John Randel “Rand” Weeks V, of Brooklyn and formerly of Stony Brook, died of cancer Nov. 16, just days short of his 60th birthday.
Rand attended Three Village schools and graduated from the Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts and Fordham University. A descendent of John Randel, the surveyor who plotted both the Manhattan grid and the Erie Canal, Rand was a musician, writer and electrician.
Among his particular passions was the restoration of oyster reefs and oyster farming in New York Harbor and around the Island.
He leaves behind his friend Mary Gillette, also of Brooklyn; sister Ann Weeks Lustig; her husband Eric; her daughter Eleanor; and her son James along with many cousins and numerous friends from all parts of his full and varied life.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 11:30 a.m. at Caroline Episcopal Church in Setauket with lunch to follow. There will also be a celebration of his life and work at MacNeil Park in Queens — the site of one of the oyster reef projects on which he worked — on April 7, 2024, at noon.
In this episode, we offer live updates from Brookhaven Town Hall as the future of Jefferson Plaza in Port Jeff Station hangs in the balance. Plus, a shocking turn as a fire engulfs the Tesla Science Center in Shoreham — we unpack the latest details and discuss restoration plans. Winter sports season previews and valuable insights on managing your investments are all in one episode.
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Some parents had advocated to make the pandemic-era reprieve permanent
Public domain photo
Regents exam scores will account for 10% of student grades this year in Three Village Central School District, despite calls to extend a COVID-19 pandemic-era policy that only includes the scores when they improve student course grades.
The decision, which came after robust discussion and disagreement among board members at their Nov. 29 meeting, goes along with the recommendation of a district committee to include the scores at 10% of the final grade — down from the 12% that was policy before the pandemic reprieve.
Freshman board members Karen Roughley and David McKinnon spoke openly against including scores in all student grades, particularly because New York State does not mandate doing so for all districts, and they said it could disadvantage Three Village students who struggle with test anxiety, have special needs or experience a personal catastrophe before the test date.
“Using the Regents scores would decrease a student’s GPA and put them at a disadvantage against all the other students in the state who do not have it included, in applying for colleges and scholarships,” Roughley said.
The State Education Department’s website states it “does not require nor recommend the inclusion of Regents exam scores in the computation of final course averages,” and rather leaves it up to each district to decide.
McKinnon called this approach a failure of leadership. “The state doesn’t stand behind their test,” he said. “The state makes the test, they pass it out, they grade it, but then they have no effective policy on what we should do with that test.”
After parents — especially those of children with special needs — spoke out last spring, the previous board voted to extend the so-called Do No Harm policy through the end of the 2022-2023 school year with the caveat that a permanent decision should come this fall.
In recommending inclusion of Regents scores at 10%, the committee suggested students may not take the exams as seriously if the scores don’t count toward a course grade.
Trustee Vincent Vizzo, a former teacher and administrator who has a long affiliation with Three Village and said he was part of writing Regents exams in the past, admitted he was not a fan of the state tests and understands they can hurt students who do not do well. “I have very mixed opinions right now,” he said. “But if a committee of educators are saying that they want to keep the percentage, then I don’t think the board should micromanage and decide against what the committee is saying.”
Board president Susan Rosenzweig also expressed mixed feelings, saying she believes Do No Harm makes philosophical sense, but that there can be valuable information garnered from all students “meaningfully engaging in the assessments.”
When the remaining board members echoed Vizzo’s desire to defer to the committee of professional educators, Rosenzweig attempted to broker a compromise by suggesting the board include the scores at 5% instead of 10%, which she said was her “comfort level,” but only trustee Jeffrey Kerman expressed interest in changing the percentage, saying he would vote for either 5% or 10%.
Seeing no appetite for middle ground, Rosensweig cast the deciding vote with an audible sigh. “Because I guess it’s not going to go any other way,” she said.
John Charles Cooke II, of East Setauket and Cazenovia, New York, passed away peacefully in Cazenovia on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at the age of 90.
John was born in Hempstead on Jan. 26, 1933, to John Charles Cooke and Emma Kopec Olson at the height of the Great Depression. He came from humble beginnings, overcame many obstacles and prospered as a self-made man. John, quite simply, lived a full and extraordinary life.
At 16, John founded Cooke Contracting with his uncle, operating heavy equipment at various locations. He then went on to launch Cooke & Olson Inc., designing and constructing custom homes throughout Long Island with his business partner.
John and his first wife had three children: John, Jennifer and Judith. When John met his second wife, Elaine Goldthwaite, their family grew to include Elaine’s son John and daughter Adair.
Aside from being a strong and supportive father, he was also a proud grandfather — “Poppa Cooke” — of 11 grandchildren:John Mark and Sonya Cicci; Evan and Trevor Cooke; Maureen, Grace, and Meg Milmoe; Katie and Elizabeth DeMarino, Jordan and Sarah Passe Cooke; and great grandchild, Jameson.
As a longtime resident of East Setauket, John was a passionate sailor and a member of the Setauket Yacht Club. He spent many hours racing his legendary Raven sloop around Port Jefferson Harbor. He also competed in classic offshore and Long Island Sound races as a foredeck specialist that included multiple Newport-Bermuda races, Off Soundings regattas and New York Yacht Club cruises.
When not out sailing, you could find John at his easel oil painting nautical scenery, running or walking around his neighborhood of Strongs Neck or at the local range trap shooting.
John was a beloved husband to Elaine Goldthwaite Cooke and is also survived by his five children: John Charles (Deborah) Cooke III, Jennifer Cooke Cicci, John (Alexandra) DeMarino Jr., Judith Cooke (Tony) Weseman, Adair DeMarino (Patrick) Milmoe; 11 grandchildren; one great grandchild; and sister, Gloria Bobbit.
John was preceded in death by his father, John Charles Cooke; mother, Emma Kopec Olson; brother, Dave Olson; and sister, Alice.
No services will be held at this time, and the family requests no donations or flowers be sent. Condolences for the family may be left at www.michaelebrownfuneralservices.com.
Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich presents a new architectural rendering for the proposed redevelopment of Jefferson Plaza during a Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association meeting Tuesday, Nov. 28. Photo by Joan Nickeson
The Brookhaven Town Board will hear public comments on the Jefferson Plaza shopping center in Port Jefferson Station, a proposed redevelopment project with the potential to reshape the face of the hamlet and reorient its long-term trajectory.
The board will hold a public hearing Thursday, Nov. 30, to consider rezoning the 10-acre parcel, owned by Hauppauge-based Staller Associates, to a Commercial Redevelopment District, a new classification within the Zoning Code crafted “to stimulate the revitalization of abandoned, vacant or underutilized commercial shopping center, bowling alley and health club properties.” [See story, “First of its kind: Brookhaven Town Board to review new zoning category for Jefferson Plaza in Port Jeff Station,” Nov. 16, TBR News Media.]
In the runup to the public hearing, the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association held its general meeting Tuesday night, Nov. 28, to establish a set of priorities for overseeing the proposed redevelopment.
Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) attended the meeting, identifying four primary areas of concern based on feedback he has heard from the community: traffic, density, height and architecture.
Kornreich said several of those concerns could be addressed through a 35-foot cap on building height. “What I’m going to be looking for is not four stories but a maximum height of 35 feet, which is the same maximum height that you can get in any residential area,” he said.
Leaders and members of the civic association generally favored the 35-foot cap.
The councilmember stated his intention for the developer to adhere to the conditions outlined under the Zoning Code instead of pursuing variances and other relaxations of use.
Regarding architecture, Kornreich said he had consulted with the developer, advocating for “a little bit less of New Hyde Park and a little bit more of New England.” He then presented an architectural rendering of the new proposal that was received favorably by the civic.
Much of the meeting was opened up to members, who offered ideas and raised concerns. Among the issues deliberated were the potential relocation of the post office on-site, availability and diversity of retail options at the property, possible tax increases and related traffic and environmental impact.
Jennifer Dzvonar, president of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce, endorsed the redevelopment initiative. “It’s very blighted,” she said. “A lot of local stores are leaving there,” adding, “We want to keep expanding and revitalizing the area.”
Charlie McAteer, corresponding secretary of PJSTCA, discussed the possible community givebacks that could be offered through such redevelopment.
“We have to work on … a purchase of some open space in our hub area that’s forever wild,” he said. He added that this form of local giveback would cushion the deal for surrounding neighbors “because they’re giving us, the community, something that we would like.”
Following discussion, the body authorized PJSTCA president Ira Costell to deliver a statement Thursday night to the Town Board representing the collective views of the organization.
The public hearing is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, at Brookhaven Town Hall, 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville.
Steven Leventhal, the Village of Port Jefferson’s ethics counsel, presents proposed ethics code changes during a public hearing Monday night, Nov. 20. Photo by Raymond Janis
Discussions centered around ethics at Village Hall Monday night, Nov. 20.
The Port Jefferson Board of Trustees held a public hearing to consider repealing and replacing Chapter 41 of the Village Code, its Code of Ethics. This ethics code was first adopted by the village board in 1970, according to ecode360, and has seen few amendments since.
Steven Leventhal, the village’s ethics counsel, delivered a lengthy presentation detailing the proposed code changes to the board.
“The primary purpose of the ethics program is not enforcement — it’s not rooting out evildoers,” he said. “Our primary goal is offering guidance to the honest officers and employees of the village.”
Leventhal said that the draft proposal before the board is roughly the same code of ethics adopted by various other municipalities across Long Island and New York state, with some minor local variations.
The proposed code includes three principal categories: a code of conduct, disclosure requirements and administration.
The code of conduct would establish standards for officials and employees, offering guidelines for using public office for private gain, types of prohibited contracts, grounds for recusal, conflicts of interest and investments, gifts and favors.
The section on disclosure requirements outlined how village officials must recuse themselves from particular decisions. Applicants in land use, such as before the zoning and planning boards or Building Department, “must disclose at the time of application the identity of any state or municipal officer or employee that has an interest in the applicant,” the ethics counsel noted.
The section also requires disclosure of clients and customers doing business with the village, with some exceptions to protect confidentiality.
The final section would establish a board of ethics to administer the new code. Leventhal said an effective ethics board must convene at least quarterly, maintaining independence from the appointing authority — namely, the Board of Trustees — and an apolitical nature.
Under the proposed code, ethics board members must be village residents appointed to fixed, staggered terms of service. Under the current language, the board would have enforcement powers to fine up to $10,000 for violations.
During the public comment period, resident Arthur Epp scrutinized the $10,000 figure and questioned the board membership process. He asked the Board of Trustees for a 30-day review period to allow for necessary public input.
Responding, Leventhal advised the village board against overdefining membership criteria to the ethics board, given the village’s relatively low population compared to other municipalities.
Resident Xena Ugrinsky inquired about the process for whistleblowers to submit complaints to the ethics board. Leventhal advised that the board would ideally have counsel or a secretary to receive and process such complaints.
Following these comments, the village board agreed to leave the public comment period open for written testimony to the village clerk until Thursday, Dec. 7.
To read the complete draft of the proposed guidelines, visit portjeff.com/proposedethicscode. To watch the entire meeting, including trustee reports and board resolutions, see the video above.
Volunteers help break ground for the project made possible by $10K PSEGLI grant
The Living Lands design team at Three Village Historical Society. From left, Mike Dondero, Alex Getches and Logan Kjep. Photo by Kimberly Phyfe/TVHS
Three Village Historical Society broke ground last week on a project to install a series of gardens surrounding its main building on North Country Road, courtesy of a $10,000 outdoor commerce and beautification grant from PSEG Long Island.
The gardens will include a pollinator pathway, colonial kitchen garden, indigenous medical garden and sensory garden, all with native plants, according to Kimberly Phyfe, development coordinator for TVHS. She added that the plan also includes garden paths, educational signage and some additional trees.
“This is going to be a teachable educational space,” she said. “You’re going to be able to walk through a timeline of history.”
A series of gardens will surround Three Village Historical Society’s main building after the society received a $10,000 grant from PSEG Long Island. Photo by Mallie Jane Kim
At a Friday, Nov. 10, “garden party,” an estimated 20 community volunteers, including some members of the Three Village Garden Club and the historical society’s grounds committee, participated in clearing most of the ground cover, invasive species and weeds to prepare for the project, which is headed up by Living Lands, a North-Shore based garden design and installation company that specializes in native habitats and ecological restoration, primarily on a residential level.
Living Lands co-owners Logan Kjep and Alexandra Getches said they feel honored to be part of such a community-facing project to highlight the beauty and usefulness of native plants.
“Getting to find out the history of the plants and the way they were used in the past has been really interesting because we focus more on their role in ecology,” Getches said. “Investigating how the indigenous people used them, how the colonists used them was really fascinating.”
The PSEGLI grant is typically for downtowns or business districts. Phyfe said when the representative originally stopped by last spring on a Monday at 10 a.m., all was quiet on the stretch of North Country Road where the society sits.
She said she urged him to return on a Friday afternoon during the farmers market so he could “see this town taken over by small businesses, locally owned; food trucks, music, education, entertainment — everybody is here on a Friday night. I think that’s what really did it.”
Phyfe added that the market brings business to neighboring establishments and acts as the start of historic Setauket. “Welcome to Culper country — this is the home of historic American Revolution stories right here in Three Village,” she said.
Phyfe called the gardens an “outdoor classroom and teaching garden space” that will be available even when the museum and visitor center is closed, and will expand on the education provided by the Culper Spy and Chicken Hill exhibits, which can host only small groups at a time during student or Scout visits.
She said the sensory garden will be particularly friendly to students with sensory processing disorder. “I want to make learning and field trips accessible to learners of all ages, and particularly learners with disabilities and special needs,” she said.
Phyfe indicated the garden project should be completed by Thanksgiving.
Town Supervisor Dan Panico at a Town Board meeting. Photo from TOB
By Nasrin Zahed
The Town of Brookhaven is currently at a crossroads in its relationship with the cable and internet conglomerate Cablevision/Optimum/Altice, as officials considered the franchise agreement renewal, in the name of Suffolk Cable Corporation, during a Town Board meeting held Thursday, Nov. 16.
The agreement, granting the company sole authority to provide cable services within the town, is a multifaceted document that delineates Optimum’s rights and establishes the framework for the town’s regulatory role.
Understanding the context of the franchise agreement requires a closer look at the regulatory landscape governing cable services in the town. As revealed in recent information, a cable operator must apply for a franchise to provide cable services. Notably, it may operate outside the agreement, which is expressly limited to cable television services. The town lacks authority over internet and telephone services, even if the same cables and equipment used are shared for cable television delivery.
State and federal regulations further shape the town’s authority over cable television franchises. The town also cannot regulate programming on a cable television system and is constrained in its ability to control rates, except for the most basic level of service. Federal limitations also extend to franchise fees, capping the town’s ability to require payments from the cable operator.
During the meeting, town Supervisor-elect Dan Panico (R) expressed concerns about the internet and cable providers’ profit motives. “There’s nothing that can be said here today to lead me to believe that they are not jacking up prices and having meetings to see where the threshold pain point is to extract as much money from residents as possible,” he said.
In response to these regulatory constraints, the town has engaged the services of a special counsel, Thomas Levin, to negotiate an agreement that maximizes the town’s authority within legal bounds while ensuring the delivery of quality cable television services to the Brookhaven community. The proposed agreement spans a decade, during which the cable operator commits to providing cable television in the unincorporated areas of the town.
One essential aspect of the proposed agreement is regulating the cable system’s operation under federal and state law. The agreement allows the town to impose a franchise fee, capped at 5% of the cable system revenues, ensuring a balanced approach to funding the regulatory framework.
The proposed agreement outlines procedures for the town to verify credit payments and secure $222,100 in grants from the cable television operator. These funds are earmarked for supporting public, educational and government cable programming — a crucial step in enhancing community engagement and access to information.
As the town navigates the landscape of cable service regulation, community participation becomes integral in shaping the future of cable services within its borders. A recent public statement from town officials invites community members to share their experiences with their cable and internet providers and contribute to the decision-making process.
This call to action is noteworthy given the proposed changes to the agreement, including a senior citizen discount and the introduction of a cable subscriber bill of rights.
The Town Board will reconvene on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 5 p.m., with a highly anticipated public hearing to consider a change of zone for the Jefferson Plaza property in Port Jefferson Station. To view the full hearing, please visit brookhavenny.gov/meetings.
Students in Earl L. Vandermeulen High School’s AP Environmental Science class and the Environmental Club with teacher Jonathan Maletta, left. Photo courtesy PJSD
Students in Earl L. Vandermeulen High School’s AP Environmental Science class and the Environmental Club took a trip to Rocketship Park in Port Jefferson on Thursday, Nov. 16, as part of a collaborative beautification project between Port Jefferson School District and the Village of Port Jefferson Parks Department.
The district’s athletic director, Adam Sherrard, and the village’s superintendent of parks, Dave Melious, had discussed how Port Jefferson students could give back to the community and promote Port Jefferson pride within the village.
The duo came up with a plan to plant 200 purple and white tulips in front of the basketball courts at Rocketship Park. They were joined by science teacher Jonathan Maletta.
Students in attendance were Olivia Bianco, Anneliese Byrne, Katie Chambers, Eric Chen, Thalia Dorsett, Kyle Erickson, Savannah Florio, Jadie Hernandez, Michael Lipskiy, Madeline Matvya, Noah Mimarbasi, Myeda Nawaz, Gavin Onghai, Alyssa Passarella, Ottilie Philbrick, Brielle Procaccini, Cooper Reale, Mia Savino, Nicholas Smirnov, Carman Stanton, Charlotte Tishim and Julia Weinstein.
Local legislators hold a Women of Distinction event on Thursday, Nov. 16, at the East Setauket VFW Post 3054. From left, New York State Assemblyman Ed Flood, Diana Brown, Gail Lynch-Bailey and Suffolk County Legislator Nick Caracappa. Photo by Raymond Janis
Two local women recently took the spotlight at the East Setauket VFW Post 3054, where New York State Assemblyman Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson) and Suffolk County Legislator Nick Caracappa (C-Selden) jointly held a Women of Distinction event Thursday, Nov. 16.
The legislators recognized Gail Lynch-Bailey, president of the Middle Island Civic Association, and Diana Brown, district manager for the Gordon Heights Fire District, presenting these local leaders with proclamations from their respective legislative bodies.
Flood read off some of Lynch-Bailey’s professional accomplishments. Along with her civic leadership position, she has operated Delmar Studios, served on the Town of Brookhaven Accessory Apartment Review Board and worked as an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University.
“Gail has been an unbelievable member of the community,” the state assemblyman said. “No matter what’s going on in Middle Island, Gail’s got her hand in it one way or another.”
During his address, Caracappa received thunderous laughter from the audience when he joked, “We’re on a much smaller budget in the county,” as he presented Lynch-Bailey with a substantially smaller proclamation than Flood’s.
Caracappa told her, “What you do for our community and our veterans and our youth is outstanding, so with that, I’d like to present my much smaller version.”
Lynch-Bailey expressed her appreciation, saying, “It’s wonderful to have partners in government” and thanking her husband for his continued support.
In a second proclamation ceremony, Flood and Caracappa jointly honored Brown, who has been fire district manager for 18 years.
“The Gordon Heights Fire District is crucial to the community,” Flood said. “It’s kind of the hub of that community, and Diana is at the heart of all of that.”
Along with her public service work, she has contributed 25 years to JPMorgan Chase and is active in the Coram-based Faith Baptist Church.
While Gordon Heights falls outside Caracappa’s 4th Legislative District, he told Brown, “What you’ve achieved in your professional, personal and community life is just amazing, and you have every right to be recognized today.”
Following these remarks, Brown thanked the legislators, family and those in attendance.
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