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Town of Brookhaven

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Dr. Jennifer Quinn has been chosen as a recipient of the Town of Brookhaven's 2025 Women's Recognition Awards.

Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Daniel J. Panico has announced the recipients of the 2025 Women’s Recognition Awards who will be honored at the 39th Annual Women’s Recognition Night to be held on Thursday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Brookhaven Town Hall, One Independence Hill in Farmingville.

Lily Stolzberg has been chosen as a recipient of the Town of Brookhaven’s 2025 Women’s Recognition Awards.

The event, which is open to the public, is sponsored by the Town’s Office of Women’s Services, Department of General Services. Nominated by members of the community, the winners either live or work in the Town of Brookhaven and have demonstrated excellence in their endeavors in a variety of areas. Nominations were considered by members of Brookhaven’s Women’s Advisory Board and selected based on resumes and letters of recommendation.

The 2025 Women’s Recognition Award recipients are:
Business Mary Beth Lichtneger / Center Moriches
Communications Lily Stolzberg / Miller Place
Community Services Professional Jennifer Hernandez / Mount Sinai
Community Service Volunteer Debra L. Engelhardt/ Wading River
Education Leah Topek-Walker / Patchogue
Government Leslie A. Mitchel / Port Jefferson
Health Care Provider Christina Burke, PT, DPT, NCS / Great River/ Stony Brook Medicine
Law Enforcement Megan O’Donnell / Calverton/ District Attorney’s Office
Legal Profession Stephanie A. Buffa, Esq. / East Setauket
Medicine Dr. Rachel Davis/ Roslyn / Stony Brook Medicine
Science Dr. Gabriella Carini / Port Jefferson

Stephanie A Buffa, Esq. has been chosen as a recipient of the Town of Brookhaven’s 2025 Women’s Recognition Awards.

2025 Town Board Special Commendation Awards
Supervisor Daniel J. Panico – Annette Eaderesto, Esq. / Brookhaven
Councilman Jonathan Kornreich – Dr. Jennifer Quinn / East Setauket
Councilwoman Jane Bonner – Bea Ruberto / Sound Beach
Councilman Neil A. Manzella – Linda Miller / Selden
Councilman Michael A. Loguercio – Isabella Rossellini / Brookhaven
Councilman Neil Foley – Mary Bailey / Blue Point
Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig – Maura Spery / Mastic

The Town of Brookhaven’s Office of Women’s Services, a Division of the Department of General Services, provides a variety of services for women and their families. For more information about the 39th Annual Women’s Recognition Awards Night ceremony, please call 631-451-6146 or visit BrookhavenNY.gov.

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Brookhaven Receiver of Taxes Louis Marcoccia speaks to the civic on March 3. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

By Sabrina Artusa

At the March 3 Three Village Civic Association meeting, Town of Brookhaven Receiver of Taxes Louis Marcoccia gave members valuable advice on how to wade through the thick of this year’s tax season. 

Facing a group of residents who are in the midst of tackling their taxes, Marcoccia had his work cut out for him. He was quick, however, to appeal to the group, reminding the civic that Mathew the tax collector was one of Jesus’ apostles. 

Brookhaven Receiver of Taxes Louis Marcoccia speaks to the civic on March 3. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

“The tax collector, out of all the elected officials, is closest to Jesus,” he said. “The most read gospel is Mathew, which is actually converted to tax code,” he added.

Marcoccia is proud of his department and the changes they have made over the years, including taking advantage of technology, thereby saving money on envelopes and allowing people to pay and view their taxes instantly. He also reduced his staff by 40% by simply not rehiring after employees left.

This year, many Three Village residents were alarmed to see a 5.47% increase in their school taxes. In the year prior, the assessor’s office mistakenly included about 30 properties in the calculations, resulting in a lower tax increase percentage for that year, so constituents paid less in taxes to the school. 

“The percent was 1.27% but it should have been 2.8 so people who live there paid less than they should have and the town had to eat that,” Marcoccia said.

The bill was never sent to those 30 properties, mainly Stony Brook properties, since the tax office caught the mistake shortly after filing, but the incorrect assessment caused a shortfall that amounted to “millions,” according to Marcoccia, causing the bill to be $125 less per household. 

After being filed with New York State, the tax bills are finalized. As a result, this year, the bill represents the correction from last year in the percentage, even though constituents will not be actually paying that percentage increase, as it would have broken the tax cap of 2.84%.  That correction is the cause of 1.47% of the increase represented on the bill and is not the taxpayer’s responsibility.

In a letter sent by the Three Village Central School District explaining their mistake, Superintendent of Schools Kevin Scanlon explains that 0.54% of the percentage is due to a decrease in the assessed values of some properties, causing the other properties to take on more taxes. The remaining 0.32% increase is due to the senior citizen exemption. The actual tax rate increase, disregarding the correction, would be exactly 2.84%. 

“Once you file it and send it to the state you are stuck,” Marcoccia clarified. “A mistake happened, but it didn’t cost you any money.” 

Other News 

According to Legislator Steve Englebright (D, Setauket), the Town of Brookhaven, the Village of Head of the Harbor and the Ward Melville Heritage Organization are continuing to navigate the convoluted and uncertain ownership of Harbor Road. 

“A part of the controversy is who owns the road. Now the town highway department says [they] don’t own the road. It joins one village and one town together. Does Smithtown own half of the road?” Englebright asked, emphasizing the complicated discourse surrounding the issue. “Does ownership of the road mean ownership of the liability? Does the owner of the road also mean they are the owners of the land and the dam?” 

Under pressure to meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency deadline to file for aid, officials met to discuss a plan forward last month. 

“Time is short and now it is kind of a high wire act,” Englebright said.

For more information, visit www.3vcivic.org.

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From left to right: Jerry Maxim, corresponding secretary; Ira Costell, president; Lee Brett, vice president; Sheila Granito, acting recording secretary; and, standing, Kevin LaValle, Brookhaven town clerk. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

By Sabrina Artusa

At the Feb. 25 Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association meeting, the many services of the Town of Brookhaven Clerk’s Office were reviewed and various developments were discussed, including the Baylis Avenue site proposal and Jefferson Plaza. 

The association established their position on the proposed annexation of the 5.6-acre site on Baylis Avenue by the Village of Port Jefferson. Northwind Group, after their rezoning proposal was shot down by Brookhaven, preventing their plans for an apartment complex on the parcel, moved to transfer ownership of the land to the Village of Port Jefferson. 

“I would really like to reiterate that it is my objection…this is a thinly veiled backdoor move to get approval he otherwise wouldn’t have gotten,” Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic President Ira Costell said. The rest of the board, as well as civic members, seemed in agreement. 

March 6, Northwind Group will appeal the ruling to the Town of Brookhaven council and a public hearing will be held. The annexation would set a “bad precedent,” said civic member Charlie McAteer. 

Newly elected Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Vice President Lee Brett lamented how the annexation would complicate the execution of services by putting a burden on the Terryville Fire Department and the Comsewogue School District. “Just because it says Port Jefferson Village and they get to go to the beach for free, I can care less, I want my town safe,” he said.

Brookhaven Town Clerk Kevin LaValle reviewed his department’s services and processes, including administering marriage licenses, disability parking passes, death certificates and record digitalization. 

He has also worked to use technology to his advantage, now sending people notices of renewals and allowing them to complete the form from home. 

“The most valuable thing in business is time, from the minute your client asks you for a service from the minute you get it done…we want to be a township that makes it easier for people to come in and do business with our township,” he said, adding that developers can now submit land-use applications online. Further, project information is now advertised through signs that have QR codes leading to the town website.

“It makes it a lot easier to get information on a project out there,” LaValle said. 

LaValle also discussed the prevalence of text message and phone call scams, sometimes under the guise of a bank or a police department saying a loved one is in jail.

LaValle got a scam himself in the form of a text. Presumably, it was his bank informing him of fraud. “I didn’t click the link they had there, I didn’t use the phone number they had on it. I went online…I called the number online that I know is the actual credit card company…they said absolutely that is not [us], can you send us the information,” LaValle said. 

“Don’t rush making decisions,” said LaValle, who attended a presentation on the subject by the Suffolk County district attorney.

Next month, Staller Associates will meet with the civic to discuss architectural design for their development of Jefferson Plaza.

For more information on the services provided by the town clerk visit www.brookhavenny.gov.

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Photo from Town of Brookhaven

On February 24, Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico and Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner were on-hand when the Town of Brookhaven demolished a vacant and abandoned “zombie house” at 118 Route 25 A in Rocky Point. The property will be restored to open space, part of the environmentally sensitive Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest.

The house was covered with graffiti and the source of many resident complaints leading to numerous Town of Brookhaven housing code violations. It was demolished in accordance with Chapter 73 of the Town Code which provides a “fast track” to rid neighborhoods of unsafe structures. The cost of demolition and debris removal is the responsibility of the property owner, and the Town places a lien on the property that is then placed on the tax bill. Suffolk County reimburses the Town and then they collect the money from the property owner.

“Councilwoman Bonner works very hard for the residents of Council District 2, and I support her efforts to clean up dilapidated properties. The Town will continue this program until all neighborhoods are cleared of these dangerous eyesores,” said Supervisor Panico.

Councilwoman Bonner said, “Thank you to the DEC for the purchase of the property and incorporating it into open space never to be developed. This blight has been removed and Brookhaven Town residents can rest assured that I will continue to preserve and protect the quality of life in my Council District and throughout the Town.”

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Pictured (left to right) are Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich; Councilman Neil Manzella; Craig Knapp; Councilwoman Jane Bonner; Supervisor Dan Panico; Councilman Neil Foley; Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig; Councilman Michael Loguercio and Town Clerk Kevin LaValle. Photo from Town of Brookhaven

At the February 13 Town of Brookhaven Board Meeting, Councilwoman Jane Bonner recognized Rocky Point School District music teacher, Craig Knapp, for being named 2024 ‘Educator of Note’ by the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF).

Mr. Knapp is the 18th music teacher to be recognized by LIMEHOF. The ‘Educator of Note’ award recognizes exceptional teachers who demonstrate a commitment to music education, play an active role in the community, and have a significant influence on the lives of music students of all backgrounds and abilities.

The ceremony took place at LIMEHOF’s museum location in Stony Brook and featured musical performances by current and former students, live and video-recorded speeches from colleagues, and a video presentation about Mr. Knapp’s career.

Pictured (left to right) are Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich; Councilman Neil Manzella; Craig Knapp; Councilwoman Jane Bonner; Supervisor Dan Panico; Councilman Neil Foley; Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig; Councilman Michael Loguercio and Town Clerk Kevin LaValle.

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By Michelle Grisales

Free drug testing kits, and a lot of useful advice and information were offered  at a drug awareness forum at Brookhaven Town Hall on Feb. 10.

The workshop, “The More You Know… Substance Abuse Education,” was open to anyone and was presented by The Town of Brookhaven’s Department of General Services Youth Bureau Division. 

The forum attracted parents, some with their children, and focused on topics such as adolescent behavior and development, reasons adolescents experiment with substances and trends in adolescent drug use.

As attendees arrived, they were handed a folder filled with informative sheets specifically directed towards parents on how to approach conversations of drug use with their children. There were also pamphlets, a printed-out version of the slideshow used and a pen and paper to take notes.

Hayden Cruz, a clinical social worker at the Youth Bureau Division, led the presentation and explained in great detail what adolescents go through when experimenting with drugs and showed the most commonly used ones. He gave advice to parents in attendance whose children struggle with this on how to approach the conversation and effectively seek help if needed.

“I just want us to keep in mind that there’s a lot of change going on and there’s a lot of unknowns for a person throughout this time period … there’s only so much that [parents] can control, but there is a way of voicing concerns and hoping that your child, the teenager, stays more focused on their own treatment and their own well being,” he said. “That takes a lot of time, a lot of trust [and] a lot of work in communication and trying to find that middle ground.” 

Michelle Grisales is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism Working Newsroom program for students and local media.

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By Dylan Friedman

A proposed 48-unit apartment complex in Port Jefferson Station, Brook Meadows, has sparked a potential boundary restructuring between Brookhaven Town and Port Jefferson Village. Developer Northwind Group wants to annex the project site on Baylis Avenue to Port Jefferson Village. 

This unusual move comes after Northwind’s initial attempt to secure a zoning change from Brookhaven Town for the 5.6-acre parcel at 16 Baylis Ave. failed amid community and official opposition.

Baylis Avenue, a dead-end street with only 6 properties, presents a unique situation. While physically located within the Town of Brookhaven, its sole access point is via Sheep Pasture Road, which lies within Port Jefferson Village.

If both the town and village consent to the annexation, Brook Meadows would be assessed by Port Jefferson’s land-use boards instead of those of Brookhaven’s.

However, Ira Costell, president of the Port Jefferson Station-Terryville Civic Association, said in a recent Newsday article that he thinks the annexation “has the feel of a backdoor move to circumvent both the town and the residents of Port Jefferson Station” to bypass town zoning laws. 

“If this was a constant process and policy now, we are eating away at the margins of what’s been long-term, long-established as the governmental jurisdiction. It still remains part of our school district. Everybody around that parcel will be Port Jeff Station residents. I mean, what’s the logic behind this,” Costell said.  

There is a public hearing, scheduled for March 6 at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville, is poised to be pivotal in determining the fate of the Brook Meadows development and its implications for municipal boundary adjustments. 

Ultimately, the fate of the annexation and the Brook Meadows project will hinge on a joint decision by Brookhaven Town and Port Jefferson Village.

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2025 Rocky Point Civic Association

On February 4, Councilwoman Jane Bonner (right) was at the Fischer VFW Post 6249 in Rocky Point where she led the swearing-in of the new Rocky Point Civic Association board members.

Pictured left to right are Dean Gandley (Treasurer); Quentin Palifka (Trustee); Alicia Palifka (Trustee); Kathleen Weber (Membership Secretary); Jennifer Hald (President); Tina Bogart (Sergeant at Arms); Thomas Buttacavoli (Vice President); Leah Buttacavoli (Trustee) and Councilwoman Jane Bonner (right). 

“The Rocky Point Civic Association has worked for many years to help make the community a better place to live,” said Councilwoman Bonner. “I congratulate the incoming officers and look forward to working with them in the future.”

The Rocky Point Civic Association was founded to promote the welfare and quality of life in Rocky Point and the surrounding community. Regular meetings are on the first Tuesday of the month. For more information, go to www.RPCivic.org or email [email protected].

 

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Clockwise from left, Town of Brookhaven Legislative Aide for Councilmember Kornreich, Amani Khan; Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich; Supervisor Dan Panico; Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig, Councilman Neil Manzella; Councilwoman Jane Bonner; co-host Hon. Valerie Cartright Lorraine Mazza Kuehn; Cheryl Felice; Assemblywoman Rebbeca Kassay; and Town Clerk Kevin LaValle.

A special “Day of Service” luncheon was held January 20 at the Bellport Golf Club to honor the life and memory of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico presided over the annual holiday luncheon, and he thanked co-hosts Hon. Valerie Cartright, a Supreme Court Justice and Marvin Colson, of the Brookhaven Town Branch of the NAACP for their help, as well as Faith Baptist Church and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.

Town Supervisor Dan Panico (center) with guests at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. annual luncheon.

Special thanks went to the Community Sponsor “Dare to Dream Community Outreach” in connection with the community service project, and Rho Omega Zeta Chapter for organizing the program, entitled “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence 365. Entertainment was provided by the Faith Baptist Church Choir led by Rev. Diane Jones.

The event was attended by more than 350 children, teens and adults. There were inspiring readings and liturgical dance performances, as well as musical selections to recognize the vision, courage and unwavering commitment to nonviolence and justice by Dr. King. In partnership with the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, the Town of Brookhaven Supervisor and Town Council members assembled care packages for those in need, honoring Dr. King’s belief in the power of service to uplift communities.

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Project Manager Camille Warner from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority presents information about lithium-ion batteries as the panel listens. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

By Sabrina Artusa

Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico (R) held a community forum to discuss battery energy storage systems on Tuesday, Jan 21 at Suffolk County Community College in Selden.

The forum featured a panel of professionals including an energy storage safety specialist, a deputy town attorney, a Stony Brook University professor and a chief fire marshal. 

Two battery energy storage facilities are proposed in Setauket by the Shell Group company Savion Energy. One facility is already being built in Patchogue.

The batteries

The forum began with a presentation by Camille Warner, project manager of a clean energy siting team for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Lithium-ion batteries are intended to hold energy, thus increasing the resilience of the grid by “provisioning essential resources” such as solar or wind energy. When renewable energy isn’t available, like when it is cloudy or windless, the batteries would release the energy stored, therefore prolonging the amount of energy we are able to derive from renewable resources. 

Lithium-ion batteries “store the most energy per unit weight or volume of any other battery system,” Warner said. To add, the batteries can help supplement energy during peak hours or when grid prices are high.

One system is proposed for a lot off Sheep Pasture Road and another is proposed between Parsonage and Old Town roads. 

Moss landing fires

A 350-kilowatt facility in Moss Landing, California. started a fire on Jan. 16. It was extinguished by Monday, Jan. 20. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it necessitated the evacuation of residents.

“At Moss Landing there was just open racks in an open building which had no fire breaks in between. We also know that the system was designed in 2017…The codes were not mature…the codes have gotten so much more mature,” Paul Rogers, an energy storage specialist for Energy Safety Response Group and a former New York City Fire Department Lieutenant, said.

He also mentioned that the Moss Landing BESS did not go through any large-scale fire testing. It is a current standard to test the failure of a BESS. 

The BESS systems proposed in Setauket will not be operated in a designated-use building, so the scale of any possible fire would not reach the level of the one in Moss Landing. The Brookhaven systems are compartmentalized. 

While residents were evacuated during the fire, testing has not revealed dangerous levels of hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, particulates or carbon monoxide. 

Chief Fire Marshal Christopher Mehrman said that it is doubtful an evacuation would be needed if the Brookhaven systems were to ever catch fire as it isn’t likely the fire would ever escape the property. 

When Panico asked what radius from a fire would experience diminished, and potentially harmful air quality, Mehrman said: “There is no defined radius. There are many factors that play into it – wind, time of day … whether there is a weather inversion that is keeping [the gasses] close to the ground or it is just flying up and going away.” 

Safety measures

The Energy Safety Response Group has worked with the state to refine the code. 

Precautions include a specific plan in case of failure. Experts must be present within four hours of a fire to help the fire department and should be available over the phone immediately.

“Someone who will take responsibility and start the decommissioning process should a fire take place … so the fire department can be relieved,” said Rogers.

Rogers also said that in addition to the National Fired Protection Agency’s compressed gasses and cryogenic fluids code, the state plans to add extra mandatory safety measures in preparing for and preventing BESS fires.  

Annual training will be provided to fire departments, annual inspections of the systems will take place, and the BESS will be peer reviewed by a third party before and after being built, paid for by the developing company. “This is not in NFPA 55. We went above and beyond the gold standard as far as I am concerned,” Rogers said. 

Rogers also said his group provides thorough, site-specific training to fire departments. In the case of a fire, the fire department is advised to let the module burn itself out and to use water to prevent the spread to other racks. 

“Limit the spread of the fire. That is the whole goal of this … we want to keep it within the box,” Rogers said. 

Explosions caused by thermal runaway are unlikely, according to Mehrman, who said, “Vapors burn off rather than lead to an explosion. We have not seen any battery storage facility fire that has failed beyond the perimeter.”

 Other concerns

Deputy Town Attorney Beth Reilly addressed legal questions as they pertained to the town code. 

In accordance with the town code, which dictates that noise levels cannot exceed 65 decibels at the property line from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. or 50 decibels after 10 p.m., the site will include buffers and vegetation to limit noise.

Panico, in response to financial queries, said the company “will pay taxes in accord with any other development” and “this is in no way being done with anything related to the landfill.”

Both Setauket sites are zoned appropriately, so the systems are permitted in those areas, despite their proximity to residential areas.  

Panico acknowledged the relevance of battery energy storage systems by appreciating the benefits of renewable energy in the fight against climate change. “There is a value from harnessing power from the wind and the sun,” he said. 

Councilmembers Jonathon Kornreich (D-Stony Brook), Neil Manzella (R-Selden), and Neil Foley (R-Patchogue) were also among those in attendance.

To view the forum, please use this link:

 

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