On May 4, Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner was at the Rose Caracappa Senior Center in Mt. Sinai for her first Paper Shredding, Electronic and Prescription Drug Take Back recycling event of the year. The beautiful weather brought out 520 vehicles to drop off 6360 lbs. of electronic waste, 16,480 lbs. of paper for shredding and 11 boxes of prescription drugs for proper disposal.
On May 8, Councilwoman Jane Bonner met with Ann Becker, former Mt. Sinai Civic Association president, to present her with the Town of Brookhaven Women’s Recognition Award for her “Outstanding Service in the Town of Brookhaven.”
Ms. Becker was unable to attend the March 21 event, so Councilwoman Bonner brought the award to her. The recipients of the 2024 Women’s Recognition Awards were honored at the 38th Annual Women& Recognition Night, held on March 21 at Brookhaven Town Hall. The event, which was open to the public, was sponsored by the Town’s Office of Women Services, Department of General Services.
Nominated by members of the community, the winners either live or work in the Town of Brookhaven and have demonstrated excellence in their endeavors in a variety of areas. Nominations were considered by members of Brookhaven’s Women’s Advisory Board and selected based on resumes and letters of recommendation.
On May 2, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico, Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro and members of the Brookhaven Town Board welcomed a fleet of dump trucks filled with illegally placed signs. The Town crews removed the signs from public right-of-ways, roadsides, utility poles and more as the signs were in violation of the Town’s Illegal Road Sign law.
In 2014, The New York State Court of Appeals unanimously reversed a lower court decision that had ruled the town law was unconstitutional. The court said the Brookhaven sign code “directly serves the town’s valid interests in traffic safety and aesthetics.” The decision stemmed from an appeal filed by a Holbrook business after the company pleaded guilty in 2012 to charges that it had illegally posted advertising signs on public land along a town highway in 2011. In 2014, the proposed strengthening of the Town’s existing code to ban all signs on Town public right-of-ways was unanimously adopted by the Town Board. Since its adoption, the Town’s Department of Waste Management has collected thousands of illegal signs.
Pictured at right, left to right are Highway Crew member Corey Citarella; Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro; Councilman Neil Manzella; Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig; Parks Crew member, Christopher Devine; Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich; Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico; Commissioner Department of Recycling and Sustainable Materials Management Christine Fetten, George Dixon, Alejandro Genao and Kyle Brown.
Donation is part of Town’s “Greening Brookhaven” Program
On Monday, April 29, Town Councilman Neil Manzella (right) and Town Clerk Kevin LaValle (left) arranged for a truckload of free compost to be delivered to the Sachem Public Library’s “Inside Out” garden.
Located directly across from the library’s main entrance, the garden features an area for large performances and programs, as well as smaller quiet locations where residents can enjoy a children’s story hour, appreciate the beauty of nature, or take a leisurely stroll.
Also pictured are Sachem Public Library Director, Neely McCahey (second from left) and Sachem Public Library Facilities Manager, Anthony Bliss.
For more information about the Sachem Public Library and the “Inside Out Garden,” go to www.SachemLibrary.org. For more information about the Town’s Free Compost and Mulch giveaway, go to www.BrookhavenNY.gov or call 631-451-TOWN (8696).
On Saturday, May 4, residents securely disposed of over 9.99 tons (19,980 pounds) in paper documents during the Town of Smithtown Municipal Services Facility (MSF) bi-annual shredding event. A steady stream of residents arrived throughout the day to shred personal documents courtesy of the full-service confidential shredding company; Data Struction, Inc., Complete Shredding Solutions. This bi-annual event is hosted free of charge (3 box limit per person) for residents, courtesy of the Smithtown Department of Environment and Waterways (DEW) and the Municipal Services Facility (MSF).
“Protecting private information is crucial for safeguarding our identities. That is why the Shred Event is so valuable. This is a proactive approach to ensure personal information is disposed of safely and securely. I commend our teams at the Municipal Services Facility and Department of Environment and Waterways for their outstanding work providing this service in a convenient and efficient manner to our residents,” said Smithtown Town Councilman Thomas J. McCarthy.
The Department of Environment and Waterways and Municipal Services Facility provided additional support staff to assist with moving vehicles along. Residents were pleased with the service provided by MSF and DEW staff, in addition to the two trucks from Data Shredding Services of Hauppauge. Participants enjoyed short to no wait times and the opportunity to dispose of their documents safely while also avoiding the potential risk of identity theft.
“It was great to see residents taking the opportunity to dispose of their personal documents while avoiding the potential of identity theft. Residents were pleased with the service provided by the MSF and DEW staff, in addition to the two shredding trucks contracted from Data Struction, Inc., Complete Shredding Solutions from Oceanside, New York. A special thank you to Municipal Services Facility’s Neil Sheehan and Tom Pascarellato together with the MSF and DEW team who worked hard to ensure this event was successful,” added Michael P. Engelmann, P.G. Department of Environment and Waterways.
The May Shred Event was hosted at the Municipal Services Facility, located at 85 Old Northport Road in Kings Park, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Data Shredding Service, Inc. is a full-service confidential shredding service located in Oceanside. The next paper shredding event is scheduled for October 19. For updates on upcoming free events hosted by the Town of Smithtown, download the Mobile App, which is available for free on Google Play and the App Store.
Recently, Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich presented a compost tumbler to Richard and Linda Belmont of Strongs Neck, winners of the Town of Brookhaven’s “Compost Tumbler Giveaway” from Council District 1.
The contest was held on the Town’s “CURBY Town of Brookhaven’s Recycling Can” Facebook page in honor of Earth Day. Residents pledged to reduce their waste in a variety of ways, such as bringing a reusable coffee mug or buying fresh food with little to no packaging. One winner was selected from each Town Council District.
Through its Green Energy and Sustainability Initiative, the Town has been “greening-up” its operations and facilities while saving taxpayer money by utilizing new, and more energy efficient technologies and renewable energy sources. All these efforts lower operation costs and reduce Town carbon emissions. By encouraging waste diversion through recycling and composting, the Town can further realize spending and emissions reductions.
For more information about recycling in the Town of Brookhaven, visit www.BrookhavenNY.gov.
By Lynn Hallarman
During the April 24 Village of Port Jefferson Board of Trustees meeting, discussions surrounding the Port Jefferson school district budget for the year 2024-25 and the new village parking initiative took center stage.
School budget
Deputy Superintendent Sean Leister provided a detailed overview of the school district’s financial landscape, emphasizing ongoing challenges. These challenges include an uncertain timeline for resolving the Child Victims Act litigation and decreases in revenue due to the LIPA glide path agreement.
Leister reported that the Board of Education deliberated extensively on budget allocations for the upcoming year, focusing on necessary construction projects. Due to budget constraints, the school board approved four projects totaling $1 million. These projects relate to demolishing a no-longer-habitable high school portable classroom, renovating the high school orchestra room, renovating the elementary school pool and continuing a roofing project.
Reduced enrollment prompted reductions in staff positions, amounting to 3.6 full-time equivalent positions.
“I don’t say this lightheartedly for any reduction for a staff member is tough, but someone may be reduced from 100% to 80% meaning going from five classes to four,” Leister said.
The budget breakdown highlighted that 77% of the district’s funding goes to salaries and benefits.
“Once you take into account collective bargaining agreements, state regulations and state mandates, of this whole budget probably only about 4% is controllable,” he said.
Leister noted increases for the coming year in medical insurance (10%), liability insurance (4%), teacher retirement insurance (9.76%-10.25%) and utilities (4%).
Mayor Lauren Sheprow sought clarity on the reserve funds in the budget presentation. Leister indicated that the presentation did not explicitly state the details of the reserve funds. However, residents can find information about the funds on the district’s website. Leister summarized for the mayor a general breakdown of the reserve into six parts that comprise a fund for workers compensation, unemployment insurance, spikes in the retirement system, the teachers and civil service unions, and capital projects.
“Right now, our capital reserve fund is $3.1 million. We use that to do different capital projects. The way we fund it is when we have a surplus at the end of a given year — the board will pass a motion to fund that reserve up to no more than $1.5 million each year,” Leister said.
Trustee Drew Biondo asked, “Is there any working group going on to bring the community in and talk about what we are doing as a district as our enrollment drops and how we maintain our services?”
Sheprow responded, “In fact, the village created a school district interactive working group in response to taxpayer feedback about this issue. My perspective is that it is about building trust with community members to show that you are listening to them and being fiscally responsible.”
The 2024-25 second draft budget is projected at $48,018,335 ($47,066,099 in 2023-24), an increase of 2.02%.
The total amount of taxes levied by the school district for the 2024-25 academic year is estimated at $39.8 million ($39.3 million), a 1.24% increase.
The vote for or against the 2024-25 budget will be held at the Earl L. Vandermeulen High School cafeteria on Tuesday, May 21.
Managed parking
Andrew Freleng, director of the Building & Planning Department, reported on the progress of the newly-implemented parking management system. His presentation reviewed the village’s recent effort to streamline its parking infrastructure and improve user experience. The new system departs from previous practices, informed by operational recommendations from the parking committee.
The initiative kicked off with the removal of redundant signage and simplified messaging. The new system also retooled pay stations to emphasize functionality and user experience.
Freleng emphasized the use of empirical data to inform operational decision-making. The overall approach is to refine the parking management strategy over time in response to data-driven outcomes such as revenue generated and community feedback.
Managed parking in the village began April 15. Homeowners must each renew their virtual permit to park for free in village lots every two years. Renters renew every year.
On April 29, Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner (fourth from left) stopped by the Leisure Village
Senior Club in Ridge to thank the members for their generous donation of $5000 to Saint Jude Children’s
Research Hospital.
Over the last 3 years, the group has raised and donated $9000 to Saint Jude. The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of their founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.
Councilwoman Bonner said, “The work that these volunteers do for the children at St. Jude is truly heroic. It’s a labor of love that pays back ten-fold when you see the smiles on the faces of the children and their parents when they leave the hospital.”
Pictured left to right are Cheryl Guastello; Linda Staszak; Stacey Bawker, St. Jude’s Philanthropic Advisor; Councilwoman Jane Bonner; Kathy Senatore; Ellen Fisher; Lil Nociforo and Gail Powell.
To learn more about how you can donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, go to www.stjude.org .
On April 24, at the Port Jefferson Board of Trustees Regular Board Meeting, Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis and members of the university’s leadership team were presented with a proclamation by Port Jefferson Mayor Lauren Sheprow declaring Port Jefferson as “Seawolves Country.”
In addition to President McInnis, the other university leaders in attendance included Chief Operating Officer of Stony Brook University Hospital, Carol Gomes; Vice President for Student Affairs, Rick Gatteau; Director of Athletics, Shawn Helibron; and Chief Deputy to the President and the Senior Vice President for Government and Community Relations Judy Greiman.
“In Port Jefferson, we are so lucky to be here as a resource and a respite for the 40,000 plus…people who live, work, and study on that beautiful, amazing [Stony Brook University] campus six miles down the road from us,” said Mayor Sheprow, who worked for the university for sixteen years.
Highlighting the time honored relationship between the Village of Port Jefferson and Stony Brook, the proclamation formally presented a step forward in identifying the Village as a welcoming place for students, faculty and staff to “enjoy all that the Village of Port Jefferson has to offer.”
“On behalf of everybody who is here, our students, but really the entire Stony Brook community, I could not be more excited to accept, on behalf of Stony Brook University, this great proclamation, and, Go Seawolves!” said President McInnis.
The Village is home to the Port Jefferson EMS, which provides a residential paramedic training program available to Stony Brook students. Also nestled in the Port Jefferson Harbor is the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences’ Research Vessel, the Seawolf, which provides research capabilities through large-scale oceanographic sampling and trawling. Approximately 250 students and 500 faculty and staff also live in Port Jefferson.
On April 24, Councilwoman Jane Bonner (center) was a guest speaker at the Eastern Suffolk BOCES Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services (ESBOCES) Community Legislative Committee meeting. The Community Legislative Committee, which is open to the community, is generally comprised of ESBOCES students, staff, parents, and ESBOCES Board Members. The committee is for those who are interested in learning about the issues impacting school districts and BOCES and how to advocate for positive change.
Also pictured are (left) ESBOCES Chief Operating Officer, David Wicks and (right) ESBOCES Board Vice President, Bill Miller. Councilwoman Bonner said, “The training that the students receive from BOCES will give them a smoother path when they are seeking employment. Navigating the employment market can be a challenge, but the career training they get at BOCES will help to turn their dream job into a reality.”
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