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Brookhaven Town Highways Superintendent Daniel P. Losquadro, Sound Beach Civic President Bea Ruberto, and Councilwoman Jane Bonner near the expanded community entryway. Photo from the Town of Brookhaven

Brookhaven Town Highway Superintendent Daniel P. Losquadro (R) and Councilwoman Jane Bonner (C-Rocky Point) announced the completion of a revitalization project designed to enhance pedestrian safety and beautify a busy stretch of Echo Avenue between North Country Road and New York Avenue in Sound Beach.

The downtown project, which included the addition of handicap-accessible sidewalks, new curbs and guiderails, crosswalks, decorative lighting and ornamental trees, was made possible, in part, from a Community Development Block Grant.

With CDBG funding covering a portion of the project, the Brookhaven Highway Department went out to bid for the project. The total cost was approximately $500,000, including the CDBG grant in the amount of approximately $110,000.

“The completion of this project is another example of the Highway Department’s continuing efforts to bring a downtown feel to one of our Brookhaven communities, similar to what we had done in Rocky Point in 2014,” Losquadro said. “In addition to beautifying the area, this project provided long-term solutions to many of the safety concerns voiced by local residents and business owners.”

As part of this three-month revitalization project, a four-foot wide sidewalk was constructed on the north side of Echo Avenue, beginning at North Country Road. A crosswalk was installed at the corner of Devon Road, near CaraMia Pizzeria, across Echo Avenue to connect the sidewalks that continue to New York Avenue. In addition, the triangle at the Shinnecock Drive and Echo Avenue intersection — the site of the Sound Beach Civic Organization’s “Welcome to Sound Beach” sign — was expanded to provide an entryway to the community.

“Walkable communities can only happen if pedestrians feel safe and the streetscapes that they travel are pleasant and inviting,” Bonner said.

Bea Ruberto, president of the Sound Beach Civic Association, said the improvements to the roadway have not only made it better for residents to walk and drive, but have also made it more welcoming to those entering the hamlet.

“We’re so grateful to Jane, Dan and the Town for realizing that smaller towns like Sound Beach add to what makes Brookhaven such a great place to live, work, and play,” she said. “And, of course, we look forward to further improvements in our little hamlet.”

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The St. Louis de Montfort team celebrates after its Long Island championship win. Photo by Julie Steele

The St. Louis de Montfort girls’ 7th grade Catholic Youth Organization basketball team finished the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record and went undefeated in the postseason as well to capture the Long Island championship title.

In the finals, the girls defeated St. Raymond’s of East Rockaway, 28-20.

Throughout the season, the girls were spirited and supportive of one another. The team was successful, according to coach Steve Molinaro, because of its tough man-to-man defense and the players’ unselfishness and patience on the offensive end of the court.

The St. Louis de Montfort team realized this season could be a special one when it defeated previously unbeaten the St. Matthew of Dix Hills team by 10 points before a packed gym in a very competitive setting.

What makes this accomplishment more noteworthy is that the girls competed in the seventh-grade league, even though the majority of the team is in sixth grade.

The team of Miller Place girls, which is also coached by Bob Steele, was led by leading scorer Alexa Corbin. Leading the team in rebounds were Lauren Molinaro and Lizzie Doherty. The team’s point guard was Andie Mott. Hitting shots from the gap were Emily Steele and Abby Beers, and leading the team’s tenacious defense was Bridget Nielsen, Emma LaMountain, Amelia Angelo and Jordyn Bloom. Leading the team in spirit was Sierra Gray.

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Hollister hoodwinked

A 34-year-old man from Brentwood was arrested at about noon on Feb. 27 at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove for stealing men’s apparel from Hollister, according to police. He was charged with petit larceny and third-degree burglary. Police said the latter charge was included because he previously signed an agreement that he would not enter the store.

Something smells fitchy

Cologne was stolen from Abercrombie & Fitch at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove on Feb. 27. Police charged a 28-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, both from East Elmhurst, with petit larceny.

Habitually shady thief

On four separate occasions in February, a 36-year-old man from Central Islip allegedly stole sunglasses from the Macy’s at Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove. He was arrested on Feb. 27, police said, and charged with four counts of fourth-degree grand larceny.

Police crack down

A 52-year-old woman from Smithtown was arrested on Feb. 27 at a home on Split Cedar Drive in Islandia because she was found to be in possession of crack cocaine, police said. She was charged with loitering while intending to use a controlled substance.

Caught crack-handed

At about 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 27, a 53-year-old man from Northport was arrested after it was discovered during a traffic stop on Lincoln Boulevard in Hauppauge that he had crack cocaine, according to police. He was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

In need of some heel-p

Police said a 35-year-old woman from Centereach was in possession of stolen shoes and a stolen purse from the DSW shoe store on Middle Country Road in Lake Grove. She was arrested on Feb. 26 and charged with petit larceny.

Driving me crazy

A 32-year-old man from Wheatley Heights was arrested at about 10 p.m. on Feb. 26 for driving with a suspended license, following a traffic stop on Motor Parkway in Brentwood, police said. He was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.

Pot luck

At about 10 a.m. on Feb. 25, a 44-year-old man from Lake Grove was arrested on Hawkins Avenue in Lake Grove when he was found to be in possession of marijuana, according to police. He was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana in a public place.

Why would you want to stay?

On Feb. 25, at the Suffolk County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency in Hauppauge, a 29-year-old man from Central Islip was arrested after he was asked to leave the office and refused, police said. He was charged with trespassing.

Getting high with gravity

A 32-year-old man from Ronkonkoma was arrested at about 8 a.m. on Feb. 24 after police found him semi-conscious in the driver’s seat of a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee on Terry Road in Ronkonkoma with the engine running, police said. Police found prescription pills and a gravity knife inside the car. He was charged with first-degree operation of a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon with a previous conviction.

Probation possession

During a probation search of the home of a 36-year-old man on Gardenia Drive in Commack on Feb. 27, police said they found prescription pills in a 2007 BMW. The man was arrested and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

The windows on the bus go …

An unknown person broke the glass door of a bus at about 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 27, while it was parked at the Centereach Academic Center on Wood Road, police said.

Caddy crash

A 27-year-old man was arrested for unlicensed operation of a car on Feb. 28. According to police, the Port Jefferson Station resident was driving a 1995 Cadillac when he got into a crash on the corner of Nesconset Highway and Davis Avenue. Police arrested him at the scene.

60 percent of the time, it works every time

Police arrested a 43-year-old man from Sound Beach for driving while ability impaired on Feb. 25, after an officer pulled him over for driving a 2004 Mazda pickup without his headlights on. The incident happened at 2:35 a.m. on the corner of Route 25A and Panther Path in Miller Place.

He shall not be moved

On Feb. 21, police arrested a man from Islip for trespassing after he entered a residence on Woodland Road in Centereach and refused to leave the family’s attached garage. Police arrested the man around 9:30 p.m.

Leave a message at the beep

A Riverhead resident was arrested on Feb. 26 for petit larceny. Police said the man stole cellphones from Walmart at Centereach Mall. Police arrested him in the Burger King parking lot on Middle Country Road.

An unhappy ending

Police arrested a 50-year-old woman from Flushing for unauthorized practice of a profession and prostitution, after they say she offered a sexual act to an undercover officer in exchange for payment on Feb. 22, at The Pamper Spot on Middle Country Road in Selden. Police said the woman was also giving massages without a license.

They see me rollin’

According to police, on Feb. 22, a 22-year-old woman pulled alongside and entered an empty 2015 Dodge pickup parked in a parking lot near North Belle Mead Road in East Setauket and stole cash from the car. She was allegedly caught in the act and arrested. Police also said the woman had been driving a 2005 Hyundai Sonata without her interlock device.

Living on the Edge

Police arrested a 21-year-old woman from Bayport for driving while ability impaired in a 2007 Ford Edge, after she was heading south on Hollow Road in Stony Brook and got into a car crash. Police discovered the woman was intoxicated and arrested her at the scene, on Feb. 21 around 4:20 a.m.

Wrong kind of shrooms

A 19-year-old man from Coram was arrested for petit larceny on Feb. 20, after police said the teen stole a bag of dried mushrooms from Wild By Nature on Route 25A in East Setauket. Police arrested him at the scene.

Put it on my tab

On Feb. 20 around 4:30 a.m., police arrested a 58-year-old man from Selden for assault after he got into a verbal argument with another man at Darin’s bar on Route 25A in Miller Place. Police said the victim went to the hospital after the suspect hit him with a metal bar stool.

We build it, you knock it down

According to police, someone damaged the window of Riverhead Building Supply on Hallock Avenue in Port Jefferson Station on Feb. 27, between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. The business couldn’t tell if anything was stolen.

CVS swindler

On Feb. 22 around 5 p.m., an unidentified person stole assorted food, vitamins and cosmetics from the CVS pharmacy on Main Street in Port Jefferson.

Watch out for blue shells

Someone stole an electric go-kart on Feb. 21 from a residence on Oxhead Road in Centereach.

We are not Oak-kay

Police said someone entered a residence on Oak Place in Selden through the rear door and stole cash on Feb. 21.

Hummer bummer

Between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Feb. 24, someone damaged the rear window of a 2006 Hummer limo. The incident happened on Jackson Avenue in Sound Beach.

He thieved me jewels

Someone entered a residence on Nautilus Road in Rocky Point and stole jewelry. According to police, the homeowner found her back door open on Feb. 25 around 1:03 p.m.

Shark attack

Police said an unidentified person gained access to the Long Island Sound Sharks football field at Shoreham on Feb. 25 and drove across the field. Police said the turf was ruined in the process.

Disaster on Depot

A 48-year-old man from Huntington Station was arrested just after midnight on Feb. 28 after police said he was in possession of cocaine on Depot Road. He was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

If I stay or if I go

On Feb. 28, a 21-year-old woman from Huntington Station would not leave Huntington Hospital after being discharged. At 2 a.m., after being repeatedly told she needed to leave, she was arrested and charged with third-degree criminal trespassing.

Pick pocket with pills

Police said a 25-year-old woman from Huntington Station stole cash from someone’s pocket at the Dolan Family Health Center in Huntington on Feb. 28 just before 2:30 a.m. Once police arrested her, they discovered she was in possession of prescription pills without a prescription. She was charged with petit larceny and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Woke up on the wrong side of the road

On Feb. 28, a 59-year-old woman from Northport was arrested while driving a 2010 Jeep on the wrong side of the road on Asharoken Avenue at 4:17 p.m. She was charged with driving while intoxicated.

Drugs, drugs and more drugs

A 25-year-old man from Wading River was arrested on Feb. 28 after police said he was in possession of 11 hypodermic needles, Xanax, heroin and cocaine on Route 25 in Huntington at 5:35 p.m. He was charged with three counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and possession of hypodermic instruments.

In need-le of some help

Police said a 22-year-old man from Kings Park had heroin and hypodermic needles in his possession while on Larkfield Road in East Northport at 5:20 p.m. on Feb. 27. He was arrested and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and possession of a hypodermic instrument.

Knuckle sandwich

A 19-year-old woman from Northport was arrested on Feb. 27 on Larkfield Road and 8th Avenue in East Northport after police said she had black plastic knuckles in her possession and heroin. She was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Making a deposit from Home Depot

Police said an unknown person stole assorted tools from Home Depot on Jericho Turnpike in Commack on Feb. 28 at 11:35 a.m.

Mamma mia

An unknown person pushed and shoved a man outside of Little Vincent’s Pizzeria on New York Avenue in Huntington on Feb. 28 and gave the victim two black eyes. The victim was treated at Huntington Hospital for minor injuries.

Everything from shoes to a boob guard

At Sears on Jericho Turnpike in Elwood, an unknown person stole jewelry, cologne, a phone charger, shoes and boob guards on Feb. 28, according to police.

Caught crack-handed

At about 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 27, a 53-year-old man from Northport was arrested after it was discovered during a traffic stop on Lincoln Boulevard in Hauppauge that he had crack cocaine, according to police. He was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Probation possession

During a probation search of the home of a 36-year-old man on Gardenia Drive in Commack on Feb. 27, police said they found prescription pills in a 2007 BMW. The man was arrested and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

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Councilmembers discuss the public hearing time slot change. Photo by Giselle Barkley

Brookhaven Town is tweaking its board meetings for the sake of efficiency.

Effective the first meeting of May, on May 12, town officials passed a resolution on Feb. 25 that moves the public hearing time to 6 p.m., from its previous 6:30 p.m. time slot. Public hearings used to follow a half-hour board adjournment, but now Brookhaven officials will no longer adjourn prior to the public hearing.

Councilman Dan Panico (R-Manorville) said moving the public hearing will not only help the meetings run smoothly, but also prevent attendees from waiting for the hearing to start. Shifting the time will also help the town save money, as it won’t need to pay Brookhaven employees, excluding management personnel, overtime.

“We don’t want to waste money,” Panico said. “Budgets are tight and we want the Town Board meetings to flow continuously like every governmental meeting should.”

But Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station) and residents alike said the time shift will limit community participation during public hearings.

The councilwoman was the only board member who voted against the proposal. She said in her three years in office, she’s witnessed residents running into town hall five minutes after public hearings begin.

“Public hearings are extremely important and we want as many people as possible to come in and be able to voice their opinions,” Cartright said. “Our public hearings here at the Town of Brookhaven are based on either zone changes [or projects based on specific properties], which will affect people in the immediate community.”

On many occasions, there are more Brookhaven employees in attendance in comparison to residents. Many residents also leave the meeting when the town takes a brief adjournment.

According to Town Attorney Annette Eaderesto, zone changes and projects in a particular area or land use plans are brought before the respective civic association before reaching the town. While residents have three minutes to comment on the board’s resolution agenda during public comment, they have five minutes to comment on zone changes and similar issues pertaining to specific properties during public hearing.

Public hearings were initially scheduled for 6:30 p.m. during former Brookhaven Town Supervisor John LaValle’s five years in office. The civic associations requested the time slot to accommodate people’s schedules, Eaderesto said.

Recently, the town has received numerous complaints from senior citizens saying that they’d prefer earlier meetings because they don’t like to travel in the evening. But Mastic Beach resident Jim Gleason said seniors usually attend public hearings, or town board meetings in general, for certain hot-topic issues.

That’s not the case for all residents.

“There have been hearings that I’ve been involved in where people have said, ‘I just can’t get there. It’s too early,’” Gleason said of public hearings. “So if there are people who have trouble getting here at 6:30 p.m., they’re obviously more people who have trouble getting here at 6 p.m.”

But Panico said the town will see what works best and adjust accordingly.

“I think it’s a reasonable move [to change the public hearing time],” Panico said. “And if there’s a need to tweak the time in the future, everyone on [the] board is very reasonable.”

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File photo

The path to overcoming opioid addiction will soon be just a phone call away, thanks to a new initiative that the Suffolk County Legislature announced last week.

A new full-service substance abuse hotline will serve as what officials called a lifeline to residents battling drug addiction, which lawmakers have been struggling to address across Long Island for years. To get there, the county teamed up with Stony Brook Medicine and the state’s health department as well as the county’s private and public community partners in the substance abuse field to allow residents to call to get screenings, referrals and follow-ups.

The Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence will operate the 24-hour hotline and direct callers to those resources. Providing a single phone number to call for a myriad of resources and services is key to assisting those who are battling addiction and their families, officials said.

“Like many places in this country, Suffolk County is facing an opioid epidemic of historic proportions,” County Executive Steve Bellone (D) said in a statement. “We need to tackle this epidemic on all fronts — including prevention, treatment and law enforcement.”

Bellone said his administration has made it a top priority to “explore and launch new, evidence-based tools” to help address the region’s fight against heroin and opioid use.

“The creation of a local 24/7 hotline is now another tool in our arsenal to assist those who are battling opioid and heroin addiction and their families,” he said.

The hotline will become live by April, Bellone said, and the Suffolk County health department will provide oversight and analyze data to monitor its effectiveness and identify trends and emerging issues in the community.

“Every second counts to a mother whose son or daughter was found and saved from overdosing,” said Suffolk Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket). The majority leader was the author of several laws credited with preventing more than 1,000 opioid overdoses in Suffolk County since the summer of 2012, including one that gave police access to Narcan, a medicine that stops such overdoses. “And every hour and every day that slips by trying to find quality, affordable, accessible treatment is critical.”

Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory (D-Amityville) said the initiative is essential, as heroin deaths in the county have nearly tripled since 2010.

“This alarming data demands our immediate attention,” he said. “A centralized hotline for people in crisis is a critical step toward saving lives, but we must do more. My colleagues and I look forward to our continued work with both the county executive and officials from Nassau County as together we fight to stem Long Island’s heroin epidemic.”

County Legislator William “Doc” Spencer (D-Centerport) echoed the same sentiments and said the area’s substance abuse issue was pervasive and touched the lives of more than those who suffered from addiction.

“This initiative will provide [the] opportunity for addicts to reach out during their time of need and access treatment and support options easily,” he said. “Often, there is a critical and brief period of time when a person sees clarity and makes the decision to seek help. This hotline can be fertile ground for change and recovery as it can quickly link residents to crucial health care services.”

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Residents gather to discuss drug and heroin use, rehabilitation and laws at the North Shore Drug Awareness Advocates’ monthly meeting. Photo by Giselle Barkley

“Addiction is a family disease.”

That’s what Tracey Budd and social worker Mary Calamia had to say during the North Shore Drug Awareness Advocates’ community event about heroin use on Long Island.

Around 20 residents gathered at the Rocky Point Veterans of Foreign Wars headquarters on Feb. 24 to discuss drug laws, heroin use in the community and how to combat the Island’s heroin issues.

Tracey Budd, of Rocky Point, founded the North Shore Drug Awareness Advocates group to help work with families to try to combat the drug issues on Long Island. Photo by Giselle Barkley
Tracey Budd, of Rocky Point, founded the North Shore Drug Awareness Advocates group to help work with families to try to combat the drug issues on Long Island. Photo by Giselle Barkley

Budd, of Rocky Point, established the North Shore Drug Awareness Advocates group last fall. Her son, Kevin Norris, was one of many heroin users on Long Island before he died of an overdose in September 2012. Budd hoped to educate Long Island communities on drug awareness and establish a support system for drug users and their families who are seeking help, with the creation of this group. She tries to hold a meeting at least once a month.

“I’m hoping that as parents, neighbors, [and] friends, we learn how to advocate [about drug awareness] a little more, rather than putting it on Facebook,” said Budd about residents who have sought help, especially with acquiring Narcan, through social media outlets. She was among several residents, including Dorothy Johnson, who said people need to change how they view heroin users.

Johnson is a member of the Great Bay coalition. She lost her son four years ago to a heroin overdose and has fought to increase drug awareness ever since. For Johnson, heroin and drug users aren’t junkies, but everyday people in need of help.

“It’s not that they’re bad and sitting on a street corner,” Johnson said. “It’s somebody that’s walking around in a suit and tie that comes from a good family.”

Many of these families do not change how they view or deal with their relative once they return from a rehabilitation center. According to Calamia, treating rehabilitated individuals as though they still use heroin or other drugs will only encourage future drug use.

In light of heroin use on Long Island, the Suffolk County Police Department started using Narcan in August 2012, according to Dr. Scott Coyne, chief surgeon for the police department. The anti-overdose medication was used more than 470 times in 2013 and 2014 and 543 times last year. While Narcan allows officials and those trained to administer it to save people who overdose on heroin or opiate-based drugs, public and safety officials said some drug users abuse the system.

Sgt. Keith Olsen, on right, speaks at the North Shore Drug Awareness Advocates’ meeting. Photo by Giselle Barkley
Sgt. Keith Olsen, on right, speaks at the North Shore Drug Awareness Advocates’ meeting. Photo by Giselle Barkley

Capt. William Murphy said the police department has saved an unidentified Mastic Beach resident around 11 times using Narcan. Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) added that one woman who got into a car crash on Middle Country Road and Nicolls Road a few weeks ago demanded Narcan from First Responders. According to LaValle, officials can’t test a resident’s blood after receiving Narcan.

Currently, patients can go home shortly after officials administer the medication. Budd is trying to establish a 72-hour hold for these patients, which will allows hospitals to monitor patients following the procedure.

She also helped establish a 24-hour hotline for drug users and their families or friends who are looking for help, after she attended a conference at the Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone’s (D) office last September. That hotline should be up and running, according to Budd, by April 1.

“Sometimes I feel bad for the young kids we’re locking up,” said Sgt. Keith Olsen of the SCPD. “They need help. They’re not the dealer. They’re not turning it over. They’re not the ones causing trouble.”

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Miller Place Superintendent Marianne Higuera and Board of Education President Johanna Testa discuss the proposed budget for the 2016-17 school year during the Feb. 24 meeting. Photo by Alex Petroski

Miller Place Superintendent Marianne Higuera presented her proposed budget for the 2016-17 school year. The proposed budget of $70,602,887 would be $596,007 higher than the budget for the current school year. All instructional and non-instructional programs from the current school year would remain intact.

“We expect some things might look a little bit different, but we’re not looking to eliminate any programs,” Higuera said following the presentation, which was made by school business official Colleen Card. “We’re not looking to eliminate any teams, any clubs; and we’re going to be able to maintain all of our programs from this year to next year.”

Though the budget would increase by a small amount, the school board unanimously approved a tax levy decrease of 0.14 percent on Feb. 24. That means that the district will have about $62,000 less revenue from tax dollars in 2016-17 compared to the current school year.

Despite less tax revenue, the proposed budget would be balanced by a $3.5 million fund balance and additional state aid thanks to a partial restoration of money lost to the Gap Elimination Adjustment, which deducted about $13 million from funding to Miller Place since its inception several years ago. The adjustment deducted money from districts across New York State as a means to eliminate a deficit. Higuera’s proposed budget accounts for about $20.5 million in state aid.

The district will also benefit from a small amount of required retirement payments this year, Higuera said.

Johanna Testa, president of the board of education, heaped praise on the district’s administration after the presentation.

“Keeping all programs and being able to propose a budget that keeps all of our academic programs and increases our capital project funding when we’re in a negative tax levy cap, that’s really amazing,” Testa said.

The school board and administration will convene again on Mar. 2 for a budget workshop meeting at Miller Place High School. Budget adoption will take place on Mar. 30.

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The town’s Prom Boutique is open from March 7 to June 17. File photo

Brookhaven Town wants to make prom special even for teenagers who cannot afford it.

The Prom Boutique will open at Brookhaven Town Hall in March “so young ladies who qualify for assistance can be dressed from head to toe, helping to make their prom dreams come true,” according to a press release from the town.

There will be a free selection of gently used gowns, handbags and costume jewelry, as well as makeup and fragrances, between March 7 and June 17. The hours of the second-floor boutique will be Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be special evening hours on March 10, April 7, April 21, May 26 and June 9, which will run from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Appointments must be made by calling 631-451-8011, and all clients’ identities will be kept confidential.

If anyone is interested in donating clothes and accessories to the initiative, which is an effort of the Department of Housing and Human Services’ Youth Bureau, they can be dropped off at the boutique on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. All clothing must be dry cleaned and pressed before it can be accepted.

Visit www.brookhaven.org for more information.

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Louise Pizzuto has taught in Mount Sinai for 28 years. Photo from the Pizzuto family

Saying Louise Pizzuto was born to teach is an understatement.

Pizzuto, 62, started working as a special education teacher at Mount Sinai Middle School in September 1988. After 28 years, the mother of two is retiring to spend more time with her family. The Mount Sinai Board of Education announced Pizzuto’s retirement from her current position in the high school’s Special Education Department. Her last day is June 25.

The Smithtown resident became an integral part of the school district early on in her career.

After seeing some special needs students continuously fail and repeat classes, only to drop out of school after the government passed the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, Pizzuto pushed for courses to accommodate her students. No Child Left Behind set higher standards that her students couldn’t reach on their own.

“They [kept] raising the bar, but my students didn’t have their academic abilities raised,” Pizzuto said. “In order to meet [the requirements] and close the gap somewhat, we had to really start putting in place some programs.”

The addition of more leveled classes or self-contained classes allowed these students to be taught and learn at their own level. More residents started moving to the school district when these programs were established. They were also incorporated into the high school after it was established in September 1991. Pizzuto was no stranger to going above and beyond for those who needed her help.

“When given students with special needs, she would give up her lunch period to audit a class so that she could learn different methodology to teach her students,” said longtime friend Gloria Musto.

Pizzuto also dedicated whatever free time she had, before, during and after school, to help her students.

Before working in Mount Sinai school district, Pizzuto worked at Concord High School in Staten Island, and stumbled into special education because there was a shortage of special needs teachers at the time. She was able to get a second masters in special education while she worked at the high school.

Pizzuto’s daughter Amanda Pizzuto-Montemarano said her mother goes above and beyond for her students, recalling a time her mother took a student to the doctor for an examination. The student was abusing drugs at the time, and was getting sick. Pizzuto paid for the visit, and helped other students similarly, while giving them the tools they needed to succeed.

Although the high school wasn’t the only educational facility she worked for prior to Mount Sinai, Pizzuto said she fell in love with the program because of the kids she helped.

While her career at Concord differed from her experience in Mount Sinai, making a difference in people’s lives is always the priority for Pizzuto. As a special needs teacher, Pizzuto put her students before the lesson, and by learning their strengths and weaknesses, provided background information on a subject to help them learn the curriculum at their grade level.

Her daughter said going into retirement is a big step.

“She is going to miss teaching terribly,” Pizzuto-Montemarano said. “But now she has grandchildren and they’re going to have the greatest teacher, like me and my brother had.”

Pizzuto’s son Paul-Eric has dyslexia, and used to sneak books home from school. She started spending hours helping her son grasp material from school. He said growing up with a mother who was not only a teacher but a special education teacher, was a gift.

Longtime friend and co-worker Michele Gaffney, of Baiting Hollow, said Pizzuto motivated her to get her masters in teaching when Pizzuto and her family moved to the Island. The two started working in the school district on the same day.

“She really optimizes what a teacher is,” Gaffney said. “She goes the extra mile. She’s just fabulous. Mount Sinai will never have another one like her.”

But Pizzuto hopes for the best.

“I told the principal when I handed them my retirement papers that I just hope that they replace me with another teacher that remembers the students before the curriculum,” Pizzuto said.

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The southern pine beetle has been spotted in the Rocky Point Pine Barrens Preserve. Photo by Giselle Barkley

In light of the uptick in southern pine beetle populations on Long Island, environmental officials are looking to weed out the issue in the Rocky Point Pine Barrens Preserve.

Last December, the Department of Environmental Conservation proposed a timber thinning to combat the beetle’s presence in the state park. The prospective contractor wouldn’t only harvest pine trees in the park, but also cut down hardwood trees to use for personal benefit. New York State Sen. Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson), Assemblyman Fred Thiele (D-Sag Harbor) and Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) voiced their opposition to the proposal on Feb. 11.

According to their statement, the project mainly involves the selling of scarlet oak trees rather than harvesting the beetle-infested pitch pine trees in the park. The property was not preserved to provide contractors with lumber, but to preserve the land, as the pine barrens property sits on the Island’s purest waterway. No bids were made on the contract thus far.

“We were going to do this thinning out as a preventative measure, and [the proposed plan] was their response, and we didn’t feel that it was logical,” Englebright said. “This doesn’t address that this crisis is advancing.”

The southern pine beetle appeared in Long Island en masse, in fall 2014, and has devastated thousands of acres of Pine Barrens property, according to Englebright. The beetle, which creates tunnels in the tress, targets all types of pine trees, including pitch pine trees like those found in the Rocky Point Pine Barrens Preserve. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation found infested pine trees in October 2014.

“When the extent of the infestation became known, it was apparent that there needed to be a lot of control efforts,” said Anthony Graves, the Town of Brookhaven’s chief environmental analyst. “But there was no funding. … the State was trying to figure out a way to go ahead and engage control efforts [with the opposed timber harvest plan].”

According to Richard Amper, executive director of the Long Island Pine Barrens Society, there are not many cases of beetle infestation in the park. However, the Connetquot River State Park in Oakdale lost around 3,600 acres of pine trees to the Southern Pine Beetle. Graves added that wind could have picked up the small beetles and carried them from New Jersey to the Island.

Warmer winter weather over the past few years has also contributed to the increase in pine beetle populations.

In the DEC’s proposal, it added that harvesting the trees will also help other trees grow. It added that harvesting is a common practice when combatting this type of infestation. There’s no mention of harvesting oak trees in its preventative thinning plan. Amper said the reasoning was odd, as the pitch pine trees are much taller than the oak trees that are currently marked in the park.

Englebright, LaValle and Thiele requested $3.5 million in the 2016-17 state budget to properly address the infestation without unnecessary harvesting. Graves said the best and cheapest way to deal with the beetles is to cut down infected trees.

“The cutting of the heavily-infested stands is widely accepted by federal and state agencies that have been dealing with this problem for the last 100 years,” Graves said. “In the U.S., it’s a long-term problem with the beetles damaging commercial forests. It’s that long-term information that’s being used to drive the plan.”

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