Newly-graduated Royals display their diplomas. Photo courtesy PJSD
The Earl L. Vandermeulen High School Class of 2023 received their diplomas during the 129th commencement exercises on Friday, June 23.
Principal John Ruggero welcomed those in attendance while Student Organization President Lola Idir led the Pledge of Allegiance. The string orchestra then performed the National Anthem, followed by congratulatory words from Student Organization President Amy Whitman.
Members of Earl L. Vandermeulen High School’s Class of 2023 during the school’s 129th Commencement ceremony. Photo courtesy PJSD
Dr. Frank Andriani, father of student Frank Andriani, gave a heartfelt address acknowledging the district for providing opportunities to students and preparing them for the world once they graduate.
Superintendent of Schools Jessica Schmettan then addressed the Class of 2023. Class President Alexa Ayotte presented the traditional class gift, and Valedictorian Olivia Schlegel shared kind words with her fellow graduates.
Ruggero then presented the Class of 2023 to Superintendent Schmettan and Board of Education President Ellen Boehm. Each student walked to the podium for their diploma while Ruggero highlighted their personal achievements and postgraduation plans.
The newly-graduated students then stood and tossed their caps in the air, marking a successful conclusion to their high school years.
Village board advances nonprofit rental rates, energy tracking program
Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden presides over the Village of Port Jefferson Board of Trustees business meeting on Monday, June 26. Photo by Raymond Janis
The Village of Port Jefferson Board of Trustees held the final business meeting of its term Monday afternoon, June 26, during which departing Mayor Margot Garant was absent due to illness.
In her absence, Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden presided over a meeting marked by several notable goodbyes. Garant, Snaden and village attorney Brian Egan will all leave the board next week when trustee Lauren Sheprow takes over as mayor.
Trustee Rebecca Kassay recognized Snaden, who lost to Sheprow in last week’s mayoral election. Snaden’s four-year tenure on the village board now ends.
“You put your heart and soul into it — and it shows,” Kassay told the departing deputy mayor. Following these remarks, Snaden was greeted with thunderous applause by the dozens in attendance.
Garant’s fiancée, Traci Donnelly, delivered a short address on the mayor’s behalf. Garant thanked colleagues and constituents.
“I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to each one of you for the trust you’ve shown me over the past 14 years,” the statement said. “I hope and pray that the team of individuals who remain will continue working tirelessly to ensure the continued growth and success of our beloved village.”
Egan, who has served as village attorney since 2013, thanked the court clerks, village clerks, treasurers and professional staff with whom he had served over the last decade. In this final report, he paraphrased his favorite line from Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”
“Lewis Carroll said it best when his advice to the white rabbit was — ‘Start at the beginning, then continue to the end; then stop.’”
Other business
The board agreed to extend the reduced rental rate for the Long Island Foundation for Education & Sports, a children and family services group which rents a room in the Village Center, until the end of the 2023-24 school year. The nonprofit will be charged $35 per hour during that period, a reduction from the pre-pandemic rate of $42 per hour.
The board also approved a resolution to track and publish energy usage data for village buildings. The initiative, Kassay explained, “moves us one step closer” toward receiving grant funds through the New York State Research and Development Authority’s Clean Energy Communities Program.
Kassay, liaison to the newly created village Tree Committee, announced the committee’s members had held their first meeting and established a set of objectives.
“Their first task is going to be exploring how to survey the existing canopy of trees” on village properties and public rights-of-way, the trustee said. The committee will also “examine the current tree code to see how it can be more effective and balanced.”
Sheprow and trustees-elect Loucks and Bob Juliano will be formally sworn into office this Tuesday, July 4, following the village’s annual Fourth of July parade. The reconfigured board will hold its reorganization meeting the following Monday, July 10, at 5 p.m.
One of over a dozen derelict buildings that remain on the Lawrence Aviation Superfund site in Port Jefferson Station. File photo by Raymond Janis
UPDATE: The June 29 community availability session at the Port Jefferson Village Center for the Lawrence Aviation Industries Site is postponed. DEC will notify the public once a new community meeting date is scheduled.
To ensure careful and thorough cleanup efforts at the former Lawrence Aviation Industries Superfund Site in Port Jefferson Station, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation scheduled a community availability session at the Port Jefferson Village Center, 101 East Broadway, tonight, June 29, from 6-8:30 p.m. This event has been postponed to a later date.
Experts from NYSDEC, the state Department of Health, NYSDEC-contracted engineering and demolition firms, the Suffolk County Landbank Corporation and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services will be available for one-on-one interactions with community members. Multiple stations will be set up at the Village Center, with representatives available to discuss specific areas of interest.
Participants can attend any time during the session.
The community availability session will present information about the planned demolition, cleanup activities and future use at the LAI Site. Handouts of the presentation materials will be made available during the session.
Eliminating possible exposure to site-related contamination in the local community will be a point of emphasis. The updates include the latest information regarding the planned demolition of derelict buildings and provide progress to address contaminated soils and groundwater on the property.
Lauren Sheprow, mayor-elect of the Village of Port Jefferson. File photo by Raymond Janis
The Village of Port Jefferson is undergoing its first mayoral transition in 14 years. Outgoing Mayor Margot Garant, who has held the village’s highest post since 2009, will officially leave the office early next week, handing the reins of power to trustee Lauren Sheprow.
Sheprow, a write-in candidate who campaigned as an agent of change, defeated Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden in last week’s village election [See story, “Write-in candidate Lauren Sheprow elected Port Jeff Village mayor,” The Port Times Record, June 22, also TBR News Media website]. Throughout her campaign, she proposed several initiatives, such as new staffing procedures, committees and communications channels.
In an exclusive interview, the mayor-elect opened up about the transition process, unveiling her expectations for the office and offering some reorganization plans.
“Fourteen years is a long time,” she told TBR News Media. “Mayor Garant did amazing things in Port Jefferson, and I never want to take anything away from her and what she’s done.”
“I’m just excited to start something new and fresh, and see what we can do to help bring Port Jefferson to the next chapter,” she added.
She offered that she is currently “working through sort of an organizational chart,” assessing where current staff members will fit within the organizational hierarchy and whether there are opportunities for change.
Through this chart, she is “trying to understand if everything makes sense the way it’s laid out,” she said. “Possibly it does, but that’s the evaluation process that I’m going through right now.”
With one year remaining in her unexpired term as trustee, one of Sheprow’s highest-profile vacancies is the one she will create by swearing in as mayor. New York Village Law empowers the mayor to “appoint individuals to fill vacancies in both elected and appointed offices when the vacancy occurs before the expiration of the official’s term of office,” with this type of mayoral appointment “not subject to board approval.”
Outside of village attorney Brian Egan, who announced his resignation this week, Sheprow declined to reveal any other major administrative changes or forecast upcoming mayoral appointments.
One of Sheprow’s central positions during her campaign was the formation of new resident task forces and committees to assist the board in local decision-making. Sheprow maintained her intent to move ahead with plans for committees on parking, budgets and the Port Jefferson Power Station, among others.
“I have three or four people that I can tap into immediately on the Audit and Budget Committee,” she said. “I’ve been talking to people about the Parking Committee, the LIPA Committee,” adding that the village government is exploring a portal for residents to enter their interests and alert the committee boards on which they would like to volunteer.
Expanding upon this initiative, Sheprow said she had contacted Kevin Wood, the village’s communications committee head, about overhauling the village’s municipal website, suggesting a website revamp would likely be a multimonth endeavor.
Sheprow also said she has been scrutinizing the village’s existing Code of Ethics, noting this “probably hasn’t been touched in all the years since it’s been established,” adding that a similar approach is underway for procurement and investment policies.
The mayor-elect described the transition process as “exciting,” noting a personal lack of anxiety in preparing for the mayor’s office.
“It’s just energizing, and I’m looking forward to it,” she said. “We have a great operating institution in the Village of Port Jefferson. The people in place are doing their jobs, and I hope to empower them to do their jobs even more.”
Sheprow will be sworn in as mayor outside Village Hall this Tuesday, July 4.
Odell’s Market in 1903. Photo from the Port Jefferson Historical Society
By Sandra Swenk
A popular local mom-and-pop business once flourished at the intersection of Beach Street and West Broadway in Port Jefferson under several owners. Longtime proprietors, George and Janet Odell, retired after 44 years in 1980.
The famous deli provided groceries, canned goods and meat for local families. During the 1940s, wagons of fresh vegetables from nearby farms were wheeled in and out of the store, where ice cream was sold at roll-up windows during the summer evenings.
Penny candies were also popular purchases by local children. Long Island Lighting Company employees could pick up sandwiches en route to their shifts at the local plant on Beach Street.
In later years, both porches were enclosed for the sale of Easter plants each spring, while holiday trees and greenery were displayed for shoppers in December.
Sandra Swenk is a charter member of the Port Jefferson Historical Society. She served as mayor of the Village of Port Jefferson from 1971 to 1977.
Due to its low-lying topography, the Port Jefferson Fire Department’s station is frequently inundated. Former Mayor Mike Lee suggests this location is inadequate for effectively servicing the public.
Downtown Port Jefferson is coping with longstanding flood concerns, which could intensify in coming years.
During an April 5 climate resilience forum at Village Hall, local architect Michael Schwarting reported that the village’s blend of low-lying topography, subsurface water bodies and rising tides will likely produce even greater flooding risks. [See story TBR News Media website, April 13.]
“Those three things interact with one another to cause the problems that we’ve been having in the past, are still having and will have in a worse way, according to predictions,” Schwarting said.
— Photos by Aidan Johnson
Mike Lee, former mayor of the Village of Port Jefferson, chronicles the past, present and future of Port Jeff’s water challenges.
Mike Lee, former mayor of Port Jefferson who served from 2005 to 2007, is now ringing the alarm over the village’s flooding problems. In an exclusive interview, Lee chronicled the area’s historic water challenges.
Drowned Meadow
Before the 19th century, nearly all of the existing downtown was a salt marsh. The tides would flood the marsh twice daily, giving the area its name, Drowned Meadow.
Lee considers the waters running in and around Port Jefferson an inherent feature of the area’s natural character. And while the land was eventually renamed Port Jefferson, its natural essence remains unaltered.
“It’s easy to change the name, but it’s hard to change the terrain,” Lee noted.
One of the few remaining patches of unfilled marshland in downtown Port Jefferson, above.
Infrastructure
An elaborate underground stormwater drainage network serves the area, Lee explained, describing the covert system built around the 1930s as “one big tunnel” channeling stormwater from all directions toward Port Jefferson Harbor.
The area’s patchwork of hills exacerbates the flooding problems downtown as the stormwater flows downward into the low-lying areas.
As downtown developed over time, the impermeable surface area multiplied exponentially. For a place originally named for its flooding issues, development slowly removed vital escape routes for floodwaters to discharge naturally.
“There’s too much restriction” now within the drainage system, Lee said. “So much of the area that would have the normal penetration of water has been [converted] to roofs, parking lots, driveways, roads.”
He added, “It doesn’t have the natural absorption.”
One central covert, seen above, channels the bulk of the area’s floodwaters into Old Mill Creek.
During major flood events, the stress on the stormwater network is most pronounced near Port Jeff’s fire station on Maple Avenue, one of the lowest elevations.
“This is what we’ve come to,” Lee said in the Port Jefferson Fire Department’s garage, pointing to an amphibious high-water rescue vehicle the department requires to leave its station. “I call it ‘The Drowned Meadow Express.’”
“If you’re going to serve the public, you have to be able to get through the puddle,” he added.
Coined ‘The Drowned Meadow Express,’ PJFD requires this high-water rescue vehicle to leave the fire station during flood events.
Possible solutions
Lee indicated that while the fire department has coped with the flooding challenges over time, its current headquarters building is becoming increasingly untenable.
During a May 1 public hearing on code possible changes for the Maryhaven Center of Hope property on Myrtle Avenue, multiple residents proposed relocating the fire station to higher ground.
Lee, an ex-chief of PJFD, concurred with this assessment. “As an emergency service, how can we not be capable of serving the public,” he said.
Lee suggests there are other ways to help resolve the water challenges. He proposed that developers “stop doing what you’re doing,” in terms of increasing impermeable surfaces.
Up the easterly hill at Port Jefferson Country Club, the village recently received a $3.75 million grant from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency in hazard mitigation funds to help stabilize the East Beach bluff.
Lee suggested policymakers explore similar grant opportunities to address flooding.
“I think if FEMA is going to put money into infrastructure, it should do it where it affects everybody,” the former mayor said.
Despite centuries of water troubles, Lee maintained the village could overcome some of its challenges with proper governmental initiative.
He encouraged officials to give flooding the appropriate attention, concluding that on the list of local priorities, “It should be right on the top.”
Mayor-elect Lauren Sheprow celebrates on Election Night. Photo by Aidan Johnson
By Raymond Janis & Aidan Johnson
In a historic upset, trustee Lauren Sheprow — a write-in candidate — was elected Village of Port Jefferson mayor Tuesday night, June 20, capping off a contentious season in the village.
In a contested race to succeed Mayor Margot Garant, who is running for Town of Brookhaven supervisor, Sheprow defeated Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden 956-796.
Incumbent trustee Stan Loucks and former village clerk Bob Juliano were elected with 935 and 1,244 votes, respectively, in an uncontested race. Voters also elected Tara Higgins as village justice with 1,381 votes.
Sheprow announced her bid for mayor in March, running on a platform of change and pledging to move the village in a new direction.
‘Our Village Hall is now open to all residents.’
— Lauren Sheprow
Her campaign hit an unexpected stumbling block on May 30, just three weeks before Election Day, when the Suffolk County Board of Elections removed her name from the ballot due to faults in her petitions after charges brought on by Snaden’s campaign.
Despite the unfavorable Suffolk BOE decision, Sheprow became a write-in candidate. In an interview, the mayor-elect commented on the race’s conclusion.
“It was an uphill climb all the way, but the determination of my supporters and the residents themselves made it possible to overcome every challenge,” she said. “I also want to congratulate Kathianne Snaden for a spirited race. I know we both want the best for Port Jefferson and its future.”
She added, “I’m humbled and honored by the unwavering support and the positive feedback I received from all the residents I met with throughout the village during this whole process.”
Before entering the board last year, Sheprow had worked as a media relations professional at Stony Brook University and Mather Hospital. Her father, Harold, had served as village mayor from 1977-85 and 1987-91.
Sheprow also congratulated the newly elected trustees and village justice, expressing optimism and pledging to follow the public will.
“I look forward to working with this board … to make positive change and a fresh start for Port Jefferson,” she said, adding, “Our Village Hall is now open to all residents. Whether you voted for me or not, I am listening.”
In a separate interview, Garant thanked the community for entrusting her throughout her 14 years at the helm. “I think I’ve done my job, and I’ve left this community in a good spot,” the outgoing mayor said. “I just hope for the base to know to keep it going forward.”
After four years of service on the Board of Trustees, Snaden’s tenure now ends as the deputy mayor had vacated her trustee seat to run for mayor. In the wake of the election result, Snaden released a statement expressing her gratitude for those who supported her campaign.
“While I may not have won this election, I am grateful for the opportunity to have shared my vision for the future of this village,” she said. “I believe that together, we can continue to make this village an even better place to live, work and raise a family.”
She added that she would remain involved, saying:
“To the Port Jefferson community, I want to say that I will continue to be a voice for positive change and progress. I will continue to work to ensure that this village remains a wonderful place to call home. I will continue to be an advocate for our community, and I will work to build bridges and bring people together.”
Incumbent trustee Stan Loucks, left, and former village clerk Bob Juliano were also elected to the village board Tuesday night. File photos by Raymond Janis
Loucks, who has been on the board since 2015, ran alongside Snaden on the Unity Party ticket. While thanking the community for its vote of confidence in him, he expressed sympathy for his running mate.
“I think the village lost a very valuable person with Kathianne Snaden,” he said. “But congratulations, I guess, to the opponent.”
Outside of the uncontested Higgins, Juliano received the highest vote count of any candidate. In a phone interview, the first-time elected official thanked the community for its strong support.
“I am humbled by the support and encouragement that I have been getting from everyone,” he said. “I promise to do my best and make Port Jefferson a better place for us all,” adding, “I’m looking forward to sitting down with all the new board members and discussing where we want to see Port Jefferson head.”
The current board will convene for one final meeting this Monday, June 26, at 3:30 p.m. The new mayor and trustees will swear into office outside Village Hall on July 4 following the annual parade.
Curinne Polizzi, owner of Ivory & Main: The Curvy Corner Boutique.
Photo by Julianne Mosher
After a successful five years selling plus-size wedding gowns and occasion wear on the South Shore, a Comsewogue High School graduate is making her way back north for her second shop — Ivory & Main: The Curvy Corner Boutique.
After graduating, Curinne Polizzi went straight into the workforce, getting a job in retail and falling more in love with fashion.
“I always knew I wanted to own a shop, and then bridal just fell into my lap,” she said.
It began when she was looking for her own wedding gown. Polizzi said that when she was growing up in Port Jefferson Station, it was often hard to find clothing as she began to gain weight, and then finding a gown for her wedding opened her eyes.
There were no strictly plus-size gown stores on Long Island. In fact, the closest similar wedding shop was in Maryland.
She remembered sitting at her kitchen table talking to her grandmother who said she should open her own wedding gown store on Long Island. On March 15, 2018, Ivory & Main: The Curvy Bridal Boutique opened in Sayville and it was a hit.
Since then, she has sold thousands of wedding gowns to women of all sizes, dresses to mothers of the bride and prom gowns. She had to expand in Sayville twice because it was getting so popular, soon realizing she needed to open up a second location.
“My five-year plan was to open up a second store,” she said.
And five years exactly to the day of getting the keys to her Sayville bridal boutique, Polizzi got a second set to her newest location, The Curvy Corner in downtown Port Jefferson.
The 46-year-old mom of three, who now lives in Oakdale, said when she heard Christina’s Fashion Handbags, formerly located at 98 Main Street, had closed, she had to take a look. As soon as Polizzi walked in, she said, she knew this was the spot and signed the lease.
“I grew up down here, and I’ve always loved Port Jeff,” she said. “When I moved to the South Shore, I hadn’t been here in a long time, but when I found this space, I asked if I could sign the papers that day.” She added, “I felt like I was coming home.”
Since officially opening its doors in May, Polizzi is already gaining a lot of visibility. She said she has a large client base who comes in from out of state. Compared to its sister store south, Ivory & Main: The Curvy Corner Boutique will house more date-night or wedding-guest looks like sundresses, jumpsuits and other occasion wear looks.
The back of the shop has racks of elegant evening gowns for prom and mothers of the bride that go up to size 30, as well as a wide variety of fun accessories like jewelry, handbags and hats for which anyone can shop.
The styles she brings can appeal to the younger clientele, which has always been a struggle for more inclusive clothing brands. Polizzi said that sometimes other plus-size stores or brands have baggier, more matriarchal styles that may not suit everyone. What she has to offer is trendy — and will have something for everyone.
“This type of store is what I wanted when I was in high school,” she said.
Ivory & Main: The Curvy Corner Boutique sells clothing ranging from size large to 5X and will have its grand opening June 17 from noon to 9 p.m. featuring sales and other surprises for people visiting the boutique.
Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden welcomed the new shop with open arms, saying she is happy to see another new business owner investing in Port Jefferson, especially one who came back to town, as Polizzi has.
“It has always been my priority to make Port Jefferson a place folks want to live, work and play,” Snaden said. “Seeing new businesses moving in lets me know that what we’re doing is working.”
The store, located at 98 Main Street, is open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.IvoryMain.com.
Former Village Clerk Bob Juliano, left, and trustee Stan Loucks. Photo by Aidan Johnson
By Aidan Johnson
With two trustee seats up for grabs on June 20, the Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce hosted a Meet the Candidates event at the Village Center Tuesday evening, June 14.
The candidates had their first Meet the Candidates forum last month during an event hosted by the Port Jefferson Civic Association. The two declared trustee candidates, incumbent trustee Stan Loucks and former village clerk Bob Juliano, tackled a range of subjects throughout the night. The following offers insight into a few key areas.
Transparency
Juliano said any bond issue or proposal for changing terms of office should go out to public referendum. He maintained the public should have input on matters immediately impacting them, such as taxes.
Besides publishing legal notices, Juliano said that he would “really just plaster the village and let them know” that a public hearing was taking place.
Loucks said that any large project should have a public referendum, agreeing that the changing of terms from two to four years should have had a public referendum.
Public acquisitions
Loucks addressed the need for more green spaces in Port Jeff. He said the village should “go after” them when they become available, including the undeveloped parcel located immediately east of Mather Hospital.
Loucks also touched upon the underutilization of Roosevelt Park, which he suggested was a decent size green area currently serving little or no use. “Residents in those areas are more hesitant about the parking,” he said, “but that is one green area that we are going to begin to use.”
Juliano said he would support the village obtaining the undeveloped parcel near Mather. While the former clerk said it was Mather Hospital’s right to take down the trees last year, he suggested that Port Jefferson should acquire some of that property and keep it green to help the environment.
Juliano also addressed the perceived lack of open space left in the village, saying that if space became available, he would advocate that the village take a look at it to see if it’s feasible to acquire, “even if it’s just purchased and just kept in its natural state.”
Decommissioning thePort Jeff Power Station
Juliano said that if the Port Jefferson Power Station were to shutter, the village would still receive some taxes on the property. Furthermore, Juliano said he would advocate seeing if there was another use for the land before additional public revenues declined.
Loucks concurred, saying that he didn’t know what it would cost to decommission the plant but adding that it’s “beautiful waterfront property.”
Development/single-family dwellings
Loucks said he does not believe Port Jefferson has overdeveloped. Instead, he said there is a need for housing, citing Conifer’s Crossing Apartments project that had 1,400 applicants for around 40 units.
Juliano also agrees that there is a need for housing in the village but advocated for condominiums instead of apartments. He also said the Building Department was in disarray, and a senior planner and senior engineer were necessary, along with a strengthening of the Code Department.
Industrial Development Agency
Juliano said that the village has no say as far as what happens with the Brookhaven Industrial Development Agency but that he has a plan to make sure if the IDA grants property tax relief, then they will start at whatever taxes they are paying now and not go down to zero. What it should be, he said, is if they’re paying a certain amount of dollars, they’ll continue to pay that, and then any exemptions rise from that down.
Loucks highlighted the little control the village has over the IDA. He said that they can go to their meetings and make recommendations, but ultimately the IDA makes its own decisions.
Port Jeff Village residents will weigh in on these two candidates Tuesday, June 20. Voting will occur at the Village Center from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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