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Times of Huntington-Northport

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File photo by Raymond Janis

A haiku for your consideration

August

South Shore cousins want

tough soles negotiating

Pretty sound beaches

Joan Nickeson

Terryville

Thank you, Father Pizzarelli

It warmed my heart to read Father Francis Pizzarelli’s moving tribute honoring Father Gerald Fitzsimmons, who passed away in July [“Plain Talk: The loss of a bridge builder,” Aug. 8, Arts & Lifestyles, TBR News Media]. Father Fitz, as he was known, was our pastor at St. Mary Gate of Heaven R.C. Church and grade school in Ozone Park, Queens, during my childhood. He was known to be kind and understanding. Years later, he performed our wedding ceremony there in 1986 and, coincidentally, passed away on our anniversary.

I met Father Pizzarelli in junior high school when he was still “Brother Frank” at SMGH. My grade made our holy confirmation under his guidance where we forged unbreakable bonds between our classmates. We were challenged to “dare to be different” as we make our way through life, and we all took that very seriously. 

I’m happy to know that these two extraordinarily compassionate faith leaders were able to spend many years working and supporting each other. Their work has been a blessing to those in need and an inspiration to many more.

Father Fitz will be missed and I feel fortunate to have known him.

Joan Loscalzo Dickinson

Lake Grove

Setting the record straight: the real story behind West Meadow Beach cottages

I would like to address John Hover’s response to my letter to the editor regarding the West Meadow Beach cottages [“Gratitude not complaints,” Aug. 8, The Village Times Herald].

While Mr. Hover is entitled to his perspective, his characterization of the cottage community as one of privilege and exclusivity is not only inaccurate but also deeply unfair to the families who cherished this place for generations.

The cottages at West Meadow Beach were not the domain of the privileged or politically connected. They were a special place for ordinary families who built memories and passed down traditions. To dismiss their attachment as mere privilege is to overlook the genuine love and dedication these families had for West Meadow Beach, whose loss is profound and personal. What’s truly strange and sad is the lack of appreciation, compassion and sensibility toward the pain caused by an extreme and unnecessary legislative action led by political activists, contrary to the narrative used to justify their actions. More troubling is the fact that these people are still doing victory laps two decades later, without any appreciation for the history.

Originally private property, the land at West Meadow Beach was settled in the 17th century as part of the larger Setauket settlement, one of the earliest communities on Long Island. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, West Meadow Beach had become a popular area for summer cottages, where families built seasonal homes and enjoyed the natural beauty of Long Island. Over time, the Town of Brookhaven began acquiring this land, and by the mid-20th century the cottages were on town-owned land leased to families under long-term agreements.

However, starting in the 1960s and 1970s, legal battles emerged over the ownership and use of the land, often framed as environmental concerns. While some pushed for expanded public beach access, which could have been a reasonable compromise, the political activists were not satisfied. They pursued the complete removal of the cottages, pushing for the land to be reclassified as public parkland, which paved the way for the destruction of the cottages. This reclassification was achieved in 1996, when the New York State Legislature passed legislation under the guise of environmental preservation.

However, the true intent of these activists was not to protect the environment but, in fact, to destroy the cottages. This represents a clear case of political lawfare and abuse of office as the actions taken were not for the public good but to satisfy their political agenda. This counters the narrative that the cottages were occupied by a well-connected elite when, in fact, it was the well-connected activists who orchestrated this outcome. Yet somehow, Mr. Hover suggests that those who lived in the cottages should be “quietly grateful” for the time until their land was seized.

The scarcity of these cottages should not be mistaken for exclusivity. Anyone who was interested was eligible to secure a cottage for a modest price. This was not a community of elites but of everyday people who found solace and joy in a simple, beautiful place.

It’s important to remember that the value of heritage and tradition cannot be easily quantified. The families who occupied these cottages did not view them merely as their property but as a legacy, a connection to the past that is increasingly rare in today’s transient, Airbnb-driven culture. The cottages, unlike the opulent mansions in neighboring Old Field, were humble homes that provided a retreat for everyday people. The families who occupied the cottages were stewards of this land, not exploiters of it. Contrary to the false narratives used to justify the actions taken, it’s about more than land — it’s about losing a place that held the stories of their lives. The loss was not because they felt entitled to it, but because a beloved piece of their history was taken from them.

The cottages were rare and precious, and the people who loved them were not motivated by privilege, but by a deep connection to the community and their family heritage.

Jen Schaedel

Stony Brook

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From left to right: County Legislator Robert Trotta, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, TOB Supervisor Dan Panico, TOB Superintendent of Highways Daniel Losquadro, Representative from the Governor's, office Thalia Olaya, and in front, Gloria Rocchio, Ward Melville Heritage Organization President, at a Stony Brook Village press conference. Photo by Toni-Elena Gallo

By Toni-Elena Gallo with contributions by Lynn Hallarman and John Broven

Photo gallery to come.

According to the New York State Weather Risk Communication Center, Stony Brook recorded 9.4 inches of rain, in the 24 hours between Sunday, Aug. 18, and Monday, Aug. 19, amounting to a rainfall that is not just a once in a lifetime event —but a one-in-a-thousand year-event.

At a Monday press conference, County Executive Ed Romaine (R) spoke about the shock many Long Islanders experienced.

“This storm was not predicted for northern Suffolk,” he said. “This storm was over Connecticut and probably traveled south. When you get almost 10 inches of rain, that’s a once [in a lifetime event]. Unfortunately, these once-in-a-lifetime events seem to be coming more than that. I don’t think we’re going to have to wait another hundred years for another storm like this.”

“It tells you the impact that climate change is having on our weather,” the county executive added.

Stony Brook

In Stony Brook village, Harbor Road was split in half, and the pond at Avalon Nature Preserve ran off into nearby Stony Brook Harbor, taking dead fish and turtles with it.

“We have put drones up to document the before and after. We believe the damage will [amount to] $25 million, minimum. A minimum, between cleanup that’s required [not just here, but] other parts of the county, like Rocky Point,” Romaine said.

“We will document everything that we do, and all the expenditures that will be made, because we will be seeking some hope of state [and] federal reimbursement, because this is a huge hit on local government, on the town and on the villages along the North Shore,” he added.

At the press conference, Gloria Rocchio, president of The Ward Melville Heritage Organization, expressed her sadness and frustration, but was able to provide a small glint of hope.

“We did have a structural engineer come already, to check the [historic] Grist Mill … and it is, [fortunately] structurally sound. It was built in 1699. In 1750 the dam broke for the first time, and then once again in the 1800s, and the last time it broke was 1910,” she said.

Over at Stony Brook University, Judy Pittigher, an office administrator at the Renaissance School of Medicine, suffered an office full of water damage and a collapsed ceiling, forcing her to work from home for, at least, the remainder of the week.

“The squares of one doctor’s tile roof collapsed; the floor is disgusting, covered in mush. By the time I got there, half the rugs had already been pulled up … anything on them was destroyed, like boxes. One box had this past graduation’s programs, and someone picked it up and put it on my desk, and it was sopping wet,” she said.

Smithtown

In Smithtown, the Nissequogue River dam broke from the nearly 10 inches of rain. Two residents were saved by members of the Smithtown Fire Department, as they were trapped on the second floor of their home.

This is despite the town’s recent stormwater and drain infrastructure upgrades. However, Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) said that Smithtown was lucky, in comparison to the nearby villages, as a result of these proactive measures.

Rocky Point

Rocky Point was extensively impacted, as well.

“I tried to take a tour of most of the damage this morning … and several catchment basins overflowed,” Romaine said. “I went down Hagerman Landing Road, and the tops of all the cars in sight had mud. The mudslide that came down Hagerman Landing Road was, easily, 7 to 9 feet. It left its mark on the trees, and the houses, right up to the windows. We had to rescue someone down there from their rooftop.”

Port Jefferson

At about 3 a.m., Monday, a rush of stormwater cascaded down Main Street, past CVS, affecting local property and flooding the Port Jefferson fire station.

According to Fire Commissioner Thomas Meehan, the flooding rose to about 36 inches in the station, bringing sewage and other debris into the building.

“We were just recovering from the flooding we had three years ago,” he said.

Port Jefferson village officials assisted the fire station in the initial cleanup in the early hours of Monday morning.

Several businesses along the Main Street corridor were impacted, including Theatre Three [see editorial].

Huntington

According to a Town of Huntington press release, “The Highway Department took to the roads at the early onset of the storm. After surveying the town, they reported approximately 10 sink holes and minimal trees down. Flooding, however, was the predominant issue, with the town reporting heavy flooding in a few areas.”

All areas will be rebuilt

The Town of Brookhaven’s superintendent of highways, Dan Losquadro (R), explained how the topography of the North Shore created a disastrous alignment of storm conditions.

“Water picks up velocity, as it travels down into these natural drainage points,” he said. “Many of these areas were built a very long time ago. They just have catch basins, and do not have sumps recharge basins, as we call them. [Even so] recharge basins, optimally, can only store 8 inches of water, and a catch basin, no more than 2 to 3.”

“This exceeded even the capacity of a modern sump. So, we saw our systems completely overwhelmed by this volume of water in such a short period of time,” he elaborated.

As for what’s next, Losquadro said, “We will get into the engineering and estimating phase, throughout the day, and, probably, for days to come. We have, unfortunately, been through this process with FEMA, and the state before, even back to the recovery from [Hurricane] Sandy. We will do our best to secure funding, from the higher levels of government, to ease the burden on our local taxpayers because as the county executive and the supervisor [Dan Panico (R)] rightly pointed out, many of these projects are beyond our ability to fund on a local level.”

“This process will take a great deal of time,” Romaine said. “[This damage behind me] will require permitting, not only from D.C., but from the EPA, and from the Army Corps of Engineers as well.”

Both Losquadro and Romaine expressed that the parts of the county hit by this storm will be built back “stronger and better.”

“We will clean this up, whatever it takes. These are our communities, these are our friends, our neighbors. We’re one county, one people and we will work together,” Romaine said.

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Scene from the Six Harbors Brewing label release event at their store in Huntington. Photo courtesy the Six Harbor Brewing Company
Scene from the Six Harbors Brewing label release event at their store in Huntington. Photo courtesy the Six Harbor Brewing Company
Scene from the Six Harbors Brewing label release event at their store in Huntington. Photo courtesy the Six Harbor Brewing Company
Scene from the Six Harbors Brewing label release event at their store in Huntington. Photo courtesy the Six Harbor Brewing Company

By Peter Sloniewsky

Six Harbors Brewing Company, located at 243 New York Ave. in Huntington, held a special label release event on Friday, Aug. 16, to raise money for the restoration of the Van Wyck-Lefferts Tide Mill in Lloyd Harbor. 

Built in the late 1790s and owned by a few different people, the mill completely passed in ownership to the Lefferts family by 1850. However, around that time, the mill was forced to reduce its output because of the dramatic changes taking place as a result of the Industrial Revolution on Long Island. The mill was shut down by 1893 because it couldn’t compete with steam roller mills and due to the shift in Long Island agriculture from grain to vegetables. It is described on its website as “a remarkable testament to the craftsmanship and endurance of its past owners and present-day benefactors.”

While the mill is maintained by the nonprofit Van Wyck-Lefferts Tide Mill Sanctuary dedicated to its survival, it has been in need of donations for a myriad of repairs for several years. The mill, located at 255 Southdown Road in Lloyd Harbor, is situated on a dam protecting a waterfowl sanctuary, which also requires repair. Additionally, the nonprofit is dedicated to raising funds for repairs to the foundation, structure, mechanism and roof of the mill. Lastly, the organization hopes to shore up the bulkhead that protects the mill’s stone foundation.

In an interview with Mark Heuwetter, president of the Six Harbors Brewing Company, he made it clear that part of Six Harbors business model is community outreach. Six Harbors has embarked on a number of local beer can releases for a variety of causes in the past.

Heuwetter said that the mill “is a historical site … [Six Harbors] just wanted to make sure that the project wouldn’t fall into disrepair so that we could preserve the history of the community.” He went on to depict the mill as broadly symbolic of Long Island industry and the history of Huntington as a town.

The design of the special can was sourced from a local competition advertised via Instagram, by the mill’s nonprofit, through the Town of Huntington’s website and the Huntington Chamber of Commerce. Heuwetter received around 30 entries, and the finalist was eventually printed as the can’s design.

Heuwetter recognized the event as largely successful, describing it as “well received” with a “couple hundred” attendees. Between attendance revenue, sponsor donations and the portion of proceeds that go directly to the mill, he was confident that the brewery’s event had raised a meaningful amount of money to preserve the mill.

In addition to this event, Six Harbors is no stranger to charity work. In the near future, Heuwetter is planning a number of local can releases. First, the Huntington Young Professionals, an organization looking to recognize upstanding young individuals from the town, is scheduled for another release. Additionally, Six Harbors plans to collaborate with both the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the 1653 Foundation, which “restores, manages, and enhances the parklands and public spaces of the Town of Huntington.” 

Overall, Heuwetter is more than grateful for the support that Six Harbors receives from the Huntington community, describing it as “tight knit” and as willing to support worthy causes. He made clear that the tide mill project could not have been possible without the support of the entire community.

“I would say that it takes a village — it’s not one person that can make everything happen, it takes everybody to make things happen,” he said.

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Pixabay photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Fear sells. It’s as true when companies are urging people to buy products to protect themselves, families, homes and cars as it is when politicians are trying to scare you  into voting for them or, just as importantly, voting against their opponent.

Sure, they make some effort to suggest that their policies will help you, but they spend considerably more time showing unnerving images of what might happen if you vote for the other team.

One side suggests that a vote for the other candidate could mean the end of democracy, elections and a host of freedoms, while the other suggests that a vote for the other side could mean an end to the world.

Whatever you believe, we have clearly reached an extreme of brinkmanship. 

On top of that, the news is filled with stories and images of murder and mayhem.

These days, all you need to do is turn on your phone and someone, somewhere, is struggling, threatened, or dying.

On top of that, people are sharing concerns about existential threats to the future, with global warming and declines in the food and water necessary to sustain the population.

Regardless of where people check in with the information of the day, threats lurk around every corner.

It’s no wonder that mental health has declined. The world is a place with dark shadows and horrifying possibilities.

Happily ever after has become the launching pad for fractured fairy tales, where couples can’t find affordable homes and, even if they did, couldn’t carry the mortgage.

This mental health strain and the difficulty of disconnecting from a phone that shares these bad news bulletins in constant alerts may be contributing to the record low fertility rate for the country reported this spring in the National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC. 

Specifically, the rates declined for women aged 20 to 39, hitting a record low for women between 20 and 24.

There are numerous other reasons people are foregoing the spectacularly rewarding and challenging decision to have children. Yes, men and women are pursuing careers.

And, yes, people may be more confident and comfortable having children later, putting off the life-altering decision until after a set of vacations, a work milestone or other goals.

But to know exactly why any one or group of people are making the decisions they do requires more than statistics or even surveys. When people answer questions in a survey, they sometimes offer the kinds of replies that look good or that the questioner expects.

I spoke anecdotally with a few 50’ish parents and some children around 30 and got a range of responses about the decision to have or not have children.

Both sides suggested that developing careers made it tougher to start a family. Parents, some of whom seemed eager to have grandchildren, expressed some frustration and, perhaps, judgement, about the decisions of their children and step-children.

Some of the younger crowd said their friends didn’t receive much parenting help from their partners, making the task of raising children more difficult and exhausting and dissuading them and their friends.

They also shared concerns about the high cost of raising children.

One of the younger set added that her mother had been dealing with a lifelong illness and that she had caretaking responsibilities from the time she was young. Her mother continues to need medical and family attention, which she said has made caring for a child less appealing.

One of the younger set asked me what I thought about being a parent. It has filled me with unbelievable joy, affection, love, and laughter and has helped me understand my own parents and grandparents better. Of course, we’ve had our share of challenges interspersed with stomach dropping moments.

Not to blame the media entirely, as I work and live inside that profession, but I feel like the nonstop stream of information, stories, videos, and social media shaming has left people feeling vulnerable and exhausted.

Parenting requires energy and optimism. When people lose sleep, they don’t have much energy and, if they look at their phones, they risk losing their hold on optimism. 

If we want to encourage this generation to continue the chain, we should let them know when they’re ready and when they ask, about the amazing and fulfilling moments, large and small, that make parenting the role of a lifetime.

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Pixabay photo

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

Maine is a beautiful state. It is also a long drive from my house, as we knew before we started the drive. We were heading to a wedding in the Camden area, and the nice thing about going by car was that we didn’t have to fit all the special clothes into a suitcase. We could just hang them up in the back seat, put a few basics into a small suitcase, and we were off.

This was to be a unique wedding in our experience: no ceremony. We were going to party all weekend with relatives and dear friends and a bride and groom that had married the week before.

Guests came from all over the United States to party. They came from the northwest states, the Rockies, the Midwest and the South to wish this modern couple well and witness a truly modern event.

It began with invitations via email. When you consider that traditional snail mail wedding invitations from save-the-date to breakfast the day after run a couple about to tie the knot an average of $530, this was a clever cost-saving move. It should be said, though, that this couple is not average.

For one, they are 36 years old, late to the party, which averages 29 for the groom and 27 for the bride nationally. So they have learned a thing or two about wedding costs.

Second, she is an event planner and was able to put her considerable experience helping other couples spend their money to saving for a leaner wedding, notwithstanding the guest list of some 140.

While we did not witness the solemn event during which they would pledge their everlasting love, we did hear remarks from the siblings, cousin, mother and father of the groom, mother and father of the bride in a kind of spontaneous fashion rather than according to ritualistic assignments. We didn’t know who was to speak next until they gave their prepared remarks.

The setting along the shore was both bucolic and rustic. Indoor activities, like dancing and hors d’œuvres, were in a barn-like structure that boasted chandeliers. The building was set on a long, grassy lawn that led to the beach, and guests enjoyed walking its length to the water and, since it was early evening, watching the sun set.

Dress, as you might have guessed, was Maine Cocktail. Many of the men wore trousers and sports jackets. Not many of the younger men wore suits. The women‘s attire was varied, from long dresses to cocktail length and pants, mostly adorned with flowered patterns and lots of summer colors.

The food was as varied as the dress. Appetizers included pastrami knishes, egg roll hot dogs and crab Rangoon. The Maine course included a buffet, offering brisket, mac and cheese, BBQ chicken, a vegetarian dish and copious salad —  all happy food.

As original as this wedding may sound, it is something of a trend today. Just as dating apps and zoom weddings have become accepted, so have text message and email invites joined the era of digital romance. It is all part of a post-pandemic culture shift toward more casual gatherings. Some folks like it better. As Vogue magazine wrote, “The non-wedding wedding with less traditional clothing, casual food and spontaneous photography are growing in popularity.” 

And of course, this movement is prompted by increasing wedding costs. This more relaxed type of wedding is more affordable than the traditional highly structured wedding of yore. And a lot of fun.

PS: I thank Jeff Crilley, who publishes digitally “The Rundown” for journalists, for sharing the above observations.

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Alan Howarth performing live in concert in 2019.

The award-winning composer and sound designer will perform a live concert and speak to the audience about his career

On Friday, August 30 at 7 p.m., legendary film composer and sound designer Alan Howarth, best known for his collaborations with John Carpenter, and his work on the Star Trek films, will perform a live concert of his iconic film music at Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre. The concert will be proceeded by a Q&A with the audience where he will discuss the art of film composing, and storied long career.

Alan Howarth and John Carpenter at work on Escape from New York. 1980. Photo by Phil D’Angelo

Alan Howarth’s award–winning film work started on Star Trek–The Motion Picture, launching him as a sound designer for the following 6 Star Trek feature films. He would then go on to collaborate with the director John Carpenter, crafting the scores for many of Carpenter’s most iconic works. He has since composed music for over 50 films. A sound design innovator, Howarth has worked on such films as Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula, The Hunt for Red October, Die Hard II, Stargate, The Little Mermaid, Back to the Future II and III, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Together with Carpenter, Alan Howarth pioneered a synth heavy style that would go on to influence many of the horror films that would follow, as well as the techno music genre as a whole.

The concert will feature music from beloved John Carpenter films such as Escape From New York, Halloween II, III & IV, The Thing, Big Trouble In Little China, Christine, They Live, Prince Of Darkness, and others.

The Cinema Arts Centre is located at 423 Park Avenue in Huntington. Tickets to the event are $27 public | $20 Cinema Arts Centre members.

You can purchase tickets or find more information about this and other events on the Cinema Arts Centre website: www.cinemaartscentre.org

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File photo

Heavier than Normal Flooding Reported – Street Pumping Prohibition Temporarily Waived

Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth and Highway Superintendent Andre Sorrentino are responding hastily to Sunday night’s heavy rain storm that slammed the Long Island region.

As forecasters called for strong storms on Sunday night, Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth began rallying his team to handle anything that could impact the Town, including downs trees, sink holes and heavier than normal flooding.  

“When the weather turns ugly, I always know I can rely on my partners in Government to come to the aide of the Town, especially Andre Sorrentino and the Highway Department”, said Ed Smyth.  “Huntington’s emergency response protocol is second to none when it comes to tackling what mother nature dishes out.” 

To assist residents with the impact of the heavier than normal rains and the flooding, Supervisor Smyth has ordered a temporary waiver for residents to discharge storm water from flooded basements into the roadway.  The Town’s Pubic Safety office will not be issuing violations for the next 48 hours, while residents deal with home flooding.

Smyth added, “under normal circumstances a discharge into our roadways would be a violation of Town Code (Ch 133-1 A, B & C).  This can cause hazards for pedestrians and traffic.  In this case, our neighbors were impacted greater than normal and we want to do whatever we can to assist them in bringing their property back to normal.”

The Highway Department took to the roads at the early onset of the storm.  After surveying the Town, they reported approximately 10 sink holes and minimal trees down.  Flooding, however, was the predominant issue, with the Town reporting heavy flooding in a few areas.

According to Highway Superintendent Andre Sorrentino, “The Town’s Highway Department is responding to the heavier flooded areas.  Our team will work until these areas are secure.  We are happy to report that most of the Town is clear and passable thanks to the overnight work of our crews.  They did a terrific job responding to this weather emergency.”  Sorrentino added, “as always, we want our residents to know we are here for them.  If you have an issue, please contact the Town’s Highway Department at 631-499-0444.”

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Downtown Kings Park. File photo

By Sabrina Artusa

Cornerstone Kings Park, a 50-unit luxury apartment building proposed for the corner of Meadow Road and Indian Head Road in Kings Park, was discussed at the Smithtown Board of Zoning Appeals public hearing on Aug. 6.

The 44,883-square-foot project would sit outside of the LIRR train station and would be part of the Kings Park downtown revitalization effort.

The proposed project necessitates a special exception as the surrounding area is currently zoned as commercial-business & industrial. A vacant restaurant pad site would need to be demolished if the project is to be built.

In order to progress and be considered by the Smithtown Town Board, the Smithtown Zoning Board of Appeals must approve the special exception.

The zoning board doesn’t anticipate making a recommendation to the Town Board until the Smithtown Comprehensive Master Plan is adopted, which would change the zoning of the area to transit oriented development (TOD). Further, the zoning board expressed dissatisfaction with several setbacks, which they deemed deficient even if the plan is adopted. The zoning change to transit oriented development would alter the minimum requirement for a setback.

Smithtown Board of Zoning Appeals meeting on Aug. 6. Photo courtesy of Smithtownny.gov

Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) spoke at the public hearing. “I am all for building something on this property,” he said. “Make no mistake about it. But 50 units in the parking lot of a shopping center is ridiculous.”

Trotta went on to suggest making a portion of the units co-ops or condominiums, an idea he has integrated in a resolution he designed to increase home ownership. The resolution was shot down in a Suffolk County Economic Development, Planning & Housing Committee meeting.

The size and magnitude of the project is one of the chief factors of concern for many. One constituent said, “I used to work in Queens and I like to come home to a backyard and a different style of life … it will kind of diminish and ruin what we are trying to have here. This kind of deviates from that kind of thinking.”

Another member of the community was eager for the project to provide more housing opportunities for the aging generation and to economically boost the downtown area.

Indeed, the developers market the project as a step towards fulfilling the goals listed in the Revitalizing Downtown Kings Park Action Plan which was developed by The Kings Park Chamber of Commerce and Kings Park Civic Association in 2016.

“Utilizing the Revitalizing Downtown Kings Park Action Plan, Terwillliger Bartone, with the Cornerstone Kings Park project, fills an important role of meeting the desires of the plan, from parking to transit oriented development to design and more” the Cornerstone Kings Park website reads.

After receiving criticism from citizens, the developers, Tanzi Properties LLC and Terwilliger & Bartone Properties, made several adjustments to the proposal, including decreasing the stories from four to three and supplementing above ground parking with an underground garage.

The developers expect the project to bring in $2 million annually in discretionary spending. Furthermore, their traffic study indicated that “it is the perfect complement to what is already existing in the area,” said the lawyer for the developers, Garrett Gray of Weber Law Group.

Gray said in his presentation that at peak hours, the parking is not expected to exceed 77% capacity.

Cornerstone Kings Park is one of the projects being considered for the $10 million Smithtown-Kings Park has received from the state for its downtown revitalization.

The application is still under review; the Zoning Board will more seriously consider making a recommendation once the Smithtown Comprehensive Master Plan is adopted, which is expected to occur within the coming months.

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Downtown Port Jefferson flooded during Superstorm Sandy. File photo

This week’s Port Jefferson Civic meeting devoted a great deal of time to all things flood-related.

Now, of course, flood prevention is not unique. It is something all communities think about — especially, a port town.

But, why did the Village of Port Jefferson feel so strongly about a little bit of water falling from the sky, that they have decided to implement a two-phase plan, to build infrastructure designed to aid areas “[vulnerable] to flooding, associated with individual and co-occurring flood drivers?”

There are a few reasons. The first one is that this problem is not small, at all. It is much more dire than the flooding of yesteryear. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Long Island’s sea level has risen 13 inches from 1880. Just to put that figure into perspective, the global average is 8-9 inches. Secondly, warming temperatures have created hurricanes, with intense conditions, putting our island at increased storm surge-induced flooding, (for this factor, the South Shore is at a much higher risk.) And, lastly, Port Jefferson’s unique geography. Being situated on the harbor front, the village becomes susceptible to the strong flooding a confined harbor can induce.

Additionally, the area’s high groundwater table means that the soil does not have much capacity for additional water, thus exacerbating surface runoff, on an already small watershed. The geography of Port Jeff is, truly, unique, as it is a valley, which creates the imperfect opportunity for water to run down, from all directions — affording it the nickname “Drowned Meadow.”

So, what can we, as a community, do to prevent floods from disrupting our livelihoods? While this issue requires the careful care of our local government, as it is a truly serious issue, here are a few general suggestions:

• Consider purchasing a sump pump, to prevent basement or crawl space flooding.

• Ensure new building and development does not occur in flood-prone areas, or historic hurricane tracks.

• Merge nature-based solutions and infrastructure, to enhance resilience. An example would be improving upon infrastructure in need of flood safeguards, or replenishing beaches, to avoid erosion, and ensure the land’s natural slope and profile stays intact.

• Minimize your greenhouse gas emissions, to reduce the risk of severe storms. Starting is as easy as purchasing home appliances that are Energy Star — products approved by the EPA — certified, and lowering the thermostat.

• Bolster awareness. Talk to neighbors about the dangers of climate-influenced natural disasters, and generate community action. We need it

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Hiro Furukawa Photo courtesy of CSHL

By Daniel Dunaief

Following a relentless drive to succeed, scientists have a great deal in common with athletes.

In addition to putting in long hours and dedicating considerable energy to improving their results, these talented professionals also enjoy moments of success — large and small — as opportunities to appreciate the victories and then build to greater challenges.

And so it is for Hiro Furukawa, a Professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Hiro Furukawa. Photo courtesy of JMSA

Working with a team of scientists including at Emory University, Furukawa recently published a paper in the prestigious journal Nature in which he demonstrated the long-sought structural process that leads to the opening of an important channel in the brain, called the NMDAR receptor.

When this cellular channel doesn’t function correctly, it can lead to numerous diseases, including Alzheimer’s and depression. Understanding the structural details of this channel could, at some point in future research, lead to breakthrough treatments.

“Each moment of discovery is exciting and priceless,” Furukawa explained. “When I finally see what I have sought for many years — in this case, the mechanism of NMDAR channel opening — it fills me with immense euphoria, followed by a sense of satisfaction.”

That sounds like the kind of mountaintop moment that star athletes whose achievements people applaud share once they’ve reached a long-desire milestone, like, perhaps, winning a gold medal in the Olympics.

The thirst for more for Furukawa, as it is for those with a passion for success in other fields beyond science and athletics, is unquenchable and unrelenting.

“This feeling is fleeting,” he added. “Within a few hours, a flurry of new questions arising from the discovery begins to occupy my mind.”

Indeed, Furukawa suggested that he expects that many other scientists share this experience.

Forming a winning team

Furukawa and Stephen Traynelis, Professor and Director in the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, started to work together on a series of modulators for the NMDAR protein about eight years ago.

Hiro Furukawa. Photo courtesy of JMSA

This particular protein binds to the neurotransmitter glutamate and to glycine, which is another compound. Once bound to both, the channel, as if responding to the correct combination in a garage door, opens, creating electrical signals that contribute to brain functions.

To study the way the binding of these molecules opened the channel, the researchers needed to figure out how to keep the receptor in the open position.

That’s where a combination of work in the labs of Traynelis and Dennis Liotta, also a Professor at Emory, came in. Liotta’s lab made over 400 analogs that Traynelis ran in his lab.

Liotta created a compound called EU-1622-A, which is now known as EU-1622-240, that upregulates NMDAR activity, Furukawa explained.

“We used cryo-EM [electron microscopy] to capture the NMDAR structure with the compound, validated its conformation through electrophysiology and elucidated the activation mechanism,” he said.

Incorporating EU-1622-240 along with glycine and glutamate into the GluN1-2B NMDAR sample, which is a specific subtype and is the easiest to work with, enabled a visualization of the open channel.

Furukawa described the compound Traynelis created at Emory as the “key factor in capturing the open channel conformation.”

Determining the structure of a functioning protein can provide clues about how to alter those that may be contributing to the onset or progression of a disease.

To be sure, Furukawa recognizes the work as one step in what’s likely to involve an extensive research journey.

“We still have a long way to go, but we’ve made progress,” Furukawa said. “In this study, a compound bound to NMDAR gave us a clue on how to control the frequency of ion channel openings. Both hyperactive and hypoactive functions of NMDAR ion channels have been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, so being able to regulate NMDAR activity would be significant.”

Furukawa can’t say for sure if this compound could alleviate the symptoms of certain diseases, but it serves as a new series of potentially clinically relevant options to test.

The researchers are developing a method to purify NMDAR proteins from animal tissues. Once they accomplish that task, they should be able to isolate NMDAR from Alzheimer’s brains to compare them to a normally functioning protein.

Furukawa suggested that it’s probable that specific NMDAR conformations are stabilized to different extents in various diseases compared to normal brains.

The researchers have not yet presented this work at meetings. First author Tsung-Han Chou, who is a postdoctoral fellow in Furukawa’s lab, plans to present the work at upcoming conferences, such as the Biophysical Society Meeting.

The review process for the research proceeded quickly, as the team submitted the paper in February of this year. 

Next steps

As for what’s next, Furukawa suggested that the team planned to solidify their findings.

“We must determine if the channel opening mechanism applies to other types of NMDARs,” he said. “Although we observed that EU1622-A compound binds to NMDAR, its structure was not sufficient resolved.”

To facilitate the re-design of EU1622-240, the scientists will need to improve the cryo-EM map resolution.

Traynelis, meanwhile, said that he and Liotta are synthesizing new modulators in this class and related classes and are working on mechanisms of action for this series at all NMDA receptors as well as actions in neuronal systems.

“We have a robust synthetic program with our collaborator [Liotta], whose laboratory is synthesizing many new modulators in this class and related classes,” Traynelis explained.

Traynelis added that his goal is to “develop new medicines to address unmet clinical needs. We want to find new and effective therapeutic treatments that help patients.”

The Emory professor is excited about the “potential development of positive NMDA receptor allosteric modulators that could enhance NMDA receptor function.”

Broader perspective

Furukawa, who lives in Cold Spring Harbor and whose sons Ryoma, 16 and Rin, 13, attend senior and junior high school, respectively, was interested in international politics and economics when he attended Tufts University as an undergraduate.

These non-science topics provide additional perspective that enrich his life.

“I remain very interested in understanding history and the reasons behind current events in Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S.,” he said. “This endeavor is far more challenging than decoding NMDAR structures and functions.”

As for his collaborations, Furukawa suggested that the findings from this research inspire him to continue to search for more answers and greater scientific achievements.

“We will continue to unravel these mysteries in future studies,” Furukawa said. “The best is yet to come.”

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