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Mount Sinai’s administration and board — including Superintendent Gordon Brosdal and BOE President Robert Sweeney — will ask taxpayers to weigh in on a capital bond proposal Dec. 11. File photo by Erika Karp

The Mount Sinai School District board of education has announced a $25 million price tag for its upcoming capital bond proposal, which would make major repairs to school roofs as well as add new teaching spaces.

At its Oct. 11 meeting Mount Sinai’s board voted to move ahead with the $25,331,498 bond proposal and set a date for a community vote on Dec. 11.

The board showcased the final bond proposal at its Oct. 17 meeting for the community, which proposes an average $240 tax increase on a home assessed at $3,700, or $370 on a home with an assessed value of $5,700.

The bond has changed somewhat since its initial presentation Sept. 26. The sticker price has gone from $24.6 million to $25.3 million and new projects have been added, including upgrades to the boys and girls bathrooms in both the middle and high school. Other additions included creating a girls varsity softball synthetic turf field for $327,750 and a boys varsity baseball synthetic turf infield for $393,300.

The original bond proposal included new additions to the high school orchestra room and a 12,000 square foot fitness center, but those were not included in the final proposal. The September proposal also included a new music lab, but board President Robert Sweeney said the school did not have the space for it, and that additions to the bond were made based on student enrollment, which is expected to decrease in the next several years.

“In four years, there will be 200 less kids in the high school than we’ve ever had,” Sweeney said. “This [bond] is driven by student need and it’s student centered.”

The bond would also fund additional security improvements, including adding security cameras to all school buildings as well as replacing exterior doors and adding non-ballistic security film to windows.

In terms of repairs, the bond would use $2.1 million to complete 54,000 square feet of roofing replacement for the high school, and would also fund projects to repave the high school’s main parking lot, replace flooring in the middle school and replace the public address and master time clock system in all school buildings.

Superintendent Gordon Brosdal said the most important inclusions were those that repaired some of the campus’ aging buildings.

“I think the board did a great job to weigh everything out and keep the community in mind, especially repairing our 40-year-old, 50-year-old, 60-year-old buildings,” Brosdal said.

The bond also includes funds for one synthetic turf multi-purpose field and 1,400 square foot locker room renovations and expansions at the high school.

Sweeney said the board took out multiple items from the original proposal, including repairs to masonry, painting lintels and for the inclusion of natural gas emergency generators for the elementary and middle school because several of those projects can be included in either future capital projects using the district’s unassigned fund balance or with normal district budgets.

“Those items were perfectly fine, but we have money in the budget to do it,” Sweeney said.

Some community members, like Mount Sinai resident Michael McGuire, have questioned the need for a bond if it also leads to tax increases.

“The kids we are investing in cannot afford to live here,” McGuire said.

Voters can weigh in on the referendum Dec. 11. Residents in the school district must be registered in order to vote. Residents can register at the District Office during school hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Dec. 5.

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Voting booths at Rocky Point High School. File photo by Kyle Barr

On Nov. 6, voters will be lining up across Suffolk County at polling places, though if some school officials in the county could have it their way, by Election Day 2019 votes will be cast elsewhere.

Despite the fact schools are used as polling places near-universally, recent pushes for additional school security from communities have made several North Shore superintendents question why they should be forced to allow strangers into their buildings.

“You have to admit anybody onto school campus who comes to vote, so those actions and best practices for security that we observe every day, we can’t observe on Election Day,” said Elwood school district Superintendent Kenneth Bossert. “Schools are allowed to make their own rules for every school day, but on Election Day we have to defer to the [Suffolk County] Board of Elections, and in effect our facilities become their facilities.”

“Schools are allowed to make their own rules for every school day, but on Election Day we have to defer to the [Suffolk County] Board of Elections, and in effect our facilities become their facilities.”

— Kenneth Bossert

The Suffolk County School Superintendents Association, of which Bossert is president, released a blueprint for action to enhance school safety in which it specifically requests legislation that might let schools appeal their designation as polling locations. New York State law says all public buildings are in line to be declared polling places, yet all municipalities except schools have the right to appeal that designation.

Board of Elections Commissioner Nick LaLota said approximately 30 percent of polling in the county was held at nonschool municipal buildings. He added if the Board of Elections tried to move its voting apparatus to other places like fire departments or town halls that parking would be inadequate and wait times would increase more than an hour because of space issues.

Many schools close their buildings on November polling days to allow the community into a school without the potential for any danger to students. However, during smaller elections like primaries and school budget votes in June, many schools remain open and wall off the students from the public. Huntington school district Superintendent Jim Polansky said while his district does not stay open during major elections, they do stay open for students during primaries.

“While I understand that it is a challenge to find alternative sites than can accommodate a vote, using schools as polling places when classes are in session [such as for primary elections] is a significant issue,” Polansky said.

Across the North Shore superintendents lamented the Suffolk Board of Elections requirements. Superintendent James Grossane of Smithtown school district agreed with SCSSA’s proposal, and Paul Casciano of the Port Jefferson School District said he agreed with it even though polling in Port Jeff is held at Village Hall.

“When our buildings are used for public polling sites, the Board of Elections has the authority to designate the final location in the building for polling to occur, which in most cases requires voters to travel through our schools, passing classrooms and common student areas along the way all while not having to go through our strict visitor approval process,” Cheryl Pedisich, superintendent of the Three Village Central School District said.

LaLota said some local districts were being dishonest in their push to take polling out of schools.

“The school officials who choose to keep their May budget and board elections in their schools but demand that the November elections be moved out of their schools have a sincerity problem and are using recent tragedies to satisfy their political agenda, which predates school shootings,” LaLota said.

“The school officials who choose to keep their May budget and board elections in their schools but demand that the November elections be moved out of their schools have a sincerity problem and are using recent tragedies to satisfy their political agenda, which predates school shootings.”

— Nick LaLota

Since the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, more and more schools have been drastically updating security measures. Schools from Northport to Shoreham-Wading River have been adding additional security cameras, installing security doors, building security vestibules and hiring additional security guards. Some schools, like Miller Place and Mount Sinai, have taken it one step further and added armed guards to their current suite of school protection earlier this year.

Mount Sinai School District superintendent Gordon Brosdal said he agreed with the SCSSA’s call for the ability to appeal. Currently the Mount Sinai campus contains four armed guards, with one manning a booth at the entrance to the grounds who asks for an ID from all who wish to drive in. He added that he was concerned that with those procedures, voters may take it as a sign of disenfranchisement to request identification. Current New York State election law says polling places cannot ask for voter ID, though LaLota said he was unaware of any statute which prevented districts from seeking identification from those who come onto their campuses.

Marianne Cartisano, the superintendent of the Miller Place school district, has been fighting the specifics for her district’s polling designation since 2013, she said. In years past, the district has had to separate students and the public with the use of cafeteria tables, for a lack of more appropriate space. Since then the district has decided to close all schools on every election day, even for primaries.

Currently Andrew Muller Primary School, North Country Road Middle School and Miller Place High School are all polling locations. Cartisano has long requested the Suffolk County Board of Elections move all polling operations to the high school.

“We requested that let’s just move everything to the high school, where we could accommodate anywhere between 1,000 to 1,500 at a time, we’ll give you the entire building,” Cartisano said. “I know that in other districts accommodations have been made. … I want to do the right thing for our residents, but our residents also include 4-year-olds.”

In April this year the William Floyd school district reported that all polling locations would be moved to the high school, away from the elementary school. LaLota said he would be willing to work with school districts toward that end.

“This is an example of a win-win and I have encouraged my staff to explore more opportunities that increase child safety without disenfranchising voters,” he said.

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Francis Alexander. Photo from BNL

By Daniel Dunaief

Now what? It’s a question that affects everyone from the quarterback who wins the Super Bowl — who often says something about visiting a Disney facility — to the student who earns a college degree, to the researcher who has published a paper sharing results with the scientific community.

For some, the path forward is akin to following footsteps in the snow, moving ever closer to a destination for which a path is clear. For others, particularly those developing new technology, looking to unlock mysteries, the path is more like trudging through unfamiliar terrain.

The technology at facilities like Brookhaven National Laboratory, which includes the powerful National Synchrotron Light Source II and the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, among others, enables scientists to see processes at incredibly fine scales.

While these sites offer the promise of providing a greater ability to address questions such as what causes some batteries to die sooner than others, they also cost considerable money to use, putting pressure on researchers to ask the most fruitful question or pursue research that has the greatest chance for success.

Francis Alexander. Photo from BNL

That’s where people like Francis Alexander, the deputy director of Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Computational Science Initiative, and his team at BNL can add considerable value. Alexander takes what researchers have discovered, couples it with other knowledge, and helps guide his fellow laboratory scientists to the next steps in their work — even if he, himself, isn’t conducting these experiments.

“Given our theoretical understanding of what’s going on, as imperfect as that may be, we take that understanding — the theory plus the experimental data — and determine what experiments we should do next,” Alexander said. “That will get us to our goal more quickly with limited resources.”

This approach offers a mutually reinforcing feedback loop between discoveries and interpretations of those discoveries, helping researchers appreciate what their results might show, while directing them toward the next best experiment.

The experiments, in turn, can either reinforce the theory or can challenge previous ideas or results, forcing theoreticians like Alexander to use that data to reconstruct models that take a wide range of information into account.

Alexander is hoping to begin a project in which he works on developing products with specific properties. He plans to apply his knowledge of theoretical physics to polymers that will separate or grow into different structures. “We want to grow a structure with a [particular] function” that has specific properties, he said.

This work is in the early stages in which the first goal is to find the linkage between what is known about some materials and what scientists can extrapolate based on the available experiments and data.

Alexander said the aerospace industry has “models of everything they do.” They run “complex computer simulations [because] they want to know how they’d design something and which design to carry out.”

Alexander is currently the head of a co-design center, ExaLearn, that focuses on exascale, machine-learning technologies. The center is the sixth through the Exascale Computing Project. Growth in the amount of data and computational power is rapidly changing the world of machine learning and artificial intelligence. The applications for this type of technology range from computational and experimental science to engineering and the complex systems that support them.

Ultimately, the exascale project hopes to create a scalable and sustainable software framework for machine learning that links applied math and computer science communities to create designs for learning.

Alexander “brings to machine learning a strong background in science that is often lacking in the field,” Edward Dougherty, a distinguished professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M, wrote in an email. He is an “excellent choice to lead the exascale machine learning effort at Brookhaven.”

Alexander is eager to lead an attempt he suggested would advance scientific and national security work at the Department of Energy. “There are eight national laboratories involved and all the labs are on an equal level,” he said. 

One of the goals of the exascale computing project is to build machines capable of 10 to the 18th operations per second. “There’s this enormous investment of DOE” in this project, Alexander said.

Once the project is completely operational, Alexander expects that this work will take about 30 percent of his time. About 20 percent of the time, he’ll spend on other projects, which leaves him with about half of his workweek dedicated to management.

The deputy director recognizes that he will be coordinating an effort that involves numerous scientists accustomed to setting their own agenda.

Dougherty suggested that Alexander’s connections would help ensure his success, adding that he has “established a strong network of contacts in important application areas such as health care and materials.

The national laboratories are akin to players in a professional sporting league. They compete against each other regularly, bidding for projects and working to be the first to make a new discovery. Extending the sports metaphor, members of these labs often collaborate on broad projects, like players on an all-star team competing against similar teams from other nations or continents.

Alexander grew up in Ohio and wound up working at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico  for over 20 years. He came to BNL in 2017 because he felt he “had the opportunity to build something almost from the ground up.” The program he had been leading at Los Alamos was large and well developed, even as it was still growing. 

The experimental scientists at BNL have been receptive to working with Alexander, which has helped him achieve some of his early goals.

Ultimately, Alexander hopes his work increases the efficiency of numerous basic and applied science efforts. He hopes to help experimental scientists understand “what technologies we should develop that will be feasible” and “what technologies would be most useful to carry experiments out.”

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If one asked Miller Place native and opera singer Chris Remkus what makes opera so appealing, he would say a production is more than just a costume and set, that it’s the combination of epic story and deep-throated, passionate voices that transcend the mundane of the normal world.

“I think what’s so thrilling about opera is you have these pieces in the repertoire which are just complete works of art,” the 29-year-old Remkus said. “They tell a complete story that is both musically thrilling but also sincere and authentic in its intentions.”

Remkus has long worked to perfect his voice as a tenor, and while he has loved choir and musicals, it is opera that has captured the young man’s imagination.

Chris Remkus, a tenor opera singer who graduated from Miller Place High School in 2009, is set to star in a production of ‘Candide’ at the New England Conservatory Oct. 23 and 24. Photo from Remkus

“You’re using the full range of your voice, and you’re using the full dynamic of your acting capability to create a story and create a character that is thrilling to witness and participate in,” he said.

Now Remkus is cast in the title role of Candide for the New England Conservatory’s two-night production of the late Leonard Bernstein’s English-speaking operetta “Candide.” The opera is being put on in celebration of what would have been the famous composer’s 100th birthday.

Remkus was born to the stage at a very young age when his father, Joseph Remkus, a retired chemistry teacher from Sagamore Middle School in Sachem who also acted as director for the schools theater program, would bring his children, Chris and his sister Lauren, to the school’s auditorium to watch while his students rehearsed. Eventually his kids became part of the performance.

“He seemed to like it — being on stage,” Remkus’ father said. “We did ‘Damn Yankees,’ ‘Good News,’ ‘Bye, Bye Birdy,’ and more. My music director from junior high said he had a really good voice — even back then she could hear him really clear.”

Candide is based off of the 18th-century philosopher Voltaire’s notorious 1759 satire “Candide, ou l’Optimisme,” which follows the story of Candide as he journeys across Europe while testing the very concept of overriding optimism, and that people must make sense of a world that often displays such barbarity.

“It was just a role that speaks to me — it captures the satire and comedy in the role, and it also has a deep undertone to the story,” Remkus said. “We can just see how crazy the world can be and how terrible things can happen, and were left trying to make sense of this seemingly meaningless world.”

It’s a role that Remkus’ father said his son has worked so long and so hard for. As a young man the opera singer was always involved in theater and music throughout his high school career. First, he played saxophone in the traditional high school band, big band and jazz band. Over time his classmates and friends kept telling him he had a great voice, and that he should join choir as well. In his senior year he was picked to be one of only 12 young people for the New York All-State select choir and was also the only person on the North Shore of Long Island to be selected for All-Eastern choir.

After he graduated from Miller Place in 2009 Remkus left for Hofstra University to get his bachelor’s degree in music. He took time off to develop his voice even more, taking classes at the Manhattan School of Music before heading upstate to get his master’s in music from the Bard Conservatory of Music. In 2017 the tenor headed to Boston to participate in the New England Conservatory’s pre-professional program, specifically looking to get a graduate diploma in voice. Remkus said he expects to finally end his schooling by early 2019.

Beyond Candide, the young opera singer said he wishes to one day make it to Europe to perform in the opera scene there. The life of an opera singer is much less sedentary than some might assume, Remkus said. Often opera singers are employed for the length of one or two years before having to move on to another opera hall and another company. Despite the anticipated traveling, he said he is excited to see the world.

“We’re always bouncing around exploring new avenues and new pieces which keeps it really exciting and refreshing,” Remkus said.

Remkus’ father, who will be taking the trek to Boston to watch his son perform Candide Oct. 23 and 24, said he could not be any happier for his son.

“Being a theater person myself I couldn’t be any more proud of him,” he said.

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Deer rutting season means more of the animals running out on local roads. Photo by Rohma Abbas

Love is in the air, which can cause troubles on the roads.

It’s deer rutting season — the time of year they breed — which means the animals are prone to run out on local roadways, causing potential dangers for drivers. While it’s advisable to drive carefully and be vigilant at any time of day, especially near wooded areas, peak time for rutting occurs between dusk and dawn requiring extra caution during those hours, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Lori Ketcham, a rehabilitator with Middle Island-based Save the Animals Rescue Foundation, said the rutting season begins approximately in the middle of October and lasts until the end of November, sometimes longer. She said her main advice during the season is for motorists to drive carefully because the deer don’t think.

“The boys only have one thing on their mind,” Ketcham said. “They’re following the scent so they’re just running. They smell a girl down the street. They run, and they don’t care if there are roads in the way.”

She said if two bucks are fighting, something that would most likely happen in wooded areas and not near the road, to steer clear of them. She said it’s important when seeing a deer run across the street to remember there is a chance another one will follow, whether it’s a buck in heat or a fawn following its mother.

“They are a herd animal,” she said. “If one runs across the road, assume there are more coming.”

Ketcham said it’s important for drivers to keep their eyes not only on the road but the sides of the streets. She said sometimes deer are not hit by a car but run into the side of it, breaking their jaws or necks.

The rehabilitator said it’s important for drivers who hit a deer to check to see if they are dead or not, and not to approach or move an injured deer. Whenever a motorist hits an animal, even smaller ones like squirrels and raccoons, Ketcham advises people to call the police department, adding a person won’t get in trouble for hitting an animal with a car.

“Have someone come out and not have the animal out there suffering,” she said.

Drivers are also cautioned to slow down when approaching deer near a roadside, according to the DEC. While they may look inactive, they can quickly bolt in front of a car.

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Girl Scout Mary Lynch unveils her completed Gold Award project at St. Louis de Montfort R.C. Church in Sound Beach. Photo by Gretchen Lynch

A Miller Place Girl Scout hoping to earn her Gold Award applied some of her own personal skill and creativity to brighten up a Sound Beach church.

Girl Scouts looking to achieve their Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn, are tasked with identifying an issue in their community, conducting research, pitching a project, and shepherding it to completion in a leadership role in the hopes of achieving some greater good for the community. Mary Lynch, a 17-year-old senior at Miller Place High School and a member of Girl Scout Troop 1090 decided to take “shepherding” quite literally in completing her project — a painted mural at St. Louis de Montfort R.C. Church depicting Psalm 23, a Bible verse that starts, “The Lord is my shepherd.”

“My Gold Award project was to bring a bright illustrative work in the form of a mural to my local church,” Lynch said in an email. “I chose to pursue a mural for my Gold Award project because using my art skills is the best way I can bond with my community and help out.”

Lynch said the project took her more than 80 hours to complete, and required help from her mom and troop leader Gretchen Lynch, though she also credited The Home Depot and Brinkmann’s for helping with gathering materials used for the project.

“The ‘labor’ was enjoyable most of the time as I was painting, something I do in my free time and will be doing my whole life,” the Scout said. “After putting in so much of my time and effort for years into my project, it’s relieving to finally be finished with it.”

Lynch is one of just five Scouts from the troop’s original 20 members to achieve Gold status, according to her troop leader.

“As a parent and troop leader, I was very proud and relieved that Mary persevered through the years to complete her Gold Girl Scout award,” Gretchen Lynch said. “It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice from other activities and social events which showed a lot of dedication … The project of painting a mural for our church was very special because she could share a skill she has with others in the church community she grew up with. Her painting lights up the walls in the religious education area, which I hope will inspire other young artists to paint on the other blank walls.”

Lynch’s completed project was unveiled during a ceremony at the church Sept. 30.

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Lexi Smith and Joey Krause in the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, that was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Kevin Krause and Joey Krause in the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, that was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Kevin Krause was first across the finish line in the 30 and older group in the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Joey Krause was first across the finish line in the 13-19 year old age group in the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Chef Pierre toiled at the grill preparing lunch for all those running the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, that was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Race winners and Frank and Kelli Cutinella, Thomas’ parents (blue shirts), after the running of the 4th annual Patriot Run in memory of their son was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Scenes from the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Frank and Kelli Cutinella, center, pose with Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker at the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of their son Thomas Cutinella, held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Lunch for all after the running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, that was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Scenes from the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
Lexi Smith was first across the finish line in the 13-19 year age group in the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon
The running of the fourth annual Patriot Run in memory of Thomas Cutinella, was held Oct. 14 at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

The 4th annual Patriot Run hosted by the Thomas Cutinella Memorial Foundation was held Sunday, Oct. 14, at Wildwood State Park in Wading River. The foundation is a nonprofit started in memory of Thomas by his parents — Frank and Kelli Cutinella — with the goal of improving awareness for football-related head injuries. Thomas was a Shoreham-Wading River football player killed as a result of an on-field collision in 2014. The race is held in his memory every year.

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Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine and Comsewogue Superintendent Joe Rella along with leaders from dozens of other districts attend the first meeting of Brookhaven’s Council of Governments Committee, a group aiming to reduce taxes through sharing services across taxing districts. Photo from Town of Brookhaven

The committee’s title sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but Brookhaven Town’s plan to streamline government services is nonfiction and slated for the nearer future than a galaxy far, far away.

Brookhaven Town hall was the setting for the inaugural Council of Governments Committee meeting, a congregation of representatives from across the town’s villages, ambulance and fire, school and library districts Oct. 10. The leaders came together to begin brainstorming strategies to make government more efficient by sharing services with the goal of reducing costs for their mutual taxpayers. The meeting was hosted by Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) and was attended by representatives from the Villages of Belle Terre, Shoreham and Port Jefferson; Setauket Fire District; Port Jefferson EMS; Comsewogue, Port Jefferson, Emma S. Clark, and Middle Country libraries; and Shoreham-Wading River, Comsewogue, Port Jefferson and Rocky Point school districts among many others.

Brookhaven was recently awarded a $20 million Municipal Consolidation and Efficiency Competition grant by New York State, which will go toward modernizing and reinventing the delivery of services while reducing the burden on taxpayers by reducing redundancy in local governments, pursuing opportunities for increasing shared services, and implementing modernizations and best practices, according to a town press release. The committee will be charged with implementing the changes and identifying additional areas for efficiency and fiscal savings, as well as providing oversight of the 16 MCEC projects.

“We’re interested today in talking about what we can do jointly for our mutual constituents to improve the delivery of services, to reduce costs, to share services whenever possible — to do the things that are going to move this town, your school district, your village, your taxing district forward so that our mutual constituents benefit from this,” Romaine said. “I think this is an opportunity for us to redesign how we do things. This is one opportunity where we can reach across jurisdictional lines and say we’re all in this together.”

Engineering firm Laberge Group has served as a consultant for the town’s municipal consolidation plans, and representatives Ben Syden and Nicole Allen were on hand at the committee meeting to update the attendees on the status of some of the projects already underway.

“A year and a half ago, we asked for your hope, we asked for you to say, ‘yup, I may be interested in doing this,’” Syden said during the meeting. “Now, we have pilots, we have examples and now we want to deploy this townwide.”

The projects will be implemented over a span of two to three years, according to Syden, and the full implementation of the projects is expected to save more than $60 million collectively amongst the taxing districts over five years.

The dissolution of the Village of Mastic Beach and reincorporation into the town, the consolidation of 24 of the town’s 112 special districts including four water districts into the Suffolk County Water Authority and six erosion control districts consolidated into one are among the already completed projects undertaken as part of the MCEC project. Upcoming projects include the consolidation of property tax collection and processing systems with several villages including Port Jefferson and Shoreham, construction of a regional salt storage facility, purchase of regional specialized fleet equipment, expansion of single-stream recycling waste management services to six special districts throughout the town and many more.

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Mt. Sinai senior running back Robert DeMeo plows up the middle in a homecoming victory against Center Moriches Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai senior running back Michael Sabella finds an opening in a homecoming victory against Center Moriches Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai senior running back Michael Sabella finds the end zone on a 6 yard run in a homecoming victory against Center Moriches Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai senior running back Michael Sabella plows his way for extra yardage in a homecoming victory against Center Moriches Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai senior running back Liam McGrath slips a would-be tackler for a touchdown run defeating Center Moriches 42-21 in a homecoming victory Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai defeated Center Moriches 42-14 in their homecoming football game Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai homecoming parade and festivities Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai homecoming parade and festivities Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai homecoming parade and festivities Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai homecoming parade and festivities Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai homecoming parade and festivities Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai homecoming parade and festivities Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai homecoming parade and festivities Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai homecoming parade and festivities Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai homecoming parade and festivities Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai homecoming parade and festivities Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai homecoming parade and festivities Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai homecoming parade and festivities Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai homecoming parade and festivities Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Center Moriches throws into double coverage where defensive backs Brandon Ventarola and Dominic Boscarino wait for the ball in a homecoming victory against Center Moriches Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Center Moriches throws into double coverage where defensive backs Brandon Ventarola and Dominic Boscarino wait for the ball in a homecoming victory against Center Moriches Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai senior defensive back Dominic Boscarino breaks up a sure touchdown pass in a homecoming victory against Center Moriches Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai quarterback Dominic Boscarino lowers a shoulder to grind out yardage in a homecoming victory against Center Moriches Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai defensive back Brandon Ventarola makes a interception in a homecoming victory against Center Moriches Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai quarterback Brandon Ventarola gets flushed out of the pocket in a homecoming victory against Center Moriches Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon
Mt. Sinai senior tight end Andrew Sartori finds an opening in a homecoming victory against Center Moriches Saturday October 13th. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

The Mount Sinai Mustangs football team scored a homecoming game victory Oct. 13, defeating Center Moriches 42-21. Mount Sinai improved its record to 6-0 with the victory, and will look to make it seven straight to start the season Oct. 19 at home against Elwood John Glenn.

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Miller Place’s Vanessa Provenzano rips one from the service line in a Dig Pink fundraiser hosted by Miller Place along with the Sideout Foundation Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition. Photo by Bill
SWR’s Samantha Rutkowsky keeps the ball in play in a Dig Pink fundraiser hosted by Miller Place along with the Sideout Foundation Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition. Photo by Bill Landon
SWR’s Lauren Halloran sets up the play in a Dig Pink fundraiser hosted by Miller Place along with the Sideout Foundation Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition. Photo by Bill Landon
SWR’s Lauren Halloran serves the ball in a Dig Pink fundraiser hosted by Miller Place along with the Sideout Foundation Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition. Photo by Bill Landon
SWR’s Katlynn McGivney from the service line in a Dig Pink fundraiser hosted by Miller Place along with the Sideout Foundation Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition. Photo by Bill Landon
SWR’s Katlynn McGivney sets up the play in a Dig Pink fundraiser hosted by Miller Place along with the Sideout Foundation Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place’s Katie McNulty battles at the net in a Dig Pink fundraiser hosted by Miller Place along with the Sideout Foundation Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place’s Katie McNulty with a KILL SHOT in a Dig Pink fundraiser hosted by Miller Place along with the Sideout Foundation Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place’s Julia Lent digs one out in a Dig Pink fundraiser hosted by Miller Place along with the Sideout Foundation Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place’s Jamie Kennedy crushes the ball in a Dig Pink fundraiser hosted by Miller Place along with the Sideout Foundation Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place’s Isabella Daleo sets up the play in a Dig Pink fundraiser hosted by Miller Place along with the Sideout Foundation Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition. Photo by Bill Landon
SWR’s Brianna Huebner serves the ball in a Dig Pink fundraiser hosted by Miller Place along with the Sideout Foundation Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place girl’s volleyball squad teamed up with Shoreham Wading River along with the Sideout Foundation to host a Dig Pink event Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition.
Miller Place girl’s volleyball squad teamed up with Shoreham Wading River along with the Sideout Foundation to host a Dig Pink event Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition.
Miller Place girl’s volleyball squad teamed up with Shoreham Wading River along with the Sideout Foundation to host a Dig Pink event Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition.
Miller Place girl’s volleyball squad teamed up with Shoreham Wading River along with the Sideout Foundation to host a Dig Pink event Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition.
Miller Place girl’s volleyball squad teamed up with Shoreham Wading River along with the Sideout Foundation to host a Dig Pink event Thursday Oct. 11th with proceeds to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition.

By Bill Landon

The Miller Place Panthers girls volleyball team defeated the Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats Oct. 11 at home three sets to two, though everyone involved was a winner that day. The game was part of the annual Dig Pink initiative held during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October in which the teams partner with the Sideout Foundation to to raise money to benefit the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition, a local nonprofit dedicated to helping families with someone battling the disease.

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