Above, a scene from ‘Sour Grapes’ Photo courtesy of PJDS
The Long Island Museum, located at 1200 Route 25A in Stony Brook, along with the Port Jefferson Documentary Series, will host the 2nd Summer Thursday event on Thursday, July 6, with a film screening of the 2016 documentary “Sour Grapes,” followed by a Q-and-A with the film’s co-director and free admission to the Long Island Museum’s newest exhibition, Midnight Rum: Long Island and Prohibition. The festivities begin at 4:30 p.m.
Set in the super-fast, super-rich world of LA and New York during the financial boom of the early 2000s, in the lead up to the 2008 financial crash, and featuring the obsessive collectors, outraged wine producers, suspect auction houses and specialist FBI sleuths, “Sour Grapes” is an “Emperor’s New Clothes” fable for the modern age.
The film traces the story of the millions of dollars made from the sale of fake vintage wine, which flooded a susceptible luxury market with counterfeits that still lie undetected in cellars across the world. The film was awarded Winner of Best Documentary at the Key West Film Festival. Critics have called the film “highly entertaining” (The Guardian) and “real-life comic mystery fit for Hercule Poirot” (Variety).
In addition to the film, there will be a wine reception (courtesy of Pindar Vineyards Port Jefferson Wine Shop) and a chance to meet Reuben Atlas, who co-directed the film, from 5 to 6 p.m. Advance tickets to the film and reception, which are selling out fast, are available for $12 at www.portjeffdocumentaryseries.com through July 5. Tickets for the film only will be available at the door for $7 (no credit cards please). Ticket holders will receive complimentary admission to the Midnight Rum exhibition from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Visitors Center. The reception begins at 5 p.m. in the Carriage Museum’s Gillespie Room and the film begins at 6 p.m.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please call 631-473-5220.
From left, Kerry Maher-Weisse, Leg. Kennedy, Rich Weisse, Sal Riccibono, Laurel Crotty, Clara Spadafina-Giunta, Kenneth Maher, Councilwoman Nowick, Councilman McCarthy, Pastor Neil Mittelstaedt, Conrad Chase and Leg. Trotta. Photo from Leg. Kennedy’s office
Legislator Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset), Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga), Councilwoman Lynn Nowick (R) and Councilman Tom McCarthy (R) joined members of the St. James community on June 3 at the St. James Lutheran Church to welcome the opening of the St. James Farmers Market with a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of the church.
Open through summer and autumn, the St. James Farmers Market allows locals to browse and purchase locally grown produce from the people personally invested in growing them at an affordable cost. Opening day featured more than simply market stalls — attendees listened to music provided by local musicians, poetry readings by local authors and craft making, among others. “With all the conveniences supermarkets give us today, it is too easy for us to forget that much of the produce we eat can and is grown right here on Long Island,” said Kennedy. “Farmers markets like these help remind us that the food we eat and the people who grow them are right next door.”
The St. James Farmers Market will be open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the St. James Lutheran Church on 230 2nd Avenue, and will be open through Oct. 28. EBT, SNAP, FMNP and WIC are accepted. If you are interested in being a vendor, an application can be found at ligreenmarket.org/stjames.
Grab your bedazzled jeans and get out your “jewels” for a night of fun with dinner, dancing, raffles, live and silent auctions and more at Ward Melville Heritage Organization’s annual Jewels & Jeans benefit dinner on Wednesday, June 28, at Flowerfield in St. James. The celebratory evening will honor leaders in the community for their outstanding achievements and contributions. All proceeds will be used for WMHO educational programs, Youth Corps and historic properties.
Dr. David B. Paul
Live auction items will include: Chef Barrett Beyer from “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Casino,” who will purchase, prepare and clean-up a three-course meal plus wine for eight in your own home; a private, behind the scenes wine tour for 15, courtesy of Pindar Vineyards and the Damianos family, which includes a tour of barrel and tank rooms, production facility and a select tasting of five wines. Also includes a case of specially created “Grist Mill White” wine with each bottle signed by the owners of Pindar Vineyards; “Princess,” “Pampered Princess” and “Pampered Tweens” parties, each courtesy of Blue Salon & Spa. Young ladies will have lunch, manicures, facials, foot scrubs, makeup lessons, makeup applications and much more (age groups apply) and a six-course tasting dinner courtesy of Mirabelle/Three Village Inn in Stony Brook with wine paring for 10.
Brian Kilmeade
This year’s distinguished honorees are Brian Kilmeade, recipient of the Champion of History Award and co-author of “George Washington’s Secret Six” and “Thomas Jefferson & the Tripoli Pirates”; Ralph D. Spencer Jr., president and CEO of Suffolk Federal; Dr. Lisa Strano-Paul, professor of medicine and assistant dean for clinical education at Stony Brook School of Medicine; and Dr. David B. Paul of Long Island Anesthesia Physicians, LLP.
Festivities begin with a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m. Flowerfield is located at 199 Mills Pond Road, St. James. For full information and registration visit https://wmho.org/jewels-and-jeans/or call 631-751-2244.
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Kids play on the equipment at Rocketship Park in Port Jefferson Village during its grand reopening event in June, following a renovation headed up by L.K. McLean Associates, which received an award for engineering excellence last week. File photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Kids play on the equipment at Rocketship Park in Port Jefferson Village during its grand reopening event in June, following a renovation headed up by L.K. McLean Associates, which received an award for engineering excellence last week. File photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
Port Jeff's Rocketship Park reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 15. Photo by Alex Petroski
By Alex Petroski
It was like Christmas in June for kids in Port Jefferson, as an iconic village park is finally ready for a new launch. Rocketship Park, located on Maple Place between Mill Creek Road and Barnum Avenue, had been closed since the fall for a massive renovation project that saw funds pour in from private donations, fundraising events, grants and taxpayer dollars. At least 200 kids lined the fences June 15 eagerly waiting for the official ribbon cutting to try out the new equipment for the first time, which now includes a tree house, pirate ship and of course, a rocket ship.
The refurbishment effort was done thanks in large part to a three and a half year mission by the Port Jefferson “Treasure Your Parks” campaign, an initiative created to help give a facelift to the more than 50-year-old Clifton H. Lee Memorial Park, which has commonly been known as Rocketship Park. Suffolk County Leg. Kara Hahn (D-Setauket); Jennifer Martin, a representative from Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Valerie Cartright’s (D-Port Jefferson Station) office; the 2016 New York State championship runner up Port Jefferson High School girls basketball team, and droves of excited local kids joined members of the Port Jeff Village board and Mayor Margot Garant to cut the ribbon and officially open the park for the summer.
Garant also recognized two Port Jeff kids, Cooper and McKenna Negus, who collected change in a jar and periodically went to village hall to contribute to the fundraising efforts for the park. The mayor said she planned to use the money to purchase a tile to commemorate the generous young donors.
“Everyday we were building this park we’d have kids hanging out on the outside of the fence saying ‘when can we come and play,’” Garant said. “It’s all about the kids right?”
Garant added the park will be under video surveillance and asked that all those who visit the park help to ensure it remains clean, and free of graffiti, vandalism and litter.
The total cost of the project was about $900,000, with $500,000 coming from taxpayer dollars, $265,000 from a New York State parks grant and about $120,000 from donations, according to Barbara Sakovich, assistant to the mayor.
This version was updated June 16 to include the total cost and breakdown of funding for the park renovation. It was edited June 19 to correct that it will still be officially called Clifton H. Lee Memorial Park and commonly referred to as Rocketship Park.
One of the sand sculptures at the Tybee Island competition. Photo from April Ingle.
In late May, more than 500 participants transformed Tybee Island, Georgia, into a temporary art gallery, created with sculptures made out of sand, and one Nesconset native dominated the scene.
Savannah College of Art and Design student Sabrina Shankar, majoring in production design, was on the team that took home the top prize, the SCAD Landmark Award, for their piece, “Pepe Hall.”
Shankar, 20, answered questions through email about her inspiration, sand sculpture and more.
How do you execute a sand art sculpture? What tools or materials are needed, and how long does it take?
When my partner Ryan Hurley and I decided to create a sand sculpture for SCAD’s Sand Arts Festival, we began planning out the whole process and prepared supplies immediately. The essential tools to creating a perfect sculpture include a bucket for water, a large shovel, a small shovel and sculpting tools.
Fortunately, I have taken SCAD’s ceramics course and had the sculpting tools needed to create fine lines. On the day of the event, Ryan and I split up tasks as one began to get water from the ocean and the other started creating a large mound of sand for the building.
Sabrina Shankar won first place with her team. Photo from LinkedIn.
Because Tybee Island’s sand is a little grittier, and the sun was very strong, we needed to add a bucket full of water to every couple of shovels of sand in order to keep the sand wet and sturdy for when we began sculpting.
How did you come up with the plan for the winning sculpture?
Ryan and I spent the morning of the competition carefully looking at the details that are found in architecture of SCAD’s Pepe Hall. We used Google Maps to screen shoot images of all sides of the building from multiple angles to take with us as inspiration.
Both Ryan and I wanted to create a SCAD landmark for the competition. When deciding on a building, we wanted to feature one that’s prevalent at SCAD and also had a castle-like feel to it. Additionally, Ryan is a fibers major so he spend a large portion of his studies in this building.
How and why did you first get interested in sand sculpture?
Ever since high school I have loved to sculpt. However, the first time I really became interested in sand sculpture was my freshman year at SCAD when we had a famous sand sculptor come in and display his work.
I always knew how challenging, time-consuming and rewarding this type of sculpture was, but seeing his work and hearing him talk about it intrigued me to try it. I later attended one of his workshops where he taught us all different tips and tricks on how to make the sculpture stand out in the crowd.
A few weeks later, I then competed in my first sand arts during freshman year at SCAD, and was fortunate enough to win in the SCAD landmarks category for creating Poetter Hall.
What are the hardest and most enjoyable parts of it for you?
The hardest part of creating a sand sculpture is the hard labor that goes into creating a large base. Besides the countless trips to the ocean gathering water, the shoveling process can be taxing and requires a lot of strength.
The most enjoyable part of creating a sand sculpture is the audience that comes by to check on your work and see how the progress is going. This past year, Ryan and I had an elderly man check up on us during the entire process and he would ask us questions, provide critique and most importantly display enthusiasm throughout the process.
Seeing both SCAD students and the Savannah public cheer us on was a rewarding process.
What was it like to win, how did you feel? What did it mean to you to win for your recreation of an iconic SCAD landmark?
Unfortunately, Ryan and I were unable to attend the winning ceremony due to other engagements, but I remember checking my phone that afternoon and seeing multiple missed calls from a variety of friends. I immediately called one back and she started screaming on the other line a congratulations we had just won SCAD’s Sand Arts Competition. I was so excited and called Ryan to share the good news. We couldn’t believe it, especially after seeing all of the other talented contestants but were extremely grateful.
One of the sand sculptures at the Tybee Island competition. Photo from April Ingle.
Do you want to continue your sand sculpting career after college, and how?
I think it would be amazing to continue sand sculpting after graduating from SCAD, but in a variety of other aspects.
Why should more people start taking an interest in sand sculpture?
I think sand sculpting is a very unique art and although it is very challenging you can always see everyone smiling and having a good time no matter what their sculpture looks like. Events like the SCAD Sand Arts bring back memories of being a child and building a sand castle on the beach.
What lessons have you learned as an art student that helped you prepare?
As a production design major, I have been taught how to best display a space in order to convey the story I wish to tell. Through sand sculpting, whether it be replicating a building such as Pepe Hall or creating an out-of-the-world creature as a free-form sculpture, we are all trying to convey some sort of story. With every cut into the sand there was a purpose and special attention to detail in order to accurately represent Pepe Hall.
I believe that whether it may be SCAD Sand Arts, SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival, the Savannah Film Festival, the SCAD FASHWKND or one of the many other signature events at SCAD, it is so important to participate and enjoy everything that SCAD is providing to us. These events always provide such a fun and engaging atmosphere and a welcomed break to the everyday studies. I always enjoy seeing all of the talent that SCAD students have that I may not see on a daily basis; not only does it provide inspiration, but it also allows me to meet new individuals for future collaborations.
What advice do you have for future art students?
If I had to provide advice to future freshman, upperclassmen or anyone in general, I would say they shouldn’t be afraid to try something new or give something your best shot even if you are uncertain of the outcome. Sometimes, the best kind of stories come from days when we are uncertain but decide to take a leap of fate and venture into a new path. Winning SCAD’s Sand Arts Competition not once, but twice during my three years has been some of my greatest accomplishments at this university and I would have never succeeded had I not tried.
Participants to create water report card for harbors and bays of the Long Island Sound
Tracy Brown shows the most recent report card for the water quality of the open Long Island Sound. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
There’s a team collaboration happening across Long Island to ensure the Long Island Sound’s water is as healthy as possible.
Save the Sound, a nonprofit organization based out of Connecticut, is working with local groups and volunteers to create a water quality report card for the Sound’s bays and harbors, in an effort to increase available data for residents to have access to information on the health of the Sound.
Monitoring of the open Sound, the areas of the water body beyond bays and harbors, in the last decade has revealed the increasing presence of nitrogen pollution — which leads to algae blooms, red tides, loss of tidal marshes and fish die-offs — and the incremental improvements brought about by wastewater treatment plant upgrades. But researchers have acknowledged that results found in the open Sound may not reflect conditions in the bays and harbors, where a large part of the public comes in contact with the Sound.
A volunteer conducts a water test. Photo by Victoria Espinoza.
In May, Save the Sound started conducting the Unified Water Study in 24 sites across the Sound, and participants will be testing the water twice a month through October, looking at dissolved oxygen levels, temperature, dissolved salt levels, water quality and more.
Organizers gathered at Huntington Harbor in Halestie to conduct a test Tuesday, June 13, and explained why the report card is so important for the future of bays and harbors across Long Island.
“The Long Island Sound Funders Collaborative funded a report card for the sound, with the first one coming out in 2015, and through the report card process we realized that most of the data we had collected to talk about water quality and the health of the sound was for the open Sound,” Tracy Brown, director of Save the Sound said at the harbor. “And when we published the report card and showed the scores of water quality but we didn’t go into all the bays and harbors the public said, ‘well how about my harbor, how about my cove?’ The bays, harbors and coves are their own unique ecosystems. So we realized we had a data gap.”
Brown said certain groups have been doing their own studies in smaller areas but nothing uniform to have a comparative level. The report card focuses on the ecological health, not bacteria levels and risk of contamination for humans entering the water, but rather the creatures living in the water 24/7.
“The pollutant of concern is nitrogen,” Brown said. “This study was designed to get into all 116 little bays, harbors and coves that encircle the sound, and our goal is to get into each of them taking the exact same measurements for an assessment to say which of the bays and harbors are not handling the nutrient input well, which ones are really suffering from nutrient pollution and then we can direct conservation resources.”
Brown said one of the leading causes of increased nitrogen is contamination from the septic systems, as urine has high levels of nitrogen. She said efforts like Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone’s (D) initiatives to improve groundwater and limit nitrogen pollution are a step in the right direction.
“Nitrogen pollution has been identified as the single greatest threat to water quality, but for the first time in decades, we have a historic opportunity to turn the tide in our effort to reclaim our waters,” Bellone said in a statement when announcing countywide nitrogen-reducing initiatives for homeowners.
Brown reiterated some of the dangers of high levels of nitrogen.
“High levels of nitrogen feed growth, creating algal blooms, and when the algal blooms die they suck the oxygen out of the water in that decay process so you create these low oxygen zones,” she said.
Low oxygen levels mean finfish and shellfish can’t live in the area, and high nitrogen levels also lead to the destruction of coastal wetlands, which not only serve as a habitat for animals but also are a defense for homes from destructive storms. Brown also said high nitrogen levels are being linked to high acidification levels, which prevent shellfish from forming their shells and reduce the population’s ability to reproduce.
About a year ago Peter Janow, a Cold Spring Harbor resident, got in touch with Save the Sound, after hearing about their efforts, and extended an offer to help if they needed any hands for the Huntington and Northport bay areas.
A reading done after volunteers test the water quality in the Huntington Harbor. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
“Once they created the Uniform Water Study they got in contact with me and asked if I could help out and I said ‘absolutely brother,’” Janow said of how he first got involved. He eventually ended up joining more volunteers to work on the area together. He said he was motivated to get involved to both make a difference and help become a stronger part of his community.
“Most folks, especially on Long Island we’re surrounded by gorgeous scenes, the harbors, all the water sports,” Janow said. “We [the volunteers] share in the duties, and the role is covering the greater Huntington and Northport complexes including Lloyd Harbor, Huntington Harbor, Centerport Harbor, Northport Harbor and Duck Island Harbor, and each one of those areas has its own qualities. We have a total of 25 specific locations we’re testing water samples from.”
Janow said he and the others divide the areas up into two different days, spending about three hours each day testing water samples.
The combined efforts are for the benefit of all Long Islanders, and residents can help without getting on the water themselves.
“We really hope the public will see the significance,” Brown said. “If you want a better grade, you need to take care of your wastewater, and reduce your lawn fertilizer. The science community has identified nitrogen as enemy number one to the Long Island Sound, and the philanthropic community said, ‘what can we do,’ and then they reached out to regional groups to execute their vision, and then we’ve reached out to local groups for help. That’s what’s so interesting about this study — the collaboration.”
The collaborative effort is far from over. Brown said there is still a need for more volunteers to cover areas east of Huntington, including areas in the towns of Smithtown and Brookhaven, especially near the Nissequogue River and Port Jefferson Harbor.
This effort travels all the way to Connecticut, and one science teacher at a town in Dover took the initiative to volunteer himself and his Advanced Placement students to help contribute.
“One of the things that makes it possible for groups to organize to participate in this study even if they’re not already a group is that we provide the equipment, we provide the training, we provide the standard operating procedures and Save the Sound is available to help them get off the ground and make sure they succeed,” Brown said. “If we’re going to reach all 116 systems around the Sound that we want to reach, we’re going to need more groups. We’re going to need new groups that don’t exist yet to organize around the study and ask if anyone is in their bay or harbor yet.”
Anyone interested in getting involved with Save the Sound should reach out to Peter Linderoth, the Save the Sound water quality manager at [email protected].
Teen patients from Stony Brook Children’s Hospital dance at the June 10 prom. Photo from Stony Brook Children's Hospital
By Rita J. Egan
Attending a prom is an important milestone for most teenagers, but for children who are dealing with an illness, they may not always get the chance to experience the rite of passage.
Stony Brook Children’s Hospital ensured their teenaged inpatients as well as outpatients had the opportunity to enjoy the same special moments their peers do when they held their second annual Children’s Hospital Prom June 10. Many of the teenagers were unable to attend this year’s school prom or a previous year’s, or due to life-limiting illnesses may never have the opportunity.
Before the event, many prom-goers had their hair and nails done by volunteers from the New York Institute of Beauty. Photo from Stony Brook Children’s Hospital
Maureen Cole, associate director of nursing at the hospital, said 50 patients between ages 12 and 21 along with their guests attended this year’s prom.
For the event, a youth advisory council was created so the patients could be involved in the planning. She said they chose a Hawaiian luau themed prom that featured tiki torches, grass huts, colorful flowers, Polynesian-influenced cuisine and warm breezes on the hospital’s Level 5 patio. The council also met with chefs and picked the food to be served.
The evening began at 4 p.m. with complimentary hair styling, makeup and nail services all provided inside the hospital by the New York Institute of Beauty. Cole said all the children looked incredible, and there was a waiting area, suggested by the council, for those who chose not to get their hair and nails done to play video games and wait for their guests who were getting pampered.
With physicians, nurses and employees from Child Life Services who volunteered their time in attendance, the teenagers enjoyed a night filled with red carpet snapshots, dancing and games such as limbo.
Michael Reed, a 16-year-old outpatient of the hospital who just completed 10th grade at MacArthur High School in Levittown, was part of the youth council. He said it felt great to see the results of the work of the half dozen members.
“It was, the way that I looked at it, not a masterpiece, but it was what me and a few other people invented, what we helped out with, what we created,” he said.
Reed, who attended last year’s prom, felt getting the opinions of the teens by forming a council was a great idea.
“It looked like everyone had a really fun time,” he said.
Cole said the children miss many special events at school, and despite programs available through Child Life Services, the hospital experience is not a fun one for them.
“It’s our way of giving back,” she said. “And, having a big prom party for them, so they feel that a hospital is not just a bad place to come to because you come here usually when you are sick.”
Two girls dance at the luau-themed prom organized especially for teen patients at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. Photo from Stony Brook Children’s Hospital
Joan Alpers, director of Child Life Services at the hospital, said it’s important for children to spend time with their peers who are going through the same situation they are.
“This gives kids an opportunity to know that they are not alone in the world, that other kids are there struggling just like they are, trying to keep up with school and doing all the things that are hard to do when you are managing a chronic illness and are a teenager,” Alpers said.
The director attended the prom and said it was delightful.
“A lot of kids were anxious and eager to get to the party,” she said. “They had their hair and nails done, and they felt really special. A lot of the boys were wearing flowered shirts with their suits.”
Alpers said there was a sick child in the hospital who they thought may not be able to attend, but she put on her dress and had her hair and nails done. Later in the day, she received the go-ahead from doctors to attend.
“It was so lovely to see her come down [from the ward],” Alpers said. “She wanted to be there so badly.”
Cole said she hopes the hospital will continue to be able to organize the prom every year.
“I really think it’s important for them to feel special because they really are special to us, all the kids,” she said.
A Huntington resident signs the steel beam. Photo by Kevin Redding.
By Kevin Redding
When it comes to revitalization, Huntington Station is building a future as solid as steel.
Supervisor Frank Petrone (D) could barely contain his excitement June 8 as he, along with town board members and developers, kicked off Huntington Station’s long-planned revitalization phase with the signing of a steel beam to be installed over the entrance of a new, mixed-use building currently under construction at the intersection of Northridge Street and New York Avenue, a site on which the town has been trying to develop a property for decades.
“Finally, this is happening,” Petrone said to cheers and applause from at least 50 residents and local leaders standing in front of the construction site. “All of you who are here have been inspirational in his whole process and we know it’s taken a long time, but it’s happened…and thank goodness it’s happened.”
The mixed-use building, under construction since January and expected to be completed in October, will be made up of 6500 square feet of retail space on the first floor, with May’s Gourmet Delicatessen signed up as the first and only commercial tenant so far, and a total of 16 one-bedroom apartments, eight on the second floor and eight on the third, for a total cost of $5.5 million. According to the town, it’s projected to “generate $55,007 in tax revenue the first year, rising to $132,016 (at present rates) in 15 years.”
Huntington officials and community members smile. Photo by Kevin Redding.
This will serve as the first concrete project in Huntington Station’s next phase of youth-friendly revitalization and was developed in partnership with Renaissance Downtowns, a nationally-renowned development group chosen by the town to be a master developer in 2011. Blue & Gold Holdings, a Huntington-based contracting business, is in charge of construction.
“We’re going to attract millennials to this facility, and that speaks highly because the station is a hub, the station is a nucleus of people that commute, especially, and that’s who we are looking to attract,” Petrone said. “There was considerable money put into this, and commitment, because that’s the commitment necessary to start the engine of economic development. The collective work with the communities, with Renaissance Downtowns and with the town has paid off.”
Town Councilman Mark Cuthbertson (D) and Councilwoman Susan Berland (D), both integral players in the town’s revitalization efforts, were equally excited about the progress being made on the site.
“Today is a great day for Huntington Station,” Cuthbertson said. “Anytime we can see brick, mortar and steel [in Huntington Station] with housing going up is a good sign. We have beautiful mixed-use buildings like this going up in Huntington Village that really, really add to the downtown area…but when we can have a building like this, when the economics are right, when government and the private sector come together and are able to do this in Huntington Station, we’re certainly on the right track.”
Berland assured the crowd that although it’s been long in the making, the project will be worth the wait.
“The businesses that are going to happen here and the people who are going to be able to move in to the heart of the station and live here and prosper here and shop here —it’s going to be fantastic,” Berland said. “It’s a beautiful design and it’s going to be a beautiful project when it’s done and we wish everybody who’s going to move in here lots and lots of happiness and years of shopping in Huntington and spending your money. They say the best things in life are worth waiting for and, well, this is absolutely worth waiting for.”
Don Monti, chairman of Renaissance Downtowns, referring to Petrone, said, “Huntington Station is something he’s wanted to see developed for many years and I’m happy and proud that prior to the supervisor departing that the dream has come true…and this is just a beginning… the first of many to come.”
“We’re going to attract millennials to this facility, and that speaks highly because the station is a hub, the station is a nucleus of people that commute, especially, and that’s who we are looking to attract.”
— Frank Petrone
Future projects proposed by Renaissance Downtowns, currently in the approval process, include a mixed-use building at the intersection of New York Avenue and Olive Street that will include 66 apartments and ground-level retail, a hotel and office building at New York Avenue and Railroad Street, and artists’ studios in what is currently a municipal parking lot at New York Avenue and Church Street.
Dolores Thompson, a community activist for more than 70 years and the mother of Town Councilwoman Tracey Edwards (D), said she’s been trying to bring back Huntington Station since it was “taken away in the 1950s.”
“This is one of the things that I wanted to see before I leave this world and to be here today and be able to witness the fact that we actually have started is like a blessing…I’m so pleased to be here,” Thompson said. In terms of what she hopes will come to Huntington Station, she laughed, “We need a hair salon, then a shoe store, we want a gathering place and a community room…we want everything, okay?”
Robert Rockelein, a member of the civic group Huntington Matters, called this “progress in the right direction.”
“The revitalization has been backsliding for decades, it’s long overdue and it’s going to help populate and reflourish the downtown area,” Rockelein said. “I’d like to see more neighborhood-established businesses rather than regional chains obviously, and give people that live and work here an opportunity to establish something here and build their American dream.”
Local leaders, developers and residents each took turns signing their names on the last piece of steel to be installed on the mixed-use building, which will be placed at the entrance.
Town board decides not to renew contract with current owner due to violating tax laws
The Grateful Paw Cat Shelter is located on Deposit Road in East Northport. File photo by Victoria Espinoza
By Victoria Espinoza
Huntington residents rallied behind the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter, of East Northport, this week after the Huntington Town Board announced it was evicting the shelter for failing to notify the board it had lost its 501(c)(3) not-for-profit in 2015.
Town Attorney Cindy Mangano addressed the public before the speakers began at the board meeting Tuesday, June 13, summarizing how the shelter, run by the League for Animal Protection and served exclusively by volunteers had taken this turn. She said the shelter was notified April 20 by the town to evacuate their Deposit Road establishment within 90 days due to losing their nonprofit status and violating federal and state law.
“In April, everybody here knows it’s time to file your tax returns or seek an extension,” Mangano said. “Charitable not-for-profit organizations must do the same thing. Earlier this year my office sat with Debbie Larkin, the president of LAP, and we were in the process of drafting a new agreement when we learned that a resident had incurred a penalty from the IRS for claiming a tax deduction for a donation to LAP.”
“I’m a cat lover, but five years without a filing, and it was known and the town was not told. I personally don’t have confidence in the league anymore to go forward when they knew the situation existed.”
— Frank Petrone
Mangano said the shelter had actually lost its not-for-profit status in 2015, but never advised the town, which was a breach in their original contractual agreement with the town. According to the town attorney, the LAP lost its charitable status because they did not file paperwork in time with the IRS and the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau office.
“When this came to my attention I scheduled a meeting with Ms. Larkin,” Mangano said. “She told us she knew but she failed to advise us of this fact. So I cannot in counsel to this board advise the board to enter into a new agreement with an organization that as we speak has violated its agreement with the town and is in violation of federal and state laws.”
Residents flocked to the podium to defend the shelter and its contribution to the Huntington community.
“I’m here today to appeal to the town’s decision,” Sharlene Turner, who has adopted many cats from the shelter, said. “Please give the league a renewed opportunity to prove itself.”
Turner suggested setting up strict guidelines and rules moving forward. She commended the dedication of the volunteer staff for providing a safe and warm environment for the animals.
“All volunteers know each cat by name,” she said. “They know their personalities and the relationship a cat has with every other friend in the shelter.
Donna Fitzhugh has been a volunteer at the shelter since 1989.
“I have volunteered over 3,000 hours,” she said. “As you can tell I love working with LAP and volunteering my time and energy to this very worthy organization that has been serving this community for over 43 years. Yes we screwed up, something happened, and we want to rectify this — we do not want to leave. We want to stay and serve the residents of the Town of Huntington.”
Haley Shore, an 11-year-old who donned cat ears at the meeting, said she’s been volunteering at the shelter for about seven years.
“When I heard the news Huntington was going to possibly close the shelter, I was devastated,” she said. “The shelter has become my second home. But this is not about me, it’s about the shelter and all the innocent cats. What are they supposed to do without all of their dedicated and loyal volunteers? For some of these cats this has been the only home they’ve ever known. The cats can’t talk, so we have to be their voices.”
Haley also brought a petition signed by many friends and neighbors.
Several of the volunteers asked the board what would happen to the cats if the shelter closed its doors. According to the town, two other shelters have offered to take over including The Little Shelter in Elwood. However volunteers argued they don’t offer the same amount of health services for animals as the Grateful Paw staff does.
“Yes we screwed up, something happened, and we want to rectify this — we do not want to leave.”
—Donna Fitzhugh
Supervisor Frank Petrone (D) assured the audience that all of the cats living at the shelter now would continue to be cared for, and the shelter would continue with its no-kill policy. However despite the pleas of many residents, he said he had great concerns moving forward with LAP.
“Animals will not be harmed,” Petrone said at the meeting. “I’m a cat lover, but five years without a filing, and it was known and the town was not told. I personally don’t have confidence in the league anymore to go forward when they knew the situation existed.”
Petrone said it’s not as easy as the shelter just refiling for not-for-profit status.
“These laws were broken,” he said. “So you’re telling us just go forward and let’s make it nice. Well it’s not that simple.”
No further decision was reached by the board at the meeting.
Good Samaritans and SCPD Marine Bureau divers help a driver submerged in
Port Jefferson Harbor April 6. Photo by Andrew Tetreault/Fully Involved Media Group
Following an April incident in which a man drove into Port Jefferson Harbor via the Town of Brookhaven boat ramp located at the north end of Barnum Avenue, Port Jefferson Village is calling for action.
Village Mayor Margot Garant announced during a board meeting June 5 the village has sent a letter to the New York State Department of Transportation and State Sen. Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) asking for the traffic signal at the intersection of Barnum Avenue and West Broadway to be changed from having a standard green light to a green left arrow and right arrow. The April 6 incident saw a man in his early 60s drive into Port Jefferson Harbor via the ramp at about 5:30 p.m., according to the Suffolk County Police Department. The car was found submerged underwater and a few good Samaritans helped remove the man from the car. Members from the Suffolk County Marine Bureau dive team went in the water to search for possible additional victims. The driver was treated for serious injuries at Stony Brook Hospital and his current condition is still not known, according to Garant.
“People sometimes are losing their way on a misty morning or a foggy morning or a rainy morning or on a sunny morning,” Garant said during the meeting.
In the aftermath of the incident in April Garant called on the Town of Brookhaven to step up and do something to resolve the recurring issue, as the ramp is town property.
“It’s only a matter of time before this happens again,” she said.
A spokesperson for the town that asked not to be named responded to Garant’s calls for action at the time.
“The Port Jefferson boat ramp has existed at its current location for generations,” the spokesperson said. “A number of measures are in place including a multitude of ‘Do Not Enter’ signs, road arrows and other traffic control measures to clearly indicate that this is not an entrance.”
This is not the first time the positioning of the town ramp beyond the village intersection has been the source of controversy.
According to documents obtained from Brookhaven in May, both the town and village were sued by the wife and executrix of the estate of Richard Levin in 2007. Levin died Dec. 5, 2005, after driving into the water via the ramp at about 6 p.m. Alice Cialella, an eyewitness of the incident who was directly behind Levin in traffic, said Levin had his left blinker on, hesitated momentarily, then accelerated through the intersection and plunged into the harbor via the ramp.
“As a result of the negligence of the defendants in failing to properly maintain the intersection of Route 25A and Barnum Ave., in failing to properly safeguard against motorists driving onto said Port Jefferson ramp into the water, in failing to properly illuminate said area, in failing to provide fencing and warning lights — as a result of the aforementioned Richard Levin died,” the lawsuit read in part. “[The] town failed to submit any evidence that it maintained its property in a reasonably safe condition by providing adequate fencing, lighting or warning of the dangerous condition on its property.”
Judge Joseph Farneti of the New York State Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit in January 2011 because the “acts or omissions of defendants were not the proximate cause of the alleged accident.”
Christopher Kelsch, a former village resident who was given a Carnegie Medal by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission for trying to save Levin, said in an April phone interview he’d like to see action to prevent similar future accidents.
“People are dying here and it’s a simple fix,” he said. Kelsch also testified on behalf of Levin’s case in the 2011 lawsuit.
Set in the super-fast, super-rich world of LA and New York during the financial boom of the early 2000s, in the lead up to the 2008 financial crash, and featuring the obsessive collectors, outraged wine producers, suspect auction houses and specialist FBI sleuths, “Sour Grapes” is an “Emperor’s New Clothes” fable for the modern age.
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