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Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich speaks at the Three Village Civic Association meeting on April 7. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

By Sabrina Artusa

At a recent Three Village Civic Association meeting, Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) announced the formation of a new battery energy storage advisory committee consisting of scientists, fire department representatives, school superintendents and civic leaders. 

The advisory group supplements an official Town of Brookhaven task force, as suggested by the New York State Research and Development Authority. NYSERDA’s Battery Energy Storage Guidebook recommends creating a task force representing “interested stakeholders” to help create or amend the protocols, processes and strategies involved in implementing a battery energy storage system. 

“The Town of Brookhaven at large has not made a battery advisory task force as recommended by NYSERDA,” Kornreich said. “So I am making my own.” 

With several engineers to help navigate the technicalities, scientists to analyze alternate forms of energy storage, civic leaders like Three Village Civic Association President Charles Tramontana to tap into the sentiments of residents, and local school superintendents who are looking out for the next generation, the task force aims to disseminate their findings, dispel misinformation and scrutinize the systems from various industry perspectives. 

“The goal is to really make information available to everyone,” said Nancy Goroff, a retired professor of chemistry at Stony Brook University and former trustee for the Long Island Power Authority. “From my point of view a key aspect is figuring out what conditions, what parameters must be met in order for the battery energy storage systems to be safe. If we decide there are not a set of parameters for it to be safe, then we would recommend against building. I think it is more likely that we will come up with a list of parameters and conditions that can be met for the committee to make a consensus. “

“It is always better to have more information than not enough,” said Three Village civic member George Hoffman, who is pleased that a task force has been formed and commended Kornreich on the initiative.  “I think it will make the public more comfortable.” 

The group is tasked with comparing the facilities with peaker plants, a power plant that activates during times of high demand, considering alternative technologies and analyzing existing and emerging codes and safety measures.  

“I have reservations about lithium batteries,” said Kornreich at the civic meeting. ”But, I am not an expert on batteries and in the vacuum of policymaking a lot of info that informs policymaking decisions, not just here but everywhere, seems to come from people who have vested interest one way or another.”

With three proposed facilities in his district, Kornreich is concerned about the spread of misinformation. Organizing a group of “high level people who can really dig into this and study it” is a step toward developing a more complete and informed determination on the systems. 

In Port Jefferson Station, New Leaf Energy is proposing an 8.75-megawatt system while Savion has proposed two facilities in Setauket, 373 megawatts and 65 megawatts. 

Goroff said that anticipating and measuring safety risks is a big concern of the group. Already she has started to form ideas on how to mitigate risk by using information about previous fires. For instance, she said that by looking at BESS Failure Incident Database, she estimates that “the time of installation is the riskiest time for a fire” and that the group may make recommendations for certain standards in the installation process to address that.

Goroff acknowledged that some public discourse is “inaccurate and greatly exaggerates the risks.” 

 “At the same time,” she continued, “there are real risks and we want to make sure that those are reduced. We also need to get our arms around how big the real risks are separated from the misinformation and disinformation.” 

The group has had one meeting so far, with another soon approaching. They aim to have a report of recommendations by the end of June. 

“I do believe that it is possible to build BESS in a safe way,” Goroff said. 

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File photo by Raymond Janis

SBU visa revocations demand official action, not platitudes

As a proud Stony Brook University alumnus (M.S. 2005), I was deeply troubled by the recent report detailing the revocation of student visas for 11 international students at SBU. No explanation or evidence has been provided to justify these revocations. This lack of transparency leaves us to assume that these revocations — along with the roughly 1,500 others reported at over 250 institutions nationwide — are either arbitrary or motivated by an unconstitutional intent to suppress free speech. (Visiting students are entitled to the same free speech protections as U.S. citizens.) While the federal government does have the authority to revoke visas, exercising that power arbitrarily constitutes a clear abuse of power.

Some may disregard the educational value of a diverse student body or the fact that smart international students elevate academic standards in the classroom. But even skeptics should recognize that international students pay higher tuition than domestic students, effectively subsidizing SBU’s operating budget. Considering that SBU, Brookhaven National Lab and Cold Spring Harbor Lab are leading Long Island employers with globally diverse workforces, even pragmatic business leaders should be concerned. A climate of fear could prompt many of the approximately 3,800 international students at SBU to transfer, and discourage future applicants altogether.

Vague affirmations by university officials are welcome, but appear toothless. SBU is a public institution of New York State. What actions will the state take to protect its residents and universities from federal overreach? Has the university president sought support from the governor, or the New York Civil Liberties Union? Will SBU provide legal representation to the students or join wider lawsuits to contest these revocations in federal court? If not, why? And if this situation escalates, will university police intervene to prevent warrantless ICE arrests, or will they stand aside as masked, unidentified agents in unmarked vans seize students on campus?

Blame for all this must be placed squarely on Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY1) and his fellow House Republicans. As majority members of a co-equal branch of government, they have failed in their constitutional duty to perform oversight. Their role is to ensure the executive branch faithfully enforces laws enacted by Congress — not to stand idle as policy is dictated by executive fiat. While LaLota may disregard the voices of his Democratic constituents, perhaps his Republican supporters and donors can impress upon him the long-term consequences of his inaction.

John Hover

East Setauket

Solar and wind power will not fulfill energy needs

In his letter of April 10 [The realty of renewable energy on Long Island] Peter Gollon recommended a document entitled “Long Island Solar Roadmap,” which is basically a sales brochure for solar panels. It would be a simple matter, we are told, to install 10 to 15 million solar panels on various locations, including flat roofs, carports, industrial land and brownfields.

The largest source, however, 49%, will be from offshore windmills. In addition, there will also be a network of lithium-ion battery installations, which will be charged when the solar arrays and windmills are generating power in excess of the user demands. Then, when the sunlight and offshore winds are absent or diminished, the required power will be provided from the energy stored in the batteries.

The problem with this scenario is that, for a given amount of solar, wind and battery installations, the required power can be guaranteed for only a limited period of time, if the sun and wind do not cooperate. In this unfortunate situation, a total blackout will occur, and it will not end until adequate sunlight and wind levels have returned.

With the technology of today, we have systems that use “fossil fuels” (oil and gas), nuclear fission and solar/wind technology. Of these, only solar/wind systems are likely to experience blackouts caused by a lack of fuel. For a known solar/wind/battery design, and known sunlight and wind profiles, based on recorded meteorological records, it should be possible to generate computer simulation software to calculate the probability of a blackout for given periods of time, such as 3 days, 4 days, 5 days, etc. Possibly Peter Gollon and his colleagues have already done this. If so, it would be most helpful for them to share their results with us. I am sure they are not simply trying to get as many solar panels and windmills as they can, and hope to get lucky.

In an interesting related development, Microsoft is in the process of reactivating the Three Mile Island nuclear energy plant in Pennsylvania, with a capacity of 800 MW, for the purpose of powering their upcoming artificial intelligence computers. Here on Long Island, in Shoreham, we have the sleeping Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant, and it has a capacity of 820 MW. If we activate the Shoreham facility, and build two or three modern copies of it, we can have all of the power we could ever use, with zero carbon emissions, no possibility of a blackout, no thermal runaway and plenty of extra power for Connecticut and New York City during times when their sun and wind resources are in short supply. What is wrong with that?

George Altemose

Setauket

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Pixabay photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Words pour out of our mouths like different kinds of liquids.

Sometimes, those words can offer necessary relief from white hot anger, agony or discomfort, serving as a cooling salve, bringing a smile to our miserable faces and turning, as the cliche would suggest, a frown upside down.

Other times, the words people choose to share can exacerbate an already inflamed state, serving as lighter fluid, threatening to turn us from a mild shade of pink into a deep red.

Words can also become an avalanche, forcing us to look elsewhere as a nonstop collection of words, phrase or ideas threatens to bury us beneath their verbal weight. Desperate to get away, we might hope the speaker gets distracted by a flying turtle.

A diatribe, lesson or self-aggrandizing soliloquy can be exhausting and irritating.

But, it’s not just the words and their effect that are so familiar in conversations.

No, you see, it’s the facial expressions. Many people have a remarkable ability to run the gamut of human emotions and thoughts without saying a word. A tightening of the skin around their eyes, a slight narrowing of the lids, a crooked smile, or a baring of teeth, which is probably the least subtle of the facial reactions, can reveal something about our inner state or disclose how we’re feeling about the world around us or, more precisely, the person in front of us.

To varying degrees, actors and actresses have mastered the art of using their often photogenic, compelling, or sympathetic faces to tell stories and, perhaps, to reveal the inner conflict we know they are feeling when, say, their sister asks them to be a bridesmaid when she’s planning to marry a person the actress has loved for years. Yes, that was a mildly amusing movie and yes, you probably know it.

The rest of us mere facial mortals, however, may not be as capable of altering our features to reflect the wide range of emotions we might reveal in response to the way we feel behind the masks we try to wear.

When I lived in Manhattan, I thoroughly enjoyed people watching. It’s a form of endless entertainment. Leaning on the railing at Rockefeller Center in mid December years ago, I watched an elderly couple gliding around the rink together, holding hands and glancing contentedly at each other, clearly enjoying the moment. With gloved fingers interlaced, they synchronized their legs as well as any pairs figure skaters might.

While I imagined that they had been together for decades and that they might have gone to an ice skating rink on an early date, they also could have been together for a couple of months or, perhaps, gotten married a year earlier.

Either way, their faces, which I can still picture decades later, revealed a keen and profound satisfaction.

Some people undoubtedly have mastered the art of the poker face, appearing interested or attentive when they are thinking about where to eat dinner later that night, what laundry they need to take to the dry cleaner, or when to sell a stock that’s been teetering with all the others amidst concerns about corporate profits and a potential slowdown in the economy.

Others, however, can reveal the equivalent of an SOS call, with a slight turn of their neck, widening eyes, and a faint but noticeable grimace around their pained mouths.

When we get to know family or friends well, we can read their expressions or hear the flat tone in their voices, knowing that the word “interesting,” or “you don’t say,” really means, “please stop talking. I’ll pay you to stop talking. In fact, here is a set of fake plastic ears that look like mine. Chew on them and, when you’re done, please recycle what’s left over.”

Sometimes, when I know someone well enough, I’ll watch their faces as they listen to a perspective that irritates them, a joke they don’t find remotely amusing, or a comment they don’t appreciate and I’ll recognize the unspoken but deeply held thoughts etched in their faces.

With all the finely tuned muscles in our faces and our ability to raise or lower our eyebrows, we can send signals that the attentive listener or others can read like a subtle or, perhaps more obvious, signal.

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A statue of Balto in Central Park. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Roman Eugeniusz

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

While most of us know “of the famous ride of Paul Revere,” quoting Longfellow, there is another ride that happened 100 years ago that we can commemorate. It has to do with one of my favorite dogs. His name was Balto, an Alaskan husky and sled dog born in Nome, and he led a team of sled dogs, driven by Gunnar Kaasen and carrying vital diphtheria antitoxin through fierce Alaskan storms across the wilderness and into history. 

The serum was desperately needed to combat an outbreak of the disease. Planes such as they were in 1925, were grounded by the intense weather. The only hope for rescue was with the perilous trip by sled. Kaasen insisted that Balto was the true hero. A movie, a nationwide tour on the vaudeville circuit and a bronze statue in Central Park resulted.

Now I visited Central Park most Sundays, when the weather permitted, throughout my elementary school years, with my dad and younger sister. It was my dad’s way of giving my mother a few hours off and of having some time with us since he worked six days a week, left early in the morning, and only returned for a late dinner. He would cook us breakfast, and then we would walk through the Park, taking a different route each time until my mother would join us in the late afternoon with a picnic supper. 

Most often, he made sure our meanderings took us past the statue of Balto. I would climb up on the rock on which he stood, then sit astride his back, and listen as my dad read the words on the plaque adorning the site “dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed antitoxin six hundred miles over rough ice, across treacherous waters, through Arctic blizzards from Nenana to the relief of stricken Nome in the winter of 1925: endurance, fidelity, intelligence” Visuals of the trip would run through my mind as I sat there, courtesy of Jack London, whose books I read. I loved Balto.

But there is quite a back story.

For starters, Balto was an underdog in a literal sense. He was owned by Leonhard Seppala, a native Norwegian, sled dog breeder, musher and competitive racer, and was named after an Arctic explorer. Balto had a black fur coat, a small, stocky build with two white stocking front feet and was considered “second rate” as a racer by Seppala, who had him neutered at six months and used him to haul freight for short runs and help pull railcars with miners over a disused railroad track. Gunnar Kaasen, another native Norwegian and a close family friend of Seppala, with 21 years of dog sledding experience who worked for the breeder, came to know Balto and believed Seppala had misjudged the dog because of his short stature.

Early in 1925, doctors realized a deadly diphtheria epidemic could affect the  people of Nome, Alaska, and putting the city under quarantine, transmitted with Morse code that the town desperately needed more serum, whose supply was almost depleted. Mushers were summoned to relay the precious cargo. Radio, a recent invention, picked up the story, as well as newspapers, and followed the more than 20 mushers as they took turns through storms and strong winds. Kaasen was appointed to drive a team of Seppala’s dogs, and although Seppala wanted a dog named Fox to lead the team, Kaasen picked Balto. They left the town of Bluff with the antitoxin at 10 p.m.

Shortly after they started, a blizzard caused them to become confused and lost. Kaasen yelled, “Go home, Balto,” and the dog, used to hauling heavy loads, navigated his team through the wild winds. At one point, Balto unexpectedly stopped before some ice on the Topkok River that broke in front of him, thereby saving Kaasen’s life and that of the entire team, according to the musher. The package was delivered in time, and the residents were saved.

There is more to the story. Especially as money entered the picture, lies and deception, jealousy and hatred all became part of the human saga. But Balto will always remain my 100-year-old dog. 

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24 tons of concrete was illegally dumped in the Pine Barrens. Photo courtesy of Suffolk County Sheriff

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. was joined by Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico, the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office’s BEAST Unit and other Pine Barrens advocates on Earth Day, April 22, to announce the results of two investigations following residential and commercial dumping incidents around the Pine Barrens preservation area.

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon addressed the illegal dumping in the Pine Barrens at a press conference on April 22. Photo courtesy of Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office

“The Sheriff’s Office has been patrolling the Pine Barrens for over 30 years and we take our role very seriously,” said Sheriff Toulon. “These arrests are a direct result of enhanced surveillance, interagency teamwork, and the diligence of our environmental enforcement units. Both individuals could have disposed of their waste legally—but they chose not to. Illegal dumping is lazy and harmful to our Island’s environment and taxpayers’ wallets.”

Sheriff Toulon and officials announced the arrest of Joao Abreu for allegedly dumping 24 tons of concrete in a remote wooded area off Long Island Avenue in Yaphank. 

A six-week joint investigation between the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Bureau and the District Attorney’s BEAST Unit, which included license plate checks, vehicle tracking, background checks, and witness interviews, led to the arrest of Joao Abreu owner of Chase Construction Enterprises. Abreu, of Port Jefferson, was charged with Felony Criminal Mischief, punishable by up to 7 years in prison. Additional charges are pending, including fines up to $150,000.

Investigators also discovered that Abreu had 27 license suspensions and did not hold a valid CDL license. His commercial vehicle, which was used in the crime, was seized and found to have 19 safety violations. It was immediately placed out of service by the Sheriff’s Office’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit.

Household debris was illegally dumped in the Pine Barrens. Photo courtesy of Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office

Sheriff Toulon and officials also announced the arrest of Riverhead woman Jeanne Rodriguez after a trail camera captured a U-Haul truck illegally dumping household items—including mattresses, box springs, dressers, and a television—in a secluded section of the Pine Barrens in Manorville. Following a thorough investigation, Rodriguez was arrested and charged with Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree, a Class D felony as well as multiple violations of local dumping laws. 

“Our environment is precious, and one of the reasons why Suffolk County is such a beautiful place to be. These types of crimes cannot and will not be tolerated, and law enforcement will find and arrest anybody who dares to illegally dispose of any waste in Suffolk County,” said County Executive Ed Romaine.

“These alleged acts of illegal dumping in our treasured Pine Barrens were egregious and demonstrated a blatant disregard for environmental laws designed to protect our ecosystem,” said District Attorney Ray Tierney.

“I want to express my gratitude to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office who along with our Pine Barrens Enforcement partnership were instrumental in bringing these alleged offenders to justice.  Suffolk County’s environmental heritage is not negotiable, and we will continue pursuing maximum penalties for individuals who choose to prioritize convenience over conservation of our irreplaceable natural resources,” he said.

Sheriff Toulon also highlighted the Pine Barrens Enforcement partnership as well as their investigative tools, which include trail cameras, license plate readers (LPRs), and other advanced technology helping to catch and deter dumpers. The Sheriff’s Office urges residents to report illegal dumping by calling 1-877-BARRENS. 

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One in 36 children aged eight in the U.S. were diagnosed with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One in 36 means that around 32 students are affected by ASD in a high school of 1238 students–the number of students enrolled at Smithtown High School West from 2023-2024. It means that 76 students from kindergarten to sixth grade in the Three Village School District may have trouble socializing, communicating and learning.

The number of adults impacted is less defined, with some adults going undiagnosed, though the CDC estimates 1 in 45 adults in the U.S. have ASD. These individuals are artists. They are educators, technicians, writers, engineers and leaders. They helped make our community, but our community was not made for them. 

Often people with ASD have to “mask.” According to the National Autistic Society, people with ASD sometimes mask in order to appear non-autisitic. Autistic people have described masking as “tightly controlling and adjusting how you express yourself based on the real or anticipated reactions of others.” 

ASD causes the person to have trouble communicating in social situations. They may exhibit repetitive behaviors called “stimming” or strictly adhere to a fixed routine. They may get overstimulated by certain sensations or experiences. Autism is a spectrum, so it affects everyone in varying degrees. 

People with ASD have helped shaped our society in significant ways. Greta Thunberg, for example, is a 22-year old environmental activist who inspired thousands to advocate for environmental protections. She is also on the autistic spectrum. 

Renowned actor Anthony Hopkins is also reportedly on the autistic spectrum and was diagnosed late in his life. 

Most people have some connection to a person who has ASD. Expanding consideration to the different needs and preferences of autistic individuals does not take much work. Offering different resources and services, like Father Andrew Garnett is doing in holding a sensory-friendly church service, is a great way to show that people with different abilities are valued. We can ask questions–what can we do to help? Perhaps we can communicate differently and avoid sarcasm. We can be cognizant of sensory issues. Most importantly, we can listen. Let’s make an effort to be more considerate to those with ASD and to learn about how we can make our community more inclusive, not just this April during Autism Awareness Month  but always. 

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Police car stock photo

Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that seriously injured a motorcyclist in Miller Place on April 22.

Christopher Celli was operating a 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle westbound on Route 25A, when two vehicles ahead of him slowed for a traffic light that turned yellow at Harrison Avenue. Celli passed between the two vehicles and continued through the intersection, where he crashed the motorcycle into the passenger side of an eastbound 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was turning left onto Harrison Avenue at approximately 9:15 p.m.

Celli, 24, of Coram, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital with critical injuries. The driver of the Jeep, Frederick Winter, 78, of Sound Beach, was not injured. Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652.

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Scully competing at a state meet. Photo courtesy of Despina Scully

By Daniel Dunaief

Fresh off setting a county record in the shot put in the winter, Miller Place High School track star Jillian Scully has her sights set on setting a new state record in shot put and another track and field event this spring.

A high school senior, Scully is determined to etch her name into the record books in the discus as well.

Jillian Scully, center, at the 2025 State Championships

“I’m 100 percent confident I’m going to crush” the record in the discus, said Scully, who has suggested that the 2.2 pound discus has been flying out of her hand.

The current state record is 172 feet, while her personal best, which she threw last year, is 159 feet 8 inches.

“She has got enormous potential, which is why so many world class athletes are chasing her,” said Bill Hiney, the Assistant Track and Field Coach during the winter and spring seasons for Southold High School and Scully’s personal coach. Scully took a standing throw that traveled over 120 feet. Scully has also thrown the discus 150 feet against the wind and without warming up properly, Hiney said.

College coaches at several programs reached out to Scully to recruit her to their schools, hoping she could bring her athletic talents to their programs.

“We told her it was her decision” about which college to attend, said Jillian’s father James Scully, who owns and runs the construction company JFS Contracting. His daughter responded that she’d ask them if she needed their help.

As it turned out, she made the decision on her own, selecting Louisiana State University.

“I walked on campus and I said, ‘This is for me,’” said the six-foot, one-inch athlete. She should be able to throw discus and shot put outside year round. Scully would also like to explore competing in the weight throw and the javelin.

“When I go to LSU, I want to try it all,” said Scully.

Scully’s father believes the weather will work to her advantage in Louisiana.

“She practices in the rain and will be out throwing when it’s windy and cold,” he said.

Scully is intrigued by the range of foods available in the Pelican state.

During one of her visits, she enjoyed fried alligator with rices.

“It tastes like chicken,” she laughed.

Academic interests

Scully doesn’t just want to finish strong athletically: she also would like to have a successful final showing academically.

“I want to make sure I hit honor role for the third and fourth quarter,” she said. 

As for her academic interests in college, she plans to study engineering and, in particular, is interested in biomedical engineering.

Scully could see herself as a Paralympic track coach one day.

She recalled watching a video of a world championship event in which a Paralympic athlete was preparing to compete. The athlete struggled with a prosthesis that was causing a problem.

“Not a single person there could help him,” Scully said. “He missed out on competing.”

She recalled telling herself that she’d like to be there to help, particularly after knowing how hard every athlete trains.

“I couldn’t imagine how that felt for him,” Scully said.

California dreaming

As for her own athletic performance, Scully would like to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in the discus.

Hiney recognizes that athletes with Scully’s build and determination don’t come along too often.

“You don’t regularly get to train” athletes who have Scully’s strength and frame, he said.

“Ambition is not in short supply,” Scully’s father James added. “She’s motivated and she loves setting goals for herself.”

Scully believes his daughter can accomplish anything she decides to try.

He and his wife Despina “Debbie” Scully have gone to their daughter’s competitions during her high school years and are looking forward to traveling to some of the competitions in Louisiana as well.

As for their expectations, Scully believes they align with their daughter’s.

When she reaches her goals, he said, “Is it surprising? Yes. Is it exciting? Yes. Are we shocked by the fact that she broke a record? No.”

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METRO photo

As of April 21, all local gasoline prices are a penny to three cents lower than a week ago, except Long Island which held steady, according to a report from AAA Northeast. The national average fell three cents.

The AAA Fuel Prices website shows today’s New York City average at $3.09 per gallon, a penny less than last week. Connecticut is also down one cent at $3.04. Long Island remains flat at $2.99. New Jersey is down three cents to $2.97.

Prices continue lower on weak demand. Last week, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), Americans consumed just 8.46 million barrels of gasoline per day—a slight uptick of 37,000 barrels a day over the prior week, but still trailing 2024’s pace by roughly 200,000 barrels a day. Next week’s figures, which will include data encompassing the Easter holiday, will be closely watched by market analysts to see if demand breaks out of the spring doldrums.

“As demand has continued to stay soft, refiners have dialed back gasoline production to keep a floor beneath pump prices, which are the lowest for this time of year since 2021,” said Robert Sinclair of AAA Northeast. “Across the country, drivers are spending between 50 and 60 cents less per gallon than this time last year.”

On April 21, Mississippi and Tennessee have the lowest prices in the nation, at $2.68 and $2.70, respectively. California and Hawaii hold the highest prices in the nation this week at $4.84 and $4.50, respectively.

AAA Northeast is a not-for-profit auto club with offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and New York, providing more than 6.5 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services.

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A scene from last year's Arbor Day tree giveaway event at Brookhaven Town Hall. Photo courtesy TOB

In celebration of Arbor Day, the Town of Brookhaven will hold its annual tree seedling, mulch and compost give away in the South Parking Lot of Brookhaven Town Hall, located at 1 Independence Hill in Farmingville on Friday, April 25 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Recently recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA community for the 10th year, the event on April 25 is also part of the Town’s “Greening Brookhaven” initiative.

The tree seedlings available for pick-up are Red Pine; American Hazelnut; Bear Oak; Hybrid Poplar; Wetland Rose; Bristly Locust; Sand Cherry and Prairie Willow.

Free mulch and compost will also be available in bulk — residents must bring shovels and containers to load it into their vehicles. All items will be available on a first come, first served basis while supplies last.

In addition, residents will be able to pick up their orders of discounted backyard composters and rain barrels at this event. Orders must be placed by April 22 through this secure website brookhaven.compostersale.com.

Residents of Brookhaven Town may pick up free mulch and compost at the following Town facilities:

  • Brookhaven Town Hall, South Parking Lot, One Independence Hill in Farmingville
    Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 7:30 pm and Saturday-Sunday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
  • Percy Raynor Park, Route 347 and Belle Mead Road in South Setauket
    Monday – Friday from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
  • Rose Caracappa Center, 739 Route 25A in Mt. Sinai
    Monday – Friday from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
  • Brookhaven Landfill, 350 Horseblock Road in Brookhaven Hamlet
    Monday – Friday from 7:00 am to 2:45 pm and Saturday from 7:00 am to 12:00 noon
  • Manorville Compost Facility, Papermill Road in Manorville
    Monday – Friday from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm (Closed for lunch 11:50 am – 12:30 pm)
  • Holtsville Ecology Site, 249 Buckley Road in Holtsville
    Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
  • Robert E. Reid, Sr. Recreation Center, Rte. 25A and Defense Hill Road in Shoreham
    Monday – Friday from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
  • Mastic Complex (Keith Romaine Park), 300 Mastic Beach Road in Shirley
  • Centereach Pool Complex, 286 Hawkins Road in Centereach Park closes at dusk

Free mulch and compost are for residential use only. Contractors interested in purchasing Town of Brookhaven mulch and compost should inquire about discounted rates at the Brookhaven Landfill or the Manorville Compost Facility. For more information, call 631-451-TOWN (8696) or visit the Town website.

 

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