud of the progress the Northport-East Northport Community Drug and Alcohol Task Force has made.
“The prescription drug abuse crisis on Long Island is symptomatic of the larger opioid epidemic that New York State and the entire country is facing, and we need to fight back now,” U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) said in a statement. “These grant recipients have been on the front lines of combatting the disturbing drug abuse uptick among our Long Island youth and this investment will provide them with the resources they need to continue their lifesaving work.”
The task force was first created in 2006, and has designed programs to reach out to students in the Northport/East Northport community, including sponsoring a film premiere this year about drug abuse recovery, organizing Narcan training sessions, and more.
Suffolk County has statistically been one of the greatest areas of concern in New York for heroin and opioid deaths in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Suffolk County Police Commissioner Tim Sini said the county has had more than 100 opioid-related overdoses for several consecutive years.
The issue is not just in New York. According to the CDC, from 2005 to 2014, drug overdose deaths have risen by 144 percent to 2,300 deaths in New York, and 58 percent to 47,055 deaths in the nation.
Dog rescued from cesspool in Kings Park
Suffolk County Police officers rescued a 6-year-old male Goldendoodle from an abandoned cesspool in Kings Park Tuesday night, Oct. 27.
Boris Avezov was outside Superior Ice Rink on Indian Head Road, walking with his dog Poofa at approximately 7:30 p.m., when the dog pulled his leash away from his owner to chase a rabbit. Poofa then fell into a 16-foot abandoned cesspool located behind the ice-skating rink, where he remained for about an hour as officers from Emergency Services worked to free him.
Officers Tom Russo, Mike Cocia and Lance Prager were lowered into the cesspool using a mechanical pulley system. They were then able to adapt a sked, a piece of equipment normally used to rescue people, to save the dog. Officers Glen Baillargeon, Gerry Sheridan and Mike Simpson were also involved in the rescue.
Poofa and the officers were not harmed. Avezov, of Bellmore, was waiting for his children who were ice-skating at the rink.
Injured Huntington football player flown to hospital
A 12-year-old football player and student at Finley Middle School in Huntington was airlifted from a field on Greenlawn Road Monday, Oct. 24, just after 6 p.m.
The Greenlawn Fire Department responded to the scene. Two Greenlawn FD Rescue Squad ambulances responded along with the Greenlawn/East Northport Fire District Paramedic. About 20 Greenlawn firefighters and rescue personnel also responded to the incident.
The department said a paramedic evaluated the player and determined that the patient should be transported to an appropriate trauma center for further treatment.
The Suffolk Police Medivac helicopter was requested and airlifted the youth to Stony Brook University Hospital.
Car crashes into Commack home
By Victoria Espinoza
A car drove through the front door of a Commack home on Pawnee Drive this past Friday, Oct. 21.
The Commack Fire Department, Commack Volunteer Ambulance Corps and Suffolk Police responded to the crash at about 7:30 p.m. Commack firefighters operated at the scene with two engines, a heavy rescue truck and fire police, under the command of Third Assistant Chief Bobby Wilkins. There were no reported injuries and the Smithtown Fire Marshal was requested to assess the damage to the home.
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