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Times … and dates: March 30 to April 6, 2023

by Heidi Sutton - March 29, 2023

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Kennedys_by_Michael_Stahl-2018_light — SUNDAY STREET CONCERT The Kennedys return to the Long Island Museum for a concert on April 2. Photo by Michael Stahl

Thursday March 30

Avalon Astronomy Night

Avalon Nature Preserve hosts an Astronomy Night at its Skylab off Shep Jones Lane, Stony Brook from 8 to 10 p.m. Take part in a live observing session (weather permitting) focusing on Venus, Mars, the Moon and various deep sky objects. Free. Pre-registration is not required. For more information, call 631-689-0619.

Friday March 31

Wintertide concert

The Wintertide concert series concludes at the Port Jefferson Village Center, 101A E. Broadway, Port Jefferson with a concert by Coppers & Brass, Hallockville musicians performing springtime tunes, from 7 to 8 p.m in the Sail Loft Room on the third floor. $5 donation at the door. Questions? Call 631-473-4778.

Robert Hansen heads to T3

Psychic medium, author and lecturer Robert E. Hansen returns to Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson on Friday, March 31 at 7 p.m. Join Hansen as he takes you on a journey through the other side of the veil. Messages of love will be randomly demonstrated to the audience. Tickets are $35 per person. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Friday Night Face-Off

Friday Night Face Off, Long Island’s longest running Improv Comedy Show, returns to Theatre Three’s Second Stage, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson tonight at 10:30 p.m. Using audience suggestions, FNFO pits two teams of improvisers against each other in an all-out championship! Recommended for ages 16 and up, due to adult content. Tickets are $15 at the door – cash only. Call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Saturday April 1

Birdwatch-Architecture Tours

Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport will offer an early morning Birdwatch and Architecture Tour with the Vanderbilt’s director of curatorial affairs at 8 a.m. Participants will enjoy the unique opportunity to view the Vanderbilt estate in the early dawn hours, when the grounds are still closed but the birds are active. Sturdy hiking footwear is strongly suggested. Participants are asked to bring their own binoculars. Tickets are $12 at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Spring Craft & Gift Fair

Spring shopping time is here! Newfield High School, 145 Marshall Drive Selden hosts a Spring Craft & Gift Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with 100 vendors! The indoor event will benefit the Newfield High School Leaders Club. Free admission. For more info, call 631-846-1459.

Historic North Fork Tales

Hallockville Museum Farm, 6038 Sound Ave., Riverhead presents Historic North Fork Tales: Food Sovereignty, Food Sustainability, and Cultural Sustainability from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Josephine Smith, noted educator from the Shinnecock Nation, will discuss food sustainability and food sovereignty along with Native American arts, crafts, and historic food preparation. This class will include a food demonstration. Tickets are $30, $20 members at www.hallockvillemuseum.org.

Whaleboat Chats

The Whaling Museum & Education Center, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor hosts a Whale Boat Chat surrounding the star of the museum’s permanent collection, the 19th century whaleboat Daisy, today at 11:30 a.m. and again at 12:30 p.m. as well as April 5 at 12:30 pm. These educator-led gallery talks will share the story of whaling on Long Island and in Cold Spring Harbor specifically. Visitors will learn that people have been hunting whales here on Long Island for thousands of years. Free with admission to the museum of $6 adults, $5 children and seniors. Call 631-367-3418.

All Souls Concert

All Souls Church, 61 Main Street, Stony Brook, hosts a Saturdays at Six concert featuring The Voyageur Reed Quintet, a group of music graduate students from Stony Brook and Rutgers University, at 6 p.m. Their repertoire includes 21st century works with a strong emphasis on rhythmic patterns and grooves as well as arrangements of classical pieces. Free. Call 631-655-7798 for more information.

An Evening of Comedy

Theatre Three, 412 Main St.. Port Jefferson presents Chris Roach Live!, a special Comedy Show and TV Pilot premiere featuring comedians Chris Road and Chris Monty at 8 p.m. Don’t miss a night of laughter and fun with two of the top comedians plus the premiere screening of Chris Roach’s new TV pilot, Jiggle the Handle! Tickets are $45. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Sunday April 2

Intro to Wilderness Survival

Join the staff at Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve, 25 Lloyd Harbor Road, Huntington for an Introduction to Wilderness Survival program from 9:45 a.m. to noon. In this hands-on program geared for the average adult, learn how to find food, start a fire, and build a shelter. Approximately 1 mile. For reasons of safety, no children under 18 years old of age will be permitted to attend. $4 per person. Reservations are required by calling 631-423–1770.

Port Jefferson Farmers Market

The Port Jefferson Winter Farmers Market will be held at the Port Jefferson Village Center, 101-A E. Broadway, Port Jefferson every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through April 30. Featuring over 20 vendors. Call 631-473-4778.

Toby Tobias Ensemble in concert

The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, 97 Main St., Stony Brook will host a concert by the Toby Tobias Ensemble from 3 to 4 p.m. Free with admission to the museum. For more information, call 631-689-5888 or visit www.limusichalloffame.org.

Sunday Street Concert

The Kennedys return to the Long Island Museum for a WUSB Sunday Street concert in the Carriage Museum’s Gillespie Room at 5 p.m. You can expect the usual musical brilliance of an early evening with Pete and Maura as well as songs from a new studio album of original songs. Advance sale tickets are $25 at www.sundaystreet.org. Tickets at the door (if available) are $30 cash only.

Rock ‘N’ Roll at the Vanderbilt

The popular Long Island band “History of Rock n Roll” will be performing in the Vanderbilt Museum’s Reichert Planetarium theater, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport at 6 p.m. The band takes the audience on a 90-minute, multi-media musical journey from the inception of Rock ‘n’ Roll from Elvis Presley and The Beatles to the sounds of Disco and Billy Joel with planetarium special effects for an unforgettable evening. Tickets online at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org are $30 adults, $25 members, $25 children 15 and under; at the door $35 adults, $25 members, $30 children 15 and under.

A Night of Trivia

In honor of the 370th anniversary of Huntington’s founding on April 2, 1653, the Whaling Museum of Cold Spring Harbor will hosta special Trivia Night about All Things Huntington at 7 p.m. Questions will be about local history, nature, stores, beaches, celebrities, streets, and more within the Town, from Cold Spring Harbor to Northport to Dix Hills. Prizes for top winners! $10 per participant. Visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org to register.

Monday April 3

Movie Trivia Night at the CAC

Join the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington for a Movie Trivia Night at 8 p.m. Try to answer 50 questions based all around film, actors and actresses, awards, and everything else associated with the world of film. Challenge like-minded film fans in a battle of wits for cash and other prizes. You can form teams, so bring some friends and work together. Feel free to come alone and play solo as well! Hosted by Dan French. Tickets are $10 per person, $7 members at www.cinemaartscentre.org.

Tuesday April 4

An evening of Swing Dance

Swing Dance Long Island, a non-profit social dance club, holds weekly dances every Tuesday evening at the Huntington Moose Lodge, 631 Pulaski Rd. Greenlawn with beginner swing lessons at 7:30 p.m. and dancing from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Singles and beginners are welcome. No partner necessary. Admission is $15-DJ night, $20-band night on the third Tuesday of the month. Call 516-521-1410.

The Great American Jazz Songbook

John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport continues its Special Events series with a concert celebrating the Great American Jazz Songbook at 8 p.m. Join Ken Kresge, Eric Haft and Marcus McLaurine with special guest artist Jerry Weldon as they take you on a musical journey through the history of America’s greatest jazz songs. Music from Gershwin and Porter, to Broadway and beyond. Tickets are $45 per person. To order, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

Wednesday April 5

Whaleboat Chat

See April 1 listing.

Job Fair – just added!

South Huntington Public Library, 145 Pidgeon Hill Road Huntington Station will host a Job Fair by the Suffolk County One-Stop Employment Center in its Community Room on Wednesday April 5 from 1 to 3 p.m. Meet representatives from Altice, NYS Solar, SightMD, Northwell Health, NY Community Bank, Cold Spring Harbor Labs, Maximum Security and many more. Bring multiple copies of your resume and dress for success! For more information, call 631-549-4411.

Lake Ronkonkoma Trivia Night – just added!

Back by popular demand, the Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Society, 328 Hawkins Ave., Lake Ronkonkoma hosts a Trivia Night at 7 p.m. How well do. you know the history of Lake Ronkonkoma? Coffee and cake will be served. Free. All are welcome. Call 631-467-3152.

Thursday April 6

An Evening of Jazz

The Jazz Loft, 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook presents a concert by The Jazz Loft Big Band, a 26-piece Jazz Orchestra directed by Jazz Loft Director Tom Manuel, titled Stan Kenton’s Cuban Fire Suite tonight, April 7 and 8 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 adults, $35 seniors, $30 students, $25 children at www.thejazzloft.org. For more info call 631-751-1895.

Theater

‘Pride@Prejudice’

Theatre Three, 412 Main Street, Port Jefferson, presents Pride @ Prejudice from April 7 through May 6. Watch Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy fall in love all over again — this time filtered through the world of the internet. Modern voices interject and build on this classic love story in the form of blog posts, chat room discussions, quotes from film adaptations, and even letters from Ms. Austen herself to create a delightfully postmodern view of 19th century England. Five actors play nearly two dozen roles in this hilarious and moving homage to Jane Austen’s most beloved novel, Pride and Prejudice. Tickets are $35 adults, $28 seniors and students, $20 children ages 5 and up. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit theatrethree.com.

‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’

The swashbuckling musical adventure The Scarlet Pimpernel heads to the John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport from March 16 to April 30. Percy Blakeney, a proper Englishman, takes on a sword fighting and dashing double identity as The Scarlet Pimpernel to save French citizens from the blood-hungry guillotine. His exploits soon become the talk of Paris, however, the fanatical Agent Chauvelin will stop at nothing to catch the Pimpernel and send him to the guillotine. With a rousing and passionate score by Frank Wildhorn, The Scarlet Pimpernel is a thrilling musical! For ticket info, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

‘The Comedy of Errors’

The Theatre at Suffolk County Community College, Ammerman campus, 533 College Road, Selden presents a production of The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare in the Shea Theatre in the Islip Arts Building on April 13, 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. and April 16 and 23 at 2 p.m. Mature content. General admission is $15. For tickets, call 631-451-4163.

‘(Mostly) True Things’

The Performing Arts Studio, 224 E. Main St, Port Jefferson presents (Mostly) True Stories With A Twist “A Rough Start,” a game wrapped in a storytelling show that features true stories, with a twist, on April 15 at 7 p.m. This show features 4 true stories but 3 of them include subtle little lies. In the second act, the audience questions the storytellers, then votes for the person they think told it straight. Winners get a tote bag, and the whole truth about each story is shared before the end of the evening. It is a combination of comedy, heart and community that is truly a unique experience. Hosted by Jude Treder-Wolff, performers will include Nina Lesiga and David Lawson. Tickets are $15 online at Eventbrite or $20 at the door (cash only). Visit www.mostlytruethings.com.

Film

‘Concert for George’

The Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington invites the community to celebrate the 80th birthday of George Harrison with a screening of Concert for George on April 3 at 7:30 p.m. featuring an exclusive introduction from Olivia and Dhani Harrison. On November 29, 2002, one year after the passing of George Harrison, Olivia Harrison and longtime friend Eric Clapton organized a performance tribute in his honor. Held at London’s Royal Albert Hall, the momentous evening featured George’s songs, and music he loved, performed by a lineup that included Clapton, Joe Brown, Dhani Harrison, Jools Holland, Jeff Lynne, Paul McCartney, Monty Python, Tom Petty, Billy Preston, Ravi and Anoushka Shankar, Ringo Starr and many more. Tickets are $15, $10 members. To order, visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.

‘Autism Paints’

Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington will screen the premiere of Autism Paints, a documentary by filmmaker David Stagnari about the formation of The Spirit of Huntington by Erich Preis. on April 2 at 2 p.m. Followed by a panel discussion and reception. Tickets are $12 adults, $10 seniors and students, $5 children 12 and under at www.cinemaartscentre.org.

Suffolk County Police Department to hold vehicle auction April 1

by Press Release - March 29, 2023

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The Suffolk County Police Department Impound Section will hold an auction on April 1 at 9 a.m. at the Suffolk County Police Department Impound Facility, located at 100 Old Country Road in Westhampton. The auction begins at 9 a.m. and will be held rain or shine. There will be a preview of the vehicles on March 30 and March 31 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the impound yard. Vehicles will also be available for preview one hour prior to the start of the auction.

Approximately 120 lots will be auctioned off including sedans, SUVs, and motorcycles. All vehicles will start with a minimum bid of $300 and are sold as-is. For a full list of vehicles, registration information and terms and conditions for the auction, visit suffolkpd.org under Precinct and Specialized Units, click Impound Section followed by Upcoming Auctions and Events or click here.

Mount Sinai Mustangs outpace Comsewogue Warriors, 8-6

by Bill Landon - March 29, 2023

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Mount Sinai senior attack Taylor Cline broke the ice for the Mustangs when her shot on goal split the pipes two minutes in, followed up with a goal from teammate Alexa Spallina at the 16-minute mark. Then Cline stretched the net again, putting the Mustangs out front 3-0.

Comsewogue answered back, however, as senior midfielder Gabby Constant scored twice in three minutes, followed by freshman attack Gianna McNulty’s shot on goal assisted by Jackie Riviezzo, tying the game at 3-3 with just under eight minutes left in the half.

Spallina scored again, capped with a pair of goals by senior Lea Flobeck to lead it 6-3. The Warriors fought their way back to make it a one-score game when McNulty’s shot once again found its mark with just under seven minutes left in this Div. II matchup on Monday, March 27.

Spallina would score the insurance goal, firing at the cage while falling to seal the deal for the Mustangs, who won 8-6. Mount Sinai goalie Sara Flobeck had six saves in net.

Both teams are back in action this Friday, March 31, when the Mustangs host Bayport-Blue Point at 4:30 p.m. and the Warriors host Shoreham-Wading River at 5 p.m.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Newfield High School students inducted to Art Honor Society

by Press Release - March 28, 2023

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Newfield High School held an induction ceremony for 18 new members of its National Art Honor Society. The purpose of this organization at Newfield High School is to inspire and recognize students who have shown outstanding ability in art and support students’ creative abilities and talents.

The Art Honor Society advised by Sal Berretta, besides supporting its membership, looks to promote the love of the arts in the greater Newfield High School student body.

“Our goal is to foster excellence and a dedicated spirit among our Art Honor Society members as well as bringing awareness of art to our community, our high school and other areas of the school curriculum,” said Scott Graviano, principal of Newfield High School. “Welcome to our new inductees, and we are confident our existing members will give them support and resources to thrive.”

During the ceremony, guest speaker Shay Steuart, a senior at SUNY New Paltz majoring in Art Education and Art History and minoring in Evolutionary Studies and Social Justice Educational Studies, spoke to the Art Honor Society members.

She is a visual artist, primarily working in acrylic and oil paint and just finished her student teaching at New Lane Elementary School. She will begin student teaching at Newfield High School.

New inductees include the following:

Shariq Ahmad
Tahsina Akbar
Anjali Alexis
Mya Barry
Faith Burns
Devi Das
Vicky Das
Abigail Daniels
Phenisha Dulnuun
James Keenan
Payton Martin
Jessica Mcllree
Amtul Naqvi
Daiana Ramirez
Samantha Sayers
Caralena Schwartz
Ella Sharrock
Isabella Warner

For more information regarding the Middle Country Central School District and its students’ many achievements, please visit the District’s website: www.mccsd.net.

Stony Brook Athletics receives $2.5 million anonymous matching gift to revitalize baseball and softball complex

by Press Release - March 27, 2023

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BASE_SB — This concept rendering is a vision for what a revitalized Stony Brook Baseball and Softball Complex could be. Image from SBU

Stony Brook University and its athletics programs will benefit from a $2.5 million gift in the form of a 1:1 matching challenge — designated to strengthen Stony Brook Baseball and Softball, cornerstones of the university’s athletics department. The announcement was made in a press release on March 27.

The same family also provided an additional $500,000 in support for the Stony Brook basketball program and their individual athletes’ and programmatic needs, including academic incentive awards for student-athletes, team travel and meal costs, and recruiting.

The gift inspired Stony Brook star and former Major League Baseball pitcher Joe Nathan ’97, the first player from Stony Brook to reach the major leagues and one of the most successful closers in MLB history, to make a lead gift to aid in the effort to revitalize Stony Brook’s baseball and softball complex. In making this gift, Nathan is renewing his support of the facility; his 2008 contribution led to the initial construction of Joe Nathan Field.

“This is an exciting moment for Stony Brook Baseball and Softball. When I first learned of this incredible matching gift, I was moved by this family’s generosity and passion for the program that has meant so much to me,” says Nathan. “Their gift has the potential to transform the future of Joe Nathan Field and University Field, and I am so thankful for their investment in our student-athletes.”

“With that in mind, it is an honor to make a lead gift to the project and support the vision of a state-of-the-art facility for Stony Brook Baseball and Softball. My family and I are thrilled to be the first, of what we hope are many, donors to take advantage of this $2.5 million matching fund and help make a lasting impact on Stony Brook Baseball and Softball,” he says.

Stony Brook Athletics will now set out to raise the entire $2.5 million matched amount, in order to generate a total investment of $5 million into revitalizing the baseball and softball complex. Additionally, as the Stony Brook community prepares for its upcoming Giving Day on Wednesday, March 29, Stony Brook Athletics will utilize $50,000 of the challenge funds as a Giving Day matching opportunity, allowing members of the community to make gifts of any size and be matched dollar-for-dollar.

“I am beyond grateful for the generosity and trust that has been bestowed upon our program. It has been 11 years since Stony Brook made history by reaching the College World Series, and these transformational gifts provide an opportunity to elevate our baseball and softball complex to a standard that our student-athletes deserve,” says Shawn Heilbron, director of athletics.

“This revitalization project is about more than just beautifying our campus and updating our facilities; it will help us recruit the best and brightest student-athletes,” he says. “At a time when national interest in college baseball and softball has never been higher, our goal is to compete on the national stage.”

There is no denying the significant impact that leadership gifts, like this one, play in laying the foundation for the university’s continued growth and progress. With Giving Day 2023 around the corner, matching gifts, like Nathan’s, underscore how the collective impact of Stony Brook’s growing community of alumni, students, faculty and friends is advancing the university’s priorities and helping it reach its potential.

“This anonymous gift has already done more than address the immediate needs of our university community,” says Justin Fincher, vice president for advancement and executive director of the Stony Brook Foundation. “It’s created a ripple effect by inspiring others to think about how they can play a role in Stony Brook’s future.”

The matching gift stemmed from a total $5.5 million contribution from the same anonymous donor family. The $5.5 million included support to the Stony Brook basketball program noted above as well as additional support for the Stony Brook Children’s Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department Expansion Fund.

Feeling inspired? To learn more about how you can #HoldDoorsOpen and support the next generation of Seawolves this Giving Day, visit givingday.stonybrook.edu.

Putin’s folly: One year of war, no path to victory

by Rich Acritelli - March 27, 2023

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A year ago, Vladimir Putin waged an unprovoked war against Ukraine. Today, he leads an army that is poorly trained, ill-equipped and increasingly resentful of his command. Pixabay photo

The Russo-Ukrainian War has become the largest European conflict since World War II, which ended in 1945.

A year after the Russian invasion, and with his nation fighting for its survival, Ukraine’s leader President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told the world his forces would continue their efforts.

The year of bloodshed

At first, the international community believed the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv had no chance of holding out against a well-coordinated Russian assault. Yet the capital city remains in Ukrainian hands.

Some cities in Ukraine now resemble the World War II-ruined cities of Berlin, Dresden and Warsaw, buried in rubble.

At some points in the war, Zelenskyy has warned against the potential collapse of his lines as Russian assaults have been levied against his army. The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has relied on the costly strategy of attrition against the Ukrainians, even as his army has endured as many as 200,000 casualties.

During this year of fighting, Ukraine, with a smaller army, has relied on Cold War-era planes, helicopters, guns and tanks yet has thwarted Russian movement.

With European allies like Germany deploying Leopard tanks, the key to Ukrainian survival has rested in the constant supply of weapons from the coalition that the United States has created.

The war has demonstrated the might of American weaponry, which has stymied the Russians. Through the proximity of American bases in Poland and Germany, American forces have also trained Ukrainian noncommissioned officers to lead their soldiers better.

This expertise has also aided Ukrainian military officials, who have learned to mobilize Patriot air defense systems, Abrams tanks and artillery guns. Although the Biden administration has continually downplayed the deployment of fighter planes for the Ukrainians, reports indicate that training has already commenced for some of their pilots.

A disconnected dictator

Putin, meanwhile, continually targets civilian populations of Ukraine’s major cities and towns, causing death and destruction with hypersonic missiles that are almost impossible to shoot down.

On the world stage, the Russian army has no clear path to victory. Some of Putin’s soldiers have even sent videos to their families and the press, revealing how poorly equipped and trained they are to meet the Ukrainians on the battlefield.

Some Russians have openly criticized the government for mishandling the invasion effort. Putin’s government has lost much credibility along the way.

During the early days of the war, the Russian dictator said his goal was to rid Ukraine of its “Nazi” elements that influenced the government in Kyiv. During a recent G20 Summit in New Delhi, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov was met with laughter when he said, “The war, which we are trying to stop, which was launched against us using Ukrainian people.”

These confused comments suggest an increasingly disconnected Putin regime, a Kremlin that has lost the global public relations battle to justify the war.

Resentment against the regime

Domestic instability has been a primary concern when looking at the Russian regime under Putin. The dictator is in constant fear over his own security, increasingly suspicious that he will be deposed.

The Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization that has spearheaded much of the fighting, has had several public differences in how this war was being carried out under Putin’s directives. Some believe that Putin views the Wagner Group as a threat to his own rule.

It is estimated that the Wagner Group has lost over 30,000 mercenaries, with about 9,000 fighters killed in action, U.S. officials said last month. Putin’s forces quickly surpassed the 15,000 Russians killed during the Soviet War in Afghanistan from 1979-89.

There is rising distress within the Russian population over the many soldiers who will not return alive. It has not helped Putin’s cause that his armies receive little training before being shipped off to the Ukrainian front against a battle-hardened foe.

Through the startling number of casualties, deficiencies in Russian hardware and a total lack of leadership, Putin has repeatedly stated that nuclear weapons remain on the table.

All signs point to a defeated and embarrassed former world power. At every turn, Putin has refused to believe the Ukrainians could mount a capable resistance. One year later, Ukraine continues to push for victory.

Rich Acritelli is a history teacher at Rocky Point High School and adjunct professor at Suffolk County Community College. Written in conjunction with members of the high school’s History Honor Society.

State legislators call for crackdown on deceptive packaging for THC products

by Press Release - March 26, 2023

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legislators_THC — Pictured above, New York State Sen. Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue), left of poster, and state Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead), right of poster, along with Republican state legislators. Photo by New York State Senate Photography

This past week in Albany, New York State Sen. Dean Murray (R-Patchogue) and state Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead) joined with Republican colleagues from the state Senate and Assembly at a press conference calling for the crackdown on improper and deceptive packaging practices for edible products with THC infusions.

The lawmakers said there has been a dramatic increase in cases of children mistaking these products for regular candies and snack foods, with dangerous and sometimes deadly results.

Murray and Giglio have introduced legislation that would target this practice, mandating that THC-infused edibles on the market are marked and packaged plainly and increasing penalties for violators.

Perspective: Raising the stakes for this year’s village elections

by TBR Staff - March 26, 2023

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Bruce-Miller-trustee-070714-06_Glowatzw — Photo by Elana Glowatz

By Bruce Miller

The stakes for the future of Port Jefferson are very high. It seems we have a real election this June in Port Jefferson, so we need a real contest of ideas.

I have iterated many issues for this campaign in The Port Times Record. More are specified here. We know Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden and trustee Stan Loucks will have much support from the development class. Will trustee Lauren Sheprow and trustee candidate Bob Juliano represent the residents?

Issues

Years of hard work and research done by our Port Jefferson residents for the master plan committee have been discarded in favor of developers’ plans for future intensive — and not always attractive — development.

I believe our current leadership has permitted blight to be exploited in order to extract concessions for larger zoning — zoning not recommended by our residents’ committee.

The Industrial Development Agency of Brookhaven Town is giving away our tax base. What is “industrial” about apartment developments?

As a former school board member and president, I worked productively on repowering and to improve our tax base for 12 years, then leading this fight on our village board of trustees for eight years after that.

I speak regularly with National Grid leaders and have addressed our issues and advocated with LIPA’s CEO, Thomas Falcone. Who will lead this effort, which has such a profound impact on our tax base? What is their network to do this?

I worked on our environmental issues for 30 years. The Conservation Advisory Committee needs to be made a board again. The Architectural Review Committee should be made a board.

LIRR

The ride from Port Jeff only gets worse. All our elected leaders want “a better ride.” But who will “herd the cats,” so to speak? We need leadership to galvanize and focus around these efforts.

Looking at recent events, I fear the Long Island Rail Road will eliminate the Port Jefferson Branch line completely. I have worked to secure better service and clean energy service. We need to coordinate our efforts with our neighbors in Port Jefferson Station/Terryville.

Finance

Tax revenue is going down, with a significant chance of plummeting. Debt will be going way up. Taxes are going up. There are options for solar power that can recoup some of this revenue.

I have the network to implement these strategies. So far, my efforts to implement these strategies have not been ignored — they have been rejected. Cleaner air, more revenue? We cannot let petty politics continue to thwart residents’ interests.

For a long time, merchants have advocated parking garages in Port Jefferson. Residents do not want Port Jefferson to look like Queens. I have proposed underground parking garages. Yes, this can be done. The Dutch have done this, creating parks to enhance their country and eliminating flooding at a bargain.

How to pay for this? Claim our share of town, county, state and federal funds for open-space preservation in the form of open-space creation — “parks above parking.” This makes our village more attractive to visitors and prospective residents.

Claim infrastructure-hardening funding. Remember what the Dutch have done. Lease newly created parkland to restaurants for alfresco dining. Other parties may see value in this option as well. Let’s not forget parking fees.

Merchants pay the village PILOPS — payments in lieu of parking spots. But there could be actual parking spots to purchase by investing in Port Jefferson.

Condominiumize parking slots. Merchants and investors could purchase parking spots in prime locations for their exclusive use or derive revenue and tax deductions.

Our downtown businesses, apartments and fire department suffer from toxic intrusion when they flood. Investing in health is always a wise decision.

If you want a better future, we need to ask hard questions of our candidates.

Bruce Miller is a former Port Jefferson Village trustee

Parking pandemonium: Tensions swell as parking season takes off in Port Jeff

by Raymond Janis - March 26, 2023

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IMG_8325-adjusted — Digital payment and a lack of meters has sparked some criticism within the community. Photo by Raymond Janis

The managed parking system in the Village of Port Jefferson has undergone considerable changes this season, prompting debate among some within the community.

Beginning March 15, the village government has incorporated various technologies into its managed parking apparatus, such as automated license plate reading, which village officials say expedites and standardizes parking enforcement.

“We’re looking to make sure that enforcement is more equitable, that there’s less room for a mistake or discretion,” Mayor Margot Garant said in an exclusive interview. “The license plate reader is in at least one of the code vehicles, and when it drives through the parking lot, it scans everything very quickly.” She added, “I think it’s going to be a much more blanketed, equitable process and easier for all parties.”

Kevin Wood, the village’s parking administrator, outlined how the new tech would operate. He said pay-by-plate metering allows for more efficient enforcement of overtime parking and eliminates the need for double payment caused by temporarily leaving and losing a parking space, among other potential benefits.

Wood said digital payment also simplifies parking during future visits as the system remembers one’s plate number. “The next time you come back into town, your plate number is already filled in,” he said. “You can’t say that about a space number because you park in a different space every time.”

The village has also digitized its residential permitting process, supplanting the previous method which was performed by hand. So far, Wood said his office has received nearly 2,000 permits.

Responsiveness questions

The changes to parking procedure have met some opposition, particularly from the business community. James Luciano, owner of PJ Lobster House, has been among the opponents to the changes.

In an interview, Luciano indicated that many of his older customers prefer the preexisting method of paying at a meter.

The new system “is a hassle for the older clientele,” he said, suggesting older customers often make multiple trips to and from their cars to pay for parking.

“I know it doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you have clientele that are in their 60s, 70s and 80s, it is a lot for them to do that,” he added.

He said he receives daily complaints over digital payment, estimating complications using the system “probably happen 25 times a day — it’s a big problem that people are complaining about.”

Luciano attributes much of the village’s parking adversity to a lack of responsiveness from the village government, suggesting his recommendations to the village have fallen on deaf ears.

“We’ve sat down in meetings, we’ve sent letters over the last two years,” he said. “They say, ‘Thank you for the input,’ and then they do what they want. They don’t want to take any recommendations from anybody.”

Wood suggested his office is actively coordinating with the business community and that no significant changes have been made to the system other than entering a plate number instead of a space number.

“There are no changes to navigate,” Wood said. “The parker himself only enters a plate number instead of a space number, and that’s self-evident. But that being said, my office is always available to answer questions on a one-by-one basis and/or my assistant, Rita.”

Garant said her administration remains committed to working with merchants over any concerns with the system. Nonetheless, she expressed confidence that the new system would prevail over time.

“There are some recommendations that they have and questions, and we’re answering them as we can,” the mayor said. “Obviously, with anything, you’re going to get mixed concerns. I think once everybody settles into this new system, they’ll find that it’s an easier system to use.”

‘The number one challenge is capacity. It accounts for just about everything we are challenged with.’

— Kevin Wood

Capacity: an age-old problem

Parking is a decades-old quandary in Port Jeff, confounding generations of local officials who have struggled to solve the parking puzzle.

Richard Murdocco, adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook University, summarized the issue in a word.

“Capacity — hands down, capacity,” he said. “It’s what all the villages on Long Island struggle with. How do you shoehorn in more parking without compromising the very character that people are seeking out?”

Wood concurred with this assessment. “The number one challenge is capacity,” he said. “It accounts for just about everything we are challenged with.”

Former village trustee Bruce Miller regarded the capacity constraints as all-pervasive, compounding other problems, such as traffic congestion. “It creates a lot of traffic that’s needless,” he said. “People are circling and circling and circling to find a parking place.”

Former New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) commented on the generations of anguished parkers pressed to find a space. He regarded Port Jefferson as distinctive for its blend of bustling downtown activity and limited capacity.

“The oversubscription of use is inevitable for a place that is as attractive, and that faces the water, which is such a magnet for this whole sector of the Island,” he said. “You want to go to Port Jefferson because there are businesses, and a vibrant walk along the harbor is exciting.”

But, he added, “It means you’re always going to have a traffic jam.”

Meanwhile, the Town of Brookhaven, which operates the marina parking lot near the ferry terminal, has set its 2023 parking rates at five times the rate of Port Jefferson’s managed lots. Wood said this could further strain the village’s already cramped lots.

“My common sense tells me that if something is $5 an hour, and they can get that same service for $1 an hour, that tells me they’re going to put more pressure on us,” he said.

Possible solutions

‘Policymakers should begin exploring some more modern, viable options.’

— Richard Murdocco

Murdocco said a natural tension exists between preserving the historic character of an area and expanding parking capacity. He added, however, that the capacity issue would eventually cap the village’s growth potential for its residential and commercial districts.

“Policymakers should begin exploring some more modern, viable options,” the SBU adjunct professor said. The most obvious option, he indicated, would be to construct a parking garage.

This proposal would come with its own set of challenges, according to Englebright. “I don’t think there’s an easy answer to this because even if you add a parking garage, I think it will be oversubscribed on the first day,” he said.

Wood noted that he gives “daily thought” to this idea, which is also proposed in the village’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan. However, given the natural topography and existing built environment, the municipality remains hamstrung in specific ways.

“Now is the time where I think we would have a serious look at building multidecks [above-ground parking garages], but it’s not so easy because of the landscape of Port Jeff, the depth of the water and things like that,” he said.

Asked whether he foresees the village accommodating a garage in the coming decades, the parking administrator responded affirmatively.

“I’d like to hope that we can come to the point where that possibility could happen,” he said, adding, “If it were in the best interest of the community and residents, I’d like to think we could come to an agreement on that.”

Miller advised the village government to explore underground parking, an option he said would boost capacity without disrupting the area’s historic character.

“A lot of the residents and public do not want an above-ground parking garage — we’re not rural here, but we just don’t see ourselves as urban,” he said. “The advantage of underground parking is that it doesn’t make your town look urban. You don’t have underground structures protruding from the ground.”

Another alternative the village is actively seeking is shared parking, that is, entering into agreements with nearby businesses to facilitate access to their lots during nonbusiness hours.

Wood said he and trustee Rebecca Kassay are working to enter into shared-use parking agreements, particularly with hospitals and medical offices in Upper Port.

“There’s not a lot of commercial activity happening uptown, but that will change,” Wood said, adding that shared parking would offer “immediate parking to people frequenting uptown.”

Kassay, who also serves as the village’s environmental commissioner, said the shared parking proposal would help minimize the need for building new parking lots uptown, as well as the clearings and heightened flooding characteristic of such construction.

Shared parking “would prevent more square footage uptown from being hardscaped, which is a contributor to the flooding because water is not being collected, recharged and filtered in the way it naturally would,” she said.

The trustee added, “The issue of parking is very real, but the creative solutions, like shared parking, are a way that we as a village can solve parking issues, be environmentally conscious and save taxpayers money by not building and maintaining additional lots.”

Parking committee

Garant, who had coordinated with a parking committee composed of residents and merchants earlier in her tenure, recounted the history and role of that body.

“We had a committee for upward of eight or nine years,” she said. “I think that they brought great concerns, and we heard from them.”

Asked whether the village should reinstitute the parking committee, she responded, “I’m on my way out, so I’ll leave that to the next administration,” adding, “I think Kevin is doing a great job, so I’m going to let the next elected mayor make those decisions going forward.”

Wood emphasized that a committee would not resolve the core issue permeating all parking woes villagewide. “The one thing we all end up talking about is the lack of capacity,” the parking administrator said. “All the committees in the world won’t fix the immediate need for more capacity.”

He added, “We get feedback all the time. We take it under advisement. But again, it usually leads back, after everything is said and done, to lack of capacity.”

‘It would seem to me that some democratization would be logical.’

— Steve Englebright

Wood, instead, encouraged concerned parties to take their concerns to the village board. For him, public comments during village board meetings provide community members the proper forum to be heard.

Public comment “is the best way to communicate what you are trying to say about any subject,” Wood said.

Luciano, on the other hand, advocated for the reinstatement of the parking committee as a means to properly filter concerns from the greater community.

“The parking committee needs to exist, and the village needs to take the recommendations from the parking committee,” he said.

Detailing why he believed the committee had disbanded, Luciano again suggested a lack of responsiveness from the village. “They got rid of it because they didn’t want to hear input anymore and because they were going to do what they wanted to do.”

Ana Hozyainova, president of the Port Jefferson Civic Association, has joined the call for resurrecting the parking committee. In an email statement, she said a parking committee would reintroduce debate to the parking decision-making process.

“The Port Jeff Civic Association fully supports the reestablishment of a parking committee composed of representatives from all stakeholders,” she said. “Reinstituting the parking committee would provide a transparent forum for discussion and decision-making.”

The civic president added, “It would also help ensure that we face our parking challenges in a manner that addresses the needs and concerns of all our residents and still preserves the character and appearance of our beautiful village.”

Englebright regarded the proposal for a parking committee as necessary for promoting public participation.

“If you live in the village, there has to be some sense of being able to participate,” he said. “There needs to be some reasonable balance between the commercialism that dominates parts of the downtown and the needs of the residents, which should not take second place.”

He added, “I don’t know how you do that without some sort of forum other than the regular meetings of the village board. It would seem to me that some democratization would be logical.”

Nature Matters: Water recycling

by John Turner - March 25, 2023

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Reclaimed Water Sign:WikimediaCommons — Purple signs like this may become commonplace on Long Island in the near future. Photo by Grendelkhan/Wikimedia Commons

By John L. Turner

Like all islands, Long Island is defined by water. Lapped on all sides — the Great South Bay on its southern flank, the thick finger of the Long Island Sound to the north, the bowl of the Peconic Bay filling between the forks, and one of the planet’s great oceans embracing all of this.

And beneath us, in the pore spaces between the sand that make up Long Island (Long Island is basically a million-acre leaky sandbox) is a prolific aquifer system made up of several trillion gallons of freshwater that we depend upon, made available by scores of public water supply wells, for drinking and making coffee, washing cars, showering and brushing teeth, and from which water oozes to fill our ponds and lakes and makes our rivers and streams run — a freshwater groundwater system made up of three aquifers like layers in a sandwich, all resting on a basement of bedrock.

It is OUR water supply — there are no other realistic possibilities to turn to: no ability to connect to New York City’s impressive surface water reservoirs and no river from New England that upwells into our sand under Long Island Sound (as one Long Island elected official once assured me, in explaining why we didn’t need to be concerned with the impacts of development). We are, hydrologically speaking, captains of our own fate.

We may be captains but we haven’t been such good stewards of our groundwater supply as it is under stress like never before. More than two and one-half million Long Islanders live, work, and play above the water supply, and with gravity always at work, water, and whatever contaminants are dissolved in it, is always carried downward.

The Upper Glacial Aquifer, the aquifer closest to the surface, has been rendered unusable in many places due to contamination. In some areas this pollution has moved down into the thicker Magothy Aquifer below, the main source for drinking water today. And below the Magothy lies the Lloyd Aquifer, resting on a basement of bedrock, which has begun to feel the stresses of over pumping and fingers of contamination.

Some freshwater lakes and ponds are suffering quality issues too, the victims of “HAB’s” — harmful algal blooms.

And in parts of Long Island we have a quantity problem, illustrated by lowered water table levels causing streams and ponds to shrink or dry out and allowing saltwater intrusion from salty water pushing in from sides of the groundwater supply. Hundreds of acres of wetlands have disappeared or been diminished by lowered water table levels, adversely affecting wetland dependent wildlife species.

Nor have we been the stewards of the shallow coastal waters surrounding us that we should be. Driven by excessive nitrogen from sewage treatment plants (STP’s), home cesspools and septic tanks, and hundreds of thousands of fertilized lawns, the island’s coastal ecosystems are showing significant stress. This stress is illustrated by numerous algae blooms or colored “tides,” perhaps made most visible by the green sheets of Ulva or sea lettuce which blankets the bottom of much of our tidal creek and bays.

Some of these blooms involve algae species that are toxic to wildlife or are species that shellfish cannot eat to sustain themselves. Moreover, coastal waters containing excess nitrogen can weaken tidal marshes, a dangerous trend given their wildlife habitat, pollution control, and storm buffering value.

The good news is that we have the means to address these problems and one of them involves water recycling or reuse. As the name suggests, water recycling involves the use of highly treated wastewater discharged from sewage treatment plants for some other worthwhile purpose. And the Riverhead Sewage Treatment Plant water reuse project serves as an excellent example. Here, during the warmer months (April to October), highly treated wastewater is diverted from discharge into the Peconic River/Bay and, instead, is pumped next door to Suffolk County Parks’ Indian Island Golf Course. The water, containing low levels of nitrogen, is used to irrigate the golf course, the nitrogen being taken up by the turf grass. The water is subject to UV disinfection which kills 99.9% of the viruses and bacteria that might remain in the wastewater from initial treatment.

What’s the benefits you might ask of this water reuse project? The engineering consultants to the project estimate it will divert more than one ton of ecosystem-changing nitrogen annually from entering coastal waters with the nitrogen serving as fertilizer for the golf course grass. And it gets better — approximately 63 million gallons of water which used to be pumped out of the aquifer can stay in the ground, reducing stress on the groundwater system. An added benefit is that it may also save taxpayer dollars due to decreased energy and fertilizer costs.

Given these dual quality and quantity benefits it is not surprising water recycling is commonplace in some states and in many other countries. California, Florida, and Arizona are among the leaders as are countries like Israel in the Middle East. (You may have seen evidence of water reuse projects while traveling in these or other states since the pipes conveying the water are painted purple — the universal color for water recycling. I saw them a few years ago while traveling through Clearwater, Florida north of St. Petersburg).

Today, more than 2.6 billion gallons of water are reused daily in the United States. And the potential on Long Island is great with several dozen golf courses being within two miles of a sewage treatment plant.

There are other reuse applications besides irrigation of golf courses though… irrigation of agricultural crops and municipal ballfields, industrial cooling, wetland restoration, washdown water at sewage plants, even potable reuse which is now happening in California. Anyone want a beer brewed using highly treated wastewater? There are half a dozen brands now available, in Canada, Germany, and California, if you so desire!

To better understand and quantify this potential, and to provide a framework for prioritizing potential projects, the Seatuck Environmental Association, with funding kindly provided by the Greentree Foundation, hired Cameron Engineering to help develop a Long Island Water Reuse Road Map or Blueprint. This road map lists nearly 100 projects in which an STP is coupled with a target of the reclaimed wastewater — most typically a golf course or agricultural operation — situated within a two mile radius. They are listed in priority fashion based on the amount of water potentially saved, amount of nitrogen potentially reduced, and estimated cost for improvements needed to implement.

Closer to home, what might be some potential water recycling projects? One that jumps out (ranked #10 in the prioritized matrix) is using treated wastewater generated from the sewage treatment plant located on the SUNY Stony Brook campus to irrigate St. George’s Golf Course situated in close proximity on the east side of Nicolls Road. A successful project here would keep hundreds of pounds of nitrogen from entering Port Jefferson Harbor (the effluent from the SUNY SBU STP is piped to the Port Jefferson plant first before discharge into the harbor) and keep an estimated 34 million gallons of water in the aquifer.

It is clear that with political support and adequate public funding, water reuse can significantly contribute to intelligent management of the water upon which we depend for drinking and water that we enjoy swimming in. As the LI Water Reuse Road Map has shown, water recycling, implemented comprehensively, can prevent tons of nitrogen from entering Long Island’s groundwater supply and adjacent coastal waters while keeping billions of gallons of freshwater in the ground. To borrow from an often used phrase: “That there’s a win-win situation” for all Long Islanders.

A resident of Setauket, John Turner is conservation chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, author of “Exploring the Other Island: A Seasonal Nature Guide to Long Island” and president of Alula Birding & Natural History Tours.

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